D&D 5E Drop your weapons situation

[peponf]

I'd like to have a "drop your weapons" situation in my next session and I'd really like to create some tension between the PJs with the bad guys pointing them with arrows and spells, forcing them to surrender. Thing is, there's no real danger in that situation because RAW won't allow them to get real hurt, how would you play that out?

 

[5ekyu]

I'd like to have a "drop your weapons" situation in my next session and I'd really like to create some tension between the PJs with the bad guys pointing them with arrows and spells, forcing them to surrender. Thing is, there's no real danger in that situation because RAW won't allow them to get real hurt, how would you play that out?

The underlying premise of that situation is "we cannot fight our way out" and that has many options varying by level.

Too many to fight.
Hostage will be killed.
Need their help.
Etc.

However be advised its not uncommon for "heroic" players to still choose to fight, esp if so far it has been rare for them to encounter overpowered foes.

So be prepared for all outcomes.

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[jaelis]

I'd like to have a "drop your weapons" situation in my next session and I'd really like to create some tension between the PJs with the bad guys pointing them with arrows and spells, forcing them to surrender. Thing is, there's no real danger in that situation because RAW won't allow them to get real hurt, how would you play that out?

What do you mean that RAW won't allow them to get hurt?

If this is about initiative issues, it's fine to just rule that when you've got the drop on someone, you automatically win initiative if a fight breaks out.

If it is about not doing enough damage to matter with a single attack, remember that you can 'arm' your aggressors however you like. High level spells can be pretty devastating, and if you want to give the weapon wielders some special ambushing abilities you can. Just be sure to telegraph to the players that these guys look pretty dangerous.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

I don't understand why they wouldn't get hurt if they don't surrender. Make the danger real and they'll either comply and live, or not. Start with a demonstration of power ("A bolt of lightning shatters a tree in front of you [DM rolls a HUGE amount of dice], doing, uhm, 92 pts of damage and causing it to burst into a pillar of flame...").

Players hate losing control so stand by for them to either bitterly complain or just fight to the death anyway. Hope you have a good plan in place for this.

 

[ArchfiendBobbie]

Don't do the hostage situation. You would be surprised how many times I've seen a Paladin go, "You'll just torture her anyway, so this is more merciful" before killing the hostage. Or the ranger going, "Well, no matter which one I hit, it's better for her than not doing anything" and then trying to shoot the BBEG anyway.

 

[The Old Crow]

I don't think a party will surrender unless they think it will be "better" if they surrender. The definition of "better" is not "Will Take Ton Of Damage As Punishment If We Choose Not To Surrender". Instead of trying to make not surrendering an overwhelmingly obvious bad option, I think you should make surrendering a known viable good option. Has the campaign established that surrendered prisoners are well treated? Ransomed back? Escape? Will it present an opportunity to gather vital information? Meet with a spy deep in the enemy camp? Give them reasons to want to get captured.

 

[iserith]

I'd like to have a "drop your weapons" situation in my next session and I'd really like to create some tension between the PJs with the bad guys pointing them with arrows and spells, forcing them to surrender. Thing is, there's no real danger in that situation because RAW won't allow them to get real hurt, how would you play that out?

Since we're playing ostensibly to see what outcomes arise naturally from the situations we present during play, I would say there's no way to ensure a particular outcome if it's left up to the players to make a choice.

So, set it up in the way you think will have the most impact on your particular players, perhaps by playing to the characters' personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws (the ones that might best encourage the sort of outcome you want), then offer Inspiration if they go along. But ultimately, I suggest being okay with whatever outcome arises since you don't have total control over the situation.

Alternatively, with your players' permission, you could do something like hard scene framing, where you start the scene with the PCs already having surrendered for whatever reasons that seem in character, but you need the players' buy-in on this for sure since you're making the choices for them. They'd have to be assured whatever follows is fun for everyone despite not having any say in their own surrender. Something like this would be best for a cold open type beginning to the session.

 

[77IM]

Players hate surrendering: it feels like losing, and it feels like losing control of your PC.

So the only times I've seen players willingly surrender are a) when it's part of their plan to get some of the party members captured in order to infiltrate a place, and b) when the DM just straight up tells them, meta-game, that it would be more fun for them to surrender, and the players trust the DM and/or he bribes them heavily with bonus XP or similar.

 

[Oofta]

Any time I think "in order for my game to work, the PCs must do this" I take a step back and make sure it's what I want to do. Sometimes the answer is still yes, but I try not to assume players will do the obvious thing, or that it will be fun for them. Some players would tell you that they'd rather die than surrender. I don't think that's realistic but I've had it happen.

So with that caution out of the way, why do you think RAW won't allow them to get hurt? Throw out the challenge guidelines for the encounter and send in a triple deadly force. You're the DM you can always throw more at the players than they can handle.

If they decide to fight anyway, figure out some way that you can knock them out of commission without using deadly force. Don't want them escaping? Block teleports or just drop an anti-magic zone on the party. Or get creative. I once had the floor break and crumble underneath the PC's feet as rotting hands reached up and grabbed them, pulling them down into the ground. I had the grapple checks high enough (and enough hands) to pretty much guarantee success. One PC almost got away, so I had a contingency planned, but yes the plan was to pull everyone into the Shadowfell.

But seriously. Expect at least someone in the party when faced with a "Surrender or die" scenario to choose the latter.

 

[Morrus]

D&D has never been set up to accommodate that sort of thing, unless you surround them with epic NPCs who would each on their own be able to take out the whole town.

I think you either ask the players to buy-in and narrate it, come up with some clunky house rule, or accept that this game isn’t designed to do that and focus on what the system is good at, which is heroic high fantasy.

Not the answer you were looking for, I know. But right tools for the right job, and all that. You’re trying to use a paintbrush to replace a sparkplug.