How would you defend your subterranean kingdom?

[Nifft]

Composition of the Village of Yakford:

Total Polulation: 818

Governance: Lawful Good Mayor in conjunction with two powerful Guilds: the Brewers Board and the Merchant Council. The Merchant Council is heavily influenced by the interests of the larger town to the south, while the Brewers Board represents conservative local interests.

Guards: 8 (full-time), 72 (conscriptable)

Full-time Guards
1 Sherrif (Human Ranger 4th level)
7 Deputies:
- 1 Human Ranger (1)
- 2 Human Barbarians (2, 1)
- 2 Human Fighters (2, 1)
- 2 Halfling Rangers (3, 1)

Conscriptable:
Chet the Elder Blacksmith: Human Fighter (3)
Carl the Blacksmith's Son: Fighter(1) (1)

Myrtle the Beekeeper: Halfling Druid (3)
6 Asst. Beekeepers:
- 2 Human Ranger(1)
- 3 Human Warrior(1)
- 1 Halfling Ranger(2)

Dallan the Inkeeper: Human Bard(3)
- 2 Stable Boys / Porters: Human Warrior(1)

Harvey the Alemaster: Human Warrior(3)

Bandywin the Meadmaster: Halfling Rogue(3) / Expert(4)

Farmers, etc.:
- 2 Human Fighters (2)
- 8 Human Fighters (1)
- 3 Halfling Rangers (1)
- 25 Human Warriors (1)
- 20 Halfling Warriors (1)

Total Force:

1 Ranger 4
1 Ranger 3
1 Fighter 3
1 Bard 3
1 Rogue 3
1 Warrior 3
3 Fighter 2
1 Druid 3
2 Ranger 2
1 Barbarian 2
6 Ranger 1
1 Barbarian 1
10 Fighter 1
50 Warrior 1

+ 738 non-combatants:
2 Human Midwives: Alberta & Roberta (Adept 1)
1 Elderly Halfling Priest: Halegrove (CG Cleric 4, Animal & Healing Domains)
4 Trade Councilers: Oxblode, Pembroke, Quimby, Rutherford (Aristocrat 1)
1 Hermit (Halfling Monk 3)

38 Elderly Men
111 Elderly Women
317 Children (boys & girls)
192 Women (non-combat)
72 Men (non-combat)

(please let me know if the math is off!)

-- Nifft

 

[Nifft]

Goblin Base: Abandoned Mine

History & Composition:

The main shaft (10-14' wide, 7-10' high) opens into a shaded valley. A rough road, overgrown from nearly a century of disuse, runs up to the main entry.

The dwarves who dug the shafts found two veins of silver wedged diagonally between other strata. They mined through one hill (the first vein) and under an adjoining valley (the second, deeper vein).

The place where the two veins came closest became a staging area. The rock above and below it was honeycombed with passageways, including a small drainage tunnel (3' wide, 4' high) dug away from the second vein and towards a more porus strata (under the first valley).

The main shaft intersects the upper vein about half way. Tunnels (5' wide, 5' high) spiral up and down from the staging area. The tunnels exploring this first vein extend under the main (horizontal) shaft and join the tunnels of the second, deeper vein (because the two veins meet). Near the top of this vein's spiral is a small horizontal tunnel (3' wide, 4' high) leading to the surface, about 2/3 of the way up the hill.

The main shaft continued to the second vein, which extended both higher and deeper than the first vein. A great spiral tunnel (10' wide, 5' high) runs the height of the second vein, with extraction shafts (3-5' wide, 5' high) dug sloping upward into the vein. The spiral also hosts three more drainage tunnels, dug to the same porus strata under the first valley. The top of this sipral also hosts a small horizontal tunnel (3' wide, 4' high) leading into the second valley.

Malfajir the evil Conjurer and his kobolds found these mines in good condition. The drainage tunnels had kept what moisture had found its way into the mine from standing stagnant. This slightly surprised Malfajir, who had heard that the dwarves left in a hurry when they uncovered hints of an ancient evil under the hills. Nonetheless, he lost no time in commanding his minions to both secure the mine as a base (including devious traps and a laboratory for himself) and in restarting digging in the deepest abandoned shafts.

Malfajir never found any ancient evil (save that which he brought with him), but his minions both mined and built traps with more cunning and zeal than wisdom. In the climactic confrontation with a party of brave adventurers, thier "collapse-the-tunnel" trap accidentally took with it much of the middle of the second vein spiral, the main shaft between the veins, and the first vein spiral which lay under the main shaft. Those kobolds who were not burried did thier best to flee.


Current Status:

Into this trapped and shattered mine come the goblins. They have come for several reasons. First, the chief wanted more power. He is seeking to start a new tribe where he will be more than just a famous raider. Second, the chief's brother is a mage, and suspects that something of the conjurer's laboratory still exists somewhere under the rubble. They're willing to work anyone captured to death digging through the rubble.

The rubble itself is the goblin's biggest advantage: they've discovered several defensible positions within the rubble which give good views of each of the entry points. If possible, they will try to get adventurers into the rubble chamber.

Malfajir's laboratory did indeed survive the explosion. It was carved most of the way down the second vein spiral, by enlarging the deepest drainage tunnel. It is trapped and guarded by the ghost of Malfajir's most loyal minion, a 4th level kobold Sorcerer named Ichekif, who is hopelessly awaiting his master's return.

(A few of the more curious goblins have ventured into the depths of this spiral, and have heard Ichekif's haunting yaps echoing up the tunnels, through gaps in the rubble. The sound frightens them and vague yet horrific rumors are starting to percolate through the goblin ranks.)

The goblins are led by Uffalg and his brother Ukrat. Uffalg's luitenants are Fugrig and Girut.

Uffalg (Ranger 6): Chaotic Evil
St:13 Dx:14 Co:10 In:10 Ws:12 Ch:14
Feats: Ambidexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting, Track, Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge
Skills: (40 points) Ride 6, Animal Empathy 6, Handle Animal 6, Wilderness Lore 6, Hide 2, Move Silently 2, Jump 6, Climb 6
Equipment: Masterwork Studded Leather Armor (intended for a Halfling), Hand Axe, Masterwork Dagger, Heavy Crossbow, Potion of Cure Light Wounds (x3), Potion of Jump (x2)

Ukrat (Wizard 4): Neutral Evil
St:7 Dx:12 Co:9 In:15 Ws:10 Ch:9
Feats: Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus: Conjuration, Combat Casting
Skills: (32 points) Spellcraft 7, Concentration 7, Alchemy 7, Knowlege: Arcana 7, Scry 4
Equipment: Light Crossbow, Silver Dagger, Potion of Cure Light Wounds, Scroll of Web (x2), Scroll of Identify (x2)
Spells known: Grease, Summon Monster I, Silent Image, Identify, Jump, Web, Summon Monster II, Levitation
Familiar: Rat (named Kara)

Fugrig (Ranger 4): Neutral Evil
St:14 Dx:14 Co:12 In:10 Ws:11 Ch:9
Feats: Ambidexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting, Track, Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack
Skills: (32 points) Ride 6, Handle Animal 5, Animal Empathy 5, Move Silently 5, Hide 5, Jump 3, Climb 3
Equipment: Hide Armor, Heavy Crossbow, Short Sword, Dagger, Potion of Cure Light Wounds

Girut (Fighter 4): Chaotic Evil
St:10 Dx:16 Co:14 In:10 Ws:8 Ch:10
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Dirty Fighting, Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery
Skills: Ride 4, Climb 2, Jump 2
Equipment: Small Chainmail, Masterwork Short Bow, Hand Axe, Potion of Cure Light Wounds (x2)

... and Ukrat's protoge:

Taggerst (Wizard 1): Neutral Evil
St: 8 Dx:12 Co:11 In:14 Ws:10 Ch:8
Feats: Scribe Scroll, Combat Casting
Skills: Concentration 4, Spellcraft 4, Alchemy 4
Equipment: Dagger
Spells Known: Grease, Silent Image


The rest of the tribe are less interesting:

4x Sergents (Warrior 3)
4x Ranger 2
6x Warrior 2
12x Ranger 1
63x Warrior 1

+ 71 noncombatants (80% women -- no elderly & few children)

+ 22 Worgs and 2 Dire Wolves, all of which live outside the mines. The worgs are used both as guard dogs and mounts for hunts & raids, while the dire wolves are used as either guards or as Uffalg's personal body guards (when he is outdoors).

Logistics, tactics, motivations and specific encounters to follow... maybe even scans of the maps.

Does anyone think this set-up is unbalanced? What level characters would you send against these foes?

-- Nifft

 

[Nail]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: new one

Heh. Th' thread that would not die. (I only access th' 'net twice a week...hence th' long time between responses. FWIW.)

ok one more time

....ummm..... actually, we got all o' that. Clear as a bell. Message received...an' all o' that dreck.

What yer missing is what happens to th' worgs and so on. How do they get up th' shaft?

So, you tell us: "They use a winch, shtupid!"

"Right, right," we say, "but that's pretty durn inconvient. Maybe even way too inconvenient."

Imagine getting a squad of wrogs and worg-riders outta there, to prepare fer a raid. How long do you suppose that'll take? Half a day? Crank-crank-crank-crank.............

Maybe it's jus' me, but I'd think th' goblins might have something better to do with their time.......crank-crank-crank-crank-crank.....

That, and the winch would constantly require repair and up-keep. Not to mention how often it would get stuck or broken with someone in mid-transit.......crank-creeeeek-SNAP!

Dwarves could handle this....but goblins?.......crank-crank-crank-crank-crank.....


Think it thru.....

 

[Nail]

Goblin Base: Abandoned Mine

<snip>

Does anyone think this set-up is unbalanced? What level characters would you send against these foes?

Good stuff.

My 2 cp:
Make th' goblin rangers into rogues.

• The favored class fer goblins is rogues. They like to sneak attack. They don't like a fair fight. They lay traps. They like Evasion. They are rogues.
  
• They are not rangers. They do not hunt (they ambush!). They do not track (that's what worgs are for). They do not have a favored enemy (they hate/are afraid of everybody). They do not specialize in toe-to-toe fights with 2-weapon style (they use missile weapons!).
  
• In tunnels and tight spaces, rogues can be way nastier anyway.
  
• Maybe try rogue/adepts instead of wizards. That way there aren't any paper spell books to rot or be damaged by the damp an' wet. No point learnin' t' read when there's no light underground! And they have access to cure spells.
  
• Make the wizard a rogue/wizard. Use that favored class idea. It's cool an' adds flavor. Perhaps th' leader has lots of ranks in Alchemy? Maybe that's why he's interested in th' old lab of the sorcerer.

Given the levels of the goblins, I'd say a tight group of 5th level PCs could do it, or a sloppy group of 6th level. It really depends on how sneaky th' traps are (and how operable they still are). Judge the trap level by yer group: some people find traps frustrating and/or boring.

 

[mmadsen]

I agree with Nail that Goblin scouts should be Rogues rather than Rangers. Ideally they'd have their own variant-Rogue class, one with the Ranger's skill list but with all the Rogue's other qualities.

 

[Nifft]

The goblin mini-tribe I'm presenting is a bit non-standard, for a couple of reasons:

1) They're pround hunters and skirmishers who've left thier big tribe (and are trying to found a new, stronger tribe) becuase they weren't getting the respect they thought they deserved. Thier tactics are cowardly -- they will not engage in combat unless they have better arms and numbers -- but their style is that of a hunter. Uffalg took with him those who were sympathetic to his cause ("more respect for hunters") and that's probably disproportionately rangers.

2) The chief & his brother are power hungry. They go about getting it by different means -- Ukrat through discipline and study, Uffalg via strength and bullying. Ultimately Uffalg is the dominant brother (older & higher charisma), but he's wise enough to listen to his smart little brother's advice much of the time.

3) These are the goblins who survived a moderately long trek through somewhat hostile mountains, hills & woodlands.

4) How exactly do non-ranger, non-druid goblins go about getting a bunch of worgs & dire wolves to let the goblins ride them?

-- Nifft

PS: The tribe is on its way to becoming even less typical...

 

[Nail]

How exactly do non-ranger, non-druid goblins go about getting a bunch of worgs & dire wolves to let the goblins ride them?

...yer not askin' fer th' crude explanations here, right?


....anyway, from what I can tell, worgs are an intelligent race. They just "decided" to ally themselves wit' goblins. Worgs are not type: animal, so the druid or ranger animal friendship has nothing to do with it.

Bottom Line: Goblins do not have to be rangers or druids (or even have the animal handling skill) to ride worgs.

An' seriously: make the goblins rogues. It will be cool. Trust me.

 

[Leopold]

suggestion here:

The goblins live in and underground right? Worgs are USELESS for underground mobility. Sure they make great scouts and such out and about but think about what lives in and around the underearth: Insects.


Rip out the wolves and put in centipedes. Have the centipedes be steeds to ride on, sure they might not go as fast but they can be used in and around the home and not require as much of the same food that goblins eat hence allowing for more abundant food supplies for the homeland.

Make the home land defense team be comprised of large spiders. Use their web ability to trap insiders, let them setup webs and tunnels and be controlled by the goblins. Use their ability to hang upside down turn the battlefield into 3D combat.

Bats? What about them? Flying mounts that can be used and trained easily. They make great night time flyers and raiders and can be used in a pinch to make swooping attacks on the enemy while the goblins throw spears at the party from above.

Fungus: Violet Shriekers (as stated above), molds, slimes, oozes, etc. make the pits and traps so that those that don't know they are there fall down in them. Make a pit trap housing nothing but gelatinous cubes and watch the PC's die when they start getting disolved.


My point is: Use the other resources at hand instead of relying on the traditional (read goblins on dogs) methodology. I apologize if this is stated before but I didn't bother reading all 3 HUGE pages of tactics before I posted..

 

[Leopold]

...yer not askin' fer th' crude explanations here, right?


....anyway, from what I can tell, worgs are an intelligent race. They just "decided" to ally themselves wit' goblins. Worgs are not type: animal, so the druid or ranger animal friendship has nothing to do with it.

Bottom Line: Goblins do not have to be rangers or druids (or even have the animal handling skill) to ride worgs.

An' seriously: make the goblins rogues. It will be cool. Trust me.

goblin monks with lots of ranks in tumble?

 

[mmadsen]

The goblins live in and underground right? Worgs are USELESS for underground mobility.

Well, right, but they're for raiding human lands above ground. And what actually is useful for undeground mobility? You can't ride anything in a tunnel only as tall as you are that goes straight up and straight down.

Rip out the wolves and put in centipedes.

Tame centipedes? It's certainly a cool idea, but it's also an offbeat idea. The notion of ferocious humanoids with ferocious dogs (wolves) seems pretty natural. Riding centipedes? Weird. Cool, but weird.

Make the home land defense team be comprised of large spiders.

I see giant spiders eating goblins.

Bats? What about them? Flying mounts that can be used and trained easily. They make great night time flyers and raiders and can be used in a pinch to make swooping attacks on the enemy while the goblins throw spears at the party from above.

Ooh, I like that one!