I am planning the next stages of my Halfling Navy campaign. It will involve a Sahaugin attack on the fleet. The Sahaugin view the navy as a threat and wish to eliminate it in one fell swoop. Since the Halfling have an Air Force (Eagle and Griffon Air Cavalry), the Sahaugin need allies in the air. This will be a major campaign eventa huge air and see battle, along the lines of The Battle Of Five Armies from Bilbo’s point of view.
The PCs are low level (3rd ish, 1 each of Fighter, Ranger, Cleric, Wizard, Rogue) but there are many high level NPCs (levels 13-17) in the fleet that I want to cull. So the PCs will be occupied with enemy soldiers while the big boys are sacrificing themselves to save the fleet. Though obviously, since the players are the heroes of the story I will need something for them to do save the day, like finishing off a wounded general or finding/destroying a macguffin or going to get help from Storm Giants. What, exactly, will depend on the final make up of the enemy
What standard D&D race/monsters would make good arial support for the fishes? Evil Cloud Giants riding Rocs? Dragons of some sort? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Why meet the enemy on their terms? Summon a Kraken, or a Sea Serpent, something that can destroy whole ships with ease. Use fog/cloud/darkness/ wall spells to cut off the ships from each other. Summon huge Water elementals to suck entire parties of high level NPCs into the crushing depths of the sea. If it helps, think "upside down", ie the depths of the ocean are your "air", your third dimension. Break ships, summon swarms of sharks, entangle castaway sailors with sea weed beds, drown your enemies and listen with glee as the air gurgles from their lungs. All while their silly "air support" looks on in impotence.
And call your mother, you know how she worries :)
Good ideas, thanks. I was looking more for exciting things that I can describe to my players that are going on around and above them. Though I can now add ships getting snapped in half and sucked into the depths as well, tentacles and giant maws all over the place!
And I do call my mother, but she still worries anyway.
Well, the two things that come to mind as the most 'natural' fit:
More Sahaugin. No reason they can't cast fly, lightning bolt, etc. themselves.
And devils. Lots of devils can fly anyway. Bind a bunch into service, and see how you do.
-Lots of fish can leap several times their body length out of the water. Nothing says "we're in trouble now" like seeing a dire shark take out one of your Air Cavalry 40 feet up in the air.
-Control weather to create a storm powerful enough to ground them. This would be an opportunity for the PCs to do something, as you could have them defending the counter-casters.
-Pterodactyls.
-Pterodactyls.
^This.
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-Lots of fish can leap several times their body length out of the water. Nothing says "we're in trouble now" like seeing a dire shark take out one of your Air Cavalry 40 feet up in the air.
-Control weather to create a storm powerful enough to ground them. This would be an opportunity for the PCs to do something, as you could have them defending the counter-casters.
-Pterodactyls.
Flying Fish!
Flying Dire Fish!Flying Dire Fish with laser beams on their heads!
well, instead of laser beams, how about spikes, flying dire swordfishes? The deadly swarm surges out of the water where they'll impale themselves on unsuspecting foes.
Also: flying ghost ships.
Someone has to have statted them up somewhere, but I don't know where.
As to what the PCs could be doing...
Whatever you choose for allies could be enthralled by a binding circle or other magic item of some kind. A surgical strike by even a low level group of PCs while the rest of the fleet is offering a distraction could destroy the item, break the enthrallment and give the fleet a fighting chance.
If you need additional NPC death just send one along and require them to die in order to destroy it or at least weaken the protections enough the PCs can finish it off. The latter keeps the players from being bystanders at a critical moment.
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I really like the idea ender_rpm had.
A dichotomy of sorts air vs water... as above, so below...
The air breathers are thinking air attacks, which is still useful, in a naval battle, but the water breathers are thinking deep sea attacks which are also useful. Anything along the boundary, the ships and combatants, are fair game to both. Anything in the far air is safe from deep sea attack, as anything deep sea is safe from air attack.
The sea breathers can have leaping sharks take out low flying eagles. Eagles can dive down and snatch up sharks close to the surface.
I can see this as an incredibly wild, savage battle, with victory swaying in the balance.
Then... the Kraken appears...
Ships are broken in half, eagles are knocked from the air, the NPCs valiantly sacrifice themselves to save their precious ships. But SOMEONE has to find a way to stop the Kraken.
Wait! Who is CONTROLLING the Kraken? A Sahaugin cleric has a staff that allows him to control the Kraken. If only we had heroes, valiant PCs willing to wrestle the staff from the Sahaugin and save the day from certain doom!
We have a squadron of eagles set to deliver you to the battle scene. They will dive down into the ocean and release you. They will fend off attacks to allow you to safely depart and begin your harrowing quest to destroy the Staff of Kraken Control. *PS use this little flashy beacon thingy when you have completed your quest and eagles will dive down to meet you near the surface. Good luck and May the Mana be with you!*
The first thing that comes to mind is the rules for aerial collisions. If two winged creatures collide, the smaller is going down.
Wyverns would be good enemy airforce, and manticores are like flying mini guns. The half dragon template gives flight, so you could turn any creature into a flying creature.
There could also be a variety of destroyers, cruisers, and battleships.
You could even have aircraft carriers (floating eagles nest?). A sinking ship makes a great encounter setting.
For inspiration, check out some documentaries about the big naval battles in the pacific ocean during WWII. I recommend the "Battlefield" series, and you can find them on utube.
...Pretty much exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of, with some extra bits for good measure...
Some really great ideas there, thank you.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, particularly what the PC can be doing to help win the day.
Pteradactyls = Win :D
The first thing that comes to mind is the rules for aerial collisions. If two winged creatures collide, the smaller is going down.
Wyverns would be good enemy airforce, and manticores are like flying mini guns. The half dragon template gives flight, so you could turn any creature into a flying creature.
There could also be a variety of destroyers, cruisers, and battleships.
You could even have aircraft carriers (floating eagles nest?). A sinking ship makes a great encounter setting.For inspiration, check out some documentaries about the big naval battles in the pacific ocean during WWII. I recommend the "Battlefield" series, and you can find them on utube.
Good suggestion I look into that. The Halfling fleet is actually set up similar to a modern navy and does have aircraft carriers (Aeries) for the eagles and griffons to launch from. There are also lots of specialist ships; Troop transports, water ships, floating monk temples, etc.
-Lots of fish can leap several times their body length out of the water. Nothing says "we're in trouble now" like seeing a dire shark take out one of your Air Cavalry 40 feet up in the air.
Let's paint it out in my mind for a second...
amazing...Maybe the PCs were rescued by air from a sinking ship. They think "We are save now" and in this second a dire shark appears from the tides and swallow the griffon next to them (who rescued one good NPC friend, maybe).
Simply awesome...
Otherwise... "release the KRAKEN"
Pteradactyls = Win :D
Why stop at pteradactyls? Wyverns!
If battle takes place in a strait known for its rookeries of highly-territorial wyverns, the halfling air corps will have someone to play with.
This choice of battleground could be intentional on th part of the sahaugin. Wyverns would be difficult to recruit as allies, but that part would be up to you. They might be convinced to ally with the sahaugin to counter the eagles and griffons (bribes and an appropriate show of force required, of course). They are intelligent and they're dragons.
If the wyverns are not allied with the sahaugin, they might go after everyone. Why have a 2-way battle if you can handle a 3-way fight?