So I am running a campaign where I am hoping to lure the party into a trap when they leave the city and head into the wild.
They are knowingly heading into hostile territory (there is an on-going war with the Kobold tribes to the north) and expect fierce resistance.
What they do not know, is that a series of evil NPCs have allied with the Kobold coalition and have provided training in tactics, improved equipment, etc.
The Kobolds the party has faced thus far have been exceptionally easy, and so the party is riding pretty confident atm. They are level 3, are generally all quite experienced and competent players, and have good cohesion between their builds, plus a good mix of abilities and strengths.
I hope to use a well-placed ambush at a particular site I know they will be at as they head north, and I want to use this opportunity to give them a greater sense, some foreshadowing of the more ominous threat that awaits them in the wilds beyond. It needs to be balanced between being a serious threat, and avoiding a TPK. I worry about this being TOO unexpected.
So, my plan is this:
The characters are tipped off in town about a well-known crossing at a river about 20 miles north of town. It is the shallowest part of the river, and the reduction in depth slows the current down so that even the smallest of characters can easily cross. It is also on the main road leading north, so no risky detours would be involved. There is also an inn just south of the crossing by about 3 miles, so they can rest and stock up one last evening before heading out.
Unfortunately for the party, they are expected by the kobolds and their sinister new friends, and will be caught in a trap at this very spot.
In the river, I plan to have 8-10 Kobold warriors using hollow grasses to breath from under the water, where they have camouflaged themselves with other weeds. On the far side of the crossing (which is about 50 feet across and about 3 feet deep) there are 2 Kobold druids.
Also in the crossing would be large net nested on the river bottom, cleverly concealed in the sediment. When the characters are within the net(s?) the Kobolds would surge out of the water and try to capture them in the net, assuming the characters did not spot the trap first. They would then stab them with spears and other nasty weapons through the net. They have no intention of taking the party alive.
There will also be an officer type Kobold with character levels, maybe in rogue. I am not sure where on the ambush site he will be hiding yet.
I am looking for suggestions to improve this encounter and make it interesting and challenging. I do not want it to reach the deadly level, just to be a challenge for a competent group of players.
The camouflage I have decided (not set in stone) will provide a +4 on their stealth check will stationary, and reduced to a +2 while moving. They will get another +2 for remaining under the surface of the water.
The roll to conceal the net will receive a +4 as it is mostly buried in the sediment and under the water as well.
Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?
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So let me get this right:
You have a party of 4 level 3 PCs?
You are giving a terrain advantage to the NPCs?
You are having them fight 8 to 10 warriors, 2 druids, another character (possibly rogue)?
And are going to ambush them?
This sounds like a TPK recipe to me. Either the PCs notice the enemies and traps in advance, or they're probably toast. Action economy will be harsh on them. Especially if 2 characters are trapped in the net as they walk across the stream.
As for you're allowing them such strong stealth bonuses, it's probably unfair.
Take a look at this item:
Camouflage netting This loose mesh of twine and varicolored cloth is used to disguise the presence of creatures or large objects. Camouflage netting must be manufactured to provide camouflage in a single type of terrain, such as snow, sand, forest, grass, swamp, urban, or water. When you hide under the netting in the appropriate terrain, you gain a +4 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks as long as you remain immobile and prone. Covering up with camouflage netting is a full-round action requiring a DC 10 Survival check (failure means you do not cover yourself correctly with the netting and do not gain its bonus on Stealth checks). You have the entangled condition when using the netting, except your Dexterity penalty does not affect your initiative or Stealth checks. Taking off camouflage netting is a move action, or a swift action if combined with a move action to stand up from a prone position.
You may spend 1 minute covering an object with camouflage netting. Make a Survival check with a –10 penalty and use the total as the Stealth check result for the object. Creatures who fail a Perception check against this Stealth DC do not recognize what the object is and usually treat it as a natural part of the terrain. For example, you can conceal a wagon as a rock or patch of brush. Covering a Large object requires two nets. Covering a Huge or Gargantuan object requires five nets and takes 10 minutes of work, and the Survival check penalty is –20 instead of –10. Camouflaging a Colossal object depends on its shape but generally requires at least 10 camouflage nets and takes 1 hour of work, and the Survival check penalty is –30 instead of –10.
A creature with the scent ability ignores the effect of camouflage netting and makes checks against your actual Stealth roll when in scent range. Any creature within 10 feet of a Large or larger object hidden by camouflage netting automatically recognizes it as an object covered in camouflage. Price 20 gp; Weight 5 lbs.
It cost 20 gold, which isn't cheap to low level characters but is a non-magical option which kobolds could reasonably have.
However, it only provides a +4 stealth bonus while prone and immobile.
You shouldn't just give the kobolds a stealth bonus while moving or for being under the water. But do remember that there is a -1 penalty to perception checks for every 10ft the PCs are from the source.
What levels do you plan to have the warriors, druids, and rogue at?
I would probably have only 4 warriors level 2, 2 druids level 2, and 1 rogue level 2.
That amount of enemies has XP equal to something between a CR 5 or 6. The terrain adds another +1 to the CR, and the ambush and tactics adds probably another +1. Making this fight a CR 7/8. Which is still just on the line of being a TPK. Unless you're players have all built incredibly high AC tanks, you're probably going to have PCs die.
One of the better descriptions of kobolds I have seen came from Monster Codex (I believe). It was in the fluff section but one of the things it talked about, from what I can remember, was the kobolds sneaking behind the characters, resetting the traps that they had already set off.
If you don't feel it's too much, you can throw in some kobolds whose only purpose is to sneak to where the PCs have already traveled, and set up some traps (snares, uncover pits that were unwittingly walked over, etc.) so if they do try to back up (say ranged or casters who don't want to provoke AoO) they can be in for quite a surprise.
Every example I've seen of kobolds played in a way that makes PCs fear them has been when they have knowledge of the terrain and time to prepare. In the scenario you have described, they have one and maybe some of the other. IMHO, they would take advantage of those as much as possible.
Lastly, anything that entangles/snares/impedes the PCs while also leaving them in the water (such as the net, but also might be an interesting location of a kobold snare trap) could have other interesting side effects. There will likely be blood flowing at some point in the battle and, with other creatures that live in the river, they might attract some unwanted attention. Use that, even if just to create tension. "You hear a splash downriver and notice a trail of red streaming from your leg to somewhere near the area of the noise. A ripple of water slowly advances upstream toward you."
So let me get this right:
You have a party of 4 level 3 PCs?
You are giving a terrain advantage to the NPCs?
You are having them fight 8 to 10 warriors, 2 druids, another character (possibly rogue)?
And are going to ambush them?
Heh... I didn't notice the levels. :D Well... how about instead of them trying to kill, they are trying to scare away the PCs? They can leave them for dead or chase them off instead of trying to kill them.
Or just throw caution to the wind and go for that TPK! :D
Thanks harem for the feedback! These guys are particularly savvy because they have the training from intelligent NPCs further north. I like the idea of setting traps. I like the trickling blood description too.
Claxon - I appreciate the feedback here as well. The kobolds have funding from evil NPCs. The kobolds are coming from a disputed mining region. The NPCS belong to a bigger organization that is using the Kobolds for labor and manipulating them even further to fight the PCs for them.
There are many Kobolds because as I said the group is experienced. Kobolds without character levels die fast, usually 1-2 hits tops. The party should likely drop 1-3 maybe even 4 per round if they get to attack.
The party ranger will get a knowledge nature check to see that the weeds used for the camouflage doesn't naturally grow in the water, and the party's perception bonuses are maxed out for their levels. Once they are in the water, near the nets, they will have a reasonable chance of detecting the ambush.
I like the idea of the characters being left for dead, and their wounds attracting other creatures.
The Kobolds themselves are somewhat afraid of provoking the human settlements. They are equally if not more afraid of their NPC employers.
I suppose they might leave the party for dead in hopes of not provoking the settles further (although the conflict is already getting out of control).
On the subject of Kobold character levels, the regular warriors are all level 1.
The druids will be level 2, and the rogue will be level 3.
That's the problem though. Either the PCs detect the ambush and then it becomes a relatively easy fight, or half of them become trapped in the net and will likely die.
While it's relatively easy to down a kobold with a single hit, they actually need the chance to hit.
The funding, the regional politics or organization aren't really important to me. They don't matter except to in game entities. I'm simply trying to explain to you that with your current set up it will either be very easy or deadly.
And kobolds do have character levels, even if those levels are in NPC classes. That's why I also suggested making everyone of them have at least 2 class levels (whether NPC or PC classes). Though since they are well supplied you may consider giving them better armor. The kobold in the bestiary are only level 1 NPC warriors wearing leather armor. You should probably upgrade them to wearing chain shirt, which would increase their AC to 17.
The other thing that I like to play with is that I rarely have all martial enemies simply attack.
I like to use the combat maneuvers to mix up the battles. They are not optimized to do this, but the Kobolds are clever enough to understand that if they trip or disarm the fighter they have a better chance of dealing with him.
Tee Kobolds also aren't proficient in the use of the net, they just thought it would be a good trick. It would be the players stuck in the net versus 4-5 small, weak Kobolds when the characters struggle to free themselves, so I doubt that they would get trapped for very long, if at all.
On another note:
Any suggestions for the 2x druid animal companions? I am thinking that two different ones would be the best. Something swimming and something flying perhaps, that they can use to scout with?
I can spin it this way, too:
If they party detects the trap there are 8 warriors and 2 druids + the rogue officer.
If they party does not detect the trap there are 6 warriors, 1 druid, and the rogue officer.
Does that seem more reasonable? I can simply change it because they would have no knowledge of exactly how many there were until they pop out of the water.
You could also consider having the trap either not successfully target the entire party. Maybe just the front/middle/back pair get targeted when the trap is sprung. This would give the rest of the party the option to try to free their party members or attack. This would probably better than risking having the entire party trapped simultaneously.
This sounds like a great solution. The party almost never has a consistent "marching order" and so I wouldn't be purposefully targeting any 1-2 characters, and regardless of what happens, as you said, they can attempt to free their fellow companions.
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My two cents here.
You seem to want to portray the kobolds as organized and competent. That's good. The current plan though is way too conditional, rope nets at the bottom of a river in a specific location, and kobolds hiding for hours on end submerged breathing through straws.
Set them up with pickets, innocuous little traps. Make them run into some obvious snare traps, lull them in, and then have the kobolds at the ford/crossing be prepared for a different sort of crossing (like boats or traps for horses). It shows the kobolds are prepared, that they can think strategically, without having them be custom built for party smacking.
Kols are one of the brighter humanoid species. Also traditionally, cowardly, so if things go badly or their plan doesn't seem to work, have them start peeling out.
Ambushes still have to follow the perception vs. stealth rules, and there's no guarantee that the ambushers taking 10 on their stealth checks will be in excess of what the PCs' quartet of Perception checks can attain.
Staging the opposed checks at initial/half/quarter encounter distances gives them 12 checks against the kobolds' static DC, modified by range. This is where knowing what the PCs' bonus is in advance helps as you can roll behind the screen.
Or simply have each character roll 5 checks at the start of the session, recording the results. Something that doesn't give away the ambush too easily.
Ambushes usually don't work in the PCs' favor ... but here's a thought. The inn is but 3 miles away. What does it look like? Does it have a roof walk of some sort? Given the locale, I suspect it is a fortified building, so a second or possibly even a third story isn't out of the question. Increased height gives significantly longer horizon line, and a blob of a dozen creatures can be made out to a fair distance. The game mechanics are 'poor' (putting it politely) at reflecting reasonable sighting distances. Granted, the kobolds likely traveled at night.
Have any travelers come through the ambush site? Is the sight quieter than normal (local animals have scrammed, for example)? Setting up such an ambush isn't instantaneous, even using accelerated trap/crafting mechanics. Digging a dozen ambush pits takes time, longer than the night unless they're in the dead of winter. Winter presents its own problems for reptilian humanoids.
Does a PC do morning prayers at sunrise? For example, on Golarion I suspect worshippers of Sarenrae would gladly pray atop the roof/parapet/observation platform and perchance notice the funny splotches that disappear as the character finishes morning prayers. Maybe they can see the ford and notice 'something is odd at the ford'.
A well-traveled ford can make an excellent ambush site - but it is well-traveled, so the patience level of the kobolds is going to be tested. Someone could be traveling the road just ahead of them, perhaps a merchant or an NPC/replacement PC you want to introduce to the campaign.
(Kingmaker gives ample chances for such things, for example.)
Specifically seeking to murder the PCs, the kobolds might be better served, since they seem to know that the characters are coming, to infiltrate the fortified inn in the dead of night with the intent of massacring everyone inside, burning the inn to the ground and staking out the charred corpses as 'border markers'. Naturally, the characters aren't guaranteed to die, as there are likely an assortment of other patrons, staff and guard dogs for the kobolds to deal with beforehand. Especially dogs. ;)
If you leave this up to random rolls, you will be disappointed. As others have said, if it goes well for the party then this will be a short and unmemorable fight, but if it goes well for the kobolds then you'll be struggling to avert a TPK. If you get lucky and it goes partially well, partially bad, then you get a fun encounter.
Too much left to chance.
You need to script this fully, and stick to your script. You have seen these players and these characters. Who walks in front? Who's last? Set small individual nets for each character. Figure out which ONE PC you want in the net (for fun, pick the most mobile skirmisher of the group). Assume (even suggest during the fight) that other PCs can free him. So one guy in the net, one guy trying to get him out, and two guys fighting kobolds.
If the fight is going too easily, have another player step into a net mid-fight, preferably as he steps forward to attack a kobold. For extra fun, have the kobold caught too - they can be in the net together, biting and scratching each other.
On a side note, how do these nets work? Are the kobolds holding the nets? If so, then you'll need a few kobolds holding each net which means you might not have enough kobolds. Or are the nets supposed to be tied to trees that snap up and haul the PC up out of the water? If so, then they should be embarrassingly obvious in the middle of a wide stream. If it's neither of those two options, then how to the nets actually grab anyone at all; they would just lie there in the muck while everyone walked across the stream - it would be like a Wile E. Coyote trap and the PCs are all Road Runners.
Ok so the Kobolds have a small underground cave they use as a base of operations in a field not far north of the river. It's a ways off the road. It's limestone and has been carved out natural over time by water.
The druid kobolds animal companions scouts constantly, and the rogue officer often runs his own scouting missions, as he is by far the best at stealth and the most competent of the posse.
The inn itself is run a group of trappers and hunters that own and frequent it. There is almost always a sizable number of low level characters there, so the Kobolds are generally not stupid enough to assault it, as it would be costly, and would likely grab the attention of the local human nobles. It is a two story building with a sturdy palisade. There are two permanent groundskeepers who are combat capable. They have watch dogs that roam about day and night as well.
The road is generally not used anymore. The Kobolds and humans to the south have an unofficial truce, and so crossings from either direction are exceedingly rare. There is a spy in the service of the bad NPCs who employ the Kobolds that has been watching the PCs and has alerted his masters. That is why the Kobolds are actively guarding the crossing.
The only potential warning the PCs have of immediate danger near the river is that an experienced hunter went missing a few weeks back. He was in fact killed by the Kobolds.
I like the idea of pickets, and I might purposely have a sprinter Kobold (maybe give them the run feat) call out to the party or spring a very obvious trap on them, even somewhat peculiarly shouting at them and then turn and run, pulling the potentially oblivious characters into the larger trap.
Staging the opposed checks at initial/half/quarter encounter distances gives them 12 checks against the kobolds' static DC, modified by range. This is where knowing what the PCs' bonus is in advance helps as you can roll behind the screen.
You get 1 check. Not several at arbitrary distances.
Then you modify it for the distance to the creature wanting to hide (+1 for each 10ft distance). The better the Perception check, the earlier you spot it. Or not at all if the hiders Stealth beat the Perception check.
For here: Best Perception beats the Kobold's Stealth by 8: They spot the ambush at 80ft distance. Beat them by 3 and you finally spot them at 30ft. Dont beat their stealth and you wont even spot the Kobolds lying in ambush even if you'd walk right past them.
Yeah, if you constantly make perception checks as a character you usually know something is up. :P
And since it finally works for me to post in here again...
The nets are spread on the bottom of the river. The kobolds grasping the net hold an edge in one hand, and a weapon in the other. Their intent is to trap 1-2 PCs in the net and drag, drown, and also poke them with spears while they are stuck in it!
You get 1 check. Not several at arbitrary distances.
Then you modify it for the distance to the creature wanting to hide (+1 for each 10ft distance). The better the Perception check, the earlier you spot it. Or not at all if the hiders Stealth beat the Perception check.
For here: Best Perception beats the Kobold's Stealth by 8: They spot the ambush at 80ft distance. Beat them by 3 and you finally spot them at 30ft. Dont beat their stealth and you wont even spot the Kobolds lying in ambush even if you'd walk right past them.
That's not right. To be technical, they should get a perception check each round to detect the enemy hiding from them. However, at certain distances it is obvious that they are unlikely to make the roll, even with a 20. I would say that condition would be at 200 ft, where you have a -20 penalty to your perception check against them. Each round as they move closer that penalty will drop by 3, assuming they moving 30ft closer.
How I normally run perception is that unless characters are actively looking for something, I run it as though they use take 10 and have their perceptions modifiers written down.
Also consider how the kobolds will react if things don't go their way. Are they so fanatically devoted to their goal that they will all fight to the death? Probably unlikely.
Assuming they're not completely fanatical, at what point does their morale fade? Or, at what point will the kobold in charge determine that the losses are too great and fleeing to regroup and/or alert the home base is the best bet?
IF things don't go well the Kobolds will likely break quickly. These aren't exactly veterans, except for the officer. IF the trap fails I would say they flee if the party can kill 2-3 of the warriors in a round or two with no PCs being seriously threatened.
Claxon I think that's a really great way to run it. It saves time and makes it so the characters don't meta-game.
With the net, I'd give the PC's reflex saves to not be completely entangled in the net. I suggest that a couple of the kobolds are holding the net with both hands and won't be able to go for weapons. After all, a net that size with big creatures in that would probably need a few people holding on with both hands.
With the net, I'd give the PC's reflex saves to not be completely entangled in the net. I suggest that a couple of the kobolds are holding the net with both hands and won't be able to go for weapons. After all, a net that size with big creatures in that would probably need a few people holding on with both hands.
Good point. It will take 2-3 Kobolds to hold the fighter down alone. :D
I had another thought to make this encounter a little more interesting...
Maybe the Kobolds have some sort of creature they have trained that they can unleash on the party? I could take away a few Kobolds and replace it with something unique.
Any ideas? I'll have to scour the beastiaries...
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If you wanna get dramatic, I might call for a false-positive Perception check, where the PCs witness the remains of a stronger creature being taken apart by inferior creatures in superior numbers (like army ants killing an anteater? bad example). Not something they would care to intervene in, just some spectacle to set the mood.