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Message: <blockquote data-quote="evildmguy" data-source="post: 2319886" data-attributes="member: 6092">Okay, obviously you need to tailor this to your own group, what they like to do and what they know of the Zhentarim.  Having said that, there are a LOT of things to think about.  I agree that the Semmemnon would protect the fortress as well as he can.  However, would he trust the priests?  If no, there is no faerie fire, unless he has an arcane equivalent to it.  Further, if it is only himself that he trusts, there might be only a few areas that are very well protected with the rest of the place the reason there are "mundane" troops.  What about the general politics of the Zhentarim?  Do they work together?  Or fight among themselves?  Would the group consider approaching one guard, saying they want to steal from X and can help him by doing something for him?  (Whether or not they do is up to them.)  Are there any other traitors?  What about Harper spies or other such spies?  Wouldn't it be funny that as they are infiltrating and going to silence someone, he claims to be a Harper agent?  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  How are the walls immune to disintegrate?  What is the cost of that?  I don't remember how well Darkhold is stated, but if it is really expensive to do that, would it be the whole hold?  Or merely select parts that were that well protected?  (I know there is question as to how good the Stronghold Builder's Guide is but it could give a baseline.)  Tracking team - Hmmm.  Again, this could touch politics.  Is one a spy?  What if one is a spy from Fzoul?  "Who watches the watchers?"  What if they don't care if the PCs succeed and help them?  If money is no object, and the walls are protected, what about creatures that are tough because of magic?  For example, trolls with rings of fire resistance and some item that allows them to polymorph into a human (or kobold) but retains troll abilities?  Illusionary wall that merely blocks golems who attack any in the area, if it is restricited, or any without a token?  What if the golem had an illusion cast around it to make it look like a troll?  Or, an iron golem that looks like something only affected by lightning.  (Or which ever is healed by lightning.)  Specially grown enlarged stirges that can go invisible?  (hints can be given on this but it could look like something else drained them.)  Werewolves that stay in wolf form?  No clue that silver would help.  Young dragons that look like another type.  Imagine if a blue looked like a bronze and said its breath weapon was taken by some ritual?  Then, the dragon attacks at the best point for it.  Again, why is it there?  To help?  Or against its will?  Again, depending on money, there are a lot of things mundane to detect intruders.  Guards who have keys that must activate something every ten minutes at certain points or an alarm sounds at a guard station.  Perhaps the items are attuned to the guard, so it can't be stolen or used by anyone else.  Perhaps only sargeants have them, and the rest of the patrol will be punished if the sargeant can't use it.  Then, some sargeants use fear or loyalty with this.  If the sargeant is killed, maybe the others think they could get the promotion or they are better off with the PCs.  (Do you have maps from the FR Atlas?)  What if they have added portcullis' to close off sections?  Heck, what if all sections are always closed off and it requires the key from above to open and then reclose it?  Again, if a portcullis goes up without the key, an alarm sounds somewhere.  Could be that an apprentice is then supposed to scry and see what is happening.  (Thinking Stargate SG-1 here but it could work.)  Again, an open lock and a dispel could get them past one but do they have enough for four there and four back?  What if, truly random, you have guests arriving?  Is it a festival or holiday time?  (This might give PCs a reason to try a more direct approach to entry.)  What if some of those guests would gladly see the Zhents hurt?  Or want to help to rub it in the Zhents noses?  What if some of those guests are merely nearby cities nobles, who will be killed by such an attack?  (Depends on how you view the Zhentarim and their relationship with nearby cities.)  What if, for fun, someone else is infiltrating in front of them?  Perhaps a local ogre tribe is there for negotiations of moving into the area and actings as guards?  Again, what would they do when the PCs show up?  Maybe the plot works that Semmemnon is about to hand something over to Manshoon, who is there personally.  Now the PCs have to worry about him as well!  Of course, their spells shouldn't completely reflect combat, but they will probably have some good ones and items.  A pack of beholders is there for some reason?  Diplomatic reason?  I hope these help!Have a good one!  Take care!  edg</blockquote>

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