If anyone is interested, I ran a little simulation:
If I programmed it right (no guarantees), the probability of the wand & fireball method working is about 72.5% if we can get both off before the giants act. That's based on comparing random distributions of hornfoot HP (3d8+1) with damage from the wand of lightning (5d6, or 5d6/2 if the hornfoot makes its save), then looking at whether a to-hit roll is 12 or better if the lightning bolt doesn't kill the hornfoot.
So what I suggest is we have two fighter types with ranged weapons step just in front of where Vorsyin would need to be to cast the Fireball. Lorath fires a lightning bolt using Vorsyin's wand, Vorsyin casts Fireball, the fighters fire their ranged weapons at the hornfoot in the path of the fireball, and we hope we do enough damage to drop him before the fireball spell completes.
A note on the lightning bolt: I'd recommend it not be aimed to bounce off the wall and into the side room full of hornfeet, in case Giantsbane is in there. The fireball should kill most of them (an 11d6 fireball vs. 3HD+1 hornfeet) anyway, and metal items have much worse saving throws vs. lightning than they do against magical fire.
Another plan might be better. This is just what I came up with. If we can safely draw the guards out without alerting the caster that something's wrong, that could also work.
Sorry for the extra post, but the more I think about this, the more having a 1/4 chance of ending up rolling saving throws vs. fireball (and then rolling to see which items we lose if we fail our saves) seems like really bad odds. And that's if we win initiative.
But I just came up with another way to take out the hornfoot guard: Lorath puts it to sleep! IIRC, hornfeet are based off of bugbears, which have 3+1 HD, which means sleep can knock one or two of them out with no chance to save. It takes 1 segment to cast. If we can get a surprise segment, we can put at least one of the guards to sleep, and maybe even both. Then Vorsyin sends in a fireball.
How do you know hornfeet are bugbears? But in Magnus' description the guards were described as giants but the map shows 'H'. So have I mixed it up Magnus or is the map incorrect?
That's better than any idea I've had. Maybe a simple, innocuous suggestion, like "move to the other side of the hall?" If it works, Vorsyin casts the fireball. If not, at least the corridor leading to the guards is a nice chokepoint to limit the number of giants who can attack us at one time.
Sounds like a plan to me.
We could even improve our odds if Hollis commands the guard in the way to "duck" or "drop" while Lorath makes the same suggestion. Then the guard would have to make two saves to stay in the way of Vorsyin's fireball.
Could Hollis also grace us with a blessing just before we start? Every advantage we could get in this combat will help.
Vorsyin mulls over the proposed course of action.
He feels confident that he could aim the fireball between the guards but if he miscalculates the shot at all it could spell the end for him.
Hollis beseeches the Old Gods for aid in the coming encounter...
Bless cast
I think Suggestion is the way to go - its all we've got! Hollis can indeed Command too - I think the one on the left as we look down the corridor. So the one on the right from the topdown view -agreed?
I think thats the best we can do Magnus. So Lorath casts Suggestion and Hollis Command for the giant on left of pair as we are looking at them - ie the one that gives best chance of enabling the fireball to be delivered into the middle of the big room as per Zhym's illo. Vors can then let rip with the fireball as soon as giant is out of the way.
To be clear fellas, are we saying if giant doesn't move - ie saves. We don't fireball?
That's my preference. The odds of getting caught in the AoE and failing at least one of our saving throws are too high in my opinion if Vorsyin doesn't have a clear shot. The problem is that leaves us in melee with a large number of hornfeet and giants. The narrow(ish) passage will limit the number who can attack hand-to-hand at once, but they've been throwing rocks and spears of lightning at us, so the narrow passage isn't going to be that much help.
We might take more damage fighting a bunch of un-softened hornfeet and giants than we'd take from the fireball. But if the fireball goes wrong, we lose items; probably even magic items (especially those made of paper, cloth, or liquid). That tips the scale, in my opinion, to not using the fireball if there's no clear shot.
Maybe if the suggestion and command fail we fall back just into the passage into the prison area, where only a few giants could attack us at once? Or into the main dungeon room, where we'd have room for a fireball?
Vorsyin readies himself to cast the fireball but he will only do so if a suitable window opens between the guards in the way. He waits for the others to do their work before he does his.
Ethan and Marcus each imbile a potion of healing, eat some rations, and prepare for another round of combat. They keep an eye on their new friend, Olaf, who is rousing the wildlings to fight. Three disappear into the darkness, while six stand ready to fight. Having been fed, watered, and equipped with clever and fearsome scrappings, the wildling Gang of Six looks like a competent force.
Healing - see above for HP adjustments
The mood in the room turns intense, as Hollis bestows a blessing in a low, resonant tone.
The priest, along with Gaerys, Lorath, and Vorsyin then charge forward into the armory hallway. Ethan and Marcus, followed closely by Olaf and the wildlings, ready themselves for a charge, to follow the effects of the mage's fireball.
The marsh giant guards are surprised by the swift and sudden appearance of the party's first rank. Taking advantage of each spells' short casting time, Lorath suggests that one guard step aside, while Hollis commands a guard to "drop". One guard only looks quizzically, then angrily at the mage. The other "hits the dirt" with surprising speed.
Vorsyin, seeing an opening, unleashes a pea-sized ball from his hands. It picks up speed and flies deep into the armory. The party hears it explode violently, rocking the dungeon. The sound of metal clanging to the ground rings out, along with coughs and screeches, and eventually a thick, black smoke rises from the hallway.
FIREBALL: 32 DAMAGE!!! FOLLOWED Zhym's "Good" scenario.
The smoke begins to clear slightly...the party sees that one marsh giant guard is boiled muck, while the other -- the one on the ground -- is barely touched.
Visibility is limited, but the party knows that the cleric is down in the forge, while the hornfoot gang is in the wide spur off of the main hallway.
The quicker the party moves, the more vulnerable their foes.
"Marcus, Lorath, take the hornfeet. Lord Karstark, with me!" Ethan charges down the hallway after the giants, hoping to find the cleric, our failing that, finding other surviving giants to slay.
