Forge Order proposal, 3rd month:

[] Soulforged Undead to assign at need (until further note and assignment, guarding Gogossos)

2000x Spitter Swarms - 60 IM each = 120,000 IM
500x Black Knights with Mobility Upgrade - 560 IM each = 280,000 IM
50x Black Champions - 5,360 IM each = 268,000 IM
25x Black Brutes - 4,700 IM each = 117,500 IM
20x Necro-Crakens - 4,880 IM each = 97,600 IM
500x Necrotic Molds - 450 IM each = 225,000 IM
25x Greater Bloodclot Molds - 28,800 IM each = 720,000 IM
100x Blood Clot Molds - 4,800 each = 480,000 IM

[] Inquisition Forces

30x Watchmoles - 1,320 IM each = 39,600 IM
10x Lindworms - 3,920 IM each = 39,200 IM
5x Very Old Myrkdreki (CR 15) - 28,800 IM each = 144,000 IM

Note: 10x Greater Bloodlot Molds; 10x Lindworms are pre-assigned for the 3rd month (Operation: Woodlouse).

[] 17x Roving Aquatic Patrols -- Narrow Sea (10x), Goggossos(1x), Braavos (1x);
(Preparing for: Rhoyne (1x); Old Town (1x), the Mander (1x), the Iron Isles (1x), Dragonstone (1x) - in Tyrosh until further notice)

1*17x Lead-clad Greater Bloodshark - 2,325 IM each - 2,325 IM per unit - 39,525 IM total
1*17x Lead-clad Black Brute - 4,880 IM each - 4,880 IM per unit - 82,960 IM total
5*17x Lead-clad Bloodshark - 1,035 IM each - 5,175 IM per unit - 87,975 IM total
20*17x Lead-clad Advanced Skeletal Narwhale - 220 IM each - 4,400 IM per unit - 74,800 IM total
50*17x Lead-clad Blood Seal - 45 IM each - 2,250 IM per unit - 38,250 IM total
76*17x Necrotic Mold - 300 IM each - 22,800 IM per unit - 387,600 IM total
1*17x Greater Bloodclot Mold - 28,800 IM each - 28,800 per unit - 489,600 IM total
[] Westerosi Aquatic Defense Groups (Reconquest Support and guarding the locations afterwards)
[12x: White Harbor, Gulltown, Duskendale, King's Landing, Greyport and Oldtown, Dragonstone, Driftmark, Bear Island, the Iron Islands, Sunspear, and Storm's End]
81*12x Hunter Jellyfish - 1,800 IM each = 1,749,600 IM
81*12x Black Knights with Mobility Upgrade - 560 IM each = 544,320 IM
72*12x Necrotic Molds - 450 IM each = 388,800 IM
9*12x Blood Clot Molds - 4,800 IM each = 518,400 IM
9*12x Advanced Dire Hunter Jellyfish (CR 10) - 4,800 IM each = 518,400 IM
8*12x Black Brutes - 4,700 IM each = 451,200 IM
8*12x Necrotic Molds (Black Brute controlling units) - 450 IM each = 43,200 IM
4*12x Vigilant Kelps (CR 4, 6 HD) - 660 IM each = 31,680 IM
1*12x Black Champion - 5,360 IM = 64,320 IM
1*12x Greater Bloodclot Mold (Black Champion controlling unit) - 28,800 IM = 345,600 IM
[] Iron Isles Additional Forces:
[2x Aquatic Defense Groups]

162x Hunter Jellyfish - 1,800 IM each = 291,600 IM
162x Black Knights with Mobility Upgrade - 560 IM each = 90,720 IM
144x Necrotic Molds - 450 IM each = 64,800 IM
18x Blood Clot Molds - 4,800 IM each = 86,400 IM
18x Advanced Dire Hunter Jellyfish (CR 10) - 4,800 IM each = 86,400 IM
16x Black Brutes - 4,700 IM each = 75,200 IM
16x Necrotic Molds (Black Brute controlling units) - 450 IM each = 7,200 IM
8x Vigilant Kelps (CR 4, 6 HD) - 660 IM each = 5,280 IM
2x Black Champion - 5,360 IM = 10,720 IM
2x Greater Bloodclot Mold (Black Champion controlling unit) - 28,800 IM = 57,600 IM

Total: 8.605.050 IM
 
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@Azel Aren't the rivers pretty dang big, too? You pointed out that since the chokepoints are narrow it shouldn't take that much effort to patrol, but can't the kind of infiltration you worried about mostly get around just watching one area into the river system by teleporting stuff up river, or heck if you wanted to get a lot of stuff moving just have one open a Gate a few times to get masses of stuff in place just before a larger attack.

There's not much we can do to stop that, though, so it makes me question the point of assigning anything to the rivers themselves. And granted, there's no harm in controlling the entrances, since it will never be logistically sound to Gate in raiding forces compared to sending hundreds of Skum and abominations upriver from the ocean itself.

I guess argument mostly retracted, it does deal with large groups of attackers, just not so much infiltrators, which is expected. Any determined enemy with access to magic is going to infiltrate you, your native defenses matter more in that respect.
Yeah, the main goal is catching large-scale troop movements and outposts. Since the patrols are fully mindblanked, we can prevent the Illithid from creating staging grounds close to our vulnerable assets, which is helping a lot, even if it has no chance of fully shutting down infiltration.

Once we get the Qohor forge, we can look into something more secure. I have a few ideas in that regard.
 
Mind you that we can also use the patrols to destroy ships in a pinch. The Narwhals can punch through a wooden hull with a few tries, the sharks can easily snap rudders and oars, and the Black Brute can turn a boat keel into kindling with a single strike.

They wouldn't be extremely fast or efficient when performing such an attack, but if necessary, they could stop a regular fleet dead in it's tracks.
 
Made the proposed switch. Ongoing plans and assignment tables are now under Apocrypha instead of Informational.
 
Forge Order proposal, 3rd month:

[] Soulforged Undead to assign at need (until further note and assignment, guarding Gogossos)

2000x Spitter Swarms - 60 IM each = 120,000 IM
500x Black Knights with Mobility Upgrade - 560 IM each = 280,000 IM
50x Black Champions - 5,360 IM each = 268,000 IM
25x Black Brutes - 4,700 IM each = 117,500 IM
20x Necro-Crakens - 4,880 IM each = 97,600 IM
500x Necrotic Molds - 450 IM each = 225,000 IM
25x Greater Bloodclot Molds - 28,800 IM each = 720,000 IM
100x Blood Clot Molds - 4,800 each = 480,000 IM

[] Inquisition Forces

30x Watchmoles - 1,320 IM each = 39,600 IM
10x Lindworms - 3,920 IM each = 39,200 IM

Note: 10x Greater Bloodlot Molds; 10x Lindworms are pre-assigned for the 3rd month (Operation: Woodlouse).

[] 17x Roving Aquatic Patrols -- Narrow Sea (10x), Goggossos(1x), Braavos (1x);
(Preparing for: Rhoyne (1x); Old Town (1x), the Mander (1x), the Iron Isles (1x), Dragonstone (1x) - in Tyrosh until further notice)

1*17x Lead-clad Greater Bloodshark - 2,325 IM each - 2,325 IM per unit - 39,525 IM total
1*17x Lead-clad Black Brute - 4,880 IM each - 4,880 IM per unit - 82,960 IM total
5*17x Lead-clad Bloodshark - 1,035 IM each - 5,175 IM per unit - 87,975 IM total
20*17x Lead-clad Advanced Skeletal Narwhale - 220 IM each - 4,400 IM per unit - 74,800 IM total
50*17x Lead-clad Blood Seal - 45 IM each - 2,250 IM per unit - 38,250 IM total
76*17x Necrotic Mold - 300 IM each - 22,800 IM per unit - 387,600 IM total
1*17x Greater Bloodclot Mold - 28,800 IM each - 28,800 per unit - 489,600 IM total
[] Westerosi Aquatic Defense Groups (Reconquest Support and guarding the locations afterwards)
[12x: White Harbor, Gulltown, Duskendale, King's Landing, Greyport and Oldtown, Dragonstone, Driftmark, Bear Island, the Iron Islands, Sunspear, and Storm's End]
81*12x Hunter Jellyfish - 1,800 IM each = 1,749,600 IM
81*12x Black Knights with Mobility Upgrade - 560 IM each = 544,320 IM
72*12x Necrotic Molds - 450 IM each = 388,800 IM
9*12x Blood Clot Molds - 4,800 IM each = 518,400 IM
9*12x Advanced Dire Hunter Jellyfish (CR 10) - 4,800 IM each = 518,400 IM
8*12x Black Brutes - 4,700 IM each = 451,200 IM
8*12x Necrotic Molds (Black Brute controlling units) - 450 IM each = 43,200 IM
4*12x Vigilant Kelps (CR 4, 6 HD) - 660 IM each = 31,680 IM
1*12x Black Champion - 5,360 IM = 64,320 IM
1*12x Greater Bloodclot Mold (Black Champion controlling unit) - 28,800 IM = 345,600 IM
[] Iron Isles Additional Forces:
[2x Aquatic Defense Groups]

162x Hunter Jellyfish - 1,800 IM each = 291,600 IM
162x Black Knights with Mobility Upgrade - 560 IM each = 90,720 IM
144x Necrotic Molds - 450 IM each = 64,800 IM
18x Blood Clot Molds - 4,800 IM each = 86,400 IM
18x Advanced Dire Hunter Jellyfish (CR 10) - 4,800 IM each = 86,400 IM
16x Black Brutes - 4,700 IM each = 75,200 IM
16x Necrotic Molds (Black Brute controlling units) - 450 IM each = 7,200 IM
8x Vigilant Kelps (CR 4, 6 HD) - 660 IM each = 5,280 IM
2x Black Champion - 5,360 IM = 10,720 IM
2x Greater Bloodclot Mold (Black Champion controlling unit) - 28,800 IM = 57,600 IM

Total: 8.461.050 IM

Anything else we should throw in into the order, y'all?
We could start on producing our "standardized" groups for the protection of administrative/strategic facilities with an eye for dropping them immediately once we take such in Westeros, now.

@Crake, how much money we can possibly throw away that way?
Also, you and @Azel might want to tell me outright which cities we'll be putting the basic groups in.

4x Plant-Imbued Shadow Creature Cats (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 6 HD) - 4,800 IM total
8x Advanced Sorcerer Creature Snapdragon Leshy (w/+8 Racial HD) (CR 10, 14 HD) - 38,400 IM total
2x Druid Creature Treants - (CR 10, 7 HD) - 9,600 IM total
30x Verdant Kingfisher (CR 2, 2 HD) - 9.000 IM total
3x Verdant Ravens [Advanced Plant-Imbued Giant Raven (w/+4 Racial HD)] (CR 6, 6 HD) - 3,600 IM total
20x Black Knights (Mobility Upgrade) - 11,200 IM total
20x Tuogou, CR 4 - 12,000 IM total
5x Vigilant Briars (CR 4) - 3,300 IM total
2x Plant-Imbued Shadow Creature Cats (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 6 HD) - 2,400 IM total
5x Verdant Wolves - (CR 6, 6 HD) - 6,000 IM total
3x Advanced Sorcerer Creature Snapdragon Leshy (w/+8 Racial HD) (CR 10, 14 HD) - 14,400 IM total
10x Black Knights - 4,900 IM total
1x Wyrmling Myrkdreki Dragons, CR 3 - 450 IM
3x Vigilant Briars (CR 4) - 1,980 IM total
1x Black Champions - 5,360 IM
10x Black Knights (Mobility Upgrade) - 5.600 IM total
20x Spitter Swarms - 1,200 IM total
2x Plant-Imbued Shadow Creature Cats (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 6 HD) - 2,400 IM total
2x Verdant Wolves - (CR 6, 6 HD) - 2,400 IM total
10x Verdant Kingfisher (CR 2, 2 HD) - 3,000 IM total
1x Advanced Sorcerer Creature Snapdragon Leshy (w/+8 Racial HD) (CR 10, 14 HD) - 4,800 IM
1x Verdant Ravens [Advanced Plant-Imbued Giant Raven (w/+4 Racial HD)] (CR 6, 6 HD) - 1,200 IM total
3x Vigilant Briars (CR 4) - 1,980 IM total
2x Plant-Imbued Shadow Creature Cat (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 6 HD) - 2,400 IM total
10x Black Knights - 4,800 IM total
20x Spitter Swarms - 1,200 IM total
10x Verdant Kingfisher (CR 2, 2 HD) - 6,000 IM total
1x Verdant Raven [Advanced Plant-Imbued Giant Raven (w/+4 Racial HD)] (CR 6, 6 HD) - 1,200 IM total
1x Advanced Sorcerer Creature Snapdragon Leshy (w/+8 Racial HD) (CR 10, 14 HD) - 4,800 IM total
2x Vigilant Briars (CR 4) - 1,320 IM total
2x Verdant Wolves - 2,400 IM total
2x Advanced Druid Lotus Leshy - 4,800 IM total
1x Druid Treant - 4,800 IM
1x Watchmole (CR 6) - 1,320 IM
81x Hunter Jellyfish - 1,800 IM each = 145,800 IM
81x Black Knights with Mobility Upgrade - 560 IM each = 45,360 IM
72x Necrotic Molds - 450 IM each = 32,400 IM
9x Blood Clot Molds - 4,800 IM each = 43,200 IM
9x Advanced Dire Hunter Jellyfish (CR 10) - 4,800 IM each = 43,200 IM
8x Black Brutes - 4,700 IM each = 37,600 IM
8x Necrotic Molds (Black Brute controlling units) - 450 IM each = 3,600 IM
4x Vigilant Kelps (CR 4, 6 HD) - 660 IM each = 2,640 IM
1x Black Champion - 5,360 IM
1x Greater Bloodclot Mold (Black Champion controlling unit) - 28,800 IM
1x Lead-clad Greater Bloodshark - 2,325 IM each - 2,325 IM per unit - 23,250 IM total
1x Lead-clad Black Brute - 4,880 IM each - 4,880 IM per unit - 48,800 IM total
5x Lead-clad Bloodshark - 1,035 IM each - 5,175 IM per unit - 51,750 IM total
20x Lead-clad Advanced Skeletal Narwhale - 220 IM each - 4,400 IM per unit - 44,000 IM total
50x Lead-clad Blood Seal - 45 IM each - 2,250 IM per unit - 22,500 IM total
76x Necrotic Mold - 300 IM each - 22,800 IM per unit - 228,000 IM total
1x Greater Bloodclot Mold - 28,800 IM each - 28,800 per unit

A city without open water access and with no scholarum/legion centre will only need "Administrative Facilities".
...And a "Heart Tree" once we actually raise one (Healing, likely) in every city.

An Aquatic Defense group per significant city with water, with one Roving Aquatic Patrol nearby, sounds safe enough.
 
For the aquatic guards we should add a bit of surveillance gear if we can swing it.

Riversight lets the caster move their senses for 1/2 mile /CL upriver and 2 miles/CL downriver, and lasts 1 minute /CL. I don't know if we have any of these available at the moment, but it's a level 3 cleric and level 2 druid spell so it should be easy enough to get.

Flowsight lets the caster perceive anything in contact with the water within 60ft of the point they're touching.


Echo Skull turns an animal skull into camera with a mic and speaker. It has infinite range and lasts 1 hour/CL, so an item to cast it on some skulls would make for an efficient observation net.

Pairing the above with something to hide the spell's aura would make it more secure, it I'm not sure if the effort is worth it for temporary stuff like this.
 
For the aquatic guards we should add a bit of surveillance gear if we can swing it.

Riversight lets the caster move their senses for 1/2 mile /CL upriver and 2 miles/CL downriver, and lasts 1 minute /CL. I don't know if we have any of these available at the moment, but it's a level 3 cleric and level 2 druid spell so it should be easy enough to get.

Flowsight lets the caster perceive anything in contact with the water within 60ft of the point they're touching.

Echo Skull turns an animal skull into camera with a mic and speaker. It has infinite range and lasts 1 hour/CL, so an item to cast it on some skulls would make for an efficient observation net.

Pairing the above with something to hide the spell's aura would make it more secure, it I'm not sure if the effort is worth it for temporary stuff like this.
The patrols are going to have a decent amount of Cleric and Druid spellcasting available, so preparing useful aquatic spells will be easy for them. Equipping them all with magic items would be expensive and time consuming for questionable utility, IMO.

Living Patrol Contingent said:
1 Advanced Sorcerer Creature Kelpie (w/+12 Racial HD) (CR 10; 4,800 IM)
1 Plant-Imbued Coral Drake (CR 10, 11 HD)
1 Advanced Plant-Imbued Druid Creature Orca (CR 10, 9 HD)
1 Aquatic Cleric Creature Jesulan (CR 10, 12 HD)
1 Kelp Golems (Reskinned Aquatic Pumpkin Golem) (CR 8, 8 HD)
2 Advanced Aquatic Snapdragon Leshy (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 10 HD)
2 Advanced Plant-Imbued Gigantean Manta Ray (CR 6, 12 HD)
2 Vigilant Kelps (CR 4, 6 HD)
5 Advanced Plant-Imbued Orca (CR 8, 9 HD)
10 Plantblood Bladeleaf Sea Cats (CR 6, 6 HD)
10 Plant-Imbued Electric Eel (w/+6 Racial HD) (CR 6, 10 HD)
10 Advanced Druid Creature Seaweed Leshy (CR 6, 4 HD)
10 Advanced Kelpie (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6; 9 HD)
40 Advanced Plant-Imbued Giant Hippocampus (CR 6, 2 HD)
 
would be expensive and time consuming for questionable utility, IMO.
And even less possible to keep track of than stuff already is.
There is a reason I just made everything I could into "standard groups" there above.
We'd be fucked trying to keep track otherwise.

I'll revamp the whole "Assignment of Special Forces"-tab once I'm done with the school practice in ~a month with less BS.
We'll be having maaaaany cities with same and same groups assigned to each.

I will think that my idea about assigning "hp" values to each group type and then paying off any damage it has is more sensible than keeping track of individual creatures.
 
I will think that my idea about assigning "hp" values to each group type and then paying off any damage it has is more sensible than keeping track of individual creatures.
Given that the HP can be wildly different, I'd just add up the CR scores of the creatures to get the final "value" of each group. That is somewhat more representative of the actual combat power of a force.
 
Even, then, not all CR is built equally. There are some things of relatively high CR that can't do anything at all to another group of "equal" CR.
 
Not to mention the fact that each patrol group is made up of many different creatures, from low to high CR with a wide range of HP. Tracking by HP damage can also be problematic because each patrol group has multiple members who are self-healing, along with loads of healing magic available to their spellcasters.
 
Even, then, not all CR is built equally. There are some things of relatively high CR that can't do anything at all to another group of "equal" CR.
True, but I feel it's at least semi-representative when bunched together. And ultimately, it's just an abstraction to keep the bookkeeping down, not a substitute for real fights.
 
I didn't really mean "HP" as the hp we're used to dealing with.

We just need an arbitrary parameter to signify how much health/surviving members a unit has, so we don't keep track of every individual.

CR sounds good enough, I suppose? I'm not sure about the details yet, though.
Maybe keeping track of "highest personal CR" would make sense too, so, say, a Harbringer isn't swarmed by a hundred imps to death?

Something something, thinking up new mechanics is hard.
 
I didn't really mean "HP" as the hp we're used to dealing with.

We just need an arbitrary parameter to signify how much health/surviving members a unit has, so we don't keep track of every individual.

CR sounds good enough, I suppose? I'm not sure about the details yet, though.
Maybe keeping track of "highest personal CR" would make sense too, so, say, a Harbringer isn't swarmed by a hundred imps to death?

Something something, thinking up new mechanics is hard.

CR is not really a measure of how strictly survivable something is. These are at their base monsters you send out against PCs so it's more a measure of how lethal they are. We need a system for mas combat. I'll start working at one in the background as I have the time
 
For anyone interested the mass combat system I'm using is mostly adapted from Legendary Games' Ultimate battle/Ultimate Commander/Ultimate War books, not sure how much of that I can post here without running into copyright issues.
 
What i used were some third party pathfinder rules adapted off the cuff, that gave me headcheese probably from insufficient note-taking.

It is unreasonable to make mass combat scale equally when it is literally impossible for some units to effect other units meaningfully without extenuating circumstances involved using the vast array of rules to make such a circumstance possible.

Unless you intentionally play off traditional D&D scaling to ensure CR appropriate encounters with perfect solutions exist in every situation, but then I invite you to post the sheets for all special monsters or unit types you are introducing because it kind of invites frustration on the players part if we go through the trouble of making monsters to accomplish a job, and the enemy always have perfect intelligence on our own doctrine. Which is frankly fucking ridiculous.
 
Unless you intentionally play off traditional D&D scaling to ensure CR appropriate encounters with perfect solutions exist in every situation, but then I invite you to post the sheets for all special monsters or unit types you are introducing because it kind of invites frustration on the players part if we go through the trouble of making monsters to accomplish a job, and the enemy always have perfect intelligence on our own doctrine. Which is frankly fucking ridiculous.

That would be silly and destroy the narrative, the world has to develop organically according to the story not like bloody skyrim. Definitely not doing that, don't worry.
 
...wasn't such scaling more of an Oblivion thing..?
 
...wasn't such scaling more of an Oblivion thing..?
In both.
It was somewhat less extreme in Skyrim, but still bad enough.

For example bandits in Skyrim might not suddenly wear armor worth more than any common house, but they do scale in level up to 25, so you have essentially archmages and blademasters running around and trying to steal minor sums of money from you.
 
Part MMMDCLVII: Reports from the War of Three Spheres
Reports from the War of Three Spheres

Twenty Ninth Day of the Second Month 294 AC

Ashen Cysts: Through a massive investment of forces on the side of the Peerless Empire, including armies of oreads and mortals, xorn infiltrators and engines of wrought for the purpose, three of the great ashen fortresses came under attacks so heavy such as has not been seen in decades, perhaps centuries. Still, to commit such a force to a single attack would have been an act of folly bordering on madness were it not for the final ingredient of this bloody brew, treachery. The commanders of two of the Cyst Cities fell to coups organized by subordinates paid off in shaitan glass, allowing many of the arcane defenses to be lowered just as the final assault began. A third coup failed when faced with a sufficiently paranoid malik, but when the final tally was taken none could doubt that the Opal Throne came out ahead of the gambit.

The fortresses are currently garrisoned by some of the same army elements that aided in their taking, but in the long term the Peerless Empire has no interest of expanding its influence that far. It is entirely possible the Sultana was sincere in offering the renegade efreeti rule of the cities. The caste of Pale Ones, who have been indoctrinated more than any azer slave or ifrit janissary, prove to be a unique challenge, however only time will tell what the Sultana and her council decides to do with them.

River of Tears: The River of Tears returns to a stalemate after the losses of the last few months, with most of the vital convoys getting through but at the cost of stronger escorts than the Brazen Throne might prefer.

Sea of Fire: While some salamander clans remained focused on countering efreeti forces in their domain, many have scattered hither and yon looking for easy plunder and likely to become that themselves if they do not organize again. Whether that is enemy action or simple greed your allies cannot say for certain.

Div's Delight: More div begin to appear in the realm that bears their name, cursed spirits woken from slumber or the heralds of something worse? Spies and oracles alike are yet blind to the answer, though the front grows more uneasy with every new sighting. The shaitan would welcome investigators who can look at the conundrum with new eyes if you can spare anyone capable of enduring the grinding war of that wretched realm.

Veil of Brimstone: The djinn have withdrawn most of their mobile assets from the front for the moment following last month's loses, leaving behind light ships and infiltrators to shadow efreeti operations. Plans are in the works for a surprise offensive on the front in two to four months after the enemy's vigilance has waned and their eye has been drawn to other quarters.

What next?

[] Write in

OOC: The way I'm handling these rolls is that I have one big 'does anything happen dice' at the beginning and only if an event triggers do I get into the details of the front shifting dramatically. That keeps things from looking too volatile. This is after all a war that has lasted for thousands of years.
 
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