Is this good or bad? 1st level party ALREADY has a stronghold...

[Bob Aberton]

...or so it seems. They were clearing out a castle full of robbers to return a priceless dwarven artifact. A raging female dwarf with a pickaxe was killing the robbers by the score, and then went for the leader. He ducked down a tunnel, and the palyers followed. What they didn't know was that the villain was behind a wall. He stuck a crossbow bolt through an arrowslit and shot a gnome through the chest. they bound up the wound and continued on (the gnome was unconscious but they figured we could get back in time to give him better care when we had killed the villain).
It was then that the party (or what was left after having two characters dropped into -5 or so HP) realized that they were underneath the moat, and the roof of the tunnel was supported by pillars. WOODEN pillars. It was then that the bad guy tossed a torch down and burned away the pillars. They all ran for the stairs as the moat rushed into the tunnel. The Desert warrior (see a problem here?) fell into the water after missing a DEX check. Naturally, she couldn't swim. The party managed to pull her from the water, half-dead, with some quick thinking and a strong rope. It was then that the villain, at the head of the stairs, started tossing down alchemist fire down the stairs.
Well, long story short, they all made it to the surface, one half drowned, the other one scorched, and one with a big gash to the head. The raging dwarf managed to knock the bad guy down to 3 HP with a REALLY lucky hit with a pickaxe. It was then that I discovered that pickaxes had a critical multiplier of *4...why aren't more ppl using them? The villain then jumped on hios horse and tried to ride away, but the spellcaster (slightly crispy from the alchemist fire) used a "command" spell on the horse to Command it to throw off the rider. The guy took a further 2 pts. damage upon landing.

Anyway, the party ended up with 125,000 GP, which they invested in a stronghold...
Comments?

 

[Phanboy]

What do you have stronghold lots in your campaign like the place one goes to buy a modular home? It's gonna take a while to build right? so have them wait it out untill like 5th level or so then have the villan comeback (last count still had 1 hp) and burn it down in the name of retribution!

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Command does not work on creatures that cannot understand your language (such as horses). The villain should have escaped.

The stronghold situation is good and bad. It gives them something to protect so bad guys can always find them (or at least their stronghold). Taxes, feudal responsibilities, laws, etc., may prove troublesome. Peasants in the area could revolt. Neighboring lords/countries could raise an army to beseige the stronghold, either on false allegations, pure evil, or out of a sense of self-preservation from having such a base too close to their own lands. Druids and other tree huggers could present a problem if the land the stronghold was built on was cleared of trees or negatively impacts the area due to increased settlement, pollution, use of natural resources, etc. These are all GOOD ideas for the DM to use against the PCs.

The BAD part comes in that the PCs may feel tied down to the area they rule and it may be harder to get them to leave the general vicinity, especially all of them at once, as such would mean leaving the stronghold more susceptible to attack without the PCs there to defend it.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Big deal. Now you have a way to dump their cash. Point out to them that this endevor is going to be expensive and that it may very well be the focus of the campaign. They'll need to pay soldiers, pay upkeep, and pay for sundry items. There's a downloadable castle book from the WotC site. Check it out. You can always have orcs or whatever raid their keep and damage it. You could also have the local king demand they swear fealty to him. etc etc etc. Lots of possilbilities here.

However ... be careful the next time you hand out treasure, eh?

 

[Tsyr]

Now, here is a funny problem that has cropped up in my game a couple times now.

What exactly is the definition of "understand your language"?

If you take it to mean "Passable, capeable of holding on a conversation in"... then no, the horse wouldn't.

However, if you take a view that it applies only to the specific word (which is how my group takes it), it becomes much more applicable. Many animals recognise a certain word, or a few. Not the exactly grammatical structure and such behind it, no, but what it means. So there is a chance that many domestic animals can be effected by a select few commands... using command "sit" on a dog, for example, might very well work.

Of course, you always risk wasting a spell.

 

[Mark]

Whoa...

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Now, here is a funny problem that has cropped up in my game a couple times now.

What exactly is the definition of "understand your language"?

If you take it to mean "Passable, capeable of holding on a conversation in"... then no, the horse wouldn't.

However, if you take a view that it applies only to the specific word (which is how my group takes it), it becomes much more applicable. Many animals recognise a certain word, or a few. Not the exactly grammatical structure and such behind it, no, but what it means. So there is a chance that many domestic animals can be effected by a select few commands... using command "sit" on a dog, for example, might very well work.

Of course, you always risk wasting a spell.

Horses don't understand anything more than "Hyah!," "Giddyup!" and "Whoah!" IMO. What did the cleric say to the horse? "Buck!" "Throw!" or what? These are not generally words a horse would understand.

As for dogs, I agree that if it is a trained domestic guard or pet, it would PROBABLY understand "Sit" "Beg" "Down" "Kill" etc. "Play Dead" or "Roll over" are two words and thus cannot be used as a valid command.

 

[Tonguez]

1st Horses can be trained and do understand a number of commands I'm not sure if the word "Buck" however would be in the repetoire of every horse (but a trained war horse/show horse definately)

2nd Strongholds are wonderful and every PC should have one (even if it is just a log cabin in the woods). The trick is to make the PCs invest some emotion and roleplaying into building/maintaining the stronghold, managing the lands around it and inevitably gathering a group of dependent citizens WHILE AT THE SAME TIME being able to go off and be adventurers exploring lost ruins and saving the world from demon invasion

It can be done and works wonders especially if the Stronghold is somehow 'strategic'

eg perhaps within a days ride of the stronghold lies the village of Hommlet and Alderman of which comes to the Stronghold seeking your aid.

A Dragon has been terrorising farms to the north of the stronghold - the farmers come seeking aid

Orcish pirates are attacking the promitory upon which the stronghold stands etc etc etc

 

[Umbran]

A few notes that are probably moot...

First, wood doesn't burn that fast, especially would that should be damp from moat seepage. The characters could -probably have sauntered out slowly, rather than needed to run.

Horses don't "understand" commands. They "respond to" commands. There's a difference between a conditioned response to a stimulus and actual comprehension of semantic content.

Then, to the actual point...

So, the characters have bought a stronghold. I assume they bought one already existing. So, how much cash did they set aside to maintain and man said stronghold so that a bandit troup doesn't come along and take it from them? The darned thing won't run itself you know.

 

[jasper]

Except for the horse command, I see no big deal.
Now are you base your adventures around the fort or not. If not big hairy deal so they own a condo in flordia.
If they going to travel and come back, how often.
Gee Mr Bilbo you were gone for a year so we sold your stuff.

Now if your players give you grief on the buck/throw command. Remember what good for the adventurer is good for the villian.Party rides by a couple of 1st level cleric.
BBBB BUCK party is face first in the dirt.

In one part of my world the adventurers own 1 stronghold right out, and just chase the bad guy out of another. However first home a dragon uses it as a landmark, and expc now vampire has already gave someone the cold hand while they were in the privy.
At 2nd the dwarven construction crew is not too happy with party for collasping the wall on top of them and fireballing them .