Playtesting: IG's 'The Making of Heroes'

[industrygothica]

Seems a solid plan to me!

Really? I must be seeing it a bit differently than you all then, which is why I wanted the clarification. It is a moot point now because you're already in, but I'd like to talk about it anyway.

The way I see it, the fire burns and makes a lot of smoke. Those in areas that are penetrated by the smoke will be forced to take action. That action will obviously not be coming through the front for a head-on attack, less they be scorched in the process. So what do they do?

They wait. And prepare.

So now after a couple of hours the fire's going out, and the embers are doused, sending one last burst of smoke up through the murder hole--but nothing a stout orc couldn't handle if he chose to.

The fire's been fading for a while, seems like the smoke would be too. Me personally, I haven't seen any reason that the orcs wouldn't have come back to their previously smoked-out location by the time the PCs are ready to make entrance, thus making the last few hours pretty much a waste.

As I said, it's a moot point anyway because I've given you the benefir of the doubt, but I'd like to hear your reasonings as to why my line of thinking is incorrect... if it is.

Thanks.


-IG

 

[Legildur]

I was just going along with the plan

In hindsight, I'd probably just advocate using the battering ram earlier. I still think it would have been risky to rush the gate and expose yourself to the murder holes without a ram to ensure your passage in.

 

[Arkhandus]

They wait. And prepare.

The fire's been fading for a while, seems like the smoke would be too. Me personally, I haven't seen any reason that the orcs wouldn't have come back to their previously smoked-out location by the time the PCs are ready to make entrance, thus making the last few hours pretty much a waste.

Well, they'd be prepared anyway. They have a tower of their own for now, and they would have heard us regardless of how we went about entering, unless we were such skilled climbers (not so likely at 1st-level) that we could've just quietly climbed the walls without any grappling hook or other tools.

Unfortunately, I think half the party makes too much noise just moving around, so that wouldn't really be an option. Irathias and Aramil alone would easily be overwhelmed by just 2-3 average orcs if we tried to sneak in by ourselves and then, somehow, opened the iron portcullis quietly, as if that would even be possible (not to mention that we're lean elves, not burly orcs; it'd take a while for us to lift the gate, leaving us vulnerable).

If we had several buckets of water, we could've doused the fire suddenly and quickly. Regardless, the smoke must've made it hard for orcs to see and breathe in the area around the murder holes, at least giving us a minor advantage, since we'd be charging in without breathing the smoke first. Unfortunately, I don't recall us hearing about any river real close that we could reach without climbing, and anyhow we'd need quite a while to carve out big bowls/buckets from a log, using our daggers or whatnot.

This was, relatively speaking, the fastest thing I could think of that might work. Just charging the portcullis would've been begging to get boiling water, boiling tar, acid, or orc feces dumped on us. What can you expect of a few 1st-level PCs far from town?

 

[industrygothica]

Well, they'd be prepared anyway. They have a tower of their own for now, and they would have heard us regardless of how we went about entering, unless we were such skilled climbers (not so likely at 1st-level) that we could've just quietly climbed the walls without any grappling hook or other tools.

Unfortunately, I think half the party makes too much noise just moving around, so that wouldn't really be an option. Irathias and Aramil alone would easily be overwhelmed by just 2-3 average orcs if we tried to sneak in by ourselves and then, somehow, opened the iron portcullis quietly, as if that would even be possible (not to mention that we're lean elves, not burly orcs; it'd take a while for us to lift the gate, leaving us vulnerable).

If we had several buckets of water, we could've doused the fire suddenly and quickly. Regardless, the smoke must've made it hard for orcs to see and breathe in the area around the murder holes, at least giving us a minor advantage, since we'd be charging in without breathing the smoke first. Unfortunately, I don't recall us hearing about any river real close that we could reach without climbing, and anyhow we'd need quite a while to carve out big bowls/buckets from a log, using our daggers or whatnot.

This was, relatively speaking, the fastest thing I could think of that might work. Just charging the portcullis would've been begging to get boiling water, boiling tar, acid, or orc feces dumped on us. What can you expect of a few 1st-level PCs far from town?

Ha! I'm definitely putting orc feces in the final version.

 

[Scott DeWar]

i know that i am just a voice of opinion here, but something does not sit quite well with me in this scenario.

I am not sure that first level characters should be able to be expected to break into a tower with a closed iron portcullous and murdur holes...it seems a bit out of reach for their skills if you excuse the minor pun.

this is just my humble opinion of course.

 

[industrygothica]

i know that i am just a voice of opinion here, but something does not sit quite well with me in this scenario.

I am not sure that first level characters should be able to be expected to break into a tower with a closed iron portcullous and murdur holes...it seems a bit out of reach for their skills if you excuse the minor pun.

this is just my humble opinion of course.

Maybe you're right, but think it really depends on how its played. The lift DC for the portcullis is 25 - with four PCs lifting, I don't think that's necessarily out of reach. It's actually easier to lift it than to break it down.

And for the murder holes, it all depends on what comes through them. If I were dropping hot tar on first level PCs, then yeah, I could see your point. But I think in this scenario the worst they may get is hto water or just something nasty.

 

[Scott DeWar]

25 to lift? that is not as bad as i thought. and yea, the hot tar eould be a bit much, but skalding water might be survivable.

 

[Walking Dad]

Maybe you're right, but think it really depends on how its played. The lift DC for the portcullis is 25 - with four PCs lifting, I don't think that's necessarily out of reach. It's actually easier to lift it than to break it down.

And for the murder holes, it all depends on what comes through them. If I were dropping hot tar on first level PCs, then yeah, I could see your point. But I think in this scenario the worst they may get is hto water or just something nasty.

Here is the other voice
If you expect four lifting PCs, make sure to emphase that there is enough room that all can help.
For the murderholes: Even at first level, they could suspect to be soaked with oil and than set aflame.

 

[industrygothica]

Here is the other voice
If you expect four lifting PCs, make sure to emphase that there is enough room that all can help.
For the murderholes: Even at first level, they could suspect to be soaked with oil and than set aflame.

See... I didn't even think of that one.

 

[Scott DeWar]

Since i live by the rule of "don't give a dm ideas" i will not suggest the idea of dropping fecal matter on the party, or perhaps honey and then rats or bees (summon swarm 1/2 spell) or ... ,wait, didn't i just say i wans't going to give the dm ideas?