Encounter 14: The Goblin Patrol

The True and Rightful King

Encounter 14:  The Goblin Patrol

Level 3:  Hard (party’s level +2 = 5) 200 xp

Goblin Wolf Rider, Level 5 Skirmisher, xp 200
Hobgoblin Commander, Level 5 Soldier (Leader), xp 200
Shadowgoblin Snarler, Level 5 Artillery, xp 200
Advanced Hobgoblin Warcaster, Level 5 Controller, xp 200

Goblin Wolf Rider yellow
10, 20, 28, 49 d
Hobgoblin Commander red
10, 19, 36, 49, 59, d
Shadowgoblin Snarler white
12, 26, 35, 41, 64 d
Snarling shot – rech 5 &6
Advanced Hobgoblin Warcaster black
14, 20, 37, 51, d
Shock staff rech 456
Force pulse fort rech 6
Force pulse refl rech 6

Setup

You have set out from Shadowlea heading south, into Dracmead, riding your camels.  The land around Shadowlea seemed rough compared to the more northerly parts of Woodlea Forest, but to the south, in Dracmead proper, it very quickly gets much rougher.  The land is dry and rocky, with more and more stone outcroppings reaching up out of the ground as you head south.  There are ravines which cut sharply across your path of travel, but if you turn to avoid them, other ravines cut across that direction, so there is no choice but to ride down into the ravines and up the other side.

What had been a rudimentary road leaving Shadowlea almost immediately becomes a rough trail, and then disappears entirely, leaving nothing but dead reckoning to guide you through the badlands of Dracmead.

As you ride, the sky begins to cloud up, an unusual event for Dracmead.  The wind picks up and it begins to rain.  The thirsty soil drinks in the water, but rapidly becomes a sea of mud in the drenching downpour.  The camels’ feet sink into the muck with each step, slowing them.  On the horizon, slashes of lightning illuminate what has become an almost black sky.

Gradually, even the thickest of cloaks becomes soaking wet and you begin to shiver, even though it is not especially cold.

Endurance DC 15:  failure results in loss of one healing surge of HP.

Tactics and Development

The goblin patrol ambushes the adventurers as they are in the bottom of one of the many ravines.

This is a routine patrol sent out by one of the local goblin tribes which stumbles upon the adventurers by accident.  However, they are highly motivated to repel these invaders into their territory and as long as any hobgoblins remain alive, they fight to the death.  If all the hobgoblins are dead, then any bloodied goblin flees, and once one goblin starts to run, all the goblins run.

Features of the Area

Illumination:  Daylight.

The ground is so muddy that it is all difficult terrain.

Rocky outcroppings at the edges of the ravine provide cover and concealment.

Treasure

Perception DC 15:  In the Hobgoblin Commander’s pouch, way down at the bottom, you find a Power Jewel.  What a barbarian like him might have been doing with such a treasure is not clear.  Perhaps he just picked it up somewhere.