Help me defend my goblin's lair

[Bagpuss]

You know they could do both, fire a single shot then use the move action to scatter. That would be really mean. It's only a 10ft burst, so while it could get some you can't see, with their 30ft move they should be able to make it impossible to get more than a few.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I really like the idea that the goblins just cut and run. It leaves the PCs feeling all high and mighty and powerful-like, whilst also allowing the goblins to become recurring enemies.

Have them come back in three or four levels time, with a backstory about how they were turfed out of their old cave and this forced them to get tough or face death.

Have the leader deliver this speech after having captured the PCs when his Overwhelming Goblin Horde O'Doom has shown up. Heh.

 

[rossik]

my opinions:

-you can put traps with oil, like "gel-oil", so it wont come out so easy. maybe they will have to take the clothes off.

once they have oil, put fire on them

-in my ad&d games, its very comom that goblins have that "screeming mushroom", so they can know when pcs are close (and all the screaming is very confusing!)

-like someone said, take the M-Us down. maybe you dont have to kill then, but some things like stinking bombs can disrupt their concentration

-use simple traps, as caltrops, narrow corridor with rusty blades (poisoned? poison dont meam death, remember!) in "calf high" (dont know if thats the right word, sorry..eehhe).

hope i have added something

 

[Bagpuss]

Have the terrain like a rabbit warren, why would goblins make all the tunnels tall enough for humans to walk upright. Have the main natural caves large enough for the PC's but have it intersected with looks of smaller tunnels (which the goblins dug themselves) that the goblins, can run through fine, but the PC's have to duck thus are squeezing. That will discourage them following the goblins when they hit and run.

 

[rossik]

Have the terrain like a rabbit warren, why would goblins make all the tunnels tall enough for humans to walk upright. Have the main natural caves large enough for the PC's but have it intersected with looks of smaller tunnels (which the goblins dug themselves) that the goblins, can run through fine, but the PC's have to duck thus are squeezing. That will discourage them following the goblins when they hit and run.

oh, and have a nasty wild hungry dog the other side!

 

[Bagpuss]

Oh and on the natural corridors that are high enough for a human to run down, set traps with trip lines about 4.5ft off the floor so a goblin run or walk down it all the time without trouble, but a human will set off the trap. The DC to spot doesn't need to be high, because their purpose is just to slow the humans so the goblins can run away, helping their hit and run tactics.

 

[NewJeffCT]

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?)

There are no women - it was an advanced scouting party/group that was sent to occupy an old abandoned dwarven mine. All male types that can fight. However, the disguised females could be a thought.

 

[NewJeffCT]

You know they could do both, fire a single shot then use the move action to scatter. That would be really mean. It's only a 10ft burst, so while it could get some you can't see, with their 30ft move they should be able to make it impossible to get more than a few.

Unfortunately, the lair isn't that big where that is feasible more than once or twice.

 

[Bagpuss]

If they are just an advanced scouting party then their obvious tactic is to withdraw since they aren't up to the fight and go warn the main group of goblins and ask for more support to take the mine.

 

[roguerouge]

A couple of things:

0. Goblins are NE. Selfish, not chaotic.

1. Remember that goblins are cowards, but maliciously, deliciously evil cowards. They fight only when they have numbers. Consider violating DM code of an EL "fair fight." It's possible that they all gather together in a huge horde for protection. Party breezes through, deals with a few nasty but simplistic traps ... and then comes in to face 35 goblins all with that sharp-toothed smile: "Bugger," says the first PC in.

1a) When the party, hopefully, runs, they now have an incentive to figure out ways to trick the goblins into facing them with smaller sizes... picking off patrols, stealth, looking for hidden entrances, etc.

2. In addition to the other nasty tactics, have the noncombatants fling poo at the PCs. You might rule that the PCs have to make a Fort save DC5 or be nauseated at the first hit.

3. Goblins should be easily distracted. A smart sorceror who throws fistfuls of shinies (copper) or food ought to take 1d6 goblins out of the fight for a few rounds.

4. Second the motion for small sized tunnels if you don't go for the unexpected big swarm of gobbos.

5. Glass jar with a hornet's nest is absolutely perfect.