There are always those who do not fit
in with society. Perhaps they are unwilling to bow to the
requirements of others, or they could have committed some terrible
offense or crime and were cast out. These folk have little choice but
to turn to pilfering, robbing and murdering to survive without a
community to support them. These folk quickly become hardened and
brutal from their experiences, their former lives drowned under the
waves of screams, terror and death that their survival requires. The
bands they form often become infamous, attracting more doomed souls
to their banners, usually they either tear themselves apart or are
annihilated by those they've victimized, but some of these ragtag
groups manage to claw their way into the "respectable" life
of a mercenary or soldier.
The sixth in my series of tables on how to roll up a community entirely from scratch, this one focuses on bandits, marauders and other road agents which may bedevil your group. Like the others, I've specifically left out any demi-humans, as well as most elements which explicitly call out the nature of the setting - with the exception of the 'Unique thing' table. Like the others, these tables are used by simply rolling 4d8, and then resolving any nested rolls with d4s.
d8
|
Where did they come from?
|
1
|
Veterans.
|
2
|
Rebels.
|
3
|
Bored Gentry.
|
4
|
Foreign Invaders.
|
5
|
Cultists/Fanatics.
|
6
|
Indigenous Population.
|
7
|
Criminal Gang.
|
8
|
Government Oppressors.
|
d8
|
How do they approach fighting?
|
1
|
Savage, all out attacks. The bandits will fight
without regard to their safety or future.
|
2
|
Ambushes, supported by ranged weapons. These folk
will run as soon as they are discovered or the tide turns against
them.
|
3
|
Assassinations. Skilled in stealth and
infiltration, they will never commit to any sort of direct attack,
nor will they be caught together as a group.
|
4
|
Cavalry, whether that be on the backs of horses,
or something stranger like wolves or vehicles. They favor hit and
run style tactics.
|
5
|
Disciplined Tactics/Planning. These are not mere
bandits, but soldiers. They will use any and all means at their
disposal to launch more effective attacks.
|
6
|
Unruly and ill-disciplined mobs. Members fight and
flee as individuals, trusting in their own judgments.
|
7
|
Performance. This is all an act to try and extract
what they want. They act tough, but in reality they are cowards,
who will flee at the slightest hint of trouble.
|
8
|
Swindlers. They do not attack in any direct way,
but rather seek to get what they desire through guile and
deception. They may pretend to be someone else, or try to worm
their ways into the community.
|
d8
|
Why are they here?
|
1
|
Plunder/Wealth.
|
2
|
Purge.
|
3
|
Conquest.
|
4
|
Specific goal, like a person, piece of territory
or item.
|
5
|
Generational rivalry.
|
6
|
Religiously motivated.
|
7
|
Political/Civil conflict.
|
8
|
Under contract to do so.
|
d8
|
What is unique about them?
|
1
|
Someone important from a nearby community is an
informant for the group in regards to the comings and goings
there. They're far more aware of potential heists, targets or
attempts at reprisals against them.
|
2
|
These bandits employ animals or monsters, whether
magical or otherwise, to help them with their work.
|
3
|
The group is led by or is employing a spellcaster
of some sort. They may have an enchanted item, or they may have
the occasional back-up of the spell user.
|
4
|
The brigands are led by a strange being such as
a...1) Dragon, 2) Fiend, 3) Celestial, 4) Aberration.
|
5
|
The bandits themselves are some strange or exotic
beings themselves such as...1) Undead, 2) Time/Dimensional
travelers, 3) Magically summoned, 4) Underground dwellers.
|
6
|
The marauder's hideout is somewhere near
impossible for a small group to assault; a mountain fastness, a
fort built upon a river sandbar, or a ship which simply sails
away.
|
7
|
The agents are drawn from the population of the
town itself! A conspiracy of silence supports the members.
|
8
|
They are not here of their own volition, they have
been forced into their current position by disaster or ill-luck.
|
This is great! Bandits are always a nice throwaway encounter but they've always felt same-y whenever I tried to run them. These tables definitely help flesh them out to be actual people instead of meat sponges for the session's encounter
ReplyDeleteThat's the goal! They've got goals and approaches, so why put that entirely on a DM's ability to improvise?
DeleteGood table, will use.
ReplyDeleteThis is great, thanks!
ReplyDelete