Quite a while ago I had started Keep on the Borderlands with my kids and we made it through the goblin section before trailing off. Since then we bounced around The Tower of Zenopus, some one page dungeons, and a couple Basic Fantasy adventures. But we haven’t managed a true campaign, and that is my fault. It is 2024 and I’m trying to spend a little more time actually playing D&D. Long story short, we got back to the Keep on the Borderlands because for me it is a great campaign starter.
House Rules (for those that care)
Here is the actual play report from today.
Snoh (MU1) and Rokan (F1), brothers looking for adventure, arrived at the Keep. After having a cordial conversation with the guards they entered and headed straight for the tavern. They spent all of their starting coin buying rounds to gather rumors and picked up four ne’er-do-wells who agreed to join them for a half-share each: Keld Marblegaze (D1), Grignok (T1), Hortus (C1), and Masud (F1).
Abilities were all 3d6 down the line. We rolled up 6 characters with the understanding that the 4 “unused” ones would be our starting retainers. This led to a couple interesting characters…
Masud (Str 5, Int 11, Wis 9, Dex 15, Con 14, Cha 6) the fighter was inspired by a Slinger (Mercenary in AD&D DMG) and outfitted with a sling, shield and chain.
Hortus (Str 5, Int 13, Wis 15, Dex 6, Con 9, Cha 16) the cleric is a fat priest who carries the torch and is outfitted with shield and chain.
Getting their group together pretty quick, they headed out to the caves. They did the predictable things and hit the goblin cave first (it is the closest ground level cave to the entrance of the ravine, I was never sure why the Kobold cave seems to be the assumed “start” of the complex). They were able to sneak in the entrance thanks to some lucky wandering monster rolls and surprise checks and got the drop on the 6 goblins in the guard room.
1 dropped in the surprise round. At the beginning of the next round 1 ran for the stairs, the other 4 stood to fight. The characters with ranged weapons shot at and missed the fleeing goblin and the melee characters whiffed… until Hortus was up to bat. “Back you foul creatures! Back I say!” Waving around his torch he rolled a 20 and did 3 points of damage to bring low a goblin.
20s always hit for max damage. He needed a 20 because he was rolling at -6 (-2 Str and -4 improvised weapon).
The players won initiative in round 2 and fortunately their ranged attackers were able to kill the fleeing goblin this time before he was able to make it up the stairs (he would have if the goblins had won initiative). 2 more goblins fell and the last 2 surrendered. They tied up their captives and were ambushed from behind by 6 more goblins. They fought their way out but Rokan was down to 1 hp so they hustled back to the keep.
The guards would not allow them back into the keep with the goblins and wanted to dispatch the goblins on sight. The party decided to set up a camp outside the walls with a rotating watch so that the goblins could be kept alive. The goblins, fearing for their lives, promised to show them where the ogre lived and a secret door into the goblin halls.
4 days were spent at the keep. The party made friends with a mysterious priest named Malros despite the warnings of the keep’s curate Borus who was openly suspicious of the other priest. Borus did tell the party that for 100 gold he could arrange a meeting for them with the Castellan.
The party plus Malros and his 2 acolytes went back to the caves. The goblins had trapped and fortified the main entrance, but party skipped it following the goblin captives to the hidden ogre cave. Another fortunate surprise roll and Snoh the Magic User cast Sleep on the Ogre. They murdered it, stole its loot, and then were prepared to head back to the keep. Realizing that the party was going to drag them back to the keep, the goblin captives started screaming. The secret door swung open and the party plus Malros and his acolytes made short work of the 6 goblins that jumped them. Their goblin captives did not survive the aftermath of the battle.
Feeling powerful, they decided to push further into the goblin halls. They came across 10 more goblins and their luck started changing.
House Rule Alert! Death: Standing at 0 HP (cannot be reduced below 0). If struck again save vs. death. If successful you are unconscious but have lost a hand, arm, foot, etc. If failed, you die. I tried death and dismemberment tables but they were a bit "too much." This way a player gets 1 round to break ranks and try to escape with their life.
Hortus went to 0 HP in the first round. 2 goblins fell, but Malros and his acolytes hung back. Snoh went to 0 HP in the second round and then Malros struck, hitting Rokan with Inflict Light Wounds in the back bringing him to 0 HP. Several more goblins fell, but with half the party one hit from death and pinned between a 4th level evil cleric and 6 goblins things looked grim.
Hortus used the hold person scroll that they found in the ogre’s cave on Malros who failed his save. Two more goblins were killed and the remaining 3 ran. They murdered the priest and the 2 acolytes surrendered after seeing their leader so easily dispatched. The party hightailed it back to the keep with new captives in tow before the goblins could return with reinforcements.
Session 2 tomorrow! And they already had a major power spike when they picked up a +1 mace, +1 plate, and +1 shield along with approximately 500 xp!