Hey folks,
So I am leading a game that has 6 4th level PCs. The style of the game is steampunk west - everyone has advanced firearms, no armour, lots of 'old west' themes/style. They are on their way to rescue an important NPC from a band of wild goblins that make their home in some nearby canyons. The goblins are primitive (no guns) and are semi-famous for using coyotes as mounts/companions.
The party has the following:
A paladin (holy gun archetype)
A rogue (sniper archetype)
A cleric (luck and charm domain)
A wizard (spellslinger archetype)
A bard (daredevil archetype)
An alchemist (homebrew tinker alternate class)
They are just about to reach the main lair of the goblins. The NPC is inside it, somewhere.
Here is where I could use some assistance. I want this tribe to be so large that it becomes readily apparent that a "kick in the door" style attack is not the best option. I would like it to be more "sneak in, find the NPC, sneak out" but I have two main problems:
1. Not every PC is a stealthy type, in fact some are quite poor at it. If they get left behind, I need to work out how they can contribute to the encounter, I don't want anyone getting bored or left out.
2. I'm a little unsure how to run the encounter. I don't want to work out the entire camp and the location of EVERY goblin - especially because I want to keep the idea of huge numbers. I also don't want it to end up being nothing but Stealth check roll after Stealth check roll.
So, I guess I am asking for suggestions on how to keep this thing dynamic, inclusive, and most important: entertaining. This has the potential to be one of the highlights of the campaign.. or the incident we will never speak of again.. please help me make it the former!
Thanks!
P.S: I should mention, this encounter SHOULD be a hard one. I don't want to make it easy, just easy to run. I will also mention that I DO have an idea of what happens if they get caught red-handed; rather than simply attacking outright, the goblins will force the PCs into a 'game' they play - if you can imagine what kind of physical sport Goblins would come up with.. but that is a contingency if the above encounter falls apart.
How much time to do you have to prepare this encounter?
How much time to do you have to prepare this encounter?
That's a very good question!
Truth is, I'm not sure - I would guess I would have a few evenings to plug away at it. Say, 12 hours? maybe..?
Let's just say I'm not pressed for time and so I can entertain any ideas.
What you are describing sounds very much like the lair assault in the movie 13th Warrior. You can set up obstacles in which other skills, climb, swim, etc can be used to bypass areas where stealth would otherwise be needed. Have a few stealth checks just to make them sweat and if someone really botches the roll an encounter with a small group of goblins could break out. Then it will be interesting to see if the party relies on relatively quiet combat with blades, or go loud with bullets...which would certainly be noticed.
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1. Designing stealthy encounters is always a challenge. However as a player and a DM I have found a good way to create a challenge is to have patrols find them. One notable situation I remember was when i was an arcane trickster (rogue/wizard) while we were attempting to sneak into a goblin stronghold (very similar situation). While I was stealthing ahead, a group of patrolling goblins found my non-stealthy party and immediately attempted to run. Taking advantage of the terrain, my party cornered the goblins and killed them before they could alert the others. I would do the same thing and set it up specifically so the players will have to stop some fleeing goblins (or just a single one). If they do escape, then they will need to deal with an attack party that is sent. As for this groups goal, the entire point should be finding the "back door" so the non-stealthies can sneak in.
2. Likewise, make this the goal for the infiltrators. Come up with some problems that the stealther will need to negotiate through. Don't make it a linear path. Big group of goblins halfway to the door and nothing to hide behind. I imagine your bard and rogue can work together on this which really should increase their ability to come up with creative ways past enemies. In my experience, when dealing with groups with lots of options, I find it best to design encounters as intended to "win". Put guards at key locations. Traps down false paths. Include hidden paths. Patrols. Make finding their way through into a real challenge. Likewise, make sure your dungeon is non-linear (another universal rule of large groups) so if they can't figure out a way by a problem they can opt for something else.
An idea I have planned for a similar situation in my campaign was stolen from Evergreen Mills in Fallout 3. If you're not familar with it, essentially its a large compound filled with lots of normal enemies and a caged up giant behemoth beast caged up in the center. Maybe the goblins have captured a particularly nasty creature after it killed so many of them. Something like a minotaur, ogre, troll, giant, chimera, hydra, etc. If it's sentient, you can even have the opportunity to communicate with it and either way they can release it. Imagine a pissed off giant thundering through a goblin camp just sending throngs of them flying while your party just walks right in.
Great suggestions so far, thanks!
A little more info is that this is an outdoor lair. I'm thinking a sea of teepees and campfires in an enclosed canyon.
One thing I am toying with is a system of 'areas'. It is a little abstract - there are a number of 'areas' within the camp to which the PCs can travel. The idea here is that these are the smaller, most important parts of a much larger camp.
Travelling between areas can require checks to do so unseen. Mainly Stealth but maybe, like a chase, there are alternate routes that can be found and travelled with different skills.
Thoughts?