Reinforcements for the Horde!

You’ve joined battle with the jeering Horde! The stink of smudge fire hangs in the air and moth-eaten standards wave to and fro.

You’ve heard the stomp of their ratty boots and the clink of their rusty armor. You’ve felt the thump of their stone clubs and hack of their shoddy blades. You’ve even smelled the funk of their warren-musk.

But what new devilry is this? Iron piccolos sound in the hills?

That’s the thing about the Horde: They always seem to have more friends.

Roll d100 on the table below to select reinforcements for the Horde. Read the narrative section aloud to the party.

But be careful! The higher you roll, the more dangerous the Reinforcements will be.

Reinforcements Table for the Horde

Note:  Stats are given only when they deviate from those given in Core Rulebooks.

1-4. Ankle Biters! 2d6 ill-used Kobolds are released from their cages. They charge the field willy-nilly, with dazed looks in their eyes. They attack the first PCs they encounter with broken swords, carpenters’ hammers, and table legs.  (1d4+1 damage.)

5-8. Black Arrow Archers! 1d6 evil Urdlen Gnomes silently appear at the edge of battle. They lower their black hoods and blink in the bright sunlight (or moonlight, or torchlight, etc.). They nock their short bows and begin to harass the party with barbed, black arrows. (AC 15.  HP 12.  1d6+1 damage.)

9-12. Staffsling Pelleteers! 1d10 crack shot Goblins wearing peaked red caps take to the field with two-handed staff slings. They stand at a distance and pelt the party with polished red stones. (+2 to hit. 1d6+2 damage.)

13-16. Haggard Conscripts! A ragged line of 2d6 Hobgoblin mercenaries stomp into the battle, wearing what appear to be the dusty brown robes of a looted friary. They attack with long, iron-bound, oaken cudgels. (AC 13.  HP 9.  10’ reach. 1d6+2 damage.)

17-20. Drunken Pikers! 1d10 drunken Orcish pikemen swilling rotgut from white clay jugs stumble onto the field, shouting Orcish battle rhymes! They attempt to surround the largest PC and stab at them with their pikes. (AC 14.  HP 11.  10’ reach. 1d10+2 damage. -2 to hit, due to drunkenness.)

21-24. Stoic Crossbowmen! 1d8 swarthy Humans with long, greasy black hair, wearing light armor made from bundled reeds take their position behind the Horde infantry. As one, and without a word, they raise their heavy crossbows. (AC 15.  HP 12.  1d10 damage. 25% chance of Silken Salamander poison. DC 15 CON Save or +1d6 poison damage.)

25-28. Hammer Troops! 1d4 plate-mailed Rust Hills Dwarven mercenaries brandishing huge two-handed war hammers stomp into battle! A Dwarven PC may attempt a contested Persuade check to convince the mercenaries to switch sides and join with the party.  PC CHA vs. WIS 12. An offer of gold sweetens the deal.  (AC 18.  HP 22. +4 to hit. 1d8+6 damage.)

29-32. Slave Drivers! Two Ogres wielding spiked chains drive 1d10 harried and red-eyed Bugbear slaves onto the field! The Bugbears wear worn splint mail armor and swing long-handled maces. (1d6+3 damage. Once 3 Bugbears have been slain, the rest flee combat.)

33-36. Snake Flingers! 1d6 Lizardfolk slip into battle, wearing bone armor and crocodile tooth necklaces! Each carries a burlap sack full of yellowfang pit vipers, to whose poison they are immune. These they fling at PCs within 50’. On a successful hit, affected PCs must Save vs. poison DC 18 CON or take 2d8 poison damage each turn they remain in the affected square.

37-40. Stone Club Beaters! 1d6 enraged Horde shock troops armed with two-handed stalactite clubs rush the party and attack the first PC they encounter. (Stone Club Beaters Troops have +2 AC, +2 to hit, and +2 to damage, compared to their Horde comrades.)

41-44. Smoke Jumpers! 1d10 Goblin hang gliders swoop over the battlefield! Each drops one smoke bomb that explodes in a 20×20 square. PCs in or passing through affected squares must Save vs poison DC 15 CON or suffer -2 to hit for 1d4 rounds. (The smoke lasts 1d6 rounds. Smoke Jumpers have a Speed of 50.)

45-48. Seige-Gang Crew! Two heavily chained Umber Hulks trundle to the edge of combat dragging a rickety catapult from an age gone by. An Orcish Seige-Gang Commander screams orders at them through a bullhorn as one cranks the handle and the other loads a boulder into the machine. The catapult fires one boulder per round as long as both Umber Hulks live, one boulder every two rounds if one lives. (2d10+5 bludgeoning damage, each shot affects a 10×10 square.)

49-52. Elite Footmen! 1d8 massive Ryn Kar Orcs charge into battle, howling as they come. The wear battered ring mail and full-face pot helmets smeared with dried blood. They carry heavy two-handed flails. (AC 17.  HP 38. Multiattack. +6 to hit. 1d12+6 damage.)

53-56. Blight Shamans! 1d6 Gnoll Blight Shamans announce their presence with hair-raising, ululating laughter. They cast spells as 3rd-level Clerics. Their signature combat spell, Curdle Blood, deals 1d8 damage to all foes within 50’. Affected PCs must then Save vs. Poison DC 15 CON or lose 2 STR for 1d6 rounds.

57-60. Clan Mother! The Horde Clan Mother removes the hood of her burlap shawl, revealing her presence in battle to her ecstatic troops. She begins to sing The Dirge of Ulug Cutbile, a fallen hero of her kind. (All Horde members with 80’ of the Mother receive +2 to hit and +2 to damage as long as she continues singing.  AC 14.  HP 35.)

61-64. Duergar Dust Clerics! The mournful cant of 1d4 grey-skinned Dust Clerics as they enter battle causes Fear in all PCs 4th-level and below. DC 15 WIS Save to resist. (The Dust Clerics concentrate their spells on healing the most powerful Horde members and cast as 4th-level Clerics.  AC 16.  HP 27.)

65-68. Displacer Sorcerers! 1d6 Drow Elven Sorcerers slink into battle on their Displacer Beast mounts. The Horde cries out with joy! (The Drow cast spells as 4th-level Sorcerers, with a focus on fire magic. AC 19.  HP 26. Speed 50.  Displacers Beasts attack as normal, under the command of their Sorcerer.)

69-72. Arrogant Commanders! 1d4 arrogant Hill Giants stomp onto the field, arguing with one another. Each holds a greatclub in one hand and the remains of supper in the other—in this case the whole leg of a grilled cow. (The Hill Giants only partially attend to combat, shouting conflicting orders at the Horde. They stay together, wandering randomly, and attack only those PCs who attack them first.)

73-76. Gryphon Riders! 1d6 evil Human Skyknight mercenaries glide into battle! They wear red chainmail over dark red leather and wield silvered lances. They intone a deep and disconcerting chant as they circle the combat from above. All PCs within 50’ Save vs. Fear DC 15 WIS. (AC 18. HP 48. Speed 50.  10’ Reach. +6 to hit. 2d6+6 damage. Gryphons attack as normal, under the command of their rider.)

77-80. Warg Cavaliers! 2d8 Orcish Warg cavaliers charge into battle on their snarling mounts! They wield hooked cavalry hammers and dart in and out of combat, concentrating their attacks on the PCs doing the most damage. (Each Cavalier also carries an oil bomb that they use to try and split up the party. Each bomb affects a 10×10 square for 1d6 rounds. PCs in or passing through affected squares take 2d6 fire damage each round, DC 18 DEX Save for half damage. AC 18. HP 42. Multiattack. +7 to hit. 1d8+7 damage. Wargs attack as normal, under the command of their Cavalier.)

81-84. Cockatrice Lancers! 2d10 Elite Hobgoblin Lancers strut onto the field, aboard their Cockatrice mounts. They carry long lances and immediately charge magic-using PCs and those wielding two-handed weapons. (AC 19.  HP 28. Speed 50. +5 to hit. 10’ Reach. 2d6+4 damage.)

85-88. Stinkhide Troll Bash Brothers! 1d4 enormous Trolls sprint into combat! They are smeared from head to toe with Gelatinous Cube dung and their stench seems to offend even their comrades in the Horde. The Bash Brothers all attack the first PC they can reach, and the Horde part ranks for them. PCs hit by one or more of the Brothers must make a DC 16 DEX Save to avoid being covered in stench. Those who fail must additionally Save vs. Poison DC 15 CON or suffer -2 to hit until they take time to thoroughly wash off the odorous and slimy dung.

89-92. Stampede! 1d8 crazed Gorgons stampede straight through the battlefield! PCs may use an action to make a contested STR check vs. a 21 STR to stop a charging Gorgon that attempts to pass through their square. If they fail, they are knocked Prone. Or, they may make a DC 17 DEX Save to dodge out of the way. If they fail, they are knocked Prone. PCs who succeed at their DEX Save with a 22 or higher roll may leap onto a Gorgon’s back. If they make an additional DC 16 WIS Check (Animal Handling) they may ride the Gorgon and direct its movements for the remainder of combat. After their charge, the crazed Gorgons attack normally.

93-96. War Oliphants! 1d6 huge War Oliphants march into battle, trumpeting their rage! They are outfitted with bronze armor and carry 1d12 Gnoll Longbowmen in woven bamboo baskets strapped to their backs. PCs who manage to kill the Gnolls and gain access to the basket may ride on the Oliphant and direct its movements for the remainder of the combat. (Oliphant: AC 16. HP: 88. Attack as Elephants. Gnoll Longbowmen: AC 18. HP 24. +6 to hit. 1d8+2 damage.)

97-100. Dark Mage Underlord! A black pall envelops the battlefield, as though a storm cloud had rolled over the sun. The Horde wails and leaps into the air, casting red dust from pouches on their belts upward in great clouds. Hiram Kellfinks the Unborn, a Human Mage of evil repute, strides into battle wearing a dark red cloak and clutching a black staff inlaid with the twisting skeleton of a python. The Horde surround him; their best warriors fight to the death to keep him safe. (Hiram casts spells as a 9th level Wizard and directs his attention first to the arcane spell casters and Clerics in the party. AC 16.  HP 32.  INT 17.)

See the full blog here.

© 2020 Dubious Merit Games.