Lucius' Guide to Mixed Unit Tactics

(Page 35)

Defense and positioning:

Back during the war, we knew that the quickest, easiest way to get your entire squad killed was to charge in recklessly. The following example shows how holding a chokepoint can help you win a very tough battle.

In the Banewarrens, we had stumbled across the same group of fiends that accosted us previously, forcing us to retreat. Even though we were just as unprepared as they were, we held our ground while they charged to engage us. I think they were overconfident, having killed our gnome and driving us off last time.

Our bard cast a powerful defensive spell on me, while I held the only door into our small room. Our new gnome rogue waited behind the door, ready to strike the first enemy that came through. The rest of our party waited around the corner. This gave us enormous advantages: I was very difficult to hit and held the only way in. The rogue was unseen, and would catch by suprise anyone who came through. The physically weaker members of our party were somewhat safe from any spells that could be cast through at us, and the corridor presented a safe place where those who were injured could retreat to get healing from our cleric.

Our wizard stood behind me, casting a fireball into their midst, forcing them to either charge us, retreat, or be incenerated. They chose to charge. To attack us, they had to squeeze through my position, allowing both me and the gnome to get several solid hits in. Their sphinx and monk-lamia both tried to get through and attack, and were promptly cut down. At this point, they still hadn't even landed a single solid blow on me thanks to the bard's powerful displacement spell. After another fireball fried the spider-humanoid monster that was attacking us, the two remaining enemies -- a mind flayer singed by the fireball and a ogre mage that was stunned (by the mind flayer's blast no less!), retreated, knowing that had they stayed, we would kill both of them easily.