[3.5] A Semi-Massive Battle

[LoneStarNorth]

Anyone playing in my Mortal game should disregard this, but I'm pretty sure none of them frequent this board anyway. In either case, I trust them.

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So I'm getting ready to run a rather large battle, but not large enough to warrant using Heroes of Battle type stuff. The party consists of only three players who will be 8th level by the time they get to this part; a gnome artificer, an elf bard, and a gnoll fighter/wizard. Alternatively, they might be a gnome rogue/assassin, an elven ranger, and a human duskblade (same level), depending on how an earlier event plays out. Either way I consider them a fairly powerful group, especially when they know what's coming and can plan ahead.

They know that they're chasing after a human wizard (level 9)and a succubus who may be reinforced by other fiendish critters. They also know that this is supposed to be a climactic battle, so they'll take time to prepare. What they're going to find is the wizard and a number of hell hounds fighting against a squad of kobolds. The kobolds want to kill the wizard more than they want to kill the party, but they're not technically allies. The wizard and hell hounds will recognize the party and use as much force as they can spare against them. After defeating the wizard, the battle will resolve itself in a few rounds and the party will be free to move and to face the succubus, inluding her summoned vrock ally and her imp partner. Possibly also a few hell hounds.

So what I want to know is what sort of numbers I should use for the wizard/kobold battle. The kobolds will be organized into squads of 6, all 4th level, including a sorcerer, cleric, and four fighter/rogues. I was thinking of having three such squads with a few members already dead. The wizard's minions are giving me more trouble because they'll be going after the party directly. The wizard himself will have the advantage of flight, and disabling that advantage will effectively defeat him due to the nigh-bottomless chasms in the area. The hell hounds will include the regular breed (including several of the wizard's summoned critters) as well as three special breeds I homebrewed at CR 4, 5, and 6. How many of each should I include to challenge the party and leave them slightly weakened to face the succubus, while not guaranteeing their untimely demise?

Currently, this is my plan:

3 kobold sorcerers (level 4)
3 kobold clerics (level 4)
12 kobold fighter/rogues (level 4)
VS
1 human wizard (level 9)
6 hell hounds (CR 3) (normal)
2 hell brutes (CR 6) (stronger, two heads)
2 spell hounds (CR 5) (weaker, spellcasting)
2 inferno hounds (CR 4) (weaker, better fire attacks, explode when killed)
VS
3 PCs (level 8)

How does that look? Any input greatly appreciated.

[Battlefield]

Looks good to me.

Personnalley, I would have added a few people on the players' side, and increased the scale a bit, so that it would make tactics a bit more important than luck.

But that is just me.

[LoneStarNorth]

They might be able to recruit some help, but it doesn't look likely based on the isolated location. Good suggestion though, I'll whip up some throw-away NPCs to die for them just in case.

Nobody else has anything to say? The game's only a day and a half from now...

[Deth Muncher]

Well, without the PCs having a Blaster/Batman type, if I were them, I'd simply get the Artificer to whip up some Wands of Invisibility and wait for the kobolds/baddies to duke it out.

But I'm assuming that's not what you want.

Really, I think this battle will go just fine, so long as this happens:

PCs and Kobolds don't fight.

Seriously. You may want to point out to your party members if they try to attack first that the kobolds are at least fighting against the wizard, so they should be left alone until the battle is over.

Likewise, don't make the kobolds hit the party members. I mean, maybe a kobold sorceror lobs a flaming sphere and it hits the sorceror and the gnoll. Whatever. But the players and the kobolds need to not fight each other. Be sure to make your party aware of that.