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1 year ago ::
Apr 16, 2012 - 5:47PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Apr 22, 2004
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My group just attempted the Tyrantclaw lair assault last night and we successfully made it to...round 7. A good first attempt I would think. A fellow player and I were chatting and thought we would consult the forrums for advice on a few things. Spoiler:
Show
We had some trouble with the dinosaurs during the encounter. A pteradactyl made off with our warlord and kept dropping him into the tar pit. The triceratops kept going after our squishies, and the orcs were keeping us overwhelmed. We plan to tweak our group composition a bit so we can better manage some things.
Our group composition for yesterday was:
Warforged Barbarain (charger) (me)
Human Hunter
Genasi Archer Warlord
Dark Warlock
Some kind of Arcanist with crazy high defenses
I ran across something from the Heroes of the Feywild book, the Pixie Music Box. It creates a zone or music in a radius of 20. Natural beasts will not approach or attack creatures within the radius. They only cost 50gp and aren't listed as a consumable.
Would these work against the dinosaurs in the encounter (I'm assuming it wouldn't be effective against the druid after it changes).
As far as as item purchases (crates and such) we went with a balista, a crossbow turret, and 8 small boxes. The boxes very effectively blocked the akylosaurs from reaching the party since we placed them in choke points between structures and tar pits. We placed a balista at 1 corner of the statue and the turrent at the opposite corner. The problem with the balista came when a pterradactyle made off with the warlord, wich left the contraption unmanned. The orcs (especially minions) began using it against us. I'm curious if anyone has some suggestions in that area too?
~Bruize
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1 year ago ::
May 02, 2012 - 8:15AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2003
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The Pixie Music Box is resonably well known, at least with respect to this LA. As worded it is inordinately powerful in this particular case. I suggest not using it, or at least not springing it on your DM last minute, to preserve a fun play experience. A throwaway flavor item should not be able to derail a Lair Assault, and most folks accept the intent that it work against foxes and raccoons not interfering with your campsite rather than the ultimate defense item against wilderness threats, eclipsing even artifacts with its power. Had this LA been written after the Feywild book came out, it's pretty safe to assume the Music Box would be addressed.
RAW it works against everything you will meet except the orcs, but your DM may also stab you with a weaponized d4 if you actually fire it up =)
I haven't seen the ballistas used very effectively. The "best" attempt involved it placed up on one of the walls, so at least when the character got swept off the high ground none of the orcs were in position to waste time climbing up to use it, but I wouldn't call that a success. From the DM side of the screen, I can tell you the boxes are easily the most disruptive of the resource options, the ballistas so far the most impotent, and the crossbows falling somewhere in between.
INSIDE SCOOP GAMERS: In the new version of D&D, it will no longer be "Edition Wars." It will be "Edition Lair Assault." - dungeonbastard
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1 year ago ::
May 03, 2012 - 11:48AM
#3
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The players were dong just fine up until the Tyrantclaw showed up...it devastated the group. One thing they didn't like was that i randomized the four waves, so that wave 3 came first, wave 1 second, wave 4 came third and wave second came last. They said they focused too much on the early waves that were tougher. That wave one which had many minions and could have been destroye easier should have been first.
The did use the Ballista alright. mostly to deal with the sorcerer orcs and some dinos. The pteradons were almos unhittable and the tyrantclaw baerly took any damage at all.
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