How do you stat the town guard?

[Infiniti2000]

How do you stat the town guard, assuming that you expect some combat? Would you use minions, level 1 brutes, soldiers, or higher level? Would you have several types, like artillery (archers) and such? Do you use the class templates? Companion rules?

 

[Nifft]

If the PCs are levels 1-5, the guards are L5 Elite Soldiers.

If the PCs are levels 6-10, the guards are L7 Soldiers, their sergeants are L8 Elite Brutes (Leader).

If the PCs are levels 11-15, the guards are L12 Minions, their sergeants are L12 Brutes, and their captains are L15 Elite Controllers (Leader).

If the PCs are levels 16-20, the guards are a single Huge Swarm (L17 Brute), the royal S.W.A.T. team are L16 Artillery, and the knight-champion of the Kingsguard are L18 Elite Skirmishers (Large, because mounted).

If the PCs are level 21-30, the guards are polite.

Cheers, -- N

 

[the Jester]

How do you stat the town guard, assuming that you expect some combat? Would you use minions, level 1 brutes, soldiers, or higher level? Would you have several types, like artillery (archers) and such? Do you use the class templates? Companion rules?

How big is the town?

In a village, they're prolly level 1 skirmishers. In a big city, they're mostly human guards, with a few officers that are more badass- prolly headed by a level 10 soldier or something?

In 4e, it depends on what I need them to be at the time.

 

[ValhallaGH]

How do you stat the town guard, assuming that you expect some combat?

Generally, I figure out a couple of Monster roles for them (Skirmisher, Soldier, Brute, etc), ones appropriate to the style of the guards in the town (Sharn would use Skirmishers and Artillery, Sigil would use Soldiers and Brutes, etc.) and a level appropriate to how challenging I wan them to be (Level -2 to Level +2).
I'd then work up a couple of interesting abilities to keep the battle interesting, as well as some terrain stuff (traps, collapsible objects, nets, pits, fruit carts, whatever).
Finally, whenever the PCs pick a fight with them, I use all this information and the Monster creation tables to generate guards (takes about three minutes). Who then pose an interesting challenge to the PCs.

Good luck.

If the PCs are level 21-30, the guards are polite.

Thanks. That was funny.

 

[fba827]

4e monster rules tend to be geared towards how powerful they are in relation to the party.
So to answer your question partially depends on the party level -and- how much of a threat you want them to be.

Those facts aside, a good starting place might be "human guardsman" or whatever it's called out of MM1 under the human entry (polearm wielding soldiers). Or if you want the soldiers to be more archery based, take another ranged -attacking creature and call it a bow-wielding human.
So what kind of community would it be? that'll answer whether you want it to be sword/board style guards or archers or even a mage-based or paladin-based town guard with those appropriate class templates....

i know my answer doesn't give you an exact answer, but the bottom line is "what's appropriate to the setting (to determine type) and what's appropriate to the PCs (to determine power level)" - that would be my answer.. (as unhelpful as an answer as it is )

 

[Wormwood]

If the PCs are levels 1-5, the guards are L5 Elite Soldiers.

If the PCs are levels 6-10, the guards are L7 Soldiers, their sergeants are L8 Elite Brutes (Leader).

If the PCs are levels 11-15, the guards are L12 Minions, their sergeants are L12 Brutes, and their captains are L15 Elite Controllers (Leader).

If the PCs are levels 16-20, the guards are a single Huge Swarm (L17 Brute), the royal S.W.A.T. team are L16 Artillery, and the knight-champion of the Kingsguard are L18 Elite Skirmishers (Large, because mounted).

If the PCs are level 21-30, the guards are polite.

Cheers, -- N

*Yoink*

Enjoy your XP---you earned it.

 

[renau1g]

Only concern I have with Nifft's suggestions is making the sergeants brutes, I'd suggest Soldier's to make sure they hit (and that they were harder to hit as well), reflecting their formal training.

 

[ourchair]

4e monster rules tend to be geared towards how powerful they are in relation to the party.
So to answer your question partially depends on the party level -and- how much of a threat you want them to be.
...

i know my answer doesn't give you an exact answer, but the bottom line is "what's appropriate to the setting (to determine type) and what's appropriate to the PCs (to determine power level)" - that would be my answer.. (as unhelpful as an answer as it is )

That's right.

I mean, 4e assumes a suspension of disbelief to allow the DM to scale the guards and other 'nonheroic' grunts to fit with the party's level, but fba827's recommendation also shows that the setting should influence these stats.

I mean "the town guard" of Fairhaven will be at best, a 5th level elite solider... but once you reach higher levels, its assumed that you'll upgrade to new flavors of town guards. "Townguard Professionals" will be found in major cities, "Townguard Millenium Edition" will be in capital cities and "Townguard Vista" will be found around The Tiny Hamlet of the Heavenly Cosmo-Awesomeness.*

*"Townguard Vista" will also refuse to tell you anything meaningful about the town when an error such as full-scale multiplanar crash occurs)

 

[DracoSuave]

What is their purpose in the combat? Questions about what role they should be cannot be answered until this question is.

Are they expendable mooks in a town the heroes must heroicly save? Then minions.

Are they there to antagonise the players? Then normal monster roles, probably a mix of soldiers, a brute, and an artillery dude.

Are they there to show a town rallying to support the players against a threat too big for both of them on their own?


The story considerations for these guardsman dictate what role they play.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

There are various possibilities but I don't see the run of the mill of what you find in a town to be especially challenging in a fight. For the main town in the area I'm running now basically there are a couple of types:

Town Watch: These are just basically ordinary citizens deputized to keep an eye on things, enforce basic regulations, watch for fires, and keep order. They don't really have much combat ability and they'll just raise an alarm if anything serious comes up. Their stats are basically human rabble with a badge and armed with a truncheon (club). They aren't any kind of threat in and of themselves but if PCs mess with them then there will be serious trouble with the authorities.

Town Guards: These are basic trained soldiers who garrison the town gates, watch towers, etc. They are level 5 soldier minions equipped with a halberd. They will fight if attacked, are usually found in a group of 3-5 and often backed up by a Human Guard who acts as a sergeant. They still aren't a really serious threat on their own but the garrison can always call on a few higher level figures or larger numbers if necessary. If the town watch needs reinforcement to handle a problem then some of these guys will show up.

Unique Figures: The above are just the standard figures that provide background. Specific named individual guards etc are custom stat blocks as appropriate. So if a particular guard figures in an adventure where he needs to be fleshed out then he would be whatever level and type is appropriate. If there are specific problems then the authorities bring in knights, wizards, clerics, whatever they need to make the problem go away. The inhabitants of the town aren't generally going to be able to deal with higher level monsters, rampaging high level PCs, etc. by main force. If they have a problem like that then they'll need heroes to help them out or else things will go bad for them.