Mark CMG
Creative Mountain Games
CHornJr said:
Don't take my word for it. It'd take you less than half an hour to figure this out by simply setting up the scenario with some tokens or minis and playing it out.
Spoilers follow (highlight with cursor) -
Let the PCs trounce the goblins and early twig blights. The little victories will raise their morale and make them overconfident. Write those off as being an early warning system for Belkar to prepare. The goblins and twig blights will get a few hits in and soften the PCs up a bit. The PCs might even waste a few spells on those encounters.
There's no reason why Belkar can't make his appeals to the PCs after he has used his wand so . . .
Belkar will cast his barkskin while the PCs are still fighting the earlier encounters as it lasts 10 minutes per level no matter whether you are using 3.0 or 3.5 rules. Belkar then should ready an action to use his wand when he feels the PCs are most vulnerable, which is when they are still around the #55 on the map. Center the spell about thirty feet southwest of the #55 on the map when most or all of the PCs will be within the far end of the effect's 40-foot radius. The entangle, as stated above, is the key to the whole defense. If you're feeling generous you could adjudicate that it isn't anchored and is thus merely impeding movement rather than stopping it altogether. I would, as it at least gives the PCs some hope of survival beyond capture and subjugation. It makes little difference since the PCs will have the better part of eighty feet to traverse through it.
Belkar can then make his appeal for the PCs to surrender to him. If your PCs are like most they'll fire off an arrow in answer or interupt you mid-speech with a Monty Python quote. You can then get on with their slaughter.
If the twig blights and the frog are also trapped in the entangle it doesn't matter so have them spread across the width of the cavern at it's narrowest point (just south of where the entangle is centered) keeping to cover or concealed until a PC moves forward into their melee range/threatened area. You can have subsequently arriving twig blights, if any survived from area 55, wade right in from behind the PCs to further impede their progress and take attacks of opportunity if the PCs attempt any casting or ranged attacks of their own. You should find that the frog is no slouch when it comes to taking a bit of damage and getting in a couple of hits, btw. But really these minor creatures are here to allow for a few more rounds of ranged assault by Belkar, Sharwyn, and Braford.
I'm not sure why the adventure, as written, suggests Braford directly assaults the PCs, except to show off his sundering weapon schtick but he should be using his own arrows, and Sharwyn's arrows if needs be, to ranged assault the PCs while they founder in the entangle area. After casting charm person on the most obvious fighter PC (perhaps whoever is in the best position to add to the defense of the cavern, i.e. whoever is foremost), Belkar should also be peppering the party with his stock of sling stones if they failed to surrender. The adventure suggests Sharwyn counterspell, which is all well and good I suppose, but I'd have her try to take out any obvious spell caster (they've watched the PCs through two small skirmishes, at least, with the goblins and the twig blights) with her two magic missile spells, ray of frost, and then arrows.
If the PCs survive all of this and make it to the far side of the entangle area they still have Belkar's 36 hp, +6 Init, and mw scimitar to face, along with Braford and Sharwyn, in melee. Don't be shy about having Belkar take on the initial assault of anyone getting through the [/i]entangle[/i]. As soon as he takes a hit, have him five foot step back and let Braford and Sharwyn be sacrificed so Belkar can heal himself by spell or potion. He's got about an average of 20+ points of healing at his disposal and wants to survive but should fight to the death to defend the Gulthias Tree.
Now, remember what I posted initially about capturing PCs? It may well be the PCs best hope for survival though they would be absorbed and changed by the Gulthias Tree to become Belkars minions. The capturing plan can be justified since even the adventure text suggests that Belkar is interested in that outcome when he asks the PCs to surrender.
There's no reason why Belkar can't make his appeals to the PCs after he has used his wand so . . .
Belkar will cast his barkskin while the PCs are still fighting the earlier encounters as it lasts 10 minutes per level no matter whether you are using 3.0 or 3.5 rules. Belkar then should ready an action to use his wand when he feels the PCs are most vulnerable, which is when they are still around the #55 on the map. Center the spell about thirty feet southwest of the #55 on the map when most or all of the PCs will be within the far end of the effect's 40-foot radius. The entangle, as stated above, is the key to the whole defense. If you're feeling generous you could adjudicate that it isn't anchored and is thus merely impeding movement rather than stopping it altogether. I would, as it at least gives the PCs some hope of survival beyond capture and subjugation. It makes little difference since the PCs will have the better part of eighty feet to traverse through it.
Belkar can then make his appeal for the PCs to surrender to him. If your PCs are like most they'll fire off an arrow in answer or interupt you mid-speech with a Monty Python quote. You can then get on with their slaughter.
If the twig blights and the frog are also trapped in the entangle it doesn't matter so have them spread across the width of the cavern at it's narrowest point (just south of where the entangle is centered) keeping to cover or concealed until a PC moves forward into their melee range/threatened area. You can have subsequently arriving twig blights, if any survived from area 55, wade right in from behind the PCs to further impede their progress and take attacks of opportunity if the PCs attempt any casting or ranged attacks of their own. You should find that the frog is no slouch when it comes to taking a bit of damage and getting in a couple of hits, btw. But really these minor creatures are here to allow for a few more rounds of ranged assault by Belkar, Sharwyn, and Braford.
I'm not sure why the adventure, as written, suggests Braford directly assaults the PCs, except to show off his sundering weapon schtick but he should be using his own arrows, and Sharwyn's arrows if needs be, to ranged assault the PCs while they founder in the entangle area. After casting charm person on the most obvious fighter PC (perhaps whoever is in the best position to add to the defense of the cavern, i.e. whoever is foremost), Belkar should also be peppering the party with his stock of sling stones if they failed to surrender. The adventure suggests Sharwyn counterspell, which is all well and good I suppose, but I'd have her try to take out any obvious spell caster (they've watched the PCs through two small skirmishes, at least, with the goblins and the twig blights) with her two magic missile spells, ray of frost, and then arrows.
If the PCs survive all of this and make it to the far side of the entangle area they still have Belkar's 36 hp, +6 Init, and mw scimitar to face, along with Braford and Sharwyn, in melee. Don't be shy about having Belkar take on the initial assault of anyone getting through the [/i]entangle[/i]. As soon as he takes a hit, have him five foot step back and let Braford and Sharwyn be sacrificed so Belkar can heal himself by spell or potion. He's got about an average of 20+ points of healing at his disposal and wants to survive but should fight to the death to defend the Gulthias Tree.
Now, remember what I posted initially about capturing PCs? It may well be the PCs best hope for survival though they would be absorbed and changed by the Gulthias Tree to become Belkars minions. The capturing plan can be justified since even the adventure text suggests that Belkar is interested in that outcome when he asks the PCs to surrender.
