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Message: <blockquote data-quote="D+1" data-source="post: 1306537" data-attributes="member: 13654">It's an ambush.  The module assumes the PC's to be 5th level, perhaps 6th by the time this encounter occurs:  [spoiler]The party has ostensibly discovered the source of the problems in the city as being the secret cabal whom they have defeated.  They are given a feast where they are celebrated as heroes and the DM is encouraged to put up the pretense of this being the end of the module.  When they leave the party to go home they face an Ogre Mage 15' away as they enter an alley.  It looses a cone of cold at them.  According to the author this, "probably cannot affect more than one character," because, "the narrow alley shapes the effect".  Mind you this is a 9d6 effect 45' long.  Anyone not in view of the alley would be missed by the effect but the author assumes a great deal, thinking only one character would or should be visible when the intelligent Ogre Mage - the one lying in wait to assassinate the PC's - does not seek to maximize the effect of it's most powerful attack.  Set that point aside for the moment though.  It runs further into the alley, turning invisible and flying upward when out of sight around a corner.That's the initial setup for the encounter.  If the PC's pursue into the alley (and why wouldn't they?) they are faced with a rgr3/asn3, two rog5/asn1, two rog4, a clr4, and a sor4, all hiding in various places in the alleyways ahead, in addition to the Ogre Mage which assumes position behind them blocking their withdrawl back the way they came.The Ogre Mage ALONE has a CR of 8 and should be a decent if not dangerous fight for a 5th level party.  The total number of opponents they'll face here is 8 ranging from 4th level at lowest to the CR8 Ogre.  The described tactics for the remains of the encounter are that, "when melee erupts all the assassins converge... acting to ensure that no character escapes..."  If they leave the alleyways onto the main streets they will not be pursued.  The likelihood of anyone getting to the street alive seems nonexistent since they'll have to fight their way out past foes intent on preventing them.  Foes who outnumber them, and half of whom exceed their character level.Party: 5th level.  Encounter: 12th level.  The author notes that the goal of the PC's for the encounter "should be to escape alive."  If a DM puts any effort at all into running this encounter capably as written it's a TPK.  The EL derived from the creatures faced is in itself manifestly insane when the purpose of the encounter is simply to lead into the second part of the module that deals with the true cause of all the problems going from covert subterfuge to open manipulation.[/spoiler]</blockquote>

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