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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 5823204" data-attributes="member: 20323">Level? The soldiers are 7th and later down you say the bandit's shaman can use rituals of up to 15th/16th level. That's a big spread.Anyhow the whole point, as you know, to a hilltop fort is defensibility and visibility.That's a lot of men! Any nearby forces the Bandit King needs to worry about sacking his fort if he sends out half his men?Why? What's changed? I see my supply wagon attacked by a dozen trained warriors with magic? I could send 2 or 3 dozen. I know my fastest horsemen could mobilize and gallop out there in about 10 minutes, but do I have 24 to 36 horses? I rage a bit an am on the verge of ridin out myself when I realize there's a reason they're attacking within sight of my fort: they want to show me I'm not boss! The bastards! I send my #2 with a handful of archers on horseback to intercept in a straight line - their job is to annoy the PCs with long-range fire and lure them toward one of my traps until... I send my #3  with two dozen men in a circuitous route so they can't be seen by the PCs to approach from their flank. I give both #2 and #3 strict orders to withdraw (and prepare to be berated) if the PCs prove overwhelming.I'm with [MENTION=6683506]Niccodaemus[/MENTION] - I style myself a king so it's time to put the smack down on my rebellious subjects. I also need to find out who this group of PCs are, whether they're rival bandits poaching on my lands (in which an accord may be possible if they agree to pay me a hefty tax on their stealings), mercenaries hired by one of the rich townsfolk (in which case there's some threatening that needs to be done), or self-right do-gooders (which will be hard for the bandit King to swallow).Remember, I may be a Bandit KING now but I started off as just a bandit, so there's no way I'm letting these upstarts beat me at my own game. Some nasty tricks I might employ...A counter-ambush: load a wagon full of poison gas and flammables and have it pass thru a great ambush spot. Have a small team of crack archers follow on a rise above - they fire flaming arrows at the wagon when the PCs get close.Innocents imperiled: Take hostages on the next wagon and threaten to kill them when PCs attack. Or better yet bind the hostages, ride by a river/lake, and toss hostages in - let the "heroes" decide which is more important. Or even better yet, abduct/hire on orphan boys to act as "caravan guards" (that should give the PCs pause!).Decoys: Send wagons out along with 2 decoys, and vary up which one heads directly for the hilltop fort and which ones take circuitous routes. He might even send a decoy "Bandit King" on one of these wagons to see what the PCs intentions are toward him.Traps: I may eschew traps in favor of force now, but by all that's evil, I know about traps. Maybe it's time to set some. A particularly vindictive Bandit King may smear a wagon with sovereign glue and have its wagoneer charge toward a ravine (the wagoneer may be a dupe, have a universal solvent, or be willing to die for the bandit king). PC jumps on the wagon: "Haha, give us your gold!" Wagoneer sneers and drives horses at a mad gallop toward the ravine. PC realizes they're stuck to the wagon. "Nuts."The Bandit King should realize that right off the bat. After all be used to use guerilla tactics in his rise to power. His best bet is to play into that - give the PCs targets too perfect to pass up and then ambush/trap.It would add to the tension if the players know about this potential union in the works.The BBC aired a version of Robin Hood in 2006 that has lots of ideas for this type of adventure.</blockquote>

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