Logistic Advice for Red Hand of Doom

[Peni Griffin]

There isn't any reason you can't take the Bladebearer or some equivalent CR critter provided, increase his strength, and give him the great ax or a similar reach weapon. Even in a rigidly lawful army, there's always somebody who is different enough to be treated differently. Decide what minotaur features you want to keep and graft them onto something else in the module.

Hmm...Okay, Zardoz, I take it back. The hobgoblin ambush could be a bad scene for that bunch if you don't take precautions. Once my PCs forced melee on them and they realized they were outmatched, my hobgoblins found their best bet was to mob the biggest gun in order to cover the priest's retreat. So this encounter addresses two of their weaknesses. (My folks don't have mass damage spells here, either, but they didn't need them - warhorses and wardogs, cleaves, two-weapon fighting, strong range and melee attacks, healing magic, and teamwork covered.) You might legitimately want to put some hurt on them here in order to encourage them to take steps to correct their deficits, but I personally don't like to run encounters with the intention of teaching folks a lesson. Too much can go wrong.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

The fighter intends to take Leadership, so his cohort should be able to fix the lack of Spot / Listen / Search. I am sure the Sorcerer will take on some blasting stuff when he gets the chance, and I can probably toss him a few scrolls to fix the near term. That should cover the gaps in the mid to long term.

The short term will be interesting, however. Next game will be the start of the adventure, and the next fight will be the ambush on the way into Drellins Ferry. Given their past performances, I am sure they can handle that fight, since it is not too different from what I usually throw at them.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Wrathamon]

The fighter intends to take Leadership, so his cohort should be able to fix the lack of Spot / Listen / Search. I am sure the Sorcerer will take on some blasting stuff when he gets the chance, and I can probably toss him a few scrolls to fix the near term. That should cover the gaps in the mid to long term.

The short term will be interesting, however. Next game will be the start of the adventure, and the next fight will be the ambush on the way into Drellins Ferry. Given their past performances, I am sure they can handle that fight, since it is not too different from what I usually throw at them.

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My group just played that scene... Remember the lower CR critters could bolt (morale check) if the commander is taken out. They shouldnt fight to the death as they are scouts and need to report back.

I had it when the hounds went down the commander made a call to retreat as his heavy hitters were gone and half his forces had been taken out by a well placed aoe. He will later come back to seek revenge after the Keep fight.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

I fully intend for Hobgoblins to retreat as makes sense. How else can I justify tactics customized to my players unless survivors make it back to describe in detail what happened?

"Yeah, there were 4 of them. One mounted bastard, and a goddamn spell caster who put a bunch of the troops to sleep. The commander was paralyzed by magic and cut down, and the sarge went down laughing. Were going to need some spears to deal with that charge happy horsemen, and have the archers hit that taller gawky looking one every time he starts chanting. That other guy who was hanging back and healing the others is armored like a tank, so throw some heavy hitters his way, or at least keep him away from the others"

Anyway, I have the luxury of time between now and the next game. One of the players is on vacation to Japan, and another player will run a Shadowrun one shot meanwhile. That should give me time to stat out whatever I think will be handy.

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[Peni Griffin]

So does anybody have a defense against Spike Stones? They used it vs. Vraath Keep (no survivors) and Skull Gorge bridge (survivors), and it was so effective in both places that they're bound to use it again in the Ghost Lord's lair in an attempt to pin down Ulwai and the monks. They've communicated with the Ghost Lord, and he's anxious both to retrieve his phylactery and to get the Red Hand off his back, so it'd have to be something the actual Hordelings can whip up between getting intelligence on the PCs' tactics and being confronted by them, without leaving the vicinity of the lair. Dispel Magic is the only thing I can come up with, and it ought to work but it'd be nice to have something flashier, and maybe something lower-level troops can do elsewhere in the module. The spell description makes me think that clogs and pattens wouldn't work, and you can't fight properly in those things, anyway.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

The net effect sounds like they are Caltrops with nastier damage. A classic battle field control spell. Not one I have run up against, but here are my thoughts.

The biggest problem is if it is cast in the area they are already standing. They cannot move out without eating more damage, and it will screw your movement. The next hazard is that it makes for good protection for spell casters (prevents people from charging up to them and entering melee).

Non Magical Counters:
- Stay still and switch to ranged attacks.
- Use the Jump skill to exit the area / move around as much as possible. Every 5 feet you clear is less damage you have to eat.

Magical Counters:
- Use an Obscuring Mist or Darkness spell to prevent archers from making pincushions out of those stuck within the area.
- Use a wall spell to buy time to move out of the area and retreat (as well as block casual attacks).
- Spider Climb should allow you to get out of the area if your not out doors. Fly will simply work.

Turnabout:
- Counter with some Caltrops that are coated in a nasty fun poison.
- Get an Ogre or Giant to nail someone with a net, then use the connected rope to drag the victim into the area with the spike stones.
- Get a Troll Mercenary to bull rush someone into the spikes. The troll can deal with the damage easily. Not so much for the unlucky bastard pushed into the area.

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[Peni Griffin]

It's a heck of a spell and deserves to be better known. It only appears on the list for druids and the Earth domain, which is why more people don't use it.

The trouble with Jump is that the AOE is huge - one 20-foot square per level, and it's a 4th level spell. Also, you can't see the spikes so you don't know which way to jump! The minotaur at Vraath Keep was relatively close to the party - he came charging out through the hole in the wall of the billet, and the party was using the battered-down wall as cover - but by the time he jumped close enough to reach anybody with his greatax he'd been cut down by missile fire and damage taken from movement. Therein lies the effectiveness of the spell against ground troops. Unless they have lots of hit points or regeneration they can't run out of the area of effect; they don't know where to run in any case; and they are then limited to ranged attacks, can't do any tactical movement to gain cover or support each other, and are sitting ducks for the (usually much better) ranged attacks of the PCs. The troops with the main horde and the skirmishing parties will tend to have air support and better ranged attacks than the unprepared first batches, but Ulwai's cadre have a problem. The Darkness is a good idea. The Doom Hand priests can have that spell, and it won't inconvenience the bad guys at all. And if they have enough warning to set a trap and the positioning works out right, the Doom Fist monks may be able to drag/push the PCs into the AOE, forcing Wulfgrim to dismiss the spell. But the only arcane caster there is Ulwai, so no spider climb (which would only work anyway if someone's next to a wall and Wulfgrim doesn't put the spell on the walls too - he's capable!)

 

[Lord Zardoz]

The area is indeed huge, but there really is not a whole lot to be done about that. Jumping is not ideal, but you can cover ground without hitting every single square if you must. The best strat really is to use a Darkness / Mist spell and sit tight. That prevents the victims from becoming pincushions, but it does not prevent someone from dropping Fireballs in the general area.

Tactically, I think that the best thing to do is throw a Wall of Ice spell between the victims and the party, and let the victim's move out of the area, dispelling it if possible. Second to that, climbing out of the area may help.

I think that this spell is one that you must enforce the 'Rocky Ground or Stone Floor' constraint. It is hell inside a dungeon, but in most outdoor areas, it should be manageable.

One thing that ought to be worth mentioning is that spikes = piercing damage. Skeletons and Zombies have DR 5 Bludgeoning / Slashing, so they could navigate such an area a somewhat safely, only taking damage on rolls higher then 5. If someone on hand had Animate Dead, a Skeletal Minotaur would have been helpful in getting the Minotaur back into the fight.

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[Peni Griffin]

I fully expect this lot to return after the end of the module in order to remove the Ghost Lord from the map - at which point they'll find this spell deployed against them. As you so helpfully point out, most of his minions will be able to ignore the effects.

Surrounded by stone as she is, Ulwai's best defense is going to have to be on-the-spot creative adaptation. That, and the fact that Wulfgrim only gets so many 4th level spells per day! Fortunately, of all the Horde leaders she's best equipped to react creatively. Since I'm leaving out the Fane, everybody else will be encountered in the open, and we've established that Elsir Vale has thick topsoil.