Reinforcements in dungeons.


Advice


So we all know that encounters in dungeons tend to be somewhat close to one another. What do you do about monsters hearing combat?

If a monster screams out for help after realizing his group is going to lose do the other monsters around jump in to repel these invaders?

If monsters realize they are losing, do they retreat to ambush the party a little later?

Grand Lodge

I use this tactic a fair amount. If monsters are just hanging out without a reason to stick to a room, well if they hear a commotion they respond unless they are inherently cowardly then maybe they prep or well cower. I've been know to string a few encounters together in various dungeons when reasonable it seems to make the fights a little more interesting with a horde attacks kind of feel.


Its what I've done as well. Even to the point of if the noise of battle continues for a while or gets particularly loud of bringing the whole dungeon down on their heads.


As other people have said, I try not to have static encounters; how the PCs choose to take on any obstacle, including fights, will influence what comes after. So yeah, the enemy might rush in, prep defenses or ambushes, or even begin to evacuate if possible, taking valuables and any intel the invaders might want, depending on circumstances.


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Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Usually I'll roll a 1d4 for a response time, in case the enemies in the other rooms are not especially ready to engage in combat. To represent time gathering, armor, weapons, figuring out tactics, and relaying information further into the dungeon.

Retreat from a fight will definitely had some tactical consequences, not necessary an ambush. Maybe the monsters will recruit reinforcements to replace their lost strength, or they might shift positions in the dungeon, or be much faster to respond. They might even shift stronger fighters forward, or attempt to track the party down in retribution.

One of the scariest examples of this I've ever witnessed as a player was just after retreating from a first attempt into a dungeon in the Kingmaker AP. Unknown to use we were watched the whole time by the BBEG of the particular book, who was now scrying us outside the dungeon. The final boss actually teleported into our camp while we were milling around the campfire, RPing, eating rations, and resting!


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[minor spoilers ahead]
I recently ran crown of the kobold king and there some rooms have notes about how the occupants react to certain situations. That's pretty cool.
Some are prepping an ambush, some come to aid others.

My party noticed that and skirted around one fight, erected a barrier to block sound and then went back to kill the guys they circumvented earlier.

I'm going to try and adopt that kind of enemy behavior in other games I run.


I think the use of reinforcements can play against the monsters as well. If the GM is using the idea of reinforcements then a gnomish illusionist is stupidly powerful since he can maintain Silent Image as a swift and Ghost Sound as a standard (to maintain as a move) and then something else if he need.


I don't master dungeons differently than non-dungeons. If my players battle monsters in one room, the guards in the other room 30 ft down the hallway and through the door gets to make a perception check to hear the battle. If they hear it, they may spread the word, leave their posts, prepare for battle, come to reinforce the battle, or any other thing that I think would make sense.

Hope it helps :)

-Nearyn


A lot of dungeons are poorly-designed, consisting of room after room filled with monsters. Any encounter should result in the PCs being overwhelmed and possibly encircled.

I like to spread monsters out. A dungeon might contain an area that consists of five rooms near each other populated by orcs, with each room having only a half encounter worth of orcs (except the boss room). Clever and stealthy PCs might take small losses quickly wiping out each room, while loud PCs might find themselves fighting all the encounters at once. (Four rooms is already a tough encounter, and that's without the boss stepping in.)

Regardless, the hobgoblin (or whatever) section will be located a considerable distance away. Even if there are lots of rooms between the orcs and hobgoblins, those rooms are unoccupied. (Since there's not enough monsters to fill the whole dungeon, it makes sense to leave some rooms out of use.) Of course, these areas might have random encounters or what not, but these would be spaced out from each other. Usually.

Sovereign Court

Too many factors involved, some monsters in dungeon are not friends or allies, some are even enemies. A room with a big dumb brute savage beast for example is not going to be visited by orcs even if they hear adventurers battling their captive monster. It depends of course, what kind of resources are available too.

A dungeon linked to another plane could have easy reinforcements. A group of exploring orcs would need more times to contact nearby troops/camp to join them into the dungeon.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

I see most dungeon designs as apartment complexes for monster races. What would they do if they heard trouble in the neighbor's place? What would they do if they heard intruders going door to door and systematically assaulting the complex?

Depending on the monsters in question, the answers vary. Most social beings first call for help first, flee second, and organize the best resistance possible if flight is no longer an option (or if its clear the intruders are after everyone rather than specific individuals).

On the other hand, it's not fun for the PCs if the entire dungeon falls on them at once no matter how careful they are. As long as PCs try to keep quiet at first, or use some caution I tend to allow elements of surprise until it is clear that there are intruders.


many a time whole dungeon has been decided in a mass fight as reinforcements pour in from everywhere

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