How tough is too tough?

[Saeviomagy]

Sounds like the DM is being a jerk. Especially since he left out essential information. Go do something else in-game. And if they do resurrect the BBEG? Someone else can fight him - he's obviously so out of your league that it's not funny.

 

[Fynn]

Keep Defences

Brother Mac,

Actually he stated it was the dragon that set the Glyphs just inside the front door, but the defenses of the castle that we have discovered are as follows: -

1) Self repairing walls/Doors etc
2) Only one entrance (Confirmed)
3) Make food/water inside so no need to forage
4) 12 Elder Air elementals bonded to the walls
5) All walls and floors/ceilings are magically sealed so as not to allow TP, scrying etc

Inside the castle are other defences that the attackers are trying to get through (they need to get to a specific location within the Keep to raise BBEG) So far we know that there are Succubus and other creatures that the Orcs need to fight through, (Probably not hard with a dragon on the payroll)

Note: We've been told that we have to stop the ceremony to raise the BBEG (they will be sacrificing a distant family member), since we have characters that died we need to travel for two weeks there and two weeks back, giving them a month to bypass all the defences, We are likely to arrive and have no opportunity to make gorilla warfare This is why I'm tending towards the "Undermine the mountain and give them one chance to leave" scenario. This way there is a chance I might actually get the Keep I risked my soul for. They need the keep - I don't, so I really don't lose out if I bury everyone inside at the bottom of a 100 foot chasm and collapse a cliff on top of them.

 

[green slime]

Well Fynn, I can see how it all seems pretty disheartening. Even the best DM's have off days. Some even have a hard time admitting it

Seriously, given the information you have provided us with, this isn't the level of threat you can overcome directly. And you know it.

Consider talking to the DM about how you feel about the situation. Point out the fact of the "missing attack". Given your previous experiences, he seems like a guy you can talk to about the situation at least. He might even let slip a detail or two.

Try using some divination spells to see if you can't discern what is going on (No cleric, IIRC, that is tough...)

Discuss the situation with the other players as well. Let the game slip a while. During the week a solution may come upon you or your friends. Some little hint the DM made which slipped by at the time?

 

[Ravensblood]

Yeah, I'm sorry but in the campaigns I've played in, the DM's reward the players for being clever, sneaky, or using good tactics. This sounds like your being punished for trying to survive. It makes no sense to me. The only suggestions I can make are these: try to set the opponents against each other. Some charm monsters could sow dissention in the ranks. Get them to attack the dragon. If anything, the dragon will wipe them out and take some punishment. You could also use the old divide and conquer with wall spells. That way you can take one or two at a time. Another idea is to let chaos reign...summon some creatures to cause havoc in the keep. Heck a few rust monsters could get rid of some weaponry before they're eaten. Concentrate on one target to bring it down quick and then retreat to regroup.

 

[Treebore]

This is easy if the door opens outwards. Put several walls of stone in succession in front of the door. Then wait until they surrender, since they can't get out either. If they do not have a cleric or anyone else who can magically produce food, it shouldn't take long. Otherwise you will have to wait for them to become tired of being imprisoned, or hope they have a timetable important enough to them to want to get out soon.

Of course the way this sounds they have a way to get in and out at their convenience. If that ends up being the case, leave. Refuse to do the job. Tell the DM it is obvious someone better able to handle it needs to come along. You have better things to do then let them slaughter you over a stupid tower that is so magically powerful on its own that epic level characters would come to take it away from you.

Obviously the smart thing to do is move on and forget about it.

 

[Dark Jezter]

If your players ask you "Are you certain that you're not running an E. Gary Gygax module?", it's probably a sign that your campaign is too tough.

 

[Gez]

You wanna know the tough? You can't handle the tough!

 

[Gez]

1) Self repairing walls/Doors etc
2) Only one entrance (Confirmed)
3) Make food/water inside so no need to forage
4) 12 Elder Air elementals bonded to the walls
5) All walls and floors/ceilings are magically sealed so as not to allow TP, scrying etc.

1. Sapping doesn't work.
2. Mundane sneakiness doesn't work.
3. Siege doesn't work.
4. Err, not sure what this does.
5. Magical sneakiness doesn't work either.

Furthermore, the DM said you are not allowed to recruit people. So the only way in is brutal, direct warfare, and you can't be numerous enough by normal ways for that.

Here's what you should do:
1. Since your character is dead, create another.
2. Make it a cleric/sorcerer/true necromancer.
3. Slaughter everyone in the nearby villages so you have a good supply of corpses to craft your army.
4. Attack with innumerable hordes of undead shadows.
5. Immediately raise any downed friend or enemy as an undead soldier on your side.

 

[monboesen]

Heh.

I know this adventure. I actually states that the PC's cannot win by going straight in. The opposition is just to tough. So try doing a bit more research, tracking and scouting, hit and run tactics. It might prove worthwhile.

In fact it should be a good adventure for your group. But you have one glaring weakness, no divine magic and no healing. You can't do well in a standard D&D game without that.

Secondly at you level meleeing will often mean standing close to creatures that can do more damage than you, even as a fighter. You need magic to hamper enemy effectiveness or fighters are toast. And you desperately desperately need healing to survive combats and get into shape quickly between encounters.

 

[arscott]

9th Level Fighter
10th Level Fighter
11th Level Half Orc Barbarian
11th Level Multiclass - Rogue
11th Level Wizard

Jeez.

The adventure as written is for 17th level Characters.

And given what You've said about the dragon and the elder elementals, It doesn't sound like your DM's done any scaling.