Must-haves in a Bar Fight

[Dust]

Pretty straightforward question. My PCs are soon to be ambushed in the biggest tavern in the dwarven capital by githyanki mage-assassins who specialize in this sort of thing. It's 4e. Thus far, all in actual mini-format, I have;

- A chandelier for swinging and breaking
- Destructible stairs, as well as large kegs of ale that can be rolled down them
- A dozen NPCs to take part in the brawl other than the assassins. They'll serve as obstacles that can be tumbled past, lest they take a swing at anyone who gets close.
- Ladders, planks, chairs, tables, and other pieces of furniture that can be used as weapons.
- A gigantic glass aquarium which houses the tavern's entertainment, a bardic mermaid. (Also breakable, of course)

What would make this encounter memorable in addition to what I have here? Dwarvish drunken master punching his way through the crowd? The Soup du Jour being overturned and used as a scalding liquid much like boiling oil? I'm open to ideas!

[Amnestic]

I don't see "Windows large enough for people to be thrown/jump through" yet, so that definetly needs to be included. Nothing more satisfying than ejecting a person from a bar brawl through a window.

[Pisha]

Oh man... I don't know, but I am TOTALLY stealing this for an upcoming session! The classic, quintessential barfight...

[Elfin]

A timid barkeep who cowers behind the counter as glasses and tankards shatter on the wall behind him.

[pffh]

A large mirror behind the barkeep with a shelf full of "expensive" spirits in front of it. The barkeep tries desperately to save both the mirror and the bottles.

[Coidzor]

Small-sized humanoids getting into mischief and/or occupying the choice seats/hiding spots. Or just dorf "minors" taking advantage of the chaos to get at the good stuff (what, you think they waste the good stuff on kids? Bah, no, it's ale for yeh laddie and ye'll like it till yer 45 and can hae a full whiskey) which in turn causes more chaos, possibly in the form of fire or fire breathing hazards or accidentally activating dwarven disco mode(which menaces with floorspikes of funk)...

The Bumpus's dogs coming through and scavenging the food thrown and hurled about everywhere and generally causing difficult terrain, cats in the area taking offense to this loudly and agitating the dogs into a chaotic frenzied mass that ends up carrying off some people by the sheer press of them... Since this is a dorf hold... maybe dire rats? Not sure about the relationship between dog and dorf, tbh....

Amnestic is right, defenestration is a vital part of a good bar fight. 'Tis the primary reason why dorfs build windows, don't'cher'know.

A thing to consider would be having someone end up using dwarven whiskey to breath fire with... Either accidentally or on purpose...

[TinselCat]

Although this is taking place in the Dwarven capitol, I'm sure the tavern sees enough non-dwarves that they might have a store of bottled wines under the counter. I see these as projectile weapons thrown from behind the cover of the bar (which is, of course, bolted to the floor).

Another option could be a set of curtains separating the kitchen from the main room. More convenient than a door, and in combat can be torn down and used to entangle opponents and cause other useful mayhem.

I love the boiling oil idea, though, you should use that. And remember - even if it doesn't burn anyone - once it hits the ground it'll be slick and hard to stand on, especially if the soup has chunks.

[Coidzor]

Although this is taking place in the Dwarven capitol, I'm sure the tavern sees enough non-dwarves that they might have a store of bottled wines under the counter. I see these as projectile weapons thrown from behind the cover of the bar (which is, of course, bolted to the floor).

Heck, the bar could be carved from the living rock of the mountain, along with the edifice of the bar proper.

[AslanCross]

A timid barkeep who cowers behind the counter as glasses and tankards shatter on the wall behind him.

Or a cantankerous barkeep who joins in the fun chaos to beat up the brawlers.

[bobspldbckwrds]

why has no one mentioned the bouncer?

[Vknight]

Yes! A goliath bouncer who comes in who swats people away using lots of powers to knock people prone & push them. Large sweeping attacks to represent his blast attacks with spinning moves for bursts. He can even pull the party fighter away for some one-on-one action.
In that event play up his toughness with a Brute but with a bonus to hit.
This is to make up for Brutes poor defenses & ability to hit.

[Craulnober]

The ever-present cute waitress that knows how to handle a knife (well hidden in her bosom which is not covered much by her dress).
The seedy guy having a table at the darkest corner of the tavern, with his back to the wall and the suspicious look that makes the PCs think he is something more than just a seedy guy having a beer (which is exactly what he is).

[Elfin]

The seedy guy having a table at the darkest corner of the tavern, with his back to the wall and the suspicious look that makes the PCs think he is something more than just a seedy guy having a beer (which is exactly what he is).

"That is no mere trinket you carry..."
"Gah! Gerrof me, you creep!"

That is how I always wish it had gone. Did Frodo's mother never tell him not to talk to strangers?

[Vknight]

No she told him to go into there homes & do whatever they say even if it feels wrong.

[Hyudra]

The one really big guy (I was going to say Goliath, but the guy above me beat me to it) who is slow to get into the fight, but really tears things up once he gets pushed to his limit.

[Coidzor]

The ever-present cute waitress that knows how to handle a knife (well hidden in her bosom which is not covered much by her dress).

Ah, yes, dorf bar wenches. ...Wait. Awesome idea. Dorfs don't really notice/care if they catch on fire. Dwarven women have beards. So at some point you could have some of the dwarves catch fire and not really pay it much mind/take much immediate ill-effects. Nothing like a dwarf woman menacing the party with a knife while her beard swings hither and thither while the tips of its braids are alight.

Oh, and some way of replicating the mended drum from the Discworld, which basically devolves into one of those dustcloud sort of fights with weapons, limbs, and assorted bits sticking out and then going back in, occasionally grabbing hapless bystanders/objects on the periphery of the brawl and dragging them in. Possibly represented by occupied/difficult terrain which is a combination grapple orgy and damaging terrain effect?

Dwarves do like going for the knee-caps, after all...

[sombrastewart]

I was going to offer an idea I had until I saw it was 4e.

Aw, what the heck.

I had a session in my 3.5 campaign where the party was doing a little traveling on a Githzarai ship and just having some fun. They went into a bar where some githyanki started a fight. The bouncer was a goliath monk/Drunken Master who started chugging down brews as soon as trouble looked likely.

[Coidzor]

Ooo, or even better. Have a Beardfist shoutout by having a dorf or dorfs who are fighting with their beards before their beards catch fire and then they're beating people with their flaming beards.

[Clepto]

I see a distinct lack of Drunken Master. I know the OP mentioned 4e, and I'm not sure if Drunken Masters even exist in 4th, but if they do, they need to be included.

Either a lone Drunken Master that uses the fight as an excuse to own everyone. Or perhaps several drunken boxing students that happen to be in the area, under instruction from a Master.

[Vknight]

Now we are being silly.
This is serious we have many dwarves & other people fighting within a bar this should be played for all its worth. Lots of dwarves & goliaths many drunken masters getting into the fight. It should actually be the point the Githzerai rellie on the bar fight weakening the party then attacking.

[Cerlis]

Electric eals in the aquarium, and a Buxom woman, to be thrown at people.

[Vknight]

Don't forget the ceiling fans or maybe icicles on the ceiling for the bars ice and/or to hold drinks in.

[Gettles]

You need a pool table somewhere tons of things can be used with that. (Beating people with the sticks, slamming them into the table itself, tumbleing over it to create space, the Michael Jackson "Smooth Criminal" crush a ball into dust with your bare hands and blow the dust into the eyes of an attacker to blind them)

[Zaq]

Card games. You need to have people playing cards. You can go several ways . . . they can comically try to keep playing despite the brawl, they can get mad and start a second (separate) fight, they can be the ones who initiate the brawl in the first place, or whatever.

[Darwin]

The obligatory piano playing music in the background.

An mp3 file with the Wilhelm Scream to play when anyone gets hurt.

[mobdrazhar]

The bar owner needs to be an ex-adventurer with a crossbow behind the bar.

[blueblade]

I think all of these point to a similar theme: Lots of slightly implausible characters joining the bar fight at different times. A couple of ways you could do this:

- New NPCs join the fight at set rounds. Easy, but kinda boring.

- Track the HP of the bar itself. As the bar takes property damage, at certain thresholds a new group joins the fight (their table is upended, a drink spills, they get hit by an AoE, just describe it any way you like). This rewards your players for fighting with respect to their situation, and gives consequences for doing crazy things like making improvised weaponry.

- As above, but much more tied to AoE effects and the employees in the bar getting involved:

• First Infraction - The barmaid gets involved. low-level, with some backstab type/thief skills. Killing her would count as a major infraction and draw in a whole group of NPCs (as well as triggering the next 2 at once)
• Second Infraction - The goliath bouncer comes in (see above). Large reach, sweeping blows, likely to draw in others if not taken down quickly.
• Third Infraction - The barkeep. High level NPC, to the point of almost being a party appropriate encounter on his own. If you haven't killed anyone he likes, his main goal is to just move the whole fight outside. If you have... you in trouble now!
  

[Scalenex]

I think a bouncer is not a good idea in a classic (Western style?) barfight since bouncers (in theory) create order and a good bar fight is all about disorder.

[Slipperychicken]

I don't think anyone's mentioned policemen or other authorities busting in, trying to preserve the peace, but eventually just adding even more fists truncheons beards to the chaos.

There's also the obligatory crack-two-different-people's-heads-together-and-knock-them-both-out move, and the old classic of dodging one persons blow, having it hit someone else, and watching that person punch the attacker even harder. Having the pair of old-western-saloon-style doors at the entrance to the bar might help too. If you want to add more to the chaos, you could throw in some gambling and dart-board shenanigans.

my $0.02


EDIT: Ninja'd on the gambling...

[Marillion]

A guy seated in the middle of the bar who is so absorbed in his drinking that he doesn't even notice the fight going on around him.

An old blind lady who, about 3-4 rounds in the fight, stands up and walks out, causing the fight to come to a complete stop until she's gone.

A projectile vomiter.