Equiping the Wyld Hunt

[terrormortus]

I'm currently running a game and one of my characters used a few to many charms and went iconic (he used the bitch slap of epic healing too much). I've decided that the Wyld hunt is going to be making a visit as a result. My problem is that I want to make it slightly challenging but unsure what the hunt should include.


The troop includes a Solar who fails at combat but wins with social attacks, a warrior/healer solar, a combat focused schizophrenic infernal, a fairly decent mortal warrior, a solar martial artist, and a water aspect dragon-blood.


Does any one have any ideas on what the hunt should include? I want them to actually have a challenge but not to totally obliterate them.

 

[cyl]

May I suggest archers, lots of them. If they're close contact fighters, then you harass them with arrows and thrown weapons.


Also: grenades... smoke, sleep... anything that can handicap a celestial enough so that 20 mortals can take him down.


One note though... is the group totally blown, or are they coming only for one guy who went totemic ?!


That may make a big difference.

 

[terrormortus]

Funny story, the hunt was already looking for them. Our infernal went on a rampage through a house looking for medicine to cure himself and killed fifteen people as well as turning one person into a lamp. Also it was the wrong house. He then met our doctor (the same one who went icon later), they fought, the infernal lost, and more story stuff happened afterward. The Hunt (who has three dragon bloods sprinkled in to make my people start swearing) was originally after infernal and thought other guy was powerful and by observational evidence decided they were in cahoots. So they are looking for two.


Oh and my infernal bumped into them by accident, escaped and they are now looking for three(he has a charm that lets him look like other people, though he made himself look like a solar because of a character point). So they're looking for three of them.

 

[cyl]

Okay so... they mean business huh.


Well, I'd call gunzosha armored and dragon armored guys, as well as a few people with serious ranged damage, various sorts of grenades (inciendary, smoke, sleep)... and at least a few immaculates.

 

[Kyeudo]

The Realm can't deploy Gunzosha. That's pretty much a Lookshy-only item these days, and I think Ashigaru as well. Still, the Wyld Hunt will show up with lots of Ablative People Shielding and be bringing the biggest guns they can get their hands on, up to and including Warstriders if they can get them.

 

[terrormortus]

s on, up to and including Warstriders if they can get them.

Well I don't want to kill them...mostly. For now I think I'll stay with the current dragon-bloods, we've only had five sessions so far and no one's had a chance to gain significant experience. Lucky (not really I've planned for this) our dragon-blood, who's mine, has a sand ship so I can give them some time. So when the hunt catches up... Though I can't let them off scott free. I'm thinking one immaculate, a couple of DBs, and lets say...54ish mortal troops. My way of saying watch what you're doing.

ys, as well as a few people with serious ranged damage, various sorts of grenades (inciendary, smoke, sleep)

I'm liking these ideas, though I may have to leave out sleep due to short notice and the location being southern. My people are going to hate me, a lot.


Thanks for all of the help guys. I'm good for now but I still need to plan for the future. I'm thinking of making this a part of the campaign, being hounded by the Wyld Hunt and even having a few DBs as reoccurring villains might be nice.


What would you guys use for tactics. My current plan is to have mortal calvary harass them with ranged weapons and guerrilla warfare tactics to harass them and use up their essence. Then our Dragon-Bloods come in with their own charms to finish them. This will fail just because of some of the abilities of my exalts, but the DBs don't know that so I have to plan accordingly.

 

[Kyeudo]

Well I don't want to kill them...mostly. For now I think I'll stay with the current dragon-bloods, we've only had five sessions so far and no one's had a chance to gain significant experience. Lucky (not really I've planned for this) our dragon-blood, who's mine, has a sand ship so I can give them some time. So when the hunt catches up... Though I can't let them off scott free. I'm thinking one immaculate, a couple of DBs, and lets say...54ish mortal troops. My way of saying watch what you're doing.

For three combat-spec Solar-class Anathema, they are going to send a Hunt with only one Immaculate and less than a handful of Dragon-Blooded? That's just the NPCs asking to die. If you actually want to scare them, send an extra Immaculate or two and make it a full sworn brotherhood of Dragon-Blooded for their backup. Also, 54 mortals = 30 seconds worth of bloody slaughter for any Celestial Exalt. Send at least a wing of soldiers (250). Make your players understand that the Wyld Hunt is a serious threat, not a pushover.


Also, you overestimate the power of Warstriders.

What would you guys use for tactics. My current plan is to have mortal calvary harass them with ranged weapons and guerrilla warfare tactics to harass them and use up their essence. Then our Dragon-Bloods come in with their own charms to finish them. This will fail just because of some of the abilities of my exalts, but the DBs don't know that so I have to plan accordingly.

The Dragon-Blooded should play to their strengths. Softening up the Anathema with mortals is a good start, but once the fight gets to the Dragon-Blooded, the DBs are going to hemorage Essence trying to match a Celestial Exalt in battle. They'll need to use teamwork to keep the "tanky" memebers dealing with the hits and the others dishing out enough attacks to drain a Celestial's Essence pool.

 

[HowlingCoyote]

Well I don't want to kill them...

But the Wyld Hunt does. With a burning passion that can never be quenched. Your Circle represents everything that is evil, corrupting, dangerous, and threatening to the lives of everyone, everywhere. They must absolutely be killed!


The Hunt will come at them with a force designed to kill a Circle of Solars. Therefore, you need to design a Wyld Hunt cadre meant to kill a Circle of Solars. There is no point even launching this Hunt if it's not actually kitted out properly, or given the proper support. That's just sending Terrestrials to die, and strengthening the Anathema with the spoils of victory, which is heretical in itself. If the Hunt has any information about the Circle, they will be using all of it, to their best advantage. Absolutely no quarter will be given, no punches will be pulled, and that ruthlessness extends to anyone that aids the Circle as well.


So, if your Circle can't handle that, don't actually confront them. The Wyld Hunt will take some time arriving. Let that leak to the Circle somehow, as well as exactly what the Hunt is bringing with them. It should be obvious that it's time to get the hell out of Dodge. Let the Circle know, in no uncertain terms, that a Death Squad is coming for them, and will almost certainly succeed at its task if the Circle is still in town when the Hunt arrives. If the Circle chooses to fight the Wyld Hunt, then they should know that they will probably die, and they should face full onslaught they were warned about.


If you don't really want to play the Hunt to that level, then throw some locals at the Cirlce while the Hunt is stlll en route. Make that as tough or as weak as you want. Have the locals start to turn on the Anathema, if they haven't already, because they know what's coming, and want no part in it. But it should still be clear that, when the Wyld Hunt shows up, it's not going to be just a monk and a few of his buddies. They may defeat the local hit squad, but should take the escalating response as a cue to leave.


Edit - one last thing: demons! My Earth-Aspect Huntsman has at least a scale of combat demons summoned for Anathema combat. Principle of Motion, and a well timed series of Materialization can wreak havoc on perfect defenses, Essence, and WP. Any Anathema capable of banishing demons is a top-priority kill because they are a defense for the rest of the Circle. If there's no Anathema sorcerer, two dozen (or more) demons can be a serious problem while you're getting rained on by arrows, lashed by comboed Elemental Bolts, harried by elemental effects... facing the Wyld Hunt is bad, m'kay?

 

[cyl]

Tactics...


Hmm, depend on the environment.


Here's a few hints:


- control all escape routes (if the goal is to kill them, then the WH won't let them slip by them)


- choose the location of the fight (the WH picks its battle)


- try to control the space


- ambush


Don't use horses as close combat units. Horses can be stolen, and they're just mean for giving chase to runners.


Use spears, ropes, nets, piles of crazy monks, disarming weapons etc etc... when the WH is fighting demon kings (especially some who already have a body count and demonstrated their powers), it's not taking any chances... unless the leader is a total moron (which can happen).


Demons are also a good idea... but it's nasty.

 

[Ledaal Kajiri]

The Realm does have Ashigaru troops. The Black Helms, their police, even use it sometimes, primarilly the Imperial Force, whose duty is to handle crimes involving Dragonblooded. The Imperial Legions and Wyld Hunt have been known to field such as well. Gunzosha Armor is another question, although the manuals on their use and the manufacture of the Aegis Inset Amulets are known to be in the hands of the Imperial Legions. With three suspected Anathema, you're going to see serious force. Even if they aren't building armies, like the Bull of the North, it's likely they'll try to cut them down NOW instead of later when they have a nation backing them. Dragon Armor is a possibility, though it can be...essence intensive at times. Wood Dragon Armor, and it's ability to make enemy essence costs higher is a good choice, there. The variant of such that binds people in vines...not so much. More important than equipment though is WHO will come. Something like that sending a whole three Dragonblooded wouldn't be likely. 3 Anathema, one of which is probably stepping all over the Loom of Fate, in the case of the Infernal, and you're likely to see at least a Sidereal minder coming along, and probably something more like 15 Dragonblooded. That many Anathema that they know about, they aren't going to pussyfoot around.


Your little group of Dragonblooded most likely isn't an official Wyld Hunt, or studies in the school of incompetence if they are taking two scales and 3 Dragonblooded against a group with 3 known Anathema. Some young glory seekers might make that mistake. But they aren't likely to be professionals.

 

[Aasharu]

Send the relatively weak group of glory seekers at them, make it a tough fight, then let them find out that the actual Wyld Hunt is on it's way, and is 10 times tougher then what they just faced. That should send them running.

 

[strawberryleaves]

Regarding tactics, I'd suggest ambush over harassment. Using mortal troops to harass the characters may work in a pitched battle, but will also alert them that enemies are near. If the characters are in the South, the Hunt can get firedust. Once the Hunt locates where the characters are staying, they can pile on the firedust grenades and set them off. Much easier to nail Anathema when they're escaping from a burning building...


Of course, the characters should have a chance to notice strangers skulking around the place they're staying, and do something about it.