Reverse Trap Encounter

inspiration

#1

Hey guys, coming at you with another questiooooon! :notes:
And to-DAY, I’d like to get help to make my players ambush merchants or rival adventurers, give them a timer to run the encounter turn-by-turn from the moment they decide to set up traps, and then the battle itself.

  • The map would be prepared in advance, I assume, so the players would have treats and disruption from the beginning.
  • It’s like an encounter when the players roll Initiative to explore the terrain before the monster spawns on them. Except they do but they don’t 'cause the merchants/rivals are the ones coming in without knowing what awaits them!
  • I would need a way to make my players say:“We want to set up an ambush!” How to convince them without telling them to “do it”.
  • Of course, any additional suggestions (for threats, treats, timers, etc.) would be welcome!

Thank you all! :blush:


#2

I’m not sure I understand everything you need for the encounter, but I did have any idea for this:

You could always do a perception check and declare that from their past experiences they recognize this area as an ideal spot for an ambush. Maybe you could take a moment and have a player describe a past instance in their characters history how they were ambushed and why it worked and what they did to avoid it/set it up.

Could be really interesting back story for a soldier who was ambushed or a rogue who did the ambushing.


#3

Here’s how:

  • You introduce something the pcs will want, and tell them it’s on a caravan.
  • You run a (social) encounter, where the pcs learn where the caravan will pass.
  • Their level of success results in more or less preparation rounds (before encounter).
  • Then you run the “ambush” encounter, as just “you arrive before the caravan”. The players will choose for themselves how and if they want to ambush, or if they want to set up a toll station, or whatever.

#4

This is hard/easy for me cause heists are about research, planning and execution…with the players knowing not to “fight to the death”.

Yes;
and I would perhaps just tell them as they enter…this is a great place for an ambush, and put them into combat turns until they clear the wildlife (some wolves or an owlbear…or something that was not really ambushing them.)

This is the hard part for me, the characters have to know they are being pursued…and had not fought to the death but ran!!! what keeps them running, why are they ahead of their pursuers, why do they decide to make a stand here?

I’ll assume, they have a visual (they are on a rise of a mountain switch back road, and the armored wagon is slow, but relentless, they only stop for meals, some sleeping in the wagon while others move on, horses getting rested while others pull the wagon.

here is the first stream they have come across…and before them are the Bad Lands…filled with terrible preditors and few if any areas of rest…placing the adventurers between a rock and a hard place.

No Idea…they cleared the area, found things that are good for an ambush…look over the bluff and seem to be 10 hours in front of the Armored wagon and their own death. they can prepare the land for combat, rest, or go into the Bad Lands…or do a combination of all 3.
That’s players for you…or you can say…I’ve prepared for you guys to set an ambush here…or you can continue into the badlands?..

Inspiration
Assuming the hero’s are already running.
they have some distance from the main enemy party, but they don’t know about the scouts.

Story
On their trail they pass a small shrine to Anzek, A minor god or patron saint to lost causes. The story of Anzek’s last stand comes to mind, an old tale of how a king or warlord pursued Anzek into a cul de sac in these mountains and knew Anzek was trapped…The King waited for his best fighters to arrive. Then the King and 100 of the kingdoms best fighters went into to place and only the King returned…carrying the Head of Anzek.

Anzek and 5 others, killed 100 men, but ultimately failed.
2 months later, 20 men attacked the now nearly undefended castle except for 10 men who were in the brig for being drunk or stealing at the time of the Anzek chase. The 20 men tied up the guards, killed the King, took some food, and took down the head of Anzek from the walls…then left, leaving the queen and royal children alive, as well as the other guards.

Some others say, that Anzek was the one who killed the King, for killing his twin brother who was the Queens Guard. That all the Children were Anzeks nieces and nephews. That the King had called for all the best fighting men, including Anzeks brother. that the King had used the threat of killing his brother to bring Anzek out of the makeshift natural fortification…but it failed, and when the King saw his fighters failing, ran. He ran back and claimed the head of Anzeks brother was Anzeks…that the Queen knew this, and conspired with Anzek and the royal guards to kill the King.

Mechanics

  • 30 rounds mixed between minutes and combat rounds to prep the location.
  • Low TN and free movement during Minutes
  • Moderate to High TN during combat rounds
  • 3 possible interruptions

Prep

  • Map
  • List of 10 to 20 options PCs can spend time constructing

What players get

  • An almost defendable Location
  • A list of probable improvements and their results. e.g.(these falling rocks would force anyone here (near by near area 30 feet away) to make a dex save or take 1d6 damage) 2:heart: effort to make Easy roll to Trigger with a bow shot. addition :heart: to conceal.

Blathering thoughts that got me there

If the players take the bait…they have high ground in a cul de sac, water, some fruits trees, nuts trees and berry bushes, a bunch of choices, 30 rounds of effort, and 3 scouts, one solo, then the pair, and a bear to contend with before the the main force arrives to attack them.

Will they place a barricade at the entrance, to give them more time?
Dig Pot holes to Lame the Horses?
Make a Barricade that will fall into place, splitting the attacking forces?
re enforce the broken palisades?
set rocks to tumble down?
and so on…

give them 10 or 20 options with heart values of 1,2 or 3 and a 9 or 10 TN to get it done…they might come up with new ideas.
At timers the TN suddenly goes to 12 or 15 as a scout sneaks into the cul de sac, hard roll to spot, or 2 hearts to spot…then after the scout is killed…TN goes back to 9,
Timer runs out. TN goes to 12.
2 scouts each hard to find again, but will defend each other when one is discovered.
Last timer…long one. after a couple of their defensive plans are completing… Bear come smelling blood and wanting to eat the corpses of the scouts. bear came out of a cave in the rear of the Cul De Sac…if the PCs investigated the cave first…then its the dual scouts that take the place around Round 15 of prep time.

remember manual labor effort is 1D4 effort, tool Labor is 1D6 effort, magic is 1D8 Labor.

They have 30 rounds but 3 timed events, as the timers hit TN jumps to from 9 to 12 (or 14 with a 17 hard spot if not using effort for spotting a hidden creature, the solo scout ) …representing a threat. this will let the PCs know something is amiss…but gives them time to build the traps.

Make it your own!!!