First Strike

First Strike is the 1st quest in the Assault on Splinterskull story arcStory arcs are chains of quests that make up a story line. Completing everything in a story arc often yields a nice reward..
First Strike • The Hobgoblins' Captives • Yarkuch's War-plans • Whisperdoom's Spawn • The Deadly Package: The Stronghold Key • The Deadly Package: Agent of the Darguul • Doom of the Witch-doctor: The Way to Zulkash • Doom of the Witch-doctor: Zulkash, Herald of Woe • The Last Move: The Way to Yarkuch • The Last Move: Yarkuch's Last Stand

On behalf of Chief Ungurz, you strike into the depths of Splinterskull. The peace of Darguun will be bought with blood.

Requires access to adventure pack
Definition: Adventure Pack
A list of all adventure packs
: Tangleroot Gorge

First Strike
Heroic level:	3
Epic level:	None
Duration:	Medium
Heroic XP:	♣429Solo/Casual ♦772Normal ♥828Hard ♠884Elite
Epic XP:	N/A
Takes place in:	Outer Splinterskull Fortress
Bestowed by:	Chief Ungurz
NPC contact:	Chief Ungurz
Quest acquired in:	Tangleroot Gorge
Patron:	House Phiarlan
Base favor:	3
Purchase:	Tangleroot Gorge or VIP
Extreme Challenge:	No

Loading screen

Enter the fortress of Splinterskull and kill twenty of Chief Yarkuch's hobgoblins.

Spoiler Warning: Spoiler material below this point!

Slay 20 Hobgoblin Guards
(Optional) Slay Blademaster Chagg — Bonus (10%): Heroic( ♣43 ♦77 ♥83 ♠88 )

Skill DCs and pictures of all traps, control panel locations, and locked doors can be found in the above links by hovering over the description text.
Spike trap in the western storeroom, in the corner beyond the door; control panel is on the western wall
Electrical trap in the small room off the throne room; control panel is just inside the door on the north wall
Blade trap (on both walls) down the corridor past the second shrine; control panel is on the north wall
Spinning blade trap further down the corridor; control panel is on the south wall immediately after the blade trap

Get comfortable with this area. You'll be spending a lot of time here doing this chain...
All hobgoblins (not just the guards) count towards the 20.
Blademaster Chagg can appear in one of three locations: the throne room, the eastern cell block, or the western cell block.
At the center of the eastern cell block is a pit with three Night Scorpions in it. There is a door that requires STR 16 to open with a chest on the other side.
The storerooms are located off the cell blocks; in this quest they're locked, but you get a key to them in the next quest and they remain unlocked after that.
The entire Outer Splinterskull Fortress is explorable, despite the DM warning that "it may be too dangerous to go on."
The various chests all refill at each stage of the quest; however, the same chest in different stages counts as the "same" chest for purposes of the chest ransack counter – if you run Tangleroot once, then again on a higher difficulty, you will find the loot substantially reduced.
In order to get any of the bonuses besides discreet, you must be stealthy. Don't kill *any* of the hobgoblins you don't have to.
It is possible (but not at all worth it) to achieve a bonus for monsters killed by farming the three spiders in the northeastern spider cave.

Discreet bonus: 24 or fewer monsters killed +5% Bonus.( ♣21 ♦39 ♥41 ♠44 )
Aggression bonus: 61 or more monsters killed +10% Bonus.( ♣43 ♦77 ♥83 ♠88 )
Onslaught bonus: 80 or more monsters killed +15% Bonus.( ♣64 ♦116 ♥124 ♠133 )
Conquest bonus: 98 or more monsters killed +25% Bonus.( ♣107 ♦193 ♥207 ♠221 )
Tamper bonus: 2 or more traps disarmed +10% Bonus.( ♣43 ♦77 ♥83 ♠88 )
Neutralization bonus: 3 or more traps disarmed +20% Bonus.( ♣86 ♦154 ♥166 ♠177 )
Ingenious Debilitation bonus: 4 or more traps disarmed +30% Bonus.( ♣129 ♦232 ♥248 ♠265 )
Mischief bonus: 52 or more breakables smashed +8% Bonus.( ♣34 ♦62 ♥66 ♠71 )
Vandal bonus: 68 or more breakables smashed +10% Bonus.( ♣43 ♦77 ♥83 ♠88 )
Ransack bonus: 84 or more breakables smashed +15% Bonus.( ♣64 ♦116 ♥124 ♠133 )

Notes: The devious and insidious cunning bonuses are unobtainable due to the 20 required kills.

Name ^{( picture )}	CR	Type	Race
Black Widow ^{( view • edit )}	♦2Normal ♥4Hard ♠7Elite	Vermin	Spider
Blademaster Chagg ^{( view • edit )}	♦4Normal ♥6Hard ♠10Elite	Goblinoid	Hobgoblin
Brown Spider Prince ^{( view • edit )}	♦5Normal ♥8Hard ♠10Elite	Vermin	Spider
Brown Spider ^{( view • edit )}	♦1Normal ♥3Hard ♠6Elite	Vermin	Spider
Darkfang Spider ^{( view • edit )}	♦5Normal ♥7Hard ♠10Elite	Vermin	Spider
Gray Ooze ^{( view • edit )}	♦4Normal ♥6Hard ♠9Elite	Ooze	Gray Ooze
Hobgoblin Cleric ^{( view • edit )}	♦3Normal ♥5Hard ♠8Elite	Goblinoid	Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin Guard ^{( view • edit )}	♦2Normal ♥4Hard ♠7Elite	Goblinoid	Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin Infiltrator ^{( view • edit )}	♦2Normal ♥4Hard ♠7Elite	Goblinoid	Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin Patrol Leader ^{( view • edit )}	♦3Normal ♥5Hard ♠8Elite	Goblinoid	Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin Slayer ^{( view • edit )}	♦4Normal ♥6Hard ♠9Elite	Goblinoid	Hobgoblin
Lesser Gray Ooze ^{( view • edit )}	♦2Normal ♥4Hard ♠6Elite	Ooze	Gray Ooze
Night Scorpion ^{( view • edit )}	♦4Normal ♥6Hard ♠10Elite	Vermin	Scorpion
Wolf ^{( view • edit )}	♦1Normal ♥2Hard ♠5Elite	Animal	Wolf
Worg ^{( view • edit )}	♦2Normal ♥4Hard ♠7Elite	Magical Beast	Wolf

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