Drow surface raid

[Daddison]

Playgrounders,

I would like some input on a Drow surface party, please.

I have a group of PCs that are stuck out in the woods, in the dark. Only 2 of the 6 of them has low-light vision. They recently fought off 2 wraiths which, inadvertently scared their horses away.

A main part of my story that has yet to begin involves Drow. I think that, considering the party's current situation, would be a good opportunity to give them a taste of 'things to come,' and I would like for them to stumble upon (stealthily or not) a group of Drow that are on the surface in these woods. So questions I have are:

1. Would the Drow make a 'base camp' that could be discovered by the party? I mean, in your experience, is a camp even something that the dark elves would have on the surface?

2. If yes, would it even be possible to discover it without being discovered? The drow wouldn't light a fire or anything, would they?

3. The party is capable of a fight with a small band of Drow, but should they fight them?


Can you guys help me out to make a solid introduction to the Drow, with respect to the above scenario?

Thank you in advance -

[Gallowglass]

What is the drow's purpose for being on the surface? Raiding an elven village nearby? General scouting? Taking some young drow out to get their "I survived a night on the surface" drowscout merit badge?

Assuming they have no purpose in your narrative, then I'll go with "general tomdickery". I would have the party stumble on a campsite, but not a drow campsite. They find a low burning fire, some panicked horses hobbled under a tree, maybe a small wagon and signs of a recent scuffle. This looks like a merchant wagon and his guardsmen stopped for the night. No signs of anybody. Investigating reveals some small crossbow bolts in trees, smaller than any crossbow they have ever seen. One of them finds tracks of somethign being drug away from camp and follows (probably) and finds the trail come to a stop 60 feet out in the woods. While trying to figure out what it is, something drops on his head. He looks up and sees a drow astride a giant spider with a cacooned up merchant dangling above him. The merchant's pendant just fell on him, or a drop of blood. the drow smiles and attacks.

Four or five Drows with riding spiders ambush out of the woods. If the PCs win, they get some neat loot that will breakdown quickly in the sun the next day (but give them a bonus to go back and take out those wraiths tonight if they want to) and a reward from the grateful merchant.

[BowStreetRunner]

1. Would the Drow make a 'base camp' that could be discovered by the party? I mean, in your experience, is a camp even something that the dark elves would have on the surface?If the destination of the Drow party is a short distance from where they emerged from the Underdark, then no. However, if the Drow have to travel some distance above-ground, then they may need to camp along the way. Note that a 'base' camp implies they are going to be spending some time above-ground and have set up a long-term camp near their operating area. In this case a cave, old mine, or something of the sort would be preferable if available. On the other hand a temporary overnight camp would be more make-shift and set up wherever is handy.


2. If yes, would it even be possible to discover it without being discovered? The drow wouldn't light a fire or anything, would they?It depends on the type of camp. For a long-term base camp, the drow would put a great deal of effort into concealing it. For an overnight (or more likely an overday camp) I would think they would be cautious (magical darkness covering a cooking fire if needed at all) but it still might be possible to stumble into them. When I was in the army we had a band of hunters walk right through our camp without noticing us during an exercise however. Detecting them really depends on how observant the party is being. Spot checks!!!


3. The party is capable of a fight with a small band of Drow, but should they fight them? That really depends entirely on what the players want to do. :D

[Daddison]

He looks up and sees a drow astride a giant spider with a cacooned up merchant dangling above him. The merchant's pendant just fell on him, or a drop of blood. the drow smiles and attacks. Four or five Drows with riding spiders ambush out of the woods..

I like this idea and think it would make a good introduction. (I'm thinking...err...typing out loud here) - To build a rider and spider combo for say 5 of them, I would need to keep the CR to 6 or so as to not make the combat impossible, I think. How would you build typical drow on a giant spider as a mount for this scenario? Standard fighter levels is probably all I would need. What do you think, level 4 for the drow, on a giant spider? What would the CR for that be?

I have 6 party members. ECL 6.


Thank you -

[Gallowglass]

How tough do you want it to be. They've had one encounter already with the wraiths and I assume they haven't rested and recupped, so they have expended some spells and some hit points?

If I want it to be a moderate encounter I would take four of these and advance them to warriors 3 or 4:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/drow-common

and give them armor +1 and rapiers +1 and masterwork hand crossbows with 10 poisoned bolts each. the armor and rapier will turn to crap when exposed to sunlight, so this is really only temporary equipment.

Have them led by this

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/npc-s/npc-5/drow-warrior-level-6

who I will give armor +2 and a rapier +2 and a hand crossbow +1 with 10 poisoned bolts. Same limitation as the other armor. It turns to crap in the sun.

Give them all the feat that lets you ride a mount the same size as you. Then mount them on these

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/vermin/spider/giant-spider

If I want it to be a TOUGH encounter, or if the PCs are well equipped or well optimized, then I'd slap a drow noble package on the leader and advance the others to warriors 5 instead of warriors 3. Or make them rangers or fighters instead of warriors. I'd probably also give the leader some spellcasting. Make him a fighter/wizard instead of a warrior.

Then I would strategize like this:

The drows were here to raid the fat merchant and his simple guards. They weren't expecting a wandering monster encounter... uh I mean wandering player character encounter.... so when they heard you coming, they skedaddled up the trees and are content to watch and wait to see if you find them or if you leave. If you all fail your spot checks and leave, then they may decide to follow YOU until you camp down so they can ambush you while you are sleeping. Or not. They've heard there are wraiths in these woods you know. its dangerous out there. If they think you are going to notice them or start taking the merchants goods they will attack from ambush. If any PC spots them, they are readied to attack so they get a surprise round against the PCS that do not spot them.

With that surprise round two of the drow are going to hit unattended objects in the area with darkness in order to nullify the campfire and whatever lights the PCS have. The rest are going to shoot drow poison hand crossbows at the PCS. The leader is going to shoot at whoever looks like the party spellcaster. So that's three crossbow bolts and two darknesses in the surprise round.

Now that the PCS are in darkness, the drows are going to make spot checks to see if they can figure out which, if any, have darkvision and go for them next. As the answer is NONE, the drow are going to have a party. If the PCS stay in the area of darkness, they will continue to fire poison bolts at them until they have knocked them all out. As they knock them out, their spiders are going to web the unconscious ones, then pull them up into the trees and away from help. I'm giving the spiders the ability to "pull" a body up with its web and secure it better. None of these are in the monster description, but there is no reason why they can't. Its what spiders so in horror movies. I'm giving the spiders surivival +8 for binding people up. If they flee the area of darkness, the drow will wrap up the unconscious PCs then pursue the pcs, staying up in the trees and continuing to use darkness and crossbow fire from range. They will try to use dancing lights to confuse the party and get them to separate from the rest of the party so they can deal with them one at a time.

By this time, I assume the drow strategy is in ruins because the 6th level party have fireballed the trees (so much for the merchant and his guards), or turned invisible or dimension doored or whatever else they might do to escape or turn tables. If the drow have to drop into melee range, they will always have their spiders web the pcs to establish battlefield control so they can gang up on individuals instead of dropping into one on one combat.

The lower level drow warriors fight until death. The 6th level warrior fights until he's losing, then takes off, using darkness to cover his escape.

If the drow win they have either captured all or part of the PCs. If they have captured them all, then they will secure them soundly and hump them by spiderback, along with the merchant and his guards to some cave somewhere where they will be guarded by more drow while the war party goes back for the merchant's wagon of goods. Proceed to "escape attempt" scenario.

If they have only captured part of them, then the rest are hiding. Allow them a chance to spy on and follow the drow who take their buddies to a cave to be held, then while some stay to guard them, the rest go back for the merchants goods. Proceed to "free the prisoners" scenario.

If they end up freeing the merchant or end up in prison with him with a chance to talk to him, he will drop info about increasing occurrences of merchants getting taken or disappearing in the woods in the last few weeks or whatever infodump you want to lead into your larger drow plot. In the cave where they are taken, they will find lots of cages and ropes and chains and a bunch of desiccated bodies fed to the spiders and other indication that they've taken 20-40 people before the PCs through here for processing.