Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 rgoodbb Jun 20, 2015 2:09:15	​The combat encounter is this Your party is 5th level or lower. You know you will be overrun by hoards of Orcs/Kobolds/Goblinoids soon. You have to defend a hilltop that can be bumpy and wooded You have 1 hour to prepare. ​What tools, spells, tactics and subterfuge might you employ?   A couple to start the ball rolling. (the ball rolling...hmm...) Alarm = tripwire Glyph of Warding = mines Greece = tumbledown Mold Earth = cover, fortification and an Assassin with Mask of Many Faces running interference.   What else?
#2 Imaculata Jun 20, 2015 2:58:09	Tar around the camp in a moat, that can be set on fire in a heartbeat.
(Reply to #2) rgoodbb	Imaculata wrote:
#4 Imaculata Jun 20, 2015 12:11:56	Well, if it is an uphill battle for the monsters, then Grease would be a pretty handy spell to memorize.
#5 BRJN Jun 20, 2015 17:00:51	- Cut a bunch of smaller branches off the trees and leave thickets of brush on the ground.  Hampers movement, maybe can be set on fire. - Some background gives you a Bear Trap in your equipment.  Set a few along the path you followed. - Can a Ranger5 cast Cordon or Arrows?  If so, ritual-cast it (this is a homebrew application) and empty your quiver.  More "mines". - If he can't, get ready to burn all his L1 spell slots on Hail of Thorns, whenever he makes a shot.  Hit a group instead of a single. - Animal Friendship a bear (or skunk? porcupine?) or something, to run interference on the approaching horde. - The druid can turn into something that is a big bag of HP and give the advancing enemy a bloody nose and when he turns back into himself again due to damage, run away. - Dig a few pit traps and camoflague them. - Plant LOTS of short sharp sticks in the ground as "caltrops". - Set up the Ewok "rolling logs" trap, if there is only one good way to get up the hill. - Any Wood Elves in the party?  Send them to scout.  Use bird calls as messages.  Skirmish all the way back to the fort. - If it is stormy, Call Lightning does extra damage. - Anybody got Raise Undead?  Turn a few of the enemy against themselves !  (Then ask for a Morale check) - If the enemy can be split into two groups who do not know where they are going, get them both lost and blunder into each other.  (Requires Napoleon / Alexander to pull it off.) - Arcane Trickster Rogue can use his extended Mage Hand to take away spell component pouches &c. - If there are cliffs, a few big heavy rocks with a lever, to push onto the enemy. - Smear some manure on the first few arrows you shoot.  The enemy should realize you are trying to give them death by Poison instead of by Battle. - Try to meet the enemy before they deploy in battle formation, and kill / injure / incapacitate The Boss.  Maybe his lieutenants will squabble instead of focussing on defeating you. - Ancients Paladin can Restrain somebody for the rest of your melee artists to clobber. - A la Trojan War, have your high-AC guy challenge a one-on-one duel for the day's victory.  (If enemy agrees, the rest of the PC group departs stealthily while the fight is going on.)
#6 Ashrym Jun 20, 2015 17:50:25	Spell glyphs of fog cloud will provide some protection from incoming ranged attacks, and plant growth will cripple enemy movement.
#7 Nevvur Jun 21, 2015 13:02:27	Do I have to defend it? Because I'd much rather cast Fly and GTFO.   j/k, I wouldn't leave my allies behind. Still, I'd just as soon avoid the fight. Level 5 means I can spend all my 2nd and 3rd level spell slots to turn 7 people Invisible.   But assuming we have to defend it.... Many of the ideas above cover what I would do here, but I want to emphatically repeat Ashrym's recommendation of Plant Growth. It's a 4:1 difficult terrain, you can sculpt the area to your desire, it's a huge area besides, is permanent, and requires no concentration.
#8 FrogReaver Jun 21, 2015 10:55:03	Gather bows and lots of arrows.   Use plant growth and spike growth spells when they are just a few minutes away.   Cast leomunds tiny hut.  Watch the enemy avoid the plant growth terrain while leaving them a nice path to you with a spike growth or 2 along it.  Shoot longbows at them.   Recast the hut as necessary and pray you dont run out of arrows?
#9 rgoodbb Jun 21, 2015 11:34:21	Fog Cloud, Spike Growth, and Plant Growth. Sounds like the Druid and/or Ranger might be invaluable here.       Glyff of Warding, Leomund's Tiny Hut. So Bard or Wizard as backup        What about a different party makeup   Rogue or Monk   Fighter/Paladin/Barbarian   Sorcerer or Warlock   Cleric   How would these fare?
(Reply to #9) Ashrym	rgoodbb wrote: