Leaving Behind a suprise.

[Metahuman1]

Ok, so, situation.

My party is working for a major rebellion against a rather large evil organization that includes the current "legitimate" authority figure in the kingdom and on the content were in/on respectively.

Recently, that organization got compromised, at least in so far as it's main base location. Presently, were Evacuating. Right now we think were gonna have just enough time to be good and gone a day, maybe best case 2, before a rather massive and stupidly well equipped army including no shortage of metaphysical heavy hitters show up. Standing and fighting is NOT something the rebellion is equipped to do at present time.

We have a plan to break off into smaller groups, relocate separately, lay low for a bit and regroup. This might be compromised but were working on trying to convince the people leading the rebellion that this might be the case and we need to act accordingly.

However, that's now what I'm coming to this forum for help with.




Were 9th level, and I have a goodly sized stash of Ambrosia for item crafting as well as the craft wounderous Items feat. My build out is Sorcerer 5 Mage of the Arcane Order 4. I would like, with that one or two day time frame, ideas on what kind of Nasty 1 shot trap I can leave behind to slow any further searching and/or damage as much of the enemy's forces as possible. I'm open to either an Item that can be crafted in that time frame, or a spell I can leave behind via Mage of the Arcane Order that's gonna cause Badness for them.


So, Any suggestions?

[Frostthehero]

My personal recommendation would cost gold and time.

I would cast explosive runes all over the place, and smear doorknobs with the nastiest contact poison I could find.

As a side note, check out the earthbound spell feat from the PHBII. You could leave some nasty stuff behind if you knew when they were coming.

[Hrugner]

Well, with a length of trip wire, a bag of holding, some pitons and a rope trick spell, you could rig up a simple trip wire that will zap some folks to the astral plane. I doubt it would be much use unless the DM liked the idea though.

[Uncle Pine]

I would cast explosive runes all over the place, and smear doorknobs with the nastiest contact poison I could find.

This was more or less my first thought as well. Leaving behind the small note/scroll/parchment/whatever you've been casting explosive runes on for a while at the end of your adventuring days is a good way to say "f*ck you" to any searching party.

[Story]

Well, with a length of trip wire, a bag of holding, some pitons and a rope trick spell, you could rig up a simple trip wire that will zap some folks to the astral plane. I doubt it would be much use unless the DM liked the idea though.

That won't work. You specifically need a bag of holding and portable hole. Rope Trick has no defined effects for extra-dimensional spaces, only a vague warning of bad stuff.

[Azoth]

You could make Knowledge (the planes) checks to find some particularly nasty outsiders to bind. Just leave them there to sort things out. Even better if they can't plane shift on their own. Even if they refuse service, just leave them bound there with a lower caster level circle. It will fade and then they rampage.

[captain fubar]

you say that they have some mystic heavy hitters right so then they should be able to contain the weight-ocopolis (remember even an evil organization will have ample motive to save the world they are standing on) though doing so will likely take a substantial time and resources.

9th level Sorcerer casting gets you 4 uses of enervation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/enervation.htm) a day. weight making doesn't require the target be sentient so even a very CHAOTIC good might be able to argue that no alignment shift is required.

to bad sorcerer is a level behind wizard lesser planar binding gives more options and is far less likely to go horribly horribly wrong.

[bekeleven]

That won't work.... only a vague warning of bad stuff.So it might not work.

[Story]

By RAW nothing happens. Since this is an actual game, you'll need to ask the DM.

[Hrugner]

When setting a booby trap against the big bad, I've found it's always most effective when the DM knows it's coming, likes the idea, and has time to figure out how to make it cool. Ambush the DM with it, or try and fudge it to be more powerful than it aught to be and you'll get nothing.

So yeah, tell the DM the plan, why you think it might work and ask to make some knowledge checks to see what your character in game thinks will happen; if he's on board it could be pretty damn cool.

[Metahuman1]

En, the problem with Wight-ocoplis is that even if my character and party would suggest it, I could see our higher ups slapping that idea down.

And I don't have lessar planar binding yet, so bringing in outsiders to do my dirty work and leave a blood bath isn't a workable thing.

As for explosive runes, I don't have that just yet. (I'm gonna have it after I've gotten a chance to sit down with a couple of wizards under the employ of our group and have them make a couple of scrolls of a modified version of haste I researched, and make a wounderous Item of it for everyone else in the party. (The modified version gives you 1 extra attack per attack you already had, since the bulk of the party likes TWF for melee, and now the party Gish is high enough level to use Polymorph.) So, not sure that would work since I could only get the 1 or 2 castings in the time I have.

[jiriku]

As a general rule, large armies are expensive to feed and maintain, and wise generals forage off the enemy as much as possible to minimize the expense and logistical trouble of supporting the army. Exploit this.

Drop some dead animals in your well or upstream of the river where you get your water.
Leave food behind. Taint just 10% of it so that it's likely to be used and will get some people get sick. It's best if the tainted feed is for horses or other beasts of burden -- a sick man can be put on a wagon but a sick horse is unable to pull the wagon.

[Keltest]

I agree with anyone who said explosive runes. Its such a fun spell that my players keep trying to find ways to use it in active combat without exploding themselves. It isn't working, but its fun to watch them try.

[Ellowryn]

As a general rule, large armies are expensive to feed and maintain, and wise generals forage off the enemy as much as possible to minimize the expense and logistical trouble of supporting the army. Exploit this.

Drop some dead animals in your well or upstream of the river where you get your water.
Leave food behind. Taint just 10% of it so that it's likely to be used and will get some people get sick. It's best if the tainted feed is for horses or other beasts of burden -- a sick man can be put on a wagon but a sick horse is unable to pull the wagon.

I highly recommend this. Seriously, go all Russia on them. Burn any available food source within a few miles of the place as well. Destroy bridges and roads. Not only boobytrap the hideout, but if possible set it up to collapse when the get finished clearing it. Ward it against any sort of divination possible for as long as possible so they HAVE to send in mooks to clear it, and illusions of the resistance in order to make it seem like you guys are still there (BSF's have notoriously bad will saves). Make them pay in blood for every 5 foot square they clear! :smallamused:

[Elandris Kajar]

I agree with everyone, explosive runes, contamination, and demolition are all good ideas. A combination would also work. Especially with the speed bonus and extra attacks from haste, I would make their lives miserable. Leave a couple of traps in HQ, maybe destroy it. Then, once evacuation is over, start hit-running their supplies over and over. If a fight ensues, kill enough people to get away, but don't risk your lives. This works even better if you contaminate\destroy all nearvy supplies so that they cannot get more. Eventually they will have to leave, at which point you can move back in, if HQ still stands. If not, you chased off a huge army, which is good for morale and you have a fair amount of resources right in front of you to contribute towards your new HQ.
* Note that if your party is a fail at stealthiness this will be much harder.*

[Story]

Note that army logistics is only a problem in the presumed low-magic medieval background. With even a bit of magic, logistics become trivial.

[Demidos]

Weaken the support structure, and drop the whole hideout on them.
Have a symbol of insanity hidden inside, so they randomly begin fighting each other.
Use illusions to confuse them as to where the enemy is.
Use the Guards and Wards spell to make them get hopelessly lost at every door.

[bekeleven]

Use the Guards and Wards spell to make them get hopelessly lost at every door.
I stumbled on this spell for the first time a few months ago.

Which is extra impressive, since it's in the PHB. Most obscure spell ever, or just to me?

[Demidos]

Probably because its more of a DM spell than a player spell, as PCs tend to be the ones doing the invading. :smalltongue:

Note my suggestions will require some scrolls.

[Telonius]

Draw up a map of the compound, with a big red X underneath a particularly hard-to-dig-out section. In an easily-cracked code, write, "Treasury. Magically trapped. If Move Earth is used, you will have ten seconds to exit the complex before cave-in."

In another note, date it for yesterday. "Our source on the inside says that the attack will come very soon. Orders are to withdraw; more information will be forthcoming as the source is able."

Place both of these in relatively well-hidden locations. Not obvious, but findable; somewhere they could conceivably have been left in a rush.

[JDL]

If you have a Cleric with your party, make sure you cast as many Glyphs of Warding as possible too.

Fabricate + Craft (Trapmaking) = instant traps provided you have the materials and are able to make the crafting DC.

[Metahuman1]

I'm not sure the poison thing is gonna work, at best it might annoy them slightly.

However, the idea of leaving a note that basically boils down to a coded plan to regroup in the capital city and begin undermining it with our "Internal Allies." has merit. Why fight them when for the cost of some Ink and paper and an hour we can make them paranoid and start fighting each other for a bit?

[Sith_Happens]

Cover the floor of your entire base with straw. Devise a trap of some sort that will set as much of it on fire at once as possible, with the trigger as far as possible from any exits.

[bekeleven]

However, the idea of leaving a note that basically boils down to a coded plan to regroup in the capital city and begin undermining it with our "Internal Allies." has merit. Why fight them when for the cost of some Ink and paper and an hour we can make them paranoid and start fighting each other for a bit?

Your note should say, "[Prominent duke] still wary of open support. Ask [Minor Duke's Vassal] to schedule more meetings."

You're never going to get one of the bigwig politicians strung up, but you may be able to get one under suspicion and kill a supporter.