A successful invasion of Darkon?

[HuManBing]

What about trained falcons with that kind of device attached to them? They could be trained to fly and detonate in kamikaze attack. Set loose a few of those and you might well take incapacitate a dragon. Plus it could be a parallel to real life german army that in WWII used trained dogs with explosives attached to them to take out tanks by getting under them and blowing them up from below.

This is excellent stuff! The Allies in WWII also tried to train bats to nest under bridges, so they could have small quantities of explosives attached to them and then detonated. I like this a lot!

Also, the mention of hawks brings up another important aspect of the Falkovnian-Darkonian war. The Falkovnians already have trained hawksmen who can handle raptors. While these probably won't be used against infantry, they would be invaluable as aerial reconnaissance units. The interesting thing is, Darkon has some too - although less capable of battle. Azalin has access to Corvus Regis (introduced in Gaz2), which can act as messengers and scouts. So I'd imagine the Falkovnians and Darkonians would have some interesting mid-air drone-to-drone combat too!

On Nartok: Death was "born" there, but neither Lowellyn Dachine nor the Eternal Order were based there otherwise.

So Dachine became Death at that location in Grim Harvest I? I don't have my books with me but I thought that happened in Karg or Il Aluk...

Oh yeah.... how does GURPS do magic anyways? Is it free form? I mean slaming a large chunk of rock up from the ground is enough to throw a dragon off balance. xD

There are several systems, all of which I personally consider somewhat superior to anything the DnD line has ever put out. But rather than bore you with the details here, Check my signature for the GURPS Ravenloft thread, which shows the different magic types in the table of contents. (Note: there are about a dozen GURPS magic systems at least - I have only done maybe three or four of them. One variant, "Ritual Path Magic", was developed after I did the conversion work, and it has won a lot of commendations on the GURPS forums for being a freeform, technically consistent magic system.)

[Zilfer]

I'll check into it.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

While these probably won't be used against infantry, they would be invaluable as aerial reconnaissance units.

Only if the hawks can communicate what they see to their handlers. Familiars could do that, but regular trained hawks probably not.

Azalin has access to Corvus Regis (introduced in Gaz2)

Nitpick: Introduced in Tower of Doom. Given stats for the first time in Gaz2, though.

[HuManBing]

While these probably won't be used against infantry, they would be invaluable as aerial reconnaissance units.

Only if the hawks can communicate what they see to their handlers. Familiars could do that, but regular trained hawks probably not.

Good point. I had actually been thinking about intercepting messages carried by the crows too, which the raptors could do on their own even if they can't directly communicate to their handlers.

I could imagine the Falkovnians allowing "bird whisperers" into their ranks, even if they were weird occultist mystic types (e.g. druids) simply because they could speak with the birds. They would probably still have to complete at least some of the training, but they wouldn't be expected to heft halberd and don plate like the rest of the grunts.

[Nathan of the FoS]

How are you planning on handling dragonfear in GURPS? Will animals (even trained animals) be willing and able to approach Ebb? Dire eagles might be big enough to be shaken instead of panicked by dragonfear, in 3.5 terms, but even as falconry-oriented a country as Falkovnia can't have many trained dire eagles around.

[HuManBing]

I'm not using any supernatural fear mechanic for dragons - they're huge and dangerous predators, to be sure, and one could reasonably feel intense fear in their presence... But that is born of normal self preservation and logical thought. A completely clueless newborn baby, for example, might be entirely unfazed by Ebb's presence because it simply doesn't know any better.

So to answer your question, fighting Ebb would be something you could conceivably train Falkovnian soldiers to do - especially if you pumped them up on stimulants beforehand. It would be similar to sending insurgents with guns and grenades against a main battle tank: daunting, but with enough military rigor it's an undertaking you can reduce to a field operation's parameters.

Specific to Ebb, I was wondering how to model a Shadow Dragon in GURPS, as the game system does not use levels. Given Ebb's background from an irradiated asteroid in the void around a dying star, I thought it could be fun to give her a dual breath weapon of sleeting radiation or implosive vacuum. If things got really desperate, she might be able to produce an antimatter bolus, surrounded by just enough vacuum to allow her to shadow-gate away before the annihilation process occurred. This takes her away from the medieval themed shadow dragon and more into a sci fi noir type of "dragon of the void", which is actually parallel to how I see Azalin's experiments developing (though obviously the campaign would have to adjust its tech context for this).

Obviously, something to be deployed on a very careful basis...

[The Pickled Punk]

Your mention of Ebb is important: if she were set loose on the battlefield, things would turn very bad for the Falkovnians very quickly. In terms of mass combat, what could a strong, well-equipped medieval army do against a dragon?

Go on a quest for the Silver Arm of Ergoth and the Hammer of Kharas in hopes of forging Dragonlances? In practical terms, there isn't much that Drakov's mages and scientists can do, especially if Azalin rides Ebb into the battle. A lich riding a dragon can alter the course of a battle, and terrify even hardened troops. Fly spells and potions, ranged attacks and spells can mitigate the advantage of a flying mount, but Shadow Dragons have a breath weapon that causes energy drain (negative levels in 3.X), they have bite, claw and tail attacks, and Azalin doesn't need to control Ebb, only give her orders, so he can cast area spells against Drakov's troops.

The best solution is to use flying carpets, with one person on each carpet piloting with the others casting spells, firing muskets and crossbows and (if they're suicidal) jumping off the carpet onto Ebb's back and engaging Azalin in melee combat.

[The Pickled Punk]

Specific to Ebb, I was wondering how to model a Shadow Dragon in GURPS, as the game system does not use levels. Given Ebb's background from an irradiated asteroid in the void around a dying star, I thought it could be fun to give her a dual breath weapon of sleeting radiation or implosive vacuum. If things got really desperate, she might be able to produce an antimatter bolus, surrounded by just enough vacuum to allow her to shadow-gate away before the annihilation process occurred. This takes her away from the medieval themed shadow dragon and more into a sci fi noir type of "dragon of the void", which is actually parallel to how I see Azalin's experiments developing (though obviously the campaign would have to adjust its tech context for this).

Obviously, something to be deployed on a very careful basis...

I'm not too familiar with the game mechanics for GURPS, but D&D Shadow Dragons have generally been described as having a connection to the Demiplane of Shadow. They don't really suck the life out of the living the way vampires or spectres do with their energy drain, but instead their breath causes the living to wither away. Perhaps those exposed to her breath experience excelerated aging, with their hair turning white, their muscles losing strength and their bodies begining to decay. Or it might cause a supernatural malaise, with the victim's body unchanged, but feeling an overwhelming sense that their death is imminent. As a result they lose their will to live, slowly becoming less and less able to take actions.

In terms of dragonfear, D&D dragons have a supernatural aura that overwhelms non-dragons. Some creatures, like Kobolds, are able to channel the fear into a sort of devotion, with Kobolds forming cults dedicated to serving a dragon out of fear. In the Dragonlance novels, the first time the companions encounter a dragon, at Xak Tharos (sp?), the entire group, except Tasslehoff (who is immune to fear as a Kender, except from undead like Lord Soth) and Goldmoon (who was clutching the Staff of Mishakal) was gripped with terror. If not for a deus ex machina from the Staff, they would have had a TPK.

What are the rules for fear in GURPS? Does fear affect animals more strongly than humans? If so, Ebb could sow chaos by just buzzing over a Falkovnian camp, causing the horses and oxen for the knights and wagons to stampede. Even if the Talons are unaffected by Ebb's dragonfear, they might be trampled to death by panicked beasts, and would have to spend precious time herding the animals back to their enclosures, while Azalin takes shots at them with long range spells.

[herkles]

Something Else to keep in mind is how would other realms react to the war?

Dementlieu for instance has a strong hatred for Falkovina, so from the Darkonian perspective their could be a few men and women who decide to fight against Drakov on the Darkonian side.

For drakov you have his relationship to Invidia so perhaps Malalcho would have some suplies and tricks to give to him and Lamordia might also be willing to provide some stranger things for the invasion. Also one should perhaps not ignore Nova Vaasa which is a large nation that borders Darkon. Perhaps Oathmar takes advantage of this by issuing privateers or maybe he uses this to launch his own invasion against some islands or other parts of the core while Azalin is distracted?

[HuManBing]

I've refined my design of Ebb, the Voidwyrm.

Weapons: four claws, tail, bite. (No wings.)

Ebb is a master of the Void, able to generate powerful vacuums through creating pockets of nullity. She resembles a long, slender snake with no wings, and she flies by leaping into the sky and setting up a rail of nullity pockets just ahead of her intended path, causing a strong vacuum force to gracefully pull her through any fluid medium, including most breathable atmospheres. This flight is so tightly controlled that she can switch direction instantaneously, and can even fly sideways or backwards.

The downside to this is that she cannot make stealthy approaches easily, because her method of locomotion usually requires a medium-strength wind at all times centered just ahead of her, and animals with fur will definitely note static effects. Humans may also smell the strong odor of ozone when she flies through oxygen-rich atmospheres.

As such, she has no wings, which removes the main aerodynamic combat vulnerability from her profile. She can use this annihilating power to tunnel through soft rocks and rubble, but for solid rock she takes too long to be effective in combat.

Her breath weapon is selectable: she can breathe a cone of radiation, which causes immediate heat damage to anything normally susceptible to such, with a follow up effect of radiation sickness for those unlucky enough to survive (treat as a toxin, so undead and constructs are immune). Or, she can breathe a "cloud" of choking vacuum, which causes a thunderclap at its detonation point, doing crushing damage, as well as choking and deafening living creatures nearby.

Ebb does not need to breathe - her species' alien equivalent of biological living functions are provided by a tiny antimatter bolus in her gut, like a bezoar. The antimatter replenishes itself incrementally through an exotic process not understood by current science - it is expended at exceedingly low rates to provide the Voidwyrm with energy. If she must, Ebb can expel the bolus wrapped in a charged vacuum sheath, allowing her a few seconds to teleport or dimension jump away; the resultant reaction between the bolus and the surroundings will be extremely energetic - roughly on par with the largest of fission bombs, but with no risk of contaminants from fallout, owing to complete mass reaction.

Although immune to most types of biological system failures, Ebb is vulnerable to anything that could risk rupturing her bolus containment organs. Anything that can bypass her torso DR will make her very hesitant to continue fighting. Likewise, sufficient damage to her head will jeopardize her sense organs and force a withdrawal.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Wouldn't flying by creation of a series of vacuums in the way you describe be pretty noisy, as the displaced air collapses back into the space it occupied? Also, how big is she?

[High Priest Mikhal]

In regards to falcons, one word: rangers. Remember that rangers have speak with animals on their spell lists and they're the only kind of spellcaster tolerated by the Falkovnian army. An animal companion would have several additional advantages over just plain trained falcons as well.

[HuManBing]

Wouldn't flying by creation of a series of vacuums in the way you describe be pretty noisy, as the displaced air collapses back into the space it occupied? Also, how big is she?

True. It would probably add to the fright check when normal humans see her - here's this sinuous, terrifyingly fast creature moving at the midpoint of a roiling thunderstorm...

In cases where stealth is required, presumably Ebb can teleport as well (otherwise the bolus attack becomes a suicide retributive strike). I'm not sure how to build this into her "Dragon of the Void" concept - maybe it's an energetically expensive undertaking, so she does it only rarely. For a shadow dragon I think it was a Dimension Door between low-light areas, but I'm not sure. Then again, any creature associated with space and sci-fi vacuums could probably have some number of hyperspatial handwave teleport powers... and this is all purely an exercise to make Ebb a little different from the average medieval-level dragon so commonly seen in RPGs.

Yes, Bing, but what of the Falkovnian response?

All of this is just academic if I can't think of some effective way for the Falkovnians to confront her, so onwards to discussion about their tactics, wayward or otherwise.

I'm away from my books for the moment, but was there a magical construct hawk type of servitor called a "Bloodhawk"? I recall using one in my older Agency campaign in 2006 (with the strong implication that it had DR and was a magically animated statue) but I can't remember if that was something I just invented or whether it came from Legacy of Blood or Gaz2. It's possible that the Falkovnians might prepare a number of these, equip them with explosives, and bring them into Darkon to give them some sort of defensive potential against Ebb. Being constructs, the issue of dragonfear is moot, and at least one of Ebb's breath weapons cannot stop them (the radiation attack), although they would still have to be leery of her vacuum breath attack. (And if Ebb is statted as a straight-up Shadow Dragon, then her breath is completely useless against them.)

If they're released against her while she's busy exchanging fire with Falkovnian archers, then in the distraction and confusion it's relatively likely that at least some of them will get through. The bombing run is unlikely to kill her outright, but may inflict enough damage to force her away from the battlefield to heal up.

Once again, this idea encounters the same thematic reservations that I have about arming Falkovnia with constructs of any type (viz., Darkon should be the nation with greater magical defenses than Falkovnia, Azalin is a skilled construct maker, the Enlightenment style domains should be the ones to make first inroads to mechanical constructs, etc.).

However, I have fewer problems with the idea of Drakov commissioning construct hawks as part of his personal liking for preybirds - it would help distinguish the Falkovnian focus on construct research from the fantasy-gothic golems of Darkon and the mechanistic clockwork output of the Enlightenment nations.

In regards to falcons, one word: rangers. Remember that rangers have speak with animals on their spell lists and they're the only kind of spellcaster tolerated by the Falkovnian army. An animal companion would have several additional advantages over just plain trained falcons as well.

Excellent, that fits in just fine. The Falkovnians probably would have a very limited stock of construct hawks specifically to take out Ebb or other hardpoints, but they could have a veritable squadron of living hawks for recon and intel purposes.

[HuManBing]

Operational Overview:

Border clearing - Baron Curwen will provide intel allowing the Falkovnians to raid and destroy border watch facilities without engaging Darkonian forces in major battles. The Falkovnians will be under strict orders not to kill enemy forces unnecessarily. In my campaign, this was three watch tower facilities and one main border garrison.

Mine clearing - not explosive mines, but rather the iron mines that would supply Nartok with arms and armor self-sufficiently. In my campaign, this is a nearby settlement in hilly terrain. Darkon undoubtedly has iron elsewhere, but taking out the primary nearby source of weapons-grade iron ore will render the town vulnerable to an embargo through siege.

Border attack - with the Darkonian watch facilities blinded, the Falkovnian forces can begin an artillery strike against border fortifications. Artillery deployed overnight will overwhelm Darkonian static defenses at the border and force a personnel retreat. The Falkovnian invasion force will press them back to allow their rush forces to get to Nartok as an advance guard. The rush forces must rely on Baron Curwen's intel to avoid known Darkonian defensive positions and reach Nartok by midday. This attack will be timed at a point when Darkonian General Volker is out in the field with the main force of the Darkonian army.

Capture of Nartok - Baron Curwen will turn over the town to the Falkovnians. The Falkovnian force will first send a cavalry force to speed north from the border and enter the city. The goal is to seize the city before a Darkonian civil or police resistance can be organized. (In my campaign, the PCs thwarted this initial sudden attempt, resulting in a siege of a few days.)

Siege of Nartok - assuming the initial bloodless seizure fails, the Falkovnians have a plan B. The remainder of the heavy forces will arrive three hours behind the rider rush force, and will fortify at the gate positions to cut off the city. The engineers and siege and supply will arrive with heavy infantry guard a few hours after them, and immediately set to work erecting field defenses (berms, ditches, watch towers, fences) at the gates to harden their defensive posture. All defenses will be primarily focused outwards for the time being, with the objective of establishing a cordon to fend off the nighttime attacks of the Creeping Death, with a secondary objective being to make the Darkonian army's return to Nartok impossible without negotiating with the Falkovnians. Each gate camp will feature funneling designs to corral incoming shamblers into killing field conditions (and which can also be used during daylight hours to serve as customs checkpoints for traffic to and from the city). Falkovnian troops at this stage will be armed mostly with maces and crushing polearms for use against the Creeping Death. In this fashion, the invaders will hold out against the low-tactic expendable-wave attacks of the Creeping Death in its initial stages, assuming that neither Azalin nor the Eternal Order can spare the control manpower to coordinate sophisticated tactics at this time.

Diplomacy outside Nartok - The Falkovnians will open talks with the citizens of Nartok, seeking to garrison bloodlessly in the city. Their main arguments are: the invasion is aimed purely to expose Azalin's depredations against humanity and to overthrow him, that Darkonian civilians are not the target of the invasion, that the Falkovnians will allow the Darkonian's preexisting chain of command to remain in place in Nartok, that the Falkovnians intend to decamp and return to their homeland once they have completed the overthrow or discrediting of Azalin, and that they will allow General Volker to return to the city unharmed (provided the city also gives admission to the Falkovnian forces on a three-to-one basis for each Darkonian admitted), and finally that the Falkovnians would provide a truth-and-reconciliations process to make suitable reparations to descendants of Darkonian soldiers killed in previous campaigns. The diplomats will try to stress that the Darkonian and Falkovnian forces are united in repelling the Creeping Death, and that the true source of the Creeping Death's depredations are from the king's group of oligarchs and cronies: a pint which they will support through evidence provides during the military campaign.

Occupying Nartok - Falkovnian soldiers will not occupy the city, and will remain outside the walls to repel the Creeping Death. Internal policing will be done by agents of the Falkovnian Nachrichtendienst specially trained in less-lethal peacekeeping tactics, armed with clubs and riot shields, and fully fluent in Darkonian.

Diplomacy inside Nartok - Baron Curwen is not a member of the Kargat, but he does know the essential Eternal Order personnel. He will aid the Falkovnians in arresting all Eternal Order priests, and aids the Nachrichtendienst in securing evidence if the Order's false nature. Within a few days, the Nachrichtendienst will secure enough artifacts to be able to prove that they can control undead. Within a week, the Nachrichtendienst will arrest a handful of Kargat members and publicly interrogate and torture them to death, leaving them strung up in their monstrous forms. By this stage, assuming no brutality from the occupiers, the residents of Nartok will be sufficiently persuaded that they will allow non-hostile interactions with the Falkovnians and will not directly interfere with future military operations so long as they do not harm the general citizenry.

[Zilfer]

I might have said this already but Would Strahd throw in just to throw a wrench into Azalin's land? I know most people don't like the cold war between them right? But it's still out there as an idea.... if Strahd funds or assists even in the shadows Drakov it could also possibly turn a few things around.