My players turn back now; campaign sensitive information within!
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Now, I'm having trouble getting ideas for an adventure. The situation is this: Versonton County (a rural region in a western-european themed country in my homebrew; very standard setting) has been faced with a series of raids by savage humanoids, originally thought to be goblins and now known to be gnolls. The gnolls have a magical item called the Rune of Fury, which can summon demons and incite rages in those around it when a blood sacrifice is made upon it. The gnolls have a chieftain, but are really led by a cleric of Erythnul.
The gnolls have also displayed greater than normal knowledge of tactics and duplicity, in running well-organized raids simultaneously on multiple locales. This is due to the above-average intelligence of their leadership.
Now, the gnolls are preparing to make full-blown war on Versonton County. The chief town is Versonton, itself, a village of about 800. There are a few other thorps and hamlets scattered about, but otherwise the county is mainly rugged hills and forest. There is only one road into the region, from the east, which is a dead end, as any further west just goes into the foothills of a mountain range.
The edge of the county is the Glenwater Bridge, where the road cuts over the Silverbrook River. An inn and a thorp of about 50 people live along the bridge. The gnolls are going to try and overrun this thorp of Glenwater to cut off Versonton's link to neighboring counties and villages.
The County has time to marshal a defense, but it can only scrounge up about 50 militia (human Ftr 1, I don't use the warrior NPC class) and 10 regulars (human Ftr 2) from the local garrison, along with a low-level wizard and fighter commander. The 50 militia are going to set up a shield wall formation on the bridge, with longspears and arhcers behind them. The commander and wizard will hang back on the bridge and serve as personal bodyguards and a command center around the Count, who will, of course, be at the battle. There is an inn on the far side of the river that will be guarded by about 4-6 militia and used as a makeshift medical center by the local cleric. The town itself is half a dozen wood and sod buildings, thatched roofs, and a few trees in the area. Nothing too tactical to go with. Oh, and the river, itself, which cuts through the center.
The gnolls are going to attack at night, to utilize their darkvision, though the militia will likely set torches around to minimalize their effectiveness. I'm thinking of using about 35 gnolls right from the MM, along with 2 3rd level druids for support, as well as their chief, Blacksnarl (Gnoll Ftr 4, specialized with a halberd).
Here's are my questions:
1) How should the shield wall be done mechanically? The defenders are likely to be in chain mail with large shields, but standing 5 feet apart and taking Total Defense just doesn't seem to be a shield wall to me. What can I do to actually make this work, mechanically? I'm think that so long as there are four or more characters adjacent to each other, they can squeeze (two to a space) without taking an AC penalty; each member actually gets a +2 circumstance bonus to AC, except for those on either end, so long as there are two characters per square and the whole formation doesn't move more than 5 feet a round.
2) What tactics should the gnolls use? Their cleric leader, the tactician, isn't going to be present, so it's okay if they just swarm the defenders. Also, a standard gnoll is better than a 1st level human fighter with the non-elite array (the militia). However, while fighting off a barbaric horde is fun, I think it might be even better for them to use some more advanced tactics, for story consistancy and to give my group a chance to counteract this with some special operations.
3) What, exactly, would be a good, tide-changing mission for the party to engage in at this battle? Obviously, the area's not really designed for war, and the only really pivitol point, the bridge, is well taken care of. I'm thinking of sending the PCs and regulars behind the gnoll front line to attack Blacksnarl and his druids, but I'm not sure how to pull this off. Being of the savage races, they would likely just be in the front lines hacking and slashing away, which is bad because A) the party would have to fight the entire gnolls force and B) with Blacksnarl's direct help, the defenders would be easily swept away. Thus my desire for the gnolls to use tactics, but not ones that would completely overwhelm the defenders (they have to last long enough for the party to save them!). Also, the thorp isn't that big, so when the PCs and regulars take on Blacksnarl, they'll likely be within full view of the other gnolls, who would simply turn and attack them. Breaking the shield wall would be tactical suicide, so the defenders wouldn't be able to help the party, leaving them to be massacred by the gnolls, who would then return to hacking apart the shield wall and destroying the resistance. As far as party makeup goes, this group has had trouble pinning down what characters they're going to stick with, but right now it's an orc binder (Tome of Magic), and orc fighter/sorcerer, and an elven duskblade (PHB II), all second level. I typically find myself running a game for a combination of two of those three. Note that these are orcs, not half-orcs; I got rid of the half-breed and went with full-blown orcs as a player race in my games.
4) How should I run/adjudicate a mass battle of this sort? I don't have Heroes of Battle, and, obviously, running each defender and gnoll's turn would take forever. Thus my desire to have the party undertake a pivitol mission. If they succeed, then the defenders will, too. If they fail, so does the resistance. However, that still doesn't completely answer my question of how to run the battle while the PCs are on their mission. And how many casualties/deaths should there be?
I'm probably going to be running this thing VERY soon, as in possibly tonight; if not then, most likely some time this weekend. So I need help fast!
What you could do:
1) The shield wall is breached and the defenders are about to be routed, your pc's must strengthen the buckling shieldwall or die!
2) take out the druids
3) defend the wizard
4) the gnolls use a raft to cross the river, take out the raft
I wouldn't worry about the mechanics of the battle between the militia and gnolls but focus mainly on the actions of the pc's.
Also, for added fun, just describe the above situation and let your pc's do whatever the want to do.....if what they want to do is not going to help the defenders, well then your pc's will finally learn that actions have consequences ;>
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First brainstorm:
For a good pc mission...
If I was the gnolls, I'd send an advance force 3 miles upriver to ford the river, get in position, and when the frontal assault at the bridge goes down to attack the bridge from the rear, and attack the hospital maybe.
The pc's could be sent on a recon/s.a.d. to discover WHERE this is going down, and make a skirmish there to harry those efforts, maybe even prevent them.
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The humans could throw caltrops dipped in pig #two out in front of a shield wall to hamper the efforts of a frontal assault. I've noticed that gnolls, unlike my wife, aren't to fond of footwear.
They could also erect a hasty covering barricade with wood/detritus from the village, and put the archers behind that on the bridge. The shield wall might not even be the best option.
When (if) the gnolls overrun the barricade, the humans could pull back, dump buckets of pig grease or ball bearings(?) all over the bridge, and form a shield wall at their end of the bridge to fight off any gnoll still advancing after that degree of punishment.
I like those ideas. I think what I'll do here is:
1. Have the bridge covered by the wooden barricade with the archers behind it. Behind that will be the troops preparing the shield wall. The archers can fire from improved cover behind the barricade until it's about to be breached, then fall back behind the shield wall.
2. Put out that field of filth-covered caltrops. Combined with the barricade and then shield wall, it will prove how even weaker soldiers, out matched and out numbered, can win with superiour discipline and tactics.
3. Have Blacksnarl, his druids, and possibly a few demons summoned by the Rune (could be fiendish wolves like the party has already faced, or maybe something new; manes, perhaps?) try and circle behind the battle and pincer the humans. The party has to go stop them with the aid of the regular troops. That way, they can attempt the mission away from the battlefield but still be of crucial importance. Then I don't have to worry about describing the battle at all.
Great ideas! Thanks.
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How about fiendish hyenas? Eerie high-pitched laughter in the black of night, jaws that can crack a zebra's femur to get at the tasty marrow. And fiendish vultures, circling in the sky, there to strip the carrion left by the ensuing fleshgrinder?
Yes! The rune, it calls them to the rancid feast! Come, corpse munchers, come quench your inslakable hunger! We, the mighty gnolls, will feed thee tasty tender menflesh! Nary a vulture of hell will be able to take flight, fattened on vulgar dainties!
Oops, tangental ravings.
That's, uh.... that's, nice, Heathansson....
If the gnolls are a powerful enough force to overwhelm the militia (even with PC support), have the PCs provide a diversion to draw away some of the gnolls.
Two smaller groups, separated by enough distance would be easier to mop up than a single force.
One of the ideas that Heroes of Battle introduces is using a flowchart to describe the PCs' effect on the flow of battle. Here's a rough-and-tumble example. The PCs are reconning the area where the gnolls will approach from. If they engage the gnoll pickets then they must complete the encounter in 10 rounds or less. Any longer, and the main body will hear the clash of battle and press the human defenders before they prepare adequately. By using the if A, then B flowchart model to map the progress of a larger battle, you can allow your small team of PCs to affect a larger battle. If you can, I'd heartily recommend you pick up Heroes of Battle if you plan to run this sort of campaign. It'll be worth it.
If you can, I'd heartily recommend you pick up Heroes of Battle if you plan to run this sort of campaign. It'll be worth it.
It's deffinately on my wish list, now, along with the PHB II and Fiendish Codex!