Bringing the pain...

[ReluctantDragon]

But in a nice way! Really! :smallbiggrin:

I'm in a conundrum. I've got an upcoming game with two players that I am running a level 20 set of adventures. I've got a story down, and some great ideas for rp situations, but very little in terms of crunchy challenges.

I feel that I might have bitten off more than I can chew in regards to running this game. 1 player is going Rogue/Swashbuckler into Red Corsair. Not overly powerful, very flavorful and fun. The other player is going in a flavorful direction, but has tons of crunch to deal with. He's going Wildshape Ranger/Master of Many Forms/Warshaper. He's going to focus on War Troll as his primary shape.
I'll be running a DMPC, Elven Cleric/Contemplative/Seeker of the Misty Isle. Purely there in a support role.

Now, I literally have no idea how to challenge this group, as a War Troll has few weaknesses and many strengths. Keep in mind I don't want to kill any of the pc's, I just want them to have to think outside of the box in regards to combats. I'm aware that the lack of arcane magic could cause them problems, but I'm not quite sure how to capitalize on that.

Any assistance the esteemed Playground could offer would be great!

Thanks in advance,
RD

[BowStreetRunner]

Escort duties always provide for a fairly significant challenge even when your own character has few weaknesses. Make a series of encounters where the objective isn't just to survive the encounters, but to keep some vulnerable person/fragile object safe as well.

[ReluctantDragon]

Hmm, that's interesing. I might be able to work something like that in...

What about challenging them during straight up combats, though?

[Ralcos]

It'd definately be a challenging encounter for an opponent to only take 1/2 or 1/4 damage from all attacks (except from a very specific weakness, such as an attack type or weak spot).

[BowStreetRunner]

Another way to metaphorically tie the PC's hands behind their backs is the old "No disintegrations" ploy. (As Boba Fett about this one if you are not familiar with it.) The players have to take their opponent alive for some reason - he has information they need, is actually an innocent who has been possessed, etc.

This severely restricts the options available to the players enough that while their own survival may never truly be in doubt, their ability to defeat the encounter without killing their opponent may be truly problematic.

[Azoth]

Have fun with a Tucker's kobolds type dungeon. Maybe not as extreme, but enough enemies using splash weapons and hit/run tactics can bring your wartroll buddy down. Especially when they hit the substance that actually hurts him. Also look into creatures that would be natural enemies of trolls. They would intrinsically know how to shut him down.

Time sensative missions are another fun one. Your enemies don't have to kill the PCs just route them long enough to have them fail to achieve their objective.

[ReluctantDragon]

So, what are some good ways to get around the War troll immunities?

[BowStreetRunner]

The real problem with War Trolls is their Regeneration and Spell Resistance.

To overcome their Regeneration you need Acid-based attacks of some kind. Or you can just go around physical (hit point) damage and go with things like ability damage. That War Troll really doesn't want to face something that does Constitution Damage. War Trolls also don't have water breathing, so can drown. Also, other types of effects can be helpful, such as Fear, Petrification, Entangling, etc.

To get around Spell Resistance, use Extraordinary and Supernatural abilities, Spells that specifically do not allow SR, Spells that create something unaffected by the SR, and mundane attacks. Also, try to create situations where the War Troll will need to voluntarily lower his SR in order to be affected by a beneficial effect. Then hit him in the round while his SR is down.