Training peasants to fight in a pinch

[Thanael]

I question whether their abilities have really improved, or whether they have gained some confidence to use those abilities, and some tactical training. Most of these scenarios seem to involve bandits whose strength comes from numbers, not skill.

This makes the scenario hard to replicate in many game systems, where the heroes (and thus the villains) are markedly more skilled. eg. a 10 - 12th level Pathfinder party will walk all over even 100 or more bandits who are mainly 1st level, maybe only in NPC classes, so the bandits become much higher level, and the villagers need to gain far greater enhancements to be able to assist the PC's in any way.

If the bandits are, say, lead by a 12th level bandit, with a few 10th level lieutenants, and the rank and file bandits are only L1, the PC's cut through the rank & file with no effort, so why do they need the villagers? If the rank & file are, say, 6th - 8th level (so they pose at least some threat to 10th level PC's), then we need to bump those villagers from L1 - L2 commoners to what. 5th level warriors, to be able to defend themselves? If it's that quick and easy to rise through the ranks, why did the PC's take so long to earn 2nd level?

Well not to sound like a broken record, but L1 bandits should be adolescents or green recruits. Same for the farmers. Up the level range to 2-5 and the 10th level PCs are not standing out that far. Put in a few multiclassed oddities for flavour: com1/brb1 village drunk/rowdy, com3/Rgr3 old hunter recluse, com2/war2 with str16 town smith, com2/adept2 wise women etc.

 

[Tayne]

That stuff about leveling up npc classes is gold. Definitely bookmarking that.

 

[cattoy]

You probably don't have enough time to impart enough knowledge and training to convert an untrained peasantry into low level warriors.

You might have enough time to convert their village into a fortified position.

I would spend my man-hours on the latter. If you're dealing with a less than awesome fighting force, then any bonuses you can scrounge from cover and concealment or high ground are going to make all the difference.

Give them missile weapons and thrown weapons. Set up some logs and stuff to use if there are breaches opened in any walls. Dig trenches, set up traps and obstacles. If you have barbed wire, string it. Coat wooden walls with mud or plaster to make it less easy to set ablaze. Organize stretcher bearers and healers. The locals will know every corner of the terrain. Ask them for advice about hidden trails, secret caves or anything of strategic or tactical value.

 

[gamerprinter]

Spears are cheap, easy to produce and require relatively little training. As long as the peasants stay in line and keep the pointy end toward the enemy they can be martially effective. And as mentioned with a bard and/or a cavalier at hand, bonuses can be applied to the peasants to have them better stand against a better force.

 

[Tayne]

You probably don't have enough time to impart enough knowledge and training to convert an untrained peasantry into low level warriors.

You might have enough time to convert their village into a fortified position.

I would spend my man-hours on the latter. If you're dealing with a less than awesome fighting force, then any bonuses you can scrounge from cover and concealment or high ground are going to make all the difference.

Give them missile weapons and thrown weapons. Set up some logs and stuff to use if there are breaches opened in any walls. Dig trenches, set up traps and obstacles. If you have barbed wire, string it. Coat wooden walls with mud or plaster to make it less easy to set ablaze. Organize stretcher bearers and healers. The locals will know every corner of the terrain. Ask them for advice about hidden trails, secret caves or anything of strategic or tactical value.

A friend of mine told me something similar today.

He told me "you probably couldn't teach them how to take hits and be weapons experts, but in a pinch you could teach them basic tactics and how to move as a unit, if you're lucky."

I think this makes sense. Thinking of it in terms of class levels and hit points and attack bonuses is too simple. Stuff like fortifications, tactics, logistics and morale are much more do-able in a pinch.

 

[Thanael]

That stuff about leveling up npc classes is gold. Definitely bookmarking that.

Indeed. Most of the links go back to awesome ENworld threads of ye olden times. But I chose to gather them on the FoS boards. (The rest of the thread on FoS has lots of interesting NPC sources too, and not all of them are Ravenloft specific, so check them out too)

 

[Thanael]

Why 2 threads?

General: http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/314331-training-peasants-fight.html
Pathfinder: Training peasants to fight in a pinch

Please merge!

 

[N'raac]

Spears are cheap, easy to produce and require relatively little training. As long as the peasants stay in line and keep the pointy end toward the enemy they can be martially effective. And as mentioned with a bard and/or a cavalier at hand, bonuses can be applied to the peasants to have them better stand against a better force.

Are we discussing reality or the game?

In game, the spear is a Simple weapon, so the peasants get to be proficient with them. If the peasants line up with the pointy end toward a mid to high level fighter with an AC of, say, 20, how effective will the peasants be?

In reality, we don't have character levels, and that line of peasants will be pretty effective. In the fantasy game, we do have levels, and that line of peasants is in pretty serious jeopardy. Even with a Bard adding +1 to their rolls.

 

[gamerprinter]

Are we discussing reality or the game?

In game, the spear is a Simple weapon, so the peasants get to be proficient with them. If the peasants line up with the pointy end toward a mid to high level fighter with an AC of, say, 20, how effective will the peasants be?

In reality, we don't have character levels, and that line of peasants will be pretty effective. In the fantasy game, we do have levels, and that line of peasants is in pretty serious jeopardy. Even with a Bard adding +1 to their rolls.

It depends on who they are fighting of course. Normally I wouldn't think training peasants for defense is ever a good idea in a D&D game, but since the question was asked by the OP, the assumption is that the threat isn't so terrible that a line of peasants told to hold the line wouldn't even be an option. Since I'm not the GM in question, I have no idea what possible threat would allow a line of zero level characters to be effective. But there it is - and we don't know what that is, since the OP doesn't say.

If the peasants are fighting a serious monster then, no way can they be adequete defenses. But orcs say, or goblins maybe. Perhaps the line of peasants with spears is just a deterence to guide the battle towards the PCs ambush. We don't really know, as the OP doesn't tell us.

 

[Tayne]

to clarify - these are wretched peasants, but the bandits are also quite wretched. They are more like starving wolves than hardened career criminals.