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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bercilac" data-source="post: 4678143" data-attributes="member: 82608">Trogs!I really like your environment, so I'm focussing on the entrance through the watery tunnel. I'd be tempted to play up the environment a bit more. This cave may have been eroded out of the cliffside by constant waves. If so, perhaps a rip tide? Even if there's a narrow walkway on either side of the water, there's always the chance of PCs getting pushed in during the fight. DC 20 swim checks to avoid getting sucked out or dragged across the rocks (perhaps 1d6 bludgeoning damage w/o reflex save? your call, depending on what you think your players can take) would induce a lot of fear. It could also lead to a fun scene where one player is in danger of drowning (mages with no strength or swim ranks) and the ranger, or similar, dives in to save them. I note that troglodytes can also drain strength with their stench, which would make this even more deadly. During the fight, work with the vertical dimension. Chrono brings this up. Have the troglodytes on rocky ledges (or maybe even prepared firing positions, if you prefer) raining down javelins. To scale this encounter up or down:-Give them a leader. Arcane spellcasters with spells (like colour spray or gust of wind) that can potentially knock characters into the tide; a cleric (maybe with COP Good, or Cause Fear) to bolster regular trogs; or a rogue that launches the first javelin at an unarmoured foe, springing the ambush and getting in a hefty bit of sneak attack damage. -The trogs may have put spikes in the water, where they would be concealed and inflict more damage on those that get caught in the tide. -The trogs could have rock-falls rigged up to levers (or just a rope that needs cutting) to either kill or knock down anyone trying to enter the cave. This encounter, like most, has a turning point, by which point PC victory becomes inevitable. This is probably when the majority party gets through the gauntlet, as chrono says, and the trogs start getting "cleaned up". A round or two after this point (note down when you think it will be, and then play it by gut feel in the game) the trogs should probably run. If you want to re-use them, they fall back to a secondary defense of some sort, or go to set of traps and alarm systems. If you don't, they abandon their draconic master. Edit:Don't forget balance checks for clambering over a steep rocky slope, covered with water and slimy with seaweed!</blockquote>

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