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I recently viewed a collaboration between Matt Colville and Satine Pheonix. During that, Matt brought up an evocative image of a monster’s hand coming through to grab an unwitting player character.

That image stuck and is the inspiration for the following “Out of the Box.” It brings in some familiar and some new elements.

For instance, the concept of doors as traps isn’t new, nor is the concept of a living trap like a mimic. Those have been used already within the confines of this venue. However, by using a little trickery, we can take this concept in a new direction.

We’ll use two things to achieve this: bugbears and illusions. Why Bugbears? Not because they’re one of Matt’s favourite monsters, despite the irony. Nope.

We’re selecting bugbears because they have two aspects that fit the tone and function of this encounter.

Bugbears have a property called “reach.” This allows them to make melee attacks from an extra 5 ft. away. Bugbears are also ruthless and cruel enough to go into felonious business for themselves when not wrangled into service by a hobgoblin warlord. Goblins would gladly kidnap hostages, but bugbears would do it just for kicks. Their superior strength, reach, and willingness to kill a hostage make them suited for this sort of activity.

Now, in order to bring these bugbears into contact with the player characters without the player characters knowing, we need to set the stage correctly. Many player characters can have huge Passive Perception scores, so trying to circumvent this with Dexterity (Stealth) would require significant spells and would then mean you would have to add a spellcaster to the group of bugbears. However, there are two solutions to this problem as well.

First, the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons are rife with old structures that possess ancient magics. Bugbears are cunning enough to not only find, but to take advantage of these locations. This gives us the location – now all we need is the method.

The method comes in the form of Illusions. Illusions are important in how they function and how they are discovered. According to the Player’s Handbook, it’s not Wisdom (Perception) that rules this school. It’s Intelligence (Investigation.) That’s important. There is only one reference to “Passive Investigation” and no mechanic is given for it.

Besides, illusion spells often require either a Wisdom saving throw if they are used to attack, or require a target use its action to make an Intelligence (Investigation) check against the illusion. That would mean a player character would need a reason to make such a check. That reason will become apparent within the confines of this encounter, but by then, it should be too late for at least one player character or NPC (depending on the Dungeon Master and the situation at hand).

I know that sounds sort of metagamist, but it’s far less metagamist than simply saying “the players can’t see them until it’s too late.” Illusions and the associated Intelligence (Investigation) check have, at least, an established mechanic that does an end-run around the wood elf rogue who has expertise in Wisdom (Perception) and has a Passive Perception of 17. Such a high score in this trait is certainly handy for many player characters, but it removes much of the surprise and tension in explorations and dungeon crawls. If one sees everything, then there is no mystery.

This particular encounter will also “get the ball rolling,” so to speak. It acts as the entryway to a dungeon setting, and will help to set the tone.

Dungeon/Entry

3-5

The expected ruins lay before the party. Dark and foreboding, its long era of disrepair shows evidence of recent…renovation. The entryway – a 20 ft. wide and easily 25 ft. tall archway into a dark tunnel into the main structure – would normally have a portcullis blocking the way. Only pieces of this iron structure remain, hanging from the top like teeth and suspended by unseen mechanisms.

Placed before this dark maw is a wooden dome. Woven from branches of alder, spruce, or other flexible trees, it stands as a hemispherical sentinel. Boughs of spruce, fir, and scattered hardwoods litter its outer surface. Only darkness can be seen within from where you stand, and no visible entry or exit is currently evident. This domed structure is easily 10 ft. in diameter, stands 5 ft. high, and sits in the middle of the entryway. Half of its diameter protrudes out of the dark doorway.

The arched passage into the dark fortress proceeds further into the structure for 50 ft., ending in a pair of very large ironshod oaken doors.

The DM should decide what lay beyond the oaken doors, whether it be a courtyard, great hall, or other space. The purpose of this encounter is to set the stage, not to write an entire dungeon.

There are several things in play in this encounter, all of which work together. It’s important for the DM to realize that important fact and not to let this become an encounter where the function of its many parts work alone without the aid of the others. The ONLY thing that should change that is some spectacular plan on the part of the player characters to bypass or counter each and every aspect. That certainly can happen – and often does in surprising ways. However, it’s just as likely poor choices and lack of preparation will occur, leading to any number of misadventures. The DM should try to remain aware of these aspects.

Within the domed structure are four goblins. These goblins are armed as per normal with short swords and short bows, carrying 20 arrows each. They carry no light source within so it remains naturally dark inside the “hut.” They have an entrance/escape out of the back of the watch hut, covered and hidden in loose branches and tree boughs.

These goblins are normally quite wary, but also tend to get distracted like normal goblins. Use their base Passive Perception as a target number for any attempted Dexterity (Stealth) checks to approach the entrance to the fortress – with one exception. The DM should roll a d20. On a 5 or less, the goblins are not watching the front of the fortress as their bugbear masters have requested, and are, instead, playing a game of dice. If this is the case, halve their Passive Perception (round down) versus any attempted Dexterity (Stealth) checks to approach the entryway.

Any player character trying to spot the goblins within the structure by normal means will have to succeed on a DC 25 Wisdom (Perception) check, unless thy have some sort of magical means to reduce this number. (DM’s discretion. For example, a tiny familiar scouts the hut, or someone approaches under an invisibility spell.)

Spotting the hidden entrance/exit at the back of the hut will require actually taking the time to look at it (at close range), requiring success on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check. The goblins will most certainly notice anyone who isn’t invisible doing so, unless circumstances preclude such a reality (again, DM’s discretion).

The following statement is very important. The role of the goblins is not to die to the last man. They are guards and an early warning system. They are there to delay, warn, and alert the rest of the structure. If they can escape, they will. When they do, they will do so loudly, shouting in goblin words like “intruders” and “under attack.” Unless the player characters speak goblin, they will not understand what is being yelled, even if they get the intent.

The surviving goblins will run the remaining 45 ft. toward the oaken wooden doors at the end of the hallway. If they survive getting to the end, they will open small-sized “doggy doors” that have been built into the larger doors (and ingeniously hidden) and run inside to warn their masters. Until that point, the goblins inside have full cover to ranged attacks.

The hallway to the final door is another story altogether.

There are eight bugbears hidden within the hallway behind illusory walls. Along each 50 ft. wall are two 5 ft. wide entrances equally spaced along the wall. Each entrance leads into 10 ft.x 10 ft. cubicle guard rooms. Each room has an entrance with a 5 ft. wide entrance placed in the centre of the wall facing the hallway. Each room has no other exit.

To clarify the layout of the doorways, it should go as follows. Along each 50 ft. length of wall, there’s one 10 ft. section of wall, a 10 ft. section with a 5 ft. wide doorway in the centre, then repeat that sequence until you get to the end – wall/door/wall/door/wall. Within each guard room , there are two bugbears. Both are armed as per the Monster Manual (page 33), but the lead bugbear has other intentions… In each room, there is a 5’ ft. x 5 ft. x 8 ft. cage for captives.

Here’s the plan.

The goblins in the woven hut will (or should be) watch for intruders. If they are overwhelmed or judge the fight too strong for them, they exit the rear entrance of the hut and yell their warning while taking the Dash action to reach to the door at the end of the hall. When they do so, the bugbears will stop doing what bugbears do with their idle time (let your mind wander), and then ready themselves. Consider them to have the Ready action.

Monsters

• Goblins (4) – As per Monster Manual, page 166
• Bugbears (8) – As per Monster Manual, page 33

Treasure

Complications