D&D 5E Need help for complex encounter: Gates of Firestorm Peak.

[Ancalagon]

Thanks for the clarification.

IIRC per vanila 5e rules Duergar could not shrink in size. I don't like the idea that their plan is to scary off the invaders. They must be pretty sure that whoever is coming should be pretty determined. Or is there another, potentialy easier-looking way in?

However, I think most of my points still stand.

A few new thoughts:
Barricades from A0 to A1 are never opened?
How do Duergar get inside the "fortress in the mid A1?
Can the Duergar fight using walls w/o size change?

PS I don't get the trapped exit tunel part, either. It seems like the only direction PCs will go, so if the Duergar want them there, they might as well let them through.

Hello

Thank you again. I'm on the road, but briefly:

- These are not normal Duergar, and they can shrink too

- The gate is the only way into the mountain - it opens on a 27 year cycle by powerful magical forces. The dwarves are trapped inside (which they are just fine with) most of the time.

- Normally the dwarves will trade with outsiders (merchants who know about this cycle and are eager to obtain the rare glass-steel the duergars produce in exchange for all sort of things the dwarves can't get themselves), but even then outsiders are not allowed in. This case is different however - there has been change in the leadership, and the dwarves are under order to guard the entrance. I suppose that *completely* walling it off would have been the optimal option, but then there is no adventure ha! So the first barricade is never opened, and is a somewhat recent construction.

- How do the duergars get in the enclosed barricade? That is an excellent question, that the adventure designer has failed to addressed. I decided that there is a mini gate closing another 1-foot wide passage, that the Duergars employ to enter and exit.

- The trapped tunnel: the Duergars would rather not have anyone enter their complex at all! However if their lines are broken it is likely that the PCs will be hurt and eager to move to a more defensible position. If this occurs, the Duergars would rather push the PCs into the trapped tunnel than let them explore the gate area and discover/use the 1 foot tall tunnels. Furthermore, if the PCs are being rushed in said tunnel and "semi-wild" area zone, there is more chance of them stumbling into one of said trap/monsters.

 

[Ancalagon]

So the party adventured into the hallway. The caltrops and spiked walls weren't enough of a clue that something was terribly wrong, no efforts were made to scout ahead, and so the party got semi-ambushed by the duergars, and thus the big fight started.

At this stage they are progressing well but took a lot of damage. Almost all the 2 rows of elite duergars have perished, and they haven't started taking fire from the group in the back yet (I've decided to make them crossbowmen - they don't have the reach necessary to "work" as pikemen).

They are doing well but I'm a bit worried about the amount of damage they are taking. It's also not helping that the cleric's first 2 rounds were quite ineffective (first cast tongue to negociate, too late for that, then dispel magic on a single Duergar - sure it removed the enlarge but it was halfway dead already with the Paladin whaling on thim). Its now quite low on 3rd level slots. The party's paladin is starting to run out of steam, the NPC Tiny servant has been destroyed (it delivered two blasts of fire and took 2 attacks, it did its job!). The paladin's player, at the start of the game, made a big deal about his new protective aura. Of course, no one is near him.

One thing the party did well is avoiding over extending and avoiding AOO from the long polearms - the use of misty steps and disengage proved important. The monk has had no luck with stunning fist but showed good timing on when to fight defensively (dodging) and when to press the attack.

I think I'll have to provide a bit of help from some of the party's NPCs in the form of smoke bombs to provide cover from some of the crossbowmen.

The fight confirmed my impression that the fact that all but the absolutely weakest monsters have at *least* +3/+4 to hit instead of Thacos of say, 19, makes a pretty big difference when facing hordes of "mooks" - hordes are dangerous!