Re: OOC2
Sorry, this is going to be LONG - please excuse me! :-( I'm just so excited about this battle I CAN'T HELP MYSELF (soooorry!! :-))
I agree, Angati, I don't think 7, 10 or 12 zombies would make a difference either - what makes the difference is the undead cleric. If we don't get him down, we are dead.
He can just stand back and heal his zombies faster than we can kill them, while they steadily chop us down. We had a hard time hitting them. It's a matter of time before they get a few hits in and take out our shield. Or he can kill us with his channeling, it just takes one or two lucky rolls.
I am not reassured by our first battle with them at all, and then they were only five. And the cleric got scared away. I don't think we'll be that lucky next time.
I very much agree with you both on the need for a bottle neck with our 'shield' up front (Alohan) and Logan invisible. But in my oppinion we need to focus everything on the cleric from the start. He need to go down within a round or two!
If we manage that, then we can use channeling on the zombies, while the shield holds them back at the bottle neck, while being supported by healers and oil archers. Channeling doesn't care if it is 1,5 or 20 zombies - and it doesn't care if there's a wall, cover or concealment.
But in my mind drawing them out and down the corridor would lock us down with the zombies. I would rather get the layout of the room they are in, and use that in a surprise attack, where we can set the pieces. As mentioned, Logan can get that layout, perhaps?
So my idea: one of us make a audible diversion (noise) at the barred double doors near the start, since they are directly in contact with the room they're in. At that moment, Logan slips in. Hence they don't see the door opening, as their attention is on the double doors. The diversion hurries back to the group.
What's essential in this plan, by the way, is that even though the undead cleric has an intelligence score, it's still dumb as a door knob. Intelligence 4 according to the stats John showed us - it's just above an animal, and can barely speak its' own language. I'm hoping (praying really) that the back story about his clever regrouping is just that - a story. We should be able to fool them with almost any diversion or trick. If it's really intelligent, we're toast.
Anyway, the cleric has a Will Save chance to be able to see him, but zombies automatically fail! So he may be able to scout it out without a care and slip back out when they don't look. They can't even hear him, so he can just call out to us beyond the door! Even if the cleric makes his save and manages to see him, he won't realise the zombies can't. He may try and point them to attack him, but they will just as soon attack the wall behind him. In that case, Logan can try and goad them around (but DO NOT attack or touch them, that ruins the spell), and line up the cleric without cover of the zombies and far from the door - then call us in for a surprise attack on him. Then we hit him hard - oil, silver, fire. We then fall back to the door (bottleneck) for cover.
Well, what do you guys think? Other options and oppinions?