How could Kobolds defend their lair? Part 3 of game session posted.

[Hand of Evil]

Best thing to do is lay down a kobod lair map over your location map, tunnels that are small that they use to travel from place to place, loop back, go under or above dangerous rooms, and such. You also have to think mean, tactics I have used...

Mud area: mud is only 24 inches deep but will cut movement to almost nothing, then comes ambush, spears and rocks, then run away, only to do it again from behind.

Blocked : After a party enters a passage, a few kobolds brick-up the passage way behind the party. There are a number of things that could happen now, gas coutd be released to knock-out or kill. Water could also be released to flood the passage.

Creatures: As man has the dog, cat, and other animals, so to kobolds have learned to use animals. Spiders and snakes are easy, drop on or use in pit but what about creatures like the assassin vine, fungus, grick, shock lizard or others?

Kobolds work well when they hit and run, firt slowing down target. They also work well in teams attack from the rear, run away, then actack when the foe turns around.

 

[Krug]

Someone at WotC must have read this thread..
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eo/20031109a

 

[Nasma]

I've made up an excel map (apologies to piratecat) of a sample kobold lair. This is a side on view, and only outline the basics of the place, I don't think that the rest would be relevant to the players anyway. Here is the key:

The entire lair is dark

White= passage that the players can travel through, they are not wide enough to use a large slashing weapon, with the exception of the large rooms.

Red= Passage that medium players cannot fit through, designed for kobold use.

Green= pit trap, spikes at bottom, and poisoned spikes up walls. The top is covered with wood strong enough to support a kobold, but not anything in heavy armour or of medium size.

1. This is the main entrance, there will be about six or so kobolds at the far end, armed with crossbows. Upon sighting the party, they will each fire once, before retreating behind the door. Four will remain, continuing to fire from cover, while the others will retreat up the ladder 4, and ready themselves, above the pit traps.

2. This is the observation deck. After seeing the party enter, one kobold will alert the rest of the lair via a sending, while the other five will move to the end of the trapped corridor, ready to shoot the party as they advance. Note that they will be out of sight of the party.

3. A pit trap if the barbarian charges.

4. This is too thin for medium size players to climb, but the kobolds can retreat up the ladder when necessary

5. This corridor is filled with pit traps the purpose of which is to buy the rest of the kobolds time to prepare themselves for the attack. While the party advances, they will be fired upon from the other end by the kobolds previously residing in 2. Each pit trap has a hole above through which the kobolds can shoot arrows, dump rocks, or do any other activity which you can think of. When the party gets near the end of the passage, the kobolds will retreat and others will fire from 4. This way. the party will always be under fire, and forced to act. More kobolds will arrive, and fire at the party from a distance once the rest of the base is aware of the group's presence. Keep the players under fire, from a large distance, to force them to move onto the next stage and/or use up precious resources.

6. This is a water filled passageway designed to seperate the party and extinguish any torchs they may have.

7. When the lead player emerges from the water he will be attacked with crossbows from this point

8. After the party has moved on, this point will be collapsed in order to trap the group.

8 (the other one). This large drop has a ladder running downwards into darkness. If the party climb down, they will be innundated with arrows from the kobolds accross the other side. The ladder is also trapped, and can be severed by a kobold at any time. This will most likely be done when only one player is on it, in order to seperate the group. Hopefully, this will ensure falling damage, or at least use up some spells. The fallen player can then be attacked from the other vantage point.

9. A similar water idea, with the lead player being attacked after emerging, this time though a larger climb is required, still under fire.

10. This is the kobold "barracks" as such, where most of them will be coming from.

11. An area where the players can be attacked from above, again.

12. When the players have reached this point, after another climb under fire, a fire will be lit from underneath, forcing the players to move into area 13, or suffocate.

13. This is the "passage of death", the kobolds will be fully prepared, and keep up a constant barrage of fire from the far end. The passages above will allow freshly boiled oil to be poured, and spells, arrows, etc to be fired. Kobolds will also be inside the pit traps, ready to attack the players as they pass above, or engage them after they fall.

14. This is the final room, where the toughest kobolds will reside, ready to take on the depleted PCs. Illusions should be used to make it seem that they are at the far end, whereas they are in the middle of the room. Swarming tactics can be used, as almost every remaining kobold will be here.

15. This is the "shooting gallery" that someone else spoke of. While the players move downwards, they will be fired on by dozens of kobolds.

I know that I've probably missed a few things, but, oh well.

 

[Nifelhein]

From enworld's main page... a link to WotC recent Elite Opponents column.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eo/20031109a

Three kobold foes.

 

[mmadsen]

How would you defend your subterranean kingdom?

This thread has some fantastic information on a very similar topic.

As much as I enjoyed that thread (How Would You Defend A Mountain Fortress?), Creamsteak, I think Agback referenced the "correct" thread (How would you defend your subterranean kingdom?):

I suggest that you have a look at this thread.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

First, keep in mind that the kobolds are going to have numerous entrances/exits to the lair. Every one of these will be rigged to be collapsed, the triggering mechanism located down a very small corridor that even a kobold must crawl through. The party will likely never spot the mechanism. As soon as the party leaves the immediate area, moving deeper into the complex, collapse the entrance. The idea is (from the kobolds' perspective) that no invaders get out alive.

Second, caverns are not two-dimensional, like a typical dungeon. Use up and down against the invaders. As someone already suggested, have vertical shafts filled with water. Add several horizontal shafts (also flooded), so a swimming character has many chances of travelling down the wrong shaft to a dead end. Place poisonous traps in the decoy shafts, which are unlikely to be spotted while swimming (especially if the swimmer has no light source - darkvision is strictly black and white). The kobolds, of course, know which shafts to swim through.

Imagine the invaders finally reaching a relatively large cavern (after travelling through all those claustrophobic passages). The cavern is roughly 50' across. There is an obvious exit on the other side of the cavern. There are several traps around both the entrance and the exit, many obvious. There are literally dozens of murder holes located various heights up the cavern walls, too small to be seen at a distance. Both passages can be collapsed by kobolds located behind specific murder holes. The invaders can't safely rush through the cavern, because of the traps. If they hang around, disarming traps, the entrances can be collapsed and the party pincushioned by hundreds of crossbow bolts. Add boiling oil, fire, and other creatures (say a carrion crawler or three) as needed. If the invaders turn around and retreat, harass them until they reach the original (now collapsed) entrance.

Third, don't let the invaders rest. Sacrificing a kobold or three to make frequent attacks while they attempt to rest is worth it. If the invaders try to use rope trick, set up ambushes and traps just out of sight of it (the invaders should be under constant surveillance). If the spellcasters can't regain spells, the invaders' power drops significantly.

Fourth, if all else fails and they get to the great treasure (perhaps part of a dragon's hoard), make sure other creatures in the area know it. The kobolds will retreat rather than be wiped out - they'll make sure the word gets out. Now the invaders just have to escape the lair, with their treasure, while every creature within miles tries to kill them and take it all. Battle of the Five Armies and all that. (BTW, even if there is no great treasure, the kobolds can tell others that there is...)

Also, if the party attempts to use teleport to escape, be sure to enforce the mishap chances. Anything to make them sweat a bit.

 

[Aeolius]

30ft pit with a couple of Dire Weasels at the bottom (Fiendish template optional).

Or iblishi, my sea kobolds Envision a kobold with yellow skin mottled with blue spots. Add the "wings" of a stingray.

 

[Piratecat]

If the invaders try to use rope trick, set up ambushes and traps just out of sight of it (the invaders should be under constant surveillance).

If the group disappeared into a rope trick, kobold sorcerers would blanket the area with detect magics. When the rope trick is found, they'd probably set up an ambush and have a sorcerer dispel the sanctuary. Yay, abrupt wakenings!

 

[ssampier]

Truly Evil

Some of these ideas are just pure evil--I like it. Some good ideas, but unless you just want to "screw the players", give them a fair shake. Let them run away and rest their wounds. Once they do manage to kill the kobolds, give them adequate rewards (not just "phat 100t").

 

[clark411]

60 ft long corridor that slopes downward.. at the end of it is a U turn in the passage that turns into a 60 ft upward slope. in the center of the turn, a trigger sets off twin boulders, one rolling from the slope they're about to go up, and one rolling from the slope they came from. Badaboom- instant Adventurer sandwich.

if you have to make it koboldish, have graffiti on the left boulder reading "Kobolds" and on the right boulder reading "RULE!"