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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kiznit" data-source="post: 1599510" data-attributes="member: 3994">Okay, here's the set-up:The PCs are currently in the small mountain village of Goblinrock Gulch along the western pass into the Valley of Amberhaven. Fairly isolated area in typical "Keep on the Borderlands" frontier setting. Goblinrock Gulch lies nestled against the rocky valley edge with a river running along the other side. The valley is sporadicly forested as it descends into Hill country, the road is not so safe as east of the hill-lands lie the Savage steppe, populated by monstrous tribes and worse.The party is almost third level, they've just completed their first (somewhat small) dungeon crawl, where they've discovered that gnollish mercenaries are inciting the local goblins into organized attacks against the settlements. Much of this incursion is due to the lands far to the east being encroached upon by a malevolent necromantic army, but that's to be faced 7 or 8 levels down the road <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious    :]" data-shortname=":]" />.The players have just run through a somewhat modified version of "The Witch of Serpent's Bridge" from Dungeon Magazine #95. I've been dropping hints that will hopefully lead them to the dwarven stronghold of Kundrakhar from "The Forge of Fury". But as to right now, they know that Goblinrock is due to be attacked in force within the next several days. Several of the PCs have even reconnaissanced a little bit and seen some of the Goblin Attack camps.I picture the army being made up of this:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Maybe about a eighty to a hundred goblins</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A dozen or so wolf-riding goblins</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Several hobgoblin commanders (just larger goblins with Warrior levels)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">At least one hobgoblin drum-bard riding a dire wolf</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A few wargs</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Some crack gnoll commandos</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A gnollish cleric of Erythnul</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A few orcs along for the mayhem</li> </ul>Naturally, I don't expect the PCs to take this on alone (especially at second level).Here's what we have for defenses:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Pits and wooden palisades</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A half-built stone temple of Kord</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">About forty humbly trained militia-men</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">One 5th-level priest of Kord that has been frantically preparing healing potions and scrolls</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">About half-a-dozen trained village fighters</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">And a unit or two of dwarven fighters that has yet to arrive, ready to pull the fat out of the fire if things turn too ugly.</li> </ul>So what I'm looking for are some suggestions on how to run this, ideas on how to present and describe the goblin encroachment, order of attack, and so on. I'm especially looking for "moments of drama," situations that allow the PCs their chance to shine.  Ideas?</blockquote>

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