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I looked for a very long time for a rule that made ambushes a threat to high level PCs, too. The best ruleswise solution I found so far, was created by Green Ronin Publishing. Here is a short introductional excerpt from Green Ronin's Advance Game Master's Guide, page 27 f.:
"Bushwhacking Rules
One common problem GMs have when trying to run
games with urban settings, espionage, or assassination as
major themes is the diffi culty in dropping a foe in a single
blow when attacking from stealth. Obviously, characters
with sneak attack get their bonus dice when attacking a fl atfooted
foe and assassins have their death attack, but some
campaign styles require everyone to have a chance to drop a
foe in one shot from ambush. Vast pools of hit points work
well for general combat in such settings, but they make
assassination attempts problematic at best. To overcome this
drawback, try introducing the bushwhack rule."
About the rule mechanics:
- Condition: Target = flat footet + unaware of the attack.
- Resolution: Fortitude Save. If save fails, target drops unconscious.
I really like this mechanism:
1. It doesn't make back stabbing attacks by rogues useless.
2. It doesn't try to counter the big hit point issue by just increasing damage points (which only shifts the problem).
3. It isn't necessarily lethal for a PC (as long as there are fellows to save him), but it surely means a certain complication for players as a whole.
I don't cling to this specific implementation of the rule, there is surely some room for improvement. And it is certainly only an optional rule. Maybe others like it, too, though?
Cheers,
Günther
Make it a Full-action and give it another name and I am OK with that.
You might be onto something there, Günni: It's true that infiltration doesn't really work in D&D unless you have levels in assassin and/or rogue, since the enemy usually survives your attack and then calls for help.
On the other hand, it shouldn't make it too easy for characters to short-circuit whole dungeons or something.
The rules you've got there certainly are a good start.