daggaz
2008-01-22, 06:06 PM
"They're only kobolds..."
Yes. I did it. And they said it. Famous last words, perhaps, for a doomed party, but who knows? My group of three lvl 6 players are lost in the Underdark, and in their desperate search for a way back to the surface, they walked right thru the heart of a kobold settlement. Or perhaps, hive is a better word.
The hints were all there; small clawed tracks (similiar in shape to the lizardfolk they had met before, but much smaller), a narrow cavern run thru with small, twisting passageways much like a piece of old and forgotten cheese, the slide into the kill room, the openings in the upper walls, the broken crossbow bolts on the ground, the bones of bygone meals...
They even lucked out, and beat the kobolds at their hide and move silently checks, and even at initiative...
And then the druid said it. He said, "They're only kobolds.."
So the fight began, and they were well peppered in the first round, and the cleric, brave dwarf that he is, proposed climbing back out of the kill hole, back the way they came (towards certain danger).
And the druid says, "But they're kobolds. They have like, one hard die!"
So yeah, I tuckered my party. I decided on just ten kobolds, but gave them four levels of fighter and kept them, for the most part, to the murder holes and the little tunnels.
It was going poorly for the party at first as they ran thru from one chamber to the next, the kobolds following in the walls, taking pop shots, especially at the rogue who was always lagging behind.
At the end of a small run of interlocking killzones, the party comes to a large drop off (curiously, nobody has looked over the edge yet) and decide to make a last stand. Luckily for them, there is a room with only one murder hole, so they try to hold out there.
Three kobolds take turns raining bolts at them, taking minimal damage from the rogue. The druid gets wise and casts sleet storm in the room back up the way they came, effectively blinding and stopping most of the little rats for a few turns. The heavy flood water washed two of them out, and he shape changed into a crocodile and ate one. The rogue was nearly swept over the ledge in the stream of icy water.
But the spell ends, and they are back to getting owned by a single murder hole. The cleric casts spritual weapon, and puts some hurt in on some of them, but its just not enough. Then the druid decides to crawl on up there and chase them (he is out of wildshape). As he is getting it in the face, he summons a wolf behind them, and they fight it out in the tunnels until the wolf dies. The rogue gets his magic rope to tie up around the ankle of one of the kobolds fighting the druid, but he drops it when two more come up behind him in the main tunnel for an ambush.
The cleric and the rogue charge them, and nearly kill one of them, but the kobolds eat their AoO's and climb back up to safety.
Now the party is hurting, running out of useful spells (tho they have healing still), and their light source will be running out soon. They have killed one kobold, and heavily wounded 6, and moderately wounded 2, and there is one who is not even scratched.
There were a couple small traps, nothing bad except a couple short pits that stopped the players twice in the middle of a kill zone, but everything had easy DC to avoid or spot.
Thing is, its an overpowering encounter IF they fought them all at the same time, but they dont. Worst they ever deal with is five or six at a time, but the rats keep changing positions, and of course the kobolds are using the terrain to their full advantage.
What kind of CR would you give this encounter?
Yes. I did it. And they said it. Famous last words, perhaps, for a doomed party, but who knows? My group of three lvl 6 players are lost in the Underdark, and in their desperate search for a way back to the surface, they walked right thru the heart of a kobold settlement. Or perhaps, hive is a better word.
The hints were all there; small clawed tracks (similiar in shape to the lizardfolk they had met before, but much smaller), a narrow cavern run thru with small, twisting passageways much like a piece of old and forgotten cheese, the slide into the kill room, the openings in the upper walls, the broken crossbow bolts on the ground, the bones of bygone meals...
They even lucked out, and beat the kobolds at their hide and move silently checks, and even at initiative...
And then the druid said it. He said, "They're only kobolds.."
So the fight began, and they were well peppered in the first round, and the cleric, brave dwarf that he is, proposed climbing back out of the kill hole, back the way they came (towards certain danger).
And the druid says, "But they're kobolds. They have like, one hard die!"
So yeah, I tuckered my party. I decided on just ten kobolds, but gave them four levels of fighter and kept them, for the most part, to the murder holes and the little tunnels.
It was going poorly for the party at first as they ran thru from one chamber to the next, the kobolds following in the walls, taking pop shots, especially at the rogue who was always lagging behind.
At the end of a small run of interlocking killzones, the party comes to a large drop off (curiously, nobody has looked over the edge yet) and decide to make a last stand. Luckily for them, there is a room with only one murder hole, so they try to hold out there.
Three kobolds take turns raining bolts at them, taking minimal damage from the rogue. The druid gets wise and casts sleet storm in the room back up the way they came, effectively blinding and stopping most of the little rats for a few turns. The heavy flood water washed two of them out, and he shape changed into a crocodile and ate one. The rogue was nearly swept over the ledge in the stream of icy water.
But the spell ends, and they are back to getting owned by a single murder hole. The cleric casts spritual weapon, and puts some hurt in on some of them, but its just not enough. Then the druid decides to crawl on up there and chase them (he is out of wildshape). As he is getting it in the face, he summons a wolf behind them, and they fight it out in the tunnels until the wolf dies. The rogue gets his magic rope to tie up around the ankle of one of the kobolds fighting the druid, but he drops it when two more come up behind him in the main tunnel for an ambush.
The cleric and the rogue charge them, and nearly kill one of them, but the kobolds eat their AoO's and climb back up to safety.
Now the party is hurting, running out of useful spells (tho they have healing still), and their light source will be running out soon. They have killed one kobold, and heavily wounded 6, and moderately wounded 2, and there is one who is not even scratched.
There were a couple small traps, nothing bad except a couple short pits that stopped the players twice in the middle of a kill zone, but everything had easy DC to avoid or spot.
Thing is, its an overpowering encounter IF they fought them all at the same time, but they dont. Worst they ever deal with is five or six at a time, but the rats keep changing positions, and of course the kobolds are using the terrain to their full advantage.
What kind of CR would you give this encounter?