Battle Tactics of Highway Bandits

[@benkaes3657]

So, there's a book you should read called "The Monsters Know What They're Doing" by Keith Ammann that does something very similar to these videos, but for every monster in the Monster Manual. It breaks down behavior patterns of the monsters, along with explaining how each enemy works in a mechanical sense so you can craft your own encounters.

[@IcyPhilosopher]

Can also find his blog online

[@illogicalparadox]

I have this book! I haven't read much of it so far, but I really want to. Does anyone know if Ammann plans to do a sequel for the creatures included in the expansions?

[@RedBandito]

@@illogicalparadox yep, it comes out this fall. As seen on his blog

[@illogicalparadox]

@@RedBandito Awesome.

[@lionman8295]

Love that book!

[@gliscaradu1424]

Maaan, great vid, everyone forgets most people ain't suicidal

[@tinybluewhale5919]

Nah, the thugs at my high school aren’t suicidal, they just really like to oversell how many hit points they have

[@powerist209]

Yeah, this is why I have my “morale” meter. Like when a group lost half of their group or leader, they will make a Wisdom check to see if they retreat or not.

[@Jackb290]

But cultists are *Evil laugh*

[@skylerhuihui341]

My players are always looking for a fight to the death. In my Tomb of Annihilation campaign, they will NEVER let the dinosaurs get away once they start running. And it’s not like they want to harvest them, because they just leave the carcasses.

[@an8strengthkobold360]

The thing is bandits usually don't get the chance to run. They tend to die before they reach their second turn.

[@Mgauge]

I love it when bandits are an actual threat instead of generic punching bags for newbie adventures. If the danger isn’t real, then the accomplishments don’t mean anything.

[@AGrumpyPanda]

Better yet, have a clear distinction between the 'stupid farm boy lured by crime money' bandits and the hardened criminals. My personal layout for a bandit group that's supposed to be reasonably successful is 8-12 miscellaneous nobodies, 3-5 committed criminals who probably have a 'thing' they do (lockpick, hedge mage, whatever) and a leader.

[@darkmantlestudios]

I enjoy having them fight bandits at low level, and it being an actual threat, then throw some bandits at them when theyre higher level and have it be a steam roll

[@jamieadams2589]

@@darkmantlestudios there's no greater catharsis then getting your teeth kicked in at level 4 and then coming back with the fury of a thousand mongoose at level 5 with 3rd level spells and extra attack

[@Sarah12471]

Fair but counterpoint. Haha funny poison man

[@Alex-by9kt]

You should make one of those for town guards. Would be great to put murderhobos at bay with an actual competent police force

[@braden459]

^ love this idea

[@theelltrain8985]

^ I agree with this statement

[@anthonynorman7545]

+

[@jargoneo1092]

^

[@maxumusjesus]

The initial patrol would use as many movement limiting items are possible to keep the murderhobos at bay while another guard warns the rest of the force. If the players get stuck in combat for long enough for the rest of the force to arrive, then the guards will close off the party's routes and start a siege. If the players aren't in a fully enclosed area, heavy crossbow teams will be sent to try and shoot unsuspecting players; if the players have hostages, then a hostage negotiator will attempt to negotiate; and if the players are in a fully enclosed area without hostages, the players will gain cool history facts about ancient and medieval chemical weapons as the party chokes under a dense cloud of sulfur dioxide. If the party still persists during the siege, SWAT (in this case, another high level adventuring party) will arrive on scene to take down the party.

[@vyxxer]

You know this is what I really think monster bestiaries needs. A subsection about tactics. Just maybe a blurb under each monster about how they behave in combat under most circumstances. Like some monsters are written that way. know grey oozes stick to ceilings and Will O Wisps try to lead to traps, what is that Roc going to do? Probably pic someone up and drop them because they are in the mountains that's how many other raptors hunt.

[@alecmullaney7957]

Roc gonna monch

[@jakestavinsky3480]

Like exactly what 3.5e had...

[@redstoneraptor8101]

As you lay out this amazingly thought out heist, I can’t help but recall the time my DM said a bunch of bandits were standing around a bridge we needed to cross, and when one of them told us we had to pay them a toll to cross, I just fireballed the whole group. No more bandits.

[@minnion2871]

Well if there is nobody on the wagon.... and nobody is paying attention to it, their plan B could be steel the wagon and ride off in a SHTF scenario... Or they could just try to surrender once they realize they are outmatched and have no chance of escape...

[@IrvingIV]

And this is why you don't stand in a small area when wizards are around.

[@erikschaal4124]

What the bandits should have done is trap the players on the bridge, and threaten to collapse the bridge with them on it if they don't comply.

[@jugglejunk]

@@erikschaal4124 Yeah, pretend to give up on collecting money and when they are halfway the guys on the otherside come out and threaten to cut the bridge, light the bridge on fire or blow it up with support from either side with tons of hidden crossbowmen. A familiar, mage hand or plucky boy they can miss or kidknapped will be send to collect the coins.

[@gratuitouslurking8610]

Honestly, I think most DMs get too complacent with their battlemap ideas. Long corridors leading to square rooms constantly can make for some pretty static encounters, and even just having some ambushes can easily crank up the CR of things like bandits or hobgobs.

[@Zedrinbot]

Bandits employ the most deadly weapon of all: PSYCHOLOGY

[@tdragonz2405]

Hello super buff cat man!

[@Ed-1749]

These bandits all were college students who got psychology degrees and couldn't get any money from it, so they turned to ambush crime.

[@Zedrinbot]

@@Ed-1749 The real BBEG is the student loan system

[@l.l1969]

@@Zedrinbot Campaign idea, you're a bunch of academia graduates who need to pay your student loans at all costs. You also funnily enough meet those who suffer the similar fate and either stay on the path of good or stray off to the temptation of evil to just pay the interest. Three guesses on the bbeg's identity.

[@morganbarnham5427]

@@l.l1969 Salacia Mayhwen, the EVIL FINANCIER! (Well, the *more* evil financier, they mostly are LE, I'd say, with a couple surprisingly CG.)

[@unironicallylikesranger7122]

I was so worried he burned himself out on the tavern book when he started. Keep it up man.

[@DetectiveLance]

It definitely gave off a "I immediately regret my decision" vibe at first XD

[@hamsterdoom360]

At my campaign's session zero, I explained to my players that I will occasionally throw encounters their way where the best solution is to simply avoid the danger (discretion is the better part of valor kind of thing). But my party, despite having a mix of classes, may as well all be barbarians the way they constantly, full-force throw themselves at every encounter. My party of 4 players has rolled 8 new characters since we've started; only one player hasn't had to roll a new character at all. It's a nightmare for me, but the players are having fun so I guess it's fine.

[@grundierungtaglich6241]

Ah yes, my favorite highwayman, *P E A C H*

[@Freekymoho]

She's been having a hard time since the revolution

[@alericantonelli4656]

@@Freekymoho kinda her fault that Mario said "screw the bitch, I'll run the kingdom myself" what with the "kidnappings" by Bowser that often destroyed large swaths of her kingdom.

[@darienb1127]

Another fun thing you can add to this situation: what if the bandits were able to steal a spell scroll or two from a previous low-level wizard? I'd probably give one of them Tiny Hut as a way for some of them to hide away if anything goes bad, and maybe a powerful AOE or crowd control spell like Hypnotic Pattern or Sleet Storm. one other thing you can give them is Smoke Bombs! heavily obscures an area for a minute and blinds anyone who fails a DC 13/14 Con save.

[@JediKalElStarkiller]

Great tips.

[@_stonhinge]

Rope Trick - either the spell itself or a custom magic item would be another way to hide until it's safe. If they're already in the trees, it's entirely possible that no one notices them using very short ropes into portals (Rope Trick says "a rope *up to* 60 ft, so a 1ft rope would let you jump in and pull the rope in after you fairly quickly) and unlikely that a party would hang around for an hour after the bandits vanish. I'm now imagining a bunch of expelled students from a wizarding academy turning to banditry. They're only level 3, and have no spells known that cause damage - because the academy knows better than to give young students access to spells that cause damage. Or perhaps the teaching of such things is forbidden by law, but utility is fair game. Dancing Lights + Minor Illusion would be a good way to make a party think they're surrounded, and Grease would be a way for them to slow down victims who might have turned out to be a bit more than they could take. Spider Climb to get around the trees faster and Message to communicate with each other.

[@masterfreeman117]

Tiny hut and Hypnotic Pattern are not at all low level and it would require them being spellcasters with the spell on their spell list and making successful arcana checks in order to cast them. If they fail the check the spell fails and the scroll is consumed.

[@darienb1127]

@@masterfreeman117 I've always had it in my games that if you have a scroll, you can use it regardless. I honestly hate the RAW spell rules and kind of forgot that they worked like that.

[@Aplesedjr]

Tiny hut seems like a bad idea if there is someone with dispel magic in the party. The bandits think they got away, see the party approach and poke at the dome for a few second, before one of them waves their hands around and they all descend upon the completely defenseless bandits.

[@drewcifur3443]

*Sees anti personnel ODM gear* Bandit leader: Write that down! Write that down!

[@antoninperron1307]

"Stinky toe Joe" I take this name in note for my campaign

[@jacktough]

I think I'll go with "Gangrene Gene", but undoubtedly quality stuff 👍

[@TheTwiton]

Bandits, Footpads, Marauders, Brigands and Highwaymen always feel like enemies I always appreciate having effort put into their implementation.

[@myselfawesomedude1053]

"Not a lot of spells can reach them" *laughs in fireball*

[@duskgaming18]

*Laughs in Ice Knife and Moonbeam*

[@PlushLordOfTheSeas]

laughs in bandit gunpowder bomb just being calculated as a fireball spell times however many bandits there are

[@Aplesedjr]

@@PlushLordOfTheSeas if explosives technology has reached the point where it can easily replicate fireball, it’s basically modern day technology. Fireball is pretty big and really strong. Some small gunpowder bombs shouldn’t come close to its power.

[@Msoulwing]

@@PlushLordOfTheSeas So what you're saying is that every bandit I fireball has the potential to start a chain reaction. *steeples hands*

[@hugofontes5708]

@@Msoulwing and that's why we can't have nice forests

[@meris8486]

The other day I had a group of 18 level 1 goblins ambush my level 7 party as a "You guys have come so far" -encounter, the rat cast fireball and one-shot 14 of the goblins. Then with back to back natural twenties they convinced them that the party was Gods and that the goblins should become lumberjacks.

[@sentineloforder]

Awesome Idea for an ambush on the road! Definitely will use this but for my party, It will need a little bit of tweaking since it's 3 level 9's and a level 7 druid npc.

[@thisrandomdude2880]

"70-80 ft away" *Only a fool remains within fireball distance*

[@melonboi927]

Only a fool is going to use Fireball in a forested area

[@craniifer]

@@melonboi927 Fun fact about a party I DM'd...

[@charlieterry8506]

I think a bandit group that is this well put together, with a captain that is clever enough could do two things to counter this: 1) If the bandits have any knowledge of the existence of magic they would target the caster first. + The restrictions of armor on magic mean that the one only only wearing cloth is likely the one you should be primarily targeting your crossbow fire (heck you should just be doing that in general even in a world without magic.) + Magic is complex, but it's got some common exploitable and noticeable quirks to it - If they have a book shred it, if they have a stick snap it, if they have an instrument break it. - Can't hit what you cant see. - Can't say the magic word if you're choking on smoke or sneezing powder, or you're so stunned that you can speak only faltering. - Magic hands require working unrestricted hands, would be a shame if something were to happen to them. 2) If the bandit is particularly savvy, they count mentally/keep track through command signals how many times the caster casts a likely well known or obviously powerful spell like fireball. They know casters can't go on forever, nothing lasts forever after all, and if they can hold out against a few big attacks, then great that means they're winning the battle of attrition. If there is more than 4-ish fireballs then the captain makes the judgement call to hightail it. I imagine it like an old Wild West outlaw counting the bullets in the six shooter of his opponent. He knows how to handle a man with a gun, that's not the hard part. The hard part is figuring out in the middle of combat how well *this* man he's fighting knows how to use *his* gun, (aka "do you feel lucky punk?...etc")

[@melonboi927]

@@craniifer good god did somebody actually do that

[@PorthoGamesBR]

Ok, so for that they would have to give all their focus to the caster (Considering that this is the most unluky caster on the world that fails in every check), leaving other characters free. The barbarian can destroy trees and a Rougue with a bow can easily kill a bandit that got outside their vision for only a second. And you have some other classes/races that can deal with this kind of problem very easily.

[@chrishubbard64]

In my ideal ambush location, I would find a decent gully or other landmass where the road descends downwards and there is solid ground on either side. Anything 10-15 feet or more higher than the road would do. At one end of the gully I place a deadfall trap to seal off one direction. On the other, a swinging log trap that can be activated by one of my minions to sweep down the road itself, knocking prone anything in the way, and crippling any horse drawn wagon so if they try to run they cant take their stuff with them. Captain is on the road, giving them the money or life demand, standing just out of range of the swinging trap, it will go right over his head before it gets low enough to nail anyone when he pulls the release. This allows him to escape if the mugging turns into an actual fight and his minions will be up on the high ground raining crossbow bolts on everything that moves. If the party gives chase a bandit or two will scale the deadfall and start looting the wagon if one is there, while the bandits on the high ground trade crossbow shots at targets with little to no cover. The casters in the group will likely die first as they are both squishy and more dangerous in a long range fight. The melee types have a long way to go to get in range of the bandits and there are likely traps and obstacles to deal with the whole way. Not too mention the bandit captain who is out there waiting for an opening to strike.

[@masterfreeman117]

Wait a minute, these "comically simple gunpowder bombs" actually cost 150 GP per bomb according to the DMG. If the bandits can afford several of them, then why in the name of Ao are they even bandits?

[@VimyGlide]

and if the answer is "they stole them", well why the hell are they still highwaymen and not bank robbers if they can manage to steal them?

[@mkmasterthreesixfive]

@@VimyGlide some merchant caravans are massive cowards. The reason why piracy on ye high sea's ended up going with massive red flags on their ship for pure intimidation factor was because well armed merchant ships had 2 choices. 1: Fight back, anger the pirates, and fucking die to death if they failed with prejudice from the angry pirates, or 2: Give up, shake hands, talk the weather, sell the captain for gold, and go back to port. The same can be had for road travel. Sorry boss, we got robbed, they outnumbered us, we lost 2000 gold and the caravan.

[@turkeygod6665]

@@VimyGlide you act as if both are exclusive

[@VimyGlide]

@@turkeygod6665 i mean, have you ever heard of a bank robber that was also a highwayman?

[@turkeygod6665]

@@VimyGlide yeah thats my dad

[@andyzhao5282]

3:33 The VERY FIRST THING my party did when they saw her in the distance was check her wound, look for a blood trail and try to heal her. One of their first questions was that if the blood on her dress was actually hers.

[@jamethlawthon5602]

I haven't played dnd since 2004 and still watch all of his videos.

[@yamahadrag69]

With each of these videos, Runesmith creates the deadliest opponents most dnd parties will ever face: *People with two brain cells to rub together* XD

[@nogitsune4452]

This makes me wonder if anybody played a D&D character who was once a bandit leader and knows a bit too much about staging an ambush. What do you think, mastermind rogue/battlemaster fighter?

[@NoForksGiven]

Ah yes, bandits. You love to hunt down their bounty at low level until you get high enough level to realise they are just a mild nuisance at best and hunting them down just feels like repetitive monotonous work. The very thing I'm adventuring to get away from. I always tell the townfolk that dealing with bandits is for the guards, I've got a dragon to go kill

[@turkeygod6665]

tfw the bandits storm down and pillage and burn the entire village.

[@vaaccuummcleaner9214]

Thank you for continuing this series. Do ooblexs next

[@CaptainZlex]

I like the idea of 'environmental actions' that enemies can prepare before hand to make things more interesting.

[@lordoblivion812]

5:35 the grapples and log trap would be extremely visible and ruin the ambush before it starts, plus the tree that you are in really doesn't change the damage of a fireball 5:45 the damsel is almost certainly dead from attacks of opportunities 6:50 that range check really doesn't work. Plenty of offensive spells can cross the gap including most cantrips, and scaled up cantrips may be enough to kill a bandit on average damage

[@cameronlancefrii7356]

I'm curious as to how the grappling hooks and log traps would ruin the ambush by being too visible. I could see how the log trap would be visible if you were looking for it, but seeing the grapple hook and not the bandit that has the grapple hook is kinda odd to me. As for fireball, my only argument would be that they have cover, so higher bonus to dex saves as per cover rules. Fireball also doesn't go through total cover, so a dm could rule that the fireball radius is reduced or that the bandits are considered to benefit from the effects of evasion while in the trees.

[@lordoblivion812]

@@cameronlancefrii7356 I'm not sure if the grapple would have ruined the trap depending on how the grapple actually works, but the falling log trap would absolutely be visible and if it had an anchor point allowing it to reach the road then it would probably need a passive perception of 10 to spot. And as for the fireball, they can have their half cover if they'd like. Half the average damage of a fireball is 14 and a regular bandit has 11 hp. Fireball also sets any flammable object on fire, so those leaves are unlikely to be a positive and as soon as the middle tree goes up in flames then suddenly the bandits are stuck where they are.

[@cameronlancefrii7356]

@@lordoblivion812 you can camouflage the anchor point too. I suppose it also depends on position and alertness of the party. It's a proven fact that people don't typically look up beyond a 45 degree angel- I might be wrong on the exact degree, but it's something like that. Of course, a person CAN... but WHY would they? Point is, if it's in the air around the bend, they might just NOT look up and see it, because it's above their field of vision. This just reminds me of if I played Goblins like Goblins on their home grounds the party would just get obliterated. Goblins can hide and disengage as a bonus action... so a dark maze-like room where they can hit and run while players can't even find them would be ridiculous. My players personally probably wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm fixing to run them up against minotaurs in a maze that just bull rush, knock you down, and run deeper into the maze before you get up.

[@Alex-mp8dp]

Keep in mind that if the damsel has played her role well at all she'll just look like some innocent woman running away from people shooting and waving around weapons- no party I know would waste their reactions on attacking an unarmed, unarmored "innocent" person who's actively fleeing combat. As for the log trap, it's almost certainly both a. camouflaged and b. in a treetop, behind leaves, and is, you know, a log, which is in fact what trees are made of. I do agree with your point about spells, though. Maybe they're relying on the relative rarity of high-level spellcasters and their knowledge of hiding spots to save them?

[@Aaa-vp6ug]

@@cameronlancefrii7356Maybe offer interesting ways to make it difficult for the goblins, like prying down the walls (for some reason, the implications of the wall of stone spell {that being that there’s a chance that one panel being destroyed collapses the other panels}) Or flood the entire area with a decanter of endless water (idk if that’s too high level, didn’t check) Maybe have them be taught some basic formation fighting (first guy acts as immediate threat, second guy readies attack for the goblin disengaging, third guy uses stealth to ambush them on the way out, or partners up with fourth guy to do the same as guys 1 and 2 but on a different side.) (Granted, they may not be built well for these kinds of tactics, so encourage creative and effective tactics as much as you can.)

[@ChaoGuy2006]

I was about to find it weird how you'd negotiate; but you're absolutely right. "We've got 100 gold. We'll give you 25." "Why would we do that?" "Because if you don't we'll fight. And we'll take a few of your men with us before we go down. So they'll all know exactly how much you think their lives are worth." Then if you're a Monk, throw his ass around when you hand the coin over. Great work man, love to see more of your cryptids (or D&D stats for stuff not already in D&D), monster tactics, and generally more.

[@mineflameblade8788]

One fun thing that you could add is the damsel themselves could be armed as well. Especially since they could use disguise self to hide their real appearance.

[@jasonrustmann9876]

Using proper tactics can easily double the threat of an encounter, turning a handful of cr 1/2 creatures into a deadly encounter for at least one of the party

[@TheNathvar]

I've never heard of a Sandbox tree fruit before, and neither had my DM. I sent him the video, and he immediately added them to our campaign! Thanks Runesmith!

[@theintrovertedarcanist984]

One of my encounters went like this: Bandit (in disguise): “Hey, there’s a tax for crossing this road. You’ll have to pay 20 gold pieces per person for save travel.” Bandit: looks at the adventurers’ pockets, stuffed with gold from the dungeon Bandit: “Actually, it’s 40-“ They were rolling initiative before the bandits actually showed up.

[@samuelrodriguez9801]

Logan showed a depiction of Greek Fire aka Bronze Age Napalm to represent Alchemist's Fire LOL!

[@OhThatRobin]

I’m so excited for Twisted Taverns! I just ran a family game for my sister and grandma in the Wizards Watering Hole and they had a blast there (they ‘won’ the shot glass from the Tender) but they also accidentally made some healing potion gas in the brewing room before setting off for their quest proper so they were really happy with that ^^

[@jackielinde7568]

7:01 - I love a good Time Bandits reference. :D

[@liamsilva91]

I actually used a similar tactic in my game, group of trained mercenaries used the trees and a whistle from their leader to coordinate. My party had just fought fought a dragon and nearly got their asses handed to them by regular mfs

[@MisterSmith00]

Remember that time the party got robbed by Princess Peach...? All I can hear is Walter Sobchak shouting about how “she kidnapped herself”.

[@samoclese6435]

The eldermancy glass at 0:09 gave me the best and worst kind of flashbacks. Nice touch.

[@yoshilovesyoshi]

I really appreciate the, "you are surrounded, please give me just your coins, we don't want any trouble." I think that's something that *real* humans would do and it's also a real decision for the party to make, "is this worth the gold? or can we just take these guys? do we need to get somewhere fast? are we going to be fighting by the end of this journey and is it more prudent to save our strength at the cost of a small lump sum of gold?" Chances are most groups will just fight this and take *catastrophic* losses. Then the next time, and pretty much every encounter after that, I'm sure they'll be more thoughtful. Very great tactic, I like this very much.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

This bandit ambush is very much like my current character's backstory. He was a low-ranked highwayman on a crew that got a few successful hits, got cocky, and were tricked into ambushing a wagon full of well-trained guards. The survivors of the gang were captured or scattered, and my character didn't stop running until he got to a city in another kingdom. - Recently, a noble in the new city got information about my character's possible involvement in the banditry and we are locked in a "we each know dirt about the other" standoff.

[@aaronwhodrums5438]

Again... The runescape Easter eggs are what keep bringing me back

[@JediKalElStarkiller]

Great vid. I love how the simple tactics could make a group of one shots a viable threat for a party of 7th level. Go after the stuff the players value more than their lives, their crap. Great video.

[@NobodyDungeons]

I had a DM who put us in an encounter with a bunch of wood elves who were using the trees like in this combat, but then my druid cast conjure animals summoning 8 giant owls which the entire party hopped on giving us the high ground allowing us to completely decimate the wood elves as we proceeded to fly over to there home and torch the place like savages.

[@madmachanicest9955]

this is why the rouge with a plan is the most dangerous person is the party. it's also why most of my bad guys fit drity and go for the rouge frist.

[@elmodelo101]

If you are making a tavern then you need food recipes, like sandwiches, soups, salads, snacks and others, not only drinks. Good video by the way

[@themuzzy2020]

I remember an encounter I once made where I had a bandit ambush of 8 all hiding in the treeline on either side of the road that my 2nd level party was traveling on, all aiming crossbows at them. It should have made for a pretty tense fight. Unfortunately, I don’t think I rolled higher than a ten for any of the bandits the entire fight, and the party curb-stomped the battle. And killed everyone.

[@GrimgoreIronhide]

Honestly the vast majority of bandits are not going to make an attempt against an armed band in the first place and once your characters start wearing metal armor 99% if all brigands are going to see your group coming and just go "ehhh, I'd rather not."

[@MalloonTarka]

I was a little confused how much rope was used in this scenario and how disposable it was treated as. Then I looked up its cost and converted the cost to a the equivalent and more realistic amount in my head. Boy, rope is really cheap in D&D, right? What a waste of a good bit of rope! Lindybeige: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oovJoYSwi5d6pK8

[@geroni211]

God the rabbithole you just sent me on, I will blame you if i fuck up my exams you know

[@infoweeb4634]

I used real tactics with kobolds on my party and they hated it so much the campaign died

[@williamchristensen7354]

RIP

[@melonboi927]

@asdrubale bisanzio if your party doesn't understand that the monsters are actually going to act like real things and not just rush at them recklessly they stupid

[@infoweeb4634]

@asdrubale bisanzio i did :(

[@natezomby]

Most people don't want an autistic tactics simulator, they want to be cool heroes

[@NoUseForMySoul]

If they want to play murderhobos easy mode, that's okay. Doesn't mean you have to DM it for them. Dinner is what you cooked up, not what they force you to provide. There's an argument for communication to be had, sure. But if your DM style and their playstyle don't fit, that's okay.

[@streetvybzswag1.067]

Please dont ever quit your just too funny too not be a content creator the closest I ever got too playing dnd was monopoly but you're videos are so much fun that I got super in too it and you always nail your jokes making learning more about it so much more enjoyable

[@SimonLasone]

Ok, kudos! That was a well build and well explained encounter. Can we get more of these?

[@dexsave.]

These tactics videos are my favorite! I hope you make more!!!

[@-Commit-arson-]

I like to give the captain dynamite sometimes or grenades that he can throw at people hiding in Carts Basically, I make him throw it and then I roll initiative for the fuse if it’s Dynomite, and if they don’t deal with the bundle of dynamite before it’s turn in the initiative it basically fireballs where it landed Grenades don’t deal as much damage, but they are in fact instant Really adds a factor of urgency Also, they use a lot of fire to disrupt the ranks of the current Mark

[@Dile0303]

"70 - 80 ft is the safest diatance for a bandit to be" Warlock: hey, do you have time to talk about our lord and saviour ELDRITCH BLAST!?

[@bcfb21]

Counter point. And this is what I did when cornered by some bandits. Slaughter the captain in such brutal fashion that you convince the others that you’re not worth this life and they retire forever.

[@minhkhangtran6948]

That just smell like the murderhobo option made by psychopaths...which is par for the course for DnD anyway.

[@bcfb21]

@@minhkhangtran6948 I should clarify. They had isolated me from my companions and were trying to steal my horse which is one of the only things my character had from before the game seeing as his master was killed. Cliche. But it worked. So he went crazy and slaughtered the captain after asking them nicely to leave before they got hurt. I am not a murderhobo normally

[@minhkhangtran6948]

@@bcfb21 ahh

[@TheGoblinoid]

I love the art style in your books, the whimsical and cartoony vibe of your stuff is fresh and awesome. Also, good vid, these tactics videos are my favorite.

[@xandermichael836]

Lol this would not have worked with my Wildfire Druid. Frankly I would have just started burning down the trees at the start

[@xCCflierx]

I like how universal caltrops have become in 5e. In 3.5 they're pretty much an exclusively anti humanoid weapon, since they strike modified ac and most creatures have decent natural ac. They halved speed on a successful attack for 24 hours tho so running away became easier. If you drop them on a horse you need to roll a 13 or higher to stop the horse. Very situational they are

[@pwbi3988]

both bombs and dynamite are items in the core rules, and MAN can they get crazy quick lmao

[@justanaverageferret]

Its videos like this that really make me believe nearly anything can be a threat to anyone if played right. This was really cool

[@PowerYoutuberViewer]

Wow I was literally planning a highway bandit encounter for tomorrow! Great timing.

[@kylestanley7843]

How'd it go?

[@PowerYoutuberViewer]

@@kylestanley7843 The party decided to smoke nutmeg they stole from a baker and flirt with the guildmaster who was letting them sleep in their guestroom. They never made it out of the city...

[@kylestanley7843]

@@PowerKZbinrViewer 10/10 DM experience

[@zow8238]

Honestly, I think most smart highwaymen wouldn't mess with anyone that looks sufficiently strong enough or is super well known unless they were damn sure they had a plan as solid as this one to deal with them. An easy mark with low payout is far less risky for your health, and therefore better in the long term than taking a risky target with a large payout. I could see them punching a bit above their weight by taking on a level 7 party, but if they saw multiple people in shiny, fancy armor wielding giant fuckoff magical swords and bows accompanied by what would probably look like archmages or high level clerics, I know I wouldn't chance myself and the lives of my men. Still though, for a late-early game to mid-game party, I'd definitely try this out! Seems like a fun situation, and I love it when sentient humanoid enemies play it tactically and are smart.

[@Fallenmonkd20]

This came right out of Captain Usopp's play book I love it

[@MrVarder]

You're not describing a bandit encounter. You're describing an ambush by proffessional medeival cover ops unit, what with rope levers, bombs, etc. Can you imagine how much a single bomb should cost? They'll never manage to repay the sum by robbing random travelers. The scam at the beginning is a good idea. But giving random bandits competence akin to proffesional troops is going to much. Poisoned arrows and a threat of (and to) the "attacked girl" should be enough.

[@somejackassontheinternet]

This ironically makes me want to DM a party filled with bandits like this Their first encounter/heist probably being a highway robbery of high-level adventurers

[@J_BiggityBar]

Yea a lot of people (players) always seem to forget how smart bandits are or at least should be. I ran a game for some players and to make a long story short they were ambushed by 4 bandits which they easily killed but they did let slip that there were more inside the dungeon they were going to. There were also other hints and rumors about bandits so the players 100% knew there were bandits inside and they had a boss. One of the players even said so out loud in-game. Well despite having this info the party did nothing to prepare or sneak inside and so they were met with around 8 bandits that noticed them and pulled out their weapons and demanded to know who they were and... before they could question them more the players closed the door (which has no lock by the way) and spent well over a minute trying to think of a way to handle this. During that time I explained to one of the players who rolled high on perception that they could hear the bandits talking and moving around inside. Their plan was to grab one of the dead bandit's bodies and intimidate them, not a bad plan assuming the dice are on their side. So they open the door and throw the body in only to now see that the 8 bandits are now 12 bandits and a captain all with their bows/crossbows aimed at the party. (Since they decided to close the door and just talk for a few minutes the bandits had more then enough time to wake up the other bandits and take better positions which made the encounter much harder). Seeing the dead body some of the bandits started to freak out and aimed their weapons to attack, but the captain ordered them to stand down and not fire till they gave the word. I wanted to give the players a chance to roleplay their way out of this or at the very least reposition themselves. They tried to threaten the bandits I had them roll intimidation and they rolled low and so I asked them to roll initaitve. The fight ended up being a long fight due to the number of creaturs involved. But overall the party was winning, sure two-party members ended up at half health but most of the party was untouched and they barely cast anything. Eventually, they killed the captain which forced the remaining bandits to surrender and beg to be let go or they would try and flee. I also planed it so if they killed half the bandits before the captain they would order the rest to stand down and try and persuade the party to let them go. Cause their not stupid once it becomes clear that the party is much stronger than they look the bandits aren't going to act like wild beasts and just keep attacking till they're all dead. The point is bandits/humanoids can be smart, for better or worse. They can be strategic and are smart enough to notice things like when a player casts a spell that hey there a bigger threat but they are also smart enough to try and flee or surrender when it's clear they will lose and die.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Piece by piece we will get it all done. I am so proud of the successes you’ve made.

[@masterfreeman117]

These play by plays are interesting, but they appear to heavily rely on the party being very small, failing every possible perception and insight check and every saving throw.

[@_stonhinge]

Also depending on the party, they might not even bother with attempting an insight check. Without making an insight check, there's no reason to make a perception check except vs. passive perception unless someone in the party is actively looking around or keeping watch. Add in a distraction - a couple of bandits off in the direction the "damsel" claimed her companion went fighting goblins making goblin noises and acting as if there's a fight going on - and some parties wouldn't even doubt this - the first time it happens, anyways.

[@aldar8240]

it also relies on the party being impatient enough to split up instead of grouping together and searching over a longer period, not bothering to heal the "damsel", not being the type to just trigger a forest fire when angered, not taking opportunity attacks on the captain, and not managing to kill the captain in one shot during the intial threat phase

[@masterfreeman117]

@@aldar8240 With almost every level 7 party I played in, these bandits would have to deal with either one or two angry Giant Apes going after them.

[@aldar8240]

@@masterfreeman117 yeah, runesmith's plan assumes a dumb party in all facets of play (since the plan includes both an investigative, combat, and social weakpoint)

[@rileysimpson6536]

@@aldar8240 So run it against a lower level party?

[@m.e.7209]

I would like to see a Book of Battletactics in your next Kickstarter ^^

[@francisweller839]

Once again, runesmith reveals his excellent tactical leadership. Tip of the hat, my evil captain

[@DominicCuda]

Unfortunately, I doubt this would work with my band of murder hobos because the monk didn't communicate with the bard who wasn't paying attention and turned their captive bandit into chunky soup. The bandit, working for the cult, just wanted the party to hand over their money and turn around, or leave the country and let her boss's bosses do their weird ritual. She had a backup squad of undead provided by the cult and she was only there because she was the only human in the group not weirded out by the undead. And my party stole her cape (cloak of the bat) and turned her into chunky soup.

[@cielopachirisu929]

Human bandits that survive any longer than a single day in Faerun or any fantasy setting would be dealing with almost all the same things that normal adventurers deal with-- plus adventurers. They oughta know what kind of people they'd be dealing with, you know? It shouldn't be a surprise that somebody in the party can shoot fireballs from their hands if this is a universe where that can be learned, even if it's not something everybody can do.

[@javidproductions9353]

If a bunch of local thugs tried to rob someone and they turned out to be a professional MMA level fighter it would be a surprise even though people like that exist.

[@Flummiification]

Really good advice and a chill video

[@nicholasmitchell2960]

Dude....this has given me so much more inspiration than "roll to hit, miss, roll to hit, 4 damage"

[@awesomenerd5584]

after all of thees videos I want to play or run this sort of scenario. thank you for making the video

[@heartlessnobody1143]

I really love these tactics vídeos, it gives me a Idea of How to make some people fight

[@jacktough]

This is: 1. Tremendous content. 2. Largely unexplored territory by other D&D content creators. Please mine this concept for all its worth. Keep up the excellent work. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@maxfreistroffer4040]

The moral of the story is, make sure the people who are robbing you are: a) not commanded by a youtube and b) don't have self-preservation as their only aspiration.

[@maxfreistroffer4040]

Huh, I made a rhyme. YAY me.

[@celtarican630]

might take this for my fallout game

[@goog353]

There is gunpowder, they said it in Tashas Caldron of everything.

[@1KosovoJeSrbija1]

Finally! Another Tactics vid! These were my favourites!

[@pzalterias5154]

Doesn't work for me. The party can easily have an hostage with "Peach"

[@thespianmask8451]

The entire party will be surprised by the log trap activation, but none of the bandits, including the damsel, will be. She can action dash to the trap filled area and hide. If you're feeling particularly cheeky or the party has some stuff that's REALLY valuable, have her pop a potion of invisibility if the bandit group thinks this robbery will net them way more than what the potion was worth.

[@Nicogarcia11235]

this is an amazing encounter but my players would probably rob the damsel and leave.

[@spencervance8484]

Aouldnt the bandits attack the players while they re robbing the damsel?

[@rabidmoosedemon2946]

last time I was this early Voldemort still had a nose

[@aidenrhoads3801]

It's an odd request, but could you make one of these videos for Giff (hippo guys from Mordenkainen"s)? The book describes them as mercenaries who fight exclusively in groups and like blowing stuff up so I feel like they'd be perfect for one of these.

[@ayoutubewatcher2849]

I always love these types of videos! Super helpful!

[@enavorkind2101]

I love this and will use it in a game. You should make a series of these types of encounters. Subscribed.

[@Caiowars20]

I love that kind of video

[@draconicfeline6177]

Finally, I am learning what these adventuring items do

[@estebanrodriguez5409]

Well, alchemist fire is supposed to be greek fire (I think that was the name)... Basically it was something really hard to put down and was used to burn ships

[@LegethDrn]

Im listening to this and im already LIVID

[@Sandul666]

This will work great for my non magic campaign

[@calebchristensen900]

How to make the three stooges look like the entire troop of merry men.

[@hydragamedev6920]

0:49 sponsored segment end

[@MD-zi9if]

More like this please.

[@CamelotGaming]

Gunpowder I'd in d&d, it's just called Smokepowder

[@wateryposedion5235]

love these combat stratgey videos

[@scene6289]

Maan why do i feel like he's gonna go hard and start spitting bars when he starts rhyming his words

[@wadestevenson5984]

Highwayman dismase is a cool guy