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Encounter: Red-Cheek Clan Batiri Ambush (CR 5)

This encounter was used to heighten the drama of the Needle’s Bones area in the Tomb of Annihilation module. The dragon’s hidden treasure hoard seemed scant, so I wanted the opportunity for the PCs to acquire more treasure with a more dangerous obstacle than two quipper swarms. So I created the Red-Cheek batiri clan. In my canon, this is the clan that originally trapped and slew Needle. Though most of them perished in the showdown, a few survived and they started to repopulate the clan. The Red-Cheek clan has masks carved like quippers with their cheeks dyed red with blood in honor of their clan’s feat employing the critters. The goblins looted some of Needle’s treasure but couldn’t get into the secret door where they knew the rest of it was. Now they lie in wait for some adventurers to figure out a way in so they can steal it for themselves, and then trap the adventurers for their next grisly meal.

The encounter can be summarized as follows:

Players have their treasure or weapons stolen from them at night. The thieves make their presence known just outside the players’ camp site, inciting them to pursue.

The thieves lead the pursuers through a series of traps in the jungle, separating the main encounter into three smaller encounters.

While the PCs fall for their traps, the goblins use hit-and-run tactics until all PCs are unconscious or dead to drag them back to their camp to be eaten.

Red-Cheek Goblin: These goblins use the same statistics as regular goblins, except that they wield spears (1d6+2), daggers (1d4+2), and javelins (1d6+2)

DM Actions

Poisoned Weapons: The goblins use poisoned weapons, but not all of the weapons are poisoned. The DM can apply a poison effect to a single dagger or javelin attack. Once the DM does so, they cannot do so again until the top of the initiative round.

Daggers are coated in Serpent Venom (DC 11 CON, 3d6 poison damage, save halves). The daggers are made of flint and sheathed in fresh snake corpses. The daggers are one-time use, so they don't use them all the time.

Javelins are tipped with Oil of Taggit (DC 13 CON, poisoned/unconscious for 24 hours). Some of the goblins have clay jugs to dip their javelins in.

Beehive Grenade: At any point during the entire encounter, the DM can have one of the goblins in the trees hurl a sealed-up beehive at the one of the players below using their action. The player must attempt a DEX saving throw (DC 12) or be hit by the hive and be covered in sticky honey. On a successful save, the hive lands in a space adjacent to the target. Regardless of where the hive hit, it bursts open and unleashes a Swarm of Insects (Bees) that are extremely angry. The bees will attack whatever creature is nearest or else prioritizes any creature covered in honey. A honey-covered creature also gains disadvantage on DEX saving throws until they spend an hour to clean off the honey. The goblins only prepared one Beehive Grenade that was brought with the attack team.

Setup: Dirty Thieves

Two goblins try to steal into the players camp during the night when the least perceptive character is on watch (they have been spying on the players once they entered their territory). They will try to distract the person on watch so they can enter and steal the rest of Needle’s treasure the PCs recovered. If spotted, they immediately run into the jungle with the stolen goods hoping the PCs follow. If unnoticed, the players hear them banging the treasure against stones in an attempt to goad the PCs into action. They will of course retreat into the jungle if engaged. When the chase begins, the thieves split up to confuse their attackers, but they eventually regroup once they lose their pursuers. They then start leaving a deliberate trail for the PCs to follow into the traps the clan has laid.

Tracking the Goblins

Between each trap, have the players make a group Survival check or designate a tracker. The check for this is relatively easy (DC 12) but if the players succeed by 5 or more, they intuit that the trail is being left intentionally, rather than accidentally. The goblins may be more cunning than they let on. On a failed check, the PCs lose track of the goblins and may get attacked (the goblins want the PCs to keep chasing them). Players can repeat a failed check with an additional 10 minutes of tracking.

Trap Encounters

When the PCs succeed at a Survival check, they successfully track down the goblins. However, they are also led into a trap. Each trap can be spotted with a DC 15 Perception check made by the lead party member (if the party has a designated tracker, it’s usually them). If the PCs are checking for traps as they go, they gain advantage on this check. If the PCs got separated, you can have them run into the traps separately or have the smaller groups run into goblin ambushes. The traps occur in order as the PCs follow the goblins along:

Trap 1: Boulder Drop

The PCs are led up a 60 ft. long slippery, gravelly slope. The slope is treated as difficult terrain (half movement speed), even for those with climbing speeds. Players must make an Acrobatics check (DC 11) to not slip on the gravel while traversing the slope in any direction. With a successful check, the player can normally traverse the slope. On a failed check, the player slips and takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage and immediately falls prone instead of moving. When the players are halfway up the slope, the goblins will loose a boulder they have perched atop the slope using tree limbs as a lever. If no one spotted the boulder with the initial Perception check, it will tumble down the slope. Those in a 15 ft. wide line down the length of the slope are considered in the boulder’s path and must make a DEX saving throw (DC 13). Prone creatures have disadvantage on this saving throw. Each creature that failed their saving throw take 3d10 bludgeoning damage, or half as much on a successful saving throw.

2d4+2 goblins attack the party once the trap is encountered. If three or more goblins are defeated, the rest attempt to fall back to the next trap.

Trap 2: Spiked Offal Pit Trap

The PCs manage to sneak up on a goblin munching on a humanoid bone that promptly runs away. PCs that fail to spot this trap with the initial Perception check won’t notice that the reeds and thin sticks the goblin runs across hide a 10-foot deep pit. Goblins and other Small creatures do not trigger the trap as they are too light. The pit trap will affect the first 2 Medium creatures that chase the goblin. Those creatures must attempt a DC 14 DEX saving throw. Those that succeed are able to take a clever leap from the pit's collapsing cover and land on the edge of the pit unharmed. Those that fail will fall in, taking 2d8 piercing damage from the 3-foot wooden stakes lining the bottom and 1d10 bludgeoning damage from the fall. It becomes quickly apparent that the trap is also filled a foot deep with offal and animal parts. This means a few things:

A nearby goblin will light a torch and toss it into the pit given the chance, quickly igniting the animal fat and oils. Each creature in the pit will take 1d10 fire damage at the start of each of their turns once the offal is ignited.

The greasy pit makes escape difficult. Climbing out of the pit requires a DC 13 Acrobatics check with disadvantage, even for creatures which normally have a climbing speed.

Players that are injured by this trap risk contamination and must attempt a DC 11 CON saving throw to resist contracting Sewer Plague (see p.257 of the DMG for more info).

1d4+2 goblins (plus those that escaped from the previous trap) attack the party once the trap is encountered. If three or more goblins are defeated, the rest attempt to fall back to the next trap.

Trap 3: Thorny Net Snare

The first player that doesn’t notice this trap with the initial Perception check must attempt a DEX saving throw (DC 12). On a failed saving throw, the creature is suddenly strung up by a net snare made of woven, thorny vines. The creature takes 1d6 initial piercing damage, plus 1d4 piercing damage whenever they attempt any action or movement while in the net. They are suspended 10 ft. above the ground and become restrained. If they fall from this height, they will take an additional 1d10 bludgeoning damage. A restrained creature can attempt a DC 14 Acrobatics or Athletics check to escape the netting using their action, but will fall unless they can find another way safely to the ground. Players that aren’t trapped in the net can try to find a taut vine that is holding up the snare with a DC 14 Perception or Investigation check and sever it using an action, causing the net to drop but also release the restrained creature.

The remainder of the goblin attack party (originally 16 in total) attacks the PCs at this point. If more than half of this group is slain, they will retreat to their camp, where they can be followed without running into any traps.

Batiri Tactics

Half of the goblins encountered will be in the trees, while half will be in the nearby underbrush. The goblins make full use of their Nimble Escape feature to hide between attacks. If the encounter occurs at night as the goblins intended, creatures without Darkvision have disadvantage on Perception checks to spot the hiding goblins.

When two or more goblins are defeated, the rest disengage to lead them to the next trap. If they must retreat after the final trap is encountered, the goblins’ last resort is to run back to their camp (this time without any traps to protect them).

The attack party totals 16 goblins, so ensure you track how many goblins are slain throughout the entirety of the encounter. If all of the players are either slain or knocked unconscious by the goblins, they will tie them up and drag them to their camp to be eaten. The goblins prick the survivors with Oil of Taggit poison to keep them unconscious.

The Red-Cheek Camp

If the players arrive at the camp after being captured, the survivors awaken tied up by vines next to any dead companions. Their gear is not on them (weapons have been distributed amongst the goblins while any other gear has been packed into their treasure baskets. The goblins are eating “leftovers” of a humanoid roasted on a spit. It has been 24 hours since they were captured. Players can escape their bonds with a DC 16 Sleight of Hand check. There are no goblins immediately paying attention to them as they believe them to be knocked out by the poison.

Four five-foot diameter leaf-huts and a few fire pits are found here for roasting new captures or kills. 8 goblins plus those that remain from the attack party (originally 16 goblins) can be found here. Among their belongings are 3 basketball-sized clay urns of honey, baskets of stolen treasure (including what they had initially stolen from Needle’s horde), and one basket of snakes placed curiously close to the treasure baskets. The goblins keep the snakes for their venom and harvest honey from the hives they use for their Beehive Grenades (gathered from the jungle).

Treasure: The baskets of treasure contain the following: 50 gold pieces and 85 silver pieces in various leather satchels, a brass vase (25 gp), a golden bracelet of stylized interlinked hands (30 gp), a hand mirror with a jade frame carved like a su-monster (45 gp), a broken crystal pterodactyl statue (10 gp), and a gold locket belonging to Artus Cimber (or some other important NPC if you aren't using the Tomb of Annihilation module). The locket contains an image of a young woman. On the locket’s inside cover is engraved cursive script that says “My Dearest Alisanda.”

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