Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jair 01-09-06, 02:31 PM	This is kind of long but I need to adequately describe the reason for this post. My party and ended our last D&D session on Saturday. Where we left off is where I have my question. To make a very long story short, an npc character got in a fight with our ranger. They were both thrown in jail. That npc escaped in the night as his band of robbers freed him, they stole goods from the mayors house and took off in a wagon team with the villages local gravedigger. They were headed off to their fort some miles out of town. We quickly gave chase and caught the npc and the grave digger in the wagon. (I didn't help with that, since I tried to leap from my horse onto the moving wagon. Lets just say I failed miserably, hit the ground, got ran over by another character and he and his horse went down also.) But the other characters caught the wagon, killed the grave digger by accident and now have the npc pinned to the ground. The npc's gang was unaware that this happened since they were much further down the road. :clap: Here is the dilemma. We now have the one npc captured and the other killed. We want to take this fort by storm but we want to be smart about it. But how do we get inside? The fort is going to be curious about this since the last wagon will be somewhat late, so if we hijack the wagon we need a good excuse why we were late. The people in the fort do not know our faces so they have no idea who we are. I am the only sorcerer in our group. So I was thinking of using a charm or suggestion spell on the npc and have him say something like "My wagon was attacked by the city guards, they killed the grave digger before these fine men rescued me. I think we can use them." Can I use the charm or suggestion spell like that? Or is it not that specific. Or would that be something more like hypnotism? I think this is the best way to get into the fort, because they will think we can be trusted, then at night we slit their throats. The other option is to kill the npc, disguise my appearance with the Disguise Self spell to make me and another PC look like the guys we just killed. Then we ride in late and make up some phony excuse. Then at night let the rest of the party in. The dynamics of our group is we have a Paladin, Monk, two battle clerics, a ranger and me the sorcerer. We are all between 5th and 6th level. The fort has 20-30 men inside. They are led by the villages renegade captain of the guard. We don't have to take this fort, but we just want to. Does my idea sound feasible, or is there a better way?
Borne Of Hate 01-09-06, 03:00 PM	You might be over thinking it bro.... How about this solution: Break the spare wagon wheel that is undoubtedly on the wagon. (95% wagons are gonna have one) say ya had to stop and change the wheels out.
SupercrazyDM 01-09-06, 03:32 PM	OK heres what you do you kill the npc use disguise self open the gates and firball and lighting ball everyone inside to a cinder :evillaugh :evillaugh :devil:
Juzzman 01-09-06, 03:59 PM	Perfect solution, love the broken wheel idea. The bulk of the party can be hiding in the wagon with the loot (under a tarp or soe sutch) and then just head to the gates. Alternatively, if your sorceror has access to any illusions, you can just use basic diguise (ie put on the npc's clothes and hats n stuff), shoot a few arrows into the wagon, then ride it up to the gates, saying you are being chased (sound/look injured to cover differences in voice). Have the illusion then activate, making it look like a bunch of guards are chasing. This will hopefully make them let you in without too much questioning or inspection, and the will have all their attention focused outwards for a short while, givving greater supprise and confusion whan you attack from within. Another tip (assuming you dont want to slaughter everyone), is once the melee starts and confusion reigns, get one character to try and encourage the less brave bandits to run away (head to the gates, open them and run out screaming we're all gonna die, i'm not dying for this etc etc) Better 10 opponents and 20 fleeing that 30 cornered and fighting for their lives. The ranger can help round them up later, and the palidin will appreciate not having to kill everyone. Just some ideas. I really miss low level games with normal problems sometimes :-)
Jair 01-09-06, 05:06 PM	Juzzman, That isn't a bad idea. We definately want to kill everyone in the fort, but if we can minimize their numbers that would be even better.
Evil Glowstick 01-10-06, 03:17 AM	There is one thing that can make this easy........FIRE! Use the broken wheel/gaurds chaising you/ what ever to get inside the fort. You should have at least 1 alch fire per person(Not that you will, but every party should have lots of alchmists fire). Throw them at the doors or the floor infront of a door to buildings w/ lots of people in them. They either have to stay inside and get fryed, or come out through the fire where they take damage and can be killed off 1 by 1. If the walls of the fort are wood light em up. Fire will also cause lots of confusion so the bandits may not even know they are being attacked. The last thing.......having a battle while fire rages around you just looks cool.If the pali has a problem w/ the plan just do it anyway and he will have to deal w/ it. Make for some interesting(but not party breaking) conflict.
Bellator_33 01-10-06, 03:55 AM	I like the broken wheel/under the goods trick, but how nice is your dm? i only ask cause he might pull the old "the guards stab the cloth/sacks/dung with spears to make sure nothing is there." Take either the ranger or the monk with you under the disguise, you do the bluffing with your charisma and once inside the ranger/monk can move silently through the camp and maybe take out the guards at the gate, letting in a torrent of death to clear the bandits from their filthy warren