Ksheep
2011-12-27, 03:06 PM
While working on a campaign, I came up with the idea to have a battle between a Formian colony (humanoid ant creatures) and the Clockwork Horror (collective of destructive constructs). I figured that this would make a fair bit of sense, as the Formians are from the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, which the Horrors would love to invade and strip of all metal. However, I'm trying to figure out exactly how to go about this and whether it would be a fair fight.
NOTE: I am using the slightly altered version of the Horrors, as described here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11102190&postcount=228).
There are two possibilities for how things started (unless someone can think of something else):
1: Several scouts for the Clockwork Army somehow found their way to Mechanus (probably through a naturally-occuring rift) and they began wrecking havoc among the pure order of the plane. The Formians, being inhabitants of Mechanus, see them as a threat and drive them back, eventually forcing them back to the Prime Material plane where they began setting up defenses to keep them from attacking again.
2: The Formians have set up a colony on the Prime Material, and while expanding, they came across an old ruin wherein an ancient civilization locked away the Clockwork Horrors. While investigating, the Horrors got free and started spreading, wrecking havoc in the colony.
One main problem I'm facing is that the Horrors usually ignore creatures, unless they are wearing/carrying metal. The Formians don't wear armor and typically don't utilize metal weapons (as far as the MM is concerned). So…*why would the Horrors attack the Formians? Scenario 1 fixes this, but raises other questions (how did they get to Mechanus, why haven't they spread across the entire world yet, etc.)
Running the numbers, I found that a Clockwork Horror Series (1 Platinum, 1-2 Gold, 4-16 Electrum) and a Formian Platoon (1 Myrmarch, 6-11 Warriors, 7-18 Workers) are approximately the same EL (12-13)… but how accurate is that for the fairness of the fight?
So… any input on this would be greatly appreciated. What is the best scenario to use, who instigated this war, and would it be a fair fight.
NOTE: I am using the slightly altered version of the Horrors, as described here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11102190&postcount=228).
There are two possibilities for how things started (unless someone can think of something else):
1: Several scouts for the Clockwork Army somehow found their way to Mechanus (probably through a naturally-occuring rift) and they began wrecking havoc among the pure order of the plane. The Formians, being inhabitants of Mechanus, see them as a threat and drive them back, eventually forcing them back to the Prime Material plane where they began setting up defenses to keep them from attacking again.
2: The Formians have set up a colony on the Prime Material, and while expanding, they came across an old ruin wherein an ancient civilization locked away the Clockwork Horrors. While investigating, the Horrors got free and started spreading, wrecking havoc in the colony.
One main problem I'm facing is that the Horrors usually ignore creatures, unless they are wearing/carrying metal. The Formians don't wear armor and typically don't utilize metal weapons (as far as the MM is concerned). So…*why would the Horrors attack the Formians? Scenario 1 fixes this, but raises other questions (how did they get to Mechanus, why haven't they spread across the entire world yet, etc.)
Running the numbers, I found that a Clockwork Horror Series (1 Platinum, 1-2 Gold, 4-16 Electrum) and a Formian Platoon (1 Myrmarch, 6-11 Warriors, 7-18 Workers) are approximately the same EL (12-13)… but how accurate is that for the fairness of the fight?
So… any input on this would be greatly appreciated. What is the best scenario to use, who instigated this war, and would it be a fair fight.