Seriously, guys in my sandbox dont read this lol. that means you fail cleric marco :P
So i've got a party with lowest level of 8 ranger, and highest of 12 sorc and a cleric who's min/maxed to heal with amazing ability. They are in a vast underground ice cavern system that spans hundreds of kilometers. There are a unique race of trolls that have mastered a number of technologies, giving them muskets, rifles and all manner of academical supplies. The party has stumbled upon the largest of the troll cities.
These troll parties encountered outside the city normally quickly dispatched by the party as I've been using the Advanced Ice Troll (CR 5) with some upgraded weapons. They dont live long vs a fireball with minimum 80 damage (save for 40). I could advance the trolls even further, but i want them to still just be trolls that have come to power in this region due to their technology.
My dilemma is i want to have the party become captured by the troll guards if they proceed further into the town. I'm looking for a way to do this without straying too far from paizo content.
I was thinking maybe some sort of knockout gas grenades ala cloudkill or something lol.
Just posting to get some ideas on what type of alchemical and or technological means the trolls could use to get the upper hand with minimal casualties to themselves.
Im more looking to do this purely through technology / alchemy / traps. Advancing them was just so they wouldnt be 100% trivial even with the technology :)
These trolls have seized power in the region through those means, and there is story line circulating with that also.
The trolls themselves are weak, its the technology that is supposed to be making them strong.
The trolls also use fortifications ala 1800s eg ditches with musket slots,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Inside_Halifax_Citadel_walls_9-04-04.JPG
and similar tactics to gain advantages.
Ditto rogues. A good sneak attack is well worth the effort. Also use hit and run tactics and traps to good advantage.
As for tech to resemble spells, give the trolls alchemist levels. One of these hopped up on mutagen or hurling grenades filled with ice storms should help. You could also make Ice throwers - same as flame throwers except they create walls of ice or do a cold version of searing ray or fireball.
Finally if they have a city and tech, think about other monstrosities they may have learned to dominate. Think about mixing up the trolls with some really nasty beasty or dominated weaker race that fills in the gaps the troll warbands have. If you've got all melee attacking trolls, maybe they have some flying aberrations on long tethers and leashes?
I 3rd the suggestion of class levels on trolls.
But here is some other thoughts as well
Iron Bands of Binding
Aura strong evocation; CL 13th
Slot none; Price 26,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This potent item appears to be a 3-inch-diameter rusty iron sphere with bandings on the globe.
When the proper command word is spoken and the spherical iron device is hurled at an opponent, the bands expand and then contract to bind the target creature on a successful ranged touch attack. A single Large or smaller creature can be captured thus and held immobile (as if pinned) until the command word is spoken to bring the bands into spherical form again. The creature can break (and destroy) the bands with a DC 30 Strength check or escape them with a DC 30 combat maneuver check or Escape Artist check. Iron bands of binding are usable once per day.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, grasping hand; Cost 13,000 gp
Spell/ Trap
Symbol of Sleep
School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level cleric 5, sorcerer/wizard 5
Components V, S, M (mercury and phosphorus, plus powdered diamond and opal worth a total of 1,000 gp)
Saving Throw Will negates
This spell functions like symbol of death, except that all creatures of 10 HD or less within 60 feet of the symbol of sleep instead fall into a catatonic slumber for 3d6 × 10 minutes. Unlike with the sleep spell, sleeping creatures cannot be awakened by nonmagical means before this time expires.
Unlike symbol of death, symbol of sleep has no hit point limit; once triggered, a symbol of sleep simply remains active for 10 minutes per caster level.
Note: Magic traps such as symbol of sleep are hard to detect and disable. A rogue (only) can use the Perception skill to find a symbol of sleep and Disable Device to thwart it. The DC in each case is 25 + spell level, or 30 for symbol of sleep.
Symbol of Stunning
School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level cleric 7, sorcerer/wizard 7
Components V, S, M (mercury and phosphorus, plus powdered diamond and opal worth a total of 5,000 gp)
Saving Throw Will negates
This spell functions like symbol of death, except that all creatures within 60 feet of a symbol of stunning instead become stunned for 1d6 rounds.
Note: Magic traps such as symbol of stunning are hard to detect and disable. A rogue (only) can use the Perception skill to find a symbol of stunning and Disable Device to thwart it. The DC in each case is 25 + spell level, or 32 for symbol of stunning
Cave-Ins and Collapses (CR 8)
Cave-ins and collapsing tunnels are extremely dangerous. Not only do dungeon explorers face the danger of being crushed by tons of falling rock, but even if they survive they might be buried beneath a pile of rubble or cut off from the only known exit. A cave-in buries anyone in the middle of the collapsing area, and then sliding debris damages anyone in the periphery of the collapse. A typical corridor subject to a cave-in might have a bury zone with a 15-foot radius and a 10-foot-wide slide zone extending beyond the bury zone. A weakened ceiling can be spotted with a DC 20 Knowledge (engineering) or DC 20 Craft (stonemasonry) check. Remember that Craft checks can be made untrained as Intelligence checks. A dwarf can make such a check if he simply passes within 10 feet of a weakened ceiling.
A weakened ceiling might collapse when subjected to a major impact or concussion. A character can cause a cave-in by destroying half the pillars holding up the ceiling.
Characters in the bury zone of a cave-in take 8d6 points of damage, or half that amount if they make a DC 15 Reflex save. They are subsequently buried. Characters in the slide zone take 3d6 points of damage, or no damage at all if they make a DC 15 Reflex save. Characters in the slide zone who fail their saves are buried.
Characters take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage per minute while buried. If such a character falls unconscious, he must make a DC 15 Constitution check each minute. If it fails, he takes 1d6 points of lethal damage each minute until freed or dead.
Characters who aren't buried can dig out their friends. In 1 minute, using only her hands, a character can clear rocks and debris equal to five times her heavy load limit. The amount of loose stone that fills a 5-foot-by-5-foot area weighs 1 ton (2,000 pounds). Armed with an appropriate tool, such as a pick, crowbar, or shovel, a digger can clear loose stone twice as quickly as by hand. A buried character can attempt to free himself with a DC 25 Strength check.
Poisoned Pit Trap CR 12
Type mechanical; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 20
Effects
Trigger location; Reset manual
Effect 50-ft.-deep pit (5d6 falling damage); pit spikes (Atk +15 melee, 1d4 spikes per target for 1d6+5 damage each plus poison [shadow essence]); DC 25 Reflex avoids; multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft.-square area)
Shadow Essence
Type poison, injury; Save Fortitude DC 17
Frequency 1/round for 6 rounds
Initial Effect 1 Str drain; Secondary Effect 1d2 Str damage; Cure 1 save
I see Troll Fighter with Bull rush push the party in to pit have several.
I do not know the size of the party but use a trap or 2 or 3 of them, then attack to mop up.
Or use NPC slave race or Bounty hunter type to spring the trap then teloprt away with some or all of the captured party.
You could cast Invisablty on the trap to raise trap to raise Perception DC 25 to 65. If a check is required, a stationary invisible creature has a +40 bonus on its Stealth
This might be too simple of an approach, but why not have them run down a dead-end path of the cavern. Once they realize its a dead-end and turn around they're met by the troll guards in a very large force. Knowing they cant beat the vast # of guards, they surrender.
Narrate it. There's nothing I hate more as a PC than facing an impossible situation in game. Once I am allowed to roll dice, I feel as though I should have a chance to win.
If you want me captured, just open the next session with, "while on patrol something terrible happened and you were captured" or have them wake up in prison and they don't remember what happened, etc. Don't make them play through it, though, that's the key.
Second the narration/omission of the capture scene. The players may feel a little railroaded at this, but they will certainly feel much more cheated if they are doing everything right to win a combat and you say "nope, you lose"
1: Wait till the party is sleeping.
2: When the player with the worse perception skill (and preferably will save too) is on watch, have him roll a perception check to spot the invisible scout.
3: Have the invisible scout return with a couple of his invisible sorcerer/wizard/witch friends (2nd perception check optional)
4: Cast some nasty enchantments (Dominate, Deep Slumber… )on the offending party member before he can act.
5: Profit
Note: Always have an escape route (Dimensional Door, Expeditious Retreat, Wall of Ice/Stone, etc. ) in case the player spots them or makes his saves.
Second the narration/omission of the capture scene. The players may feel a little railroaded at this, but they will certainly feel much more cheated if they are doing everything right to win a combat and you say "nope, you lose"
I think you guys are on the right track with this one. If they continue into the core of the city, I will have to do something like this.