In 10 days we will have the dinner event of TCB and I expect my group to closely inspect other potent warbands and would be combatants (beside the ones they will combat but they do not know that yet of course). Unfortunatly the module only gave names but no ideas who might be behind the names.
What about collecting ideas about warband compositions just to gave the players something to worry about? Eberron warbands welcome.
(Beside: Because we re playing in Eberron, I changed the dwarven twins to a w´forged titan and his w´forged fighter/artificer captain. My group learned that soon and some of them read through one of the Eberron novels where the PCs have to fight a titan. Now they are a bit afraid... he he)
I DM for an eberron group as well.
For the Champions Belt I changed all of the encounters.
For the first round, I nixed Sapphire Squad, replacing them with the Skull of Murq: Female Dhakaani Hobgoblin Bard 8 (Haunting Melody, Song of the Heart, Haste, Cures, Invisibility) and two Male Dhakaani Hobgoblin Fighter 6 (Spiked Chain, etc). I also changed Joren into a Longtooth Shifter with a compliment of shifter feats (Rage+Shift+Greataxe=pwnd).
Round two I replaced Pitch Blade with Revenant Blade, two Male Valenar Elf Ranger3/Fighter2/RevenantBlade5.
Round three stays. What can be better than the Froghemoth? RIBBIT!
Round four I switched the Leatherworks for the Thunderworks, a pair of Warforged Titans (+1 shocking burst axe/+1 thundering maul). 'Forged Titans are too cool not to use, but can be hard to place realistically, so I take any opportunity I can get.
Following the advise of another poster here, I also switched Okoral. No longer the loyal follower, Okoral is a Naztharune Rakshasa Mindspy 5 and responsible for Raknian's decent into wickedness. I look forward to the looks on my players faces when they run into Okoral and a contingent of bodyguards in the service level, and have to run for their lives. Certain combats are not meant to be won, and I think this is a great way to forshadow the Lords of Dust involvement, and the seriousness of it.
Anarch of Dust
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In my campaign, we haven't gotten there yet. However, I got really excited when I read TCB and made up a party that my players are going to have to fight. I don't have a name for it, yet, but it'll be something spider related. I don't even have names for the characters. I'm also in Eberron, and were it not for this group, I'd use the 'forged titan idea myself <grin />
Basically, the party is War Weaver and his mercenaries.
War Weaver: Wizard 5/War Weaver 5 (Heroes of Battle)
Mercenaries: 4 6th level warriors (Fighter 4/Barb 2 or Monk 6 or Monk 4/Fighter 2)
In case you don't have access to Heroes of Battle, here's the crunch:
War Weaver casts as a 9th level wizard. He has a class feature from War Weaver called <b>Eldritch Tapestry</b>. This allows him to cast a certain sub-set of spells (non-personal, (harmless) spells) into the Tapestry and have it affect him and 4 others (+4 Int mod) at the cost of only the one spell.
He can also have 4 spells "in-the-chute", precast, waiting to be triggered (as a whole) with a move action.
He would have cast: Draconic Might, Stoneskin, Displacement, Heroism, Greater Mage Armor, Girallon's Blessing, Fuse Arms, Cat's Grace, Owl's Wisdom, Proud Arrogance, and Resistance
He would have Improved Invisibility in the chute. At initiative time, as an immediate action, he would cast NerveSkitter.
He would also have a scroll of Body of War (which essential turns him into a Warforged Titan, but surpresses his ability to cast spells).
As you might guess, I am very much into the Spell Compendium....
The end result is that the mercs go up in strength 12 points (and have a +4 to everything else) and a ton of misc bonuses. If monks, they'd charge and stun.
Here's how I set mine up:
First Round, grouped by each battle
First Set of Teams
Auric’s Warband - Auric and Khellek (Tirra is not competing with them), and two flesh golems; in their first round, they are matched against the two squabbling street toughs teams plus the Cyran refugees, an easy win. WIN Round 1
Chuko’s Ravens - A group of young toughs – get into a fight with another group while in the Coenoby that first night, and one or two members get Disqualified
Guttuggers - Another group of young toughs, they fight with Chuko’s Ravens in the Coenoby, and a couple of their lads also get disqualified
Rauth’s Dragoons - Lightly-armored finesse fighters with badges of a Cyran military unit (Rauth could be the name of a Cyran town from which they came)
Second Set of Teams
Arcane Auriga – Four elven women from Valenar (Auriga means “charioteer”) along with their mounts (I added Valenar riding horses)
Badlands Revenge - A savage human barbarian and three gnoll fighters
Sapphire Squad - Swashbuckling janni and his blue-cloaked human mercenaries
(PCs) – WIN
Third Set of Teams
The Crazy Eight - A mismatched group of eight adventurers
Final Phoenix - Flashy dressers, apparently young nobles who are in the contest as a lark, and who have no real willingness to risk themselves to advance
The Gravediggers - A team of halflings and their dinosaur mounts
Tumbledown Monkeys - Changed Iron Hill to the Tumbledown neighborhood – WIN 1st round through good tactics, getting other groups to whittle down each other
Fourth Set of Teams
Draconic Brood - A group of black-hide kobolds from the eastern mountains, although these have been living here in Sharn for several years (exiles of their clan, and completely un-knowledgeable about the PCs involvement with their distant cousins at the Lizardfolk lair)
Pitch Blade – I changed these to tieflings because of the minis I wanted to use. In their first round, use potions to boost AC, and to fly (Ekaym or Ilya can warn the PCs) WIN the round.
The Skull of Murq - An adventuring party hired by an ambitious manager
Teeth of Dol Dorn - A group of gladiators who have “home field advantage” (one of my PCs had been hanging out at one of the other arenas, getting to know some of the gladiators, so these were friends of his)
Fifth Set of Teams
One of Us - A group of gnomes (illusionists and bard)
Snow Leopards - This could be an Ashbound group, with animal companions (?) and attitude – in 1st round, were brutal (especially to the gnomes) – WIN the round
The Woodchuckers - Local toughs who obviously realize they are outclassed – they spend much of the morning of Day 1 trying to negotiate a support role to one of the three teams they’re put up against, in exchange for some expectation of protection from being killed outright
Varmint Patrol - A group of Shifters who are experienced in (and well known for) the rough-and-tumble Shifter games described in the Sharn book (Hrazhak?)
Sixth Set of Teams
Drunken Devilry - Several high-CON fellows (look like a family of blacksmiths) who try to get their fellow competitors drunk as their strategy for winning – and themselves get drunk in the process, of course
The Fisthammers - Dwarves, presumably – the team itself can be fairly mundane, but their sponsor should be from House Kundarak – they join the Drunken Devilry team in the pre-fight drinking
Night Owls - Aerenal Shadow Magic users – one may indicate to a PC, “I see us fighting at your side...perhaps we should consider an alliance.” Then they end up in a different first match after all – but they are in the audience and join the fight against the Ulgurstasta at the end (?)
The First Empire - Dhakaani chain warriors with a songstress – WIN the round
In the second round, the PCs fight Pitch Blade, Auric's team is handed the easy fight against the Tumbledown Monkeys, and the Snow Leopards and The First Empire fight (the Snow Leopards win).
My PCs ran Kullen and his gang outta Diamnod Lake, so I think I will have them join the tournament and fight the PC's in the first round (replacing Sapphire Squad).
I just noticed that the Varmint Patrol shows up in both the Champion's Belt and on the wall of Skie's Treasury in Cauldron. Now how can I use this when I run AoW for my Shackled City veterans?
I'm going to have a warband with an awakened dire ape in it.. :) it's just a dumb animal- holds attack for spell casting..
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These were my team
Drunken Devilry
Binkertell the Pixie
NG Small Fey
Init +4; Senses Low-light vision.; Spot +8, Listen +8
Languages understands Common and Sylvan
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AC 16, touch 15, flat-footed 12
hp 3 (1d6)
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +4
Spd 20 ft. fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee Short Sword +5 (1d6-2)
Ranged Longbow +5 (1d6-2 + Sleep DC 15 Fort)
Base Atk +0; Grp -6
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Abilities Str 7, Dex 18, Con 11, lnt 16, Wis 15, Cha 16
SQ Damage Reduction 10/Cold Iron, Constant Greater Invisibility, low-light vision, Spell-like abilities, Spell Resistance 15fl
Feats Dodge, Weapon Finesse
Skills Bluff +7, Concentration +4, Escape Artist +8, Hide +8, Listen +8, Move Silently +8,
Search +9, Spot +8
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Spell Like abilities (Caster Level 8th)
(1/day) Lesser Confusion (DC 14), dancing Lights, detect Chaos, Detect Good, Detect Evil, Detect Law, Detect Thoughts (DC 15), Dispel Magic, Entangle (DC 14), Permanent Image (DC 19; visual and audio only), Polymorph (Self only)
SwiftMane the Centaur
NG Large Monstrous Humanoid
Init +2; Senses Dark vision 60’.; Spot +3, Listen +
Languages understands Elven and Sylvan
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AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18
hp 26 (4d8 + 8 hp)
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +5
Spd 50 ft.
Melee MW Large Longsword +9 (2d6+6/19-20) and 2 hoofs +3 (1d6+2)
Ranged Composite Longbow +7 (2d6+4) (+4 str bonus rating)
Base Atk +4; Grp +12
Abilities Str 18, Dex 14, Con 15, lnt 8, Wis 13, Cha 11
SQ Darkvision 60’.
Feats Dodge, Weapon Focus (hoof)
Skills Listen +3, Move Silently +2, Spot +3
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All Large Sized: MW Chain Shirt, Large Comp. Longbow, 20 MW Arrows, MW Longsword, MW Heavy Steel Shield
Pibs the Saytr
CN Medium Fey, 1st Level Fighter
Init +2; Senses Low-light Vision; Spot +15, Listen +15
Languages understands Common and Sylvan
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AC 21, touch 11, flat-footed 20
hp 46 (5d6 + 1d10 + 18 hp)
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5
Spd 40 ft.
Melee MW Spear +7 (1d8+3) and Head Butt +1 (1d6+3)
Ranged Composite Shortbow +5 (1d6+3) (+3 str bonus rating)
Base Atk +2; Grp +2
Abilities Str 16, Dex 13, Con 16, lnt 12, Wis 13, Cha 13
SQ Damage Reduction 5/Cold Iron, Low-light Vision
Feats Alertness, Dodge, Mobility, Power Attack, Improved Overrun
Skills Hide +11, Intimidate +3, Listen +15, Move Silently +11, Spot +15,
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MW Chain Shirt, 20 MW Arrows, MW Spear, MW Heavy Steel Shield, Comp. Shortbow
Armor Check Pens. added to skill mods.
Drunken Devilry is a small team of three shidhe (Shay) that have entered the tournament for grog spending cash. Not very interested in getting killed or killing 'civilized' folk, the trio hopes to place high enough for winnings that will keep them in wine and wenches through the rest of the summer. Their tactics are fairly simple, involving ranged combat. The Satyr will ride the centaur at a good distance away, pelting the party with arrows, and fleeing if the melee-minded foe comes to fight at close range. The Pixie will initially enter the arena with his natural greater invisibility, so that he can get surprise with a few sleep arrows into any wizard and cleric types after casting dispel magic on them to negate stone skin and the like...he'll use lesser confusion on weak-willed fighters or rogues. A fake wall of fire (via Illusion) might half pursuit of the centaur/satyr combo. In any event, these hooligans will never fight to the death or kill a surrendering foe.
(Beside: Because we re playing in Eberron, I changed the dwarven twins to a w´forged titan and his w´forged fighter/artificer captain. My group learned that soon and some of them read through one of the Eberron novels where the PCs have to fight a titan. Now they are a bit afraid... he he)
I can´t wait to play the second fight. We are onto it next Tuesday. They will in fact face the ´forged titan plus a ´forged artificer and a ´forged fighter.
The artificer will power up the titan, the fighter will protect the artificer and the titan will do what he can best: jump on the PCs and crunsh them to dust.
I'm in the process of finalizing the teams I'm going to throw at my party now, even though they're just getting into the first segment of HoHR. I'm expanding the competition out by one round, though, largely because I want to test-run a couple of concept NPCs and bring back an old villain. I have six players and a cohort in my party, though, so I have no qualms about throwing heavier opposition their way.
For the most part, the first round is much the same, though I redesigned the Sapphire Squad to be Korush (the half-blue-dragon fighter/warblade) and his mounted mercenaries, all of whom have lances and who are damned good mounted combatants. (Korush is a two-weapon Heironeous crusader, raised by a paladin after his draconic mother was killed when he was too young to remember it -- I'm giving him the Hammer's Edge combat style feat.)
The second round is my substitution for Pitch Blade -- the Five Mountains. The Five Mountains are Kid Avalanche, Cinder, Coal, Flint, and Steele. Kid Avalanche is a slightly weakened stone giant warblade, who carries on an intricate shoulder harness the other four Mountains -- the dream dwarf sorcerer Cinder, the dwarf cleric (of Tharmekhul) named Coal, and the two dwarven crossbow specialists Flint and Steele. Kid Avalanche rumbles around the arena swinging his greataxe and causing all manner of trouble, while the other four sit comfortably on his shoulders twelve feet above the arena floor, buff the Kid, and pelt the PCs with missile fire and spells.
The third round is my concept round -- the Teeth of Kord. They're led by the Mighty Pym, a goliath barbarian/cleric who uses mountain rage and righteous might to grow to gargantuan size and power attacks to Knockback anyone who gets in his way. The rest of the Teeth are all martial adepts -- a warblade with Stormguard Warrior, a swordsage knife-fighter turned Bloodclaw Master, and another swordsage with a spiked chain, Shadow Blade, and lots of insightful-strike Setting Sun maneuvers. (Clever Positioning for 2d4+15 and, oh yeah, you've just been yanked 10 feet out of position...)
Round four is, of course, Madtooth the Hungry. He's suitably advanced, given that there are three martial adepts in the PC party, and he should provide a decent challenge before they beat him down.
Round five, I'm simply replacing the Leatherworks with the Stoneworks -- stone golems. I figure that the Ulgurstasta will provide MORE than enough challenge, assuming it breaks through the ceiling in a reasonable span of time.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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I turned the Skull of Murq into a wannabe Kyuss cult, with a Skull-with-snakes sigil. They were build up to be the presumed match when Madtooth was swapped out in the last minute. They consisted of:
Murq, male human necromancer. He was quite blatant in being evil, and had a bit of the card-carrying villain going. He really did not know much of Kyuss, merely enough to ape his cult for seeming more evil and intimidating
Sweetness, female ghul barbarian. She was known for sundering arms and using them as improvised weapons and snacks.
Kirazs and Karizs, male drow psion twins. They never spoke, because their tongues were cut out as babes.