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GOBLIN ARMY vs. 10th lvl PCs: Seeking some ideas. [My players GET LOST!]

It is not unreasonable that a goblin nation would generate elite units of 2nd level warriors and up. It is not unreasonable that elite units of goblin warriors are built with a couple more points than average goblins.

I wouldn't feel anyone was the least bit cheesy to have units of rog1/ftr1's. If this is the FR, where classes tend to be higher anyway, the most elite goblin units could be rog2/ftr2's.

Have the goblins mounted on Warg's, and accompanied by Wolves. Leaders could be mounted on advanced Warg's with stats equivalent to Dire Wolves. My goblins use giant bats the way that humans use falcons. Some goblins could be mounted on dire bats.

Nets and flaming oil are both old tricks for getting low level opponents to threaten high level PC's. One of the easiest ways to make a bomb in D&D is take a clay pot with a lid. Cast firetrap on the pot and seal the lid. Sling a rope harness about the pot. This only takes a 7th level spell caster and the cost is relatively low. This is particularlly effective when dropped by a flying creature like the aforementioned dire bat mounted goblins. Thunderstones might work pretty well too. IF you really want to get hideous, clay pots of green slime or yellow mold are threats to even the highest level parties.

For the record, a small glass vial on the end of a crossbow bolt works the same way.

Gobllins are notorious for thier usage of poisoned arrows. Even if you only give them something equivalent to green blood oil, the threat to non-fighters goes up considerably.

Use good tactics. You have numbers. Have specific groups of goblins hold thier action until the spell caster starts waving his arms around. Work to get flanking bonuses. Have goblins assist each other in the attack if it means getting a better than 5% chance of a hit.

Attack at night. Use your darkvision to your advantage.

Don't be afraid to have elite units of Hobgoblins and Bugbears along with the goblins. The races get along just fine and are often encountered together.
 
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I'd just point out that this battle will go very differently depending on whether the party fights the goblins out in the open or in their own caves.

Out in the open, the party can use their area effect spells to maximum effect. They will be taking out gobbos by the dozen if not score with spells like web, flame strike, fireball, etc. I won't even mention the damage that can be done by the druid with just a few Entangles (or, God forbid, Briar Webs). They will also be less hindered by lack of darkvision.

If on the other hand they must fight the goblins in their own caves, it will be a much more "intimate" battle. If this is the case, definately read through the "Subteranean Kingdom" thread mentioned before. It gets just nasty.

And speaking from my own experience, a party of three 5th level characters (Including a Druid, a Ranger and a Rogue/Sorcerer) had little difficulty dealing with 60 Gnolls in an above ground encampment. When they later ran into a group of about 30 Kobolds in a mine, they had tremendous difficulties (in fact they left the mines with the party consisting of the Druid, a Cleric/Fighter and a Barbarian thanks to two deaths in the party). The Kobolds actually fought them to a standstill and eventually even arranged to cut a deal for their own survival in exchange for information because the party was so tired of fighting them.
 


Bye bye party

The PCs are tough spellcasters, but spells are finite. And casters must have distraction-free rest in order to regain spells.

Basic idea:
The goblins should get the the pcs to blow their spells, then deny them rest. Soon, all the spells are gone, and the PCs are dead meat.

Elaboration:
The goblins should surround the PCs' camp and attack at night. Preferably, they should blanket the battlefield with smoke (from spells or smoldering leaves). A small number of goblins should sneak up from all sides, each pushing contraptions that amount to a bunch of goblin scarecrows. These "groups of goblins" will draw the big area effect spells. Each time the PCs mount a serious attack, the goblins should flee (scattering cheap caltrops in their wake).

Attacking in waves, it should be easy to sneak up, fire a bunch of arrows (20's do happen), and scatter. Once the spells are gone the PCs will probably try to sneak away or break out. At that point, the gobbos attack in massive waves. Again, use smoke, caltrops, loud noise (deny the PCs the ability to hear orders or verbally communicate), and even minor tricks like Ghost Sound, Minor Illusion, and Ventriliquism to create confusion and seperate the individual characters. With landmarks obscured, call for lots of Intuit Direction checks to make sure PCs keep their sense of direction amid the chaos. Eventually the pcs will be seriously weakened and probably scattered. That's when all the remaining gobbos charge, including the leveled gobbos. The end.

-z

ps: ever see the movie "Zulu"? The pcs are the British colonials, armed with high power weapons (spells). But weapons depend on limited ammo (spell slots). Once the guns are empty, the primitives are able to overrun the camp.
 
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Do you have a friend who plays (or used to play) but who isn't part of your current group? Maybe someone who can't fit the game into his schedule? Make him your Goblin King. Give him a map and a list of forces, and have him describe what his forces will do. It'll be far, far sneakier than anything you'd foist on your players.
 

Do you have a friend who plays (or used to play) but who isn't part of your current group? Maybe someone who can't fit the game into his schedule? Make him your Goblin King.
Click to expand...

I heartily endorse this. It's a good way to re-involve a friend who has moved away, even if it's no real substitute for them being there.

Aye, and raise a glass for the friends now distant in geography, if not in memory!

John
 

No rest for the ritchous

One way to realy worry a high level group is to not let them sleep. If the characters cant sleep thy begin to run out of spells, and healing. Bad for them. If the goblins are smart they will harras the characters, and when the characters try to strike back they flee. THey they immedietly come back. The goblins can work in shifts and the characters have little choice, anyone sleeping is vulnerable.

If desperate the goblins can simply make a lot of noise or the like. Or create horrible smells wafting on the brease. Burn down any structure they try to rest in.

Use terrorism tactics to harry them and make them afraid to close their eyes or turn their backs.
 


Get them Exhausted, i.e., -4 dex=-2 AC. Then, have 400 archers armed with Black Lotus poison (better have a good reason for keeping 400 quivers of 20 arrows with a dose of 2500 GP poison on each, perhaps, it grows in the basement? :D) snipe them out.

Okay, that's overkill. Instead of Black Lotus, Blue Whinnis. It's quite cheap (only 120 GP), completely negligable primary damage (1 con), but . . . secondary damage: unconciousness. With 400 archers sniping down, that's 20 natural 20s per turn. so, if you focus on 1 chacter for 1 turn, they will have to make 20 saves a minute later . . . which means 1 natural one, which means failure, which means unconciousness. Which means, hundreds of goblins swarming over the poor fool.

Okay, still overkill. ;)
 

Thanks for the goblin-a-day thread!

*EDIT: that's a bull:):):):) link.*

Hmm...400 goblin archers with black lotus poison. How about...

127 goblin wizards with spheres of annihilation?
798 goblin soldiers with necklaces of missiles?

Probably overkill too.
 
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