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Callos_DeTerran
2011-06-23, 01:21 PM
I need some proper story help for my game tomorrow, cause my thoughts on how to give my players some options are running a bit low. The situation is simple enough though, the three of them (a cleric, ranger, and I think knight, all 10th level ((the knight might have multi-classed with something else)) ) are currently in a city occupied by the githyanki. It's not just them though, the githyanki have launched an all out war on their world and have been gating in astral ships, dragons, and legions of githyanki warriors from the astral plane and they've been frighteningly successful so far.

In the PCs neck of the woods, they live in a large and important city location wise (both for military and trade), so the githyanki have set up a more-or-less permanent barrack of troops and stationed an Astral Raider (BIG astral ship) above the city as a symbol of githyanki superiority and as a terror weapon. Any signs of large up-rising gets the entire area shelled from above until all signs of resistance are gone. To that end, in the background before the game started, the PCs (knights of the city in terms of rank) tried to organize various underground resistance movements but they always failed in one fashion or another (Some were destroyed, others split from the PCs on idealogical/material means and wants). So, the PCs started working on their own until one of the larger, still surviving, resistance groups contacted them. They wanted to scuttle or capture the Astral Raider to inspire hope and resistance in the down-trodden populace, not to mention the military gain of removing the Astral Raider from the equation and asked the PCs to prove their loyalty (githyanki had been infiltrating and subverting most groups, paranoia is rampant) by destroying a githyanki hatchery they'd discovered.

The PCs have almost finished up with that, so I've started planning for the second part of this adventure, actually taking the Astral Raider. I know how they need to get up to it, commandeering one of the githyanki astral ships (they'd get shot out of the air if they used Air Walk) to get up there and scuttle/capture the Raider. Here's the problem. The barracks where the githyanki keep their astral ships has a LOT of githyanki in it and it's well-defended. The Raider itself has 125 githyanki warriors (level 5 fighters) on board, not counting the level 13 captain. Before anyone says it, I'm not expecting my players to fight all of them, the intention is (before flying up to the raider) to cause distractions and chaos in the city to lure as many githyanki as they can onto the streets to leave the barracks and raider vulnerable for the PCs to mount their assault.

Trouble is, I'm not sure if my PCs will come up with ideas on their own to lure the githyanki out or just go charging right up there (which is suicide, none of the group is optimized at all), so before I run the game (tomorrow) I wanted to have a couple of suggestions that the NPC rebels could give them on what they could do to increase their odds. Problem is, I can't think of anything, please help!

Silus
2011-06-23, 02:33 PM
*Checks level for Wind Walk*

Well, you could go with a random insurgency uprising type of thing. People in plainclothes simultaneously starting riots, fires, fights, ect. around the city to spread the Gith's military power thin, then run in and jack a ship. While the other ships are flying about trying to put down the riots and such, the PCs take that time to zip up to the big ship and do their thing.

Or getting people that can use scrolls to summon monsters to run amuck around the city would work as well.

stainboy
2011-06-26, 02:36 PM
I would imagine a dreadnought floating over a captured city would have a skeleton crew anyway. Especially since githyanki come from a plane that suspends biological functions. There are no bathrooms on a githyanki warship.

Meleemancer
2011-06-26, 02:43 PM
They could use various methods of disguise to look like githyanki and bluff their way into getting a ship.

Vknight
2011-06-26, 03:57 PM
Hit and run with monsters from scrolls and various minor magic items. Low level peasants and thieves etc equip with traps ambushes could lead to panic and give the proper distraction.

So here is what I would plan/do.

Get the rebels organize them into squads. Contact othe rebel groups inform them of the plan. Equip with farming tools and ordianry things (A stone wrapped in cloth tied to a stick makes a good club) They now can smack the githyanki up a bit. Combined with pits, ropes, oil, and tarp you've got your plan. Dig shallow pits fill with oil cover in tarp, use rops to pull the githyanki in of cause them to trip. Make deeper pits with sharp objects filled with rats. Use ropes to bind, trip and generally make the githyanki unable to move. With the Githyanki spread thin trying to quell the assault on many fronts with dangerous monsters, rebels, and fires at there garrison.
Chaos pure undilludated chaos, maybe have a prisoner from the jail amongst there numbers that suggests this. In otherwords take a chapter from 'Jokers' book.

Soren Hero
2011-06-27, 02:37 AM
Any signs of large up-rising gets the entire area shelled from above until all signs of resistance are gone.

the mass diversion idea appears to meet this criteria

Starshade
2011-06-27, 07:15 AM
Let there be some sort of nastyness sealed up beneath the city?

Like, an sealed up, dormant anathema (old temple, sealed up by the Yuan ti themself ages ago, and a few smaller yuan-ti guardians off it in an upper layer, who finds food and feed it, and hides from the humans).

Or, an immobilized vampire(with a retinue of lesser vampires/undead), or a few mummies sleeping in their caskets. Or the lair of an evil dragon.

My suggestion is to let there be some sort of option for doing it simple (rip up the seal of the dwelling, annoy the inhabitants down there a bit, run and hide, let the monsters run up, and find the githyanki), or reason with them somehow (make a deal with the Yuan ti guards, and lure the gith into the lair, as anathema food, or talk the demon/vampire/whatever, into helping out the city, in exchange for something, perhaps the ship). Or even trick the Githyanki(make a treashure map, and make one of them "find" it), etc.

Darcand
2011-06-27, 07:50 AM
I would imagine a dreadnought floating over a captured city would have a skeleton crew anyway. Especially since githyanki come from a plane that suspends biological functions. There are no bathrooms on a githyanki warship.

Here's the winner! Though not because of bathrooms. A ship designed for the astral plane likely lacks storage for food and room for sleeping. That means frequently rotating troops out for rest and bringing up supplies from the surface. Sneak them on in water barrels. Heck, while you're at it fill one of the other barrels with oil. Make the plan to light the interior of the ship on fire and escape via the transport ship they rode in on. Astral ships don't sink, which probably means they lack life boats too.

Also, invasion forces are loaded with warriors, occupation forces are >50% experts.

Zen Master
2011-06-29, 03:51 AM
... Steal a Silver Sword.

That's pretty much it. The captain of the ship should be eligible to have one. Steal it, if possible communicate this embarassing fact to all the githyanki, making sure the captain is top motivated to get it back. He will disperse his troops throughout the city, searching for his sword, making his ship vulnerable.

Quite possibly, you needn't even steal it. A suggestion spell telling him it's gone might do the trick.

(Are githyanki immune to mind affecting?! I can't remember)

stainboy
2011-06-29, 04:21 AM
(Are githyanki immune to mind affecting?! I can't remember)

Nah, not immune to mind affecting. They do have SR, but it's low.

Also, yes, steal a silver sword. If githyanki show up in your campaign you are pretty much honor-bound to do this.

Jothki
2011-06-30, 07:42 PM
... Steal a Silver Sword.

That's pretty much it. The captain of the ship should be eligible to have one. Steal it, if possible communicate this embarassing fact to all the githyanki, making sure the captain is top motivated to get it back. He will disperse his troops throughout the city, searching for his sword, making his ship vulnerable.

Quite possibly, you needn't even steal it. A suggestion spell telling him it's gone might do the trick.

(Are githyanki immune to mind affecting?! I can't remember)

Convincing them that there are Mindflayers hiding somewhere in the city might also be effective.