Chapter 1 [Storming the Beach]

[reefwood]

Storming the Beach

History

Enemy forces occupied the Hydrahead Peninsula five years ago when the last allied troops were driven off the continent of Vallest. Two major offensives to retake the beach have been launched since that day. The first effort ravaged the enemy armada, but allied forces were left too depleted to press onto the beach. The second attempt met devastating resistance upon reaching the shoreline and resulted in the resignation of the previous admiral. Nearly three years have passed since that terrible defeat, and two weeks ago, the stage was set to launch a new offensive. It began with the discovery of deep underground tunnels connecting offshore volcanoes to the mainland of Vallest. Several well-trained units were sent deep into enemy territory to disrupt supply lines and sever the main routes leading into Hydrahead Peninsula . This has left enemy forces on the shoreline with limited resources and cut off from reinforcements.

After a long day of battle at sea yesterday, allied forces laid waste to a small fleet of enemy warships, and this morning, troops advanced onto the shoreline. The first wave stormed the beach at dawn. Losses were heavy but at a high costs of resources to the enemy. The next wave struck at noon and thinned the enemy ranks. The final wave now approaches the stained, sandy battlefield and is poised to reclaim what was lost half a decade ago.


The Scene

The water is tinted red and littered with the remnants of battle. Many who did not reach the shore still bob bloated in the water. Their bodies are broken or charred, and the stench of death fills the air. Looking back, the mighty armada that carried thousands of soldiers across the vast open sea is backdropped by the setting sun. However, they dare sail no closer. The craggy reefs that outline the Hydrahead Peninsula serve as a natural line of defense by making the water too shallow for large vessels to reach the shore.

Long shadows are cast across the waves by enormous eagles soaring in the skies above. Guided by seasoned riders, their massive talons clutch thick logs to serve as cover for the troops storming the beaches.

To the left and right, hundreds of rowboats stretch as far the eye can see, and a smattering of keel boats are scattered among them as well The occasional shark fin protruding through the water is also caught by the more observant eye.

Ahead is the shoreline. The stains of war on the sands are tenfold of that in the sea. Birds feast on the fallen. The cacophony of squawking nearly drowns out the crashing of waves. Within a hundred feet, the beach ends at the base of a low cliff line. Atop the rocky wall runs a wooden fence - marred by battle and patched several times over but still incomplete in spots. Tall, imposing elves stand ready on the other side with bows drawn and arrows nocked. Heavily-armored dwarves and nimbler humans can be seen moving behind them. Any smaller folk would stand too low to be seen.

Outposts dot the cliff line. Several towers are spread between them, and a few have crumbled, but none have been abandoned. In the distance, a pair of forts can even be seen, and large, indistinct shapes loom around them...


[OOC: This will be an enormous battle, but we'll just focus on your tiny sliver of it. Each PC will command a squad of three other soldiers, and each squad will be in its own separate rowboat to start off. Additionally, there will be a squad of four archers under your shared command in their own separate boat. The objective is to break through the enemy line and take control of an outpost defended by a stakebow. What is a stakebow, you ask? It's a really big crossbow that shoots wooden stakes. How much damage does it do? You'll find out.

Given the military nature of this game, however, it seems to make sense to brief the players ahead of time about the known challenges. The terrain starts off with rowboats in the water, and once you reach the shore, it's about 80 ft of sandy & debris-strewn beach to base of the cliff wall. Strength checks will be used to determine rowing speed and how far onto the sand the boats make it. Movement in the shallow water is at one-quarter speed, and the movement on the beach will count as difficult terrain (1 square costs 2 squares and no charge/run) because of the combination of sand being hard to walk on and bodies/debris getting in the way. The cliff wall is a mixture of vertical jagged walls and steep slopes, and both require Climb checks to ascend, but the slope is significantly easier to climb. At the top of the cliff is a wooden fence that also requires a Climb check, and there are a couple breaks in the fence. Once on the other side of the fence, movement is normal.

At the start of the day, enemy troops were positioned on the beach, but most were killed or driven off during the second wave of attack. No significant movement on the beach has been observed since this attack, and it appears to now be deserted. All enemy troops in sight are on the other side of the fence, as is the outpost you are assigned to take from the enemy. It consists of two one-story wooden buildings sandwiching a stakebow bunker and is guarded by several elven archers and at least one well-armored dwarf.

Stats for the troops under your command will be posted soon.]

[reefwood]

Players will make all the rolls for the troops under their command. Each player will have 3 human soldiers as part of their squad, and 4 human archers will make up the fourth squad. It will be up the players to designate control of the archer squad however they see fit.

Also, while rowing to shore, it is assumed that no one is holding a weapon or shield or anything else in their hands.

And if you see any errors in these builds, please let me know. I'm new at this too

Human Soldier (War2)
Str: 15 (+2) [13+2 racial]
Dex: 11 (+0)
Con: 12 (+1)
Int: 08 (-1)
Wis: 10 (+0)
Cha: 09 (-1)

Fort: 3+1 = +4
Ref: 0+0 = +0
Wis: 0+0 = +0

HP: 2d10+7
AC: 13 / 15 shield = 10+0 Dex+3 armor / +2 shield
BA: +2
CM: 19 = 15 +2 BA +2 Str
Spd: 30 ft

Weapon #1: Longsword +6 melee (1d8+2; 19-20/x2)
Weapon #2: L. X-bow +3 range (1d8; 19-20/x2) @ 80 ft

Skill Points: (2-1 Int) +1 human +1 favored = 3 x2 = 6
Skill: Mod = Ranks+Abil Mod+Train+Misc
Climb: +7* = 2+2+3+0
Intim: +4 = 2-1+3+0
Swim: +7* = 2+2+3+0
*Armor Check Penalty: 0 or -2 w/ shield

Weapon Proficiency: Simple & Martial Weapons
Armor Proficiency: All Armor & Shields

Feats
1) Weapon Focus: Longsword [1st]
2) Toughness [human bonus]

Equipment:
MW Studded Leather
Heavy Wooden Shield
MW Longsword
MW Light Crossbow


Human Archer (War2)
Str: 12 (+1)
Dex: 15 (+2) [13+2 racial]
Con: 11 (+0)
Int: 08 (-1)
Wis: 10 (+0)
Cha: 09 (-1)

Fort: 3+0 = +3
Ref: 0+2 = +2
Wis: 0+0 = +0

HP: 2d10
AC: 16 /17 shield = 10+2 Dex+4 armor /+1 shield
BA: +2
CM: 18 = 15 +2 BA +1 Str
Spd: 30 ft

Comp Longbow: +6 range (1d8+1; x3) @ 110 ft or +4 range (1d8+3; x3) @ 110 ft
Shortsword: +4 melee (1d6+1; 19-20/x2)

Skill Points: (2-1 Int) +1 human +1 favored = 3 x2 = 6
Skill: Mod = Ranks+Abil Mod+Train+Misc
Climb: +5* = 2+1+3-1
Intim: +4 = 2-1+3+0
Swim: +5* = 2+1+3-1
*Armor Check Penalty: 0 or -1 w/ buckler

Weapon Proficiency: Simple & Martial Weapons
Armor Proficiency: All Armor & Shields

Feats
1) Weapon Focus: Longbowd [1st]
2) Deadly Aim [human bonus]

Equipment:
MW Chainshirt
Buckler
MW Composite [Str +1] Longbow
MW Shortsword

[michael]

Man, you guys are screwed.

[reefwood]

Jul 9, 2009 16:34:29 GMT -5 michael said:

Man, you guys are screwed.

Ha... I am curious to see how this opening scene goes. It might be the deadliest of the whole adventure, but I'm hoping the greater numbers and edge given to PCs will help the players overcome the daunting odds.

And if not, we'll just set aside some time to roll up new characters for the next scene

[icnivad]

yeah, I'm really curious about this, too.
Do we have any stats of the beach / bunker? like how far from the water the bunker is? how deep the beach is? How high the cliff is? How far the stakebow can shoot?

[reefwood]

Jul 9, 2009 17:31:10 GMT -5 icnivad said:

yeah, I'm really curious about this, too.
Do we have any stats of the beach / bunker? like how far from the water the bunker is? how deep the beach is? How high the cliff is? How far the stakebow can shoot?

You'll get to look at the grid map of the beach before making any placement decisions, and some of this will be easier to go over then, but roughly....

- the bunker is about 100 ft from the shoreline and 40 ft above the beach. its actually on it's own little hill at the top of the cliffs

- the water near the beach is not particularly deep. you can't drown in it unless you fall prone, and since waves swoosh up and down the shoreline, the line on the map isn't a solid divide between wet & dry but rather the spot where water slows you down enough that you move at one-quarter speed.

- the cliffs are about 30 ft high

- distance isn't a problem for the stakebow on the beach, but it can't target certain areas based on the angle. it can only aim 45 degrees to the left & right, and parts of the cliff line also block off certain areas of the beach. additionally, it can't hit anyone at the base of the cliffs or on the rock wall/slope, but once you are up to the fence, you'll be in its sights again

[reefwood]

Congratulations you very capable corporals! Great job storming the beach and not losing any troops!! I'm still amazed ;D


In addition to gaining a level, each PC earns:

One magic item that grants a +2 enhancement bonus to an ability score
One +1 magic enhancement to a single weapon OR one 2nd-level wand w/ 25 charges
One special ability (worth +1 price bonus) added to a +1 weapon or +1 armor/shield OR one 3rd-level wand w/ 25 charges
One +1 magic enhancement to armor or shield OR bracers of armor +1
One 3rd-level potion
One potion of cure moderate wounds
One potion of cure light wounds
3,000 gp to spend on any new items or upgrades to magic items


Additionally, each PC is awarded a medal of valor (amulet of natural armor +1) and may plunder any of the following loot from fallen enemies:

Masterwork Leather Armor
Masterwork Studded Leather Armor
Masterwork Splintmail
Masterwork Buckler
Masterwork Heavy Wooden Shield
Masterwork Composite [+1 Str] Longbow
Masterwork Throwing Axe
Masterwork Dwarven Waraxe
Masterwork Shortsword


Finally, in case you were wondering, rewards were based on how many allied troops survived the encounter and if the outpost was taken. Each PC was worth 2 pts, each NPC was worth 1 pt, and the outpost was worth 5 pts. Every 5 pts was a tier (5 = poor, 10 = average, 15 = good, 20 = excellent), and you all earned the maximum of 24 pts, so feel good about yourselves and your combined effort!


[OOC: Breaking Down the Challenge

All PCs were 2nd level, but NPCs only had NPC classes.

Nemedor: 3 PCs & 13 NPCs
PC (CR 2) x3 = CR 5
NPC (CR 1/2) x13 = CR 1 x6.5 = CR 6.25

Vallest: 10 NPCs
NPC (CR 1/2) x10 = CR 1 x5 = CR 5.5


Challenges:

1) Rowing to Shore - Str check
There were 4 people in each boat. Anyone rowing could contribute to the check. The highest roll was the base result and any other rolls were treated as Aid Another. The highest Str check reached the shore first, any checks 5 below that arrived 1 round later, and so on. The results were:
Nero - 24
Archers - 24
Rabbit - 23
Grolton - 19
Nero, the archers, and Rabbit made it "on screen" in the Round 1. Grolton arrived in Round 2. Had anyone rolled 14, that boat wouldn't have arrived until Round 3. And PCs selected what section of the shore they were aiming for.

2) Log Drop - random roll
This was more along the lines of random chaos than a challenge. Each PC was allowed to direct a giant eagle rider to drop a log onto the shore. The intent was to use it as a cover while crossing the lengthy beach, but some got creative and tried to drop it on enemies. This was a random roll with the following results:
1 - takes out the boat of archers
2-5 - lands on shoreline in front of your boar
6-10 - lost in the water
11-15 - lands 1d6+2 squares north or south [1d2 for direction] and east or west [1d2 for direction]
16-19 - lands 1d2 squares north or south [1d2 for direction] and east or west [1d2 for direction]
20 - lands perfect

3) Landing Ashore - Str check
Working much like first check in terms of participants, this check determined how far up the shore your boat landed:
DC 5 - 10 ft from shore
DC 10 - at the shore line
DC 20 - 5 ft onto the shore
DC 30 - 10 ft onto the shore
I actually had another set of numbers set as DC 10 (at the shoreline), DC 15 (5 ft on shore), DC 20 (10 ft on shore) and can't remember which were used.

4) Reach the Cliffs
The closest part of the cliffs was 75 ft from the shoreline, and it was 5-20 ft further in other spots. PCs moved at half-speed on the sand (no charge/run) while being attacked by 6 archers and 1 stakebow. The top of the cliff was lined with a wooden fence that provided cover (+4 AC) to the defenders on top of the cliff, and the stakebow bunker provided improved cover (+8 AC) to the shooter. Once you reached the base of the cliff (or sooner in some spots), the stakebow could no longer target you.

5) Climb the Cliffs
There were 2 different DCs to reach the top. Climbing up the vertical surface of the cliff wall was DC 20. Going up a slope was DC 2 +5 from the coating of blood and guts spilled in battle throughout the day. There were holes in the fence at the top of the slope located in the center, so it was the easier way to get on top of the cliff in terms of climbing, but you would also be in a position to be targeted by almost every archer.

6) NPCs
There were 6 elven archers (War2, AC 15), 3 dwarven axemen (War2, AC 18), and 1 human stake shooter (War2, AC 14). The stakebow did 2d10 points of damage with x3 on a critical hit and was able to shoot every other round. Each one had masterwork equipment but no way to heal.


Conclusions: I don't know how to quantify all the challenges into precise numbers, but the defenders clearly had advantages from terrain. There was cover, it was a long and slow march to the cliff, and climbing the cliff was hardest for those who could do the most damage once on the cliff. So even though the defenders were less in number and strength, it was probably a fairly even battle. Perhaps a few more defenders would have been a good idea, but I was worried about overwhelming you guys.

Players did a great job by purchasing tower shields which greatly reduced the danger of the slow, long march. Also, ranged attackers had the benefit of not needing to reach the wall, let alone climb it. Of course, the wooden fence provided cover to the defenders, but the ranged PCs had good ways to deal with that - Rabbit's character was getting off so many shots that at least one bolt hit on most rounds, and Nero's magic missiles may have not done much damage but did hit every time. These ranged attacks definitely whittled down the defenders.

Also, the PCs has 9 human swordmen (War2), and 3 human archers (War2) on their side with masterwork armor and weapons. Each PC had at least 1 healing potion.]