Help me defend my goblin's lair

[NewJeffCT]

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)

After ambushing a nightly goblin patrol and knocking them off, no sweat, the party basically waltzed right into the goblin lair, took out 4 guards near the entrance. (I had expected them to use stealth....) Even though the guards got the alarm off and the goblins in the next room were waiting, the party again took them all out with ease. Only 1 person was wounded and they've now taken out nearly 20 goblins. Granted, I rolled about as poorly as you can roll (two sleep spells needing saves of 14 knocked out 7 out of 8 possible goblins...) but it was disappointing, as I wanted a challenging & harrowing encounter. But, I also don't like to penalize PCs for doing well, and I'm not the type to get too upset if my planned super-encounter fizzles.

I have about 35 goblins left, including a 3rd level leader and a 3rd level cleric and a couple of 2nd level "lieutenant" types. There is a back entrance to the place the PC's don't know about as well.

The goblins have a few "in game" minutes to prepare for the PCs. I would prefer to *not* rewrite the goblins to make them 4th or 5th level, or give them special magic items other than 1 use types of things.

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

 

[Reynard]

Simple Answer: kill the sorcerers. Assuming the goblins are aware of how it is the PCs are making such an effective incursion into their lair, the smart goblin commander will send out a few, relatively small waves of goblins hoping to use up the last of the PCs resources (sleep spells), probably with some archery support. The sorcers would be the primary targets, and getting them to waste their spells would be a priority.

Question: have they slaughtered all the goblins they have slept? because, if not, retreat is going to be kind of hard when things go bad.

 

[Rechan]

What is this lair made out of? Is it a cave? Some sort of fort? A house that the goblins took over? How BIG is the interior? Is it goblin sized (Meaning that medium characters have to squeeze through to fight)? How long have these goblins been living here?

Assuming they've been living there a while, and it's not just someone else's lair that they took over, it should be fortified to the extent that goblins can fortify it. For instance, there should be pits, with walkways that are goblin sized (balance check to cross while in a fight).

They should have traps and murder holes (arrow slits in the walls/ceiling they can drop things down and then run away) and poison. (Weak poison, mind you).

Imagine one of the goblins tunnels with a big piece of wood or frame. The frame fills the entire tunnel, and the goblins push it forwards, towards a pit. There's a lot of them behind it, so they are forcing the characters to back up towards the pit. Put spikes on the front for that matter, so the Pcs can't just charge and ram it.

If all of the tunnels are Goblin sized (small), it hampers the medium characters' speed and fighting. The goblins could take advantage of this further by carving out a part of the tunnel that's Medium sized, so a medium sized person stands up to their full height - and triggers a trap, like a scything blade, or maybe something poisonous spread on the ceiling.

Also, these guys are goblins: where are their worgs or wolves?

1) Would you keep your troops together in hopes of wearing the PCs down? Maybe set up some barricades for archers?

Archers spread out. One on that side of the room, behind a barricade, another on that side of the room. Preferably on the other side of a pit or ledge the goblin reaches by tossing down a ladder or a board that he can pull up, leaving him isolated.

2) Would you send a squad of 8-10 (or more) out the back entrance in hopes of them catching the PCs from behind?

Two archers, as many worg riders as possible, and one of the leaders.

Alternatively, if the goblin lair has a T intersection, have both groups sandwiched on one side, and one on the other. The PCs choose to go in one direction, have the guys in the other come in from behind. Much easier pincer move.

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.

Goblins have darkvision 60ft; they can see in the dark just fine. A torch and Light spells give light out to 20ft, and beyond that is 20ft of Shadowy Illumination, which gives anyone in the Shadowy Illumination concealment (meaning they can hide, and have a miss chance to be hit). Low light vision (elves for instance) mean that both of those figures are Doubled - normal light goes out to 40ft, shadowy another 40ft.

If the Goblins' lair is so small that 20ft of light illuminates everything, then the gobbos are stuck unless they start shooting from one room into the next.

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.

1) Tanglefoot bag. Alchemist fire. Hit a big beefy guy with a sword and he's SOL. Same for a magey type.

2) Forget a magical item. Go for something more mundane: a wasp's nest inside a clay jar. Treat it like a regular swarm.

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?

1) What is the Leader? Is he a fighter, a rogue, what?

2) The goblins should spread out. First of all, goblins suck at melee, so a goblin at range is a happy goblin. And goblins should know "Don't cluster up; big people can hit you with spells and everybody die". So this would lessen the effect of Sleep if you have one over here, one over there, two up there, etc.

3) Goblins have +5 to MS and +5 to Hide. Have two or three rogues hide (behind cover I might add) and have two or three archers on the other side of the room. The PCs come in, the archers start pegging them, the PCs approach. Have the hiding rogues come up behind the sorcerers and skewer/flank them like the rogues they are. Unless they flank the mage, they should run after getting their sneak attacks.

4) Aid Another. If two or three goblins are in a fight with a PC, have one Aid the Other so that he can hit harder.

5) Goblins should know 'people wiggle fingers and say weird things and goblins die'. Have a goblin hold an action to try and disrupt a mage when he's casting.

6) Give the PCs a taste of their own medicine. A first level goblin sorcerer could throw a Color Spray, which should stun or knock out several people. In addition, this sorcerer just throwing down an Obscuring Mist should make your PCs pause and go "Uh oh, what's going on?" and go slower. (Couple this with 3 for great effect). Casting Grease (or just dumping a pot of it) on one of the goblin-sized bridges while archers guard it should be a fairly good choke point.

7) Hit and Run. Goblins have 30ft movement for a small race - much faster than someone in heavier armor (and always faster than a dwarf). A goblin pops in a doorway (using cover), fire a shot, and run away. If the PC chases, have two goblins come up behind him.

8) Trickery. Have Bob the Goblin put on the fancy head dress and pick up the clerical fashion, and give him one of the biggest, baddest weapons in the cache. Let the cleric look like he was some joe schmoe goblin with a morningstar. PCs jump up to approach Bob, and the Cleric steps up behind them and WHAMMO, Sound burst (Damage + stun), or summon swarm right on their heads. If the Cleric is going to melee (which is a Bad idea), Aid and then charging the mages from behind is doable, or just cast Spiritual Weapon and aim for the mages.

 

[LostSoul]

While the sorcerers are casting Sleep, target them. It's a full-round spell.

 

[Slapzilla]

A Goblin's favored class is Rogue. Throw in a few simple traps but don't get all Kobold on them. Just ones that control their movements... into choke points. Ambush and try to overwhelm them. Slow the party down and force them to retreat or enter a carefully orchestrated liar of doom. Dropping stuff on them when they are in a 5' wide, beyond the edge of vision tall passage. Darkvision goes 60'.

The sorcerers have how many sleep spells between them? Send a few small waves at them to use them up. Once they are out of spells (or unwilling to use any more in case of dire emergency), poison them with your hidden until now archers. No need to kill mind you, but an 'empty' sorcerer saddled with a Str drain of, say 1d6 initial and secondary with a DC around 16 or so completely removes them from the fray.

If the Goblin Cleric can make scrolls, see what buffs can happen before attacking the Fighter or Ranger and overwhelming him or her. Summon something odious, even if it is only for three rounds. Do it again. Mix a 1st level Goblin Rogue into the fray for flanking sneak attack damage. Darkness spells. Even if the PC cleric counters with Light, it is one spell gone. Do it again. Read up on Darkness vs Light spells and how the conflict works with darkvision.

Torchlight doesn't go far. 3 or 4 Goblins grappling the torch away and skittering away into the gloom can be quite mean.

 

[Nifft]

Some general goodies here: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=17131

Cheers, -- N

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

I'd have the leaders, and whatever porters (harem 'girls'?) they'd need to get away with the swag, make a hasty retreat after sending thier minions off to battle. Then again I tend to think of Goblins as the definition of CE, unorganised and self-centered. First sign that they don't have overwhelming numbers/power and they're going to break and run. The only thing keeping tribes together is the simple fact that everyone loves goblins, as slaves, food, sacrifices, cannon fodder...

Maybe the Cleric is feeling zealous and stays behind, nothing saying it couldn't use a Bless or Prayer to bolster saving throws and to-hits.

If they breeze through this run 'm up against Kobolds (or Hobgoblins even) to show them what an organised and more diciplined enemy can do. It never hurts to remind the group that some monsters have brains and others just use brute force, they can both be tough fights in thier own ways.

 

[Rechan]

I'd have the leaders, and whatever porters (harem 'girls'?) they'd need to get away with the swag, make a hasty retreat after sending thier minions off to battle.

That does give me one thought.

If your goblins are particularly ruthless, send in the women. Just like, "Go, run at them or we will chop off your feet!"

Stampede of 20 commoner goblins with babies in their arms. One of them is a female warrior with a knife in her hand. (Or several of the males are disguised as females; can the PCs tell a boy gobbo from a girl?)

 

[Bagpuss]

Sleep: "Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action)."

Have the goblins that are awake, awaken the goblins that failed their save. You lose a standard action this round, but next round you have two actions, so it evens out.

If they are 2nd/3rd level you could be throwing 9 to 12 at once at them. Alternatively, up the HD on some of them don't have them all 1HD 1st level warriors have some 2HD ones. That way they can only drop half as many.

Perhaps slip a couple of shaman (adepts) into the group with sleep prepared, so they can counterspell or give the group a touch of their own medicine.

Or what is suggested by P.S. below.

 

[Plane Sailing]

While the sorcerers are casting Sleep, target them. It's a full-round spell.

This is very important - you have remembered to run the Sleep spell properly, haven't you? It is a full round spell (like summoning creatures) so the goblins will all get a chance to act before his sleep spell comes off - which gives them two interesting options

1) all target the sorcerer with missile weapons to hurt him... he could end up having to make quite a concentration check for taking damage while in the middle of casting

2) everyone scatter out of his sight, and when he finishes casting the spell he doesn't have any targets Wasted spell

Option 1 is almost certainly the best one for the goblins to take though.