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Message: <blockquote data-quote="NewJeffCT" data-source="post: 4781090" data-attributes="member: 10784">Going a bit further with my evil horde from the other day:(see here: <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/255476-what-sort-aerial-support-would-evil-horde-have.html" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/255476-what-sort-aerial-support-would-evil-horde-have.html</a>  )This is a huge horde of thousands - mostly gnolls, along with some other humanoids, that are marching on a mostly human port city.  The army is led by a half-fiend blackguard (CR: 16 or 17) who has used a powerful artifact to unite the normally disorganized & chaotic gnolls.  He also has a goristro (gargantuan minotaur-like demon, CR: 16) and a spellweaver as the main bad guys.   The PCs are level 14, but are 7 in number, and may have an equivalent NPC with them, for 8.The human Duke leading the city had planned an almost suicidal attack on the blackguard – his plan that he (a paladin) and a group of other paladins and clerics who follow the same god will circle around the incoming army and strike the command & control after the bulk of the army has crossed the main river leading to the city.  The bridge will be taken out through magic, temporarily cutting off the land-bound bulk of the army on the other side, leaving the Duke and his men & women to attempt to attack the evil horde’s leadership.  If they could take out the leader, the Duke hopes gnolls would again become disorganized and would hopefully either give up, or be easy prey to the rest of the Duke’s men behind the city walls.Until the PCs arrived, however, he was sure his plan was a suicide attack, but at least they would go out fighting and hopefully get a glorious death, and maybe allow time for some women & children to escape via boat.  He even quietly told the PCs that he thought his troupe (about 20-25 paladins & clerics) would not even get through the blackguards elite flind bodyguards.An army of that size will also have clerics, druids, shamen, adepts, maybe a sorcerer or two, etc.  They also have air support in dire vultures, marrash (flying gnoll archers) and some shadows.  I am debating if the vultures are led by a vrock or not.  Thanks to several enworlders for the suggestions there!My intent as DM was to have this go off as planned and hand-wave the day in between the evil horde approaching and the PCs and Duke attacking, while the PCs teleport to behind the blackguard and attempt to strike at the blackguard directly.However, between sessions, the players have bandied about the idea of attempting an attack on their own against the evil horde’s leadership when they encamp the day before – fly in while invisible and then teleport out.As DM, I think it is suicide to attempt to attack a whole army like that without coverage from the Duke’s attack, and having the river divide the enemy’s forces. I even told them that out of game.  But, I would need to prepare for this possibility, as they still seem like they want to try it.The army will make a brief stop in an abandoned town, so the blackguard will likely be in a larger home in the town.  The demon is too big (20-25 feet tall) and too clumsy to be inside anywhere.  The spellweaver will be in another area of town.What sort of protections would an army like this have?  The dire vultures and the marrash have the scent feat and will be circling above the army in turns as scouts, so will be able to detect many threats incoming via the air.How about larger scale magical protections from mid level clerics, adepts and shamen for the army, or at least the elite troops of the horde?  What protections could they provide the blackguard?Thanks</blockquote>

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