How To Lurk
- Thread starter Nifft
- Start date
Lurkers are really great peeping toms.
Er... ah, yeah. Lurkers are actually my favorite monsters, but the most under-represented role.
I feel that Lurkers should evoke one of two responses. "Help! It's on me!" or "Ow! Why you little - come back here!"
One trick to really zazz up their presence is to hold onto them. Many lurkers have powers that let them stay undetected, either via invisibility or stealth. So wait for the most opportune moment to bring them out in the combat: usually in the middle, against someone who was just bloodied, or a controller.
If want to use them out of the gate, or give an idea that they are there, let them attack once, and then go into hiding. Letting the PCs know something isn't right. For instance, several lurkers have the "If you miss with a ranged attack, you stay hidden" power. So I would actually narrate in the opening round or so, "A crossbow/dagger/heat seeking bolt of magic whizzes by your nose from x direction, but you don't see the source". This way the PCs know something's up, but they 1) can't see it and 2) can't get to it.
Your lurkers can play protector. Have one hiding by an artillery or ranged controller. Someone is eventually going to come after that artillery or controller; and when they engage it in melee, the lurker pops up behind them, uses its readied action to hit them, then run. This is especially true if the PCs have some sort of objective beyond "kill all enemies"; the lurker is protecting the lever to be pulled, an obviously displayed item, etc.
Additionally, when they pop up, it could involve some sudden reveal. Maybe they were lurking in a trap door/secret passage, and now that trapdoor is open, either to push an enemy into, or to explore later. Maybe they release a trap as they enter - dropping a portcullis that divides the players, for instance.
Finally, for some lurkers that grab and do bad things, consider using snatch and drag methods. The bugbear strangler doesn't just stand out in the open with his strangled victim; when he sustains the grab, he drags them around a corner or into a trap door. This will up the ante for PCs to address the issue.
Er... ah, yeah. Lurkers are actually my favorite monsters, but the most under-represented role.
I feel that Lurkers should evoke one of two responses. "Help! It's on me!" or "Ow! Why you little - come back here!"
One trick to really zazz up their presence is to hold onto them. Many lurkers have powers that let them stay undetected, either via invisibility or stealth. So wait for the most opportune moment to bring them out in the combat: usually in the middle, against someone who was just bloodied, or a controller.
If want to use them out of the gate, or give an idea that they are there, let them attack once, and then go into hiding. Letting the PCs know something isn't right. For instance, several lurkers have the "If you miss with a ranged attack, you stay hidden" power. So I would actually narrate in the opening round or so, "A crossbow/dagger/heat seeking bolt of magic whizzes by your nose from x direction, but you don't see the source". This way the PCs know something's up, but they 1) can't see it and 2) can't get to it.
Your lurkers can play protector. Have one hiding by an artillery or ranged controller. Someone is eventually going to come after that artillery or controller; and when they engage it in melee, the lurker pops up behind them, uses its readied action to hit them, then run. This is especially true if the PCs have some sort of objective beyond "kill all enemies"; the lurker is protecting the lever to be pulled, an obviously displayed item, etc.
Additionally, when they pop up, it could involve some sudden reveal. Maybe they were lurking in a trap door/secret passage, and now that trapdoor is open, either to push an enemy into, or to explore later. Maybe they release a trap as they enter - dropping a portcullis that divides the players, for instance.
Finally, for some lurkers that grab and do bad things, consider using snatch and drag methods. The bugbear strangler doesn't just stand out in the open with his strangled victim; when he sustains the grab, he drags them around a corner or into a trap door. This will up the ante for PCs to address the issue.
the Jester
Legend
Yeah, lurkers seem to be the trickiest role to get to work as part of a big battle. Rechan's got some good advice here; I'll just add, make sure your lurkers have a way to re-lurk after showing themselves! Invisibility, darkness, a good stealth skill with nearby cover- give them something so they can vanish and then return.
Ahrimon
Bourbon and Dice
I had fun using some goblin archer lurkers. The characters were engaged in combat in one room. The goblins, at the other end of a hallway would spend their rounds stepping out of sight, hiding, stepping into the hallway and shooting for sneak attack damage. I had 3 or so rotating back and forth accross the hallway that way. They could only fire every other round, but man did the players hate them.
They stayed effective even after the other goblins were dead. The characters were so intimidated by them that they grabbed a table and used it as a makeshift tower sheild to slowly move down the hallway. So I still got several shots in before the goblins got skeward.
They stayed effective even after the other goblins were dead. The characters were so intimidated by them that they grabbed a table and used it as a makeshift tower sheild to slowly move down the hallway. So I still got several shots in before the goblins got skeward.
yeah, lurkers are difficult to work with because they are very tactically oriented depending on the environment, that isn't something that can be easily 'written out' ahead of time since the environment changes per encounter.
they can be darned scarey, scarier than other monster roles though because they have a habit of isolating their targets.
while skirmishers use their movement to dance through (enter/leave) the battle field combatants - striking as the move about, lurkers use thier movement to enter/leave the environment features (shadows, cover, concealment, rooftops, etc) - emerging, striking, then slinking back.
For a lurker it would be something like - round 1: move out, attack. round 2: attack again if missed before, else move back to cover... repeat (with whatever variation for the specific powers of the creature like if it has holds to maintain while it's protected by the cover and such).
they can be darned scarey, scarier than other monster roles though because they have a habit of isolating their targets.
while skirmishers use their movement to dance through (enter/leave) the battle field combatants - striking as the move about, lurkers use thier movement to enter/leave the environment features (shadows, cover, concealment, rooftops, etc) - emerging, striking, then slinking back.
For a lurker it would be something like - round 1: move out, attack. round 2: attack again if missed before, else move back to cover... repeat (with whatever variation for the specific powers of the creature like if it has holds to maintain while it's protected by the cover and such).
I'll note that lurkers also are the most likely monster to escape a fight and return later. Because they can stealth (invisibility, etc), so when they get wounded, they should high tail it out of there. Even if the next battle doesn't involve them (with an unintelligent monster, for instance), have them pop in. Or, they could sneak around behind the players, releasing traps or tricking them in various ways.
If your lurker can drag someone, give them a special place to fall-back to. A ledge above the PCs, a cramped hole, a passage rigged with a portcullis.
Another fun fight might be say, a room filled with cover, or obscuring terrain. Have a few lurkers sprinkled through the room that look identical, so when one runs away in one direction, have the PCs pursue - and then he attacks from behind! A nice running fight/hide and seek can definitely be interesting. (Someone on the forums use a cornfield that was on fire, leading to lots of obscuring terrain and only being able to see down one row at a time).
If your lurker can drag someone, give them a special place to fall-back to. A ledge above the PCs, a cramped hole, a passage rigged with a portcullis.
Another fun fight might be say, a room filled with cover, or obscuring terrain. Have a few lurkers sprinkled through the room that look identical, so when one runs away in one direction, have the PCs pursue - and then he attacks from behind! A nice running fight/hide and seek can definitely be interesting. (Someone on the forums use a cornfield that was on fire, leading to lots of obscuring terrain and only being able to see down one row at a time).
Inigo Carmine
First Post
I haven't used lurkers as much as I'd like to either, but they are great for challenging the party and forcing them to make choices.
The first round or two of most battles is chaotic, but after that, things usually settle into place; the defender is out in front pinning down the biggest badguy, the secondary tier melee (battle cleric, warlord, etc) are engaging enemies near the front line and keeping them from the squishier PCs.
Lurkers are great because they can turn this dynamic on its head when they pop out of the shadows and believably (instead of DM Deus ex Machina) engage your party from the rear or where they weren't expected. It then gives the frontline PCs a choice, do they finish cleaning up the close-to-dead enemies in front and hope the squishies can hold their own for a few rounds, or do they go and rescue the squishies, but collapse the front line and give those enemies a tactical advantage as chaos ensues again.
I love it. They're an easy way to keep battles interesting and avoid becoming just a toe-to-toe slug-fest.
The first round or two of most battles is chaotic, but after that, things usually settle into place; the defender is out in front pinning down the biggest badguy, the secondary tier melee (battle cleric, warlord, etc) are engaging enemies near the front line and keeping them from the squishier PCs.
Lurkers are great because they can turn this dynamic on its head when they pop out of the shadows and believably (instead of DM Deus ex Machina) engage your party from the rear or where they weren't expected. It then gives the frontline PCs a choice, do they finish cleaning up the close-to-dead enemies in front and hope the squishies can hold their own for a few rounds, or do they go and rescue the squishies, but collapse the front line and give those enemies a tactical advantage as chaos ensues again.
I love it. They're an easy way to keep battles interesting and avoid becoming just a toe-to-toe slug-fest.
keterys
First Post
I've used goblin sharpshooters and specters as lurkers successfully. I used the lurking powers of a black dragon to let it flee more easily... but in general I don't use lurkers much. Partially because there aren't that many, partially because many are really just another type of creature.
Like, I've used a Green Slime but let's be honest... it's not a Lurker. It's not going to sneak away or dart out and wait for something to recharge before striking again. It's a Brute that you stumble into
Like, I've used a Green Slime but let's be honest... it's not a Lurker. It's not going to sneak away or dart out and wait for something to recharge before striking again. It's a Brute that you stumble into
A couple of suggestions:
1) Use readied actions on movement with lurkers. Party members often like to move on teh outside of a fight to avoid OAs and then move back in. Lurkers can interrupt them and suddenly pull them to the side of a fight.
2) Use two at once. One lurker pops up and your crap. Two lurkers appear right next to someone and suddenly its a HOLY **** moment!
1) Use readied actions on movement with lurkers. Party members often like to move on teh outside of a fight to avoid OAs and then move back in. Lurkers can interrupt them and suddenly pull them to the side of a fight.
2) Use two at once. One lurker pops up and your crap. Two lurkers appear right next to someone and suddenly its a HOLY **** moment!
