Help building a goblin encounter (3.5/pathfinder)

[WildPyre]

I'm currently running a hybird of 3.5 and Pathfinder and I need some help tossing in some encounters.

The party is 6th level and consists of a Half Dragon wizard, a ninja, a fighter, a druid, a cleric with a level in bard and monk (don't ask) and a bard (who does nothing but make jokes, record what happens and inspire courage)

Right now (well not RIGHT now) they're investigating a blight that is spreading across the land. A local forest is turning into a swamp and the hills by it are becoming more jagged and rocky, this disturbance being caused by an evil artifact of the god of sickness (I use a custom pantheon). They've gone through the swamp and found that anything that stops moving in the mire starts sinking and if the swamp swallows it, the creature shortly returns as a slime covered skeleton.

They made their way through the swamp and into the lair/church of some evil goblins worshiping this god, that houses the artifact causing the problems. Thing is, I need some goblin encounters that will challenge the group without being too vicious for them to handle.

I like the idea of giving the goblins some class levels and having weaker groups lead by stronger clerics but I'm open to other suggestions too.

So... any ideas on what a good level/class mix would be to throw at them and keep it interesting but not overly deadly for them?

[Coidzor]

Reach weapon tactics/leaders with White Raven Tactics are supposed to be good for the melee mooks.

Heh. Too bad Ruby Knight Windicator probably can't be entered by the ECL you're giving for the Head Gobbo.

[Endarire]

Some dragonborn (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1) goblins would be a surprise, especially if they glided down and 'charged' the party for double damage.

Casters. Outside, a level 1 Druid with entangle can shut down a fight.

[Roc Ness]

Hmm. Building on Coidzor's suggestions: Make the leader a Crusader, with only White Raven and Devoted Spirit maneuvers.

Behind him, a row of fighters with glaives and Combat Reflexes. Make sure these guys are on higher ground than the adventurers for a bonus. Use feats like weapon focus for simplicity. They are a line of defense behind squishier people. They won't move unless absolutely neccessary.

Behind the fighters, a row of clerics/favored souls with crossbows to heal fighters and deal additional ranged damage.

Behind them, Warlocks with debilitating effects attached to their eldritch blasts, to debuff while under protection from adventurers thanks to the fighters.

I think the leader (1) can be 4th level, the fighters (5) 2nd level, the clerics/favored souls (3) 2nd level, the Warlocks (3) 1st level

[WildPyre]

Hmm some good ideas so far, and thanks for the levels tossed in there, I think that's one of my biggest worries, that I'll toss something too high of a CR at them.

I'm trying to keep away from too much cheese, and the fights will be taking place inside of a quasi-dungeon/church, so the swooping drago-goblins aren't very viable.

The current plan is to have the head boss, BBEG for the mini adventure be a goblin cleric of slime and decay, with a half fiend goblin meatshield of some sort, what I need are encounters for them before they reach the big boss.

I'm really not looking into pulling too much from the splatbooks, but a bit of flavor from them is good.

[Coidzor]

Remember, if you don't intend for the party to fight them all at once, but if they mess up enough they can end up getting more force brought to bear than if they just fought 'em in individual encounters, then the Encounter Level of the fights are a bit less of a thing to worry about in regards to dumping too much on 'em.

Do you use an encounter calculator or do you eyeball it? Since you have 6 PCs instead of 4 (which is what CR and recommended encounter levels are geared for). Though you really seem to have more of 5.75... considering the cleric watered himself down with bard and monk, putting him two levels behind the rest of the party for spells... having only 2nd level spells when he should have 3rd. x.x

I'd point your bard in the direction of things he can do and inspire courage at the same time.

[WildPyre]

The bard is an NPC tag along, I refuse to let her do much more than inspire courage during combat and take note of what the party does... think of her as more of a hireling that happens to have one useful ability.

She's also there to make the party love her so it really hits home when I have the ultimate BBEG rip her soul out and leave her a lifeless husk... you know... just to show he means big business. I'd count them for actual threat as 5 except the person playing the ninja is a huge min/maxing munchkin.

[Coidzor]

Well, drop the estimation to a party of 5.5 adventurers and call it a day then.

[AslanCross]

Use this song. (http://users.telenet.be/jderuysscher/goblin/goblinsong2.mp3)

[Roc Ness]

Hmm some good ideas so far, and thanks for the levels tossed in there, I think that's one of my biggest worries, that I'll toss something too high of a CR at them.

Don't forget, levels count for nothing with the wrong battle plan. If you make all those fighters charge at once there's gonna be a TPK (let them stay put and simply be an obstacle. Just let the crusader attack), and if you bunch the goblin casters too close together an area attack could cripple or destroy the whole lot of them.


She's also there to make the party love her so it really hits home when I have the ultimate BBEG rip her soul out and leave her a lifeless husk... you know... just to show he means big business. I'd count them for actual threat as 5 except the person playing the ninja is a huge min/maxing munchkin.

Heh. I'm quite sure you don't know, but I posted that exact idea a while ago on this site for some other guy. Exact down to the bard. :smalltongue:

[Kol Korran]

some good goblin encounters? hhmmmm... since their connection to wolves and worgs i always envisioned goblins as part animal/ beast trainers. maybe add some trained beasties to the bunch? some ideas:
- the party meets some wolves in the temple, and maybe even a worg or two. at some point they meet the twin worgs, who have i level of barbarian, and one level of either ranger (for the favoured enemy) or rogue (for sneak attack after they trip an opponenet). have the worgs talk throughout the battle, finishing each other sentences and so on. could be an interesting encounter. for bonus points have simple traps in the room the worgs move around, or leap over, while the characters usually have to deal with.
- stirges. a few of them. they might work well with the god of sickness. have them in a fight where there are other monsters or goblins (which they are trained not to fight). these little buggers might add up quite a bit. check out my sig for more.
- trained diseased rat swarms! again in either traps or as unleashed combatants.
- since we're dealing with fiends here, and we're talking goblins, you absolutley must add a Barghest, probably as the advisor of the great goblin or osme other meaningfull position. either take the one straight from the MM (i suggest the advanced version, maybe they could be lower version on route), or chekc my sig for much more barghest.
-have the goblins throw infected javelins and spears and use poisoned/ diseased weapons to reflect their god.

those are my suggestions so far, gotta run.

[Incorrect]

I like my goblins weak and cowardly, so personally I would give them a couple of levels each and have them use hit and run tactics. Levels of warlock and warmage for example.
They blast the heroes, and then retreat. Rinse and repeat.

The adventurers should have speed enough to catch up to them separately, but have the goblins scatter in all directions, and let the hunt begin. The goblins can be mounted on wolves or worgs for added effect.

[Ormagoden]

Use this song. (http://users.telenet.be/jderuysscher/goblin/goblinsong2.mp3)

That was horrible!