It's a Trap! - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

It's a Trap!

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
factol_rhys_dup
Dec 21, 2008 23:33:31 Okay, so the evil genius has gathered his gang of ne'er-do-wells, captured a hostage, and he's all set to deliver a cocky note to the heroes daring them to come get him. He gives them a time and place for the showdown.

Clearly, it's a trap, but they can't afford not to walk into it. They're being watched, and the hostage dies unless they follow the rules.

The thing is, the encounter I wrote out is mostly just a brawl with his minions and then a duel with him and a few elite guards. It's not much of an ambush. Does it need to be? If it does need to be a trap, how do I play up the sense that the villain has them right where he wants them without making him automatically win?

It goes without saying, but he's megalomaniacally overconfident. But I feel like that's a trite weakness to shoot yourself in the foot with.
#2
SteelMirror
Dec 22, 2008 3:30:42 At the very least make sure that the terrain favors the ambushers (at least initially). The thing about the ambush is the PCs will know it's an ambush, so they will feel justified in burning through AP and dailies like candy . . . and when that happens, your NPCs drop like flies. Made of bricks.

If the PCs have any specific weaknesses you know of, arrange the terrain to take advantage of that weakness. E.g. they have very little ranged damage output, put in some enemy artillery with a lot of difficult terrain between them and the PCs. If the PCs have really good ranged damage output, throw down a lot of cover that allows soldiers and lurkers to easily get up close with the long ranged characters. Since the enemy chooses the terrain, you get to justify it being suspiciously crafted to f*** the PCs up.

Maybe introduce a few actual traps (pit traps and the like) in strategic places the enemy knows about but the PCs are unaware of. IMO, traps that temporarily stop or immobilize PCs (like the classic net trap from Return of the Jedi) work very well because they are very annoying, hinder the PCs' strategy without really harming them (directly), and give the BBEG a chance to monologue, gloat, or otherwise be an insufferable prick.

Unrelated to how to craft a good trap, do one of two things for the evil guy in question. Either give him a premade escape strategy or a spectacular way for the PCs to finally defeat him. If he is to be a recurring villain, the escape is a must. If not, a fun conclusion to an adversary that has kidnapped your friends, taunted you, attacked you with bothersome minions, and insulted you while you hung in the air from a rope is a must. Rather than just hit him with a sword, arrange it so that the PCs have a chance to finish him off spectacularly. Like collapsing a cave on his head by setting of the explosive barrels of oil lying around him that he had been rolling down at your party the entire encounter.

Just some random thoughts. Good gaming!
#3
wells
Dec 23, 2008 22:51:52 If there is a raised surface, such as a roof, then some of the NPCs could drop large objects like barrels or stones. If you would like to be truly evil, have the overconfident maniac kill the hostage just as the PCs seem to be winning or right after the PCs set off the trap.

The minions could leap out from behind cover when the ambush is sprung, but not the elite guard. Have them visible. It makes PCs less edgy when they see more than one foe. As previously mentioned by the honorable SteelMirror, actual traps would be quite hilarious. Have the elite guards shoot the PCs with arrows. The PCs will charge, enraged by the killing of the hostage, and fall into a shallow pit with minions descending on them. Overconfident villains may have some type of special critter like a sneak attacking lurker that sneaks into the middle of the PCs or an ogre that blunders into the PCs when they seem to be besting the minions.

Whatever you decide, have fun Mr. Rhys.
#4
mynameisjake
Dec 25, 2008 17:54:44 If he's really an 'evil genius' then you might want consider a different strategy entirely.

Setting up an ambush gives an advantage, sure, but it's still a win/lose situation. By engaging the PC's he risks losing everything. This is more a 'slightly above average intellect' ploy.

Setting up a win/win situation is what evil 'geniuses' do. He'll want to set up a situation where if the abush succeeds, he wins by killing or capturing them, and if the ambush fails, he wins anyway, probably by being able to predict where the characters are at a particular time, or more importantly, where there are not.

The second part of the win/win situation is the hardest to come up with. It could be as simply as distracting them from something else. If they're fighting his minions, then they're not guarding something else he wants. Or, since he gets to pick the place and time of the fight, why have him use his own troops at all? "I'll be in the wooden fort 2 days north of town on the Old Road with my allies" is a great way to trick the PC's into eliminating one of his rivals for him. If the PC's lose, he wins. If the PC's win, he still wins. He could even use it as a recruiting tool. "So your entire tribe was wiped out by that band of plucky heroes? For no reason, you say? Well, join with me Sir Ogre, and you shall have your vengeance!"

If the PC's have allies in town, then having them distracted with a fight against minions is a great opportunity to strike at their allies back in town. There's nothing like the look on the heroe's faces when they discover that in their absence, the town has been burned, their horses stolen, and everyone is violently annoyed at the party for not being around to help.

If your villain has magical resources, then having his 'minions' be magically compelled good guys is also a great setup for a win/win for the bad guys.

It's always a good idea to teach players early on not to take things at face value. If you play the game according to the bad guy's rules, then the bad guy almost always wins, one way or the other. The trick (for the players) is to change the rules, and therefore the game, in their own favor.

MrJake

MrJake

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 factol_rhys_dup Dec 21, 2008 23:33:31	Okay, so the evil genius has gathered his gang of ne'er-do-wells, captured a hostage, and he's all set to deliver a cocky note to the heroes daring them to come get him. He gives them a time and place for the showdown. Clearly, it's a trap, but they can't afford not to walk into it. They're being watched, and the hostage dies unless they follow the rules. The thing is, the encounter I wrote out is mostly just a brawl with his minions and then a duel with him and a few elite guards. It's not much of an ambush. Does it need to be? If it does need to be a trap, how do I play up the sense that the villain has them right where he wants them without making him automatically win? It goes without saying, but he's megalomaniacally overconfident. But I feel like that's a trite weakness to shoot yourself in the foot with.
#2 SteelMirror Dec 22, 2008 3:30:42	At the very least make sure that the terrain favors the ambushers (at least initially). The thing about the ambush is the PCs will know it's an ambush, so they will feel justified in burning through AP and dailies like candy . . . and when that happens, your NPCs drop like flies. Made of bricks. If the PCs have any specific weaknesses you know of, arrange the terrain to take advantage of that weakness. E.g. they have very little ranged damage output, put in some enemy artillery with a lot of difficult terrain between them and the PCs. If the PCs have really good ranged damage output, throw down a lot of cover that allows soldiers and lurkers to easily get up close with the long ranged characters. Since the enemy chooses the terrain, you get to justify it being suspiciously crafted to f*** the PCs up. Maybe introduce a few actual traps (pit traps and the like) in strategic places the enemy knows about but the PCs are unaware of. IMO, traps that temporarily stop or immobilize PCs (like the classic net trap from Return of the Jedi) work very well because they are very annoying, hinder the PCs' strategy without really harming them (directly), and give the BBEG a chance to monologue, gloat, or otherwise be an insufferable prick. Unrelated to how to craft a good trap, do one of two things for the evil guy in question. Either give him a premade escape strategy or a spectacular way for the PCs to finally defeat him. If he is to be a recurring villain, the escape is a must. If not, a fun conclusion to an adversary that has kidnapped your friends, taunted you, attacked you with bothersome minions, and insulted you while you hung in the air from a rope is a must. Rather than just hit him with a sword, arrange it so that the PCs have a chance to finish him off spectacularly. Like collapsing a cave on his head by setting of the explosive barrels of oil lying around him that he had been rolling down at your party the entire encounter. Just some random thoughts. Good gaming!
#3 wells Dec 23, 2008 22:51:52	If there is a raised surface, such as a roof, then some of the NPCs could drop large objects like barrels or stones. If you would like to be truly evil, have the overconfident maniac kill the hostage just as the PCs seem to be winning or right after the PCs set off the trap. The minions could leap out from behind cover when the ambush is sprung, but not the elite guard. Have them visible. It makes PCs less edgy when they see more than one foe. As previously mentioned by the honorable SteelMirror, actual traps would be quite hilarious. Have the elite guards shoot the PCs with arrows. The PCs will charge, enraged by the killing of the hostage, and fall into a shallow pit with minions descending on them. Overconfident villains may have some type of special critter like a sneak attacking lurker that sneaks into the middle of the PCs or an ogre that blunders into the PCs when they seem to be besting the minions. Whatever you decide, have fun Mr. Rhys.
#4 mynameisjake Dec 25, 2008 17:54:44	If he's really an 'evil genius' then you might want consider a different strategy entirely. Setting up an ambush gives an advantage, sure, but it's still a win/lose situation. By engaging the PC's he risks losing everything. This is more a 'slightly above average intellect' ploy. Setting up a win/win situation is what evil 'geniuses' do. He'll want to set up a situation where if the abush succeeds, he wins by killing or capturing them, and if the ambush fails, he wins anyway, probably by being able to predict where the characters are at a particular time, or more importantly, where there are not. The second part of the win/win situation is the hardest to come up with. It could be as simply as distracting them from something else. If they're fighting his minions, then they're not guarding something else he wants. Or, since he gets to pick the place and time of the fight, why have him use his own troops at all? "I'll be in the wooden fort 2 days north of town on the Old Road with my allies" is a great way to trick the PC's into eliminating one of his rivals for him. If the PC's lose, he wins. If the PC's win, he still wins. He could even use it as a recruiting tool. "So your entire tribe was wiped out by that band of plucky heroes? For no reason, you say? Well, join with me Sir Ogre, and you shall have your vengeance!" If the PC's have allies in town, then having them distracted with a fight against minions is a great opportunity to strike at their allies back in town. There's nothing like the look on the heroe's faces when they discover that in their absence, the town has been burned, their horses stolen, and everyone is violently annoyed at the party for not being around to help. If your villain has magical resources, then having his 'minions' be magically compelled good guys is also a great setup for a win/win for the bad guys. It's always a good idea to teach players early on not to take things at face value. If you play the game according to the bad guy's rules, then the bad guy almost always wins, one way or the other. The trick (for the players) is to change the rules, and therefore the game, in their own favor. MrJake MrJake