1. Castle Entrance

The main gates between areas 1 adn 2 are made of bronze-covered wood, but they are corroded and collapsed.   "The castle consists of seven crumbling towers of different sizes and heights, but the upper stories are all in varying states of collapse. A short flight of steps leads up to a terrace in front of the main entryway. Past the wreckage of a pair of sundered doors lies a shadowed hall. Round towers loom over the entranceway, with dark arrow slits looking down on the terrace."   No monsters dwell here, but the goblin sentries in area 3 are supposed to be keeping watch. They glance only occasionally out of the arrow slits, however, so characters who move quietly might be able to creep past them. Have each character make a Dexterity (Stealth) check. The lowest check is the DC for the goblins' Wisdom checks to notice the party.   DEVELOPMENTS If the goblins spot the characters (or if the characters approach openly), the goblins shoot arrows from behind the arrow slits.  However, they can't fire directly at enemies at or past the broken gate. The goblins also shout loudly enough to alert their comrades in areas 4 and 6 that the castle is under attack.   DISGUISED CHARACTERS Rather than storm Cragmaw Castle with weapons in hand, clever characters might try to talk their way inside. For example, they might don the scarlet cloaks of the Redbrands and claim to be emissaries sent by larno "Glasstaff" Albrek, the Redbrand leader, to meet with King Grol. A good OM rewards this kind of clever thinking by giving the characters a chance to succeed.   It's okay if the characters circumvent combat and talk their way past castle defenders. Both the Cragmaw tribe and the Redbrands work for the Black Spider, so the goblinoids aren't likely to attack the party if they claim to be working in the Black Spider's interest.   If the characters try to perpetrate a deception as a group, have them each make a Charisma (Deception) check contested by the monsters' Wisdom (Insight) checks, and give the characters advantage on their checks if the deception is particularly well planned or roleplayed. If at least one character wins the contest, the deception is a success.    You may award XP for monsters fooled by the deception. As the party makes its way deeper into the castle, additional checks might be required, at your discretion.