GreatWyrmGold
2019-02-11, 12:02 AM
Note: Names of some places in the Rise of the Runelords adventure path are mentioned. Dunno if that qualifies for a spoiler warning, but...there you go.
I'm currently running Rise of the Runelords, and have set a bit of a precedent. When the PCs invaded Ft. Rannick, they drew out just about every ogre in the fortress. The first time they died, but when they actually coordinated they managed to beat them. Something similar happened when they invaded the Kreeg stronghold. Just tonight, they invaded Jorgenfist, and once they caught the attention of its inhabitants they wound up in a sprawling brawl that cleared out half a floor and most of their daily resources. It's not a bad thing; it can easily be a big, cool setpiece. However, it has many disadvantages; it can easily overwhelm the players without warning (especially if you don't keep track of the PCs' HP), it will take a lot of attack rolls, and it's dull when it happens a couple of times every adventure.
The problem is, I'm not sure how to not do it. My group prefers adventures where the enemies act like people (or at least enemies in a comprehensively-constructed VRPG), not like mobs in an MMORPG; having enemies react to intruders is all part of that. Moreover, for next week's session, I have to deal with the fact that the enemy explicitly knows about the players and their greatest strengths; I've been dropping hints that the giants have been keeping an eye on the Hero of Sandpoint* and his party, culminating in an explicit sending from a caster who knew her time was up.
The enemy is going to be prepared, and they will be ready to counter the PCs' strengths. That sounds like fun! Between the invisible flying alchemist who can nuke eldritch monsters in a few turns of nova to the giant tiger who can glide through earth and stone, the party has some tricks I'm looking forward to countering. But you know what doesn't sound like fun? Fighting the dozens of stone giant soldiers and whatnot who would be readied to fight the invaders.
I don't suppose anyone has advice on how I can prepare the enemy stronghold and/or have enemies react in a way which is both consistent with the campaign style thus far and doesn't degenerate into the same kind of battle again?
*AKA the only PC to have made it all the way through the campaign...and the only active one who was around before the slaughter at Rannick, come to think of it.
I'm currently running Rise of the Runelords, and have set a bit of a precedent. When the PCs invaded Ft. Rannick, they drew out just about every ogre in the fortress. The first time they died, but when they actually coordinated they managed to beat them. Something similar happened when they invaded the Kreeg stronghold. Just tonight, they invaded Jorgenfist, and once they caught the attention of its inhabitants they wound up in a sprawling brawl that cleared out half a floor and most of their daily resources. It's not a bad thing; it can easily be a big, cool setpiece. However, it has many disadvantages; it can easily overwhelm the players without warning (especially if you don't keep track of the PCs' HP), it will take a lot of attack rolls, and it's dull when it happens a couple of times every adventure.
The problem is, I'm not sure how to not do it. My group prefers adventures where the enemies act like people (or at least enemies in a comprehensively-constructed VRPG), not like mobs in an MMORPG; having enemies react to intruders is all part of that. Moreover, for next week's session, I have to deal with the fact that the enemy explicitly knows about the players and their greatest strengths; I've been dropping hints that the giants have been keeping an eye on the Hero of Sandpoint* and his party, culminating in an explicit sending from a caster who knew her time was up.
The enemy is going to be prepared, and they will be ready to counter the PCs' strengths. That sounds like fun! Between the invisible flying alchemist who can nuke eldritch monsters in a few turns of nova to the giant tiger who can glide through earth and stone, the party has some tricks I'm looking forward to countering. But you know what doesn't sound like fun? Fighting the dozens of stone giant soldiers and whatnot who would be readied to fight the invaders.
I don't suppose anyone has advice on how I can prepare the enemy stronghold and/or have enemies react in a way which is both consistent with the campaign style thus far and doesn't degenerate into the same kind of battle again?
*AKA the only PC to have made it all the way through the campaign...and the only active one who was around before the slaughter at Rannick, come to think of it.