[Ed1] CALL FOR A WYLD HUNT!

I assume this wyld hunts to fight the PC's?
another thing you should think on.


which side of the dragonblooded do you want to portray more.
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Yes, The Dragonblooded Hunt is supposed to fight the PC.


In the past, the various opponents were relatively easy defeated


by the solar player characters and they developed very fast


the solar-first-age-attitude "Nobody can stand against us,


we are like gods. And we don't give a fuck about any


Dragonblooded." Now I want to give them some challenge...


In order to create the game less black and white


(Solars=good/Dragonblooded=bad) at one game-session,


the players were forced to change the roles. I took aside their


solar characters and gave them three Dragonblooded characters,


who are convinced to do the right thing in destroying any Anathema.


The players developed a feeling and justification for the


Dragonblooded society. In this game they failed to kill an anathema


who disappeared ...


At the end of the session they track their solar alter egos...


Now I’ll send the three Dragonblooded characters (which the players


actually really like) as antagonists followed by a challenging Big Hunt.


That means that at least the three main Dragonblooded hunters


are the "brainwashed" version of the DBs. The rest of the Hunt may be


mixed with bloodthirsty "evil power grubbing monsters" as well.


The solars have to sweat a little.


Although it may happen, I don't want to kill the chosen of the sun. I just


want to teach them some respect and that in the future, when I confront


them with the Hunt I want to hear something like "Oh shit, not again".
 
Ok' date=' unless this Solar is really good, eight DBs WILL fuck him up, persistent defence or not. Something will get through, I promise. Eight DBs might as well be a death sentence. I've used THREE DBs on a 400xp Solar and nearly killed him, with very little effort on the DBs part and no artifacts.[/quote']
It all boils down to charms. I've seen a 300 xp dawn plow his way through dragon blooded without noticing the difference between them and heroic mortals... both died quickly.
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It depends on the Solars.


You can field a powerful force on even ground, and take casualties on the part of the DBs.  Or you can play them a bit smarter.  


I would suggest a few in Dragon Armor--to give them better mobility and funky Essence draining goodness.  I would also suggest ambuscade.  Not open ground, not fair by any means.  From high cliffs, an Earth who tosses down an avalanche, and a broke ass damn up the valley to drown the fuckers.  And archers to pop the Solars as they bob up for air.  While they do that, you've got a Fire Aspect who is throwing oil over the waters, and then setting that aflame.  And an Air Aspect who is tossing down poison gas and keeping it there on the water.  


Man can't breathe, man can't fight.  Takes a wee bit of thunder out of the Solars to get schooled from basic tactics.  Can Solars survive this sort of ambush?  Certainly, they're Solars, but they've already burned Essence in getting out from under the trap, and then the support elements start pounding at them, from ground of their choosing.  


So, the Solars take the better part of valor, and run.  Which plays in the Hunters hands, because now they can track them to their little hideout.  Start dismantling their support network.  Villages that give succor to the Solars...get burnt to the ground, and put to the sword.  Word gets around.  Gets the Solars pissed off, right?  Forces their hand, again, onto ground of the Hunt's choosing.


This time, they meet to parlay for terms.  The DBs have ranged the ground already, both for Sorcery and siege weapons.  They have also laid in a few firedust bombs in the ground to turn it into a sheet of flame.  Mr. Fire Aspect is doing the parlay and is reet with that.  When the parlay goes egg shaped, the fun starts, and the ground the Solars stand on is a killing zone of flame, more poison gas, arrows, stones, and lots of Obsidian Butterflies, and the DBs and their forces are under cover for return fire.  And the Woods are still doing their thing with their Armor.


Oopadiddy.


In short: the Hunt don't play fair.  Yes, that means they'll hit a Solar in the jummy.  Lots.  Over and over again, with cheap shots until the Solars are exhausted, Essence drained, and then they will get nasty.
 
No' date=' no, numbers are fun, but quality can be just as, if not more terrifying.[/quote']
Safim said:
It all boils down to charms.
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Exactly!


I try to create hunters worthy of the Realm, but vincible for the solars. What charms would you suggest? What combinations of skills are useful and appropriate? The answers, so far were very helpful already, thanks!  :idea:


By the way, (beyond the suggestions in the corebook)


How do you prepare your in game opponents as a Storyteller? I suppose you do not create complete villain characters for each fight. (For example: Just few notes on a piece of paper, standard characters modified, or do you improvise depending of the situation ...) What values from the character are important to you ... ? Just curious
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What the ... , Jakk Bey


Admit it, you were participating at the destruction of the first age solars!


This is mean,...  I like it!  


I'll play them smart ... hehe :twisted:
 
Like Jakk said, I've used numbers and clever ambushes before. Well, it was a clever ambush. One Solar had gotten high and mighty off his power and there happened to be a large Realm presence in the area. And they knew of these PCs already. Well divide and conquer was fun. I had four DBs gang up on the high and mighty Solar. Granted, he killed one, but the other three were in either Dragon Armor or light armor and thoroughly slashed him to bits.


Then the others, who had abandoned the fool to his fate (he really was an ass) and they got jumped a mile down the road by the Hunt's infantry and three other DBs. Then if they got out of that, I had a squad of ashigaru scout/rangers lying in wait for them further down. They would blend in, and either ambush or shadow them, directing another Hunt. The Realm wanted these people DEAD.
 
DBs are underpowered to roll against Solars mano a mano, and the older ones know that, so they would school their students from the old lessons.  And they've got Sidereals who know exactly how powerful their former allies were, and would school their best Solar Killing Units on better tactics than "Stand in a field and face them one on one."


Twelve on one even, with persistants and perfects is even a little silly.  So, you slit their weezands while they're sleeping.  While they're taking a dump.  While they're sleeping with that very attractive Water Aspect who is going to hold the bastard down while he's got his sword...sheathed.


Wyld Hunt don't play.  You want noble and very attractive targets for enemies, or do you want stone cold killers who don't mind putting large pieces of Jade into young skulls so they don't turn into First Age Monster Kings?  


The Wyld Hunt, a serious one, isn't going to play games.  They're going to have a Sidereal advisor, and that means they are going to have access to a lot more information than the Solars can get, and that means playing them smarter than Fearless Monster Stompers.  


Seriously.  Poison the fuckers first. Then wear them down a bit more with not just minions, to eat up that Essence, but with all sorts of hazards before the DBs even show up.  That means Demons, that means storms of arrows from ambuscade.  That means poisoned arrows from ambuscade.  That means hitting them when they ain't looking for it.  That means maybe blowing up a small child or two with firedust.  That means being so mean and nasty that the Solars can't ignore the threat.


So, the Solars are sitting down for a quiet meal. They figure they've ducked the Hunt.  They find an out of the way tavern, low key.  Roll some kegs of firedust from the skylight.  Before that, they get poisoned from the Water Aspect that is disguised as the cook.  Arrow storm as they run out, beating at the flames.  More Demons to wear them down.  That's right, loose some Blood Apes on an innocent neighborhood, because that will give them time to spend Essence fighting the fuckers, and the Hunt is going to have to sterilize the whole village anyway, right?  And spread the news of the Solars massacring the whole village to fuel Anathema fear.  


You need to make a Hunt that the Solars fear getting the attention of. Fear not only for themselves, but everyone around them.  


Smarter.  Not harder.
 
at the same time... provided your following the canon?


try to remember that the hunt is the victim of the dynastys budget cut's.


many of the artifacts, dragon blooded,and troops have been "appropiated" by the houses.
 
Several experienced Solars, rampaging around?  That is going to put things into perspective.  Especially with the attention of the Bronze Faction.  


A group of Solars has been out killing Dynasts, regularly?  That is their ass on a stick.   It's bad for business.  It's bad for the Dynasts.  Disrput enough things, and you're going to have the Guild footing some of the cost as well, because they want things to run nice and smooth.  The Houses have their differences, and a war of sucession to plan, but think of the fun to throw on the table by the House that leads a Hunt that puts Solar heads on pikes.  That is a rallying cry right there.  


While smart Solars can play the Realm against itself, just slaughtering Dynasts willy-nilly is only going to get them interested in doing bad things to the PCs.  


Jakk's Circle has made it a point NOT to just slaughter Dynasts.  That Circle has a good track record of convincing Dynasts to join them.  It makes the Dynasts recaltriant to send units after them, because they don't want to outfit the resistance.  That's part of their strategy, and keeping a good move on has kept a really nasty Hunt from tracking them down yet, but we aren't about to sit on our laurels, the hammer is going to drop, and we are preparing for the worst, because it is coming.


You think I'm nasty?  You should see the ST who's running this campaign...
 
You couldn't handle it.  It's too real for you.  It's just too real.  It hits hard like Mike.
 
Three 50 xps Solars aren't affraid of the wyld hunt? Strange, I have 3 400 xps solar with a sum of artifacts 13 each and they are scared shitless from the wyld hunt..then again we are playinga at a time berore the empress disappeared :twisted: .


Anyways I am pretty sure you can easily challenge three solars with a wyld hunt. Just use one elder DB form cult of the illuminated and a couple of less experienced. It all depends on how many xp's the DB have, and they ussually have more than 50.


Peleps Najah fromCotI for example could slay the three solars by herself.


To answer some of your questions:


I always prepare wyld hunts and dragonblooded in advance. 4-5 dragonblooded with charms, artifacts and hearthstones can't just be made up in the moment.  


Common tactics:


A member uses Whirwild shield form to protect herself and her companions fromranged attacks and then everyone attacks the anathema with ranged weapons while moving away from them. Must be at least 80 yards away for this to work.


Fire dragon style makes a 3+essence immaculate unhitable while allowing him to attack even by using charms. Use the form, spend every round 3 motes for flame flicker stance and everyone has a 8 difficulty to hit you. Use aggressive charms.


Earth dragon: Hungry earth and Weapon breaking Teq are great.


Pasiap Still Stands Style from earth aspect book: The post soak damage cancelling reflexive charm ensures that the DB has to run out of motes to die


Bellows pumbing stride and ranged weapons.


Safety among enemies dodge charm.


Use specialties.


Equip everyone with artifacts and hearhstones.


And most important of all DB can use any combination of reflexive charm+ 1 other type of charm per round without any problem. So i can use a relexive charm to defend my self and a supplemental to attack.


There are many other tactics but a I can't write them all here.


All in all a wyld has a lot of raw power to depend on(apart from clever and sneaky tricks). Even experienced lunars are afraid to enter the threshold because of it... and that says a lot.
 
I can usually build them in my head, and the most wicked Hunt I made had a combat protocol where all the members benefited from certain charms and man it was a wicked fight, on a docked ship no less with a riot going on in the harbor. It was wild and awesome stuff. And painful, mortally wounded one Solar, killed on other and they killed all the DBs...after blowing up the boat they were on, meaning the other ship in their 'fleet.'
 
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