Encounter ideas for Goblinoid central area

[Scarey Nerd]

In my currently running campaign, essentially as a way to make the players go around it, I put a realm controlled and "ruled" (as best as they can) by Goblinoids, Ogres, Ettins, that sort of a thing. Of course, the players decided that they should absolutely go THROUGH said realm. At the end of the last session, they had just taken out a Bugbear camp and are moving Northwest towards an Evil nation, Ingûl. I'm pretty stuck on ideas for interesting, preferably non-combat encounters and events that they could experience in their time in here.

On a side note, without using Psionic races, are there any interesting Goblinoids that I don't know about, other than Goblin, Hobgoblins and Bugbears? (I know that Ogres and Ettins are giants, but I feel that they belong there more than in the "Giant country", which is exclusively standard giants).

[hemming]

Could there be a group of dissatisfied/disgruntled goblinoids within the realm who are looking for an 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' type arrangement with the party?

I like the idea of a wizard holding his nose as he tries to negotiate with the goblinoids over a meal as part of the diplomacy process

Maybe there is a small magically shielded/hidden community (or single wizards tower) of non-goblinoids who were never forced from their homelands that these guys could run into

A trader (or group of settlers) driven off track by storms, shortages or just plain old hubris and is now stuck deep inside the goblinoid territory with little remaining of his original caravan

You could also give them environmental challenges to overcome (depending on the level of the party) - i.e. the bridge across the canyon is collapsed

Are the Gods an important part of your game? If the PCs have some relationships with Gods, it is not too strange to have them make special request of the PCs from time-to-time if there is good reason for it

Make a fortress of overwhelming force that the PCs cannot take head on - give them an object to retrieve or prisoner(s) to free (so many ways this can go south for the party though)

[Inevitability]

Maybe a Barghest, who has taken the shape of a common goblin? If the players manage to exposure its true nature, a group of goblins may forge a temporary alliance with them until the beast has been tracked down and killed.

Also, remember: Goblins are not stupid. They are just as smart as hobgoblins, kobolds and humans. Play them like you'd play a group of sneaky, evil, cowardly humans.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

There are Dekanter goblins in Races of Faerun, they have considerably higher stats (Str +6, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha -2, +4 natural armor), plus they get fast healing and two claws and a gore attack. They look like a goblinoid version of a Dwarf with the head of a rhinoceros. Their favored class is Barbarian, so maybe use Whirling Frenzy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/classFeatureVariants.htm#rageVariantWhirlingFrenzy ) with Lion Spirit for Pounce, and use the Quick trait (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#quick) to make up for their 20 ft. land speed.

Goblinoids are probably very tribal and involve a lot of in-fighting. Those Bugbears they already killed probably had enemies, as well as allies. The PCs may be approached by some goblins who were spying on their bugbear enemies and saw them wiped out, and may decide to approach the enemies-of-their-enemies for an agreement for mutual protection. They may even go negotiate with the bugbears, agreeing to deliver the adventurers who slaughtered their warcamp in exchange for some sort of concession. The goblins can be playing both sides, telling the bugbears they'll lead the adventurers into a trap for passage and telling the PCs they'll lead them to their destination, only to avoid the bugbears' trap and bring the PCs into the bugbear village in hopes that they'll wipe them out!

[Shining Wrath]

Consider the Unearthed Arcana idea of [element] creatures, e.g., Water Orcs.

In your goblin kingdom, the Earth goblins rule, and the Water and Fire goblins are second class citizens, normal goblins are third class citizens, and the Air goblins are treated as badly as you can imagine (or, perhaps, simply killed on sight).

So your party falls in with some Air goblins who are striving to break free of oppression. Being evil, like most goblins, they are striving to break free of oppression with methods that most good people would balk at - perhaps mass releases of poison into the water supply. But your party doesn't know that, they just know that here are some oppressed goblins trying to Stick It To The Goblinoid Man.

[John Longarrow]

Scarey Nerd
Having such an evil empire in my game, I'd suggest you treat the first encounter as "Outsiders without standing", a group that is the remnants of the loosing side of an internal power structure.

For my empire, Bugbears are at the top (Treat as LE) and are the political/merchant/religious elite. They go up in class levels and tend to enjoy the benefits of high status. Yes, Bugbears wearing clean finery and having a level of civility towards each other. They WOULD be CE, but since they are at the top of a social heirarchy it is in each bugbears best interest to maintain the structure they enjoy the benefits of.

Hobgoblins for the middle class. Tradesmen and military. They have a better lifestyle than your average Hobgoblin in the book, and enjoy themselves. They level in class skills also. Some even are allowed into the priesthood.

Goblins are basic serfs. They live a nasty life tied to the lands they live in. High ranking goblins ride herd on the rest (and may have class levels, primarily melee-centric). Goblins are viewed mostly as property by their lords and masters.

For the PCs, when they first get to see the flower of goblin civilization is when they come across a forest with a very straight treeline. Out of it come a couple Hobgoblins with levels in Ranger or other outdoorsy class. They stop the party and ask their business. They are pickets for the "Plantation" on the other side of the mile wide strip of woods. They also hunt runaway goblins and keep uncivilized peoples (such as outcast goblinoids and holy-roller types) out of goblin lands.

Once through the forest, they realize they are in a 10 mile by 10 mile agricultural area worked by goblins. Dotted across are their living quarters and small towns that service the surrounding fields. In the center sits the "Big House", a fortress that is the residence of the ruling Bugbears. At each corner of the square is a fortified Hobgoblin keep that provides security and hunts down runaway goblins.

There is a clearly defined edge to the woods on the inside with a 30' deep and 60' wide trench. There are short walls on either side of the trench. It is both to keep things out as well as IN. It is a dead line for goblins.

There are other fiefdomes like this across the land, each surrounded by its own defences. Between are the wild lands, unclaimed strips infested with nasty things.

This should give your players a nice EVIL land to cross with two main ways to cross. They can either deal with the local lords and get their permission to travel across their land OR they can travel through very hostile borderlands.