Free TTRPG Encounter: Goliath Longhouse
Welcome to our second Side Quest!
Do you ever feel stuck when planning your next D&D session? Perhaps you’re tired of sending your players off into the woods with the same old bandit ambush trope, or they went in a totally random direction you didn’t expect, and now you’re scrambling for a surprise encounter to keep them busy until you can re-write your entire campaign. Enter our Side Quests! These posts are short, free TTRPG encounters with corresponding maps that can be easily threaded into an ongoing or one shot campaign, allowing busy DMs to throw in a random encounter at the drop of a hat. We are really excited to share these short encounters with you, and we would love to hear what you think of them! These Side Quests are provided free of charge thanks to the support on our Ko-fi page. Be sure to tag us when you use or share this Side Quest!
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In this Side Quest, we’ll be focusing on a race that doesn’t seem to get much love: Goliaths!
The Koltha-Goli Longhouse
Overview: The Kaltha-Goli clan has traveled up and down the coast for generations, but they have recently secured a section of the higher valley and settled with semi-permanent structures. Chieftain Stonetalon protects his self-claimed fiefdom from raiding bands of goblins and the occasional monstrosity. Their longhouse stands as testament to the clan’s prosperity: melding woodcrafting within the security of the valley walls. Acting as a meeting hall, kennel, warehouse, prison, and home, the building provides their last defense should they be attacked.
Plot Hooks
- The Kaltha-Goli caught and imprisoned an NPC valuable to the adventurers.
- The adventurers were invited to the longhouse during a week-long ritual celebration held by the clan to participate in athletic challenges.
- Raiding Bugbears have finally succeeded in overwhelming the Goliath defenses, and the adventurers must break through goblinoid camps to rescue the beleaguered clan.
Encounters
- Chieftain Stonetalon
- Goliath Warriors
- Wolves
- Goats
Longhouse
Village (Not Pictured)
The homestead of the Kaltha-Goli includes around forty-five hide yurts housing over one hundred and fifty Goliath men, women, children, and numerous goats. Thick rock spurs jutting from the ground are reinforced with rare timber from the surrounding countryside to act as a natural fortification against raiders.
Longhouse Exterior
Built into the cliff face, the longhouse is twenty feet high at its peak and angles down both sides to fifteen feet. The walls are made of fortified timber and extend deep into the rock wall. Two Goliath Warriors (see Appendix below) stand guard by the main doors at all times.
Rooms
General Features
All doors inside the longhouse are made of sturdy wood and attached via metal hinges that are set into stone or timber. All cave rooms are ten feet tall to facilitate a minimal amount of stooping.
G1. Hall
The 40 ft. by 30 ft. interior of the Longhouse hall is lit by metal sconces attached to support pillars along the wall as well as a massive stone fireplace standing in the center. Wooden planks lay underneath various animal skins on the floor–providing additional protection against the chill mountain air. Long tables at the north end of the room are set with carved stone bowls, cups, and utensils. Woven tapestries hang from the cross beams between pillars. Between four and eight Goliath Warriors and six to ten Commoners reside in the longhouse at any given time.
Side Doors: Two kennels are attached to either side of the longhouse: to the east a smaller door leads to a covered yard for Chieftain Stonetalon’s four Goats. To the west, a wider door leads to a torn-up dirt yard, home to Stonetalon’s three domesticated Wolves. The wolves are known to knock down the kennel door when they hear trouble inside the hall.
G2. Storeroom
A sturdy wooden door leads to a carved 10 ft by 15 ft room deep inside the valley wall. Due to the temperature of the stone walls and floor, a majority of the longhouses’ food stores reside in this room, as well as a small cache of tools, weapons and armor. One Goliath Commoner works here during the day, taking stock of the goods.
Treasure: Searching through the rough wood crates reveal two sets of hide armor, twenty javelins, three great axes, and twenty days’ worth of dry rations.
G3. Gaol
Two simple cells lead into either side of a narrow passage. Straw pallets cover a section of the stone floor. Stout wood spears inserted into the walls prevent jailbreak. Two Goliath Warriors stand guard when the cells are inhabited (See Random Prisoner Table Below).
G4. Private dressing room
A small chamber separates the chieftain’s room from the main hall. Two long wooden boxes sit next to the walls and are filled with tapestries.
Secret Door: A passage to a small chamber (G6) is hidden behind a wooden door camouflaged to look like a natural cave wall. Adventurers succeeding on a Wisdom (Perception) check will spot the subtle seam in the wall. The door is unlocked, though due to the stone weight an adventurer must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) check to push the door open.
G5. Bedchamber
A well-made wood bed covered in animal pelts stands in the center of this room. Woven baskets hold changes of clothes and other personal belongings of the chieftain and his wife. An armor rack stands next to the door hold the chieftain’s chain mail when not in use. The chieftain’s wife (Goliath Warrior) can be found here.
Treasure: A bronze torque worth 15 gold pieces rests on a small dwarven-made dresser.
G6. Chieftain’s Horde
This rough-carved 10 ft. by 10 ft. chamber holds the majority of the clan’s wealth that is not displayed elsewhere in the hall. Its location is known by only a few of the chieftain’s most trusted lieutenants, including his wife.
Treasure: A wooden chest holds 500 gold pieces, three precious gems worth 50 gold pieces each, and an Elemental Gem of Earth. A weapon rack holds three +1 javelins and a gem-studded scimitar worth 100 gold pieces. A stone plinth holds a gold statue depicting a simplistic rendition of a Roc.
Random Prisoner Table:
Here’s a short list of random prisoners to add flavor to your campaign! (Feel free to switch out class and/or race to fit your specific TTRPG)
- d1: A Human Bandit caught poaching on clan lands
- d2: Two Dwarven merchants (Commoners) who insulted the chieftain with a poor trade
- d3: One Bugbear survivor from a failed raid
- d4: A Lizardfolk Shaman bound in ornate metal manacles designed to suppress magic
- d5: A raving mad Gnoll warrior begging to be released
- d6: A Halfling Wererat biding their time until the next full moon to escape
- d7: Empty, but the straw pallet covers a hidden tunnel
- d8: An Adult Silver Dragon in the shape of an attractive Elf male who is gamely attempting to learn of Goliath culture from the inside of a cell.
- d9: A disarmed Half-elf Acolyte who attempted to convert the clan to their religion
- d10: A Tiefling Bard prevented from leaving as the chieftain liked their songs too much
Homebrew Monsters
Optional foes include Goliath Commoners, Wolves, and Goats. You can find these stats in the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual (use “Commoner” to stand in for Goliath Commoner).
The following foes are our homebrew monsters. Enjoy!
- Note: These monster stats apply to a Dungeons & Dragons setting, but feel free to swap them out to fit your specific TTRPG. As you adjust your stats, you’ll want to ensure that Chieftain Stonetalon is about 25 – 30% more difficult to defeat than a Goliath Warrior.
Chieftain Stonetalon
- Medium Humanoid (Goliath), neutral
- Armor Class 16 (Chain Mail)
- Hit Points 84 (12d10 + 24)
- Speed 30 ft.
- STRENGTH: 18 (+4)
- DEXTERITY: 13 (+1)
- CONSTITUTION: 18 (+4)
- INTELLIGENCE: 12 (+1)
- WISDOM: 14 (+2)
- CHARISMA: 10 (+0)
- Skills: Athletics +8, Survival +6
- Damage Resistance: Cold
- Senses: Passive Perception 12
- Languages: Common, Giant
- Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Special Equipment: Stonetalon uses a +1 Greatsword and wears a Ring of Resistance (Cold)
Stone’s Endurance:
When Stonetalon takes damage, he can use his reaction to roll a d12. Add his Constitution modifier to the number rolled, and reduce the damage by that total. Can only be used once per long or short rest.
Actions
- Multiattack. Stonetalon makes two greatsword attacks.
- Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Goliath Warrior
- Medium Humanoid (Goliath), neutral
- Armor Class 13 (Hide Armor)
- Hit Points 64 (8d10 + 24)
- Speed 30 ft.
- STRENGTH: 17 (+3)
- DEXTERITY: 12 (+1)
- CONSTITUTION: 16 (+3)
- INTELLIGENCE: 9 (-1)
- WISDOM: 13 (+1)
- CHARISMA: 10 (+0)
- Skills: Athletics +6
- Senses: Passive Perception 11
- Languages: Common, Giant
- Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Stone’s Endurance:
When the Goliath warrior takes damage, they can use their reaction to roll a d12. Add their Constitution modifier to the number rolled, and reduce the damage by that total. Can only be used once per long or short rest.
Actions
- Multiattack. The Goliath warrior makes two greatclub attacks.
- Greatclub. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
- Javelin. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 ft. one target. Hit 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.
This concludes our second Side Quest! From here it’s up to you to decide if you want to create a deeper story arc involving any Goliath Commoners, the random prisoner in the Gaol, or anything else you enjoyed about this encounter. We would love to know if you use this Side Quest, so please drop a comment here on the blog, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to let us know how it went! Lastly, if you liked this encounter, consider checking out our longer campaigns and map packets on our Shop page.
Happy Side Questing!
