Fighting-Off the Hobgoblin Horde |GM 911
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Harrowed by The Hobgoblin Horde |GM 911
Another game master need some suggestions from the nerdarchy DMs. We steal some ideas from the Storm King's Thunder adventure to help this dungeon master out with his current campaign and game. His current plot line involves a hobgoblin horde. We offer up some tactics and techniques to create interesting combat encounters for the adventure this Dungeon Master is working on.
Original GM 911 post-
Short version:
BBG’s lieutenant, a drow wizard, was forced to retreat to his master’s fortress (hidden deep in the wastelands beyond the current “hub” town), having lost all his minions and nearly failed his mission because of “those meddling adventurers, and their flying squirrel and panther too”. However, he was able to reclaim a sample of “black sand”/gunpowder, and his master will be equipping his troops with flintlock rifles and pistols shortly (in session 0 the party expressed interest in possibly having early powder weapons in the game). As a reward, the drow has been put in charge of the BBG’s hobgoblin horde (a mere portion of the BBG’s minions), which will soon invade the area, threatening the town the PCs have worked so hard to save (as well as all the civilised lands beyond the town).
I need some ideas for hobgoblin tactics to keep them challenging to my players (who seem to enjoy fighting this enemy due to their more tactical mindset, and personal dislike of the race from their individual back stories). However, the rangers and fighter can often kill a hobgoblin/round if their attacks land; the wizard glories in vast AOE damage (often taking out more than one at a time); and the alchemist and cleric hamper the enemy in many other ways.
I have a few ideas to make them more challenging, but need some help with the actual mechanics:
-I could potentially give them mounts and class levels, but I was having trouble finding documentation on either of those in the rule books (I have the DMG, PG, and MM, and have read large portions of them, but by no means all of them. I’m probably just blind. Page numbers would be welcomed).
-Are there any tactics I can effectively employ, other than close ranks (increased damage from their racial ability), shield walls (+2 AC and Dex saves from half cover in addition to the previous), and the command ability of warlords and captains (+1d4 to rolls)? some of the higher ranking ones have started using potions of healing and fire breathing.
-Giving them other monsters as allies? This could be similar to the mount idea.
Also, how can I effectively foreshadow/warn of the oncoming army in time for the PCs to possibly do something about it? The town that has been the hub of their adventures is a frontier town that used to be a major trade center for the area, but fell into disrepair/was partially abandoned when the the nearby mine was invaded by monsters years back; think something like a landlocked Laketown, but where the dwarves mines were taken over by a wraith and his minions rather than a dragon. They are heavily invested in the NPCs and the welfare of the town/mine. However, it is far from fortified, with simple wooden walls that are more glorified fences to keep livestock in than actual defensive structures (I could see a decent strength check breaking them or a reasonable athletics check vaulting right over them). There are 2 or 3 retired adventurers in the area as well as dwarves headed for the newly opened mines who would gladly fight to defend their homes beside the PCs, but they would be ridiculously outnumbered. In short, if a horde showed up on their doorstep, they would walk right over the town and the PCs. The army is not on the march yet, however, and I want to give them enough of a warning so that they can do something to either notify the nearest garrison and make the town defensible, get everyone out of harm’s way while they slow the horde, or employ some other tactic (100% open to the PCs to choose what to do, I just don’t want to mow down their favourite town without at least some warning).
The party just fought a massive climatic battle with a group of hobgoblins (see below), and while they enjoyed it, I don’t want to turn around in a few sessions with “hey guys, here’s a dozen hobgoblins again using the same tactics! Have fun!!” I want there to be a different challenge, but with the same type of enemy if possible. I don’t mind retexturing other monsters, or fudging rolls behind the screen.
I Couldn't actually include the long version Long version. YouTube cut me off.
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