Encounter mechanics help!

[WarKitty]

My players: get outta here!

The rest of you: sorry for the vague title, didn't want to give it away.

In any case, I was planning a stampede/mob encounter in a city environment. Nothing major, just something sort of big strong beast gets loose and starts causing trouble, and everyone around panics and starts running every which way. Something like a bull, not a huge monster. I'm not sure how to mode panic though. Here's some ideas I had:

- horses might attempt to go in a straight line away from it, dragging any carts along with them.

- humanoids would again attempt to flee, possibly attacking someone in their way.

[HunterColt22]

My players: get outta here!

The rest of you: sorry for the vague title, didn't want to give it away.

In any case, I was planning a stampede/mob encounter in a city environment. Nothing major, just something sort of big strong beast gets loose and starts causing trouble, and everyone around panics and starts running every which way. Something like a bull, not a huge monster. I'm not sure how to mode panic though. Here's some ideas I had:

- horses might attempt to go in a straight line away from it, dragging any carts along with them.

- humanoids would again attempt to flee, possibly attacking someone in their way.

Attack would probably be closer to a grapple check considering people are more colliding and pushing people out of their, thus forcing both bodies to the ground and pinning someone. I would also say if a PC's falls during the commotion they have a chance to take xd4 - d8 bludgeoning damage, from possibly hundreds of feet going over them. Balance and tumble checks for all to ride the wave! If sufficiently large, give them a bonus of not getting knocked over if the NPCs are smaller than them.

[Zdrak]

Cityscape has rules for Mobs, this seems to be exactly what you're looking for.

[WarKitty]

Cityscape has rules for Mobs, this seems to be exactly what you're looking for.

I don't have access to that though...

[Keld Denar]

Cityscapes rules for mobs are craptacular. Google around for oslecamo's rewrite on the minmax boards. Much better thought out and balanced. Make multiple mobs, rather than one big mob. Should be fairly straight forward.

[WarKitty]

Cityscapes rules for mobs are craptacular. Google around for oslecamo's rewrite on the minmax boards. Much better thought out and balanced. Make multiple mobs, rather than one big mob. Should be fairly straight forward.

That seems like a bad idea. I'm trying to throw a group of level 1's in and have them figure out how to get through a chaotic situation, not challenge a higher-level group. I'm also thinking less of the type of mob situation these seem to be designed for and more of a case of simple panic.

[Coidzor]

Cityscape has rules for Mobs, this seems to be exactly what you're looking for.

We've even got a nice re-write of the template (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129179)here on GITP.

[WarKitty]

We've even got a nice re-write of the template (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129179)here on GITP.

Still waaaaaaaaaaaaaay overkill though. That would be a one-round TPK if I threw that at them.

[Gavinfoxx]

The best way to not kill a level 1 party is to not actually attack them.

Just have them make skill checks, or attacks to keep the group at bay which they have to succeed to get out of the press, or they take x bludgeoning damage a round until they do something to suppress the crowd or get away...

Don't have the crowd be a, yaknow, monster. Have it be scenery, like smoke or fire or whatever.

[Adam...?]

I would vote against using the mob temple. First off, it doesn't really fit with what you're trying to represent. It's supposed to be for large groups of angry people who want your PCs dead, not a wave a panicked civilians. Second, mobs as written are tough. They've got lots of health, and a grapple modifier that is pretty much an instant win against low-level PCs.

Instead, I would just whip up some rules that treat the crowds more like terrain. Maybe PCs stuck in a panicked crowd automatically suffer a bullrush attempt. If you're feeling cruel, the crowd automatically gets a trip attempt against PCs who are pushed backwards. Those who fall down are trampled for some (nonlethal?) damage. In addition to that, you could consider applying movement penalties on people trying to move through them, or automatic spell failure chances, or whatever.

In addition, you could include larger objects like runaway carts as separate objects. Maybe they just get an attack roll against anyone standing in their path. Trample rules?

Either way, I'd definitely run this as more of a free form roleplaying skill encounter than a real combat encounter. Sure, you'll probably go by initiative order, you'll use a good deal of combat rules, and they may actually fight some sort of monster, but I'd imagine most of the fun would be in the interesting use of skills to deal with the crowd (intimidate to stop or turn around fleeing civilians, climbing onto buildings to avoid them, jump/balance to try to walk on top of people, tumble to skillfully navigate the stampede, creative spell usage, whatever). Instead of a codifying every possibility, I'd just play it by ear. Let the PCs try to roll whatever they want to, so long as they can sort of justify the action. It's a good chance for them to get creative and feel like badasses.

Edit: so this is pretty much what the guy above me said, but using 10 times as many words.