[3.5] Help preparing an ambush

[SapereAude1490]

I'm a Human lvl 1 Wizard/lvl 1 Warlock. After the last session I got enough XP, and level my Warlock to lvl 2 and I can now choose a new invocation.

I have School Specialization: Illusion and my forbidden schools are Necromancy and Evocation.

These are the lvl 1 spells I have (3 + 3 INT)

Charm Person, Sleep, Color Spray, Silent Image, Expeditious Retreat and Feather Fall.

I also have the Spiderwalk invocation (works well with Feather Fall).

I have 3 Feats: Spell Focus: Illusion, Enchantment and Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment. I also have a flaw: Frail (my CON is 16)

Three or four days from now (in game), me and my Rogue buddy are gonna have to ambush a carriage and steal some stuff from it. We already know where the carriage is gonna go and what road it will take to get there.

I had a few things in mind:

1. Take the Baleful Utterance invocation, and shatter some of the road. (the roads are like Roman roads), then dig up a ditch and cover it up with a Silent Image. (Duration: Concentration) Might put some spikes down there, and also shatter a bit of the surrounding ground and put caltrops, then cover it up with the same illusion. Silent image has a 4 x 10 ft. square radius.

2. Take Summon Swarm, and summon bats to kill the guards and the horse. Surround myself with caltrops so the enemy can't charge. Or even climb a tree surrounded with caltrops and then summon swarm.

3. Baleful Utterance the wheel, then Color Spray the guards. (prepare 3 Color Sprays) The TWF rogue can then dispose of them.

What would you do? Remember that I can still choose a new feat. (char lvl 3)

[ArcturusV]

Any chance you can set up the Carriage beforehand? I mean the first thing that comes to mind is helping the rogue use Disable Device to sabotage the carriage so it breaks down... setting it up so something like 5 miles down the road it looses a wheel or something. It's a use of Disable Device that doesn't get as much use as it should in my book.

Of course this implies that you're in a position where you can get to it before it sets out. Which may or may not be the case.

Depending on terrain features... use your illusion to create something like a false bit of road off a cliff. Use Feather fall on the Carriage (Or rather what you need from it if anything) so it survives the fall as they go off the Illusionary Road, guards, driver, etc, fall to their death. If they do avoid the fall, then at least you're at the bottom of a cliff from them and they can't get to you?

[Bubzors]

I would take baleful utterance and do plan number 1. At will shatter is awesome, especially low levels. Goodbye spell component pouch, holy focus, or warriors sword. I would hide up in a tree and after the trap is sprung blast the guards with eldritch blasts or shatter their longswords. It's a will save AMD with low level guards you have a good chance to eliminate them from the fight by robbing them of their weapons

[lt_murgen]

The simpler path is to cut down a big tree over the road and SILENT IMAGE it to look like the road.

Hide up the road and use SUMMON SWARM to spook the horses and distract the driver. Getting them running full speed up the road should be the intention.

Then, when the horses at full gallop plow into the the tree (or trees) you hid over the road, the resulting carnage should solve most of yoru problems.

[SapereAude1490]

I have to maintain concentration on the Silent Image for it to work, so I can't cast spells in the meantime.

Can you actually silent image a tree to look like a road? Or spikes for that matter?

[Fouredged Sword]

Dig a 3-5ft deep 5ft wide trench and just cover it with a thin layer of wood and loose stones for looks or even just a tarp. Illusions are not needed.

Then a thunderstone from the rogues kit should be enough to get the horses running. A shatter will take care of the reins so the driver can't stop them. The horse will go crashing through the trench because horses that are running in a panic don't stop, doubly so if they have a wagon behind them. Those things don't have breaks, they rely on friction to stop them so get them going and they keep going.

Also, note that you could silent image a large rock to stand in for the rogue to toss the thunder stone from. The would allow him to be right next to the road when he sets off the horses.

Then swarm spam the guards while shattering their weapons.