Goblin / Troll Adventure Ideas For Tonight (& Later)

[Azure Trance]

My campaign is taking a wild turn tonight. We're going to end a traditional adventure module and take it for a freeform ride, mostly because the group ingredients have changed from pro-human, pro-religious to pro-goblin, pro-combat. I'm looking for some ideas on what I can do for some starters, since roughly the first half to third of tonights sessions will be finishing the adventure. For your information, the adventure if The Longest Night and the campaign setting is in the Iron Kingdoms. Many of the adventures I own aren't that well suited since there are no humans, or even demihumans involved.

The player characters are at the moment:

• Gobber (Goblin) Druid Level 3 (ECL 3) / NG
• Trollkin (Troll-Analogue) Barbarian 1 / Fighter 1 (ECL 3) / CN
• Trollkin (Troll-Analogue) Barbarian 1 / Fighter 1 (ECL 3) / CG

Standard adventures don't seem to strike me as useful. No urban adventures; with no real 'diplomat' to the group using the standard maiden / village in distress is too human IMO (these are trolls and a goblin here, with alien customs. Painting them as humans with green or grey skin seems odd as well).

They are a bit aways from their natural tribal territory, so I can't do anything involving their clans yet (a strange creature in the wilderness, an annual hunt, etc) I've four hours to go, and I'd appreciate any useful commentary. Thanks!

 

[Kormydigar]

My campaign is taking a wild turn tonight. We're going to end a traditional adventure module and take it for a freeform ride, mostly because the group ingredients have changed from pro-human, pro-religious to pro-goblin, pro-combat. I'm looking for some ideas on what I can do for some starters, since roughly the first half to third of tonights sessions will be finishing the adventure. For your information, the adventure if The Longest Night and the campaign setting is in the Iron Kingdoms. Many of the adventures I own aren't that well suited since there are no humans, or even demihumans involved.

The player characters are at the moment:

• Gobber (Goblin) Druid Level 3 (ECL 3) / NG
• Trollkin (Troll-Analogue) Barbarian 1 / Fighter 1 (ECL 3) / CN
• Trollkin (Troll-Analogue) Barbarian 1 / Fighter 1 (ECL 3) / CG

Standard adventures don't seem to strike me as useful. No urban adventures; with no real 'diplomat' to the group using the standard maiden / village in distress is too human IMO (these are trolls and a goblin here, with alien customs. Painting them as humans with green or grey skin seems odd as well).

They are a bit aways from their natural tribal territory, so I can't do anything involving their clans yet (a strange creature in the wilderness, an annual hunt, etc) I've four hours to go, and I'd appreciate any useful commentary. Thanks!

The first question I have is what are the players interested in doing? Have they communicated any goals for thier characters to you. With such an interesting group I would focus on civilization actually. For these types of characters interacting with a standard human society works very well ( at least as far as adventure design goes) How does "normal society" view the pc's in your world? A great adventure for a group of this type is to be falsely accused of a crime, just because they are "monsters". Thier inability to be very diplomatic plays right into your hands as they must avoid prosecution from the law while they track down and apprehend the real culprits to clear thier name ( a band of evil elves perhaps) I don't know your players at all but thier info suggests a mostly chaotic nature. Running from the law while tracking down those that have caused suffering while at the same time clearing thier names will fit the chaotic/good/neutral focus of this party.

 

[Goblyn]

In there like an angry twistie

Let me start off by saying that I know nothing of Iron Kingdoms; thus feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt ...

Lessee...you said your game is tonight?

Not much time. I was going to suggest that you harry them with an adventuring party of NPCs, but it may just be more trouble than it's worth given your time frame.

I also don't know the hugeness level you're going for in adventure suggestions, so I'll give you a big one, and a little one.

Here's the big one: Let them encounter Orcs(or just some other goblinoid clan). Whether or not ass-kicking ensues, let the PCs find out that the orcs are part of an advance scout for a large orcish horde that lives nowhere near the area, but is thinking of expanding into this territory.
They could probably notice a 'wrongness' with the wilderness in the direction that the orcs came, and further inspection might reveal diseased vegetation on the orcs themselves.
At this point I was thinking of a danger to their own clans, from the large expansionistic one, as well as a dnger of some sort to or from the forest. Maybe the Shadow Glade or the Crawling Jungle from WotC's page's random encounters section; maybe the Twisted Wood.

The short one:Undead are everybody's enemy. A wight and some ghouls might take exception to these oafs tromping all over their sacred burial ground, obscured over time as it is.

Another short one:I don't know about you, but I don't like elves so I won't pass up this opportunity to advocate the wholesale slaughter of the annoying little buggers. Have the party attacked by elves who think that the 'brutish goblinoids' have no place in 'their'(the elves') forest.

Ok, these short ones are just really random encounters, and almost certainly random COMBAT encounters. But if you like them, they've served their purpose.

Hope this helps.

 

[Azure Trance]

The first question I have is what are the players interested in doing? Have they communicated any goals for thier characters to you. With such an interesting group I would focus on civilization actually. For these types of characters interacting with a standard human society works very well ( at least as far as adventure design goes) How does "normal society" view the pc's in your world? A great adventure for a group of this type is to be falsely accused of a crime, just because they are "monsters". Thier inability to be very diplomatic plays right into your hands as they must avoid prosecution from the law while they track down and apprehend the real culprits to clear thier name ( a band of evil elves perhaps) I don't know your players at all but thier info suggests a mostly chaotic nature. Running from the law while tracking down those that have caused suffering while at the same time clearing thier names will fit the chaotic/good/neutral focus of this party.

Mmmm ... Gandalfian wisdom.

I couldn't get in touch with all of them properly, but FWIW group herd mentality aside, they would be pleased with doing what they do best - killing things, and getting money, fame, and power out of it. I find your suggestion for contrasting the deficiencies absolutely delectable! (I don't know how I know that word) For one, it frees up the burden I had of it shifting towards a wilderness campaign setting and expands the possibility of things. Perhaps what I was thinking of was akin to an allergic reaction - the adventure wasn't working out too well due to the changed group consistency and I thought it would be better to suit the game to the characters instead of vice-versa; though it looks like I forgot how to use the differences to accent each other instead of repel.

 

[Wycen]

The topic name reminded me of something I saw yesterday. I was flipping thru the Tome of Horrors 2 and I believe I saw a Troblin, a monster that is half goblin and half troll. Maybe a story revolving around finding or saving such a weird being?

 

[Azure Trance]

Let me start off by saying that I know nothing of Iron Kingdoms; thus feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt ...

Lessee...you said your game is tonight?

Not much time. I was going to suggest that you harry them with an adventuring party of NPCs, but it may just be more trouble than it's worth given your time frame.

I also don't know the hugeness level you're going for in adventure suggestions, so I'll give you a big one, and a little one.

Here's the big one: Let them encounter Orcs(or just some other goblinoid clan). Whether or not ass-kicking ensues, let the PCs find out that the orcs are part of an advance scout for a large orcish horde that lives nowhere near the area, but is thinking of expanding into this territory.
They could probably notice a 'wrongness' with the wilderness in the direction that the orcs came, and further inspection might reveal diseased vegetation on the orcs themselves.
At this point I was thinking of a danger to their own clans, from the large expansionistic one, as well as a dnger of some sort to or from the forest. Maybe the Shadow Glade or the Crawling Jungle from WotC's page's random encounters section; maybe the Twisted Wood.

The short one:Undead are everybody's enemy. A wight and some ghouls might take exception to these oafs tromping all over their sacred burial ground, obscured over time as it is.

Another short one:I don't know about you, but I don't like elves so I won't pass up this opportunity to advocate the wholesale slaughter of the annoying little buggers. Have the party attacked by elves who think that the 'brutish goblinoids' have no place in 'their'(the elves') forest.

Ok, these short ones are just really random encounters, and almost certainly random COMBAT encounters. But if you like them, they've served their purpose.

Hope this helps.

Advance scouts, Indian burial grounds, snotty natives. I can dig that, and certainly layerable. I never visit the WOTC site, so I'll give it another look-over.