This post aims to collect materials and suggestions in order to develop the encouters GM are required to provide for the battles in book 3 and book 6.
For those who don't know what I'm referring to:
Drezen battles:
As written in Book 3, Xanthir Vang is made aware of the "Drezen problem" and retaliate in three different kind of manners. First throught an assasination attempt against Pcs, later by to abducting one of pcs cohorts to intimidate them or lure them somewhere and after that by weekly assaults against the city itself. Instead of using the mass combat rules, the book suggest a quick session of 3 to 4 encounters APL + 2 foes.
Also, in Book 6, Pcs are called to oppose the legions of the Worldwound general themselves that is gonna attack drezen. While the book tries to not focus on the battle itself and suggest a quick way for its resolution, I really can't see mythic characters take almost no part in such epic conflict, and the entire resolution (sneak where the general is and kill her) seems less epic it should be. Surely it was done for lack of space, and we can think about something more challenging.
As written in Book 3, Xanthir Vang is made aware of the "Drezen problem" and retaliate in three different kind of manners. First throught an assasination attempt against Pcs, later by to abducting one of pcs cohorts to intimidate them or lure them somewhere and after that by weekly assaults against the city itself. Instead of using the mass combat rules, the book suggest a quick session of 3 to 4 encounters APL + 2 foes.
Also, in Book 6, Pcs are called to oppose the legions of the Worldwound general themselves that is gonna attack drezen. While the book tries to not focus on the battle itself and suggest a quick way for its resolution, I really can't see mythic characters take almost no part in such epic conflict, and the entire resolution (sneak where the general is and kill her) seems less epic it should be. Surely it was done for lack of space, and we can think about something more challenging.
I'll start tomorrow by posting some guerrila-like strategy for X forces and up to 2 encounter CR 19-21 for the book 6 conflict
Here my first suggestions for book 3
The weather war:
A first way to undermine the crusader presence in Drezen is to weak their spirits. However, send against them physical threats gives them an easy target for their rage and frustration. I believe Xanthir would love use tactics to wear out and demoralize his enemies without giving them the shadow of a real foes. This can be accomplished by cutting their supplies lines (thus forcing them to consume spells even for eat) and influence the weather itself. The latter can be done through various sistems: a coven of hags, a demon/evil druid, a mythic broken soul nymph with such capacity. After three or more days of constant heavy, demonic rain full of demon frogs and locust larvae, not even the bravest soul would bear such enviroment. It could lead to floods, building collapsing and, most important, only smart players would suspect a direct hand in the foul weather.
A first way to undermine the crusader presence in Drezen is to weak their spirits. However, send against them physical threats gives them an easy target for their rage and frustration. I believe Xanthir would love use tactics to wear out and demoralize his enemies without giving them the shadow of a real foes. This can be accomplished by cutting their supplies lines (thus forcing them to consume spells even for eat) and influence the weather itself. The latter can be done through various sistems: a coven of hags, a demon/evil druid, a mythic broken soul nymph with such capacity. After three or more days of constant heavy, demonic rain full of demon frogs and locust larvae, not even the bravest soul would bear such enviroment. It could lead to floods, building collapsing and, most important, only smart players would suspect a direct hand in the foul weather.
About book 6, here's an encounter
the challange:
Mere seconds after the insigna of Deskari army became visible on the horizon, the most meele oriented pcs (either a champion or marshall path character)receives a sending from the worldwound general Zuhra Aponavicius, which calls the character out to meet and duel her in a winner takes all gambit. surely, every pcs will believe it's a trap (and it is), but even if they refuse to come out and look for her, news about the dread general fighting on the first line with her troops will surely lure pcs out after a while. And it's here that the gambit starts. In fact, Aponavicius is present on the front line only to lure Pcs out of the citadel while her underlings are ready to open the portal and send a wave of locust demons from the inside. At the time pcs shows up, she engages them "alone" from 1 round before taunting them and plane swift away (even if killed is such time, pcs should have no way ready to destroy an astral projected creature - thought they may discover that the marilith is, in fact, projecting from somewhere). The general will then left them in company of an advanced Vavakia demon and his entourage of lesser demons (hezrou, denarki, vrocks). Note that the entire point of this encounter is to lure the Pcs away from the city. If after the marilith is gone they don't get the ruse, for every 2 round they spend battling against these foes + 1 more greater locust demon is able to pass throught the portal
Mere seconds after the insigna of Deskari army became visible on the horizon, the most meele oriented pcs (either a champion or marshall path character)receives a sending from the worldwound general Zuhra Aponavicius, which calls the character out to meet and duel her in a winner takes all gambit. surely, every pcs will believe it's a trap (and it is), but even if they refuse to come out and look for her, news about the dread general fighting on the first line with her troops will surely lure pcs out after a while. And it's here that the gambit starts. In fact, Aponavicius is present on the front line only to lure Pcs out of the citadel while her underlings are ready to open the portal and send a wave of locust demons from the inside. At the time pcs shows up, she engages them "alone" from 1 round before taunting them and plane swift away (even if killed is such time, pcs should have no way ready to destroy an astral projected creature - thought they may discover that the marilith is, in fact, projecting from somewhere). The general will then left them in company of an advanced Vavakia demon and his entourage of lesser demons (hezrou, denarki, vrocks). Note that the entire point of this encounter is to lure the Pcs away from the city. If after the marilith is gone they don't get the ruse, for every 2 round they spend battling against these foes + 1 more greater locust demon is able to pass throught the portal