How would you prep as a 14th level party to storm the bbeg castle?

[Shallown]

Eyes created outside work inside but because the spell is self contained. The yes couldn't transmit back but can record as usual.

The place, according to info so far, is loosely organized and not very defensible. It was not built as a fortress at all. This has its advantages and disadvantages. Lots more info will come into play this weekend as information is passed to the players and the players plans come together.

Later

 

[jmucchiello]

Get a scroll of mord's disjunction, and disjoin the effect that prevents scrying/teleporting. Should be able to target it from outside the fortress.

 

[Shallown]

Sorry JM but the effect is a naturally occuring one. It couldn't be Disjunctioned. Some magical effects are not created in the sense of a spell being weaved together but are just part of the fabric of the universe/world. This is not a new element to the campaign, since almost all major temples and such once consecrated become proof against the same things and I probably wouldn'y allow a 9th spell to change divine influence either. The Spire (place they are attacking) is a natural phenomenon which is why it was chosen to act as an interdiminsional anchor and a base for the rebels/rebellion in the past.

Later

 

[Gregor]

Two words: Guerilla Tactics

You have alot of options given the diversity of your party. You say the base is in a bunch of lava tubes? Get your wizard to sneak in invisible and blow a little Cloudkill into the tunnels, it should move through the place and wipe out any mooks or at least con drain those above 6 hd. Have the druid use soften earth and stone to melt and seal off passages used by the BBEG's forces, thereby distrupting lines of communication and travel. Leave Spike Stones or Skull Trap / Glyphs along well used routes to slowly pick away at them. Summon swarms of insects and have them run rampant in the base, eating your enemies food, causing disease etc. See if you can find some dead lepers or other diseased souls in a nearby town, have them dumped into your enemy's water supply or common areas or catapulted - roman style - into the base. Lets see an army fight when their limbs are falling off.

Cheers,

 

[DanMcS]

Ah, one of those "special" dungeons that DMs of higher-level games come up with which arbitrarily take away high-level powers. Nice.

Do you actually need to retrieve stuff from inside it? Kill all the bad guys there? Just run them out? Your goals are important.

Earthquake the sucker and see/kill what comes out. The bad guys can't teleport out, after all.

Summon earth elementals, polymorph/wild shape some comrades into umber hulks or burrowing critters, and make your own entrances, or start collapsing theirs.

Cloudkill and other cloud spells work nice on underground complexes, too.

Terrorize them with invisible stalkers and other conjured critters. Set up with a clear view of the exits (maybe be invisible and flying) and hit those that flee.

 

[Rayne Blythewood]

Well our goal is to actually do our own ritual ceremony on the side of a cliff that is outside of their lair. Their is a gate their and an altar that we need to use. The only problem is that it isn't that defensible being in the open. So under the gate in the mountain/volcano is their lair (naturally occurring) that is protected from divinations and teleportation. When you are inside you will not be able to summon creatures also. So we intended to hit them and disrupt things a bit and then hopefully be able to get our ritual done to SAVE THE WORLD and close the gate permanetly, preventing the demons from returning and taking over THE WORLD. With the help from someone else I have realized that the bbeg's who have been scrying on us, haven't been doing it from inside because they can't. So I will put forth the idea of using some of those wierd scry spells that don't get used much to return the scry back on the enemy to see where he is and then perhaps pop (teleport) in for some tea and crumpets. I mean if he wants to know what we are up to we might as well talk in person.

I'm getting great replies back from this post and I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has been shelling out ideas. I'd also like to thank Shallown for helping answer and questions or providing details I may have left out.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Random thoughts:

I'd consider sieging the place! If you've got the time:

The windrider guy presumably has a flying mount? That lets you keep an eye from above over the area. If he/she is alert, then they should spot anything coming and going. Assuming they're available, use magic to tell the rest of the party - telepathic bond? - then Dim. Door the rest of the party there to 'whack' 'em. Given the 'no go' for transport magics, they'll can't flee back inside that way

Sealing off tunnel entrances could be good - (as Gregor said) - hopefully those might lure one of the more powerful occupants out to deal with it... Great - ideally you can knock off some useful henchmen. Perhaps even the BBEG. At least a few prisoners and some imagination might get you a layout of the place!

If you need to go in there:

I don't think it's been said yet, but obviously - Protect yourselves from Fire! - if there aren't lava and fire based traps in there I'd eat my hat (of D02).

If you can, I'd suggest a lesser planar ally/binding - get an Earth Elemental - cast Fire resisting magic. Call it outside and it should still be able to go inside (check first!). Lo and behold - make your own tunnels, a scout that can meld with the walls, etc.

Failing that a fire resistant person polymorphed/changed into an Umber Hulk can be very useful for this - the Druid?

Anyway - sounds really cool - hope you have fun in there!

 

[Shallown]

DanMcS I'm not sure what you mean by "special" Dungeon?

I think your saying that I am somehow "Screwing" my players to take away their powers. I am not sure I understand that just because they can teleport that as a 5th level spell it should work absolutely everywhere. Its a concept I don't get. The world has high magic in it and to think for a second that someone wouldn't take advantage of that is sort of Silly to me. I really dislike the insinuation that I am constraining my players somehow. It is well established, as I said before, that some places are naturally proof against such things. Maybe all to gether in the world their are 3-4 square miles out of millions that people can't teleport or divine into. It would make sense that the good duys and the bad guys gravitate toward a defensible position. I don't have the bad guys teleporting into the Players safehold or divining into it either. I think it is even that they both have places that are proof from that. And the Good guys place can only be entered by 3 people in the whole world so they have an even greater advantage.

Sorry to sound pissy but I truly dislike it when people assume I am a bad Gm because I have established rules to deal with High level magic which exist.

And to answer your other questions.

They don't need to retrieve things but some characters would like to. Namely the Children who are being forced to help the BBEG.

The main goal I think from the character's perspective is to cause enough disruption/damage to get away with performing a two hour ceremony on the volcano/mountain.

Throwing an earthquake may open the gate that the players are trying to close.

The summon idea and such are all very viable, as is, using gas attacks. As far as they know you can't conjure or summon within the volcano but you can summon/call outside and send them in.

They hardest part is they have a limited time frame anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. They are not sure.


Later

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

Knowledge skills, gather info, bardic knowledge, commune, divination.

Find out strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly.

Take shortcuts if time is pressing but always assume you don't know the really important information and have TWO escape plans.

 

[Shallown]

Sorry FreetheSlaves... This group never has an escape plan or even back up plans of any sort. No reason to start now

Later