Okay so I guess I haven't received enough criticism for posting on this message board about the bat idol so I'm back.
My party has reached the colony and is preparing it for the attack from the Crimson Fleet. My character is an elfin rogue with a decent trap building modifier and a fairly decent use magic device modifier. I want to set up traps around the perimeter of the colony and dig a tunnel that goes from the center of the town to the caves just outside the town. I am new to D&D and I am not quite sure how to go about doing this or what types of traps I can exactly build. My DM has told me we have two months and Lavinia's resources to work with. Are there any types of limits to traps or elementals that could build tunnels? Any advice will be greatly appreciated by our group as we are all novices. Thanks!
NO SPOILERS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually, that sound pretty cool. It's a nice change to be on the defensive side (rather than invading a dungeon) and I'm sure it'll be fun to turn the tables and set up against and invading group.
This sounds like a great way to use some of those craft skills you spent points on for character flavor but haven't gotten to use. If someone in your group has iron working skills, maybe they could work at the town smithy and start crafting weapons for the villagers. Just thinking out loud, really. It'd probably be pretty fun to make a list for your DM of all the buildings you've set traps in and see if you guessed right about where invaders would go.
I haven't the foggiest idea of how many man-hours it would take to dig a tunnel like you're speaking of, but seeing as to how this is an adventure game and not a labor game, perhaps you can have your character ask the local tribesman and see if there are any legends of tunneling creatures that could be captured as a side-quest and put to work making the tunnel for you.
Well, first off, we'll start with the obvious. Your DM will be dropping some huge plot hooks, and I'd recommend you bite on them because almost all of them help immensely with the defense of Farshore, and provide money and xp besides. Even after that, though, you should have a few free weeks in-game.
With a few free weeks and a few work crews (the rules for the crews are in the Farshore article in Dungeon; your DM will probably give you the details if you ask about them) you can find some easy improvements, some of which are obvious and some of which require a skill check of some sort to reveal. You may be able to substitute whatever skills you have for those checks, if there's significant overlap.
Elementals and outsiders would indeed be a substantial boon in supporting the work crews, (and indeed, as combatants in Farshore itself) but don't waste your time with Summon Monster/Nature's Ally N. Those spells last a minimal sixty seconds per casting at your level, which is barely long enough to tell your summoned help what to do, when the task is this complicated. Definitely go with Lesser Planar Ally or Lesser Planar Binding, depending on who can cast what. A few particularly good monsters for construction include earth elementals and thoqquas, although water elementals may be more useful if you have improvements to make in the harbor. Also mine the basic outsider lists to see if there's anything that catches your fancy... A single Lantern Archon casting Continual Light at key points in the harbor and city for a few days can make a huge difference if the attack ends up coming at night. Note that outsiders and elementals obtained by Planar Ally/Binding spells are free-willed mercenaries, so treat them nice and pay them on time. If you can find some other mercenaries on the island, too, so much the better.
Try to see if you can find some way to accentuate the natural defenses of the colony. As you know, the pirates are attacking by ship, and the harbor is a natural chokepoint... a few traps or munitions at the right points can make that a stranglehold on at least a ship or two. And each ship that gets stopped before it reaches shore will cut the number of pirates attacking Farshore's residents by a substantial amount.
Tunnels are a great idea; a few hidden boltholes for the colonists can be a big help if a retreat is needed or if they want to surprise the pirates once they land. Just imagine those scurvy dogs making landfall into a deserted looking town only to have the colonists all pop out of hiding simultaneously.
Maybe you and your DM can work up water based traps as well to stem the incoming ships. Magical mines, for instance, or a trap that can summon some big, threatening sea creature. Maybe you can take some time to train some of the colonists in guerilla tactics (you are a rogue, after all) and hide in the water, waiting to scuttle the enemy's ships under cloak of night.
Tunnels are a great idea; a few hidden boltholes for the colonists can be a big help if a retreat is needed or if they want to surprise the pirates once they land. Just imagine those scurvy dogs making landfall into a deserted looking town only to have the colonists all pop out of hiding simultaneously.
Awesome idea, but alas, I'd have a fit as a player if my DM allowed it: maybe as a hydrogeologist, or maybe as a resident of Houston. We don't have subways here (among other reasons) because we're close to the Gulf of Mexico and the terrain is fairly flat; the groundwater potentiometric surface is so shallow relative to ground level that any tunnels would constantly fill with water. I know that D&D is a fantasy game, but I always liked Greyhawk becuse on the map, the rivers and mountains were not overwhelming geographically improbable (unlike maps where the rivers appear to flow from ocean to ocean, for example). Not to stifle creativity, though; you might rule that Farshore is atop a high promentory, has deep wells, and a steep staircase leading down to the harbor... but that makes invasion by sea more difficult. Or, if you have no coast-dwellers in your group, just don't worry about it.
Well heck, just dig pits instead and cover them with breakthrough covers so that the pirates fall into 5-10ft deep water trenches instead. Or have the mage in the group cast Prestidigitation (or some higher level spell) to keep the tunnels dry.
Our group consists of a druid who relies heavily on magic, a wizard who relies heavily on magic, a hack-n-slash axe wielding fighter and me, a rogue whose harebrained schemes work 75% of the time.
The fighter and I think we should just move the entire encampment/town to the caves and defend and build fortifications around the entrance and if we funneled the pirates into us(I am one hell of an archer and have a 200ft+ range on my bow, coupled with multishot and rapid shot) the fighter an I would stand a better chance for defense. The druid doesn't want to upset the balance of nature by carving out the landscape but he does see the obvious advantage (casting fireballs that funnel straight into the mob). The only real problem here is how the pirates would react to the seemingly abandoned colony of Farshore. The fighter and I don't see any point in rebuilding the town only to see it destroyed again. Also a funneling effect could leave room for pit, falling rocks, and other traps. Any thoughts? Would this be legal?
Our group consists of a druid who relies heavily on magic, a wizard who relies heavily on magic, a hack-n-slash axe wielding fighter and me, a rogue whose harebrained schemes work 75% of the time.
The fighter and I think we should just move the entire encampment/town to the caves and defend and build fortifications around the entrance and if we funneled the pirates into us(I am one hell of an archer and have a 200ft+ range on my bow, coupled with multishot and rapid shot) the fighter an I would stand a better chance for defense. The druid doesn't want to upset the balance of nature by carving out the landscape but he does see the obvious advantage (casting fireballs that funnel straight into the mob). The only real problem here is how the pirates would react to the seemingly abandoned colony of Farshore. The fighter and I don't see any point in rebuilding the town only to see it destroyed again. Also a funneling effect could leave room for pit, falling rocks, and other traps. Any thoughts? Would this be legal?
Why wouldn't the pirates just roll boulders in front of the entrance and then loot the buildings in town while you suffocate? Wait... never mind, you've got a druid.
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I know that D&D is a fantasy game, but I always liked Greyhawk becuse on the map, the rivers and mountains were not overwhelming geographically improbable (unlike maps where the rivers appear to flow from ocean to ocean, for example).
Side note:
Apparently, yes they are. (Overwhelmingly geographically improbable.)Mention it Denis Tetreault (who did the city of Greyhawk map that appeared in the LGJ and co-wrote the recent Irongate article) and he'll explain why. He usually starts with the Nyr Dyv having two rivers draining it, and if properly provoked will explain more about mountains and what not.
okay, i'll bite.
drew what are you doing? tsk. tsk. :)
I am the DM here, so thanks for all the posts in answer to him. here's what has happened so far. they have gone into the highlands of the isle of dread and taken care of the bat idol. the next mission they are going to secure the caves from the denizens therein. they have a group of people in the town who are rebuilding the walls and building small bungie pits about 3-4 ft. deep with bamboo stakes all over town. any deeper and you would have the water problem.
the tunnel he is talking about is unfeasable because you are talking about several hundred man hours, and at 4-5 feet wide and tall it would take many months to do, even with magic. if you really want to help the residents, follow the polot hooks i give, and don't rely on harebrained schemes that will never work. i applaud your ingenuity, but just be patient and see how it all works out. if we play again that is.
okay, i'll bite.
drew what are you doing? tsk. tsk. :)
I am the DM here, so thanks for all the posts in answer to him.
Ah see J.P. because you are no longer around to answer my questions about my harebrained schemes, plans, and otherwise; I had to get answers elsewhere---note I asked for no spoilers, just advice/critque on a plan.
I just don't like the idea of having to fight off these pirates with no support or backup arrangement. I realize the town folk can fight, but I also realize that we will be doing most of the fighting, so it just makes it hard to visualize. Is there any reason the pirates wouldn't just destroy our rebuilt town? I don't need any answers to that one if it is directly linked to the plot-just thinking outloud. I am just very sceptical about building a playground for the pirates.
Why wouldn't the pirates just roll boulders in front of the entrance and then loot the buildings in town while you suffocate? Wait... never mind, you've got a druid.
What do you mean by this? We would relocate the town to the Cave entrance and Farshore would no longer exist for the moment.
You mean you would move buildings and all to inside the caves? Are the people all drow or dwarves or something? Humans which make up most of the population of Farshore need daylight, they don't like living in caves.
If you just meant move the people, on a temporary basis, then as said earlier what's to stop the pirates looting everything of value from the empty town and then burning it to the ground?
Besides most people would want to defend their homes rather than give them up without even a fight. You might not be emotionally invested in Farshore but you can bet the colonists are.
Would it not be easier to just make the existing town easier to defend? After all you now have more people to defend the town, ample warning, supplies of timber, and some seasoned adventurers to assist as well. See Dragon #352 for more ideas.
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We would relocate the town to the Cave entrance and Farshore would no longer exist for the moment.
It won't work man, not with the time and resources you have. And as one of the other posters observed, the folk of Farshore have invested a lot in the colony, they're relying on you to defend them AND the town they've built.
You mentioned that you dont want to fight the pirates with no support or backup. Fair enough... so try to find some support and backup.
Side note: Apparently, yes they are. (Overwhelmingly geographically improbable.) Mention it Denis Tetreault (who did the city of Greyhawk map that appeared in the LGJ and co-wrote the recent Irongate article) and he'll explain why. He usually starts with the Nyr Dyv having two rivers draining it, and if properly provoked will explain more about mountains and what not.
LOL. You (and Mr Tetreualt) are not far off, but you'll note that I didn't say "realistic," just "not overwhelming." You've gotta look at it before you realize it may not work. Getting further along the tangent, I ran a campaign with a fellow geology major once: we spent more time defining plate boundaries on the homebrew maps and making sure the drainage patterns were appropriate than we did gaming:
"Um, that oceanic crust has gotta subduct somewhere. Put some andesitic mountains paralleling this coast.""But I wanted miles of saltwater tidal marshes in that kingdom!"
"Too bad; won't work."
A sad state of affairs, that was.
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I've read somewhere that large sharpened logs driven just below the waterline make a good barrier against ships. Ships could crash into them and sink before reaching shore. Heavy chains strung out across shipping lanes could work too. Any crew on ships that sink or get stuck can fall prey to summoned monsters as they make their way to shore (giant squid to drag sailors to the depths springs to mind). Those are the low-cost, quick defenses against ships that I can think of.
If you leave only one safe avenue of approach through the barriers, you can create a bottleneck and force the pirates to attack where you want them to (ie where you have aimed your big guns).
Craft a mythal shield over the town.
You know it makes sense.
I've read somewhere that large sharpened logs driven just below the waterline make a good barrier against ships. Ships could crash into them and sink before reaching shore.
Yea I was actually thinking of something like that. What I wanted to do was use water elementals and to create a wall out of logs at about 60 feet of depth across the inlet adn then another wall across the front of the town and then use the elementals to pump out the water between the dam and the town wall. This would allow the pirate ships to reach the dam but go no further unless they risked going over the side of it at which point you could release the dam holding off the water and flood the pirates out. The surging water would hit the second dam before it hit the town protecting it from harm. I also was thinking creating an illusion of the town some forty or fifty feet out in the water to suprise the pirates only i dont know what spells to use...any suggestions?
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The dam idea sounds like a massive undertaking, although it may be doable in the time you've got .... might not leave much time for anything else. Maybe with summoned elemental help it might be a lot easier - not sure.
As for the town illusion, a variety of illusion spells would probably work, depending on what level of realism you needed, and what spells you've got access to. Flip through the illusion spells at different levels to see what they're capable of. Keep in mind though that the pirates might have already scouted the town and know where it's supposed to be - they may not be fooled by it.
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What level is your character again? That's some pretty serious ju-ju to lay down. IMO your time would be better spent on battlefield control, rather than elaborate deceptions. Force them to advance into bottlenecks and crossfires where your defenders have improved cover and the attackers have none. This can be accomplished using terrain, traps and judicious application of force. If you can force your enemy to meet you on your terms (ie where you have all the advantages) they will either be destroyed or give up before they suffer unrecoverable losses.
You should also take into account what assets you have working for you. The jungle is an excellent source of lumber that can be made into simple, quick defensive positions (crude pallisades etc...). These can be enhanced with ditches and ramparts to make them pretty solid positions for little effort or time.
Another big plus I can think of is your party's druid. Druids are the kings of the outdoor encounter. Spells like Entangle, Control Winds, and Spike Growth/Stones can give attacking pirates a very bad day. Throw in a few charmed or dominated T-rexes and other big dinos and you have the perfect hammer to smash the pirates against the anvil of your defensive position.
As I said, just IMO. Oh yeah, follow those plot hooks your DM drops you!
yeah, follow the plot hooks. all these other harebrained schemes will suffer for two reasons. 1, not enought time, and 2: limited resources and manpower. i've already outlined a few of the things that can be done, so try them. or need i remind you?
take care of the bat idol and unite the tribes of Olmans to your cause. check.
help the people of the town rebuild and strengthen the walls of the houses and the outer wall.
sail the blue nixie around the island and get the supplies from the Sea Wyvern
dig pits and snares around the town
explore the island and try to find weapons and armor that will help the villagers
train the residents of Farshore in martial combat
while these are not the only things that can be done, they are the most feasible given the time you have.
BTW, we're playing on thursday. be there or be square.
yeah, follow the plot hooks. all these other harebrained schemes will suffer for two reasons. 1, not enought time, and 2: limited resources and manpower. i've already outlined a few of the things that can be done, so try them. or need i remind you?
take care of the bat idol and unite the tribes of Olmans to your cause. check.
help the people of the town rebuild and strengthen the walls of the houses and the outer wall.
sail the blue nixie around the island and get the supplies from the Sea Wyvern
dig pits and snares around the town
explore the island and try to find weapons and armor that will help the villagers
train the residents of Farshore in martial combat
while these are not the only things that can be done, they are the most feasible given the time you have.
BTW, we're playing on thursday. be there or be square.
Okay only we aren't playing tonight. Lol.
Anyway you've given me this list. Can our party split up to do these tasks? Can the druid and I sail the ship (we have the highest search checks) and the mage and the fighter stay in Farshore (the fighter can train and the mage can construct with magic)? Any reason why this wouldn't work?
BTW I have abandoned my ingenious plan dams. YA HAPPY?
What level is your character again? That's some pretty serious ju-ju to lay down.
We are level 9. What types of spells could we use?
Illusions were my second thought of defense. But I suggest being subtle. Take three out of every four planks from the docks. Illusion them back in place. If a dino is attacking somewhere, make it two dinos. If you want reinforcements have a huge target with farshore's colors block the exit. A catapult that fires from the cliffs (even though it aims poorly). Put an extra layer of walls with strategic gates where you want them. etc etc etc. These might slow some attackers, but mostly it just draws their fire from real combatants.
My first thought on defense involves stoneshape to narrow the cove entrance even more and add hull tearing spikes. Once something is shaped it maintains that shape permanently unlike wood or illusions. And all those illusions means your spellcasters did not prepare fireball or lightning bolt. Speaking of LB, your docks are all 5 by sixty right *grin*
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We are level 9. What types of spells could we use?
Well, at 9th level, your druid (assuming no multiclassing to reduce caster level) will have access to 5th level spells. My suggestions are:
Charm Animal for all those T-rexes and terrorbird shock troops you'll want
Entangle, Sleet/Ice StormSpike Stones, Spike Growth for slowing down attackers and steering them into the areas you want them to approach by -use plant growth and some seeds to create patches of foliage where you want them to get entangled
Stone Shape to enhance existing defences -cast ahead of time
Wind Wall to repel enemy projectiles until you choose to allow missile fire
Control Water to beach ships before reaching shore
Animal Growth because everyone love a gargantuan T-Rex!
Control Winds (CL9) to create a windstorm that will blow ships towards danger (rocks, hidden stakes, monsters)
Since this is a fantasy game, you can expect enemy spellcasters too, so be prepared for some of you spells to be countered. Memorize more than one copy of each critical spell and keep the enemy casters busy with other problems (the wind storm should force concentration checks at least).
Summoned monsters are your friend too. A 9th level druid can bring forth some pretty high-powered nature's allies. Keep your 5th level slots (2 I assume) for big spells, but a huge shark or saltwater croc can be a terror in the water. You can also convert unused spells into summon spells too.
Just my 2 cp
Anyway you've given me this list. Can our party split up to do these tasks? Can the druid and I sail the ship (we have the highest search checks) and the mage and the fighter stay in Farshore (the fighter can train and the mage can construct with magic)? Any reason why this wouldn't work?
One thing you NEVER want to do is split the party. EVER. Have you ever seen a horror movie? The one thing that always happens just before people start messily dying is that they split up. You should take extreme measures to avoid splitting the party even on a normal D&D adventure, much less a meat grinder like a Paizo Adventure Path.
If you feel you need to do some things concurrently, you might enlist the Jade Ravens if they are still alive and you have good relations with them. They're kind of incompetent, though, so it is best to give them the easy tasks where there's little risk of ambush by monster.
One thing you NEVER want to do is split the party. EVER. Have you ever seen a horror movie? The one thing that always happens just before people start messily dying is that they split up. You should take extreme measures to avoid splitting the party even on a normal D&D adventure, much less a meat grinder like a Paizo Adventure Path.If you feel you need to do some things concurrently, you might enlist the Jade Ravens if they are still alive and you have good relations with them. They're kind of incompetent, though, so it is best to give them the easy tasks where there's little risk of ambush by monster.
Well you see even though we are only ninth level we are fairly competent enough to hold our own in small groups. As for the Jade Ravens, I am not sure exactly how much we can trust them to keep people moving and building without looting the town. it seems like we need to retain occupancy of the town...
Well you see even though we are only ninth level we are fairly competent enough to hold our own in small groups. As for the Jade Ravens, I am not sure exactly how much we can trust them to keep people moving and building without looting the town. it seems like we need to retain occupancy of the town...
Well, see, the enemies also go up to and beyond CR 9. You can be sure that any encounters in the module (and man, it's D&D, so there WILL be encounters) will be geared toward groups of L9 characters, and at least some groups will have Total Party Kills of L9 characters. Characters that cannot support each other because they are split up are MUCH less powerful than all those characters together as a group.
Once you outright warn someone not to split the party and they keep on truckin, why keep advising after that? Let him split the party up, the druid and the rogue can go get the sea wyvern. The fighter can go get some help from the phanatons, and the mage can go find some weapons. Saves weeks, that should leave enough time for the dam and maybe even the cave retreat back-up.
Once you outright warn someone not to split the party and they keep on truckin, why keep advising after that? Let him split the party up, the druid and the rogue can go get the sea wyvern. The fighter can go get some help from the phanatons, and the mage can go find some weapons. Saves weeks, that should leave enough time for the dam and maybe even the cave retreat back-up.
Do I sense a simgdeon of sarcasm? J/K.
I was just thinking that having a smaller parties that are in essence a smaller version of how the real party functions. i.e. The fighter takes the brunt of the damage (100+ HP) and the mage can heal him back up in battle, my character (a decent fighter will some killer bonuses) and the druid (and his kick @$$ wolverine) can hold our own and the druid ends up healing me up anyway. LOL. It was just a thought though. Of course nothing is ever definite in D&D. Seriously though was the dam idea a little over the top? I thought the majority of the attackers were coming from the water and a figured that would keep them preoccupied while we battle the island attackers. Also to lessen the sheer mass of the dam undertaking, use stone shape to narrow the inlet to a managable distance...just thoughts...
Have the druid memorize Vortex of Teeth (spell Compendium)- wait til the sailors begin to disembark and hit them with it
sorry, i don't allow the spells from the SC. there's plenty in the phb and phbII for me. i find most of those spells are cheesy as hell, or broken in some way. i'm sure there are many that aren't, but in the end it's fine for me not to use the book.
and drew, please, do me a favor. split up the party, i want you to. (evil grin)
ok then- glyphs of warding ... lots of glyphs of warding- and teleport to sasserine- and invest in a batch of arrows +1 spell storing- you get 50 of them. that is alot of fire power for very little money- make 5 of them vamp touch, a few of them warp wood or wood shape (for the boats) a few fireballs- a few protevtion from evil 10 foot radius ( cast at enemies, move in and watch the chaos), dispel magic, the possibilities are endless.now, divvy the arrows to as many people as possible. tie up innocent live stock through out the town- you can use the live stock as easy to hit targets- of course you don't want to use fire balls in the city...
hmmm it seems you can't put spell storing on ranged weapons...
ok then- glyphs of warding ... lots of glyphs of warding- and teleport to sasserine- and invest in a batch of arrows +1 spell storing- you get 50 of them.
Wow that sounds ingenious! My character is definitely a bow fighter and because he is an elf he has a natural realm of magic (he's a rogue) and I jacked his ability modifier for Use Magic Device. Is that necessary to have a high mod for that type of weapon?
hmmm it seems you can't put spell storing on ranged weapons...
Even if cast by a sorcerer (sp.?) like maybe arcane archers spells? Could I buy some off a sorcerer?
here is one way to simulate the arrows of spell storing-
purchase some cold iron masterwork arrows-
place glyphs of warding all around the city with the key of "cold Iron" ( or what ever)- wait until you are ready to pop some bad guys...fire- and bang. area effect spell- this is a great way to quickly set up protection from evil spells.
Cast hallow as many time as possible.- attach freedom of movement to it (keyed to non evil)- cast entangle or web ...walk in and start killing.
here is one way to simulate the arrows of spell storing-
purchase some cold iron masterwork arrows-
place glyphs of warding all around the city with the key of "cold Iron" ( or what ever)- wait until you are ready to pop some bad guys...fire- and bang. area effect spell- this is a great way to quickly set up protection from evil spells.Cast hallow as many time as possible.- attach freedom of movement to it (keyed to non evil)- cast
Here's the problem with those suggestions (as great as they are), I am a rogue that has not multiclassed into wizardry, sorcery, or druidism. How would something like this work without me being able to cast spells? I am not so sure the rest of my party would want to spend their upper level spells for only one character...
um- these effects affect lots of people. Hallow for example effects everyone who eners the area that meets a certain criteria (good, evil, worship god x ect.)
and glyphs are cast WAAAAAAy in advance 9 like weeks or days- they are permanent until discharged.
what it does is allow anyone in the town the chance to activate an area effect spell- thats called team work.
um- these effects affect lots of people. Hallow for example effects everyone who eners the area that meets a certain criteria (good, evil, worship god x ect.)
and glyphs are cast WAAAAAAy in advance 9 like weeks or days- they are permanent until discharged.
what it does is allow anyone in the town the chance to activate an area effect spell- thats called team work.
Does that mean pirates can use it too? Just don't want to give them any more of an advantage
set up trip holes- on the beach, holes about 18 inches deep rigged to pin the leg makes tons of them- so the enemies need to make reflex saves to avoid losing a few points of dex ( from sprained ankles) and they are flat footed til they free themselves.
load all the valuables in town into 1 building- rig the roof to collapse-
rent the seven samurai- or the magnificent 7 for
as for the glyphs- they are on an area- the only way to set them off is with whatever criteria is set at creation- it's like a landmine that goes off when thing x is within like 5 feet. could they use it? sure- if they new they were there- and how to set them off.
they cannot benefit from the hallow though- because once again, you need to be thing x( good, lawful, worship god x)
keep in mind that you will need to go back to sasserine and spend alot of money to use these tricks- glyphs are 200gp worth of diamonds each, hallow is 1000+ 1000/ level of the second spell- so this could concevably cost like 6000 gp-
so how to recoup losses? demand it from future trade income.
you are investing in the welfare of the town so if you spend 10000 to defend it- demand 13000 from the city within 12 months. then tack say 15% interest each month thereafter.
if they balk, demand 50% of the profit from all shipping brought in on the blue nixie- basically defer the costs to lavinia- she is your employer- so all the risk should be hers.
But I assume they won't mind just paying you back. whats 3000? especially when you remind them that you can kick start trade by teleporting to sasserine.
Wow. The holes seem damn near perfect for the beaches but just one question, how would you cover the holes enough to not be visible but not enough they could be walked over? Is there a type of blanket spell that could hold a thin layer of sand but let a leg through?
Our group totally destroyed the pirate fleet in Tides of Dread and the adventure was played as written.
In brief,
they build a series of harbour obstacles just below the surface of the mouth of the harbour (sharpened fire hardened logs roped or chained together and had a series of improvised harbour chains from the harbour mouth to the docks.
They setup a series of obstacles in the surf zone and the beach proper to make landing by longboat dangerous
they made defensive walls and fortifed hard points just in from the beach that covered the surf zone and the beach with overlapping fields of fire.
On the high ground around the harbour mouth, they put a series of catapults (8) that were build by reverse engineering one of the catapults from the Blue Nixie. These catapults fire loads of pint size earthen crocks of tar and oil (greek fire). 10 of these crocks could be fired at once with one shot (like a shot gun). The catapults were ranged in by putting float buoys in the water at various ranges (inspired by the painted rocks in the movie - Kingdom of Heaven.
They recovered the Sea Wyvern and turned it into a warship.
They found out about the large Dragon Turtle at the north end of the Isle of Dread and in a high risk side adventure, they managed to charm the Dragon Turtle to help in the battle.
They charmed some Wyverns they found that nested on a nearby small island (check the Isle of Dread map - there is a island with wyverns on it) They had the wyverns carry 'bombs' of kegs of greek fire.
How the battle played out in brief:
Pirate fleet hit the harbour mouth obstacles, holing two ships and preventing the remainder from advancing.
Dragon Turtle capsized ships and used it breath weapon on crews massed on decks. Wyverns dropped some greek fire bombs on ships. Catapults rained down greek fire shot upon the fleet. The Sea Wyvern, that was hidden around a point of land out of view of the harbour put out to sea and came in behind the pirate fleet, raining shot down upon the rear most pirate ships.
Summoned water elementals capsized any launched longboats or drowned any swimming pirates.
Some longboats made it to the surf zone and got tipped in the obstacles. Pirates swimming the short distance to the beach hit the low wire entanglements and the pungi sticks and got killed by archers has they tried to make it onto the beach.
End result - 2 pirates ships afire, 3 pirate ships capsized, and the pirates very nearly died to a man try to reach inland from the beach. No need to use the Victory Points at all - it doesn't get any more decisive than that.
So much for "No spoilers please" ....
Thank you for that forewarning Mothman, I just logged on and saw two new posts but thankfully read yours first so nothing got spoiled for me (we get to play the Attack on Farshore tomorrow) so I'll check back and read it later. Thanks for the warning though. Anyway please be mindful that this is NO SPOILERS!, as clearly indicated in the thread title. I don't know who did it just please don't do it again.
I want to make platforms and have the creatures glide in and attack the pirates while having cover from spell casters.
Isn't there a floating disc spell that holds weight?
I think so and if there is not there is mass fly, I forget which book it is in. But platforms are cheaper and more mundane.
If my memory serves me correctly, check the PHB under second level spells.