Introduction
This is a short adventure using the B/X rules for characters of levels 2-4, set in Karameikos in the Known World.
Scouts in the town of Penhaligon have told their captain they have spied hobgoblins and other humanoids constructing siege weapons in the hills near town. Given that Penhaligon is the only clear target for miles around and also news about the assault on Duke's Road Keep, Lady Penhaligon and her advisors have decided to deal with this preemptively, before the seige weapons get anywhere near the town walls. The PCs are asked to deal with this situation and destroy the siege weapons, and perhaps make things difficult for the enemy to build more of them. The PCs are of course entitled to any treasure they find.
The hobgoblins have set up base in an abandoned dwarf hall that has a courtyard and perimeter wall outside the underground chambers. They are assisted by human members of the Cult of Chaos who want to see Penhaligon fall.
Key to the Map
1) The Courtyard. This is surrounded by a wall 20ft high with a walkable parapet and four towers about 25ft high each. The towers are solid, not hollow, so are really just stone platforms with battlements around the top and an external staircase for each one. The guards manning each one are as follows:
1a) 2 hobgoblin crossbowers, 1 hobgoblin
1b) 2 hobgoblins, 1 hobgoblin crossbower
1c) 2 hobgoblin crossbowers, 1 hobgoblin Sergeant.
1d) 2 hobgoblins, 1 hobgoblin crossbower.
Note that the hobgoblins in 1b and 1c man the front gate. Any hobgoblin has a 40% chance of being asleep. However, if not asleep then a hobgoblin will notice combat or intruders going on in any adjacent tower. Also a hobgoblin can alert their comrades in an adjacent tower with a loud shout (this can be done at the same time as combat or movement) . This is not intended to be an easy encounter and if the PCs are not clever or careful they may find themselves being mobbed by 11 hobgoblins. Getting through the main gate is not easy as it is barred from the inside with a big wooden beam. Thieves can easily scale the walls - the stonework is rough enough that those trained at climbing need not make a check. Non-thieves will need to make a dex check when trying to climb either the walls or a tower - failure means falling to the ground and taking 1d6 damage. Ropes or ladders may help in this case. Disguises, bluffing and magical charming might work, getting the hobgoblins to open up the gate voluntarily as the hobgoblins have seen human cultists of chaos come and go.
2) Dining room. There are 4 hobgoblins + 2 hobgoblin crossbowers here as well as 2 tables with 4 chairs each. In a corner is a metal stove with a pot of some sort of stew and five dead rabbits hanging from hooks waiting to be butchered. There is also a cupboard containing earthenware crockery, metal pots and crude iron cutlery.
3) The Armoury. This room has racks holding 8 sets of hobgoblin-sized leather armour, 5 shields, 4 hand axes, 5 spears, 4 crossbows and 110 crossbow bolts.
4) The Dorm. This room has 6 bunk beds and currently has 4 hobgoblins, unarmoured and asleep. They will take 1 turn to don their armour if woken, or if attacked while unprepared they will fight without armour (AC 9).
5) 2 hobgoblin sergeants are here. Similar to those in room 4 they are unarmoured and asleep unless given prior warning - they will be woken by fighting in room 4 and will prepare themselves in 1 turn before rushing to aid the regular troops. There are 3 beds here and chests containing the sergeants' personal belongings. Sitting on a table is a silver candelabra worth 200gp.
6) The well. This is 20ft diameter and although the water surface is fairly close to the floor level, the water is very deep (40ft). Although drawing water from the surface is relatively safe, anyone swimming or sinking deeper than 20ft into the well will find the well shaft widens out into a large water-filled chamber and there are inhabitants near the bottom, 3 giant pirhanas. If these are defeated and the PCs don't drown, 40ft below the surface the skeletal remains of a dwarf still wears a gold medallion worth 600gp might be found.
Giant Pirhana: AC 6, Move 150ft swim, HD 3+3, hp 13, 14, 17, THAC0 16, Att 1 bite for 1d8, Save F2, Ml 7, XP 50
7) Hobgoblin Captain: Here is the leader of the hobgoblins, Shugguthol a tough veteran, and 2 hobgoblin sergeants as his pals and bodyguards. He has a key around his neck that unlocks the treasure chest in this room. It contains 4300sp, 540gp and 4 gems worth 50gp each (a quartet of banded agates). Note that the chest also contains correspondence (in hobgoblinish) from a hobgoblin king based north of Penhaligon who is currently launching attacks against a village called Guido's Fort.
Shugguthol, hobgoblin captain: AC 3, Move 60ft, HD 4+4, hp 26, THAC0 15, Att 1 sword for 1d8+2, Save F4, Ml 10, Align Chaotic, XP 125, equipment: Chain Mail, Shield +1, Sword +1, dagger
8) Gaerron the Engineer. This room is the quarters of a human military engineer who has turned to Chaos and with a deep hatred of the rulers of Penhaligon who exiled him. His room has a bed, a chest with personal belongings and also a table with pens, paper and lots of drawings and designs for various siege engines and other large mechanical devices. Although unhinged and some of the designs are ridiculous, other designs are ingenious and would be of interest to other engineers. Think of Leonardo da Vinci meets Rube Goldberg. The whole bundle of designs is worth about 100gp if the right buyer can be found. He also has a bookshelf of engineering and mathematical textbooks, as well as some books describing magi-tech as practiced by gnome tinkers. The whole collection of books is worth another 150gp though there are 25 books, each weighing 1lb/10cn. He also has a small bag of 230gp & 24pp.
Gaerron: AC 4, Move 90ft, HD F4, hp 23, THAC0 16, Att 1 halberd for 1d10+1, Save F4, Ml 9, Align Chaotic, XP 125, equipment: Chain Mail +1, Halberd, Dagger
9) Ogre Guards: These two ogres stands guard over the quarters of the chaos cultists and are loyal to them. There is a bell hanging off the wall to one side and if the ogres feel threatened or need help they will ring the bell to alert the two cultists in rooms 10 (Naellissa) and 11 (Jorrath).
Ogre: AC 5, Move 90ft, HD 4+1, hp 16, 20, THAC0 16, Att 1 club for 1d10, Save F4, Ml 8, Align Chaotic, XP 125, equipment: crude hide armour, oversized club, shortsword, 60gp each
10) Naellissa , Chaos priestess. In her quarters she has two chests: one contains her personal belongings - the other is a rather dangerous gift from a senior cleric of Chaos: 7 crawling claws. Naellissa cannot actually control them; they will not attack her, but they will scurry out and attack anyone else in the vicinity. She has found trying to get them back in the chest is very difficult and usually involves trapping each one with an up-turned bucket. However, if she feels threatened she will open this chest and unleash the crawling claws. Naellissa is a fervent true believer and wants to see the siege machines here knock down the walls of Penhaligon, and will do what it takes to see it done. The chest containing the crawling claws has a false bottom - opening it reveals 200pp and a jade gem worth 400gp, as well as a letter of commendation from a mysterious cleric of Chaos called The Rahib in the Temple of the Gray Mountain, near the elven village of Kota-Hutan.
Chaos Priestess: AC 4,Move 90ft, HD C3, hp 11, THAC0 17, Att 1 mace for 1d6 or 1 spell, Save C3, Ml 8, Align Chaotic, XP 75, equipment: Chain mail, shield, mace, unholy symbol; spells: Cure Light Wounds, Detect Magic
Crawling Claw: AC 8, Move 60ft, HD 1/2, hp 2, THAC0 20, Att 1 claw for 1d3, Save NM, Ml 12, XP 5
11) Jorrath the Chaos Mage & Gark. Jorrath is the overseer of this whole location, and can command Naellissa, Shuggothol and Gaerron if necessary. However, he is a wily fox and if things look bad he may try to surrender to the PCs, claiming that he is just an underling and he has valuable information and he was never really convinced by the Cult of Chaos anyway. He is accompanied by a gark, a magical goblin-giant hybrid whom Jorrath rescued from cruel slavery, and now owes Jorrath his life. Underneath his bed is a loose flagstone. Under the flagstone is Jorrath's sack of treasure: 1700gp, 100pp and a bejewelled silver goblet worth 600gp.
Chaos Mage: AC 7, Move 120ft, HD MU4, hp 11, THAC0 17, Att 1 dagger for 1d4+1 or 1 spell, Save MU4, Ml 7, align Chaotic, XP 200, equipment: Dagger +1, Spellbook, Potion of Healing, Ring of Protection +1; spells: Magic Missile, Charm Person, Mirror Image, Caustic Bolt (also in his spellbook but not prepared are: Read Magic, Detect Magic, Locate Object, Phantasmal Force)
Gark: AC 4, Move 90ft, HD 4+4, hp 26, THAC0 15, Att 1 battleaxe for 1d8+2, Save F4, Ml 8, Align Chaotic, XP 125, equipemnt: chain mail, battleaxe, gold chain worth 75gp wrapped around wrist.
12) Goblin worker quarters. In here are 5 goblin workers relaxing between shifts. The floor is dotted with straw mattresses and there is a water barrel and a box of rather stale bread in one corner.
Goblin workers: AC 7, Move 60ft, HD 1-1, hp 4, THAC0 19, Att 1 tool for 1d4, Save NM, Ml 6, Align Chaotic, XP 10, equipment: leather work apron, tool (carpentry hammer, adze, saw, chisel), 5sp each
13) Store room: This place has boxes of nails, screws, planks of timber, sheet metal and coils of rope, the raw materials from which the siege weapons are crafted.
14) The workshop. Here are 3 hobgoblins, a hobgoblin sergeant and 10 goblin workers. The goblins are wielding crafting tools, not proper weapons and are not carrying shields, though their leather work aprons function as leather armour. The hobgoblins are here to supervise the goblins, and will occasionally kick or slap one to make sure it keeps working. There are numerous parts of siege machinery, including a giant bow that will become part of a ballista, 3 ballista bolts, a ram head and several crude heavy wheels, as well as anvils, work benches and saw horses.
Goblin workers: AC 7, Move 60ft, HD 1-1, hp 4, THAC0 19, Att 1 tool for 1d4, Save NM, Ml 6, Align Chaotic, XP 10, equipment: leather work apron, tool (carpentry hammer, adze, saw, chisel), 5sp each
15) The hall of siege weapons. Here are a catapult, a ballista and a battering ram. They are constructed out of combinations of metal, timber, rope and leather, and are best destroyed by fire. The large double doors leading from here into the courtyard are barred on this side, so entering into here from the courtyard is very difficult if not impossible without magical means.
Common Monster Stats
Hobgoblin: AC 6, Move 90ft, HD 1+1, hp 6, THAC0 19, Att 1 hand axe for 1d6, Save F1, Ml 8, Align Chaotic, XP 15, equipment: leather armour, shield, hand axe, 10sp
Hobgoblin Crossbower: AC 7, Move 90ft, HD 1+1, hp 5, THAC0 19, Att 1 hand axe for 1d6 or 1 crossbow bolt for 1d6 (range 80ft/160ft/240ft), Save F1, Ml 8, Align Chaotic, XP 15, equipment: leather armour, hand axe, crossbow, 10 bolts + quiver, 10sp
Hobgoblin Sergeant: AC 6, Move 90ft, HD 2+2, hp 10, THAC0 18, Att 1 sword for 1d8 , Save F2, Ml 9, Align Chaotic, XP 25, equipment: scale mail, shield, sword, dagger, 5gp
