shamgar001
2012-08-02, 08:10 AM
In my campaign (which is on hold for the summer), we're running the "Reavers of Harkenwald" adventure, and we're just about to the Battle of Albridge section. Personally, I don't think these encounters are climactic enough, and I'd like to try to work out a larger-scale encounter, with large numbers of troops on both sides (dozens, not hundreds). Obviously, I'd just like for this encounter to be exciting rather than boring, and tense rather than an easy victory, so I'm hoping some of you all might have some wisdom to share regarding this kind of thing.
The battle will be set around a large stone bridge that crosses a river that flows next to the town of Albridge (other fronts will be defended by NPCs). A few of the ideas I've entertained regarding how this will work out are as follows:
Pre-Battle
The basic combat area would be plotted out, and the PCs will have some traps and rituals they or their allies can construct/perform. They can use the time before the encounter to set up defenses the way they think it best. Intelligence from allied spies will aid them in this.
Siege Weapons
I want the enemies to have catapults or ballistae. These will do relatively high damage in a burst, so the players will have to figure out how to get to them and destroy them quickly. This will also give the enemy a shot at destroying any barriers they put up.
The weapons will have stat blocks just like artillery monsters. They'll have low defenses, and either resist or take half damage from ranged attacks, with vulnerability to fire.
Saboteurs
At some point in the battle, I thought maybe it would be interesting to have stealth troops smuggle an explosive across the river and set it to destroy any walls they might have. If their caught, the bombs will be set to go off in three rounds; a thievery check by a PC can disable them, leaving them usable for someone else's purposes. Otherwise, they explode and do lots of damage.
Spies
Perhaps at some point in the encounter, the heroes might be attacked from the rear by enemy agents who had been waiting in nearby buildings, forcing the players to divide their attention.
Advancing Lines
I won't force this, but I'd like to leave open the possibility of having the enemy force its way across the bridge and have the battle change to a street fight, with both sides using cover provided by buildings, merchant carts, and windows.
Naval Combat
If the river is wide enough, there could be rafts from both sides skirmishing on the water, particularly since the PCs gained the loyalty of a water-dwelling halfling tribe.
I don't know that I'll be able to use all of these, but I'd also like there to be some dynamism in the battle, in that the enemy will respond to the PCs' tactics. If anyone has ideas for elements I can add to this, I'd love to hear them, as well as whether my ideas would work, or if they're too complicated/silly.
The battle will be set around a large stone bridge that crosses a river that flows next to the town of Albridge (other fronts will be defended by NPCs). A few of the ideas I've entertained regarding how this will work out are as follows:
Pre-Battle
The basic combat area would be plotted out, and the PCs will have some traps and rituals they or their allies can construct/perform. They can use the time before the encounter to set up defenses the way they think it best. Intelligence from allied spies will aid them in this.
Siege Weapons
I want the enemies to have catapults or ballistae. These will do relatively high damage in a burst, so the players will have to figure out how to get to them and destroy them quickly. This will also give the enemy a shot at destroying any barriers they put up.
The weapons will have stat blocks just like artillery monsters. They'll have low defenses, and either resist or take half damage from ranged attacks, with vulnerability to fire.
Saboteurs
At some point in the battle, I thought maybe it would be interesting to have stealth troops smuggle an explosive across the river and set it to destroy any walls they might have. If their caught, the bombs will be set to go off in three rounds; a thievery check by a PC can disable them, leaving them usable for someone else's purposes. Otherwise, they explode and do lots of damage.
Spies
Perhaps at some point in the encounter, the heroes might be attacked from the rear by enemy agents who had been waiting in nearby buildings, forcing the players to divide their attention.
Advancing Lines
I won't force this, but I'd like to leave open the possibility of having the enemy force its way across the bridge and have the battle change to a street fight, with both sides using cover provided by buildings, merchant carts, and windows.
Naval Combat
If the river is wide enough, there could be rafts from both sides skirmishing on the water, particularly since the PCs gained the loyalty of a water-dwelling halfling tribe.
I don't know that I'll be able to use all of these, but I'd also like there to be some dynamism in the battle, in that the enemy will respond to the PCs' tactics. If anyone has ideas for elements I can add to this, I'd love to hear them, as well as whether my ideas would work, or if they're too complicated/silly.