Looking for some strategy help

[missmvicious]

Okay so I am in a 3.5 campaign and we are in a very tight spot so I am looking to see if anyone has any advice on how to deal with it.

The Situation
We are trying to rescue some hostages from a band of goblins.
There are 3 players myself included and we are all level 1, NPC classes. I've also got two ranged fighting hirelings. The classes are 2 aristocrats and one expert.
There is no chance of getting backup from the nearby town because its been basically destroyed in a raid and we are all the able bodied people that can go on this mission.
There are 60 goblins give or take a few, they are hiding with the hostages deep inside some caves. Between the bulk of those goblins and us is a guarded gate. I think there may be a ledge that we can climb down from to go around the gate but I'm not sure if we could just see the room from there or it actually connects.
And to boot none of us speak goblin.

The Assets
4 ranged fighters
1 melee fighter
4 horses
some art pieces/ trade goods
A dog
rope
soap
oil
sacks
a fishing net
a signal whistle
And torches/ laterns


Any ideas?

[Gwendol]

The listed assets include all players? What NPC classes are you anyway and why don't you play with real classes?

This looks like an unwinnable situation to me. Scratch the hostages as collateral damage and go on a revenge raid against the goblins.

[missmvicious]

The listed assets include all players? What NPC classes are you anyway and why don't you play with real classes?

This looks like an unwinnable situation to me. Scratch the hostages as collateral damage and go on a revenge raid against the goblins.

There are 2 aristocrats and 1 expert. The campaign was one where everyone started out as an NPC class, its actually a very interesting challenge. Though we've lost a couple players and thats making the situation much more difficult to deal with. Long story short its all about the role play.

Also I don't think revenge raid is a thing we could do. Its not exactly a high opt campaign. I originally wasn't even wearing armor. I spent most of my starting gold on fluff items like art and trade goods.

[maniacalmojo]

Dig a hole at the front of the cave and set up the rope along the bottom. Have two archers above the cave and the fighter standing in front blowing the whistle. When the goblins come pull the rope tight so they fall into the hole have the archers rain down hell and the fighter take care of them.

When you go in to the cave have the players hide around a bend. The fighter walks over and if he see's a goblin whistle to them and run while the archers ready actions to take shots whenever a goblin comes from around the corner. This way you can quell their numbers a bit before they actually get to you (goblins are a 1/4 cr monster and only have a few hit points so four archers could take down a few of them) Set up some kind of harsh terrain or rope trap and your fighter just runs acting as bait and the archers take the goblins out one by one.

[inexorabletruth]

The listed assets include all players? What NPC classes are you anyway and why don't you play with real classes?

This looks like an unwinnable situation to me. Scratch the hostages as collateral damage and go on a revenge raid against the goblins.

DM here (and I asked the player before reading this, because I'm amused):
I don't make unwinnable situations. The players just shouldn't think of the goblins as blood-packets full of XP. If they charge in, guns blazing, they will be destroyed. The idea is to use what they have at their disposal to save the prisoners. This is their chance to really think this one through.

You'll get there missmvicious. You're good at strategy. I believe in you.

[Bullet06320]

I love campaigns like this

u got 4 horses, if u go the combat route and can lure them out, the horse can make attacks too, use charges and trample, there may be negatives if u don't have handle animal ranks or mounted combat, but its an option

and how much oil, improvised malatov cocktails, or use the oil to soak the ground, to lure the goblins onto, flaming arrow, and large fire spread over a larger area, spread in sum pine needles, dry brush, leaves, other easy flamables

diplomancy route, trade the horses and trade goods for the prisoners
get revenge later, lol

[ShadowDragon]

We need to negotiate via hand signals so awesomely and get ourselves a goblin-army. :(

(I'm the aristocrat-knight-melee-mounted by the way)

[kamap]

Do you know if the cave has an exit or only a entrance, if there is only an entrance, smoke em out, get oil and lots of wood and things that produce smoke.
Make a fire at the entrance, when the cave starts filling with smoke goblins will start comming out, make some sharp wooden spikes they can run into so some will get spiked, throw rocks from above if you can, let the archers shoot them and if any of them get passed the onslaught, have the fighters dispose of those.

You can also dig a hole, just wide enough for the fishing net to be over it, then disguise it with leaves and twigs, then if a goblin steps on it, one less goblin to worry about.

If you have some magic at your disposal, or something to make gusts of wind you can then enter the cave and fan out the smoke slowly and look for the hostages.

Just an idea.

[Telonius]

Does anybody have Craft (Carpentry)?

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l07vnz2Goq1qa9armo1_r1_500.jpg

[ElenionAncalima]

You say the goblins have taken hostages, instead of just killing them. This would imply to me that there might be something, other than death and destruction, that they want. I would try and figure out what it is.

When it is a small group against a whole pack, I am always a fan of picking off patrols. If you can capture a goblin or two, perhaps you can attempt to figure out what they want, even if you have to use hand signals to communicate, like the other poster said.

[hymer]

I've been thinking this over, and there's something I can't get past.
I presume the challenge here is to come up with a plan. Why aren't you guys doing that with your own group? If the group can't come up with a solution on their own, shouldn't either
A: That be the reality of the game, and it has to go from there
or B: The DM needs to be the one giving out the solutions, rather than some random people on an internet forum, who don't know the situation
?

That said, my instinct would be to use stealth, knowledge checks and speaking to NPCs to gather as much information as possible before formulating a plan. Observe the gate for a while, and then see if you can climb that ledge and find out more. Are there other ways to get into the cave, maybe even some the goblins don't know about themselves? Can the goblins be bargained with (maybe some of them speak common; possibly you'd need to cheat them)? What is the possibility of bluffing them into fleeing, letting the prisoners go, or sending off large parts of their numbers? Are there any factions in the goblin group that you can play against each other? Are there any potential allies nearby, perhaps some you normally don't work with, but who also have problems with the goblins? Where do the goblins get food, water and good air from? What are their plans with the hostages? Do they want something in return, or keep them for insurance against future attacks? Or sell them as slaves?

And so on. Get as many answers as you can, then start planning when you get something that sparks an idea.

[Gwendol]

I agree. Judging from what your DM said, just take a careful approach and try to work things out as you go along. That is the purpose of the game after all.

[ShadowDragon]

Does anybody have Craft (Carpentry)?

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l07vnz2Goq1qa9armo1_r1_500.jpg

I seriously thought of that, already. xD