Backstabbing scene

[The Rising Phoenix]

How is the correct way to run this?

I have a PC about to enter a home accompanied by someone who is not who they think he is. When they get inside I want to him to turn on the PC in the attempts to take the PC down but not kill them. More of a subdue because he is in the way right now. The attacker is a Fighter/Rogue and the PC is a ranger.

When they get inside they will discover a fallen guard laying on the floor. I'm assuming the PC will rush to check him out and be vulnerable, but perhaps not.

Should I use sneak attack to surprise him and take him down? Grapple seems full of fail. What would be the most foolproof method?

Again, not trying to kill him outright as he wants him to live but be out of commission for a bit.

[GM Arkwright]

Have your weapon coated with poison. There are some exceptionally nasty ones, perfect for your needs... depending on the level of the PC.

[Cult of Vorg]

Lots of doses of gas knockout poison. Have the betrayer just drop a backpack full of it or trigger a trap of it as they walk out and lock the door behind him.

[fretgod99]

Use a sap.

Also, I'd say this probably fits better in the Advice forum.

[Beopere]

A sap with some of the non-lethal sneak attacking feats can get pretty crazy damage in a few hits. If that fits your fighter/rogue.

[Anguish]

Keep in mind... "one bad roll".

That's all it takes to make your carefully crafted set-up fall apart. Plan for it. Either your bad guy is going to miss, or deal minimum damage, or the ranger is going to make his save... or whatever.

One bad roll. Always expect them and make sure your story is fun no matter what.

[P33J]

Sapmaster with a sap, sap the poor sap.

[JOButz]

If the ranger does run to the fallen guard, he would probably provoke an attack of opportunity. That and a surprise round sneak attack and if your rogue wins initiative means three sneak attacks vs a flat footed opponent. If they are anywhere equivalent level that should put the ranger at a real disadvantage. If the rogue doesn't have a sap, just straight up sucker punch and don't worry if Rogue doesn't have improved unarmed strike, unless the ranger has combat reflexes, a flat-footed person can't take attacks of opportunity.

[Krodjin]

Some very good advice here. Anguish and JOButz make very good points.
And being that no character likes feeling "railroaded" it may be worth giving the Ranger an opportunity to make a Sense Motive check.

If you do, you have the option of just setting a static DC, but it is probably better if you make your NPC good at bluffing and come up with the DC that way.

When the Ranger notices the fallen guard you could ask him to roll d20 and not tell him why - he may assume it's a save or perception check. You should know his modifiers for Sense Motive and go from there...

[Azran]

Here is what I would do with your npc: take the bandit archetype, underhanded rogue talent, give him quick draw, sap adapt and sap master feats and use a hidden sap.

They walk inside, find a collapsed guard and rush to it's aid. In a single motion the npc draws his hidden sap and knocks the unsuspecting target out (start the surprise round, take a move action to draw the sap, if necessary 5 - foot step in range and use the standard action to hit the flat-footed PC).

The SA damage dealt would be 16 times the SA die. The opposed sleight of hands check you call when the rogue draws his sap shouldn't be sufficient to avoid the surprise round (the surprise round already started and the bandit can take his standard action even if he is detected). But I would call for a sense motiv check or something before he enters the house. You have options if you don't want to gamble with the attack roll (eg potion of true strike disguised in a pocket flask)

[Beopere]

In a surprise round you get a standard action OR a movement action. he can't draw and attack with a hidden weapon in the surprise round.

[Azran]

That's why i said make the npc a bandit. They swap out uncanny dodge for ambush which allows a move, standard and swift action in the surprise round.

[Kimera757]

I would give the NPC Bluff (and let him/her use that instead of Stealth, versus Sense Motive instead of Perception).

Drawing weapons is a problem though. Improved Unarmed Strike? It's the sneak attack dice that's important, not the base "weapon" damage.