Cruel folk, and skillful to destroy.

         

          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.