Looking for interesting combat options

[KnowTheToe]

I am starting an adventure with a potential combat between 4-6 clerics who are performing some ritual magic using a female sacrafice (fantasy staple) out in the woods. Instead of a standard outdoor combat where you ignore all of the great potential for mood and adversity, I want a vivid exciting scene to open the adventure and challenge the players. PCs will probably be 4th to 5th level if it matters.

It can take place in any environment except lava ridden mountainside & jungle.

 

[drnuncheon]

Crumbling ruins! (also a staple)

* Uneven or unstable footing to crumble away beneath people's feet in a melee
* Places to hide and ambush people
* Dead, fallen leaves to make those Move Silently rolls a bit harder
* Unstable remnants of walls or pillars to shove over onto people
* A granite altar and mysterious giant faces carved from stone

J

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

The fight takes place on the night of a full moon. A lightning storm rages overhead.

The evil ritual takes place at a stone altar that lies atop a massive plinth in a deep ravine deep in the forest. The altar istelf is reachable through two means: crossing two swaying rope bridges from the top of the ravine to the topo of the plinth, or by a narrow, slippery staircase that spirals up around the plinth from the floor of the ravine.

As the ritual progrsses, the skies roil with arcane energy. Thunder peals; lightning bolts are loosed downward; the wind begins to blow, and it begins to rain. Visibility is reduced; the rope bridges sway in the wind threatening to throw off those who would cross, and the stair becomes slippery.

The clerics (druids), interrupted, call lightning from the storm as they rush to complete their ritual, while several of their number go to defend the approaches and cut the rope bridges free.

 

[Aeris Winterood]

Hmm....

Evil outdoor clerics? They could have undead servants such as skeleton deer.... a zombie bear.... ghoulsih squirrels.... ok, maybe not ghoulish squirrels... or an animated undead treant?

 

[Voadam]

hedges of thorns,

use lots of cover,

Have hidden pits and deadfall traps protecting their sacred circle

Have it be at night without a lot of moonlight so they have to deal with darkness penalties.

Have evil ranger guards who are using the hide skill and have high spot and listen checks.

Have a trap that knocks a full and active precariously placed beehive down on the victim.

Have it be next to a river/waterfall/steep banked lake so heavy armored PCs can be bull rushed into a drowning situation.

 

[alsih2o]

quicksand

a gnomish cleric casting from inside a fallen hollowed out log, for cover

poison ivy

the sound of combat could bring those nasty giant centipedes around

slippery fungus lines the outskirts of the clearing where the sabrifice is made

 

[Zaruthustran]

I am starting an adventure with a potential combat between 4-6 clerics who are performing some ritual magic using a female sacrafice (fantasy staple) out in the woods. Instead of a standard outdoor combat where you ignore all of the great potential for mood and adversity, I want a vivid exciting scene to open the adventure and challenge the players. PCs will probably be 4th to 5th level if it matters.

It can take place in any environment except lava ridden mountainside & jungle.

You could have mess with the environment or you could have mess with the characters. The weather idea sounded pretty cool.

Environment:
* Have the ritual be on a treetop platform. This will introduce Climb checks, falling, flying monsters, monstrous plants like Assassin Vines, lightning, etc.
* Make all the low vegetation give Concealment to objects farther than 10' away. Also give lots of options for Cover from thick trees, stumps, logs, rocks, etc.
* Have one of the clerics use Gust of Wind or summon an air elemental. This will cause the fallen leaves to swirl around, adding even more Concealment.
* Use traps like pits, logs, snares.

Characters:
* Have the friends of the female sacrifice show up halfway through the fight. Lots of confusion as they try to to figure out friend from foe and attempt to rescue (or avenge) the captive.
* Use plenty of animal foes.
* Have a wandering monster join the battle. A *big* wandering monster. The two sides might chose to band together, or attempt to trick the monster into attacking the other side.

-z

 

[Gregor]

Here is an idea:

Have a stone altar prepared in a lagoon, surrounded by waterfalls. The Clerics can stand in the water around the altar or on ceremonial stones. The area can be very misty due to the spray to obscure vision. The PCs will have to wade through the water to get to the clerics which will slow them down, meanwhile the clerics can cast spells at them (if they are on ceremonial stones) or electricity spells into the water. You can also have some undead, like zombies, pop out of the water and try to mass grapple the PCs, pulling them underwater to drown? OR maybe have a water elemental under control of the clerics who pops up now and again to attack the PCs?

Cheers,

 

[Someone]

Crumbling ruins! (also a staple)

Oooh! that brings me meories of the King of Dragons old arcade game, *SPOILERS* when you fight the minotaur and the floor crumbles, sending minotaur and players to the floor below.

Just do that in the middle of the fight, clerics and players tumbling down a slope and finding themselves in the middle of a giant spiders nest! (or something equally bad)

 

[smetzger]

Crumbling ruins! (also a staple)

* Uneven or unstable footing to crumble away beneath people's feet in a melee
* Places to hide and ambush people
* Dead, fallen leaves to make those Move Silently rolls a bit harder
* Unstable remnants of walls or pillars to shove over onto people
* A granite altar and mysterious giant faces carved from stone

J

Isn't that were Frodo departed from the Fellowship and Boromir died?