Presents for Goblins: The Abandoned Mine
Nearby townspeople abandoned this salt mine decades ago, believing that it was haunted. The miremurk goblins were quick to move in once the humans left, burrowing and building down into the rock and salt of the earth.
Dungeon Features
- Ceilings. 8 feet high, made of roughly carved stone.
- Doors. Rooms are separated by tattered hanging curtains, offering little privacy.
- Light. None, as all goblins have darkvision. Light within the mine is a dead giveaway that intruders are near, and goblins that see a light source coming down a tunnel instantly prepare an ambush.
- Terrain. The interior of the cave is rough terrain , as the ground is made of broken stone and salt deposits.
Whenever the PCs move through a hallway between rooms, roll on the Random Mine Encounters table.
Random Mine Encounters (1d12)
1–5. No encounter.
6. Three goblins stumble through the hallway drunk on stolen holiday wine (they have the poisoned condition). They don’t view the PC’s as a threat at first, instead trying to get them to solve an argument about human holiday carols.
7. 1d4 goblins and one yobbo march through the halls angrily, ready to fight.
8. Two goblins carry a live boar hogtied on a pole. The pig is loyal to the PCs if it is saved.
9. Three goblin concubines sashay through the halls trying to attract the attention of suitors. They see the PCs as possible suitors and try to seduce them.
10. A ghost of a salt miner stalks the hall. It attacks unless its desire for one last meal, willingly cooked and given, is satisfied. Satisfying the ghost instead of destroying it rewards double experience points.
11. A giant boar , dressed to be eaten, rampages through the halls. It attacks others on sight.
12. The goblin king and his retinue of 2d6 goblins and 2 nilbogs march through the halls. The goblin king orders the death of those unknown to him.
1. Mine Entrance
The ground is covered in dirty and yellowed snow. Rusted mining tools are buried in the snow, along with one rusted upturned mine cart. The entrances are held up by large weather worn wooden posts and arches.
A DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the paths around the mine entrances are muddied with small goblin footprints. Dozens, if not hundreds, of goblins have passed through here recently.
Characters who make a DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check notice murder holes drilled into the stone walls between the two entrances. The 3 goblins in the Murder Hole Room (Area 4) are standing watch. Any creature who approaches the mine without succeeding on a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check is shot at by the goblins with blowgun darts (see Area 4).
2. East Hallway
The walls are festooned with holiday wreaths and garlands. Looking closely at them reveals some have dead rats and squashed bugs tucked into them.
Pit Traps. At two points in this hallway there are 10 foot deep pit traps with spikes at the bottom. They require a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice. A creature that falls into one takes 3d6 piercing damage from the spikes, and must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw . Failure causes them to contract a random effect from the Goblin Poison table.
At the very end of the hall is a statue of a recognizable human deity (ideally, one that a party member worships). This statue is indestructible, but has been vandalized by the goblins with lewd graffiti. Any PC that takes the time to clean it up and restore its original appearance gains inspiration.
3. Grub Pits
The room has several maggot-infested pits. Everything in the room smells awful.
A DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals something gleaming inside one of the pits: a magical sword of life stealing . Pulling this sword out is difficult because its blade is lodged in the head of a dead otyugh buried in the maggots. Pulling the sword out of its head sends a jolt of magic into the corpse, reanimating it for 1 minute. Now alive, the otyugh attacks until the magic fades.
Any combat in this room draws a random encounter from the hallway (roll twice, take the higher result).
4. Murder Hole Room
This stone room has holes carved in the walls, reaching outside. Three goblins stand guard here, ready to shoot trespassers outside with blowguns and darts coated with Goblin Poison.
5. West Hallway
The walls are festooned with holiday wreaths and garlands. Looking closely at them reveals some have dead rats and squashed bugs tucked into them.
Bell Alarm. A tripwire has been set up along the floor at the entrance of this hall (DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice). Tripping it causes the attached holiday bells to ring, alerting the goblins in the Armory (Area 6), who come out and investigate.
6. Goblin Armory
Racks and shelves of absurd goblin weapons and torture devices. Most are unrecognizable and unusable as weapons for Medium-size creatures.
Five goblins busy themselves tossing weapons onto the shelves. If attacked, two of them run away to the Feasting Room (Area 8) for reinforcements.
7. Prison
Five large cages made from reeds and thorns take up most of the room. Two of those cages are occupied. The cages can be easily broken apart with weapons, or their locks can be picked with a DC 10 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check. However, the cages themselves are slathered in Goblin Poison. Any nongoblinoid creature that touches or interacts with them must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw . On a failure, that creature suffers a random effect from the Goblin Poison Effects table.
In the leftmost cage is a pair of raccoons (use cat statistics). They are starving and annoyed, and attack the nearest creature if freed. Giving them food calms them down and makes them stop attacking. If they are spoken to with magic, they will tell the PCs about the goblins , their goblin king , and the captured princess imprisoned with them.
When free, they want to escape back to the forest, but they can be convinced to follow the PCs.
In the rightmost cage is a teenage princess. She has dark skin, frizzy black hair, and is dressed in a stained, torn, yet somehow still voluminous green ball gown. She cries and wails, calling out for help. Her name is Princess Rentilda Ramanoska. She does not remember anything prior to this evening, other than that she’s a beloved princess from a land far away, and she has a torn up piece of wrapping paper and ribbons with her.
She woke up hours ago and was tossed into this prison by the goblins . In truth, Princess Rentilda was a princess doll carved by a local toymaker, which was stolen by the goblins. When all the presents were tossed about the mine, the princess doll bumped up against an old fey bauble, which caused it to be made bigger and brought to life as a human teenage girl. If freed, Princess Rentilda will happily accompany the PCs, attaching herself to the kindest member of the party. She is statistically identical to a noble , but with a Dexterity of 14 (+2), an AC of 12 (unarmored), and no weapons.
8. Feasting Room
Twenty goblins and 1 nilbog sit at a long wooden table loaded up with all the town’s stolen holiday foods. Shouting and cheering, the goblins feast on roast beef and turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, pies, and more. They make a tremendous amount of noise. There are 2 boars with the goblins , leashed with chains. The boars gnaw on turkey bones and whine for scraps.
The goblins can easily be snuck past, but these unusual goblin-bred boars have a passive Perception of 14 and advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that are based on smell. If they smell a non-goblinoid creature, they squeal to their masters to alert them to danger. If the goblins see the PCs, they release the boars, who charge forward and attack.
The stolen foods are not salvageable except for one pristine pumpkin pie with whipped cream. This pie is enough for eight humans, and anyone who eats from it gains inspiration. Inspiration cannot be gained in this way more than once in 24 hours. The rest of the food is half-eaten, soiled, or pulled apart into bits.
9. Garbage Hole
In the center of this room is a 50-foot-deep hole. It was originally dug as a mine shaft to a lower level, but the goblins now use it to throw their trash and waste into. It smells awful.
There is a single scrawny goblin guarding the garbage hole. She looks particularly small and sad, sniffling pitifully. If she spots the PCs coming from the southern hallway, she shakily demands they surrender. If the PCs start a fight in the Feasting Room (Area 8), or come from the hallway to the north, she is surprised and drops her weapon into the hole accidentally.
The goblin’s name is Wabs. She is a small but clever goblin whom the rest of the goblins pick on and force terrible jobs on. She is cowardly and will surrender to the PC’s if hurt or threatened, promising that she can make herself useful. Wabs has no love for the rest of her kin, and aids the PCs if they promise to take her with them. She knows the layout of the mine, and can lead the PCs to where the stolen presents are being kept.
10. Smoking Room
This room is upside down. There are comfy armchairs, lamps, rugs, and end tables strung up to the ceiling. It looks like a fancy sitting room hanging upside down from the ceiling, suspended by wire and spikes.
Two yobbos sit in the chairs, upside down, smoking cigars and engaging in pleasant and intelligent conversation. If they notice the PC’s they chastise them for rudely interrupting them. They won’t attack unless attacked first. Instead, they’ll question the PCs about two of the subjects on the Inverted Yobbo Philosophy table (roll 1d4 for each column).
If asked about their seemingly high intelligence, the yobbos reply that being upside down does wonders for their intellect. That or it’s the effects of the cigars. They are uncertain.
Searching the room reveals 1d4 + 1 wrinkled green cigars. Smoking one grants a creature keen insight, giving them advantage on all Intelligence based ability checks and saving throws for the next hour.
11. Harem
Six goblin concubines rest here, cackling to themselves as they preen and pose in front of mirrors on the walls. A pile of unwrapped presents litter the ground. The goblin concubines squirt themselves with stolen perfume and cake their faces in stolen makeup. A large feather bed fills the corner of the room, well made and decorated with weeds and dried flower petals.
The goblin concubines will demand some kind of gift. Gold is fine, but gifts of food, clothing, or sundries are preferred. Jewelry is prized above all. Once the trade has been made, the goblin concubines shoo the PCs out, giggling to themselves. If the PCs refuse to give the gift, the goblins attack them and yell for reinforcements.
12. Alchemy Lab
Tables piled high with strange tools and what looks like laboratory equipment line the walls of this room. In the center of the room is a large fire pit with hot embers burning away. A lone nilbog named Spunch works in this room. This lab is where the Goblin Poison is made.
In the room there are five corked vials of Goblin Poison left. Spunch knows how it’s made, and has all the ingredients to make more. He doesn’t have an antidote, but if threatened he is willing to try and make one. Crafting and distilling one dose of antidote takes 1 hour. Spunch only has enough ingredients to make four doses.
If the PC’s stop paying attention to Spunch at any time, he will try to escape to the Throne Room (Area 15) to warn the goblin king .
13. Kitchen
Big cauldrons and pots bubble over fires. Metal racks with spikes adorn the walls with animals and monster parts skewered on their points. Dead chickens and giant rats are strung up from hooks on the ceiling.
Three drunk goblins argue among themselves, fighting over stolen bottles of mulled wine and barrels of holiday mead. If the goblins are killed, or the room is abandoned, there are three bottles of wine, and two barrels of mead remaining.
14. Bedroom
Hammocks and cots fill the room. Five goblins and 1 goblin concubine are drunkenly snoozing here, stuffed from feasting and tired from a night of thieving.
Tossing the room reveals the following treasures: 52 gold pieces, 2 pewter figurines with gems for eyes (200 gp each), 4 daggers, 3 unopened presents, and a magic golden rod with sigils carved into it. The rod is a spent rod of animate object, and is the same magic item that brought the princess doll in Room 7 to life. The rod is otherwise devoid of magical potential.
15. Throne Room
All the stolen presents from the town of Revelleschafte are stacked in an enormous pile in the center of the room, a mountain of colorfully wrapped boxes and parcels nearly 5 feet high and 10 feet across. 12 goblins occupy the room, half of them jump around the presents, counting them all. The other half guard the entrances to the room.
At the back of the room is the goblin king . He sits on a carved wooden throne, covered in wax and mouse skulls. He is impeccably dressed, lounging on the throne. He waits for his goblin minions to finish their celebrating and counting.
The goblin king welcomes the PCs into the throne room if they are spotted or enter the room. He orders his guards to lower their weapons, and then orders the PCs to do likewise. He is intent on speaking with them and talking out the situation rather than fight them head on. In truth, he’s waiting for work on the pig balloon in Area 16 to be finished.
If (or when) the PC’s decide to attack the goblin king , there is a cry of “It’s ready!” from beyond the secret doors in the back of the room. Hearing this, the goblin king shouts to his fellow goblins . At this point, all remaining goblins in the mine (except for Wabs) rush to their king’s aid. Most of them will rush to pick up all the stolen presents and carry them through the secret doors to the Pig Balloon Room (Area 16). Up to 10 of them, if there are that many remaining, stay behind to fight the PCs and prevent them from following. The goblin king runs through the secret doors to his escape once the PCs are distracted and being fended off.
16. Pig Balloon Room
Within this room is a huge dirigible: a 20-foot-long, 10-foot-wide craft cobbled together from disused wood and metal, being lifted off the ground by a tremendous balloon made of stitched together pig and cow skins. It is monstrous to behold. The goblins toss the presents aboard, and the goblin king climbs onto it along with as many goblins can follow (up to 12, all awkwardly clinging to the craft for dear life).
The pig balloon is filled with a flammable, lighter-than-air gas. It rises to the ceiling, where the stone is thin and fractured just for this moment. Once the goblin king , the presents, and his surviving subjects climb aboard the pig balloon is cut free. It lifts off the ground at a rate of 30 feet every round. It smashes through the ceiling of the mine after one round.
The pig balloon has an AC of 15. It takes 40 points of damage to sever the balloon from the ship. If the balloon itself is hit with a fire spell or other source of flame, it explodes in a violent fireball, dealing the same amount of damage as a fireball spell to everyone aboard. Once airborne, it has a flying speed of 40 feet per round. There are shortbows, arrows, and weighted metal spike balls (+6 to hit, one target directly below the attacker, 2d6 piercing damage) aboard that the goblins use to defend themselves.