As we discussed in Part 3, we have three factions in the upper halls of our dungeon; a newly arrived clan of kobolds who are trying to establish a lair; a cult made up of humanoids and fishpeople who worship a grotesque aberration as their god; and some malign presence deeper in the dungeon, which might be responsible for the nightmares which plague the surrounding country side. Since the “deeper presence” hasn't really been defined yet, we can concentrate on the other two factions — the kobolds and the cultists.

While the kobolds are relative newcomers to the dungeon, they’ve already managed to carve out a significant portion of the first floor for their own. So right away, we can think of two routines for them — patrolling their territory to keep intruders out, and making raids against the cult. This second routine is especially likely, given that the cult has captured the kobold clan’s totem; their dragon wyrmling (remember, we’ve slapped a new coat of paint onto the Sunless Citadel adventure). We can also imagine the kobold leader sending scouts to other areas of the dungeon, in an attempt find away to outflank their enemies. Lastly, since this is an entire clan, and not just an expeditionary or raiding force, there are non-combatants; the young, old, and infirm to care for and guard. If we lay all of this out into a simple list, and assign some numbers to it, it might look like this:

Kobold patrol: Kobolds(4), Kobold Elite(1), Giant Rat(1)

Kobolds(4), Kobold Elite(1), Giant Rat(1) Kobold raiders: Kobolds(6), Kobold Elite(2)

Kobolds(6), Kobold Elite(2) Kobold scouts: Kobolds(3)

Kobolds(3) Kobold Throne Room: Kobold Shaman(1), Kobold Elite(4)

Kobold Shaman(1), Kobold Elite(4) Kobold Haven: Kobold(8), Kobold Non-Combatants(36–48)

With these spelled out, we can also decide how many kobolds there are, and make a tally to keep track of them as they are killed or otherwise dispatched. You’ll also notice that the Throne Room and Haven encounters are traditional and static; unless the shaman is leading an attack, engaged with her clanmates in some way, or resting, she will always be in the throne room with her guards. Similarly, since the dungeon is dangerous, the non-combatants are not allowed to wander until they’re old enough to become patrollers, raiders or scouts.

We can follow a similar strategy for our cultists. Since the dungeon is an active battleground, the cult will also have patrols, raiding parties and scouts. Also, while the humanoids and kuo-toa are allied, they have slightly different goals. The cult leader, Belak, is trying to use the aberration below to communicate with the evil which resides deeper in the dungeon; the fishpeople believe the aberration is their god. Therefore, we can say that some of the kuo-toa are usually busy praying and making offerings, and Belak and his protectors are nearly always engaged in some kind of research and investigation. Lastly, we have the captured wyrmling, which is always kept in one place, and guarded.

Cult patrol: Cultists(1 or 2), Kuo-Toa (1 or 2)

Cultists(1 or 2), Kuo-Toa (1 or 2) Cult raiders: Cultists(3), Kuo-Toa(3)

Cultists(3), Kuo-Toa(3) Cult scouts: Cultists(2)

Cultists(2) Dragon’s lair : Kuo-Toa(2), Dragon Wyrmling(1)

: Kuo-Toa(2), Dragon Wyrmling(1) Kuo-Toa worshippers : Kuo-Toa(4)

: Kuo-Toa(4) Kuo-Toa leader : Kuo-Toa Whip(1), Kuo-Toa (3), Aberrant Manifestation(1)

: Kuo-Toa Whip(1), Kuo-Toa (3), Aberrant Manifestation(1) Belak and entourage: Belak, Cultist(3), Aberrant Manifestation(4)

While this list is longer, it follows the same pattern as the one before; we have a variety of encounters which can be dropped in wherever they are needed, and one or two static encounters which will almost always take place in a predetermined area. Again, with numbers in hand, we can get a rough idea of how large the cult is, and make notes as they are impacted. Perhaps as the PCs (or kobolds!) advance, certain routines stop, or become reinforced, or are no longer available.

The other obvious thing we can do with these lists is build random encounter tables, thus injecting even more dynamism into the adventure. When the PCs make too much noise fighting with a kobold raiding party, do they attract the attention of the cult patrol? Or perhaps the party stumbles into an a fight already in progress? When they rest, who (or what) happens upon them?