Thanks for the ideas on goblin pockets! My players really enjoyed the odds and ends mentioned here. Especially the door knocker. lol They got a good taste of goblin gorilla tactics and started sweating the sight of worgs inside the building. The scenario of the worgs evacuating the non-combatants played out brilliantly, leading to an interesting discussion around the campfire that night.
They had a good dungeon crawl, found a hidden door, proceeded to near kill themselves on traps, and were softened up for the mimic waiting for them. This has been a wonderful reasource....thank you. 😊
They still have the hidden room to open and the horror that lies within. We’ll see what happens! I managed not to kill them....yet.
———————————————————
I’m working on the details of a goblin encounter and started thinking about what the players are likely to find on goblin bodies. Outside of some pocket change and maybe a healing potion, what are some other options that might be interesting, or disgusting, to put on the goblins for the players to find? (In keeping with how goblins live and behave.) I was considering a pouch of dried tongues, a rat’s tail, a braided bit of worg fur, various teeth on a string, “gaming” knuckle bones. Still, what else might goblins keep for whatever reason?
This is going to be a rough encounter for my players and while I want to reward them at the end of it, I struggle with thinking goblins are carrying around large amounts of treasure with them. (What would they do with it in a wilderness setting?) In this instance the goblins are looking for a new lair (and are scouting an elven ruin) and have something of a “seed” colony with them. (3 pregnant females (non-combatants), two worgs, a goblin Chief, and 6-8 regular goblins.)
Two of my players are very story driven and I have some interesting bits at the bottom of the ruin and one player that likes tactical fights and action. It’s my fighter that I really want to have something intriguing for but not something that will make his level 2 self OP.
For those worried I will accidentally TPK my group: I have reinforcements in the wings that would fit into the narrative without seeming forced, I’m planning this fight with some wave mechanics because a pincer or hammer and anvil situation will kill them for sure, and I can drop the worg riders without them knowing they were ever there as well as the goblin guard on the second level protecting the hiding females. I anticipate that this fight will force them to rest afterward so they will be fresh for the “young mimic” lurking at the end of this dungeon. (Thank you book of mimics creator!)
My thought is to think of where they're coming from:
Underground, add various mushrooms and flora from the caves. Rough jewels, they're going to pick up shinies along the way. Various bits of odd stones, obsidian, pumice, marble and granite.
Ruins: candle sticks, door knobs/knockers, bits of stained glass, the carved ear of a destroyed bust.
These abandoned places will have some stuff left over that weren't picked clean by looters and grave robbers. Think about what you'd leave behind, and that's probably what's left for the goblins to pick up.
If you want to have plausible treasure there are a few options. A) goblin made jewelry and religious artifacts. Gold and Silver are historically used by early human cultures because they are easy to work with, rare, and shiny.
B) Goblins could also be raiders. They might have human things, but since hey are not sized for Small Creatures, then they would use them or interpret them inappropriately/differently. Maybe they are wearing human children's clothing.
If you feel the worg riders are too much, you can lose them from combat without dropping them from the scene. Have the worg riders more concerned with getting the non-combats out and to safety. It should add more drama and story, and give a reason why other goblins are "throwing themselves" into the fight, if the party sees other goblins being put on mounts and escaping. How they interpret this could be interesting. Possibly don't make it easy for the PCs to know what a female or male goblin looks like easily and it could add some confusion on "why are these important?". Maybe have the goblin chief have a touching moment with one, before pushing her on the worg to face the PCs.
I anticipate that this fight will force them to rest afterward so they will be fresh for the “young mimic” lurking at the end of this dungeon. (Thank you book of mimics creator!)
Glad to be of assistance.
Something else to consider would be stonework personal effects. A stone carved figure of Maglubiyet or his holy symbol, for example. Or maybe a goblinoid equivalent to the venus of willendorf. Simple but detailed "primitive" stone work is universally coveted, even today in the real world.
Thanks for the ideas on goblin pockets! My players really enjoyed the odds and ends mentioned here. Especially the door knocker. lol They got a good taste of goblin gorilla tactics and started sweating the sight of worgs inside the building. The scenario of the worgs evacuating the non-combatants played out brilliantly, leading to an interesting discussion around the campfire that night.
They had a good dungeon crawl, found a hidden door, proceeded to near kill themselves on traps, and were softened up for the mimic waiting for them. This has been a wonderful reasource....thank you. 😊
They still have the hidden room to open and the horror that lies within. We’ll see what happens! I managed not to kill them....yet.
———————————————————
I’m working on the details of a goblin encounter and started thinking about what the players are likely to find on goblin bodies. Outside of some pocket change and maybe a healing potion, what are some other options that might be interesting, or disgusting, to put on the goblins for the players to find? (In keeping with how goblins live and behave.) I was considering a pouch of dried tongues, a rat’s tail, a braided bit of worg fur, various teeth on a string, “gaming” knuckle bones. Still, what else might goblins keep for whatever reason?
This is going to be a rough encounter for my players and while I want to reward them at the end of it, I struggle with thinking goblins are carrying around large amounts of treasure with them. (What would they do with it in a wilderness setting?) In this instance the goblins are looking for a new lair (and are scouting an elven ruin) and have something of a “seed” colony with them. (3 pregnant females (non-combatants), two worgs, a goblin Chief, and 6-8 regular goblins.)
Two of my players are very story driven and I have some interesting bits at the bottom of the ruin and one player that likes tactical fights and action. It’s my fighter that I really want to have something intriguing for but not something that will make his level 2 self OP.
For those worried I will accidentally TPK my group: I have reinforcements in the wings that would fit into the narrative without seeming forced, I’m planning this fight with some wave mechanics because a pincer or hammer and anvil situation will kill them for sure, and I can drop the worg riders without them knowing they were ever there as well as the goblin guard on the second level protecting the hiding females. I anticipate that this fight will force them to rest afterward so they will be fresh for the “young mimic” lurking at the end of this dungeon. (Thank you book of mimics creator!)
My thought is to think of where they're coming from:
Underground, add various mushrooms and flora from the caves. Rough jewels, they're going to pick up shinies along the way. Various bits of odd stones, obsidian, pumice, marble and granite.
Ruins: candle sticks, door knobs/knockers, bits of stained glass, the carved ear of a destroyed bust.
These abandoned places will have some stuff left over that weren't picked clean by looters and grave robbers. Think about what you'd leave behind, and that's probably what's left for the goblins to pick up.
If you want to have plausible treasure there are a few options.
A) goblin made jewelry and religious artifacts. Gold and Silver are historically used by early human cultures because they are easy to work with, rare, and shiny.
B) Goblins could also be raiders. They might have human things, but since hey are not sized for Small Creatures, then they would use them or interpret them inappropriately/differently. Maybe they are wearing human children's clothing.
If you feel the worg riders are too much, you can lose them from combat without dropping them from the scene.
Have the worg riders more concerned with getting the non-combats out and to safety. It should add more drama and story, and give a reason why other goblins are "throwing themselves" into the fight, if the party sees other goblins being put on mounts and escaping. How they interpret this could be interesting. Possibly don't make it easy for the PCs to know what a female or male goblin looks like easily and it could add some confusion on "why are these important?".
Maybe have the goblin chief have a touching moment with one, before pushing her on the worg to face the PCs.
I'd suggest just rolling on the Trinket table for random weird things that goblins have.
STRINGS OR NOTHING, PRECIOUS!
Glad to be of assistance.
Something else to consider would be stonework personal effects. A stone carved figure of Maglubiyet or his holy symbol, for example. Or maybe a goblinoid equivalent to the venus of willendorf. Simple but detailed "primitive" stone work is universally coveted, even today in the real world.
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