Then We Will Cat's Grace in the Shade

Encounter Level 11

Setup

The Glittering Lion Tribe is a proud and powerful people, at least as far as kobolds go. They have taken up worship of a Half-Dragon Lammasu who calls herself “Roaring Mother”. This Lammasu is very old, and nurses the grave of her children, who all died here in combat to protect a group of helpless travelers against her now-dead father, a notorious black dragon. She has taken her anger out on the humanoids who she blames for the death of her children, and has declared that none shall ever again pass while she still stands, ever vigilant amongst the graves of her descedents.

This encounter represents about half of the Glittering Lion warriors. The others are out hunting, but could come into play if a failed attack on the Pass is mounted.

When the PCs approach, read:

Here, the solid cliff face breaks into a thin, smooth pass between the sandstone barriers, a rare sight in these parts. At the mouth of the opening stands what appear to be eight tightly-packed kobolds, silently observing your approach. While they do not appear to be hostile, it is clear they have no intention of letting you pass.

If the PCs try to reason with the kobolds, read:

“Back off, fleshy!” one of the scaly rats shouts, its voice comically high. “Roaring Mother says nobody comes through here! Back away, no words will sway the roaring mother's ears against the cries of her dead hatchlings!”

Tactics

Packing in tight, the Front Line Kobolds and the Kusarigama Kobolds use their Swarmfighting feat to cram two-to-a-square. They rely on their caster to keep them safe from ranged attacks, and do not approach out of the pass unless ordered. If it is tactically advantageous, the entire line will 5' step back but they will never break formation.

The Warlock begins the fight by using her scroll of Cat's Grace, Mass on all the kobolds in the group, and the following round to cast her scroll of Wind Wall in the mouth of the pass to prevent ranged attacks from harming them. She then starts readying actions to blast spellcasters mid-spell. If there are no obvious spellcasters, she attacks ranged attackers.

The Blackguard is fanatical, but not insane. He will not reveal himself unless the front line of kobolds is being breached – in which case he will come storming around the corner on a Warpony.

Finally, the Roaring Mother herself is too frail to enter combat anymore. She bluffs heavily, but will not engage and if attacked will flee.

KOBOLD FRONT LINE (x4) [HP 32] - AC 24 (T-15, FF-20) - +12 Shortsword (1d4+1)
PHALANX/SWARMFIGHT/CAT'S GRACE - AC 29 (T-20, FF-23) +20 (1d4+1)

KOBOLD KUSARIGAMA (x4) [HP 32] - AC 23 (T-14, FF-20) - +9 Kusari-Gama (1d4+2)
PHALANX/SWARMFIGHT/CAT'S GRACE - AC 28 (T-19, FF-23) +14 (1d4+2)

KOBOLD BLACKGUARD [HP 45] - AC 23 (T-12, FF-22) - +10 Lance (1d6+3)
MOUNTED CHARGE - +12 Lance (3d6+3) (-2 AC) (Ride-By Attack)

KOBOLD WARLOCK [HP 32] - AC 20 (T-16, FF-15) - +10 Touch Eldritch Blast (4d6)
CAT'S GRACE - AC 22 (T-18, FF-15) - +12 Touch Eldritch Blast (4d6)

Full statblocks for these creatures can be found at www.djinnsun.com/kobolds.htm