Our group is currently embroiled in an "end days" sort of campaign, and through a series of NPC encounters in a previous session, we learned that there was an attack force of demodands hot on our trail. One NPC was able to share the exact number and composition of the 'final' demonic attack force which has now arrived and it is:
12 Tarry Demodands
3 Slimy Demodands
1 Shaggy Demodand
We have encountered a fair amount of Tarry already and they were ....unpleasant, to say the least.
Our group consists of 7 characters (if everyone shows up to play) of an average level of 14. It's a well-mixed group, with a 'tank' fighter, bard, sorcerer/fighter, cleric, archer-based rogue, wizard/cleric, and wizard (mainly transmutation spells). We have the usual sort of healing and other magic gear.
Yes, the question I'm asking is: does the impending monster encounter seem a bit heavy or, strictly by the numbers, does it seem 'challenging yet fair'? We have a short time to prepare for the battle; the demon force has arrived and sacked the town we are hiding in.....erm.....protecting, so we will march out to meet them in our next session.
Just curious to hear opinions, not looking for tactics or strategy, since I want to play out the scenario, but worry that the DM might be a little over-zealous in his desire to wipe us out.
Thanks.
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I would put it at a CR or about 18.
Tarry = 17 1 Tarry = CR 10 , 12 of them is +7 CR
Slime = 16 1 slime =13 ,3 = +3 CR
Shaggy = 15
So you have basically a CR 17 encounter and add 2 more CR 17 creatures to it for a total of about 18 maybe 19.
What is the point buy and gear situation of the party? It couold be a little rough.
If I did my math right...that is a beteween a CR 22 and 23 encounter for an APL 15 (14 + 1 for size) party, with action economy which vastly outpaces the group. Considering an "epic" encounter is CR = APL +3, and this is APL +7/8; good luck with that. Not impossible, but very, very difficult.
Tarry CR 13 x12 = CR 20
Slimy CR 16 x3 = CR 19
Shaggy = CR 18
CR 20 + 19 + 18 = 665,600 XP
I would put it at a CR or about 18.
Tarry = 17 1 Tarry = CR 10 , 12 of them is +7 CR
Slime = 16 1 slime =13 ,3 = +3 CR
Shaggy = 15So you have basically a CR 17 encounter and add 2 more CR 17 creatures to it for a total of about 18 maybe 19.
What is the point buy and gear situation of the party? It couold be a little rough.
Well, we are geared up, so to speak. This group made the switch from a home brew 3.5 to Pathfinder earlier this year, and the DM is definitely a generous sort. My Dwarf fighter (15th) has a +4 weapon and decent armor. The bard has an heirloom necklace which amplifies her bardic abilities (x/day). The wizard has a character sheet about 6 pages long with more minor magic items than I have ever seen. Overall, our stats were generated a long time ago using 4d6 drop lowest and reroll ones, so they are good I think.
I guess I am just thinking that the DM has maybe realized that we tend to be a geared up, boosted group and now has cranked up the CR without really thinking about the CR, if that makes sense.
Thanks both of you btw for the raw number info; I'm not very good with that stuff.
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As a single encounter that's profoundly excessive.
As an army to fight over the course of a day? (ie: a whole day's encounters) Still seems a bit over the top, though not nearly as much so.
Eyeballing it, that's somewhere around a CR 23 encounter if you have to fight them all together, of course. Which doesn't seem likely, since you can do this tactically.
As an army, they represent, say, four CR 15 encounters, three CR 16 encounters, a CR 17 encounter, and a CR 18 encounter (or about that, depending on what group sizes you face). Even with seven of you...that's something like 9 encounters in a day, more than half of them at over APL. It's doable in theory, but unless you're way badder than most 14th level parties (even optimized ones), or the GM's gonna throw someone or something in on your side, I'd give you pretty poor odds. Especially since one of them is CR 18 (ie: APL+4)...stuff that powerful is usually reserved for main villains likely to kill half the party on their own.
So yeah, I'd call that excessive, given the info provided. It's more like two days of adventuring than one, and two pretty tough days to boot.
As for tactics? Anything that splits them up so you can take them out in manageable groups. Anything. Obviously anti-Outsider tactics like Dismissal will also be effective, and area-effects that can actually do things to the whole group would be invaluable if you have any.
Thanks Deadman; I hadn't thought about it in terms of a "# encounters/day" sort of way.
My concern is that perhaps the storyline of the campaign (an 'end days', End of an Age sort of thing) might be shoveling coal in the locomotive, so to speak...lol
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Hmmmm, examining the Demodand stats, all Demodands have the ability to summon other Demodands (aqnd their CR is figured including this) so, if he's 'pre-done' that, and its accounted for in the numbers you've got already (ie: about half of them, say 6 Tarry and one Shaggy, have been summoned)...the whole thing suddenly looks somewhat less brutal.
Call it a CR 18 and four CR 16s or so in that case (or a CR 21 or so total). Still brutal...but a lot less so all things considered. And, looking them over, assuming you have some decent monster knowledge going on them, there are a couple of simple things you can do to counter a lot of their advanatages (though sheer numbers will remain a problem).
Splitting them up has still got to be your main priority, though.
Or, to put it another way: If they suddenly summon more, you know you're completely screwed, if they don't, you might have a chance. Indeed, assuming you can figure this out IC (should be doable with a solid monster lre roll), you can try to wait out the hour the summoned ones last then kill the remainder (though that tactic may not be viable for various reasons).
I think you're correct; the NPC who alerted us to "the beasts and the nature of the Horde" did say something about "the Brute" calling his brothers to service, so I assume that means The Shaggy summoned some or most of the others. Nice bit of mechanics expressed in RP, I didn't even catch that when the GM said it...Thanks!
Definitely have to split them up and I hope our cleric has Prot. From Evil, Communal ready to go.
Well, you can't live forever, right? And yeh, like Xan Ning says, 100K xp if we make it through. :0)
A few well-targeted area dispels will send most of the meatbags packing (depending on the shaggy's CL).