Ambush!

[wedgeski]

So in the continual quest to improve myself as a DM I find myself thinking back over gaming moments that didn't go exactly the way I planned. Several of these were ambush scenarios that went awry, sometimes even with the PC's getting the drop on the bad guys!

So how do you guys prep an ambush encounter that won't just be killed by the likes of Scent, Spot, and so-on? Is there any way to take an average party by surprise these days?

 

[HolyGrenadeFrenzy]

Well if in the wilderness the brush and forest fires mess with Scent, Spot, Listen checks rather effectively and direct a party in a direction with relative ease. Trampling animals trying to escape the fire and usally the last thing people expect when running from a fire is that the bowman in waiting started the fire behind or previously in front of them with Pine Sap bails waiting to be lit from afar and then waiting in cover to snipe them as they come out with penalties for the fire they are trying to exit. One example of real life military strategy used to lure troops into a bottleneck for archers is by controlling the enemies terrain in this manner, among others with magic avaliable.

Even flying creatures have difficulty with a large fire. If immune to fire damage then the light and smoke still impead the ablity to sense by and large. They never even notice and additional Choking Cloud spell or some such thing just before they get arrrows in the chest.

Even a druid may use controlled fires to chase Trolls out of their swamps after they get the other animals to leave........and a fire is a natural way to renew an area for growth, it happens in nature all the time. So, imagine being in between your ambushers in front unknownst to you and a clan of frightened bellowing trolls and an expanding fire behind them! You run away....right into an ambush.....Ouch!

Oh, and I had nearly forgotten about another classic example such as:

Think orc and goblin rangers and put them on worgs! Maybe make the Druid a Druid turned Blighter or whatnot........ Or what ever. Fire is great for many ambush senarios.

But because it is available and the archers make it worse.

"Such funny little birds
All up it the trees
Such funny little birds
For they haven't any wings
Such funny little birds
All up in the trees
Let's send them up
In a fiery breeze!">Goblin Song from the Hobbit film even.

 

[green slime]

Easy.

You set up an Ambush. In a forested area, for example. When you Hide, you don't take 10 on your check. You take 20. You have a good deal of time to prepare. Your fellow conspirators aid you ("aid another", +2 to the check). Scent won't work against the wind. ANd remember the Spot check penalty of -1 per 10 feet. (so -3 to check at 30 ft. vs 20+Hide+for aid, not so simple)

Then the first, immediate ambush is designed to only to take out a single character, or drop them so low they aren't inclined to do any real heroics. (Preferably the mage or a rogue)

After achieving this, the ambushers flee (earlier if they are obviously outgunned).

Of course the party then gives chase. Only certain characters are faster than others, and some are more eager than others for blood. Generally the clerics are very slow, and quickly left behind. They may not even bother following at all, assuming the battle to be won.

The fleeing ambushers, now lead those fast bloodthirsty few (often lightly armoured dex fighter types) following into a second, serious ambush, several rounds away from the original "ambush", and proceed to slaughter them. Discovering this ambush is much harder, as they are most likely moving as fast as they can to catch the fleer (counts at least as distracted -5, in my book. Should probably be as severe as -10). Thus, the well hidden will gain ranged sneak attack bonus (if rogues, with Rapid shot...), and anything else nasty you can think of. Notice that running causes them to lose Dex bonus to AC anyway...

Now the party is split, and probably lacking any real healing ability beyond a potion or two, at the area of critical focus.

 

[HolyGrenadeFrenzy]

Easy.

You set up an Ambush. In a forested area, for example. When you Hide, you don't take 10 on your check. You take 20. You have a good deal of time to prepare. Your fellow conspirators aid you ("aid another", +2 to the check). Scent won't work against the wind. ANd remember the Spot check penalty of -1 per 10 feet. (so -3 to check at 30 ft. vs 20+Hide+for aid, not so simple)

Then the first, immediate ambush is designed to only to take out a single character, or drop them so low they aren't inclined to do any real heroics. (Preferably the mage or a rogue)

After achieving this, the ambushers flee (earlier if they are obviously outgunned).

Of course the party then gives chase. Only certain characters are faster than others, and some are more eager than others for blood. Generally the clerics are very slow, and quickly left behind. They may not even bother following at all, assuming the battle to be won.

The fleeing ambushers, now lead those fast bloodthirsty few (often lightly armoured dex fighter types) following into a second, serious ambush, several rounds away from the original "ambush", and proceed to slaughter them. Discovering this ambush is much harder, as they are most likely moving as fast as they can to catch the fleer (counts at least as distracted -5, in my book. Should probably be as severe as -10). Thus, the well hidden will gain ranged sneak attack bonus (if rogues, with Rapid shot...), and anything else nasty you can think of. Notice that running causes them to lose Dex bonus to AC anyway...

Now the party is split, and probably lacking any real healing ability beyond a potion or two, at the area of critical focus.

Classic Strategy still used to this day! Best with 4 to 6 ambushers or more yet can be done with as little as three.....Very difficult with two participants.

This strategy can be used in combination with nearly any other strategy!

Bait and Draw then repeat as those running set up again for the next Ambushers to run back again.......you can repeat this for a long while.

This is an essential retreat formation strategy.

 

[Phlebas]

Divide and conquer is also a sound tactic - eg rope bridges at lower levels, planar gates at higher levels are perfect choke points where it wont matter half as much if the ambushers are seen at the last minute if the party is split and can't bring all its resource to bear

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Ooops. I thought this thread was going to be about the AH game, Ambush!

 

[Darklone]

PCs find a merchant with a broken wheel on his wagon in the wilderness and escort him to a camp. There they are celebrated and everyone is sooo thankful and there's so much to drink and so nice girls and ... when they wake up, everything is gone, inclusive weapons, money and mounts.

 

[HolyGrenadeFrenzy]

Seriously, consult Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

With a little suggestion here...I have read 14 translations and the most useful, unless desperately needing several examples IMO, is the pocket version by Shambala Press.....runs about $4-$5 and is one of the most versital translations because it doesn't cut the ablity to abstract new circumstances out of the equasion through over simplifing it with demands of limitations on meanings. If you already have a translation or more it is a definite one to add to your reference collection.

Now, several of the others are great too as a counter reference list yet I am thankful to have found this one and I would have appriciated it sooner.

HGF

 

[Kilmore]

I just had the bad guys show up at the party's hotel room.

 

[shilsen]

Vampire ninja.