ArcanistSupreme
2014-03-17, 03:08 PM
My players have made it through the first two parts of the Rise of the Runelords campaign, and we ended last night's session with them entering the Sandpoint Glassworks. A couple of the players are completely new to tabletop RPGs, so I've been running the encounters as written with only minor tweaks (adding a few extra goblins here and there), but now they're getting the hang of things and the veteran players are steam-rolling the encounters.
So I want to take the Glassworks encounter(s) and crank it up to 11.
As written, the encounter is against 8 goblins (3 of more of which are using improvised weapons, making the PCs unlikely to even take damage). The room is roughly 120'x20' with the following hazards:
Broken Glass: One or more of the goblins throws glass at the PCs, and the square it lands in is then treated as containing caltrops.
Glass Furnace: There is one furnace at the far end of the room large enough to push in another creature. Creatures pushed in take 6d6 fire damage per round, but the entrance is small enough that bullrush attempts take a -8 penalty against medium creatures (the whole party is medium).
Design Goals:[/b]"]
I want to maintain the chaotic stupid feeling of goblins (akin to the one that jumps off a roof and breaks its neck in the first act), but I also want them to feel like a credible threat. I want things that are stupid on their own, but create danger either through shear numbers or by creating additional hazards.
I want the party to be challenged, but the goal is not a TPK. I really like the idea of the furnace, which creates plenty of tension, but not too much actual danger. I want the party to feel like they're working hard, but I also am well aware of how swingy damage is at level 1. I'm looking for tactics and things like nets that can incapacitate/slow down the players without necessarily killing them.
I want to engage the whole party and play to their strengths at various points. Any of them can take out a goblin in one or two hits, so through clever positioning (on my part, not intentionally by the goblins. They just "happen" to start in strategically interesting positions) and encounter design I want them to have to utilize multiple strategies and tactics, and for there to be enough to do that they all feel that they contributed meaningfully.
I want to keep combat moving quickly. Any of these problems can be solved with enough goblins, but I have to be careful about bogging things down. I was thinking about maybe having them act in teams of three on the same initiative. Or something.
The PCs[/b]"]
Iorveth: Half-elf Rogue. Probably the one that I won't have to worry about engaging, as he loves setting up flanking and tumbling in the basic fights, and there will be plenty of that here. Still, a high pressure situation to use Disable Device could be fun.
Keely: Dwarf Barbarian. One of the new players, he is very content just charging in with his greatsword. He hasn't even raged yet, so this will be a good opportunity to try that out. I also want to set him up to try out bull-rushing goblins into the furnace.
Loar: Elf Wizard. He's a veteran player, and he likes his color spray. He's opened a couple of fights by charging clusters of enemies and firing it off, trusting on it disabling enough enemies that his friends can clean up before he takes too much damage. I might be able to lure him in front of the furnace if I group some goblins near there but leave enough out of the way to engage him after with some net/tripping/dragging/bull-rushing action, but he also has a tendency to be incredibly cautious in other situations, so it could be tricky.
Maedhros: Dwarf Zen Archer Monk. He didn't put many points in Dex since he's waiting for Zen Archery to come online, and right now he mostly just misses a lot in combat. I want to put in a lot of glass throwers that are out of reach of the rest of the party so he has something only he can do.
Maka: Half-giant Psychic Warrior. He gets big, and his reach weapon+Combat Reflexes shuts down enemy movement. His reach will cover the entire width of the room, and if he hits it's an automatic goblin death. I want plenty of goblins running around so he can do his thing, but I also want some to be able to slip around him (perhaps using tables and workbenches for cover, intentionally or otherwise).
My Thoughts So Far:[/b]"]
I think I want to add a catwalk with more goblins throwing bottles, and have it take two thrown items landing in a square to create caltrop terrain. This will provide a little more realism in my mind (one broken bottle is pretty easy to deal with/step around, especially with thick boots), and will hopefully add a little counterplay and strategy to the fight. It will also give Maedhros something to shoot at that won't die before he can hit it.
There isn't a good way in the rules to allow multiple to grapple and move with a target to try to throw them in the furnace, so I guess that the goblins using the aid another action will just move with the goblin actually making the roll.
On another furnace related note, I want there to be multiple fail-safes to prevent PCs from being incinerated. First the grapple check, then a reflex save to grab the edge, then...what? Maybe one of the goblins falls in first and the PC has a chance to be pulled out/climb out while it burns and he (the PC) takes reduced fire damage in the meantime?
I'm thinking of putting in crucibles of molten glass that can be spilled to create burning terrain for a few turns. A big one that covers the doorway they come into and cuts off retreat could be fun.
So what are your thoughts? Does anyone have any helpful tips or suggestions as to what directions I can go with this for maximum mayhem/fun?
So I want to take the Glassworks encounter(s) and crank it up to 11.
As written, the encounter is against 8 goblins (3 of more of which are using improvised weapons, making the PCs unlikely to even take damage). The room is roughly 120'x20' with the following hazards:
Broken Glass: One or more of the goblins throws glass at the PCs, and the square it lands in is then treated as containing caltrops.
Glass Furnace: There is one furnace at the far end of the room large enough to push in another creature. Creatures pushed in take 6d6 fire damage per round, but the entrance is small enough that bullrush attempts take a -8 penalty against medium creatures (the whole party is medium).
Design Goals:[/b]"]
I want to maintain the chaotic stupid feeling of goblins (akin to the one that jumps off a roof and breaks its neck in the first act), but I also want them to feel like a credible threat. I want things that are stupid on their own, but create danger either through shear numbers or by creating additional hazards.
I want the party to be challenged, but the goal is not a TPK. I really like the idea of the furnace, which creates plenty of tension, but not too much actual danger. I want the party to feel like they're working hard, but I also am well aware of how swingy damage is at level 1. I'm looking for tactics and things like nets that can incapacitate/slow down the players without necessarily killing them.
I want to engage the whole party and play to their strengths at various points. Any of them can take out a goblin in one or two hits, so through clever positioning (on my part, not intentionally by the goblins. They just "happen" to start in strategically interesting positions) and encounter design I want them to have to utilize multiple strategies and tactics, and for there to be enough to do that they all feel that they contributed meaningfully.
I want to keep combat moving quickly. Any of these problems can be solved with enough goblins, but I have to be careful about bogging things down. I was thinking about maybe having them act in teams of three on the same initiative. Or something.
The PCs[/b]"]
Iorveth: Half-elf Rogue. Probably the one that I won't have to worry about engaging, as he loves setting up flanking and tumbling in the basic fights, and there will be plenty of that here. Still, a high pressure situation to use Disable Device could be fun.
Keely: Dwarf Barbarian. One of the new players, he is very content just charging in with his greatsword. He hasn't even raged yet, so this will be a good opportunity to try that out. I also want to set him up to try out bull-rushing goblins into the furnace.
Loar: Elf Wizard. He's a veteran player, and he likes his color spray. He's opened a couple of fights by charging clusters of enemies and firing it off, trusting on it disabling enough enemies that his friends can clean up before he takes too much damage. I might be able to lure him in front of the furnace if I group some goblins near there but leave enough out of the way to engage him after with some net/tripping/dragging/bull-rushing action, but he also has a tendency to be incredibly cautious in other situations, so it could be tricky.
Maedhros: Dwarf Zen Archer Monk. He didn't put many points in Dex since he's waiting for Zen Archery to come online, and right now he mostly just misses a lot in combat. I want to put in a lot of glass throwers that are out of reach of the rest of the party so he has something only he can do.
Maka: Half-giant Psychic Warrior. He gets big, and his reach weapon+Combat Reflexes shuts down enemy movement. His reach will cover the entire width of the room, and if he hits it's an automatic goblin death. I want plenty of goblins running around so he can do his thing, but I also want some to be able to slip around him (perhaps using tables and workbenches for cover, intentionally or otherwise).
My Thoughts So Far:[/b]"]
I think I want to add a catwalk with more goblins throwing bottles, and have it take two thrown items landing in a square to create caltrop terrain. This will provide a little more realism in my mind (one broken bottle is pretty easy to deal with/step around, especially with thick boots), and will hopefully add a little counterplay and strategy to the fight. It will also give Maedhros something to shoot at that won't die before he can hit it.
There isn't a good way in the rules to allow multiple to grapple and move with a target to try to throw them in the furnace, so I guess that the goblins using the aid another action will just move with the goblin actually making the roll.
On another furnace related note, I want there to be multiple fail-safes to prevent PCs from being incinerated. First the grapple check, then a reflex save to grab the edge, then...what? Maybe one of the goblins falls in first and the PC has a chance to be pulled out/climb out while it burns and he (the PC) takes reduced fire damage in the meantime?
I'm thinking of putting in crucibles of molten glass that can be spilled to create burning terrain for a few turns. A big one that covers the doorway they come into and cuts off retreat could be fun.
So what are your thoughts? Does anyone have any helpful tips or suggestions as to what directions I can go with this for maximum mayhem/fun?