This is the plan Barzer worked out at the end of last session. It inverts the room's tactical advantage by using the bat's elevation as a targeting point rather than casting the cloud at ground level.
The Concept
Standard Fog Cloud: Drop a 20-foot radius cloud at ground level. Everything in it — enemies and party alike — is heavily obscured. You go blind, they go blind. A wash.
The Gambit: Position the bat familiar at 10 feet off the ground, exactly at ledge height where the goblins are perched. Cast Fog Cloud centered on the bat. The cloud engulfs the elevated ledge. The goblins on the high ground are now shooting into a white-out. The party, fighting at ground level below the cloud's lower edge, can still see normally.
At ground level, the fight proceeds without the ranged penalty. The ogres and any ground-level goblins are visible targets. The ledge is neutralized.
Setup — Before Initiative
Do these in order, before crossing the cave threshold:
Elaris hands out Bardic Inspiration — Kaltor, Theren, and one other (Nysera if Wild Shaping, otherwise Selena). This is a bonus action that competes with Healing Word inside combat. Do it now.
Selena casts Aid (2nd level) — +5 maximum HP for up to three targets. Prioritize Kaltor, Theren, and Nysera. This is a pre-combat buff, not a combat action. Cast it.
Barzer repositions the bat — Guide it to the cave entrance, then send it 10 feet above the cave floor into the next chamber, positioning it at ledge height directly over the approach corridor. The bat moves on Barzer's bonus action (telepathic bond). Do this before initiative.
Theren activates Hunter's Mark — He can cast it before entering the room if he can see a target. If not, he marks the first ogre on round one. At minimum, he should have it ready to cast as a bonus action the moment combat starts.
Marching order confirmed: Kaltor → Selena → Theren → Nysera → Elaris → Barzer. Barzer stays at maximum range from the closest enemy.
Round One
Barzer: Cast Fog Cloud centered on the bat familiar. The cloud fills a 20-foot radius sphere at ledge height. All goblins on the elevated ledge are now heavily obscured. Barzer then moves to the back of the party formation. Concentration is now on Fog Cloud — protect it.
Kaltor: Move into the room, engage the nearest ogre. His AC is the party's first line. If the goblins on the ledge can no longer see, they cannot make ranged attacks with advantage — and if they fire into the fog at all, they do so with disadvantage against targets they can't see.
Theren: Hunter's Mark on the nearest ogre (bonus action), then fire. If the ogre is already marked, Colossus Slayer applies on the first hit. Stay 10-15 feet behind Kaltor, out of ogre melee reach.
Nysera: Wild Shape into wolf form for Pack Tactics. Every attack she makes against an enemy adjacent to an ally is made with advantage. With Kaltor already in melee, her wolf attacks on the ogre get advantage immediately. Wolf HP acts as a buffer — she takes damage as the wolf before burning her own hit points.
Elaris: Bless on Kaltor, Theren, and Nysera — or hold it if Barzer's concentration is still needed on Fog Cloud (only one concentration per caster). If Kaltor needs emergency healing, Healing Word (bonus action) keeps him in the fight without burning a full action.
Selena: Sacred Flame the ogre. Healing Word is her bonus action if someone drops below half HP. She should not move into melee range under any circumstances — her job is to keep the front line alive, not to fight.
The Fog Cloud's Duration
Fog Cloud lasts up to one hour at concentration. Barzer must not lose concentration. That means:
- Barzer stays behind Kaltor's protective line at all times
- If an ogre breaks through, Barzer casts Shield (reaction) to avoid the hit — +5 AC, no concentration check
- If Barzer takes any damage, he rolls a DC 10+ Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration. His Constitution modifier is +3 (16 Con). He succeeds on a 7 or better. Still, do not let him get hit.
If concentration breaks, the cloud drops and the ledge goblins have line of sight again. That's bad, but not catastrophic if the front line is already engaged — the goblins can't fire safely into melee without risking their ogre allies.
The Ledge Problem
The Fog Cloud blinds the ledge goblins, but it doesn't kill them. At some point they'll do one of two things:
Option A — They stay on the ledge and fire blind. Attacks against a target they can't see are made with disadvantage. Four goblins with disadvantage on ranged attacks will miss most of the time. Let them waste turns.
Option B — They climb down. Descending a 10-foot ledge costs 20 feet of movement (difficult terrain rules). They spend a full move getting to ground level, arrive adjacent to Kaltor, and get hit. This is ideal — you've pulled the elevated threat down to your level where the party's melee and AoE are strongest.
If they climb down: Nysera (wolf) and Kaltor are already in melee. Theren shifts targets from the ogre to a goblin with Hunter's Mark. The goblins are d6 HP enemies — they die fast once they're reachable.
The Third Ogre
The bat's scouting confirmed a third ogre deeper in the cave. It was not in the front section.
Watch for it. If the first two ogres drop quickly, the third ogre may move up. Kaltor and Selena should not push deeper into the cave until the front section is fully clear.
Do not chase the third ogre. Let it come to you. The entrance is your bottleneck.
Pros
- Neutralizes the room's biggest tactical advantage (elevated archers) without burning a high-level spell slot
- Fog Cloud lasts an hour — it stays up for the entire fight if Barzer stays safe
- The party fights at full visibility while the ledge goblins are blind
- Nysera in wolf form provides extra melee damage and absorbs hits as Wild Shape HP before her character HP is at risk
Cons
- Requires precise bat positioning before combat — the cloud must be placed at the right elevation
- Barzer cannot be hit. That is both a requirement and a vulnerability
- Fog Cloud is Barzer's concentration. He cannot also concentrate on Mirror Image or any other defensive spell
- If the bat is killed before the cloud is cast, the plan fails. The bat has 1 HP
Best If
The party wants to execute a plan they've already committed to, with roles pre-assigned and everyone knowing their position before the first die is rolled.