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My PCs have gotten themselves in trouble again--they made a powerful extraplanar creature angry at an entire city, and he's sending armies to take out the city. The PCs want to defend their home, raise armies, etc. I'm fine with using the mass combat rules from War of the River Kings, but neither I nor my players want to just run mass combats for a few sessions.
What are some other missions I can send them on or ways I can incorporate them into a battle? I've thought of having the rogue sabotage the enemy's resources or having them defend a breach in a wall, but I'm running out of clever ways to do this.
I'd prefer not to just throw a couple hundred lesser fiends at them and make them cut their way through. Anyone have suggestions for level 9 PCs in a war?
My PCs have gotten themselves in trouble again--they made a powerful extraplanar creature angry at an entire city, and he's sending armies to take out the city. The PCs want to defend their home, raise armies, etc. I'm fine with using the mass combat rules from War of the River Kings, but neither I nor my players want to just run mass combats for a few sessions.
What are some other missions I can send them on or ways I can incorporate them into a battle? I've thought of having the rogue sabotage the enemy's resources or having them defend a breach in a wall, but I'm running out of clever ways to do this.
I'd prefer not to just throw a couple hundred lesser fiends at them and make them cut their way through. Anyone have suggestions for level 9 PCs in a war?
Ironically I'm getting ready to sitdown and do some work exactly towards those lines. Unfortunately you don't want to wait for me to get that done so I'll give some help.
A planar army is essentially infinitly bad. Why? Because when an outsider dies they get zapped back to their homeplane. They rest, they recover, then they return just as healthy and ready to murder as ever. This is hugely difficult for an opposing mortal force. The group must take out whatever means the outsiders are using to invade or they will lose. Generally extraplanar creatures are immortal long lived creatures and with the patience necessary to fight a war of attrition. However the rank and file soldiers in that army will be reckless knowing that they cannot be killed permanently unless on their own home plane (or they're not outsiders). Play on that, it's an enemy that asks for no quarter and gives none that throws itself into situations that would be hopeless purely because it knows that as long as it keeps killing mortals it will win. Bonus points if they take the corpses of the fallen and bolster there ranks with equally fearless undead.
Plus, supply lines aren't too much of a concern for outsider armies. They don't eat remember? Most come with their own magic weapons, and more still have magical abilities.
So the pc's are dealing with an unstoppable, fearless army, that knows no hunger and no death. Hammer that home, make them fear for their lives.
That being said abyssal and infernal politics can get complicated. Allow them to get political, give them the choice of faustian pacts made by a rival to take out the opposing army. Unleash the Blood War on the kingdom as well.
Well, theres some good material on the subject in the 3.5 book heroes of battle if you can get your hands on a copy.
Basically I recommend remembering the PCs arent grunts, they are special forces. They are likely the most or among the most capable fighters in the army. So what do you do with your best? Have them fight on the front lines? Or send them to disrupt enemy supply lines, like say closing extraplanar gates being used to transport troops, or to take enemy leaders behind the lines. That sort of thing. Have them go on small scale missions that give their forces an advantage in the large scale combat.
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Some good advice here! TarkXT, I'd love to hear how your planning goes, if you're still following this thread.
The idea of destroying the gate that the fiends are coming through is a good one; the planes system in this campaign setting doesn't have outsiders respawning when killed, but the fiend lord's army is pretty enormous and destroying the reinforcements' entry route will be pretty important. I hadn't thought of that!
The reanimated army is a great idea as well, Tharg.
And Kolokotroni--thanks for the advice on Heroes of Battle; I'll try to find a copy. I'm sure I know someone who has it....
If anyone else has ideas, I'd be glad to hear them! :)
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As others have said, make the battle a backdrop, and use the PCs surgically.
The summoning angle is good, and there might be a series of 'portal devices/situations/etc' that need to be neutralized. You could staff them with escalating levels of bads, and even have the attackers modify their strategy according to the PCs successes.
The enemies generals are an obvious choice.
You could have skirmishers sneaking into the besieged city to sabotage the food/water/temple. Or perhaps there's a minor artifact in someone's possession making the attack all the more worthwhile for the outsiders.
You might have the PCs try and run the blockade in search of help. Elves from the nearby elf-dom would help if they knew of the plight, but the outsiders are blocking magical communication. They'd have to slip past enemy lines undetected to successfully cast the communication spell. This works even better if a non-combatant is required to send the message. The elf leader's merchant cousin or something.
You could also have them try and mitigate some of the attack's impact. Care for the wounded, patch up the walls, that kind of thing. Less impressive, to be sure, but still an option.
A planar army is essentially infinitly bad. Why? Because when an outsider dies they get zapped back to their homeplane. They rest, they recover, then they return just as healthy and ready to murder as ever. This is hugely difficult for an opposing mortal force.
Depends if they are Summoned or Called. If they came via Gate or Plane Shift (Planar Binding, Planar Ally), they die as well as anything else, and stay dead. Summoned things are cannon fodder.
They could also sneak behind enemy lines to kill the BBEG thus decapitating the army.
Despite not being a very popular book, the Book of Battle had some great ideas for allowing PCs to affect mass combat without requiring players (except DM) to actually manage armies and supply lines and such.
In short, they suggested that certain tactical goals affect the overall course of the battle/war and that the PCs be used as shock troops/commandos to achieve those goals; with lots of opportunities for the regular troops to oooh and aaah over their heroism.
A planar army is essentially infinitly bad. Why? Because when an outsider dies they get zapped back to their homeplane. They rest, they recover, then they return just as healthy and ready to murder as ever. This is hugely difficult for an opposing mortal force.Depends if they are Summoned or Called. If they came via Gate or Plane Shift (Planar Binding, Planar Ally), they die as well as anything else, and stay dead. Summoned things are cannon fodder.
I think I've read somewhere that outsiders who manage to make it through without those spells (i.e. Plane Shift) jsut pop back onto their home plane when killed.
In fact it was a prominent point in the shackled city adventure. The BBEG could not be completley killed until the PC's follwoed him to his homeplane and finished him.
So a mortal army has to either stem the tide adn stop them from coming in. or take the fight to their home plane where that advantage is nullified.
Do note that according to some bits of fluff (I forget where), outsiders (especially demons/devils) that die outside their home plane are 'demoted' to a lesser form when they reform, which may also take years or even centuries.
All those lemures you slaughter may be spending a decade as evil slush in the pits before growing limbs again.
I'm pretty sure once an outsider is killed, they are gone for good. Unless summoned. Many of the 20th level abilities make people outsiders, with the caveat that when they die they can be resurrected.
Do note that according to some bits of fluff (I forget where), outsiders (especially demons/devils) that die outside their home plane are 'demoted' to a lesser form when they reform, which may also take years or even centuries.
All those lemures you slaughter may be spending a decade as evil slush in the pits before growing limbs again.
Some do, some don't. Soemtimes a lot don't. It's sometimes up to the whims of the demon prince or archduke.
Besides you're really worried about lemures? Please, we've got those coming out of our ears.
I'm pretty sure once an outsider is killed, they are gone for good. Unless summoned. Many of the 20th level abilities make people outsiders, with the caveat that when they die they can be resurrected.
This is due to not having a soul. If you kill one on its home plane that is indeed the case. But I do recall a lot of fluff mentioning quite specifically at least in 3.5 where demons adn devils that snuck on to the material from their home plane simply went nuts without fear simply ebcause they'll pop back into existence at home. I'd have to hunt down my pahtfinder planar guide to see if that remains true in golarions cosmology.
I'm pretty sure once an outsider is killed, they are gone for good. Unless summoned. Many of the 20th level abilities make people outsiders, with the caveat that when they die they can be resurrected.This is due to not having a soul. If you kill one on its home plane that is indeed the case. But I do recall a lot of fluff mentioning quite specifically at least in 3.5 where demons adn devils that snuck on to the material from their home plane simply went nuts without fear simply ebcause they'll pop back into existence at home. I'd have to hunt down my pahtfinder planar guide to see if that remains true in golarions cosmology.
Unlike most living creatures, an outsider does not have a dual nature—its soul and body form one unit. When an outsider is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don't work on an outsider. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection to restore it to life. An outsider with the native subtype can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be.
Not entirely sure what a native outsider is.
Not entirely sure what a native outsider is.
Tieflings, aasimar's, high level monks, etc.
If you are looking for some quick and dirty stuff too, might want to look at some other rule set.
Central Castings: Hero of Legends (a very out of print, yet pretty amusing character gen backstory book) has a fun combat section.
I don't know about the most recent printing of Legend of the 5 Rings (L5R), but previous editions have had some solid mass combat tables that can allow for individual player moments to shine too.