How Would You Defend A Mountain Fortress? (Volume II)

[Zenon]

I'm thinking that the operation might get off the ground this weekend!

Well, keep us posted! After all the input on the two threads of this, I'm going to love to hear how it goes, what gets used and what doesn't and how the PC's react.

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

And if you have time, give descriptions of some NPC`s on Mallenar`s side. I am really curious on Mallenar`s level, I hope he has some custom mighty epic spells that will show these pesky heroses the True Power Of Darkness! Of course, there can`t be The Dark Lord greater than Melkor, Lord Of All!

 

[mmadsen]

Each group of ten remains invisible, flying, and firing barrages of arrows at:

(1) Groups or individual wizards
(2) Obvious clerics and healers
(3) Front-line combat warriors, knights, fighters.

Depending on what else that you have going, such an ambush can be quite harrowing for the party. Toss in two groups of six or ten 18th level wizards that all agree to drop targeted fire-power on the group of wizards or clerics, and then have a phalanx of mounted knights or heavy infantry rushing in with halberds...

You seem to be following a German blitzkrieg model where I'd follow an American air-war model. Instead of giving them something to fight back against (mounted knights or heavy infantry), soften them up with aerial units -- and just keep softening them up, until they have no anti-air capability.

It might not make for a fun game, but it's a wise strategy. A few aerial units with Distance bows can snipe away, day and night. The first Guardian to shoot back is the new target. A couple dozen Unholy Bane arrows should end that threat.

Or, if we're willing to come in closer, we should arm our aerial units with Javelins of Lightning or slings with enchanted bullets -- one-hand weapons -- so they can carry Arrow Deflection shields.

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

Uhm, Mmadsen, last time I checked Valloreans had a huge advantage in aerial cavalry.

 

[mmadsen]

Uhm, Mmadsen, last time I checked Valloreans had a huge advantage in aerial cavalry.

Then we shoot them down until that's not the case. Missile weapons enchanted for Distance are tailor-made for shooting down aerial units -- through arrow-slits from the towers of our own Mountain Citadel, no less!

 

[Maldur]

Shark: have fun, keep us posted.
So we can react to their actions as well.

You got yourself a thinktank, so you better use it

 

[Maldur]

We have to find a way to keep them awake for a few days.
Lets have the spellcasters run dry.

So load noises, and lightshows (alchemistic concoctions and fireworks)

 

[mmadsen]

So now we only have to find a way to get them unarmed, naked, alone and asleep in between a group of buffed firegiants and we got a chance.

Basically true. Do all the Guardians set up camp right next to each other? Are they mobile enough to come together before a teleport-skirmish has done its damage?

If any of them wander off, we have to strike. On the other hand, if they don't spread out at all, we have to go where they're not and do some damage there. We could probably eat through legions until the Guardians come out to play.

 

[Maldur]

If we can get the legions clerics low on spells, tired and sick. the gardians need to spread out to assist in healing and Curing the troops.

To do this we use plans we mentioned before ( keeping them awake, hitting them with plagues and diseases, Unexpected attacks and ambushes, traps etc etc).

If they spread out to do this we can see if we can assault them, one-by-one with the higher level monsters/heroes at our disposal.

The assault teams can be outfitted like the cannonball armed firegiants. Or the very, long range archers mounted on flying steeds.

Lets "divide and conquer".

 

[mmadsen]

If we can get the legions clerics low on spells, tired and sick. the gardians need to spread out to assist in healing and Curing the troops.

Good idea.

Now to combine a few ideas, let's strike from the air, invisibly, while our illusory archers attack from nearby woods (or other cover). If the Guardians get hit by arrows while visible archers attack from nearby and invisible archers attack from miles away, who will they attack? Presumably the nearby archers -- who aren't necessarily even there.

Fire Giants can lob indirect fire over a small hill, while one or two invisible allies spot for them. Illusory Fire Giants then charge from over the hill (or whatever). The Guardians waste valuable spells destroying these non-troops.

But maybe certain Guardians can and will see through those illusions and communicate that to their allies? So perhaps we buff up a few units with lots and lots of defensive spells, and surround them with illusory allies. Or we disguise Wang-Liang as mundane Ogres amongst actual Ogres. The true-seeing and not-so-true-seeing Guardians will each see a bunch of enemies, but they won't realize that the other sees something subtly different.