Blind Drow Guards?

[Wraithdrit]

So I'm looking over the stats of the guards for my campaign's next few encounters in CotSQ. Lalala... guards... sentries... hmm, you know there is gonna be some sneak going on... lets see so whats their spot.

5th level drow fighters. With Alertness. Spot ... +4.
5th level drow fighter without Alertness. Spot ... +2!

*picks self up off floor *

So this guys JOB is to be a guard, and he can't notice a first level cutpurse hiding 5 feet away!

Elves get a +2 spot naturally. Alertness gives you +2 spot. So this guys JOB is to see things and he has spent no skill points on spot?!?!

I know its a cross class skill... but come on!

So at least, a shuffling of skill points will be done.

But then I got to thinking. This guys job is to be a guard, so would it be appropriate for him to have a level of ranger or rogue (giving him Spot as a class skill...) Or is that over kill?

Should I mention that this is a 11th level campaign right now, with a rogue/ranger that have near god like hiding powers? Even if you ignore the +5 (+10) hide item each carries, they have like +14 - +18 hide checks to begin with!

So at 5th level, is it reasonable to have a drow guard with alertness have spent his max of 4 in the skill, +4 for elf/alertness, for +8? I would think so.

If I take one level of ranger instead of fighter, or even split the levels evenly, we could be talking about an 8 rank skill, +4 for 12.

Seems reasonable for a 5th level drow guard. After all... spotting is his job.

 

[Vanye]

My question is this: how do you know their job is guard? That's their current duty, but that doesn't mean that they normally do this day in and day out. Perhaps it's punishment. Perhaps the "normal" guards are being rewarded for catching the last group of adventurers who tried to sneak in?

Just because someone is doing something (guarding) doesn't mean it's what they do all the time. Not to mention, Spot is less useful in the Underdark, where most encounters happen at fairly short distances

Now, that being said, there's no reason why you couldn't (or shouldn't) redesign them to your tastes...but would a ranger really be content on guard duty? A rogue is more useful as a spy and saboteur than as a guard. Maybe, instead of one of their normal feats, they have Skill Focus: Spot instead?

 

[Voadam]

Seems reasonable for a 5th level drow guard. After all... spotting is his job.

Not necessarily, a guard's job is to be seen and look tough and alert to deter intruders. Whether or not he actually is alert makes him a good guard to have if he fails to deter intruders.

 

[Wraithdrit]

I guess this is difference of opinion on job duties.

I for one would never hire big imposing guards who could not crouch well behind a barrier and watch an underdark passage ahead.

And I certainly wouldn't punish myself by putting someone who has been bad on guard duty. Maybe out in the outlying areas if I don't care about it him.

I guess what gets me most is that they wasted a feat on Alertness but did not bother to back it up with any skill.

The new darkness spell and the better definitions of the darkvision, make it so that there is a definate short range encounter distance in the underdark, but as a guard you best be alert to that short distance. After all the darkvision is still greater than the sneak attack distance.

 

[Cheiromancer]

And here I was expecting to read about drow with Blindsight or Tremorsense or something!

 

[jester47]

Funny, I thought guards were there for the heroes to sneak past and knock out. A guard is not supposed to spot folks, they are supposed to stop folks from crossing thresholds.

With the guards you describe, I would let them party with the heroes, and then, when the heroes try to get past them, say "Sorry, cant let you go there." Don't think SENTRY, think BOUNCER.

Makes sense to me, no?

However looking at the encounters in question, it seems to me that there is more than just the sentrys for the PCs to worry about. In fact thier friend should have lots of skill points in spot.

It seems to me that these guys hide and watch rather than just stand around and watch. If they hide better than the characters can spot, then the characters are likely to let down thier guard and walk right in. Even if the Drow did not see them at first, they would still have the advantage if they just sat there in the dark, hidden and waiting for the party to drop their guard and approach the door.

That is the tactic I would use.

Aaron.