Get ’em Out Alive! (10th

Enemy Forces: To reach the trebuchet, the group must fight through a squad of defenders and then take on the catapult’s crew. They must then deal 200 points of damage to the trebuchet to destroy it.

Squad: • 8 bugbears (Monster Manual page 29) • 8 ogres (Monster Manual page 199) • 2 ogre brutes (page 146) Trebuchet Crew: • 4 bugbears (Monster Manual page 29) • 2 ogres (Monster Manual page 199) • 2 ogre brutes (page 146)

Terrain Features: The terrain around the duke’s keep is rolling fields dotted by clumps of trees. A river flowing down from the distant hills stands between the battalion and the horde.

Tactics: The general’s troops keep the majority of the humanoid army occupied while the PCs and the elite infantry squad try to get to the trebuchet. Alternatively, the PCs could attempt to use stealth if they arrive at night or decide to wait until after dark to make their attack. The general will advise against waiting, however, and there is a 5% cumulative chance per hour that the trebuchet will breach the keep walls before nightfall. The defenders will fight to the death to protect the trebuchet. If the general’s troops begin to lose ground, more squads can come to the aid of the siege engine.

Aftermath: If the group succeeds in destroying the trebuchet, they can then help the general rout the rest of the enemy forces (with the aid of the duke’s soldiers, who can mount a sortie from the keep once the threat to the walls has been eliminated). If the PCs fail, the trebuchet smashes a hole in the wall of the keep and the horde pours through, taking the keep, massacring the defenders, and capturing the duke quickly thereafter. The general might be forced to withdraw, and the duke will have to be ransomed back (see Get ’em Out Alive, below, and scale as necessary). Alternatively, the PCs might be able to talk the general into letting them try to take the keep back through subterfuge, using a secret entrance situated within a grove of trees nearby to infiltrate the fallen keep.

Scaling This Encounter: For a 2nd-level group, the general provides a small infantry squad of 5 human regulars (page 142) and 1 human cleric corporal (page 142). The enemy horde is protecting a light mangonel, which takes 100 points of damage to destroy.

Defenders:6 goblins (Monster Manual page 133), 6 hobgoblins (Monster Manual page 153), 2 bugbears (Monster Manual page 29).

Mangonel Crew:2 hobgoblins (Monster Manual page 153), 1 bugbear (Monster Manual page 29),

For a 5th-level group, the general provides a small squad of elite troops: 5 human elite soldiers (page 143) and 1 human cleric lieutenant of 4th level (page 142). The enemy is protecting a heavy mangonel, which takes 150 points of damage to destroy.

Defenders:8 bugbears (Monster Manual page 29) and 4 ogres (Monster Manual page 199).

Mangonel Crew:4 ogres (Monster Manual page 199) and 1 ogre brute (page 146)

For an 11th-level group, the general provides a small elite officer unit made up of some of her best soldiers: 5 human sniper majors (page 143) and 1 human soldier colonel (page 144). The enemy is protecting a great trebuchet, which takes 300 points of damage to destroy.

Squad:10 ogres (Monster Manual page 199), 4 ogre brutes (page 146), 2 ogre mages (Monster Manual page 200). Great Trebuchet Crew: 8 ogres (Monster Manual page 199) and 3 ogre brutes (page 146). GET ’EM OUT ALIVE! (10TH)

Intelligence has determined that the duke and a small number of POWs are being held in a makeshift enemy camp in the hills on the other side of a nearby forest. It is believed the duke will soon be moved to a more secure location, so the PCs must act now if they wish to rescue him. To further entice the characters to perform this mission, let it be known that one of the PC’s siblings was with the prince when he was taken prisoner.

Character Level: This encounter is designed for characters of 10th level.

Objectives:Primary: Rescue the prince and other highvalue prisoners.

Secondary: Free all prisoners and disrupt the enemy camp as much as possible.

Allied Forces: Stealth is required for this mission, so only a single unit of elite guards accompanies the PCs to the POW camp.

• 6 human elite soldiers (page 143)

Enemy Forces: The POW camp consists of three wooden buildings, each 30 feet by 60 feet, laid out in a triangle around three 10-foot-by-10-foot huts. Two of the buildings are practically empty, holding little more than bunks and a central table. The third building is partitioned into three rooms: a bunk room with four beds and a table, a more lavish bedroom, and an office. The large buildings house the following troops.

• 12 gnolls (Monster Manual page 130) • 8 ogres (Monster Manual page 199) • 5 ogre brutes (page 146) • 1 ogre mage (Monster Manual page 200)

Six of the gnolls, traveling in pairs, are on guard duty on the outskirts of the camp at all times. In addition, 2 ogres and 1 ogre brute guard the small huts at all times. The rest of the troops are resting in the three large buildings. Half of these are sleeping and half are eating or relaxing. The ogre mage is either outside or in his office during the day and asleep in the lavish bedroom at night.

Terrain Features: The camp is nestled in a valley roughly half a day’s march up into the hills. It is laid out as described above in flat, open ground. The hills rising above the small valley are mostly barren, with only a few rocks and bushes large enough to provide cover within 100 feet of the outskirts of the camp. Scattered groups of trees and bushes and larger outcroppings of rock dot the landscape out beyond 100 feet. The top of the highest hill is 150 feet from camp but only 50 feet higher in elevation.

Tactics: If the PCs are not spotted as they approach the camp, they can determine the routine of the guards as outlined above by watching the camp for several hours. Allow PCs to make a DC 15 Wisdom check each hour (with a bonus of +2 per hour watched). Divination spells such as clairaudience/clairvoyance could also help the PCs determine the camp’s complement and routine. However, all guards get Spot checks to notice the PCs each hour that the characters spend in the hills above the camp. Once the PCs are noticed, an alarm is raised that brings all active guards running. One round after the alarm has been raised, guards dining in the barracks rush out to join the melee. Two rounds after that, the sleeping guards also join the battle. The ogre mage is eating during the first nighttime watch and asleep during the last two watches. If the battle begins to go poorly for the ogres, the ogre brutes attempt to set fire to the small huts before fleeing.

Aftermath: The three small huts contain two prisoners each. If the PCs get to the huts without raising the alarm, it takes a move action to unbar and open the door. The prisoners are at 0 hit points and can take only single actions until healed. If the ogres set fire to the huts, PCs have 5 rounds to open the doors to the huts and get the prisoners out before they die from the heat and smoke. If the PCs should lose the battle, they will be beaten to 0 hit points and locked into the huts with the other prisoners. They have two days to escape before being transferred to the main ogre village.

Scaling This Encounter: For a 7th-level group accompanied by 4 human elite soldiers (page 143), the camp contains the following enemies, half of which are on duty at all times: 12 orcs (Monster Manual page 203), 8 gnolls (Monster Manual page 130), 4 ogres (Monster Manual page 199), 2 ogre brutes (page 146).

For a 13th-level group accompanied by 4 elite guard majors (7th-level fighters; use Human Sniper Major, page 143), the camp contains the following enemies, half of which are on duty at all times: 12 ogres (Monster Manual page 199), 8 ogre brutes (page 146), 4 ogre mages (Monster Manual page 200), 1 troll hunter (Monster Manual page 247).