[DF] Suitable Dangerous Encounters

[Azinctus]

Nymdok I don't mean to criticise at all, I have great respect for your efforts. I was just adding my limited contribution to your analysis. The knight actually has Skill 25, Strength 24 and a bastard sword with armour divisor (2). He is built on 350 or more points so he's left that "level one" DF slot long ago. Maybe I should just answer the OPs question.

Originally Posted by Greg 1

What might you throw at an average party of 250 point DF adventurers in a single encounter?

In a recent fight the (six) PCs were tracking a doppleganger to his chums the Abaddonians. Ten Abaddonian commandos were hiding in trees armed with their usual kit (see below) and throwing axes. Two more stood in the open guarding a 30 foot rope bridge across a 30 foot deep canyon. On the far side of the bridge another six commandos and an Abaddonian wizard (Healing! and Lightning and Explosive Fireball were the main spells, infinite FP thanks to a demonic contract). Finally on the far side of the bridge there was an Eye Cone a squat useless kind of demon-spawn-psychic-radio for coordinating with the demons back home and a hostage from the PCs' village. The wizard could also summon five Flaming Skulls. Unfortunately in the heat of the battle I missed the Move 12 on their template and they plodded at Move 6 for the whole battle.

Here's the stats of the Abaddonian Commando:

Abaddonian Commando

Fast moving albino barbarian, a scout for an invasion force from the depths of hell. He has extra long arms giving him +1 reach to all weapons.

ST: 15 HP: 15 Speed: 7
DX: 15 Will: 13 Move: 7
IQ: 12 Per: 14
HT: 13 FP: SM:
Dodge: 11 Parry: 11 DR: 5/2 (leather armour 2/1 (all except, neck, face, hands, tough skin 3/1
Attack (Skill or Resistance): Very fine Magic Dagger (large knife) (16) (+3 to damage) 1d6+4 imp, blade venom, Very Fine War Pick (16) 2d+4 cr or 2d+4 imp

Monster Drool (Utility).
This guy applies multiple doses (if he passes a poison roll the roll is HT-4 for 8 points of damage)

Traits: Combat Reflexes, Extra Attack, High Pain Threshold, Hidebound, Extended Reach
Skills: Stealth 19, Poisons 15, Tactics 15
Class: Demon Spawn, living part demon monster dude
Notes: 4d6 does of monster-drool


Result

(apologies for a chaotic and inconsistent battle report but it should give you an idea)

The PCs mauled the ten guys in the trees, the scout-archer took them out one by one, those that leaped down got in a couple of hits on one of the wizards and the cleric then the swashbuckler finished them off with Rapid Strikes.

Up front the other wizard and the knight were trying to pull the old Chewbacca in cuffs trick, using illusions and the wizard's knowledge of the Abbadonian language. It didn't work (Acting off default sucks). The wizard delayed the Flaming Skulls by using an Extinguish Fire on them (clever wizard) but then he was battered unconscious by an explosive fireball which set the bridge on fire. The knight saw the hostage and tried the bridge alone. The Flaming Skulls attacked him. The unconscious wizard passed the time calculating if the Knight could kill the skulls before the skulls killed him.

Four Abbadonians engaged the Knight on the bridge and he responded by stamping on the old planks to break them and send the commandos plummeting. It kind of worked but the Knight was left hanging from the bridge by one hand while one Abbadonian still had his footing and his Dagger.

The archer gave some assistance. The cleric tried to bypass an Abaddonian to heal the unconscious wizard, in his turn the Abbadonian turned round and hit the cleric in the head with his pick. Instant Death Check! (and the GM gives a silent cheer).

The cleric passed the roll and lives to this day. The knight got back on the bridge crossed over, still fighting the skulls, (did he make a death check, I forget, he has HT 14 and Hard to Kill 3). The archer killed the Abaddonian Wizard. Everyone ran over the burning bridge (with an ad hoc rolling of dice to see if it broke, it didn't).

To cut a long story short they killed all the baddies and rescued the hostage. But the Swashbuckler did have to make a Death Check (another silent cheer), but he passed. He didn't expect the Eye Cone to hypnotise him leaving him open to a warpick to the forehead: signature move of the commandos!

Conclusion

This battle was a great success everyone was challenged. There was much shouting (indicating real nervousness) and two or three death checks meant that the result was really in the balance.

It is a big party of old school munchkins but you need challenging terrain, lots of enemies, some enemies that are immune to most of the PCs powers (the flaming skulls) and baddies with an outrageously unfair plan (it's almost as if they knew six PCs were coming from that direction;-).