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How would you defend your subterranean kingdom?
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<blockquote data-quote="Sir Whiskers" data-source="post: 328651" data-attributes="member: 6941"><p>While the ideas above are truly deadly, I think they lack verisimilitude - goblins are not disciplined dwarves, they're thugs. Think street gangs. The bad guys from Road Warrior. They raid others because they don't WANT to do any hard work. Consider the following:</p><p></p><p>1. The head of the tribe is likely to be far more worried about a coup than invading armies or adventurers. He will NEVER allow his chief "lieutenants" to lead significant forces independently. If an underling becomes too powerful or popular, the chief might even send the underling on a raid, then arrange to warn the target, so the underling is either killed or disgraced.</p><p></p><p>The most powerful forces in the goblin kingdom, the wolves, will be under his direct command. The trainers will be hand-picked for loyalty to the chief. Anyone who gets out of line will likely end up as dinner for the wolves.</p><p></p><p>Any spellcasting goblins will be kept under observation at all times. Their spells will likely be used only with the chief's permission. While Hold Person and Command spells would be very useful against invaders, they could also be used against the chief. Some chiefs would forbid such spells altogether, or only allow them to be cast in battle, with a couple "bodyguards" (loyal to the chief) beside each shaman to ensure the spells are used only against the invaders.</p><p></p><p>Remember, goblin tribes tend to be ruled by the biggest, baddest, meanest, most cutthroat character (and not necessarily a goblin).</p><p></p><p>2. Goblins will delight in creating new tricks and traps, but such traps will be small in nature. Any group of goblins assigned to defend/watch a particular area are likely to create a few low-tech alarms and traps, if only so they can sleep or gamble, instead of guarding and patrolling. </p><p></p><p>Large-scale traps, designs, etc. are unlikely to be constructed by goblins for a couple reasons - one, the tribe will not appreciate all the work, which could lead to a change in leadership and, two, goblins abandon lairs not only when driven out, but when they've picked an area clean. Why invest so much work in a place the tribe will leave after several months, or even years? Even if the goblin tribe has occupied a former dwarven stronghold, consider carefully how much work is necessary to repair any traps and contrivances - anything requiring more than a few day's effort would likely be ignored.</p><p></p><p>3. Goblins are cowards! They will only engage in a stand-up fight if they have no choice. They will always look for ways to retreat, which means even sacrificial grunts are likely to create their own bolt-holes, if assigned to an obviously suicidal position ("You two stand right here in the open. Don't worry, if anyone kills you, we'll shoot them." Yeah, right.</p><p></p><p>This means that there may be secret and hidden passages that lead back into the complex that the chief knows nothing of. A smart party could exploit this, while the goblin chief would need to "discourage" such creations. Of course, if the goblin chief wanted to spend his entire day making sure everything is perfect, he'd be a dwarf, so a lot will be missed.</p><p></p><p>The only other time goblins would fight to the death is if they're more afraid of the consequences of running than of fighting. To ensure this, the chief would need to rule with an iron hand. He'd need to be a larger than life threat to the goblins. If he's being trashed by a party, his tribe will abandon him in a heartbeat. In that situation, how likely is he to engage the party himself? He'll run things from behind, then run if things get too hairy.</p><p></p><p>I know the above comments don't actually answer the original question, but others have posted plenty of great ideas. I'm trying to create a context for the goblins so DM's will know which ideas are appropriate. Smart players will think of many of these things and all players appreciate a DM who rewards good planning on their part. Give them the opportunity!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sir Whiskers, post: 328651, member: 6941"] While the ideas above are truly deadly, I think they lack verisimilitude - goblins are not disciplined dwarves, they're thugs. Think street gangs. The bad guys from Road Warrior. They raid others because they don't WANT to do any hard work. Consider the following: 1. The head of the tribe is likely to be far more worried about a coup than invading armies or adventurers. He will NEVER allow his chief "lieutenants" to lead significant forces independently. If an underling becomes too powerful or popular, the chief might even send the underling on a raid, then arrange to warn the target, so the underling is either killed or disgraced. The most powerful forces in the goblin kingdom, the wolves, will be under his direct command. The trainers will be hand-picked for loyalty to the chief. Anyone who gets out of line will likely end up as dinner for the wolves. Any spellcasting goblins will be kept under observation at all times. Their spells will likely be used only with the chief's permission. While Hold Person and Command spells would be very useful against invaders, they could also be used against the chief. Some chiefs would forbid such spells altogether, or only allow them to be cast in battle, with a couple "bodyguards" (loyal to the chief) beside each shaman to ensure the spells are used only against the invaders. Remember, goblin tribes tend to be ruled by the biggest, baddest, meanest, most cutthroat character (and not necessarily a goblin). 2. Goblins will delight in creating new tricks and traps, but such traps will be small in nature. Any group of goblins assigned to defend/watch a particular area are likely to create a few low-tech alarms and traps, if only so they can sleep or gamble, instead of guarding and patrolling. Large-scale traps, designs, etc. are unlikely to be constructed by goblins for a couple reasons - one, the tribe will not appreciate all the work, which could lead to a change in leadership and, two, goblins abandon lairs not only when driven out, but when they've picked an area clean. Why invest so much work in a place the tribe will leave after several months, or even years? Even if the goblin tribe has occupied a former dwarven stronghold, consider carefully how much work is necessary to repair any traps and contrivances - anything requiring more than a few day's effort would likely be ignored. 3. Goblins are cowards! They will only engage in a stand-up fight if they have no choice. They will always look for ways to retreat, which means even sacrificial grunts are likely to create their own bolt-holes, if assigned to an obviously suicidal position ("You two stand right here in the open. Don't worry, if anyone kills you, we'll shoot them." Yeah, right. This means that there may be secret and hidden passages that lead back into the complex that the chief knows nothing of. A smart party could exploit this, while the goblin chief would need to "discourage" such creations. Of course, if the goblin chief wanted to spend his entire day making sure everything is perfect, he'd be a dwarf, so a lot will be missed. The only other time goblins would fight to the death is if they're more afraid of the consequences of running than of fighting. To ensure this, the chief would need to rule with an iron hand. He'd need to be a larger than life threat to the goblins. If he's being trashed by a party, his tribe will abandon him in a heartbeat. In that situation, how likely is he to engage the party himself? He'll run things from behind, then run if things get too hairy. I know the above comments don't actually answer the original question, but others have posted plenty of great ideas. I'm trying to create a context for the goblins so DM's will know which ideas are appropriate. Smart players will think of many of these things and all players appreciate a DM who rewards good planning on their part. Give them the opportunity! [/QUOTE]
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