Thrane strike force. RAIDERS OF AUNDAIR STAY OUT

[Eidalac]

A rouse would be cool, but since they will instantly know that we are other players, it's an instant give away; no matter how good RPers they are, knowing that we aren't DM NPCs will set them ready for our strike.

The only way that would be viable would be if the DM posted for us, which isn't much fun, I'd think.

Plus we'd need double the numbers to really distract the PCs and still have enough of a force to storm the tower behind them.

The very best outcome I see is that the PCs only have 1 or 2 of there own on watch on the top/airship. With a bit of luck, we should be able to take out at least one before anyone else shows up.

Ideally, we'd want to isolate each PC, but I'm not holding my breath on that.

Also, before we close in, we'll want to see if there are any doors/hatches up top we can seal to at least slow down reinforcements.

 

[Dekana]

If we do happen to get locked out, I'll have stone shape prepared to make our own entrance.

The cleric's tactics for this fight will be: stick with the main strike force at all times - no wandering off. If we encounter a lone sentry, attempt a Hold Person or Command. If we encounter several enemies, Silence them and heal as needed. I'm thinking detect magic could be used with dispel magic to remove alarms on the trap door, but the noise of casting the spells might tip them off anyway. Otherwise dispel magic can be used to banish summoned creatures as needed.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I proposed we spend some party gold on spells of Tenser's Floating Disc for when we leave. Each 100gp we spend on a scroll would give us a disc capable of supporting 400 pounds (should hold a coffin) that will last for 4 hours.

As for the fighting, I figure there are two scenarios:

1: We kill/capture the sentries without the alarm being raised. In this case our next step is to go down in and bind or subdue the rest of the PCs (I'm thinking our modus operandi at this point will be to have a power-fighter grapple sleeping PCs under silence while the rogue knocks them out with a sap). Once we have run of the tower, we get the coffins and a few prisoners, torch the airship (pursuit = bad) and make for home.

2: We're detected by the sentries - either before we knock them out or in the process. At this point we want to press the offensive as quickly as possible. Every round we give the opposition is a round they'll spend buffing, so we're going to make use of knock and our fly speed to get into the tower and fighting ASAP - hopefully catching them half-prepared.

The key point here is that NO MATTER WHAT we must assume that we're doing scenario 2, even if we think we got the sentry with no witnesses there might be a secondary sentry with better stealth or an alarm spell or something else that we haven't foreseen, which means that the second we engage a sentry we're in full-on speed mode. If that just means we get to the sleeping PCs faster, excellent, but if not we're prepared.

EDIT: If we have at least 3k in the party fund we could buy a lesser metamagic rod of silence, which would give the cleric and me 3 spells we could cast under silence total (we can swap back and forth). As for the target of the silence, I'm thinking put at least one on the warforged frontliner, and maybe another either on the rogue or on an arrow.

 

[Dekana]

I'll drop my healing belt for another 750g for the group fund then. If I'm counting right, the leftover money / donations (not including scroll of flying each) come to:

Eidalac - 312.5gp
Dekana - 838.4gp
Zurai - 5.58 + 375gp from saving money by crafting
Nac - 50gp
Scurry - 80gp

Comes out to 1661.58gp if I'm counting right (which I'm not sure if I am, character sheets aren't entirely up to date I think). That's enough for the silence rod, as well as the discs we'll need.

Edit: Subtracted FreeXenon's gp, there's still enough for the silence rod and 6 discs. (Not including money from dropping the bag of tricks)

Edit again: Not enough for the silence rod unless more money is made available, though I question how much we need it anyway. Still have plenty of money for discs.

 

[FreeXenon]

All of my money is spent. I left money available for the fly scroll.

 

[FreeXenon]

I can drop the Bag of Tricks for 900gp.
I chose it partially for flavor and partially for some sort of distraction and amusement for the changeling.

 

[Scurry]

Flavor=good. We're trying to kill them, yes, but we as players should adhere to the spirit of fair play, and not make characters focused any more exclusively on combat than the typical PC. (I mean, we might end up having to play these dudes. ) Now, if they tan our hides and send us running (and we don't die), then I'll be all for us coming back loaded for bear and ready to be a cheap bastard.

That said, there's no reason for us not to be smart flavorful holy commandos (of DOOM). I agree with NMF's proposed strategy, largely. Planning for the worst is probably the best idea - assume we'll be noticed, assume we won't immediately notice we've been noticed, and having a plan of what to do if they attack even before we're properly set up might not be bad.

On the subject of the party fund, I'll actually have more than 80 gp left over, since I'm dropping at least a dose of the purple worm venom because that's mean nasty stuff, probably too mean and nasty. I might replace it with a wimpier poison if I can find a useful non-lethal one, I might not. That inventory juggle will produce surplus gp on the order of hundreds, I think; I'm too lazy to calc that right now.

I dropped a few tens of gp when tallying equip costs, also, but I'm reserving that so that Al has some pocket change when they search his corpse.

Edit: And in case we're short a disk or two, and someone has some spare feats lying around, Tenser's floating disk is an aberrant mark.

 

[Eidalac]

FYI: the 500 gp is the only part of the 2k that made it into the party fund, but if needed, I have plenty of potions I can cull out.

 

[Eidalac]

Oh, and remember:

Action Points FTW.

You don't have to burn them all, but don't forget you have them to use. I've seen many an ebberon game where the players had them on sheets but never made use of them.

 

[FreeXenon]

Here too. We have gone through quite a few levels without using a single one and then someone happens to look at their sheet and go 'Oh, crap. We have action points'.

I think that we will need every single one to over come the PC's.