How to Preserve Monsters?

[trilobite]

Humm, I would have had a nice avalanche readied just in case. Also I would have had the the shelf that the players teleported up to iced over by the kobolds. Just pouring some water on it could do the trick. Then have the kobolds wear spiked ice shoes. When the PC's teleported up they would have a devil of a time just standing.

 

[Pbartender]

First, I would not have had the kobolds wait until the PCs reached the top of the cliff. Hit them while they are climbing, and are at an obvious disadvantage. It's as simple as tossing rocks or buckets of flaming oil down on their heads, while it the meantime, the Half-dragon can provide up close and personal fly-by attacks and breath weapons. More than likely, that'd force the PCs back down off the cliff (one way or another ), where'd they'd have to rethink a whole new plan.

Second, I agree with Radiating Gnome... don't under-estimate the power of hordes of mooks. Especially if have them use the oft ignored 'Aid Another' action. Surround a PC with kobolds, and have seven of them aid the attack roll of the eighth. Up to +14 from aid another and +2 from flanking almost guarantees a hit on anybody, even if you are just a kobold mook. Every time a mook goes down, another can take his place. The only disadvatage is if the PC has Great Cleave or Whirlwind attack... But that's alright too, as it'll give that particular PC a moment to shine.

 

[Radiating Gnome]

And shining like that is something most PCs don't get to do all that often -- How many times have the fighters in your campaign really had a chance to cleave their way through more than one or two foes? Mine don't get the chance very often.

So, your horde of kobolds all surround the fighter on the ledge. Those in the front rank fight. Those behind ready an action to step in if the one in front of them falls, or moves -- so that as soon as the fighter kills one, another takes its place.

And here's anotherthing to think about with the horde. The wizard had studied the ledge, and teleported up there. But if he tries to teleport into a space that's occupied, he gets shunted off to the nearest free space -- but in the case of a big horde of kobolds surrounding the fighter, that space may not be all that close -- or even on the ledge! He'd teleport into midair close to the ledge -- and take damage -- or maybe into a pocked of space on the other side of the ledge, where he would be quickly set upon by the other kobolds.

Swarms should be scary.

-rg

 

[Radiating Gnome]

One more thing on the teleporting wizard . . . in case he gets cute and decides to teleport into midair above the kobolds, he'll take falling damage (not much), and since he's going to land in a space that is occupied, he'll end up prone, rather than on his feet -- standing up provokes an attack of opportunity, and he'd be a ripe target for a bunch of grappling kobolds.

-rg

 

[Coredump]

While we can pretty much guess... it would be helpful to know what level your party was for this...

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned about the kobolds: mooks can be quite tough if properly buffed but it sounds like these guys weren't. (Less true in 3.5 than 3.0, BTW; which are you playing?)

If the kobold cleric cast Blessed Aim (DotF) and prayer, and the rage mage cast (or used a scroll) GMW on the kobolds bolts, the kobold War 5s with crossbows could easily hit +13 to +15 to hit (+1 size, +5 BAB, + 3 dex, +2 morale, +1 luck, +3 enhancement--or more in 3.0). A low level kobold bard using a natural horn (Song and Silence) would give them +2 to hit and damage as a morale bonus. Now, they'd still have trouble hitting the fighter, but they'd probably pepper everyone else pretty well.

Also, it sounds like you used a lightning bolt in a magic missile situation. As a single target spell, lightning bolt, etc is not very impressive. An empowered magic missile does about the same amount of damage without any save. Against single targets there are much better spells (Magic missile, enervation, ray of exhaustion, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere, etc). Fortunately, since the spellcaster can move, he should usually be able to find a place where he can target at least two foes with a lightning bolt. (Two points define a line, so pick your two targets then move the sorceror till he can hit both).

 

[Sammael]

The party is 10th level.

The kobold cleric did cast bless and prayer, and the kobolds' total attack bonus was +14, but they simply didn't have the time to use it. The sorcerer did not have GMW, and, even if he did, there wouldn't have been enough time for him to distribute the bolts (the flying fighter got up there in two rounds, since the cliff was 100 ft. high, and the kobolds had one additional round to prepare).

Additionally, the kobold didn't have Empower, and he couldn't have used it on the surprise round anyhow, since metamagic is a full-round action for a sorcerer. So, I simply had him use his biggest damage potential spell, which was lightining bolt. Which did something like 36 points of damage.

On retrospect, I probably should have had the kobold cleric cast hold person on the fighter that round, instead of buffing someone, but that would have broken his invisibility, and the fighter would have probably resisted it.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

formaldehyde

I was thinking a nightly apricot facial scrub, followed by moisturizer and cucumber slices over the eyes. I figured it would be too obscure.

 

[Plane Sailing]

First, I would not have had the kobolds wait until the PCs reached the top of the cliff. Hit them while they are climbing, and are at an obvious disadvantage.

I think this was the original plan (shame they were not kobold rogues rather than warriors, to have got the sneak attack goodness against climbers) but the party foiled it by flying & teleporting to the top.

I think if I had been running it then I'd probably have had the cleric cast a targetted dispel magic on the fighter as he was flying up and just as he reached the top, while the rage mage throws the lightning bolt down at the poncy elven wizards at the bottom of the cliff... try and get several people who would *really* be hurt by 10d6!

As others have said, I think an avalanche would have been the ideal trap for the bored kobolds to prepare - they would have planned to trigger it when the party were halfway up climbing, but when the fighter started flowing they would think that the gaff had been blown and trigger it right then. All the rest of the party would have been in the bury zone, and suckers for damage and pinning.

However, as Takyris said, this seemed to be an encounter which did its job - cost the party a few hps, used up a few of their spells, didn't seriously challenge the party.

The good news is that a couple of the kobolds got away - so they can report back on the PC threat, get together with others and the NEXT time the PCs confidently meet arctic kobolds they could find themselves in a lot more trouble (an encounter replete with traps and environmental problems as mentioned by other posters.

The Rat Bastards DMs Club (which includes Takyris, Nemmerle, Radiating Gnome & Pbartender who helped here, amongst others) http://pub109.ezboard.com/faquerrafrm29 loves to help DMs to work out nasty combinations for encounters


Cheers

 

[Zappo]

More environmental problems? You mean that the constant threat of dihydrogen monoxide to the arctic regions isn't enough?