So, there's a book you should read called "The Monsters Know What They're Doing" by Keith Ammann that does something very similar to these videos, but for every monster in the Monster Manual. It breaks down behavior patterns of the monsters, along with explaining how each enemy works in a mechanical sense so you can craft your own encounters.
@IcyPhilosopher
3 жыл бұрын
Can also find his blog online
@illogicalparadox
3 жыл бұрын
I have this book! I haven't read much of it so far, but I really want to. Does anyone know if Ammann plans to do a sequel for the creatures included in the expansions?
@RedBandito
3 жыл бұрын
@@illogicalparadox yep, it comes out this fall. As seen on his blog
@illogicalparadox
3 жыл бұрын
@@RedBandito Awesome.
@lionman8295
Жыл бұрын
Love that book!
@gliscaradu1424
3 жыл бұрын
Maaan, great vid, everyone forgets most people ain't suicidal
@tinybluewhale5919
3 жыл бұрын
Nah, the thugs at my high school aren’t suicidal, they just really like to oversell how many hit points they have
@powerist209
3 жыл бұрын
Yeah, this is why I have my “morale” meter. Like when a group lost half of their group or leader, they will make a Wisdom check to see if they retreat or not.
@Jackb290
3 жыл бұрын
But cultists are *Evil laugh*
@skylerhuihui341
3 жыл бұрын
My players are always looking for a fight to the death. In my Tomb of Annihilation campaign, they will NEVER let the dinosaurs get away once they start running. And it’s not like they want to harvest them, because they just leave the carcasses.
@an8strengthkobold360
3 жыл бұрын
The thing is bandits usually don't get the chance to run. They tend to die before they reach their second turn.
@Alex-by9kt
3 жыл бұрын
You should make one of those for town guards. Would be great to put murderhobos at bay with an actual competent police force
@braden459
3 жыл бұрын
^ love this idea
@theelltrain8985
3 жыл бұрын
^ I agree with this statement
@anthonynorman7545
3 жыл бұрын
+
@jargoneo1092
3 жыл бұрын
^
@maxumusjesus
3 жыл бұрын
The initial patrol would use as many movement limiting items are possible to keep the murderhobos at bay while another guard warns the rest of the force. If the players get stuck in combat for long enough for the rest of the force to arrive, then the guards will close off the party's routes and start a siege. If the players aren't in a fully enclosed area, heavy crossbow teams will be sent to try and shoot unsuspecting players; if the players have hostages, then a hostage negotiator will attempt to negotiate; and if the players are in a fully enclosed area without hostages, the players will gain cool history facts about ancient and medieval chemical weapons as the party chokes under a dense cloud of sulfur dioxide. If the party still persists during the siege, SWAT (in this case, another high level adventuring party) will arrive on scene to take down the party.
@hamsterdoom360
3 жыл бұрын
At my campaign's session zero, I explained to my players that I will occasionally throw encounters their way where the best solution is to simply avoid the danger (discretion is the better part of valor kind of thing). But my party, despite having a mix of classes, may as well all be barbarians the way they constantly, full-force throw themselves at every encounter. My party of 4 players has rolled 8 new characters since we've started; only one player hasn't had to roll a new character at all. It's a nightmare for me, but the players are having fun so I guess it's fine.
@darienb1127
3 жыл бұрын
Another fun thing you can add to this situation: what if the bandits were able to steal a spell scroll or two from a previous low-level wizard? I'd probably give one of them Tiny Hut as a way for some of them to hide away if anything goes bad, and maybe a powerful AOE or crowd control spell like Hypnotic Pattern or Sleet Storm. one other thing you can give them is Smoke Bombs! heavily obscures an area for a minute and blinds anyone who fails a DC 13/14 Con save.
@JediKalElStarkiller
3 жыл бұрын
Great tips.
@_stonhinge
3 жыл бұрын
Rope Trick - either the spell itself or a custom magic item would be another way to hide until it's safe. If they're already in the trees, it's entirely possible that no one notices them using very short ropes into portals (Rope Trick says "a rope *up to* 60 ft, so a 1ft rope would let you jump in and pull the rope in after you fairly quickly) and unlikely that a party would hang around for an hour after the bandits vanish. I'm now imagining a bunch of expelled students from a wizarding academy turning to banditry. They're only level 3, and have no spells known that cause damage - because the academy knows better than to give young students access to spells that cause damage. Or perhaps the teaching of such things is forbidden by law, but utility is fair game. Dancing Lights + Minor Illusion would be a good way to make a party think they're surrounded, and Grease would be a way for them to slow down victims who might have turned out to be a bit more than they could take. Spider Climb to get around the trees faster and Message to communicate with each other.
@masterfreeman117
3 жыл бұрын
Tiny hut and Hypnotic Pattern are not at all low level and it would require them being spellcasters with the spell on their spell list and making successful arcana checks in order to cast them. If they fail the check the spell fails and the scroll is consumed.
@darienb1127
3 жыл бұрын
@@masterfreeman117 I've always had it in my games that if you have a scroll, you can use it regardless. I honestly hate the RAW spell rules and kind of forgot that they worked like that.
@Aplesedjr
3 жыл бұрын
Tiny hut seems like a bad idea if there is someone with dispel magic in the party. The bandits think they got away, see the party approach and poke at the dome for a few second, before one of them waves their hands around and they all descend upon the completely defenseless bandits.
@Zedrinbot
3 жыл бұрын
Bandits employ the most deadly weapon of all: PSYCHOLOGY
@tdragonz2405
3 жыл бұрын
Hello super buff cat man!
@Ed-1749
3 жыл бұрын
These bandits all were college students who got psychology degrees and couldn't get any money from it, so they turned to ambush crime.
@Zedrinbot
3 жыл бұрын
@@Ed-1749 The real BBEG is the student loan system
@l.l1969
3 жыл бұрын
@@Zedrinbot Campaign idea, you're a bunch of academia graduates who need to pay your student loans at all costs. You also funnily enough meet those who suffer the similar fate and either stay on the path of good or stray off to the temptation of evil to just pay the interest. Three guesses on the bbeg's identity.
@morganbarnham5427
3 жыл бұрын
@@l.l1969 Salacia Mayhwen, the EVIL FINANCIER! (Well, the *more* evil financier, they mostly are LE, I'd say, with a couple surprisingly CG.)
@grundierungtaglich6241
3 жыл бұрын
Ah yes, my favorite highwayman, *P E A C H*
@Freekymoho
3 жыл бұрын
She's been having a hard time since the revolution
@alericantonelli4656
3 жыл бұрын
@@Freekymoho kinda her fault that Mario said "screw the bitch, I'll run the kingdom myself" what with the "kidnappings" by Bowser that often destroyed large swaths of her kingdom.
@drewcifur3443
3 жыл бұрын
*Sees anti personnel ODM gear* Bandit leader: Write that down! Write that down!
@antoninperron1307
3 жыл бұрын
"Stinky toe Joe" I take this name in note for my campaign
@jacktough
3 жыл бұрын
I think I'll go with "Gangrene Gene", but undoubtedly quality stuff 👍
@TheTwiton
3 жыл бұрын
Bandits, Footpads, Marauders, Brigands and Highwaymen always feel like enemies I always appreciate having effort put into their implementation.
@myselfawesomedude1053
3 жыл бұрын
"Not a lot of spells can reach them" *laughs in fireball*
@duskgaming18
3 жыл бұрын
*Laughs in Ice Knife and Moonbeam*
@PlushLordOfTheSeas
3 жыл бұрын
laughs in bandit gunpowder bomb just being calculated as a fireball spell times however many bandits there are
@Aplesedjr
3 жыл бұрын
@@PlushLordOfTheSeas if explosives technology has reached the point where it can easily replicate fireball, it’s basically modern day technology. Fireball is pretty big and really strong. Some small gunpowder bombs shouldn’t come close to its power.
@Msoulwing
3 жыл бұрын
@@PlushLordOfTheSeas So what you're saying is that every bandit I fireball has the potential to start a chain reaction. *steeples hands*
@hugofontes5708
3 жыл бұрын
@@Msoulwing and that's why we can't have nice forests
@sentineloforder
3 жыл бұрын
Awesome Idea for an ambush on the road! Definitely will use this but for my party, It will need a little bit of tweaking since it's 3 level 9's and a level 7 druid npc.
@masterfreeman117
3 жыл бұрын
Wait a minute, these "comically simple gunpowder bombs" actually cost 150 GP per bomb according to the DMG. If the bandits can afford several of them, then why in the name of Ao are they even bandits?
@VimyGlide
3 жыл бұрын
and if the answer is "they stole them", well why the hell are they still highwaymen and not bank robbers if they can manage to steal them?
@mkmasterthreesixfive
2 жыл бұрын
@@VimyGlide some merchant caravans are massive cowards. The reason why piracy on ye high sea's ended up going with massive red flags on their ship for pure intimidation factor was because well armed merchant ships had 2 choices. 1: Fight back, anger the pirates, and fucking die to death if they failed with prejudice from the angry pirates, or 2: Give up, shake hands, talk the weather, sell the captain for gold, and go back to port. The same can be had for road travel. Sorry boss, we got robbed, they outnumbered us, we lost 2000 gold and the caravan.
@turkeygod6665
2 жыл бұрын
@@VimyGlide you act as if both are exclusive
@VimyGlide
2 жыл бұрын
@@turkeygod6665 i mean, have you ever heard of a bank robber that was also a highwayman?
@turkeygod6665
2 жыл бұрын
@@VimyGlide yeah thats my dad
@andyzhao5282
2 жыл бұрын
3:33 The VERY FIRST THING my party did when they saw her in the distance was check her wound, look for a blood trail and try to heal her. One of their first questions was that if the blood on her dress was actually hers.
@nogitsune4452
3 жыл бұрын
This makes me wonder if anybody played a D&D character who was once a bandit leader and knows a bit too much about staging an ambush. What do you think, mastermind rogue/battlemaster fighter?
@jamethlawthon5602
3 жыл бұрын
I haven't played dnd since 2004 and still watch all of his videos.
@yamahadrag69
3 жыл бұрын
With each of these videos, Runesmith creates the deadliest opponents most dnd parties will ever face: *People with two brain cells to rub together* XD
@NoForksGiven
3 жыл бұрын
Ah yes, bandits. You love to hunt down their bounty at low level until you get high enough level to realise they are just a mild nuisance at best and hunting them down just feels like repetitive monotonous work. The very thing I'm adventuring to get away from. I always tell the townfolk that dealing with bandits is for the guards, I've got a dragon to go kill
@turkeygod6665
2 жыл бұрын
tfw the bandits storm down and pillage and burn the entire village.
@vaaccuummcleaner9214
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for continuing this series. Do ooblexs next
@jasonrustmann9876
3 жыл бұрын
Using proper tactics can easily double the threat of an encounter, turning a handful of cr 1/2 creatures into a deadly encounter for at least one of the party
@liamsilva91
4 ай бұрын
I actually used a similar tactic in my game, group of trained mercenaries used the trees and a whistle from their leader to coordinate. My party had just fought fought a dragon and nearly got their asses handed to them by regular mfs
@samuelrodriguez9801
3 жыл бұрын
Logan showed a depiction of Greek Fire aka Bronze Age Napalm to represent Alchemist's Fire LOL!
@TheNathvar
2 жыл бұрын
I've never heard of a Sandbox tree fruit before, and neither had my DM. I sent him the video, and he immediately added them to our campaign! Thanks Runesmith!
@yoshilovesyoshi
3 жыл бұрын
I really appreciate the, "you are surrounded, please give me just your coins, we don't want any trouble." I think that's something that *real* humans would do and it's also a real decision for the party to make, "is this worth the gold? or can we just take these guys? do we need to get somewhere fast? are we going to be fighting by the end of this journey and is it more prudent to save our strength at the cost of a small lump sum of gold?" Chances are most groups will just fight this and take *catastrophic* losses. Then the next time, and pretty much every encounter after that, I'm sure they'll be more thoughtful. Very great tactic, I like this very much.
@madmachanicest9955
3 жыл бұрын
this is why the rouge with a plan is the most dangerous person is the party. it's also why most of my bad guys fit drity and go for the rouge frist.
@aaronwhodrums5438
3 жыл бұрын
Again... The runescape Easter eggs are what keep bringing me back
@PowerYoutuberViewer
3 жыл бұрын
Wow I was literally planning a highway bandit encounter for tomorrow! Great timing.
@kylestanley7843
3 жыл бұрын
How'd it go?
@PowerYoutuberViewer
3 жыл бұрын
@@kylestanley7843 The party decided to smoke nutmeg they stole from a baker and flirt with the guildmaster who was letting them sleep in their guestroom. They never made it out of the city...
@kylestanley7843
3 жыл бұрын
@@PowerKZitemrViewer 10/10 DM experience
@pwbi3988
3 жыл бұрын
both bombs and dynamite are items in the core rules, and MAN can they get crazy quick lmao
@GrimgoreIronhide
3 жыл бұрын
Honestly the vast majority of bandits are not going to make an attempt against an armed band in the first place and once your characters start wearing metal armor 99% if all brigands are going to see your group coming and just go "ehhh, I'd rather not."
@streetvybzswag1.067
3 жыл бұрын
Please dont ever quit your just too funny too not be a content creator the closest I ever got too playing dnd was monopoly but you're videos are so much fun that I got super in too it and you always nail your jokes making learning more about it so much more enjoyable
@m.e.7209
3 жыл бұрын
I would like to see a Book of Battletactics in your next Kickstarter ^^
@twilightgardenspresentatio6384
3 жыл бұрын
Piece by piece we will get it all done. I am so proud of the successes you’ve made.
@heartlessnobody1143
3 жыл бұрын
I really love these tactics vídeos, it gives me a Idea of How to make some people fight
@Dile0303
3 жыл бұрын
"70 - 80 ft is the safest diatance for a bandit to be" Warlock: hey, do you have time to talk about our lord and saviour ELDRITCH BLAST!?
@Flummiification
3 жыл бұрын
Really good advice and a chill video
@ayoutubewatcher2849
3 жыл бұрын
I always love these types of videos! Super helpful!
@scene6289
3 жыл бұрын
Maan why do i feel like he's gonna go hard and start spitting bars when he starts rhyming his words
@Nicogarcia11235
3 жыл бұрын
this is an amazing encounter but my players would probably rob the damsel and leave.
@spencervance8484
3 жыл бұрын
Aouldnt the bandits attack the players while they re robbing the damsel?
@wateryposedion5235
3 жыл бұрын
love these combat stratgey videos
@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606
3 жыл бұрын
2:48 I know at least two ways to make a vast explosion; one for a quick bit of char damage and a quite the intimidating fireball, and one for more serious burning, from stuff I have in my house, not to mention an impromptu flamethrower; and... 6 ways at least to start a fire, so yeah. I guess I could be an artificer who knows flaming hands, Fireball, and can make alchemist's fire of various types, because artificers are just normal people, not spellcasters.
@ostravaofboletaria1027
3 жыл бұрын
I missed this series!
@wadestevenson5984
3 жыл бұрын
Highwayman dismase is a cool guy
@0_Body
3 жыл бұрын
they're in the trees!
@AwesomeCornSauce
3 жыл бұрын
IS THAT A FUCKING A TIME BANDITS REFERENCE?!?!?!?!
@Seth9809
3 жыл бұрын
I feel like watching those two videos on pirates, would explain how pirates behave. It's all about branding and economics.
@tyler1673
3 жыл бұрын
How would this translate to a system that only allows you to make 1 ranged attack for every 3-6 melee actions you think? Specifically runequest 6 where guns are available.
@ayrtonbarmecide4912
3 жыл бұрын
Hey, does anyone know what happened to the folder with all the lich art competition entries from a while ago?
@nobodyofimprotance7615
3 жыл бұрын
I live in New York. Can confirm, crime is real.
@pierpaolomercurio
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you wise wizard
@caos1925
3 жыл бұрын
wow you better hope your party is ok with a loooot of homebrew
@mjlozatal2103
3 жыл бұрын
Is it doable to translate the book into French ? It would be so great. (But, I understand location is expensive)
@OnlySasori98
3 жыл бұрын
I thoroughly enjoy listening to these
@jaredk.6185
Жыл бұрын
How do you do circles in dungeon scrawl?
@KnicKnac
3 жыл бұрын
This helps. Thanks
@balorthetiny
3 жыл бұрын
Fun fun! Thanks!
@sunayama4650
3 жыл бұрын
Will there be more City of Mist videos in the future?
@Joshuazx
2 жыл бұрын
not sure caltrops work on soft ground.
@thekinginyellowmessiahofha6308
3 жыл бұрын
He did it!
@thoriummothman
3 жыл бұрын
with the party i am in the dm had us rob a caravan carrying valuable magic items which ended up being potions that allowed us to understand animals permanently the dm changed how the flash part of pyrotechnics worked so that everyone in a certain radius was deafened for 2 turns and anyone who witnessed the flash was blinded for 2 turns me and the artificer decided to set up a trap using pyrotechnics and a arsonist's friend to basically create a magic flash bang that would go off when the caravan got near the entire caravan was blinded along with the artificer we killed the entire caravan which was composed of 4 people in total, 3 guards and a historian who had powerful magic having a wizard and a artificer act like bandits is a terrifying combo with the right dm we could have kept the historian alive if i did not attempt to glue his hands together
@yurigouveawagner9432
3 жыл бұрын
great video! I'd definetly like to try this, but I would personally make a change if the scenario isn't one with magic as something very common. if one of the party members carries a staff and has a starry hat, then of course, but I'd make the distance between the bandits only about 50 to 60 feet so they could avoid someone getting to them in one round. I would also do this because I'm sure my players would get themselves killed if the bandits were prepared for too many sleeve cards.
@josiahriesen3006
3 жыл бұрын
You fool! I CAST MAGIC MISSILE!!!!!
@josiahriesen3006
3 жыл бұрын
And I twin cast it!!!!
@jasonrustmann9876
3 жыл бұрын
Had a party get ambushed by umbra hulks in the underdark once, they were spaced out so they wouldn't give their sneaking scout away, one and the ever cautious sorcerer was even further back, wanting to stay as far away from danger at all times, well two hulks burrow up from below and manage some hefty blows that drop him in one round. Now i start thinking, the motivation here is food, this one guy could feed the two hulks, so they immediately start to try and burrow away with him, several rounds of a tug of war with the sorcerer being constantly healed so he wouldn't die to death saves later and they finally decide they're wasting to many spell slots and just let him go. Creatures that can get away quickly or with unconventional means are probably some of the deadliest things to use if there's something squishy in the group, giant spiders are also good for this, plus the look of horror in the players faces when they realize someone can just get carried away like that and be done for is hilarious
@gbyjrjn
3 жыл бұрын
I really love these "smart baddies" videos, but I'm not able to execute such a plan, sadly, as it will most certainly will kill my rather new players, the number of which is only 2.
@asdrubale bisanzio Not particularly, I just feel like that would be throwing them in the deep end a bit since they likely aren’t familiar with the mechanics for just one character, let alone multiple. But I guess if they’re up to it
@flubjig903
3 жыл бұрын
do orcs next boss
@vyxxer
3 жыл бұрын
You know this is what I really think monster bestiaries needs. A subsection about tactics. Just maybe a blurb under each monster about how they behave in combat under most circumstances. Like some monsters are written that way. know grey oozes stick to ceilings and Will O Wisps try to lead to traps, what is that Roc going to do? Probably pic someone up and drop them because they are in the mountains that's how many other raptors hunt.
@alecmullaney7957
3 жыл бұрын
Roc gonna monch
@jakestavinsky3480
3 жыл бұрын
Like exactly what 3.5e had...
@unironicallylikesranger7122
3 жыл бұрын
I was so worried he burned himself out on the tavern book when he started. Keep it up man.
@DetectiveLance
3 жыл бұрын
It definitely gave off a "I immediately regret my decision" vibe at first XD
@Mgauge
3 жыл бұрын
I love it when bandits are an actual threat instead of generic punching bags for newbie adventures. If the danger isn’t real, then the accomplishments don’t mean anything.
@AGrumpyPanda
3 жыл бұрын
Better yet, have a clear distinction between the 'stupid farm boy lured by crime money' bandits and the hardened criminals. My personal layout for a bandit group that's supposed to be reasonably successful is 8-12 miscellaneous nobodies, 3-5 committed criminals who probably have a 'thing' they do (lockpick, hedge mage, whatever) and a leader.
@darkmantlestudios
3 жыл бұрын
I enjoy having them fight bandits at low level, and it being an actual threat, then throw some bandits at them when theyre higher level and have it be a steam roll
@jamieadams2589
2 жыл бұрын
@@darkmantlestudios there's no greater catharsis then getting your teeth kicked in at level 4 and then coming back with the fury of a thousand mongoose at level 5 with 3rd level spells and extra attack
@Sarah12471
Жыл бұрын
Fair but counterpoint. Haha funny poison man
@necronwarlord9188
3 жыл бұрын
I had my party take a different road than I had planned, allowing them to see the bandits from behind their normal location. The druid cast invisibility on the monk (repeatedly) so from their point of view a half-orc appears and absolutely decks their friend before disappearing again, this went on and on until the bandits were killed
@madmanwithaplan1826
3 жыл бұрын
Hold actions would have fixed that really quick
@Jay-nh6um
3 жыл бұрын
Sneak 100
@necronwarlord9188
3 жыл бұрын
@@madmanwithaplan1826 I'm actually glad it went this way, it lead to an interesting plot point
@LupineShadowOmega
3 жыл бұрын
@@madmanwithaplan1826 He's using a limited resource to do something sort of cool, I don't see how in needs fixing.
@meeperdudeify
3 жыл бұрын
@@LupineShadowOmega I think it would be fair to let your bandits hold an action, but still impose severe penalties, like provoking an opportunity attack on a miss, a flat minus to hit, or disadvantage
@redstoneraptor8101
3 жыл бұрын
As you lay out this amazingly thought out heist, I can’t help but recall the time my DM said a bunch of bandits were standing around a bridge we needed to cross, and when one of them told us we had to pay them a toll to cross, I just fireballed the whole group. No more bandits.
@minnion2871
3 жыл бұрын
Well if there is nobody on the wagon.... and nobody is paying attention to it, their plan B could be steel the wagon and ride off in a SHTF scenario... Or they could just try to surrender once they realize they are outmatched and have no chance of escape...
@IrvingIV
3 жыл бұрын
And this is why you don't stand in a small area when wizards are around.
@erikschaal4124
3 жыл бұрын
What the bandits should have done is trap the players on the bridge, and threaten to collapse the bridge with them on it if they don't comply.
@jugglejunk
2 жыл бұрын
@@erikschaal4124 Yeah, pretend to give up on collecting money and when they are halfway the guys on the otherside come out and threaten to cut the bridge, light the bridge on fire or blow it up with support from either side with tons of hidden crossbowmen. A familiar, mage hand or plucky boy they can miss or kidknapped will be send to collect the coins.
@gratuitouslurking8610
6 ай бұрын
Honestly, I think most DMs get too complacent with their battlemap ideas. Long corridors leading to square rooms constantly can make for some pretty static encounters, and even just having some ambushes can easily crank up the CR of things like bandits or hobgobs.
@jeffyboy4532
3 жыл бұрын
My favorite ambush involves a shovel, some wood planks, and a bunch of crossbow men. Simply dig a deep ravine (atleast 3ft in depth) in the road and lay the planks on it, the planks should be strong enough to let people and light carts over, but if a heavy carriage goes over them they'll snap, trapping the carriage, then in the confusion turn anyone on and around the carriage into pincushions with crossbow bolts.
@Freekymoho
3 жыл бұрын
Speaking from experience?...
@andrewdiaz3529
3 жыл бұрын
1:01 Love that Robin Hood the Fox is your sample Ranger. And I love all these battle tactics videos too! Very inspiring.
@Wolfen5207
3 жыл бұрын
While I'm not a DM and I probably wouldn't use this for one of those kinds of scenarios for a while, I am playing a Barbarian that was a former bandit, so I would probably use this to get an idea of better ways to roleplay my character when travelling.
@drakebowen5979
3 жыл бұрын
I love this video, and Keith Ammann has some to say for just the bandits with no real previous setup: The BANDIT stat block isn't the ideal template for your typical back-alley burglar or pickpocket - oddly, the fifth-edition Monster Manual emits that archetype altogether. Rather, the Monster Manual bandit is more like a highwayman (on land), or a pirate (at sea), and their primary motivation is loot. The bandit's physical abilities are all modestly above average, with Dexterity and Constitution in the lead: Bandits are scrappy fighters who rely on numbers. They wield "scimitars," for reasons I can only guess at - maybe this is the closest thing D&D has to a cutlass? Maybe because it treats shortswords as primarily stabbing weapons and thinks bandits ought to carry slashing weapons instead? I don't know. The weapon properties are the same, and the damage is the same except for the type, and if there's any kind of armor or enchantment that resists slashing damage but not piercing damage or vice versa, I haven't found it yet. In any event, you can let the flavor of the setting determine whether your bandits are carrying scimitars, cutlasses, arming swords, baselards, dirks, gladii, or whatever - they all deal 1d6+1 damage. Bandits initiate combat by surrounding their targets in numbers large enough to encourage prompt surrender - three to one, at a bare minimum - and they count on their targets' surrendering readily. Thus, any encounters with a group of bandits *must* be at least a Medium-difficulty encounter and should really be at least Hard (see "Creating a Combat Encounter" in Chapter 3 of the Dungeon Master's Guide); otherwise the bandits would have moved on in search of easier prey already. They surround their targets at a range of 40 to 80 feet, light crossbows at the ready, and issue their demands. (They have neither Intimidation nor Persuasion skill - they rely on their weapons and their numbers to do the convincing for them.) If the PCs refuse, they hold their positions, attacking at range, until the PCs come to them, at which point they switch to their blades. A bandit who takes any wound at all will Dodge (not Disengage) and relocate to the side of the nearest fellow bandit, in the hope that two might be able to beat an enemy whom one alone can't. It takes only a moderate wound (reducing a bandit to 7 hp or fewer) to give a bandit the idea that these folks aren't the pushovers they're supposed to be; if half or more of a group of bandits are moderately wounded, they'll Disengage and retreat. Any single bandit who's seriously wounded (reduced to 4 hp or fewer) runs away using the Dash action, potentially incurring one or more opportunity attacks. On the flip side, if combat goes poorly for the PCs and they surrender, the bandits will happily rob them of all their valuables and bid them adieu...although if there's a PC of Noble background in the party, they may take that PC captive and hold them for ransom! The BANDIT CAPTAIN is distinguished from an ordinary bandit by higher physical abilities (this time, Dexterity and Strength take the lead over Constitution), high Intelligence and Charisma, proficiency in Athletics and Deception, a Multiattack action, and a Parry reaction. A bandit captain will go beyond a simple "stand and deliver" demand - they'll engage in actual negotiation. For instance, if it looks like it would be a challenge to make the PCs give up *all* their valuables, the bandit captain may suggest that for the modest price of 10 gold pieces per PC, neither side has to go to the trouble of seeing who really is tougher. Of course, bandit captains also have no compunction about lying through their teeth. The bandit captain lacks proficiency in Insight and thus has no particular talent for reading PCs' motivations, but they can make some educated guesses based on appearances and fabricate a story accordingly. If the PCs are predominantly folk heroes or outlanders, the bandit captain may claim that their band of brigands are righteous rebels resisting a tyrannical aristocracy. If the PCs are softhearted acolytes or gullible nobles, the bandit captain may say that poverty has driven them to banditry out of necessity. If the PCs are mostly charlatans, criminals, or urchins, the bandit captain may drop all pretense and say it's all in the game, yo - or even recruit the PCs to join their outlaw band! These stories may be true, false, or some of both, but it doesn't matter one way or the other: All the bandit captain is interested in is getting loot out of the PCs by the easiest means possible. And if the PCs balk? "Well, then, I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way." The bandit captain as described in the Monster Manual carries no ranged weapon except for throwable daggers. Since they can dual-wield a dagger alongside a scimitar (cutlass, arming sword, baselard, dirk, gladius, etc.) they'll generally prefer to do this rather than stand back and throw them, especially when surrounded by bandits with light crossbows that deal more damage. Plus, the bandit captain's leading abilities are Dexterity and Strength, so they're going to go for swift strikes and big damage, which means the Multiattack action with two Scimitar attacks and one Dagger attack. As for the Parry reaction, the bandit captain uses it against whichever of their melee opponents (if it has more than one) dies the greatest average damage per hit. The bandit captain is familiar enough with a variety of enemies to be able to judge this accurately. For instance, if the bandit captain is being attacked by a paladin with Strength 16 and a longsword (1d6 + 3, average 8 damage per hit) and a barbarian with Strength 18 and a greataxe (1d12 + 4, average 10 damage per hit), they know to let the paladin's blows land and parry the barbarian's. This is a function of experience, not Intelligence. The bandit captain has a generous number of hit points (ten hit dice, compared with an ordinary bandit's two) and doesn't mind being the focus of more than one PC's attacks: If double- or triple-teamed, they'll Dodge (action) and Parry (reaction) and let their bandit crossbowmen take potshots at the PCs from afar. The bandit captain isn't particularly afraid of magic, either, having proficiency bonuses on Dexterity and Wisdom saving throws - two of the "big three." However, if given an opportunity to attack with advantage, the bandit captain will seize it, even if they'd otherwise be Dodging. For instance, if the bandit captain is being attacked by both a fighter and a barbarian and the barbarian uses Reckless attack, the bandit captain will take the opening and attack the barbarian. Like bandits, bandit captains value their lives highly. If moderately wounded (reduced to 45 hp or fewer), they'll keep fighting but also reopen negotiations *during combat*: "Surely *stab* we can come to some *stab* mutually satisfactory arrangement?" If seriously wounded (reduced to 26 hp or fewer), they'll drop their weapons, surrender on the spot, and agree to whatever terms keep them breathing. All in all, you now have two very well-done guides to bandits with preparation (the video) and bandits without! Good job Runesmith!
@parfuki4580
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks^^
@teeth716
2 жыл бұрын
Good lord what a book lmao
@thisrandomdude2880
3 жыл бұрын
"70-80 ft away" *Only a fool remains within fireball distance*
@melonboi927
3 жыл бұрын
Only a fool is going to use Fireball in a forested area
@craniifer
3 жыл бұрын
@@melonboi927 Fun fact about a party I DM'd...
@charlieterry8506
3 жыл бұрын
I think a bandit group that is this well put together, with a captain that is clever enough could do two things to counter this: 1) If the bandits have any knowledge of the existence of magic they would target the caster first. + The restrictions of armor on magic mean that the one only only wearing cloth is likely the one you should be primarily targeting your crossbow fire (heck you should just be doing that in general even in a world without magic.) + Magic is complex, but it's got some common exploitable and noticeable quirks to it - If they have a book shred it, if they have a stick snap it, if they have an instrument break it. - Can't hit what you cant see. - Can't say the magic word if you're choking on smoke or sneezing powder, or you're so stunned that you can speak only faltering. - Magic hands require working unrestricted hands, would be a shame if something were to happen to them. 2) If the bandit is particularly savvy, they count mentally/keep track through command signals how many times the caster casts a likely well known or obviously powerful spell like fireball. They know casters can't go on forever, nothing lasts forever after all, and if they can hold out against a few big attacks, then great that means they're winning the battle of attrition. If there is more than 4-ish fireballs then the captain makes the judgement call to hightail it. I imagine it like an old Wild West outlaw counting the bullets in the six shooter of his opponent. He knows how to handle a man with a gun, that's not the hard part. The hard part is figuring out in the middle of combat how well *this* man he's fighting knows how to use *his* gun, (aka "do you feel lucky punk?...etc")
@melonboi927
3 жыл бұрын
@@craniifer good god did somebody actually do that
@PorthoGamesBR
3 жыл бұрын
Ok, so for that they would have to give all their focus to the caster (Considering that this is the most unluky caster on the world that fails in every check), leaving other characters free. The barbarian can destroy trees and a Rougue with a bow can easily kill a bandit that got outside their vision for only a second. And you have some other classes/races that can deal with this kind of problem very easily.
@nirast2561
3 жыл бұрын
Bard: "I cast Meteor Swarm!" Poor Dungeon Master: "H-How?! That's a level 9 spell, you're level 7! AND A BARD!" B: "Remember that Wizard we looted a while ago?" PDM: "Oh, yeah, he had a bunch of high level scrolls... And you're wasting Meteor Swarm on a bunch of bandits? Not to mention you'll all get killed as well!" B: "Yeah, about that... We talked and want to try an all-cleric party called the A-Men." PDM: "Dammit, JoCat!"
@duskgaming18
3 жыл бұрын
Amen indeed
@infoweeb4634
3 жыл бұрын
I used real tactics with kobolds on my party and they hated it so much the campaign died
@williamchristensen7354
3 жыл бұрын
RIP
@melonboi927
3 жыл бұрын
@asdrubale bisanzio if your party doesn't understand that the monsters are actually going to act like real things and not just rush at them recklessly they stupid
@infoweeb4634
3 жыл бұрын
@asdrubale bisanzio i did :(
@natezomby
3 жыл бұрын
Most people don't want an autistic tactics simulator, they want to be cool heroes
@NoUseForMySoul
3 жыл бұрын
If they want to play murderhobos easy mode, that's okay. Doesn't mean you have to DM it for them. Dinner is what you cooked up, not what they force you to provide. There's an argument for communication to be had, sure. But if your DM style and their playstyle don't fit, that's okay.
@jackjenkins168
3 жыл бұрын
I'm desperately trying to think of any way for my party to see a bandit ambush and not immediately take the mere concept as an insult and derail the whole campain
@meris8486
3 жыл бұрын
The other day I had a group of 18 level 1 goblins ambush my level 7 party as a "You guys have come so far" -encounter, the rat cast fireball and one-shot 14 of the goblins. Then with back to back natural twenties they convinced them that the party was Gods and that the goblins should become lumberjacks.
@chrishubbard64
3 жыл бұрын
In my ideal ambush location, I would find a decent gully or other landmass where the road descends downwards and there is solid ground on either side. Anything 10-15 feet or more higher than the road would do. At one end of the gully I place a deadfall trap to seal off one direction. On the other, a swinging log trap that can be activated by one of my minions to sweep down the road itself, knocking prone anything in the way, and crippling any horse drawn wagon so if they try to run they cant take their stuff with them. Captain is on the road, giving them the money or life demand, standing just out of range of the swinging trap, it will go right over his head before it gets low enough to nail anyone when he pulls the release. This allows him to escape if the mugging turns into an actual fight and his minions will be up on the high ground raining crossbow bolts on everything that moves. If the party gives chase a bandit or two will scale the deadfall and start looting the wagon if one is there, while the bandits on the high ground trade crossbow shots at targets with little to no cover. The casters in the group will likely die first as they are both squishy and more dangerous in a long range fight. The melee types have a long way to go to get in range of the bandits and there are likely traps and obstacles to deal with the whole way. Not too mention the bandit captain who is out there waiting for an opening to strike.
@glukolover
3 жыл бұрын
Ah feature creep, the ender of projects.
@lordoblivion812
3 жыл бұрын
5:35 the grapples and log trap would be extremely visible and ruin the ambush before it starts, plus the tree that you are in really doesn't change the damage of a fireball 5:45 the damsel is almost certainly dead from attacks of opportunities 6:50 that range check really doesn't work. Plenty of offensive spells can cross the gap including most cantrips, and scaled up cantrips may be enough to kill a bandit on average damage
@cameronlancefrii7356
3 жыл бұрын
I'm curious as to how the grappling hooks and log traps would ruin the ambush by being too visible. I could see how the log trap would be visible if you were looking for it, but seeing the grapple hook and not the bandit that has the grapple hook is kinda odd to me. As for fireball, my only argument would be that they have cover, so higher bonus to dex saves as per cover rules. Fireball also doesn't go through total cover, so a dm could rule that the fireball radius is reduced or that the bandits are considered to benefit from the effects of evasion while in the trees.
@lordoblivion812
3 жыл бұрын
@@cameronlancefrii7356 I'm not sure if the grapple would have ruined the trap depending on how the grapple actually works, but the falling log trap would absolutely be visible and if it had an anchor point allowing it to reach the road then it would probably need a passive perception of 10 to spot. And as for the fireball, they can have their half cover if they'd like. Half the average damage of a fireball is 14 and a regular bandit has 11 hp. Fireball also sets any flammable object on fire, so those leaves are unlikely to be a positive and as soon as the middle tree goes up in flames then suddenly the bandits are stuck where they are.
@cameronlancefrii7356
3 жыл бұрын
@@lordoblivion812 you can camouflage the anchor point too. I suppose it also depends on position and alertness of the party. It's a proven fact that people don't typically look up beyond a 45 degree angel- I might be wrong on the exact degree, but it's something like that. Of course, a person CAN... but WHY would they? Point is, if it's in the air around the bend, they might just NOT look up and see it, because it's above their field of vision. This just reminds me of if I played Goblins like Goblins on their home grounds the party would just get obliterated. Goblins can hide and disengage as a bonus action... so a dark maze-like room where they can hit and run while players can't even find them would be ridiculous. My players personally probably wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm fixing to run them up against minotaurs in a maze that just bull rush, knock you down, and run deeper into the maze before you get up.
@Alex-mp8dp
2 жыл бұрын
Keep in mind that if the damsel has played her role well at all she'll just look like some innocent woman running away from people shooting and waving around weapons- no party I know would waste their reactions on attacking an unarmed, unarmored "innocent" person who's actively fleeing combat. As for the log trap, it's almost certainly both a. camouflaged and b. in a treetop, behind leaves, and is, you know, a log, which is in fact what trees are made of. I do agree with your point about spells, though. Maybe they're relying on the relative rarity of high-level spellcasters and their knowledge of hiding spots to save them?
@Aaa-vp6ug
4 ай бұрын
@@cameronlancefrii7356Maybe offer interesting ways to make it difficult for the goblins, like prying down the walls (for some reason, the implications of the wall of stone spell {that being that there’s a chance that one panel being destroyed collapses the other panels}) Or flood the entire area with a decanter of endless water (idk if that’s too high level, didn’t check) Maybe have them be taught some basic formation fighting (first guy acts as immediate threat, second guy readies attack for the goblin disengaging, third guy uses stealth to ambush them on the way out, or partners up with fourth guy to do the same as guys 1 and 2 but on a different side.) (Granted, they may not be built well for these kinds of tactics, so encourage creative and effective tactics as much as you can.)
@purpleisdebeste
3 жыл бұрын
Princess Peach is the best bandit...
@talynkalea7523
3 жыл бұрын
I love everything about this, finally I can theoretically destroy my level 10 party of 6 with a bunch of smart bandits and excessive quantities of explosives.
@MalloonTarka
3 жыл бұрын
I was a little confused how much rope was used in this scenario and how disposable it was treated as. Then I looked up its cost and converted the cost to a the equivalent and more realistic amount in my head. Boy, rope is really cheap in D&D, right? What a waste of a good bit of rope! Lindybeige: kzitem.info/news/bejne/zZCc1oWwj2R4oYI
@geroni211
3 жыл бұрын
God the rabbithole you just sent me on, I will blame you if i fuck up my exams you know
@Ozhar1
3 жыл бұрын
Small point, you can't ready an action before the initiative is rolled. That's what surprise rounds are for. As soon as you say "the readied trunk falls from the bandits in the tree" the players are going to ready actions to charge next combat.
@Runesmith
3 жыл бұрын
I'd rule that they used their surprise round to ready the attack, but even though it varies from table to table, this felt more realistic
@DjoSimd
3 жыл бұрын
Damnit ! Last Friday, the 7th level party I DM for DESTROYED my bandit encounter. That would have been useful information
@hugofontes5708
3 жыл бұрын
F for forcefully retired highway men
@DjoSimd
3 жыл бұрын
@@hugofontes5708 what?
@megamudkip5913
3 жыл бұрын
1:41 I swear everytime I go into L.A I'm afraid I'll get mugged, and I don't even think it has that high of a crime rate
@SimonLasone
3 жыл бұрын
Ok, kudos! That was a well build and well explained encounter. Can we get more of these?
@andrewnewell1142
3 жыл бұрын
Highwaymen is a silly word
@masterfreeman117
3 жыл бұрын
These play by plays are interesting, but they appear to heavily rely on the party being very small, failing every possible perception and insight check and every saving throw.
@_stonhinge
3 жыл бұрын
Also depending on the party, they might not even bother with attempting an insight check. Without making an insight check, there's no reason to make a perception check except vs. passive perception unless someone in the party is actively looking around or keeping watch. Add in a distraction - a couple of bandits off in the direction the "damsel" claimed her companion went fighting goblins making goblin noises and acting as if there's a fight going on - and some parties wouldn't even doubt this - the first time it happens, anyways.
@aldar8240
3 жыл бұрын
it also relies on the party being impatient enough to split up instead of grouping together and searching over a longer period, not bothering to heal the "damsel", not being the type to just trigger a forest fire when angered, not taking opportunity attacks on the captain, and not managing to kill the captain in one shot during the intial threat phase
@masterfreeman117
3 жыл бұрын
@@aldar8240 With almost every level 7 party I played in, these bandits would have to deal with either one or two angry Giant Apes going after them.
@aldar8240
3 жыл бұрын
@@masterfreeman117 yeah, runesmith's plan assumes a dumb party in all facets of play (since the plan includes both an investigative, combat, and social weakpoint)
@rileysimpson6536
3 жыл бұрын
@@aldar8240 So run it against a lower level party?
@ur2retarded
3 жыл бұрын
YEEEESSS, your "_____ battle tactic" videos are THE BEST
@TheCelticCowboy98
3 жыл бұрын
Another encounter idea to make my players hate me, Good GOOD MU HAHAHA!
@MrVarder
3 жыл бұрын
You're not describing a bandit encounter. You're describing an ambush by proffessional medeival cover ops unit, what with rope levers, bombs, etc. Can you imagine how much a single bomb should cost? They'll never manage to repay the sum by robbing random travelers. The scam at the beginning is a good idea. But giving random bandits competence akin to proffesional troops is going to much. Poisoned arrows and a threat of (and to) the "attacked girl" should be enough.
@worldatwar956
3 жыл бұрын
That first part of talking about twisted taverns has pretty home. As I am making my own homebrew world, each time I am on track to finishing something, I think of something else to add onto the pile. But I am glad you managed to reach one of those big goals and hope everything is up to your liking.
@xandermichael836
3 жыл бұрын
Lol this would not have worked with my Wildfire Druid. Frankly I would have just started burning down the trees at the start
@dudejoe24
3 жыл бұрын
I just finished watching the goblin video, so this is a fun surprise
@jackielinde7568
3 жыл бұрын
7:01 - I love a good Time Bandits reference. :D
@pzalterias5154
3 жыл бұрын
Doesn't work for me. The party can easily have an hostage with "Peach"
@thespianmask8451
3 жыл бұрын
The entire party will be surprised by the log trap activation, but none of the bandits, including the damsel, will be. She can action dash to the trap filled area and hide. If you're feeling particularly cheeky or the party has some stuff that's REALLY valuable, have her pop a potion of invisibility if the bandit group thinks this robbery will net them way more than what the potion was worth.
@aidenrhoads3801
3 жыл бұрын
It's an odd request, but could you make one of these videos for Giff (hippo guys from Mordenkainen"s)? The book describes them as mercenaries who fight exclusively in groups and like blowing stuff up so I feel like they'd be perfect for one of these.
@geneclark4657
3 жыл бұрын
what about 'BANDIT WIZARDS/ROUGES/BARBARIANS!!!', because what realy seperates the concept of bandits from murder hobo PC's and the actions they take?
Пікірлер: 467