Introduction
A Goblin's Tale is a short adventure told across this book
and its various supplements. Characters begin as first level
goblins and by the end of the adventure they should
consist of various races and be between 3rd and 5th level.
The ideal party size is 4 or 5 adventurers. If your group is
larger or smaller you can adjust the adventure difficulty
by reducing or increasing the level of the adventurers and
the weapons they are equipped with.
Character Advancement. This adventure works best using
the milestone experience rule since it does not follow a
normal structure. Since the adventure can vary
significantly in length depending on the players, it is
advisable that the dungeonmaster Ad-Hoc's character
advancement.
Good Milestones Some effective milestones are at the end
of a session, when the party has allied with another tribe,
after defeating a party of adventurers or raiding the human
town. Different parties may focus different amounts of
time and energy completing different tasks so use your
discretion as to when your particular group of players
would appreciate the extra level.
Recommended Books
To run this adventure it is recommended players have a
copy of the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Players
Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual.
Background
(Present Date - 1500 DR)
Hundreds of years ago there was a small town located
around the Halfway Inn. These people led usually happy
and productive lives, however on occasion were beset by
terrible floods from the nearby marsh. Brimming with
creativity, the townspeople worked with the nearby YuanTi of Najara to extend and deepen the marsh so it could
hold any amount of flood waters. The serpents of Najara
were only too happy to assist, since the marsh extended
their borders onto Evereskan lands.
Over the years, all manner of life flocked to the newly
watered marsh's edge. The forests grew thicker and
healthier, and tribes of various races began to take root.
The tribes fought amongst themselves and over time
created ill defined borders within the forest. However
some tribes found themselves trapped in a nearby moor,
and could scarce gather enough food for themselves.
These tribes would on occasion raid the cattle of a farm
just west of the halfway inn. For a time, the denizens of
the Halfway Inn and its adjourning lands tolerated this, the
occasional loss of a cow or two being the price of
extending the marsh. But as time went by memories faded
and the local farmer grew tired of losing cattle.
So he hired adventurers
Death in this adventure
Life as a goblin is short and deadly. If a goblin dies they
are quickly replaced by the rabble. Allow a player to roll a
new character one level lower than their old character. If
the character is level one or two - replace their goblin with
a generic goblin (see Players Handbook)
That player may keep their religion level as long as it is
not higher than their character level. If the religion level is
higher than the character level, reduce it until it is equal to
their new characters level.
If the PC's have made allies with another species they may
swap a dead character for one of this new species. This
new character is the same level as the players old
character, however its religion level is 2 lower.
How to Run This Adventure
This adventure runs on a turn based system. First the
players take a turn at worldbuilding, undergoing various
actions that will improve the strength of their goblin tribe.
Then the players get to take a turn as adventurers,
travelling to distant lands for great rewards. Occasionally
players will also have to defend their lair from invaders.
In world building the players will choose their actions
from a set list.
When the players take a turn as adventurers treat it as if
they are undergoing a short quest. None of the early
adventures are particularly long and you should use your
discretion as Dungeon Master to decide when to extend
them out or wrap them up early. Do not be afraid to kill
adventuring PC's if they make a foolish decision, the
world is a harsh place for a goblin and there are plenty of
deadly threats lurking around in the world.
Part 2: Notably, in part 2 - all adventures and treks to
unknown locations take 1 turn.
When the players defend their lair from invaders assume
all goblins are present. The assaulting humans should be
somewhat intelligent, they will use a variety of tactics that
for the most part not hesitate to kill players. Reward
creativity, ingenuity and well constructed defenses, and
don't be afraid to have the NPC adventurers fall into a trap
or two, however don't treat the NPC's as stupid, if they fall
into one pit trap they may be on the lookout for more!
Level 0 Players
Players start this adventure as level 0 generic goblins.
After their first combat or recruiting their first allies, let
them level up to level 1 and choose their classes. The
generic goblin template is listed in the Players Handbook.
Starting Location
The players begin on the edge of the Marsh of Chelimer
directly beneath a forest (See Sword Coast Adventuters
Guide P82). The hills are to the east, plains to the south,
forest to the north and swamp to the west.