Composition of an Elite City Guard Unit?

[Black Omega]

Another very effective tactic I've used is with the Sodagarami from OA. It's a sleeve tangler that doesn't work against targets in heavy armor. But against everyone else it's a melee touch graple check that doesn't provoke an AoO and gives a +4 on the grapple check. Because it has a 10' reach, the guy grappling can't be hit easily. I teamed this with other people using reach weapons and it was pretty effective.

 

[Cloudgatherer]

Disarm can be a surprisingly effective tactic, because after all, how many +2 Greatswords does your fighter carry?

You might be surprised... Once I tried some villains who used sunder to try to defeat the party. The party's fighter had so many weapons that he never ran out (broke around 7 or 8 weapons). He didn't make any of it up either, I know exactly where he got all of them each time he pulled out a new one...(they weren't all magical, most were just masterwork).

 

[sword-dancer]

You might be surprised... Once I tried some villains who used sunder to try to defeat the party. The party's fighter had so many weapons that he never ran out (broke around 7 or 8 weapons). He didn't make any of it up either, I know exactly where he got all of them each time he pulled out a new one...(they weren't all magical, most were just masterwork).

How could he carry so much weapons i don`t think y ou mean daggers.

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Hmmm...an elite City Guard Unit? Well, in many cities throughout the Vallorean Empire there are vast resources supporting a powerful and comprehensive Royal Security Service, which in turn is subordinate to the Imperial Magisterium. In cities throughout the Vallorean Empire, an elite RSS detachement might look like the following:

RSS Platoon:

(4)--Wizards, lvl 6-10, equipped with special rods that assist in information gathering, protection, and close-quarters urban combat.

(2) Wizard, lvl 8-12, equipped with sensory/information magic, defensive magic, and specialising in communications and travel magic. This Wizard maintains communications, uses large sensory magic, and summons reinforcements as needed. Enemy forces or criminals are usually not even aware of the Wizard's presence, let alone what he is doing.

(4) Clerics: Heavily focused on combat and healing. These Clerics wade into combat with the other team members, and position themselves to help fallen comrades swiftly. These Clerics are heavily armed, and highly protected. Fighter/Cleric; lvl 4/4-6/6

(2) Bard/Wizard lvl 4/4-8/8 who specialises in theories, criminology, psychology, counseling, and diplomacy.

(36) RSS Watchmen; Fighter/Rogue lvl 2/2-6/6; Typical watchmen, well armoured and well-armed. These men are ready and willing to rock & roll with any criminals, from murdering psychopaths, to rioting immigrant-miners.

(4) Expert(Criminologist)/Fighter/Rogue/Watch Detective. These men are hardened, professional detectives, usually of a variety of abilities, so the classes may vary. lvls are usually 6/6-8/8

(3) Platoon Commanders; Usually Fighter/Rogues, lvl 4/4-8/8. These are assault leaders, and instructors. They have formal training, as well as a number of years in the ranks.

(4) Experts (Civil Service) lvl 2-6

(1) Captain; Classes from standard; lvl 6/6-8/8

Total of 60 men.

There are four-six such platoons to a Company. There is a Company Headquarters that has in addition to the various platoons, the following additional resources:

(6) Experts (Armourers/Weaponsmiths) lvl 6-8

(15) Experts (Civil Service) lvl 6-10

(10) Watch Detectives, lvl 6/6-8/8. These men are assigned long-term cases, as well as more difficult investigations.

(16) Ranger/Rogue; lvl 2/2-8/8 These men are K-9 units, divided into four officers per platoon, with each officer having a highly trained and very intelligent Dire War Dog, that is especially trained in combat, are fearless, and ferocious in close-quarters combat. These dogs are also highly trained to track those who seek to escape the righteous hand of justice.

There are four-six Company Headquarters which report to a Regimental Office. The Regimental Office has double the additional resources that a single Company has, with the addition of two special units, as follows:

(30) Special Agents; usually half are Fighter/Rogue/Watch Detectives, lvls 12-20; and half are Ranger/Bard/Spymasters, usually lvls 12-20.

(30) composing two RUAU'S--(Regimental Urban Assault Units) of 15 men each. Each RUAU (Roo-ah) contains hardened professionals, often Fighter/Wizards, Ranger/Rogue/Shadow Dancers, as well as Ranger/Rogue/Assassins. Other classes may also be recruited. These men are the wrath of the city unleashed, and are well-equipped with virtually an arsenal of very powerful magic items, as well as mundane tools and equipment of the highest caliber. lvls are usually in the 14-20 range for each member. They are lavishly equipped with alchemical supplies, chemical agents, potions, scrolls, as well as telepathic magic items that allow constant communication. They are usually equipped with special magic that allows them swift travel to any part of a city within minutes, should they be called upon.

Each city also has a Royal Citadel, where there is a small army of Civil Service experts, Lawyers, as well as Scholars and Watch-Detectives that are assigned to maintaining sophisticated investigations, criminal files, court records, and a network of administrative links that make maintaining a fairly sophisticated society based on the rule of law possible, and reasonably efficient in the pursuit of justice.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Black Omega]

SHARK,

I liked the write up but I have to ask...what's a 20th level character doing on a RUAU? Are 20th level characters that mundane in your world? Just curious, in my own game 20th level characters will be leading armies.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I don't know, I think I would take a different angle on a Elite Guard making a prestige class(s), breaking it into divisions.

Elite Guard - Wizard
Elite Guard - Fighter
Elite Guard - Rogue

Each would follow the same general theme with much the same requirments but would have one or two changes to the template.

I do not see clerics as part of the group as they would be under church control. They could be assigned to a guard unit but would have their own skill sets.

 

[drnuncheon]

Elite guards in my current game are 2nd-3rd level fighters instead of 1st level warriors. This technique can work for two kinds of games: low powered (where they are still a threat) and high powered (where they're mooks anyway).

Mages are rare enough that there are very few willing to put in the long hours at lousy pay that the guards can afford. (In fact, there's one.) Clerics have better things to do with their time. (God of Justice? In Freeport? Hah.)

Of course, the first paragraph isn't completely true. In my game, the PCs are really the "elite guards", at Ftr2/Wiz5 and Ftr3/Rog4. In fact, that's not a bad idea even for people who aren't running a guard campaign. Consider this: a group of people with incredible power that you can't possibly match breezes into town an starts trouble. Sounds like comic-book supervillains, doesn't it? And how do you fight supervillains?

So if I were a city that expected this sort of problem, I would try to 'sponsor' a couple of good-aligned adventuring parties, asking them to handle this sort of thing while they were in town. And I'd make it as attractive as possible for them to remain in town...discounts, access to the Mage's guild, paying for their healing, etc. And if they were any good, they'd bring their own expensive magic items...

J

 

[sword-dancer]

SHARK

Nice SWAT Teams now i understand why your "monsters" must be so hard, when the watch is so hard.


----
Soldiers

Warrior 1 - 2 lev welltrined, getting through boot camp and mos.
Warrior 3-4 lev experienced, veteran, training and combat/war hardened soldier, most NCO have this lev, (but not necessary the highest lev commands), skill leadership intelligenc are most important
Warrior 5-7 elite troops, battle hardened picked veterans, the core of their armies, the companions, the defenders or deathguards or such fall under this.
This troops aren`t taken lightly, wherever they come.
They raise morale on the rest of their units, and the knowledge of their arrival maybe a threat to their enemies.

Warrior above lev 7 changes class to armsman.
-----

This is a copy from WoT troops.

but could be used for elite city watch, guards of the Lords etc

 

[Nail]

another option

Another option instead of an "elite" city guard is to rely on the guild structure of most cities. As many have mentioned, it's not clear cities would have the resources to hire and maintain high level guards. (Shark's world not-withstanding.) Guilds are groups of people based on profession, and --whad'ya know-- D&D-style adventurers fall into that category.

The advantage of using guilds to regulate "criminals run a-mok", is that a) they're generally interested in maintaining the status quo, and b) they've got the resources to deal with the problem, especially if it comes from within their membership.

Finally, I think this thread points to a central issue in D&D that's not often dealt with effectively in fantasy Campaigns -- unlike in RL, "Power" (magical or otherwise) is a definable, measurable, real property in D&D.

Logical conclusion: The rulers should/must be the highest level creatures around.

-Nail

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Role-Playing Personal Goals/Self-Perceptions as Opposed to Arbitrary Game Mechanics
____________________________________________________

What does this mean? Well, it means that characters, *in-game* aren't really aware of "what level they are". They are aware of relative power levels, but only in a general sense. For example,

Some 20th level Fighters are Generals in command of armies. They have the skills necessary; they have the history of military experience; they have the personal desire to be a General in command of armies.

Using this example, a different 20th level Fighter who isn't in the military, and has spent all of his time as a free-booting adventurer, with little personal interest in leading armies, won't be a General. Even if he woke up one day and decided he wanted to be a General, the point is, his experience, vast as it is, is colored differently than the General's. The military wouldn't put this yahoo in command of armies in his wildest dreams. Reason being, "levels" are not equal in absolute values. They are individualized, each and every time. They represent general skill energy, so to speak, as opposed to necessary titles and societal functions. Does all of that make sense?

If it does, then you can see how there can be 20th level characters who are elite warriors and snipers serving in the city's Watch, or possibly a rugged, hardened Detective who has been running the dark streets of the city for twenty years. Standing under an eave dripping from rain, with the evening mist rolling in, the veteran Detective lights his cigarette slowly, as he readies himself to go out into the night.

That veteran Detective is a criminal's, or psychotic adventurer's worst nightmare.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK