Help me defend my goblin's lair

[NewJeffCT]

You need to add more lava to your lair. That will slow down many an adventurer.

From the Killer DM 101 course, if I recall.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Without reading everyone else's responses...

Traps, traps, traps.

• 
  Give them flour from a raided miller's wagon. Have the PCs throw off a trip wire that drops the flour from above, give an Obscuring Mist feel along with coating them in flour - negatives to Hide.
  
  Have a simple pit trap, then bait it with a frightened goblin wearing something gold on the other side. PC catches the goblin 'flatfooted' and charges straight into the pit trap. Add spikes and some disease at the bottom for nastyness.
  
  Prep a Gust of Wind or do the same with air pressure by having them open a major door to the outside. If the torches go out, they can't target too well, but the goblins can.
  
  Add tiny viper snakes that are released from a number of urns where the goblins keep them. They could fill a corridor if motivated by fire, and if the party retreats down the tunnel have it blocked off with a thorny mobile barricade moved into place.
  
  Drop one or two tiny viper snakes on them from above just for some creepy fun.
  
  Cave-ins in front of and behind the party are always fun until your torches run low.
  
  Drench a hall in oil or strong distilled spirits and light it up when the goblins hear the splash of heavy feet. No sight necessary.

• 
  
  Some good ideas here - oil/distilled spirits is a good idea. The flour falling on them is also interesting, because you know that PCs are going to be paranoid that it is something more than just flour ("let's take a round of arrows to wash ourselves off of this foul substance.")

 

[NewJeffCT]

Just want to make sure since I'm something of a novice DM to 3E/3.5, though I have a ton of 1E DMing under my belt and some 2E as well... a 1 round spell means that if Sorcerer X casts the spell, it won't actually go off until right before his turn in initiative that next round? (I don't have the book in front of me this weekend, sorry) - so, the sorcerer cannot move that entire round and must spend it casting and is therefore vulnerable to attacks of opportunity?

 

[Rechan]

Just want to make sure since I'm something of a novice DM to 3E/3.5, though I have a ton of 1E DMing under my belt and some 2E as well... a 1 round spell means that if Sorcerer X casts the spell, it won't actually go off until right before his turn in initiative that next round? (I don't have the book in front of me this weekend, sorry) - so, the sorcerer cannot move that entire round and must spend it casting and is therefore vulnerable to attacks of opportunity?

From the SRD:

A spell that takes 1 round to cast is a full-round action. It comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. You then act normally after the spell is completed.

 

[NewJeffCT]

From the SRD:

A spell that takes 1 round to cast is a full-round action. It comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. You then act normally after the spell is completed.

Thanks - that is what I thought. I guess I've been doing that one incorrectly, to the benefit of the players. I think I got a bit lazy since the first time they did it they were hidden and targeted guards from their hidden locations - that way, casting time wasn't that important.

 

[CruelSummerLord]

I'm DMing what is now a low-level campaign - and I had thought I set up a tough encounter for them by having them tasked to clear a goblin lair.

Part of the problem is that the party has two sorcerers and sleep is a devastating spell at that level. (party makeup is 5 humans and 1 elf fighter. The humans are a rogue, a cleric, a ranger, a sorcerer and a sorcerer-thief. Everybody is 2nd level, verging on 3rd. If they retreat and rest, at least three or four of them will have enough XP to level to 3rd)

So, what would you do if you were the goblins?
1) Would you keep your troops together in hopes of wearing the PCs down? Maybe set up some barricades for archers?
2) Would you send a squad of 8-10 (or more) out the back entrance in hopes of them catching the PCs from behind?
3) How would you take advantage of the darkness - the PCs will have to rely on either spells or torchlight beyond where they are now. The first room had enough light for them to see without penalty, but beyond that is deeper underground.
4) What sort of 1 use item would be a good "goblinesque" item for somebody to toss at the PCs? Low level magic item type of deal.
5) Would you attack, or sit & wait for the PCs to come to you?
6) Do I mix in the leader types to lessen the effects of the sleep spells? Or, do the leaders hang back and wait for the minions to die and hopefully soften the PCs up a bit?
7) Something else, or some combo of the above.

Thanks

Who needs to get all fancy and high-tech? Remember that goblins are resistant to filth and disease, according to fluff text. Since when was the last time a goblin took a bath?

In other words...

Manure.

Buckets of it on the top of slightly open doors, ready to splash on any hapless hero that comese through.

Tripwires that release the stuff from hidden compartments in the ceiling.

Trap doors that drop heroes into the latrine.

Piles of it in front of the archers.

If the heroes have to crawl through a Small-sized tunnel to reach the goblins...

Now, you as DM are going to have to extrapolate here, since thankfully there are no rules for what happens in cases like this. You might decide the PCs suffer the effects of a stinking cloud spell, suffer temporary ability damage by being "poisoned" by the stench, or a minor attack penalty for their nausea and disgust.

Reflex or Fortitude saving throws are of course permissible to avoid the worst effects of the stuff, and whatever happens it'll hinder, rather than kill, the PCs.

There might be an added psychological advantage-characters who are so angry at being covered in cow pie might furiously charge after the goblins...right into whatever traps the little rats have set up.

 

[Rechan]

Now, you as DM are going to have to extrapolate here, since thankfully there are no rules for what happens in cases like this. You might decide the PCs suffer the effects of a stinking cloud spell, suffer temporary ability damage by being "poisoned" by the stench, or a minor attack penalty for their nausea and disgust.

Pretty sure the disease Filth Fever is related to infections of the like.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Who needs to get all fancy and high-tech? Remember that goblins are resistant to filth and disease, according to fluff text. Since when was the last time a goblin took a bath?

In other words...

Manure.

Buckets of it on the top of slightly open doors, ready to splash on any hapless hero that comese through.

Tripwires that release the stuff from hidden compartments in the ceiling.

Trap doors that drop heroes into the latrine.

Piles of it in front of the archers.

If the heroes have to crawl through a Small-sized tunnel to reach the goblins...

Now, you as DM are going to have to extrapolate here, since thankfully there are no rules for what happens in cases like this. You might decide the PCs suffer the effects of a stinking cloud spell, suffer temporary ability damage by being "poisoned" by the stench, or a minor attack penalty for their nausea and disgust.

Reflex or Fortitude saving throws are of course permissible to avoid the worst effects of the stuff, and whatever happens it'll hinder, rather than kill, the PCs.

There might be an added psychological advantage-characters who are so angry at being covered in cow pie might furiously charge after the goblins...right into whatever traps the little rats have set up.

good ideas - just the in-game results could be fun/funny for me as a DM.

 

[Rechan]

So, when's your next session for this to occur? I'm interested in what you plan on implementing and how effective it is.

 

[NewJeffCT]

So, when's your next session for this to occur? I'm interested in what you plan on implementing and how effective it is.

Friday night.

i'll hopefully post a follow-up on Saturday or Sunday.