The Deadliest Monsters in D&D History: Tucker's Kobolds (and what DMs can learn from them)

[@DungeonDudes]

We tried something a little new with the format for this video! We were not sure whether it would be better to read the story, then give commentary, or break the story up with our commentary. We'd love to hear your feedback -- would you be interested in more videos where we recount a D&D story? Should we do "story, then analysis" or commentary during the story?

[@nightshiftloser2600]

Story, then commentary, for those who don't know the story. I think it'd be easier to have the lore, and then process it during the breakdown/commentary

[@kerriadereth]

Seconding “story then commentary.”

[@Geraint3000]

Tell the story succinctly (as you did) then do the commentary.

[@linrichardson8250]

Yes please! This format is great.

[@christiangex2055]

Story, then commentary, for those who don't know the story.

[@trckstr2888]

The most deadly monster in DnD is actually the legendary “Calendar” 95% of parties are entirely unable to beat it

[@fightingfalcon777]

Ah yes, the deadly Chronurgy Wizard known as “Kah-Lendarr” 😂

[@cavareenvius7886]

Don't forget their friends, Reel'Lywe and Respo Bility

[@kathrynck]

It's slightly less of a problem, if they have less "plot armor" and the gaming sessions are genuinely dangerous to their characters ;) but yeah, the specter of otherworldly taskmasters which have no HP stat, is gruesome.

[@mcphadenmike]

This joke just did sneak attack damage to me.

[@ShizaruBloodrayne]

Time and time again, adventurers will set out to defeat the mighty Calendar, but alas, many were never seen or heard from again. We can only hope that a legendary hero...or that all of us unite to defeat this unstoppable Calendar...

[@BeauYarbrough]

I think it's more likely that the ewoks and Tucker's Kobolds were both inspired by stories from the Vietnam War, rather than anyone at Lucasfilm being inspired by Tucker's Kobolds.

[@scottywalnut]

Considering the story, the game was played on a military base, Vietnam was my first thought as well.

[@DungeonDudes]

Interesting! We didn't think of that!

[@thedeaderer8791]

Shit I just typed this whole comment up lol but It reminded me of the same

[@saldiven2009]

Roger Moore joined the army shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. So, it's very likely these Kobolds were based on the kind of guerilla warfare that was seen in that conflict. Even if Moore didn't experience it himself, many of the people he knew and trained under would have been veterans of that war, and those were the people he was playing with.

[@sweatband100]

Honestly the general idea of applying guerilla warfare tactics to monsters or rival npc factions is super compelling to me, and yes I would say those tactics should be more and more advanced based on the int & wis score of the monsters

[@paradoxiusblackgaming2158]

There's a reason why Keith Ammann's "The Monsters know what they're doing" is one of my favorite D&D supplementations. A lot of people don't realize how much more terrifyingly dangerous monsters in D&D can be when a DM plays them like they actually live in their world.

[@StinkerTheFirst]

I have that on my bookshelf. Looking at it right now, and yeah, it was a real eye opener. If the DM considers what they can do beyond charging the PCs, they become more threatening without any mechanical boosts. The hobgoblins, for instance, are supposed to be trained soldiers. If they fight like soldiers, in formation, than that makes a world of difference between them and goblins.

[@lexistential]

There's a book/blog called "The Monsters Know What They're Doing" by Keith Ammann that I highly recommend for DMs building smart encounters. They've done writeups on tons and tons of monsters, describing how they should behave given their flavor text and stats, and ways to make combat interesting with them, even if the fight isn't necessarily difficult.

[@pierowmania2775]

He wrote 3 books. I highly recommend all 3!

[@grog4063]

@@pierowmania2775 Yes, I've read all three and they are very useful, especially the "Defending your Lair" book.

[@pierowmania2775]

@@grog4063 Yeah, once I started playing monsters intelligently as described in the books, my players absolutely loved it. My favorite quote from them was, "He almost did a TPK! It was awesome!" I'm not great with the narrative, but the dynamic encounters really engaged the whole party.

[@zimmejoc]

Came to suggest these books and accompanying website, but you beat me to it.

[@fishizer]

Was going to post this exact comment. Live to Tell the Tale: Combat Tactics for Player Characters looks interesting as well.

[@Geraint3000]

Currently reading "The Monsters Know What They're Doing" by Keith Ammann. Recommended.

[@Calebgoblin]

Can confirm that's a great one!

[@kathrynck]

that sounds like a fun read, just from the title alone.

[@deathless12345678]

I started with the free blog and found it so good I bought the book to support the content

[@seanledger6375]

Cannot recommend it enough as a new DM it helped me greatly. also “How to Defend Your Lair” also by Keith Ammann

[@foxross]

An excellent book

[@alenahubbard1391]

The article was written in 1987 but Moore was relating a story of his D&D days in the army back in the mid 70's. So no, Tuckers Kobolds were not based on the Ewoks.

[@bartonbrevis3831]

Ft. Bragg being the home of the Green Berets, the Kobolds were likely inspired by the Tunnel Complexes of the VC in 'Nam, and the tails of the "Tunnel Rats" that infiltrated them.

[@Jeff-cn9up]

Yep. The things you know when you've actually experienced the game since the beginning... So many people involved in the game today have no idea what they're talking about, and a lot of the information on the internet is just wrong.

[@Attaxalotl]

The Ewoks were based on Tucker's Kobolds

[@bigggamer4399]

Years back when I first heard about Tucker's kobolds, I chose to do a one shot these smart little guys. I pincered the players in a hallway, kobold front lines on each side had only shields, no weapon, and exclusively used dodge action, back line took advantage of pack tactics to make ranged attacks. Players loved overcoming it.

[@DevinDTV]

neat

[@NolansGoons]

What tickles me most is the fact that a personal story shared in a DnD magazine 40 odd years ago still reads like a story you'd read on on r/dndgreentexts or hear in a compilation video today... this game truly is a bridge across a generation gap

[@captdrastic]

That editorial blew our collective minds back then. The next campaign I ran had a gnome wizard named Tucker, who had allied with a group of kobolds. They defeated the kobolds, but Tucker escaped. He later came back, allied with a mind flayer colony that the players had crossed paths with, and the mind flayers and Tucker cast a ritual to send the players back in time to the Stone Age. So the players started tracking down the ancestors of the mind flayers and Tucker, so they could murder them, create a paradox, and jump back to the modern day. It was ridiculous, and all inspired by this editorial.

[@seanmessick9330]

A gnome and kobolds working together?

[@captdrastic]

@@seanmessick9330 Tucker was a weird dude and we played fast and loose with the lore.

[@utb15281]

The presence of a Mind Flayer could dash all arguments that the kobolds were too smart, and explain a gnome and kobolds cooperating.

[@jakeholmes9296]

That’s a great quote from Kelly that sums it up poignantly “think outside the monster stat block” I’m going to write that down as a reminder in my D&D prep journal

[@chrisforbus9794]

Almost TPK'd my party of level 5 characters with a dozen kobolds and a trapped cavern because the party did not try looking for traps, even after multiple traps and failed saving throws.

[@ryadinstormblessed8308]

Maybe their next party will hear stories of the bold, daring, and incredibly dumb heroes who defeated many powerful foes and then were defeated by their own lack of interest in looking for traps. And just maybe those new heroes will learn from those stories... or perhaps not.

[@chrisforbus9794]

@@ryadinstormblessed8308 they took it like a champ though. The 2 paladins just swapped out taking the lead and tanking damage then lay on hands. When they finally broke through, there was a lot of excess Divine Smites on the poor kobolds who had finally been cornered. The paladins did not care that kobolds only have 5 HP

[@rcschmidt668]

We had a risky episode with similar kobolds being led by a kobold of unusual size. We had a Dragonborn warlock that charmed them, and some of them fell in love and kept following us until they atrophied from the further danger we came across.

[@utb15281]

I'm going to use this for my next thief. "I'll tell you why you need a trap expert." Meanwhile the character will embellish all of the details.

[@Jeff-cn9up]

Sounds like modern "critical role" players. Every old-school group I've ever played in treats each doorway like a deathtrap. Lol.

[@boy5390]

Like the great quote I once read on the internet "Doesn't matter If your The Rock up against abunch of babies, getting surprised shanked in the neck in a dark alleyway is fucking scary"

[@verzeihturncoat27]

The best part of the story is that the players dreaded the way back. The success over the demon meant nothing as they still had to return. The journey was not over with the victory.

[@davidioanhedges]

This is Early D&D ... the donkey's and servants were there to carry the treasure out ...

[@skyelamondin841]

Our DM even at early levels makes us enter Goblin towers and forts. It’s no joke. Some of the deadliest encounters in the game are those dungeons. Falling into pit traps with spikes covered in goblin droppings and who knows what. It’s BRUTAL if your dm understands that’s intelligence and pack tactics are not only the parties best resource….. but their own best resource as well.

[@Calebgoblin]

That's a name I haven't heard in a very long time. Somehow....Tucker's Kobolds have returned.

[@WTH13SERIOUSLY]

I used a baby version of Tucker's Kobolds on my level 6 players recently. It is all of their first campaign and it was the first time I was more mean to them with traps and stuff. I just used simple traps and the holes in the walls thing and it was hilarious. They blew out the walls and were like army crawling through the kobold sized holes and whatnot. It was good fun and about a dozen kobolds made a party of 4 level 6s have a hell of a time lol.

[@RobKinneySouthpaw]

Played some lizardfolk in their lair Tucker-style. Players decided to try talking. Got taken prisoner for a bit and haf to make amends, but talking worked. Credible threat monsters can become a different kind of obstacle when players aren't sire they can just steamroll through them.

[@paperelf]

The book "Monsters know what they are doing." is really good to read because it opens up your mind to seeing tactics that certain monsters would use. I highly recommend that book to everyone wanting to be a DM.

[@witchking612]

For those that don't know about them, the 2e adventures "Dragon Mountain" & "Reverse Dungeon" might give you inspiration on this theme, or may be something that you could convert to 5e.

[@ehisey]

Dragon Mountain is basicly upgraded Tucker Kobolds.

[@mortagon1451]

I played through Dragon Mountain with one of my first groups. They hate Kobolds to this day 30 years later.

[@solar4planeta923]

I still have that issue! I anxiously awaited my Dragon magazine every month. There are tremendous number of great ideas, settings, short stories and NPC's in those issues.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

One thing to note - this was the days when fireballs expanded to fill ALL the volume (i.e. 33,000 cubic feet). So a fireball in a network of 10’ x 10’, or even 5’ x 5’, would have baked the party wherever they were.

[@Atalas5]

I miss that. I only started in 3.5, but I so love the idea of a Fireball doing that. got a campaign going where the DM is mixing 'old magic' back into the world due to... events (that we caused in a previous campaign). There are multiple iterations of the same spell. The few wizards who had been alive through all iterations of the Weave became seriously OP. And the party's wizard was given a special spellbook that had every single spell that existed until that point in their spellbook... except Necromancy because reasons. Though they could still only prepare wizard spells. So now, in that campaign world, some Fireballs will fill space until a certain point, same for breath weapons (we fought an ancient red underground.. considering what the above ground was, yes, that WAS the safer option to face an ancient red who was personally pissed off at us AND had access to level 9 spells).

[@katecritt]

I've always been fond of this story, thank you for covering it, dudes! There's another story that's almost its exact opposite, where a WWII veteran randomly ends up in a con game of the old Star Wars RPG despite never having seen Star Wars, immediately grasps and gets on board with premise of "We are the Space Resistance and we are fighting the Space Fascists" and proceeds to take command of the group of teenagers who comprised the rest of the players and run them like a commando squad, demolishing the scenario in record time.

[@Atalas5]

I'll bet those teens had a blast once they saw the tactics working. Start out just humoring the old guy, then "oh shit, this is cool!"

[@Aaaaaa--5]

This helps a lot... Especially as a newer dm. Thank you both for the amazing content and amazing stories you tell in your Livestream campaigns

[@DungeonDudes]

Glad to hear this was helpful!

[@anotherdadjoke]

What about cloudkill, well within a 12th lvl Wizard's casting ability. Cast it, watch it drift away into the dungeon and kill all the kobolds hiding in the various slits and murderholes.

[@ehisey]

One wizard has to know it, to the kolbold have to be in the kill zone when it is cast (20ft radius), 3rd party needs some what to get to drift in, 4th, cloud is readily dispersed by strong winds, 5th it is going to stop and fill any pit trips or down shafts it crosses. While not a terrible idea, also not necessarily and effective idea.

[@kogorun]

shape stone and clouds are still some of the best ideas to deal with kobolds. summoning wraiths/ghosts also helps, and, ofc, there's the whole mind whammy magic angle.

[@ryanhale6339]

In that edition you had to calculate the volume of the spell effect relative to the area where you cast it. Thus the comment about the fireball being deadly to the PCs. A fireball cast in a narrow tunnel would expand to fill the same volume area as a 20’ radius sphere. In a 10’x10’ hallway, it’s probably 80 linear feet, and way more in narrow kobold sized tunnels

[@wernercd]

@@ryanhale6339 that actually makes more sense. Like blowing an m80 by itself is nothing... but in your hand - because of the closed off space. Bad times. I'd also think something like cone of fire or other type spells like that would go "further" out if funneled by walls.

[@shadowmancy9183]

@@ryanhale6339 I still use that in my Pathfinder games, and allow players to use magical AOEs in similar ways. Cone of cold, straight down a wall? Sure, gain extra range, depending on how sharp an angle you take, and only within 5-10' of the wall.

[@xySuperManxy]

Thanks for reminding me about these little guys. My players are about to enter a white dragon’s dungeon. My kobolds are going to be a little smarter with caltrops and thin ice and loose icicle traps.

[@FrostFireTiger]

A good ice trap might be a giant bucket of water. Normally nothing more than a prank, but when accounting drenched clothes in near freezing conditions, it could be a bad source of hypothermia. If one wanted to be particularly devious, and assuming that they would try to dry themselves with fire, unsealing a natural fault line that leaks flammable and potentially explosive gases like methane could be eerily effective.

[@ehisey]

Dont forget how burtal kobolds with darts are against any casting class. This was one of the tactic upgrades the kobolds in Dragon Mountain made. 5 kobold squads doing staggered tosses of 15 darts a round focused on obvious casting classes generally enough to keep the players spell stuffed.

[@Karasusuzume]

I think the format is great, reading the story and comenting on the ideas that can be implemented from it. Also it could be could having videos talking about different kinds of monsters and ideas of encounters or history details to use them in with possible battle tactics

[@christianmoore8898]

I'm early and I don't even play, I just like watching people talk about things passionately. Would like to play one day though.

[@jacknapier1155]

The deadliest and most ruthless monsters in D&D history is Hasboro and/ or Wizards of the Coast.

[@mattbriddell9246]

Forget Strahd, forget Tiamat, forget archfiends, the worst monsters in D&D are corporate lawyers :D

[@InquisitorThomas]

@@mattbriddell9246So Devils?

[@thetowndrunk988]

@@InquisitorThomasAsmodeus himself

[@Stray_GM]

Hasbrodeus, if you will.

[@sweatband100]

The most dangerous game is man.

[@WTH13SERIOUSLY]

I love this and have been trying to implement things like this myself. One thing that really helps for me is reading the flavor text as well as the stat block. You will often find that the mechanics are tailored to some kind of intended playstyle. Kobolds are supposed to be clever tinkerers and trap makers. they are not highly intelligent like with math. But they are crafty. Similar things can be said for many monsters in the manuals. Read the flavor text, compare it to the stat block, and come up with a way to play that makes them compelling. Otherwise, you will have little meat shields that just attack and all feel like lifeless things with HP and attacks. You have to differentiate each monster type by showing a strategy, a local, and homefield advantages if they are relevant.

[@TheBahamaat]

Love Tuckers and the variations on it. It's also a great example of how bringing exterior knowledge (like modern insurgency tactics) can, without a single new mechanic, enhances play.

[@StephenHutchison]

Especially when those "modern" tactics aren't that modern.

[@Flizbap]

I remember I ran a campaign where one of the Lieutenants in the BBEG's army with his low level minions with favorable terrain, and a well crafted encounter on his side, managed to kill one PC, and nearly TPK the whole party. When they finally got to the BBEG himself, they absolutely nuked him in the first round without a problem. I find that a bunch of dorks, working together, are usually far more effective than all but the most powerful murderdeathkill monsters.

[@swordsdance1181]

loved this new style of video! story then analysis goes really well i think

[@DungeonDudes]

Glad you liked it!

[@iankinard8785]

I have been watching a lot of your older guide videos and now seeing your current videos there is a big difference in how many cuts are made during your explanations. Seems like you guys are progressing really well as presenters. I love the amount of knowledge of dnd you guys have in your brains. Keep up the good work, love your videos.

[@JohnPyrich]

My players were terrified of my kobolds. I think that’s a recurring theme for OG DMs. 😁

[@SadPenguinInSnow]

Keith Ammann's book "The Monsters Know What They're Doing" is great reading for things like this. Helps prompt you to think about things from the perspective of the kobolds (or whatever).

[@RedTooth552]

I made a sewer dungeon like this filled with Goblins for 11th level adventurers. Passages that can only be traversed easily by small creatures that can be collapsed from the other side if someone tries to squeeze through. Snare traps hidden under feces and tar designed to drag unprepared adventurers beneath the sewage while those that escape are set on fire. Domesticated giant crocodiles kept in lagoons beneath collapsing walkways and more. The players decided to leave the dungeon and get help rather than press further in in pursuit of their Mind Flayer masters.

[@thetowndrunk988]

Scariest monster I’ve ever seen is a starving DM, with which the players refused to share their snacks…..

[@JasonFightsCrime]

I was inspired by Tucker's Kobolds while I was DMing Storm Kings Thunder. When we were doing the maguffin hunt, the kobolds tunneled up and took one of the giant artifacts from below. The party followed the very small tunnel into a honeycombed cabe/tunnel complex. The party snuck in part way when the kobolds reacted. The party got split up. There simultaneous fights in different places with kobold support being abke to love from location to location. The party got the maguffin and fought its way out. They degeinitly didn't clear that dungeon.

[@marxmeesterlijk]

Also I think it's important to remember that. Yes, from a modern perspective this seems brutal and unfair. But that was just how DnD was played in those days. Dungeons were a sort of tactical puzzle with loot rewards at the end. Unlike more modern styles of play that are more character and story focused and are about big quest and saving the world. And both of these style of play are awesome in their own right, but it;s important to be on the same page at the game table on which kind of game you're playing.

[@DrakeAurum]

It's always interesting when you have to get creative with your monsters. In Rime of the Frostmaiden there are random encounter tables that include awakened animals working for the Frostmaiden's druids, and on one encounter I rolled this option, then rolled the specific animal and got... a snow hare. So, I had it tail the party and wait until they were sleeping. Night one, it slipped a chip of Chardalyn (a common substance in the setting, which could drive people to madness) into a character's bedroll, driving them to a low-level madness effect from the DMG. Then on night two, it came back to drop nightshade into their cooking pot. Sadly it was spotted that night on its way out, by the paladin who was on watch, but hilariously it took him three rounds of some terrible attack rolls to smite it down. It ended up being more memorable than many encounters with far more dangerous foes.

[@senrith_]

Elmer Fudd would have definitely gone insane and died from food poisoning.

[@TarninTheGreat]

I'd never heard of "Tucker's" Kobalds until a few years ago, but: This is EXACTLY how I ran kobalds back in 2nd, and I was famous for it. New players would start up at level 1 with a character, and the like, level 9 member of the party would be like "Look, if we see kobalds, run. If we enter a dungeon layer with kobalds: we abandon the dungeon, we'll come back at higher level." Finally, one dungeon with kobalds guarding the first layer - they came back to it when they were all 6-11th level, and had all (who survived) taken a card from a deck of many things. I think there were 8-9 PCs and all the higher level ones had henchmen and mounts. We set aside a weekend, spent it at one person's house. The first night starts, it's like 6 pm. I re-described the outside of the dungeon. I then didn't say a word until after midnight when they finally had their plan for walkign in the front door. The next day involved clearing level one. Most of the mounts, 2 PCs, and about half of the henchmen were dead, and immediately upon the level being clear, one of the PCs said "Wait, that was it? This was way easier than expected!" ... from the 80ish 7xp kobalds guarding the door. ... Anyway, the rest of the dungeon was fun and ended up being the next yearish of play, but even 25ish years later, kobalds are THE THING I'm remembered for from 2nd ed DMing.

[@heru7182]

I had that magazine in high school. Cover art was epic. Loved regaling people about Tucker’s Kobolds. Ending the story with the players lamenting - “ugh, to get home, we have to go back through THEM…”

[@sidneylotto]

The Monsters Know What They Are Doing is a fantastic book that was an absolute game changer for my games. Really helps think outside the box with combat and brings monsters to life

[@Venomtankmod]

I had someone who dm’ed basically Tuckers Drow Chasm. Basically it’s a massive 300 ft chasm that had 100 ft stone walls on each side that were unclimbable. On top are large numbers of drow, armed with the sleep crossbows. Up the poison save dc by 3. They have 3/4 cover and have advantage to hit anything above the chasm, and there were two driders to throw big bolders down the chasm.

[@jb123581]

I love Tucker’s Kobolds. The idea of these little rascals building their rooms with low ceilings so that they can move and fight comfortably, but anyone medium sized cannot is just a starting point. Bridges with a 50 pound weight limit, under water tunnels where they can collapse the exit behind them, and jars of scorpions placed above doorways can all be so much fun with those scaly maniacs.

[@davidgaylord2952]

I have a copy of that magazine and remember as a teenager reading this exact article and being inspired by it. As soon as I saw the title of the video today I got a little giddy and watched it right away!

[@CaleHalbleib]

I have almost exactly the same experience. I have this same magazine issue, and loved this editorial as a young person. Fast forward some decades, and returning to D&D four editions later, I have been delighted to find that Tucker's Kobolds are now legendary.

[@gamernick1533]

I ran a TK inspired hobgoblin dungeon. They were warned that the HGs were 'unusual', a powerful sorcerer had taken command of the group and had prepared them accordingly. Each of the hobgoblins had their own classes, generated by myself, with some pretty cool themes that made for interesting encounters - chefs in the kitchens, alchemists with a dozen varieties of liquids, gases and plasmas at their disposal, guards that fought in changing formations that gave different bonuses to the group etc. Each encounter within it made sure that it was clear that they knew their homes well and made the most of it. The kitchens were pretty memorable, with drawers of hurled knives, cutting loose cauldrons of boiling oil/water, kitchen trays as cover and handfuls of spices as blinding powder etc. The alchemists were pretty mad to play, as they were pretty insane in game, pretty much experimenting with the interaction of different coloured flasks, which wasn't always helpful to their own cause. The party was getting their backsides kicked so I took the opportunity, about a third of the way in, to have recruitable help in the form of one of my old characters (it wasn't the intention, I needed an NPC I could play quickly and well). After challenging and wiping the floor with the party to 'test their measure', he gave advice on what was coming up, it would still be a challenge but just trying to wise the party up to the fact that these are not ordinary monsters, that they will need to prepare tactical advantages, prevent overspill from other rooms, use the terrain to their advantage before the enemy can etc. The sorcerer had bound my gnome to the room, so he couldn't exactly help them, but did offer a hefty reward for removing his bindings by ending the sorcerer's reign over the area.

[@SamanthaVimes177]

I've always loved Tucker's kobold's and one of my first sessions I ever ran players had to figure out how to get across an open field that was known to be a hunting ground for a Roc. They took shelter in an abandoned mineshaft they had my own version of Tucker's kobold's. There pit traps and rolling logs, but my favorite was a stretch of hallway that had the sleep spell in it. Intended to keep the kobold safe and avoid using a trap you'd have to set up. There was a guard station toward the entrance with documents that clued them in to the internal politics of the kobold camp, and other ones that talked about trap maintenance. The cobalts for weak and easily killed, but we're also deeply humanized in the party tried to make connections with them. Of course the cobalts for more interested in getting their gear and their food, but the play was nuanced and exciting for the players. When they figured out but there was a growing cult organization in the mine that the Elders didn't like they were able to parlay with them, kill The necromancer leader and learn of safe passage to the other side of the field. Also of note they were smart enough to turn down the kobold and their offer to use their ballista to try to kill the Roc. I think the message of the monsters know what they're doing goes a really long way and I love to see a video about Tucker's kobold's!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Outstanding.I remember that article! thanks inviting me to your party at GenCon, BTW.

[@talongreenlee7704]

I ran a game that used tactics like that. I had heard of Tucker’s Kobolds, but they weren’t an explicit inspiration. There was a fortress situated smack in the middle of a mountain pass, so if you wanted to go through the pass, you had to go through the fort. An avalanche caused supplies to be delayed, and everyone in the fort starved and came back as zombies under the control of a wight that was once the captain of the guard. As the players went up the mountain path, they came to the advance guard, two zombies manning a ballista situated on a platform ten feet high with two more zombies playing interference at the base of a narrow stairway that led to the top of the platform. After defeating them, the fortress walls were in sight. There were two zombies behind half cover from crenellations manning a cauldron and filling it with boiling oil to pour on the players from on top of the gate and two more zombies armed with heavy crossbows firing at them from arrow slits that gave them three-quarters cover on either side of the gate. After breaking through, they found the wight commander riding a skeleton warhorse in the middle of the fort courtyard, with an array of four more zombies spread out in a wide arc behind him, who fired at the party with their crossbows using readied actions. It was a deadly encounter and a couple PCs almost died. I think they were about 6th or 7th level. I played it as a single combat encounter and it took like 10-12 rounds to complete. The guys liked it though, since the progression up the mountain and through the defenses kept things from getting stale. It’s not like they were still sitting on the same battlefield wailing on the same enemies twelve rounds into the fight.

[@WolfCry791]

This is so appropriate for me. One of my friends is building a Kobold Dungeon for level 12 characters based on this story. I can't wait to play a Chemist apothecary in it!

[@DungeonDudes]

Awesome!

[@themarsh429]

So.. you want to supply them with more alchemists fire?!

[@Ted9978]

Tell him to look for a copy of Dragon Mountain!

[@justinchrstnsn]

This type of video is a welcome addition to your normal line up. Keep doing this!!!

[@shadomain7918]

Thanks so much for this, guys! I wrote an article once talking about what "intelligence" means. It's relative to human intelligence, so kobolds may not know how to find a book in a libray, but they know very well "how to kobold". Similar toa sandwyrm, who may be near unintelligent, but it knows exactly how to use it's abilities to catch prey. Thanks!

[@leorblumenthal5239]

One of the essential elements of the Tucker's Kobolds story that people forget is that Tucker was in the U.S. military at the time (as was future editor Roger E. Moore, who was a military psychologist, prior to joining the staff at Dragon Magazine). Tucker probably knew these tactics from studying real-life guerrilla tactics. That being said, even a DM who hasn't been in the military can use ambush tactics and flaming garbage as a trap. Just make sure that the Kobolds have a back door (or tunnel) to avoid their own trap.

[@jeroen92]

"oh no, were losing" said the party wizard, before casting teleport to get everyone out safely.

[@adamglover6948]

Then what?

[@HippoEnjoyer]

What if the kobolds sheer ineptitude at magic creates an antimagic field?

[@matthewgagnon9426]

Not in AD&D he's not. Good luck casting a spell that takes two rounds to cast when getting hit will 100% disrupt it.

[@HippoEnjoyer]

@@matthewgagnon9426 that’s the equivalent of saying “I’m going to fly on a plane to Brazil for my holiday” “not in 1905 you’re not”

[@BigStrap]

@@HippoEnjoyer that's the equivalent of saying "yeah the maginot line was impressive but you could just nuke it"

[@jacoblowe9868]

Good set of books to dive into starts with "the monsters know what they're doing" that breaks down how to interpret stat blocks, and how these creatures might use their terrain

[@8eewee]

That short segment recounting their experience has been eye opening. So many devious possibilities. My party is going to suffer after considering kobolds a throwaway monster.

[@OleIngvarStene]

The only encounter my players ever ran from was 30 thugs disguised as Strahd, entering through the windows. They had no idea what was happening and tailed, scared and confused.

[@thesteerfamily4236]

I actually used a watered down version of Tucker's Kobolds as an introductory adventure for a few groups during 3rd ed. They were all 3rd level (where I usually start PCs so they aren't quite so squishy). The entire tunnel network was webbed with little scurry tunnels that riddled the walls and ceilings, in addition to being filled with a hoarder's paradise of junk that they had to make their way through, over, or around. Skill checks abounded. And then the fun started! Ambushes by the kobolds, as well as harrassing attacks like baskets of spiders or scorpions dropped theough murder holes, that type pf thing. PLUS the traps! One group got herded quite effectively to a large cavern stuffed with junk and only pathways between the large piles of rubbish.The kobolds were harassing them pretty hard at this point and one wiseass decided they should start hurling alchemist's fire like it was THE thing to do. Right onto the piles of flammable ramshackle junk that fill the cavern. It was glorious! The player's themselves cracked and panicked, but RP'd it well through the PCs and survived (with a smidge of DM fiat) by finding a way down to the next level as the cavern burned behind them. They eventually escaped the caves and got a taste of what Tucker's Kobolds could do. Only like a 3/10 version, but still enormously fun for everybody. Never got to run the full 10/10 version Ihad planned though...

[@milesgibson9555]

The crux of all effective DMing is being creative with what you got

[@gizzmo7301]

I’m about to run a game where my players are experienced and know how to make strong vanilla characters. This is great advice.

[@MarkLewis...]

Similarly, a while back when 5e just came out... I had to challenge very experienced, long-time players in a new system, with the Lost Mines of Phandelver module. Specifically "Goblin Arrows". Now the players were long-time players of D&D since the days of yore in the 70s and 80s (D&D + AD&D) so I knew I was going to have to pull a Kirk in the Kobayashi Maru and change the conditions of the test... it worked. I had the players obtain several levels of exhaustion in the journey to Phandalin. So, at the moment of the ambush the party was (literally) in no condition to fight anything, let alone hit and run tactics goblins. They laughed at the prospect of goblins being a threat to them and went into the battle overconfident, however in having to flee in a rounding defeat, they realized the levels of exhaustion made the encounter a deadly one to them. Can't challenge your players? Yes you can... just change the conditions of the test.

[@benjenior4420]

Against one of my parties, it was a combination of goblins and radubah (an amphibious troll-kin race I made up). They were the two primary denizens of a ruined city. Torn asunder by a terrasque some decades ago. They fought each other all the time, but were able to transform the area into their own. Flooded streets and exposed sewers were easy ambush spots. The goblins had strung up crude rope bridges that could not support most other creatures' weights. Goblin patrols with ogre howdahs as patrolling the streets and the radubah were fond of wild magic and even pushing into weird magic of hags.

[@TheMoon6044]

I ran a small campaign with my favorite monsters: The Kuo-Tao. The whole temple was the collective fever dream of a bunch of super paranoid little fish bastards, with traps made from crab-claws and tentacles and hallways lined with squid-butts to drown the party with ink. All the while the Kuo-Toa themselves lobbed Piranha bombs, jelly-fish bolos, and swordish at the party; screaming horrible fish curses. Lotta laughs and even more squelching sound effects.

[@williamgilbert6621]

My soon to be 16yo son has been trying his hand at dming the family through Dragon of Icespire Peak. He was getting a bit down about how easily we were getting through encounters: creative uses of caltrops, oil flasks and burning hands to ‘tpk’ an entire orc patrol is one example. And we were regularly taking little to no damage ourselves (the cleric was getting bored lol. I and my eldest (whom dms a lot) convinced to start treating the creatures as intelligent beings in their own right, so the next random encounter we had with the orcs they’d barricaded the road and set themselves up in defensive positions! It was great! This random encounter took most of the session as we had to use actual tactics, and even then the cleric was kept busy as the orc shamans suddenly started to intelligently focus their fire on our spell casters to eliminate early etc. We still won the fight, but we HAD to work for it! It was awesome! My lad has been doing that more often now with other encounters which has kept us focussed and engaged more, and he’s learning that bigger creatures aren’t the only way to have the party feel like they’ve accomplished a challenge. A ‘weak’ yet smart enemy is JUST as rewarding 😁

[@SoulessGinger-fz7lh]

OH MAN. My DM overwhelmed us with kobolds last week. My party consists of five level 16 players, we were traveling into a mountain to take a piece of treasure from a white dragon when the little guys started to unveil all their traps. The first being a magic mending glyph that fixed a whole bunch of pipes... where we happened to be standing, so pipes reaffixed themselves... through a couple of our bodies... Some of the tunnels also had tiny little holes for the kobolds to peek out of and shoot crossbow quarrels out of as a skirmishing tactic. The last most terrifying one was more or less an enormous gun. A room filled with oil and sulfur as the explosive, a 10ft diameter boulder as a bullet butted up in front of the previously mentioned room, and a tunnel (which we happened to be traveling down) as the barrel of this enormous weapon. We had been given plenty of hints of what was going down and eventually managed to talk our way out of the situation, but all of the traps and trials were a great time. My DM is awesome.

[@Trefane]

I met the equivalent of Tucker's Kobolds in a D&D group back in the 80's. We had just started a new set of characters and a new campaign, so we were all level 1. The DM was part of our friend group, and the adventure was "Keep on the Borderlands" which was the starting adventure in the D&D Basic set. Ten feet into the entrance of the cave, goblins popped up from covered pits in the floor, more goblins attacked at range from side rooms, a net dropped from the ceiling, and in ONE ROUND the entire party was dead. When we asked our friend what the heck that was about, he just responded, "I don't believe in level dungeons or level monsters. You guys should have been prepared for that. You weren't and you got what you deserved." We all learned then and there to just never let Tony run another game. He was just a bad DM.

[@QuantumPolagnus]

Kelly, thank you so much for wearing that shirt - I hadn't thought about AFI in years, so now I'm going to have to go back and listen to it again.

[@TheDtroupe]

I was recently part of a game where the Dm constantly used non standard monsters. It was amazing, I have been playing since I was 13( I am 39 now) I was was constantly scratching my head on how to combat these new foes. one of them was a hybrid elemental that we ended up having to run from and change up our loadout and spells to even have a chance of combating! it was very fulfilling when we finally beat it

[@dakbar4966]

After knowing of tucker’s kobolds for years, and being a Drakkenheim fan and newer dm, I designed a quest for my players using both- the first quest they chose was to retake a dwarven mine from a group of eldritch contaminated kobold cultists, who were using delirium-based magic under the guidance of an Abishai to create dragonflesh grafters. It was a big hit with the party, even as they were being torn apart by mundane traps every room. Thanks for the video and all your content!

[@andrewphilos]

One of the things you said really stood out to me: the kobolds were brutal, but it wasn't designed to be a deathtrap. As a GM, you always have the power to kill the players whenever you want. But creating an interesting challenge that poses threats that can be dealt with, powered through, or avoided is part of what makes TTRPGs so fun. When players are high enough level, a pack of kobolds can be easily dispatched, which means the players don't get to see the pack tactics which make them so fun and interesting! Tucker's Kobolds are essentially a scenario where the players can't just kill them off, so the kobolds get to show off a little. I've wondered whether there are other species that can be "Tuckered" like this, but honestly I think kobolds are a little special. Their whole thing is being teeny tiny nuisances. I'm not sure what else has such a strong personality that can be highlighted like this. Or maybe that's just because kobolds are one of my favorite D&D creatures. :3 ...Now I wanna see Tucker's rust monsters, my other favorite early-dungeon baddie. >:3c

[@TsorovanZero]

You can "Tucker" any sentient species, especially if they can use tools.

[@patclassic]

Two thoughts come to mind. One is that a group of of creatures with any time to prepare and tactics to boot should never be underestimated. I mean bandits are people too. Secondly, I wonder if this type of scenario could also be used as some commentary in the "old guard" and "new guard" discussion in DnD.

[@RedwoodTheElf]

I remember a dragon magazine article about "Midgets in the Earth" which listed some powerful "low level" encounters. One of which was "Idi Snitman and his Kobold Komandos" - a group of kobolds who would ride around on giant bats, and all had rings of Feather Falling. They would "bail out" over their target (A low level adventure party camped for the night, for example) and literally drop out of the sky.

[@DevinDTV]

in 5e, even with 3/4 cover, the kobolds would probably be pretty easy to kill for most parties in that level range even if the kobolds are going behind complete cover every turn after attacking, there are plenty of spells that can solve the problem (e.g. misty step, sleep, etc) that said, it'd still be more interesting than an open brawl in a field

[@derimperator3847]

in 5e the wizard could just fireball them too, no conservation of volume preventing them (+spreading around corners)

[@dodhethompson4841]

Yeah maybe in previous editions this would be an issue, but in 5th edition you have a party of like level 13 competent spell casters and this just isn't even a fight

[@zackcrow1776]

I loved this video, love seeing deep-dives into D&D history and very true that this advice from the 80s is just as helpful today!

[@jackfair4758]

I still remember reading that article for the first time when the issue came out. It was brilliant and changed my entire outlook at DM'ing.

[@dracone4370]

Recently, I've been thinking about creaturs that D&D and Pathfinder still need to make use of. For example, last year, I became aware of the Aralez. The Aralez is a creature in Armenian mythology that is described as a winged dog-like creature that descends from the heavens to revive fallen heroes by licking their wounds. They're basically the inverse of hellhounds, another low-level monster, and you can do a lot with the Aralez going on this basic description. Not only having stats for the Aralez but also items that can from the Aralez, you could have Aralez saliva be a better substitute for the diamonds used in revival spells but with the caveat that this stuff is really hard to get a hold of, so much so that it's going market prices well exceed that of most of the more expensive material spell components.

[@r0flgal0re]

As a newer DM, this is invaluable advice for me. So glad i clicked! Thank you Dungeon Dudes.

[@RobertDills-pd2qw]

Tucker set up this dungeon with white-box rules and then adapted it to AD&D. The entrance was a long stairway down into room where the party could organize and move out. Parties had a good chance to get most of the way through the Kobold area if the just kept quiet. It did take a small amount of time for the Kobolds to "call up their militia" as it were, but if the party made noise coming down the stairs, the Kobolds would be waiting--and most parties just can't resist making noise. Of course, if you annoyed them going down into the dungeon, they would be waiting when you tried to come back. One of the brand new, fifth level mages, with his brand new Fireball spell, did try casting it--this is where we found out the Kobolds had strong stone doors they would roll into place to seal sections of the dungeon off just in case of such antics. Tucker had even pre-figured the number of 10x10 squares the Fireball would fill; the surviving party members were not happy and the smoking remains of the mage didn't even provide cover for the retreat.

[@muffin2007]

One of my favorate anime series is goblin slayer and I think they took alot of insparation from Tucker;s Kobolds but for goblins

[@geoffbarker5570]

My current favorite home defense tactic I've used for my kobolds is this: 1) Get either ragged dark colored blankets (stolen from adventurers or a raided village) or use moss to make blankets 2) Go to the darkest room in the dungeon with lots of small hidden tunnels 3) Lay down and hide under the blankets near said tunnels (difficult to differentiate from the stone and dirt due to darkvision's shades of gray) 4) When an adventurer comes within 5ft of a kobold, they throw the blanket over the adventurer's face and steal something important (a sword, a quiver of arrows, maybe even just use their dagger to cut some straps on the paladin's plate armor) before bolting into the tunnels to hide your loot in the treasure room 5) watch with glee as the players panic because they decided they didn't need torches 😈

[@hyperguyver2]

I just love that almost 35 years later Tucker's Kobolds still give new players PTSD and put an unhealthy fear of these critters into their minds

[@solid_jr]

Just subbed to you guys. Me and my buddies just started playing again. Great videos guys. I'm the DM and you guys provide a lot of great info. But, I was a bit take aback when you said "way back in 1987". Haven't felt this old for a while: ) Then I realized I first played back in 82. I'm still learning 5e but, at the core, it's still a great game. 5e is a lot smoother to play. Anyway, thanks for the great channel.

[@bubbaholmberg7057]

I often use lesser humanoids with a couple of leveled NPC humanoid leaders as constant nemesis. Keep them on their toes. I still have that issue

[@WayneBraack]

Never having heard of this legend, I was enthralled from word one.

[@monkmayfair3487]

I actually implemented some of the ideas into my current campaign. Kobolds infesting a mine, a long corridor covered in oil and lit on fire by a kobold with a torch. Winged kobolds flinging flaming jars of oil (a la Molotov cocktail), kobolds with crossbows hidden in small halls lining the main chamber, and many many kobolds

[@clintonbehrends4659]

2:46 a honey badger that close to your back in a wooden cage is so dangerous

[@justinbell7309]

Twice I've pulled a Tucker's Kobolds. The first with Kobolds posted up down a dark hallway with a cannon, the second with a pack of wolves in a dark, snowy forest. The first basically meant the characters had to bob and weave down the hall, popping into side rooms and utilizing light spells to get line of sight on the kobolds before the cannon dropped someone. It was fun. The wolves in the second used hit and run tactics, utilizing the obscurment and darkness to attack and then flee and hide. Party got bloodied badly before the sorc got tired and just started a forest fire... which pissed off the local druid, who happened to be a PC's adoptive mother.

[@htenerf137]

Loved this style of video! I’ve seen a fair number of amazing videos on KZbin, and stories on Reddit that tell tales of ttrpg sessions past that have become almost apocryphal. Hearing the dudes retell them and then take a critical eye to the original tale and not the tertiary reactions to the tale is awesome. I also liked hearing the story in its original form and then hearing your thoughts. It helps having the full picture before the breakdown. If you dudes keep doing videos in this vein I’d love to hear your take on Owen Stephens Rebel Lieutenant story time. It’s one of the videos that got me into gaming and is similarly a player taking super thoughtful tactics to a situation instead of just a character sheet.

[@KevinDPomeroy]

Though not nearly as complex as Tucker's Kobolds one of my favorite things to do as a DM in combats is changing the battle fronts. Players get really comfortable with a battle formation by having the tanks up front and the glass cannons in the back. Having another wave come out that were hidden or other ways to change the battle suddenly creates a new front line with the casters who thought they were safe are suddenly being attacked. That creates a lot of tension for the players. You can't do this all of the time but on the occasion you do apply a tactic like this, it will certainly stick with them.

[@ved2360]

Your video got me thinking about a common fantasy RPG enemy that I think gets handled lazily: _Bandits._ What bandits are, where they come from and why they do it is actually not really sensible in fantasy stories. At all. Nobody by choice lives as an outlaw with lowered living standards, catching dysentery in the middle of the woods, if they have better options. And it's even more egregious if they exist in settings with good public order and adventurers everywhere. Local lords and townships aren't going to tolerate bandits cutting into their trade routes. Having done some cursory research on the subject, bandits generally fall into around four sources. One, they're basically local organized crime. The spare sons of nobility might, for example, use their connections to canvass places to knock over for loot and could fund criminal enterprise. Or they're local baron robbers who can charge nonstandard "tolls" or who simply seize the goods flowing through their lands, with little accountability to any other authority. Two, they're unemployed mercenary companies. As there is very little difference between an unemployed non-state actor and bandits. If you read Machiavelli's _The Prince_ you find the many reasons he despised mercenaries. As he viewed them as unreliable at best, or treacherous at worst. These are not the sorts of people who fight for anything as abstract as king and country or to defend their home. Think of Griffith's Band of the Hawk from _Berserk_ and the moral character of both he and Guts at that point in their lives. _They're not good people._ What they, are, however, is very dangerous because of their organized military discipline. And there were historical "adventuring" companies that were this efficient. Sometimes they're leftover soldiers from old wars that never bothered returning home. Third, they're the defeated leftovers from a war. The losing side of a major war often is routed and depending on your time and place, would be public enemies of the winning warlord who would hunt them down. Such people are well-armed and obviously desperate. Japanese period pieces often feature this type of "bandit." Farmers often were not happy with soldiers either, as they're maltreated by the ruling authorities and the thuggish behavior of troops and may be more than happy to either kill these refugees to get in the good graces of the lord. Or because they're scavengers looking to sell off military hardware. Or for vengeance. Fourth, they're ungovernable people. Either they're citizens of a foreign land, an occupied people or a "barbarian" group that has no interest in being ruled by whatever empire or kingdom thinks rules them. As in, they have infrastructure and homes to live in, they just freeboot on the side for profit. Vikings and Mongol raiders are "bandits" in the sense that they may not particularly care about starting shit in _your_ neighborhood because they don't have to live there. I can also see occupied populations or otherwise remote communities just not really caring about submitting to the tax man or the laws of the king/emperor/prince/mayor or whatever. Think of Vikings as depicted in _Vinland Saga_ and you'll have a pretty good picture. Most are seasonal raiders, with very few being full-time reavers. But they have no problems sourcing ships and supplies and have places to offload their loot. In other words, banditry is a really complicated social phenomena. Nobody just takes to the woods at random to be antisocial. Dislodging a local slaver ring that waylays and captures travelers or rando day laborers nobody will notice probably has the implicit permission of a corrupt magistrate. You can't just roll to kill them for free XP. Actually _doing_ something about the slave trade would cut into somebody's pockets and doesn't really eliminate the social problem of people having normalized the trade to begin with. If a mercenary captain plunders some small settlement, in the course of his service to a city-state, well, what are you going to do about it? Complain to his employers? They hired the guy in the first place. They aren't encamped in the woods living hand-to-mouth. Soldiers had plundering rights back then. And whoever employed them (if any) may be required to keep them on retainer to keep them well-behaved. If you depend on such soldiers for your _defense_ then they have a ton of leverage to do what they want. After all, you were stupid or desperate enough to need them to win a war.

[@EdrickBluebeard]

One of my favorite kobold traps was adventurer bait. A hallway that went back thirty feet and turned sharply left, every bit covered in crude but deadly traps. Around the corner? A dead end.

[@kylewoods9182]

That jolt of absolute terror that freezes your heart when you're in Space-Viet Nam and all the sudden the trees start speaking teddy bear.

[@quietman1972]

My players were searching for a hobgoblin tribe that had been causing trouble. 6 member party at the time, levels 5-6. The HGs had found an taken over an abandoned Dwarven outpost fort. Disciplined, organized gits that they are, the HGs had repaired all the defenses. Collapsing stairs, secret doors, battlefield control type traps. My favorite was the main staircase that ran from the main door staight up through the middle of the fort. Party was wondering why there was such an obvious flaw in the defenses. Then they heard the crunching as the Raiders of the Lost Ark boulder rolled into sight at the top of the stairs. And gates started dropping across all the side passages.

[@MrJackolicious]

I once had an encounter where a group of kobolds and their cultist leader were in the next room in the dungeon, where they had barred the door the moment they heard the group fighting in the room before. The module said that they bar the door, but don't do anything more than that, opting to just wait in ambush. I was not happy with that at all and decided to spice things up. I had the kobolds grease up the floor in front and around the door, so that when the fighter finally bashed it in, they would sleep forward and fall, at which point two things happen: 1) the kobolds release a boulder tied with a rope from the ceiling to swing down bash away the next person to follow the fighter, and 2) the kobolds light the grease on fire, burning the fighter in it. Finally, there are two shield-bearing kobold squads (4 kobolds per squad, 2 on each shield) holding their actions at the edges of the grease fire, ready to push anyone trying to run through back into the fire! Meanwhile, the cultist leader will hang back with the kobolds, firing crossbows and cantrips into the inferno. My players loved this encounter!

[@sleeperaquatics4480]

One of my favorite ideas from older Dnd versions would be using quicklings as sabatouers in a forrest. Imagine these small highly mobile creatures cutting tent ropes , puncturing water bags left on horses or chasing off the horses , random shot from their hand crossbows. Basically allowing the party a moments peace through the forrest.

[@ShinGallon]

My Kobold artificer Ravani reads "Tucker's Kobolds" as a bedtime story, helps him sleep.

[@rufuslynks8175]

Think outside the stat blocs.... That's the sound bite. Great episode!

[@GamerGrovyle]

"They graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Sauron Institute for the criminally vicious" First, that is an amazing line. Second, I feel like I could make a very fun oneshot about a party who are abducted to be part of the graduation exam for the Sauron Institute's Dungeon Design program.