How to make 'being surrounded by enemy crossbowmen' deadlier?

[Nonlethal Force]

Do you allow psionics in your games? If so, have you ever looked at Dreamscarred Press' work? They have a marksman class that adds some nice stuff to characters with a ranged focus. Grranted ... if the crossbowmen are all low level there is nothing that you can do to make the players concerned. But if the crossbowmen are 6th-7th level then the marksman class might be an interesting look. while you're at it, take a look at the Lightning Strike Virtuoso PrC class that they offer as well.

[Relevant products are Untapped Potential {excellent} and Lightning Strike Virtuoso {Good, but short - worth their asking price, though!} You can get them from various online pdf sellers, RPGNow (and ENWorld's "attached" store) is the first one that comes to my mind.]

 

[Dross]

One thing that I haven't seen (admittedly maybe it is not importatnt) is the roleplaying aspect to stop the PCs attacking.

Are the crossbowmen officials acting lawfully? Then PC paly's, LG or LN types shouldn't really want to kill them.

PC's that are all about diplomacy should try talking their way out (but it does mean that the PC's might have been acting appropriately).

The NPcs should have run and spread rumours about these mad PCs.

 

[Shin Okada]

Assuming those crossbowmen are L1 warriors (CR 1/2), that is an EL6 encounter. MEANT NOT to be a problem for 10th-level PCs. Period.

But there are things to be pointed out.

1: Surprised?
I cannot imagine how a bunch of 1st level warriors (possibly wearing some sort of armor and have not much hide skill ranks) could catch a 10th-level PC in surprise. So no PCs had at least descent spot? If you do not allow those checks and just let PCs "Surrounded in surprise attack", I say that is not fair. PCs should given chance to avoid such situation.

2: What is your true intention?
Do you want to let PCs feel in a dangerous situation? Or do you just want to actually make that encounter DEADLY?

If the former, you took a wrong way. If 12 soldiers look like ordinary town soldiers, 10th-level PCs would conclude that they are not a real threat against them. That is natural. If you want to let PCs feel uneasy. Use actually threatening opponents instead. Like, 12 archers wearing the Kingdom's Royal Guard emblem, 12 Giants with massive rocks in their hands, etc.

If the latter, it is simple. Those crossbowmen are not in their true forms. 12 Rakshasas in disguise could be a truly deadly opponents (maybe overkill).

 

[KrazyHades]

One of the issues is that I want them to at least roleplay it as being deadly. I'm considering having there be some serious consequences coming down on the PCs (who are all CG or CN...that goddman excuse for CE and we know it ). They have been tramping all over anybody that gets in there way, and even the CGs have been acting rather CN. If somebody insults them, they attack (usually w/ subdual damage) and the like, because they know they are far above the common folk. The CG people will lose that "Good" in their alignments for "neutral" and the "neutrals" might become "evil". The cleric lost his cleric powers for a while, but he hasn't reformed more than he feels is the absolute minimum necessary.

I think the cleric's god might entirely disown him, and the church will go after him (its a NG god for a CG cleric). Perhaps a few paladins are sent to take down this traitor to their divine lord. I've rolled up a level 14 paladin who is going to subdually own on the party and turn them in to the church authorities. As punishment, assuming the paladin captures some of them, the church will confiscate all magic items until the party agrees to do some quest for the church.

*grin*

 

[Shin Okada]

One of the issues is that I want them to at least roleplay it as being deadly.

Then, that is your fault that using soldiers (or any creatures) who do not look like a serious threat to them. If you want PCs stop bashing everyone they don't like, use some people or creatures ACTUALLY serious challenge or threat to them. Why not?

Regarding alignment and appropriate behavier issue, that is completely another thing.

At least, if using subdual damage when provoked by non-evil people, I say that is rather OK for CG alignment.

 

[Thurbane]

Conan must be a pretty high level barbarian (lots of HP). When the king's men burst in on him at the tavern with loaded crossbows pointed at him, he takes them seriously. He doesn't sit there, do the mental math, and say "No way you mooks can do me any serious damage before I kill you all! Now sod off and leave me to my ale.".

Unfortunately realism often has to take a backseat to RAW in the worlds of D&D...

 

[The Lemon Merchant]

Over 20 posts, and no-one has mentioned e6 yet?

Shocked, -- N

It figures that as soon as my Support Account expires I'd need to run a search on something. So until I can get reactivated, is there a consolidated source of e6 threads? I've glanced at them passingly, but now my curiousity is nagging me.

 

[Nifft]

From the 2nd page of General: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=206323

Cheers, -- N

 

[Victim]

Let's replace the adventurers with monsters. If it were 12 crossbowmen surrounding 4 Ogres, I don't see their position as especially advantageous. Surrounding 4 Hill Giants? I don't view power as being strictly tied to race: if that kind of 'ambush' wouldn't work against monsters (without any kind of extra special attacks or defenses), then why would it work against people who are far more powerful than those creatures?

 

[Switchblade]

Conan must be a pretty high level barbarian (lots of HP). When the king's men burst in on him at the tavern with loaded crossbows pointed at him, he takes them seriously. He doesn't sit there, do the mental math, and say "No way you mooks can do me any serious damage before I kill you all! Now sod off and leave me to my ale.".

Unfortunately realism often has to take a backseat to RAW in the worlds of D&D...

Yeah, and in one book (pirate queen I think) he gets laid out by a single sling shot to the noggin.

If you want realism and gritty combat DnD is so not the system for it. Second the change system call.

However, to make the situation more deadly without increasing the skill of the ambushers I'd rip of the dueling rules from Privateer Press No Quarter mag. It is designed to make one shot pistol duels dangerous rather than *bang* - take 2d6 damage, *bang* take it back - both stop to reload for a minute *bang* etc. They'd most likely run out of powder before hp.

Basically I think it comes down as someone is bravely/stupidly facing down and are initially flat footed the other one the first shot of the duel is a "deadly shot". They must make a DC 10+damage taken save or drop to -1 hp. I think. I can't remember to well as our "duelist" never got into duels for some reason. :\

Use something similar for the first shot by each bandit that had aimed on a flat footed NPC. They *should* make their saves and don't auto die if they don't but just the posibility will make this situation very frought with peril. Next time they should be more cautious.