What I always loved to do with new players. I wrote out this hand written note on old paper in cursive. It was a letter from a man's family written by his wife. Talking about her excitement at his new position and the new baby coming. How she misses him, but she understands his new job means he will have to be away from her for awhile. I would have them find that note the first time they kill a random guard. Make your players think twice before just killing NPCs. In my games even my NPCs have detailed backgrounds. It was also really funny when the daughter of the guard becomes an ultimate warlock to get revenge.
@@cevellianI mean, you can always have such things have real-world consequences. The questgivers no longer want their help, call them criminals, there is a manhunt for them, they can't get anything done, and if they keep up their antics, they eventually end up in over their head, losing their characters to the headsman's axe. Any players pushed away from the table are good riddance, and any that are not will take your game seriously.
@@ethanwilliams1880There's nothing wrong with an evil campaign. You just have to make them commit to it. The most frustrating part is writing new notes on how to progress. Anyone who is so narcissistic that they believe they should be able to start slaying random guardsmen and get away with it, does deserve to be shown the door however.
I once made a royal guard called the Jawbreakers who were a police force specced for heavy antimagic; lead coated equipment, capable of dispel magic, silence and sometimes even antimagic fields. Their preferred weapons were maces because it's hard to cast verbal spells with your jaw broken.
had similar in my homebrew game had Royal Knight known as the Purple Knight their main job was guarding the Royal family and still Remaining Dragons, however Assasinations and dragonslayer ended thing and the Purple Knights faded alway. in my setting every human can cast magic tho it from their Bloodline, Orginaly their was very few humans that could use magic but after many years it became very common, when the dragons came the Royal family formed and Alliance with the good dragons and the Purple Knight where born human Incapable of Using magic clad in Armour that nullifies Magic even Dragon magic, these knight would train their bodies and minds to become masters of every weapon and use the armour to cast spells and prevent casters from fighting back. by the time players entered the setting all but 1 remains locked in a tomb and cursed with Vamprism, tho the cadet branch still lives they have magic tho and one is a General in the Human army
You could one-up things by looking into medieval history and having guards be members of the local guilds. These aren't a full time police, but instead are all the smiths, carpenters, and so forthers who have guard duty for the week or month. The party might one day encounter a favorite shopkeep patrolling the streets one day with their apprentice running the shop!
Little local militia like this is how I run the smallest towns. Towns of thousands, or even several hundred, need to organize permanent paid professionals. A town of 50 doesn't have that option, and even if they did a 2-3 person team is generally more than they even need on a regular basis. So, once a week/month volunteers get picked for duty. Be that local guild, land owners... etc. In some towns it's just 3 people to walk the few streets they have at night, in others it's just a pair sitting in the watchtower with a brass bell.
I run small hamlets like this, a local militia with regular training and elected peace officer who is a local craftsman or elder. The larger rural towns, without walls, have a local sheriff with 5 to 6 paid men at arms working in shifts. Walled towns are roughly the same but with two night watchmen at the main gate. Larger cities and towns have a more organized presence with regular patrols. One city, called Winter’s Fall, is a midsized walled city with a lord’s keep. It’s a peaceful rural holding, the city guard is 50 men at arms within the walls. Being rural they have a “ranger” conclave that patrols the lands outside the walls that is 30 strong. They have conscription when needed, but there are other things going on in the area that can help if needed based on aid agreements.
Dude yes! Your local characters on the team; on a dock water town it could be: the chief of dock operations on the fastest boat on town, a team of loading automatons controled remotely by local industry CEO, corrupt son of local governor with the best weapon money can buy, mafia appointee to keep things in check, and the people's hero local badass Ripley who try to protect the local fishermen from the inside. And of course you can interact with all of them in their respective path. "You sly dog! You had me worldbuilding!"
Even large towns would only have paid thugs (employed by the local magistrate, lord or sherif) as full time guards, not professional law enforcers. The concept of the Police is very novel in the grand scheme of things.
Warhammer Fantasy has tons of rich worldbuilding like this. Middenheim works exactly as you described for example. The city mandates each family contribute an able man to serve in the guard for a period, but the wealthy can pay a tax to avoid this. This also adds an extra layer of political intrigue to the city. A family with a military history might lampoon mercantile families that pay their way out of service for example.
The guards in the mage university part of the city are called the Thaumaturgic Weapons Abatement Team. Their armour is magic resistant and has their identity T.W.A.T. boldly displayed fron and back.😉
@Teraclon As funny as it is, I would have each peasant make a dexterity check to handle the bag after the first pass... I doubt the 4th one in line would make it.
I think what was left out completely from this video: The city guard is not just the police, it is also the garrison. In the past, there was no difference between soldier and policeman. Yes, there were specialized units but that's about it. This means you will probably have quite a lot more guards than described and quite a few militia men that can be called up within a day or two. This also means that guard strong points and watchhouses will be close to walls and gates (except for larger cities). And the guards will even in better neighborhoods be trained to the standards of going to war, even if they might lack experience.
This isn't a constant across history. There were cities that were policed by civilian militia, and others that were policed by soldiers in a lords retinue. There's a ton of diversity in social structure in medieval themed settings which is what makes them interesting.
@@Sierra99 I don't have a single source ready because I have studied this stuff as a hobby since I was a teenager. I know that pre-modern Venice was a city-state that had a proper government-organized militia, which in turn was usually ran by mercenary commanders during war time. It was not the seat of a duchy or any of the traditional feudal hierarchies, although they did have an aristocratic class. Looking into the history of Venitian militia might be a good place for you to start since it's rather unusual while also being a powerful state throughout history. It's usually easier to find sources on specific topics rather than very broad ones like "police forces throughout all of history and multiple cultures"
@@CrizzyEyes While true, history also didn't have to deal with magical bullshit and monsters. As such, fantasy guards at least should not only care about the people inside the city, but also about keeping anything harmful out of it. Thus, I'd say they would be more of a mixture between policemen and soldiers.
I think the works of Terry Pratchett have an excellent depiction of guards. One of the guard wears boots with completely worn through soles because he can tell where he is in the city just by feeling the cobblestones. They have very few jobs as in the city serious crimes are often dealt with by the victims, and crimes like robbery are dealt with by the thieves guild, who sell licenses for crime that basically function as a great protection racket and who deal with “Unlicensed crime” quickly. The assassins guild simply refuses to take contracts that would upset the balance of the city too much.
Quick correction: he doesn't wear old shoes to feel the cobbles, he feels the cobbles because his shoes are worn through and he can't afford to replace them
@@abithefallenhuman921 Quicker correction, he can afford to he just not too good with money. Also when he becomes wealthy he trades his good new boots for his men old worn ones.
Guards with Fire Resistance makes sense. They might be first responders to fires that break out, it's very common damage type, and they have the added benefit of protecting against warmer temperatures. As someone who's worn both medieval and modern armours in the heat of summer...I wish I had Fire Resistance. A hot and bothered, very sweaty guardsman who is 100% done with shit and is at the tail end of a 12hr shift is less likely to be over aggressive during their encounters. Heat alone can drive people mad or feed their anger.
Also gives a more logical reason to giving out magical loot. They get in a fight with a dirty cop guard, get their fire resistant armor. Instead of just random stuff being in a chest in a dungeon.
That falls in the "very specific personal experience that feeds into hyper realism nobody cares about" bucket. Considering people throw fireballs about, I'm all up for wands of spray water to have something vs city fires. But that's about it.
Great video. One thing to add about the elite force: Try creating them with synergy in mind and play them with optimal (mean) tactics. They will be perfectly trained for situations like these and know their city so depending on your campaign they should single out focus fire individual players, cut off escape routes, have backup, ranged, and potentially air support and generally just feel unfair to fight against. That way, they feel like the threat they deserve and it's not "can we beat the high-threat response team" but rather "can we pull this off before THEY arrive?"
I was in Security Forces on active duty in the Air Force including years on the Emergency Services Team (now Tactical Response Force) and then worked as the Director of Security for music festivals and some work as a bouncer/doorman. This is brilliant overall, but I have one point where we differ. The wealthy district has the means and incentive to hire some really top-tier talent to protect themselves and their property. Perhaps there could be advantage for the players on initiative rolls if they surprise them due to boredom and complacency, but they are actually likely to be very competent and experienced. The guards at the docks may be more rough and tumble, but the wealthy residents will often have a disproportionate representation of the best talent on the roster assigned to their district and/or they may be supplemented by private security forces.
Sounds very accurate to me. Tbh, the guards at the docks are likely to be more rough and tumble, but perhaps less "professional" in their general conduct. Shitty parts of the city are likely to be seen as bad assignments, which will probably lead to them becoming dumping grounds for guys who have disciplinary issues.
Maybe a seafaring and trading town could have a security guild for hire for the docks and have a tiered package depending on the cargo content. An insurance company may even run the security guards and require ships porting in the town to pay for a fee to maintain the peace on the docks and have basic umbrella coverage. This can be used a town that has an economy heavily dependent on sea trade routes.
Great advice! I have found that giving your guard forces access to powerful, single-use items such as scrolls and potions is a good way to have them punch above their weight.
Good advice in general. My players are running out of the small town of Brookfall, about 2000 people, mostly humans and halflings. The town is patrolled by "The Wardens", a reference to them being the protectors of the forested foothills region before the town was settled. These days they're a small force of about 25 strong. Led by the "High Warden" who is personally responsible for the district of Eastside, which is home to the local nobility. His deputies, the "North/South Wardens", are responsible for the Highland District above the falls and Lowland Districts respectively. Should the party, or monsters, ever act up the local nobility effectivly have their own adventuring party on standby. The Baron's own former companions, as the Baron is a former mercenary captain. On top of that the town is also home to a small military fort supplied and supported by the larger nation of which Brookfall is a part, and headed by the local Baron as well. As a border community with an adversarial neighbor, this makes sense here, it might not for your town.
I enjoyed your video thanks A couple of things I have found useful to consider In northern Europe the East end is the poor neighbourhood in most cities this is due mainly to wind most commonly coming from the west, smell of industry should not blow over the people with money. Where you create your city will be effected by common whether patters, and as such where the neigbourhoods appear, this will then effect patrol routes. And size of guard force, in the UK there is currently roughly 1 officer per 440 inhabitants so think about size of population, and risk factors, if it is safe town inside a semi safe kingdom, is it somewhere lawless, what is the budget the local lord is willing to spend on maintaining the "peace" how much tax does he collect. so i worked on tables regarding this in the current world for a base line for types of force size Mali --- 1 Police officer for 3,300 people Somalia - 1 PO per 2,350 people Sweden - 1 PO per 1PO per 550 people England & Wales - 1 PO per 440 people Scotland - 1 PO per 316 people - maybe unemployment is higher in one area and has more civil unrest? China - 1PO per 700 people --- maybe there is a hidden force that is not recognized as police but political enforcement in your city Argentina - 1 PO per 125 people -- why civil unrest? government work force (national service? - in which case most guards are young and not very good) Vatican city - 1 PO per 6 people --- why so high? religious, tourist? Palestine - 1 PO per 54 people Pitcairn Island - 1 PO per 28 people --- maybe it has a super small population Pitcairn only has two officers for the whole island. but the population is tiny. Then once you have worked on your number divide by 3, that would show you how many "watch" members per shift assuming each guard works 12 hours remember even in medieval times people did get days off. See if the schedule you want works, 7 on days, 2 off, 7 on nights, 5 off... that means that the guards rotate, or do you want a specific feel that changes as the sun goes down, then you could have 12 hours day and 12 hours night or 8,8,8 with one shift being on when the city gates are open and most merchants around 8am to 4pm for example remember in this case with a 2 shift system divide by two then remove 14% that allows for the people on their one day a week off. Days off allows you to have NPC guards met by accident in the market while doing their shopping or in the tavern but not in uniform. Now you have your actual number then you can build up how many levels of hierarchy. So a village of 200 houses probably has 400 adults and 800 children so 1,200 people total - so something like England that is 3 POs, 1 per shift. But near the forest that orcs come from maybe 2 per shift, any more the local lord would not be able to maintain the money unless he over taxed them, (maybe there are more but they are local smithy/baker* called when needed etc) A town with 1,000 houses would have a population of about 6,000 but also has more businesses paying gate tax, business tax so the lord has more money, does he spend it on the POs if not then lawless only 3 officers one per shift. (maybe the guild is hired and takes payment from those captured) or like Palestine 111 officers in three shifts? Also if walled is the PO force responsible for the wall? or is that a different force, is there conflict between them? Day watch professional and pretty? Night Watch deadbeats who like to rough and tumble? if you have clear delineation between shifts then the PCs can find one shift easy to be around and the other to be not? can't bribe the day guard, sunny, higher than thou, do not like poor people, wait till shift change. *people always thing of smiths as being strong... a baker is carrying around 45kg bags of flour every day, usually village bakers have arms as big as a smith if not more so.. the village i grew up in you would see the baker once a week with 2 bags of flour per shoulder on flour delivery day walking from the lorry to his store house and back for an hour that guy could carry 180kg on his shoulders like it was nothing because he had been doing every week for 12 - 15 years.
One of my favorite things is to have guards join in on the shenanigans early on and help the party so they realize wanton murder of the constabulary isn’t a meaningless crime. When terry the catchpole stopped you from getting ganked by kobolds and now stands watch on the bakers street every day but Sunday they really don’t want to stab him for no reason.
It seems to me that a very useful topic for a video could be about how to create a group of capable NPCs who do not do the party's job for them. There's always been a struggle to explain why the PCs shouldn't call the cops when they find out about criminals, or why Elminster doesn't go get a magic item from a dungeon instead of sending four 3rd level up-and-comers after it. There are actually a lot of possible reasons, but they aren't always obvious. A well-explained, numbered list of options and examples could really help in this regard. You know somebody's going to ask why the Elite Force isn't out there getting rich in dungeons. There are a lot of possible reasons why, and they might make for a good video if you have the time and interest.
I always imply that people like Elminster and Laerel are worried about things even more important than the quest the characters are on. If you get to meet one of these people, it's not because you are the most important people in this realm (at least not yet), it's because they set aside half an hour in their schedule to give you a job, and you're not the only adventurers they're probably dealing with, especially at low levels. As for the guards, it's indeed more complex. Corruption/laziness and being overstretched in terms of resources and manpower are the ones I tend to imply most often
I like showing my guards to be focused on the overt, like real life uniformed police. They're dealing with blatant, in your face, surface crime. Sometimes, in service to that, they catch more covert and subtle crimes too but it's not their job. This is where parties like the players or higher level special forces can fit in, and either step on toes or not. They deal in the darker side, where the badge either can't or won't tread unless stumbled into. Crime rings, cabals, cartels, cults, and mafias.
GM: You are admitted to see the Guard Captain. PC: We tell him about the assassination plot against the Count. Guard Captain: "My Baron and two of the Count's heirs are plotting this?" *thoughtful pause* "You'd best be on your way to tell the Count then." *shuffles some papers* "Mayhap I'll see you after..." PC: Did he just say "Not my circus"? GM: Yuuuup
@@abrahamroloff8671 Also the weirder side, like strange tunnels appearing beneath the inn and sightings of "ghosts." If a modern-day cop with a belt full of tools couldn't solve the problem, that's when you need people who have survived even weirder stuff than that out in the borderlands. If they die or get turned into frogs, well, then you can send in your best local agents . . . but first let's try the disposable outsiders who include a wizard and a cleric.
@@AlexS_983 It's a good answer, and often recommended in the modules. I always have a followup question about that: what is the actual power structure in that world if wizards are teleporting around offering jobs to adventurers instead of the local authorities? How does the local baron feel about that? Does Elminster inform the local lord so that the party won't get in trouble for following leads into the capital city? What is the relationship between Elminster and the lords of Waterdeep, or with the high clerics of the Temple of Bahamut? Imagine if there were some random guy appearing all over a modern country offering suitcases of money to random biker gangs and bounty hunters to stick their noses into shady situations, "since you have proven you can handle yourselves." It's a different world, of course, but the masters of that world don't see it that way. Honest question, since I'm not a master of Elminster lore. How many kingdoms officially list him as a troublemaker, or even as a suspected criminal? I have to imagine a few adventuring parties have been arrested and told the watch, "Listen, we were hired by the great Elminster, if you'd just check with him . . . "
I realize that I haven’t really ever given any thought to the city guards in my adventures and I realize I need to do a lot better for my players. Thank you for pointing this out and for the great process! ❤️
As someone designing and piecing together their very first city, this video is invaluable and just in the nick of time! Evidently my Wish spell was heard! 😁
8:35 - Would a village or a small town even have a guard force? In many cases probably not. The 'watch' would be local townspeople who would stand on the palisade at times when deemed necessary, but a permanent guard force would be need to be maintained and who is going to provision that? A patrol guard force walking the street like beat cops would be even less likely.
Honestly, this is why whenever I’m either sitting in on a game I’m not a regular member of or one with a lot of people with really intricate backgrounds I LOVE playing a “retired” member of the city watch. Give the DM a great chance to flesh out parts of the world most players are antagonistic to and is very grounded Also it lets me use just some of the worst voices which is always fun
In one of my kingdoms there is a type of guard called the Magus Enforcers who are guards equipped with magical abilities. They’re visually distinct due to the collars of their coats being made from leather. As such the common folk nicknamed them “leathernecks”
Oh this is getting added ... makes it easy to identify which town you're in too. Would suggest the elite force as "tell don't show" initially ... so perfect on rumour table. Oppressive city where heavy handed watch are the thuggish "Jailers" ... obviously commanded by the Dungeon Master 😂 the prison break scenario writes itself. Thank you.
it's kinda interesting that really specifying the characteristics of the local guards (or an equivalent for games that don't really use classic Fantasy standard guards) is most lkelly to happen in the absolute lowest and absolute highest power level games for rather different reasons obviously in my godbound game i always have a pretty good idea of how many people are "guarding" a place, and what their structure is because there's a non-zero chance they might try to fight all of them while the local character of guards in low powered games is obviously important, as you're at their mercy a lot of the time in one way or another (especially as a lot of low power level games are about criminals for whatever reason)
First (I cheated and took the bus) Fr this is my favorite advice channel, the advice is way more thought provoking and more inspiring than any I’ve seen, keep it up please!!!
My favorite guard set up was in a high level elven city. There weren't a like a hundred of them, but each sentry was a druid and 2 ancients paladin. They communicated through hanging vines throughout the city and could tree stride to eachother if needed.
I had a local warden threaten to impound the adventurers battle wagon due to them not having something the local baron had decreed was needed..... The response almost simultaneously was "What the F*** is INSURANCE?!" 😂
My city is so filled with guilds, fees, taxes, and regulations that the PCs consider the local leader to the one of the BBEGs. You have to be a member of the guard or adventurer's guild to even carry a weapon and a member of the magic guild to cast spells and violation comes with fines and/or imprisonment. They have worked out a way to slide through the bureaucracy for the most part but they got stuck paying fees and bribes several times.
Hey thanks! I feel good rpg videoes are fsr between with 30 years experience. But i needed to hear this In addition: give the guard a nickname and an official. The gold cloaks are (maybe?) Called "The protectorate marshals of Kings landing". But just known as the gold cloaks
I’ve been working on the guards for a city-state and everything you mentioned has been jambling around in my mind for weeks, but you put everything so succinctly, very well done! Saving this for sharing later!
I recently discovered your channel. This must be the biggest secret on the internet. I'm really enjoying your content. The most applicable advice to my DMing style I've found yet. And I've already subscribed to at least 3 other popular channels. Dungeoncraft, the DM's Lair, and RP Archive.
One of the things I did was make an adventuring guild called the "irregulars" All adventurers go through training before becoming members, and taking commissions without guild membership is punishable by a hefty fine. This puts certain expectations and limits on the plyers. They aren't just murder hobos, they are semi-official in their own right. Like civilian contractors with government contracts. It also allows their level to be translated into guard/military rank when needed. But limiting characters would always come with an offset benefit. While in any town or city of the Kingdom they are serving, they can act with legal authority to question people, and room and board is covered by the crown. They just have to show that they are Irregulars in good standing. The capitol guards "The Protectors of the Heart" work with the Irregulars, some gratefully due to understaffing, some resentfully, but also know they can call on irregulars to supplement their numbers when needed. If PCs go murder hobo, they loose their privileges, but also have the guards calling in full blown adventurers as the "Elite force" to deal with them. Likewise, the PCs can find themselves called upon at higher level to BE the élite force.
Using the guards as walking visual exposition of a city and its districts. That is brillaint. You can say a lot without saying much at all. It can be a vector into deeper history, if the players want to go there. It certainly does help with variety.
Very extensive video! Lots of useful information for inspiration. I feel like the experience of the guards would be the opposite, especially if the guards are actually an organized position under an authority rather than a localized militia. The more experienced guards would be assigned to defend the nobility, even if those districts see less action and crime. Either because working in richer districts is seen as a reward for accomplished guards, or because the nobility request to have the more accomplished guards in order to make themselves seem safer. Guards working in high crime districts have a much less incentive to actually interfere with crime. Crime is widespread and dangerous, and there is little reward for actually doing a good job, especially if there is a local crime organization. There might be some seasoned guards who are there to actually do their jobs, but I feel it would be much more likely that working in crime districts is a dead-end position that most guards seek to work their way out of or take advantage of through corruption, or get positioned as a punishment for not bowing to authority or nobility.
There are a lot of good ideas here, especially about the differences in the watch in different districts and their rank structures and organization. But it does presume a civilization with a great deal of wealth and advancement, particularly in the idea that even small villages have four or five full time guards and that most cities will have some kind of elite force to call in when the fit hits the shan. In a world with more of an early medieval/Dark Age feel, a peasant village won’t have any guards at all; if there’s trouble, the manor lord, his sons and his bailiff have to deal with it personally, bringing along whatever farmhands with hoes and rakes they can find if the danger looks bad. If they still can’t handle the attackers, then the survivors will send a speedy horseman or two to the Duke’s castle, which may be a day or two away even at full gallop, and it may be another day or two before the Duke can get a large enough force together to kill or drive away the outlaws. In the meantime, the villagers will likely head for the hills with whatever they can carry. Likewise, a city watch in a poor, post-imperial-collapse type of place is likely to be amateurs conscripted to serve a day or two each month, with no training or esprit de corps, and certainly with no elite force. Frontier towns are often too poor to want to pay for professional police; even in the boomtowns of the American West, the city leaders usually had to be facing out-of-control crime before they would fork over the money to hire a marshal to supplement the county sheriff. Even if they can afford a professional city guard, the local clergy and nobility may hesitate to create a force that they could potentially lose control of or which could even displace them (as the Goldcloaks did to Eddard Stark). A fight that the watch can’t win will be met with church bells tolling and the local priests and leaders sending in any ad hoc force of knights and squires who answer the call, rather than by a modern SWAT-like team of trained professionals. This sort of unplanned emergency response could be a great adventure hook, of course. Finally, if there is a full time guard force, give the guards something to do when they’re not guarding. There should be a favorite tavern where they like to congregate when they come off shift. There should be a lake nearby where they go and fish or hunt, and perhaps give their guard dogs a little practice following trails. They may have a favorite church or temple where they pray together, ask for healing, and offer sacrifices to their gods. There may even be a house of ill repute that the unmarried (?) ones frequent, and some of the working girls, for the right price, may tell the adventurers which guards are bribeable, or blackmailable, or incorruptible. All this is part of the good advice to make each guard force unique.
I have overlapping levels of guards in my city Erathvorn, a large city built on the concept of law and order. Level 1 are the beat cops who patrol and deal with petty crimes. They are the Erathvorn Guard but the populace know them as Yellow Bellies for their yellow and black tabards. They are bullies who demand bribes and are generally hated. Next are higher level guards called the Pearl Hammers. The city is a theocracy to the goddess Erathis and Pearl Garlstrucker is a major bishop. Her guard are soldier level in quality but also serve as a religious Inquisition, rooting out threats to order or heresy to Erathis. They are named for their leader whose dress is covered in pearls even though the city is a thousand miles from the nearest sea. The populace fear them, closing doors and shutters when they march by. The next level are the Knights of Erathis, a paladin order who ride griffons and are seen as the ultimate ideal of good, literal knights in shining armor. They deal with any large disturbances in town and have authority to take command of any Yellow Belly or Pearl Hammer unit in times of emergency. One final thing is that the Adventurer's Guild must provide one adventuring company per day to serve as law enforcement under the command of the Yellow Bellies. This is a rotating job so no single group does it often. The hero adventurers will eventually have to do this duty which lets them get inside the guards and explore them as more than just the guys who show up when the fireball start flying.
I'm still fairly new to DM'ing, but my elite guard of a capital that is fairly connected to the Fey Wilds are called the Ancients, and I've drawn a lot of inspiration from the Oath of the Ancients paladin subclass, as they very much are a lot more apt in using magic and coutnering it.
As a precursor, I think it's also important to determine whether the guard forces are a separate entity to the military or an extension of it. In the latter case, the "guards" may well be veterans who makes little to no distinction between "criminals" and "enemies", meaning they'd be much more likely to use lethal force. It also means the justice system may be more like "catch 'em and hang 'em" rather than a more robust judicial process. Where the city watch are a separate entity, it is likely that there may be detectives and other specialised roles, as well as fully-fledged justice system. And then the justice system... who are the judges, how are they appointed? In some places, they might be clerics of a lawful god, in others they might be rich, educated high-born folks with keen minds. And some places may just pack you off to the arena to fight for your life - let the gods decide! Best of all, whatever choice you make informs so much of the rest of the city!
I’ve been working on a worldbuilding project set in a very backstabby, Italian Renaissance-like kingdom with a paranoid king. There is a sort of domestic spy organization/secret police called the “Orecchie del Re”, the “Ears of the King”. I haven’t gotten far into the world yet, but I will definitely keep these tips in mind for the future!
Here is some wisdom from your betters: - City guard encounters are with 2-16 mercenary soldiers in the employ of the city as gate and wall guards or in a police function. There will always be 1 higher level leader- 2 if more than 8 guards, 3 if more than 12 - in addition to the 0 level guardsmen. Leaders are of 2nd to 5th level fighting ability. They will question suspicious persons, arrest law breakers, etc. In addition, the guard party will always be accompanied by a magic-user of 1st to 4th level who is indentured for 1 year far some service rendered to him or her by the city which was not repayable in some other manner (bad debts, resurrection, infraction of city rules, non-payment of taxes, etc.). - City watchman encounters are with squads of the watch (5 men plus a 1st - 3rd level sergeant during daylight; double numbers, plus a 4th or 5th level lieutenant at night). These squads will always be accompanied by a cIeric of 2nd to 5th level indentured to the city as magic-users are to the guard. They will generally act as do city guards, and at night these patrols will be ready to aid attacked persons and arrest lawbreakers. The AD&D DMG town/city encounters table is a wealth of wisdom that can be drawn from. Who doesn't love rolling on the Harlot Tables.
Creating a street encounter table is a nice way of filling out the city streets. Far from all are going to be hostile. You can hound the PCs with vendors, place road crews in their path, let them meet more or less friendly drunk caravaneers, playful street dogs chasing them, prostitutes looking for a john and water buffalo taking a nap. There will be lots of moments where "Who is on the street right now?" is important. There you can bake in guard encounters. One of my friends made 2-3 charts for different parts of town, and a roll of d20 instead of d12 when night fell and the weird stuff came out. A level 1 sergeant overseeing every ten level 0 goons is a ratio we've used. If the PCs hire their own mercenary unit, they get the same. I know some 2e settings could be generous with medium-level people. Walking into a pub run by a level 6 bloke or meeting some level 5 MUs travelling through wasn't odd. They were not the norm but they were generously sprinkled through the world. I tend to follow the level 0 norm more extensively. I tend to make spellcasters rare. They might have a spellcaster somewhere in the watch and a few more on retainer in case they need them but not so many they can staff them in foot patrols. Thieves' World had an extremely high encounter chance. Every 15 minutes once you stuck your nose out the door at morning I think. A lot of those would be normal folks who just happened to be around. Everywhere you go in Sanctuary, there's a chance some sod is along by chance. A lot of results are going to be "five kids are playing on the corner" or "two dudes with a wagon are trying to pass".
I have this "there are no random NPC's" rule in my games. As in I don't allow my players to approach a "random guard". Because no one ever approaches random people. They look around and see 5-10 guards. And then they pick one to approach. So the player will describe the guard they approach along with what they wish to accomplish from the interaction. "I approach the young guard in a brand new uniform. Looks like it's the first day on the job so I expect him to be super gullible and easily manipulated." Or: "I approach this old grey haired guard that looks like he's a week away from retirement. Someone who's willing to look the other way at everything and just wanna get through this week and maybe pocket a quick bribe." Instantly tells me a whole heap of how the player wishes to engage with the town as a whole, it takes alot of the load off of me by having me spend less time generating randos and it provides me with a steady stream of NPC's that the players actually care about because they had a hand in their creation.
It should be noted that, historically, some times there was no "city guard". Depending on the time and place, justice might be dispensed by whoever was wronged, and whatever guys they could get together, or by every able-bodied man who could answer the hue and cry. This sets a very different paradigm for so called "law enforcement" that can really add a bunch more flavor to a locale, without you actually having to go through the trouble of making up a guard regiment.
in my homebrew setting have all of this bar Elite forces may add that. the capital of the human Kingdom guard force is called Talon Company as the King formerly Lord gelthari family is Griffin themed even have some tamed ones in the Royal Palace. their armour style is Plate mail and chain mail with fur for when winter hits, weaponly is generaly Cudgels and crossbows for rendering threat unconscious or Wounding/Disarming threats. and Nets and cuffs for capture. the city only has 3 districts from the 2 rivers runing through it, the Noble's and Castle district Known as the Crest District the central market and royal palace witch is called the Roost District and the feather dristrict mostly housing and the fields beyond it. 2 Mini district are the docks witch is called the Maw, and the castle overlooking the city and palace called the Den as it Mainly used my Military high command, and was Once the palace for the dragonblood royal family before their dynasty ended. the structure isfrom top to Buttom Commander: Command Entire city Sargent: command a District The Watchers: Mostly Scouts and eyes in the sky Using Hawks to spot Criminals Officer: steet cop patrols and bosses the Privates around works along side the Watchers as Equals Private just does their job also most can use magic magic users are 98 % of all humans in my setting so most can cast magic to some decree weather their good at it is another matter, all of the watchers are spells casters that have undergone Rigorus training so for Magical threats or casters they get called in as front line help. each guard group has a diffrent name but their all a company of some kind Under the Banner of The watch, and in times of war they take their orders from the Military rather then the Noble Lords under war times, generaly they serve the Lords and common people first. a few Listed Companys so far Talon company Iron Foot Company Badger Company Oldguard Company each company also guards the entire region that city holds.
**WARNING WALL OF TEXT** TL:DR "Iorich by Steven Brust, it is great for guards inspiration, see quote and reason below!" There is this wonderful passage that I downright stole for my guard captains or officers running tabletop, it is from Iorich (Vlad Taltos series), by Steven Burst and it goes something like this: “There was a sergeant at a desk. I knew he was a sergeant because I recognized the marks on his uniform, and I knew it was a desk because it's always a desk. There's always someone at a desk, except when it's a table that functions as a desk. You sit behind a desk, and everyone knows you're supposed to be there, and that you're doing something that involves your brain. It's an odd, special kind of importance. I think everyone should get a desk; you can sit behind it when you feel like you don't matter.” In my opinion, this is such rich writing, because it conveys very briefly the idea, of how a person sits at the desk, to convey tons of personality in one fell swoop. A Captain might sit as if he was the center of the district, and his gaze to reach to the every little corner of his 'realm', a tyrant in his own right. Or it might be a thug more interested in the beer on his desk, than in having to do any lawenforcement work. PCs might visit on their own accord, get dragged in after a fight breaks out, or maybe there is an assignment for them, since they are outsiders and can operate outside of the existing district that they are in. (Especially because cross-districts, the captains might not get along). I would heavily recommend the series in general, but Iorich to anyone that wants a little perspective into on how law, justice and such can take form in a fantasy world. Plus Brust offers many good perspectives on story-telling, which can lend good DM'ing tips too! :3
So I do have my city watch copy pasted from town to town, because they're the same force in each hand town. The Dukes Guard is a force trained by the ruling family of the country, that being Arch-Duke Cannon's family. The Dukes Guard is composed of locals who have been trained at the Cannon Academy and have military equivalent training. The other nobles allow this because Mind Control magic is not common, and working with the Cannon family means the Guard gets access to gunpowder weaponry and a gunpowder ration, both of Which the Cannon Family very tightly controls
Are we not a little cautious about having the guards wear armour that gives resistance or even immunity to certain spell types Maybe I’m just being overly cautious but I feel I’d try and steal a piece even at low level when playing that
A noble with a private guard inside of a walled city. This noble has convinced the city guard loyalty. The noble hires the poor, disenfranchised, foreigners to spark a revolt. All of those that supports the noble's cause do not stop this revolt. Instead, this military eliminates and imprisons the current rulers over the city. Once accomplished the guards now protect, and enforce the rule of the noble's dictates.
"See him stalking day or night The islands of the bay Like some veteran tiger Come to hunt his chosen prey He'll never lack a target here For scum will always rise And to the man who guards your walls That comes as no surprise And who will be the guardian To take your dangers on Who will guard your sleep at night When old Black Cal is gone For one in ten's a predator Who treats the rest as prey So someone's always needed here To drive those wolves away We never left the jungle We just carted it to town The leopards took on human form And follow us around And who will be the guardian To take your dangers on Who will guard your sleep at night When old Black Cal is gone Who will dare deny him there And say it isn't so Most claim there's no walkway at night They wouldn't dare to go That sovereignty or righteousness Will keep them safe from harm And if their own front door is shut The whole wide world is warm And who will be the guardian To take your dangers on Who will guard your sleep at night When old Black Cal is gone Who will say the job is wrong And shouldn't be at all Must then take up the gun themselves To guard each door and wall Must spend their nights in sentry lines Their days in packing heat It's easier to pay the man Full time to guard your streets And who will be the guardian To take your dangers on Who will guard your sleep at night When old Black Cal is gone Evolution never stops We always have to choose The thug who waits to mug you Is collecting Darwin's dues And you can't drive hyenas off By kneeling down to pray So who will raise the weapon then To keep the beasts at bay And who will be the guardian To take your dangers on Who will guard your sleep at night When old Black Cal is gone Run like deer Or die like sheep Or take your dangers on For you must guard your sleep yourselves When old Black Cal is gone" Guardian - Mercedes Lackey - Fever Season Tape
Last time my players attacked the guards the guards just knocked out their Caster in first turn, my players surrendered. This wasn't even the full force of the town, but I saw no reason to hold my punches as the guard defended a town in the middle of a dangerous forest
Keep in mind that guards in the more criminal areas will have dealt with violence and guard targeting violence regularly. Strangers will definitely raise that suspicion. Not to mention that those guards, who's lives are constantly at risk , will most likely respond with violence more quickly to swiftly end whatever danger is presented. It's a self defense mechanism.
It's worth saying that you are specifically talking about Faerun world. Which is high-fantasy. If you play GreayHawk or even lower-fantasy world, then when your players reach level 6 they can easily overtake a city. Maybe later in about 2 weeks or longer there will come an elite nation force that deals with such threats. (There might be no more than 1% of all adventurers above level 6) If you stand your ground against them you will cause a domestic-war between you and the king. If you survive THAT, you have your own country congratulations. Also If you play low-Fantasy, giving guards a fancy name is actually ridiculous. You simply call them guards UNLESS they are actually highly elite.
Idk about your last point. The example he used from Game of Thrones was probably a descriptive that the populous used before the guard started using it themselves. I happen to live in a world where the town guards are called “the blue” or “the fuzz” or “the 5-0”, and my world has zero magic! So it doesn’t have to be flashy and poetic, but having the local populous say “better watch out for the ‘leathers’” is way more realistic and immersive than every town calling them “the guards”
@@link090909 Idk - in Poland we 95% of the time call police - police. And the town guards - the town guards. We sometimes come up with nicknames if we are angry on them like : "dogs" for police. But if you are not particularly angry on the police you don't use that often. The nicknames are neither poetic nor they are historical. They are basically slurs or descriptive. People on roads call police : "the blues" from the blue clothes and lights on cars. So relating name of guards to their history or even making people use nicknames all the time feels out of place. Like in some high-fantasy film or sth.
I write them with some common fucking sense and my players hate it. They think its gonna be like a video game where they always roll high and convince one guard to look the other way and it calls them all off but then they do something stupid and the guard calls them out on it and tries to stop them. Then i have them roll at disadvantage because the guard *saw* them do the crime and when they fail they’re like “Oh guess i’ll have to kill the whole town” and then the guards swarm them with halberds, can attack twice in a turn, have 18 AC, flanking benefits with each other, and warhorns to summon more guards if needed. And all of that is in a relatively low-income standard fantasy setting large town or small city. Bigger cities have guards with nicer armor, faster and quieter means of getting around, and magically enhanced stun clubs that deal additional lightning damage and are non-lethal so the players get beat into submission and sent to prison. Because thats the only thing that really makes sense. A group of four adventurers below level 10 isnt meant to be able to take over an entire city by slaughtering all the guards and government and make it all theirs, and the base stats for standard guards are absolutely that easy to kill that it could very well happen
The “city guard” in my city confuse the players a bit. The city guard only guard the city, they don’t police it. This is the capital of a very rich merchant kingdom (which is protected diplomatically by a larger empire they pay fealty to. The same players interacted with the larger empire a lot in the previous campaign) so most of their policing are accomplished by placing bounties on criminals. Because the city is known for its rich bounties, it attracts a lot of people willing to perform those bounties. But for more local issues, there are a few factions in the city that use their own funds for local policing, which means each district has its own set of rules. These factions vie for power in the city, but their businesses provide essential functions to running a district that the factions are forced to trade. My players are currently hanging out in the outer gate district with the arms dealer, an android constructed by dwarves that brought the dwarves’ gunpowder inventions down from the mountains. The vampires control the river and the flow of water (I just found that ironic and poetic for the vampires). The knights are liaisons for these factions and the local nobility, as well as providing muscle when needed. And the Cthulhu cult can spread information (or misinformation) and collect information with their vast network.
I like the idea of a city campaign where the party is part of the City watch. Big city Like Baldur's Gate or Waterdeep. Plenty of adventure keeping the city safe
Makes sense. Historically a guard was just a patriot who could afford a little bit better weapons than garden tools or table ware who was willing to take a stand if someone threatened his tribe.
Excellent points in this video. HOWEVER, shame on the players for committing crimes/harming guards/bribing them!!! As for your point about unique naming for the guards. Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe has a great example of that.
So question... what about naming the guards in a "Pleasure District" of sorts? We can't exactly call them "The professionals" now can we? 🤷♂️ with how that can be confusing.
My favourite are the Stormreach city watch, in Eberron. Stormwatch is a city with seatrade and piracy as its main theme. The city watch is corrupt to the bone, easily bribeable, with no sense of civic duty whatsoever.
I wouldn’t make guards in wealthy areas less experienced, if anything I would say those guards would likely be more experienced, especially in leadership roles, but perhaps their approaching the end of their career. They have played the game and made their way up the chain and are more experienced and refined as professionals. However having moved to serve in a less crime prone district maybe they’ve put on a bit of extra weight. They also might be less likely to rough up a suspect but more likely to profile perceived outsiders. They would also likely be better equipped and paid, being expected to at least create the illusion to the nobles and merchants they serve as a community of competence. You have to be careful about making guards in an area that houses wealth and power less capable: players will see that as an opportunity for mischief. Organically in the world, officials will know this and will want capable guards who can handle any ne'er-do-wells who might seek to exploit the wealth and power of the district.
That's why you introduce the elite unit very early on. Then if they DO decide to try and rob the guards, they can't be too surprised when the elite unit deploys and they end up in jail 🤷
Don’t let them be stupid Remember PCs should not be on par with a typical “adventurer” but guards should be. Have them work in teams Make real consequences if you fight with or gods forbid kill a guard.
Get a full time job as a security guard and keep it for about a year or two. Then you'll have a sense of just how widely variable their experiences are, how few of those experiences are violent, how much boredom and tedium is involved, and the lack of respect with which they are treated. It's a job that tends to shape the people who work it, especially depending on where they work, how much danger is involved, etc. Most guards come from colorful lives and landed in this tedious line of work out of necessity. They may be a failed scholar, disenfranchised noble, reformed criminal being given a second chance, etc. The advantage of taking a bribe should be weighed against the advantage of catching a criminal and having it on their record when promotions are considered.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
1. Shaped by the City 00:42
2. Guards and districts 02:28
3. Choosing the name 04:43
4. Structure and Ranks 08:28
5. The Elite Force 11:09
I like your voice. You should read audiobooks.
What I always loved to do with new players. I wrote out this hand written note on old paper in cursive. It was a letter from a man's family written by his wife. Talking about her excitement at his new position and the new baby coming. How she misses him, but she understands his new job means he will have to be away from her for awhile. I would have them find that note the first time they kill a random guard. Make your players think twice before just killing NPCs. In my games even my NPCs have detailed backgrounds. It was also really funny when the daughter of the guard becomes an ultimate warlock to get revenge.
still waiting for the day that my players will be faced by such guilt tripping instead of literaly laughing 🥲
This is genius if only the players weren’t sociopaths half the time
@@cevellianI mean, you can always have such things have real-world consequences. The questgivers no longer want their help, call them criminals, there is a manhunt for them, they can't get anything done, and if they keep up their antics, they eventually end up in over their head, losing their characters to the headsman's axe. Any players pushed away from the table are good riddance, and any that are not will take your game seriously.
@@ethanwilliams1880There's nothing wrong with an evil campaign. You just have to make them commit to it. The most frustrating part is writing new notes on how to progress.
Anyone who is so narcissistic that they believe they should be able to start slaying random guardsmen and get away with it, does deserve to be shown the door however.
@@TheCpg117ah yes, the murder hobo campaign
I once made a royal guard called the Jawbreakers who were a police force specced for heavy antimagic; lead coated equipment, capable of dispel magic, silence and sometimes even antimagic fields. Their preferred weapons were maces because it's hard to cast verbal spells with your jaw broken.
had similar in my homebrew game had Royal Knight known as the Purple Knight their main job was guarding the Royal family and still Remaining Dragons, however Assasinations and dragonslayer ended thing and the Purple Knights faded alway.
in my setting every human can cast magic tho it from their Bloodline, Orginaly their was very few humans that could use magic but after many years it became very common, when the dragons came the Royal family formed and Alliance with the good dragons and the Purple Knight where born human Incapable of Using magic clad in Armour that nullifies Magic even Dragon magic, these knight would train their bodies and minds to become masters of every weapon and use the armour to cast spells and prevent casters from fighting back.
by the time players entered the setting all but 1 remains locked in a tomb and cursed with Vamprism, tho the cadet branch still lives they have magic tho and one is a General in the Human army
Make an opposing force for the guards to meet with force & adapt to overtime.
You could one-up things by looking into medieval history and having guards be members of the local guilds. These aren't a full time police, but instead are all the smiths, carpenters, and so forthers who have guard duty for the week or month. The party might one day encounter a favorite shopkeep patrolling the streets one day with their apprentice running the shop!
Little local militia like this is how I run the smallest towns. Towns of thousands, or even several hundred, need to organize permanent paid professionals. A town of 50 doesn't have that option, and even if they did a 2-3 person team is generally more than they even need on a regular basis.
So, once a week/month volunteers get picked for duty. Be that local guild, land owners... etc. In some towns it's just 3 people to walk the few streets they have at night, in others it's just a pair sitting in the watchtower with a brass bell.
I run small hamlets like this, a local militia with regular training and elected peace officer who is a local craftsman or elder. The larger rural towns, without walls, have a local sheriff with 5 to 6 paid men at arms working in shifts. Walled towns are roughly the same but with two night watchmen at the main gate.
Larger cities and towns have a more organized presence with regular patrols. One city, called Winter’s Fall, is a midsized walled city with a lord’s keep. It’s a peaceful rural holding, the city guard is 50 men at arms within the walls. Being rural they have a “ranger” conclave that patrols the lands outside the walls that is 30 strong. They have conscription when needed, but there are other things going on in the area that can help if needed based on aid agreements.
Dude yes! Your local characters on the team; on a dock water town it could be: the chief of dock operations on the fastest boat on town, a team of loading automatons controled remotely by local industry CEO, corrupt son of local governor with the best weapon money can buy, mafia appointee to keep things in check, and the people's hero local badass Ripley who try to protect the local fishermen from the inside.
And of course you can interact with all of them in their respective path.
"You sly dog! You had me worldbuilding!"
Even large towns would only have paid thugs (employed by the local magistrate, lord or sherif) as full time guards, not professional law enforcers. The concept of the Police is very novel in the grand scheme of things.
Warhammer Fantasy has tons of rich worldbuilding like this. Middenheim works exactly as you described for example. The city mandates each family contribute an able man to serve in the guard for a period, but the wealthy can pay a tax to avoid this. This also adds an extra layer of political intrigue to the city. A family with a military history might lampoon mercantile families that pay their way out of service for example.
The guards in the mage university part of the city are called the Thaumaturgic Weapons Abatement Team. Their armour is magic resistant and has their identity T.W.A.T. boldly displayed fron and back.😉
😂😂😂😂
... I gotta steal that. That's brilliant
"I used to be a DM like you, but then I took a peasant railgun to the knee"
Classic workplace hazard for a D&D guard 😂
@@TalesArcane my players once did one with a bag of salt. They were facing a beholder... yes, they threw salt in the eye of the beholder at mach 20...
@Teraclon As funny as it is, I would have each peasant make a dexterity check to handle the bag after the first pass... I doubt the 4th one in line would make it.
@@icantafford I did do it for every 5th peasant... everyone cleared it. RNJesus wanted it to happen xD
@Teraclon After about the 8th peasant it would take consecutive nat 20s to properly handle something moving that fast
I think what was left out completely from this video: The city guard is not just the police, it is also the garrison. In the past, there was no difference between soldier and policeman. Yes, there were specialized units but that's about it.
This means you will probably have quite a lot more guards than described and quite a few militia men that can be called up within a day or two.
This also means that guard strong points and watchhouses will be close to walls and gates (except for larger cities). And the guards will even in better neighborhoods be trained to the standards of going to war, even if they might lack experience.
This isn't a constant across history. There were cities that were policed by civilian militia, and others that were policed by soldiers in a lords retinue. There's a ton of diversity in social structure in medieval themed settings which is what makes them interesting.
@@CrizzyEyes By chance do you know any good sources on this type of thing? I've looked into the subject before but didn't have much luck
@@Sierra99 I don't have a single source ready because I have studied this stuff as a hobby since I was a teenager. I know that pre-modern Venice was a city-state that had a proper government-organized militia, which in turn was usually ran by mercenary commanders during war time. It was not the seat of a duchy or any of the traditional feudal hierarchies, although they did have an aristocratic class. Looking into the history of Venitian militia might be a good place for you to start since it's rather unusual while also being a powerful state throughout history. It's usually easier to find sources on specific topics rather than very broad ones like "police forces throughout all of history and multiple cultures"
@@CrizzyEyes That does sound like a good start, much appreciated!
@@CrizzyEyes While true, history also didn't have to deal with magical bullshit and monsters. As such, fantasy guards at least should not only care about the people inside the city, but also about keeping anything harmful out of it. Thus, I'd say they would be more of a mixture between policemen and soldiers.
I think the works of Terry Pratchett have an excellent depiction of guards.
One of the guard wears boots with completely worn through soles because he can tell where he is in the city just by feeling the cobblestones.
They have very few jobs as in the city serious crimes are often dealt with by the victims, and crimes like robbery are dealt with by the thieves guild, who sell licenses for crime that basically function as a great protection racket and who deal with “Unlicensed crime” quickly. The assassins guild simply refuses to take contracts that would upset the balance of the city too much.
Quick correction: he doesn't wear old shoes to feel the cobbles, he feels the cobbles because his shoes are worn through and he can't afford to replace them
@@abithefallenhuman921
Quicker correction, he can afford to he just not too good with money. Also when he becomes wealthy he trades his good new boots for his men old worn ones.
@@Umcarasemvideo apologies, I was specifically talking about the passage the original commenter was discussing
Guards with Fire Resistance makes sense. They might be first responders to fires that break out, it's very common damage type, and they have the added benefit of protecting against warmer temperatures.
As someone who's worn both medieval and modern armours in the heat of summer...I wish I had Fire Resistance.
A hot and bothered, very sweaty guardsman who is 100% done with shit and is at the tail end of a 12hr shift is less likely to be over aggressive during their encounters. Heat alone can drive people mad or feed their anger.
Also gives a more logical reason to giving out magical loot. They get in a fight with a dirty cop guard, get their fire resistant armor.
Instead of just random stuff being in a chest in a dungeon.
That falls in the "very specific personal experience that feeds into hyper realism nobody cares about" bucket.
Considering people throw fireballs about, I'm all up for wands of spray water to have something vs city fires. But that's about it.
Great video.
One thing to add about the elite force: Try creating them with synergy in mind and play them with optimal (mean) tactics. They will be perfectly trained for situations like these and know their city so depending on your campaign they should single out focus fire individual players, cut off escape routes, have backup, ranged, and potentially air support and generally just feel unfair to fight against. That way, they feel like the threat they deserve and it's not "can we beat the high-threat response team" but rather "can we pull this off before THEY arrive?"
I was in Security Forces on active duty in the Air Force including years on the Emergency Services Team (now Tactical Response Force) and then worked as the Director of Security for music festivals and some work as a bouncer/doorman.
This is brilliant overall, but I have one point where we differ. The wealthy district has the means and incentive to hire some really top-tier talent to protect themselves and their property. Perhaps there could be advantage for the players on initiative rolls if they surprise them due to boredom and complacency, but they are actually likely to be very competent and experienced. The guards at the docks may be more rough and tumble, but the wealthy residents will often have a disproportionate representation of the best talent on the roster assigned to their district and/or they may be supplemented by private security forces.
Excellent contribution. Never would have seen that coming. Thanks!
Sounds very accurate to me. Tbh, the guards at the docks are likely to be more rough and tumble, but perhaps less "professional" in their general conduct. Shitty parts of the city are likely to be seen as bad assignments, which will probably lead to them becoming dumping grounds for guys who have disciplinary issues.
Maybe a seafaring and trading town could have a security guild for hire for the docks and have a tiered package depending on the cargo content. An insurance company may even run the security guards and require ships porting in the town to pay for a fee to maintain the peace on the docks and have basic umbrella coverage. This can be used a town that has an economy heavily dependent on sea trade routes.
Great advice! I have found that giving your guard forces access to powerful, single-use items such as scrolls and potions is a good way to have them punch above their weight.
Good advice in general.
My players are running out of the small town of Brookfall, about 2000 people, mostly humans and halflings. The town is patrolled by "The Wardens", a reference to them being the protectors of the forested foothills region before the town was settled.
These days they're a small force of about 25 strong. Led by the "High Warden" who is personally responsible for the district of Eastside, which is home to the local nobility. His deputies, the "North/South Wardens", are responsible for the Highland District above the falls and Lowland Districts respectively.
Should the party, or monsters, ever act up the local nobility effectivly have their own adventuring party on standby. The Baron's own former companions, as the Baron is a former mercenary captain. On top of that the town is also home to a small military fort supplied and supported by the larger nation of which Brookfall is a part, and headed by the local Baron as well. As a border community with an adversarial neighbor, this makes sense here, it might not for your town.
I enjoyed your video thanks
A couple of things I have found useful to consider
In northern Europe the East end is the poor neighbourhood in most cities this is due mainly to wind most commonly coming from the west, smell of industry should not blow over the people with money. Where you create your city will be effected by common whether patters, and as such where the neigbourhoods appear, this will then effect patrol routes.
And size of guard force, in the UK there is currently roughly 1 officer per 440 inhabitants so think about size of population, and risk factors, if it is safe town inside a semi safe kingdom, is it somewhere lawless, what is the budget the local lord is willing to spend on maintaining the "peace" how much tax does he collect.
so i worked on tables regarding this in the current world for a base line for types of force size
Mali --- 1 Police officer for 3,300 people
Somalia - 1 PO per 2,350 people
Sweden - 1 PO per 1PO per 550 people
England & Wales - 1 PO per 440 people
Scotland - 1 PO per 316 people - maybe unemployment is higher in one area and has more civil unrest?
China - 1PO per 700 people --- maybe there is a hidden force that is not recognized as police but political enforcement in your city
Argentina - 1 PO per 125 people -- why civil unrest? government work force (national service? - in which case most guards are young and not very good)
Vatican city - 1 PO per 6 people --- why so high? religious, tourist?
Palestine - 1 PO per 54 people
Pitcairn Island - 1 PO per 28 people --- maybe it has a super small population Pitcairn only has two officers for the whole island. but the population is tiny.
Then once you have worked on your number divide by 3, that would show you how many "watch" members per shift assuming each guard works 12 hours remember even in medieval times people did get days off. See if the schedule you want works, 7 on days, 2 off, 7 on nights, 5 off... that means that the guards rotate, or do you want a specific feel that changes as the sun goes down, then you could have 12 hours day and 12 hours night or 8,8,8 with one shift being on when the city gates are open and most merchants around 8am to 4pm for example remember in this case with a 2 shift system divide by two then remove 14% that allows for the people on their one day a week off. Days off allows you to have NPC guards met by accident in the market while doing their shopping or in the tavern but not in uniform.
Now you have your actual number then you can build up how many levels of hierarchy.
So a village of 200 houses probably has 400 adults and 800 children so 1,200 people total - so something like England that is 3 POs, 1 per shift. But near the forest that orcs come from maybe 2 per shift, any more the local lord would not be able to maintain the money unless he over taxed them, (maybe there are more but they are local smithy/baker* called when needed etc)
A town with 1,000 houses would have a population of about 6,000 but also has more businesses paying gate tax, business tax so the lord has more money, does he spend it on the POs if not then lawless only 3 officers one per shift. (maybe the guild is hired and takes payment from those captured) or like Palestine 111 officers in three shifts?
Also if walled is the PO force responsible for the wall? or is that a different force, is there conflict between them?
Day watch professional and pretty? Night Watch deadbeats who like to rough and tumble? if you have clear delineation between shifts then the PCs can find one shift easy to be around and the other to be not? can't bribe the day guard, sunny, higher than thou, do not like poor people, wait till shift change.
*people always thing of smiths as being strong... a baker is carrying around 45kg bags of flour every day, usually village bakers have arms as big as a smith if not more so.. the village i grew up in you would see the baker once a week with 2 bags of flour per shoulder on flour delivery day walking from the lorry to his store house and back for an hour that guy could carry 180kg on his shoulders like it was nothing because he had been doing every week for 12 - 15 years.
One of my favorite things is to have guards join in on the shenanigans early on and help the party so they realize wanton murder of the constabulary isn’t a meaningless crime. When terry the catchpole stopped you from getting ganked by kobolds and now stands watch on the bakers street every day but Sunday they really don’t want to stab him for no reason.
It seems to me that a very useful topic for a video could be about how to create a group of capable NPCs who do not do the party's job for them. There's always been a struggle to explain why the PCs shouldn't call the cops when they find out about criminals, or why Elminster doesn't go get a magic item from a dungeon instead of sending four 3rd level up-and-comers after it. There are actually a lot of possible reasons, but they aren't always obvious. A well-explained, numbered list of options and examples could really help in this regard. You know somebody's going to ask why the Elite Force isn't out there getting rich in dungeons. There are a lot of possible reasons why, and they might make for a good video if you have the time and interest.
I always imply that people like Elminster and Laerel are worried about things even more important than the quest the characters are on. If you get to meet one of these people, it's not because you are the most important people in this realm (at least not yet), it's because they set aside half an hour in their schedule to give you a job, and you're not the only adventurers they're probably dealing with, especially at low levels. As for the guards, it's indeed more complex. Corruption/laziness and being overstretched in terms of resources and manpower are the ones I tend to imply most often
I like showing my guards to be focused on the overt, like real life uniformed police. They're dealing with blatant, in your face, surface crime. Sometimes, in service to that, they catch more covert and subtle crimes too but it's not their job.
This is where parties like the players or higher level special forces can fit in, and either step on toes or not. They deal in the darker side, where the badge either can't or won't tread unless stumbled into. Crime rings, cabals, cartels, cults, and mafias.
GM: You are admitted to see the Guard Captain.
PC: We tell him about the assassination plot against the Count.
Guard Captain: "My Baron and two of the Count's heirs are plotting this?" *thoughtful pause* "You'd best be on your way to tell the Count then." *shuffles some papers* "Mayhap I'll see you after..."
PC: Did he just say "Not my circus"?
GM: Yuuuup
@@abrahamroloff8671 Also the weirder side, like strange tunnels appearing beneath the inn and sightings of "ghosts." If a modern-day cop with a belt full of tools couldn't solve the problem, that's when you need people who have survived even weirder stuff than that out in the borderlands. If they die or get turned into frogs, well, then you can send in your best local agents . . . but first let's try the disposable outsiders who include a wizard and a cleric.
@@AlexS_983 It's a good answer, and often recommended in the modules. I always have a followup question about that: what is the actual power structure in that world if wizards are teleporting around offering jobs to adventurers instead of the local authorities? How does the local baron feel about that? Does Elminster inform the local lord so that the party won't get in trouble for following leads into the capital city? What is the relationship between Elminster and the lords of Waterdeep, or with the high clerics of the Temple of Bahamut?
Imagine if there were some random guy appearing all over a modern country offering suitcases of money to random biker gangs and bounty hunters to stick their noses into shady situations, "since you have proven you can handle yourselves." It's a different world, of course, but the masters of that world don't see it that way.
Honest question, since I'm not a master of Elminster lore. How many kingdoms officially list him as a troublemaker, or even as a suspected criminal? I have to imagine a few adventuring parties have been arrested and told the watch, "Listen, we were hired by the great Elminster, if you'd just check with him . . . "
I realize that I haven’t really ever given any thought to the city guards in my adventures and I realize I need to do a lot better for my players. Thank you for pointing this out and for the great process! ❤️
As someone designing and piecing together their very first city, this video is invaluable and just in the nick of time!
Evidently my Wish spell was heard! 😁
8:35 - Would a village or a small town even have a guard force? In many cases probably not. The 'watch' would be local townspeople who would stand on the palisade at times when deemed necessary, but a permanent guard force would be need to be maintained and who is going to provision that? A patrol guard force walking the street like beat cops would be even less likely.
Honestly, this is why whenever I’m either sitting in on a game I’m not a regular member of or one with a lot of people with really intricate backgrounds I LOVE playing a “retired” member of the city watch. Give the DM a great chance to flesh out parts of the world most players are antagonistic to and is very grounded
Also it lets me use just some of the worst voices which is always fun
In one of my kingdoms there is a type of guard called the Magus Enforcers who are guards equipped with magical abilities. They’re visually distinct due to the collars of their coats being made from leather. As such the common folk nicknamed them “leathernecks”
Oh this is getting added ... makes it easy to identify which town you're in too. Would suggest the elite force as "tell don't show" initially ... so perfect on rumour table. Oppressive city where heavy handed watch are the thuggish "Jailers" ... obviously commanded by the Dungeon Master 😂 the prison break scenario writes itself. Thank you.
it's kinda interesting that really specifying the characteristics of the local guards (or an equivalent for games that don't really use classic Fantasy standard guards) is most lkelly to happen in the absolute lowest and absolute highest power level games
for rather different reasons obviously
in my godbound game i always have a pretty good idea of how many people are "guarding" a place, and what their structure is because there's a non-zero chance they might try to fight all of them
while the local character of guards in low powered games is obviously important, as you're at their mercy a lot of the time in one way or another (especially as a lot of low power level games are about criminals for whatever reason)
First (I cheated and took the bus)
Fr this is my favorite advice channel, the advice is way more thought provoking and more inspiring than any I’ve seen, keep it up please!!!
Really like this approach. Tying your background characters to the setting makes for terrific depth.
My favorite guard set up was in a high level elven city. There weren't a like a hundred of them, but each sentry was a druid and 2 ancients paladin. They communicated through hanging vines throughout the city and could tree stride to eachother if needed.
I really enjoy your videos. You give excellent advice and help me think through how to improve my games in creative but practical ways. Thank you!
This is super useful, thanks!
I had a local warden threaten to impound the adventurers battle wagon due to them not having something the local baron had decreed was needed.....
The response almost simultaneously was "What the F*** is INSURANCE?!" 😂
My city is so filled with guilds, fees, taxes, and regulations that the PCs consider the local leader to the one of the BBEGs. You have to be a member of the guard or adventurer's guild to even carry a weapon and a member of the magic guild to cast spells and violation comes with fines and/or imprisonment. They have worked out a way to slide through the bureaucracy for the most part but they got stuck paying fees and bribes several times.
Hey thanks! I feel good rpg videoes are fsr between with 30 years experience. But i needed to hear this
In addition: give the guard a nickname and an official. The gold cloaks are (maybe?) Called "The protectorate marshals of Kings landing". But just known as the gold cloaks
I know you always give amazing advice for dnd, but honestly you're just a joy to listen to
Thank You! Great Video!
I’ve been working on the guards for a city-state and everything you mentioned has been jambling around in my mind for weeks, but you put everything so succinctly, very well done! Saving this for sharing later!
Feeding the algorithm, you’re awesome at this. Keep the good stuff coming!
Great video!
One thing I would add as back up to the guard is Bounty Hunters or Assassins depending on the towns alignment.
I really love your map backgrounds while you share this great advice. Thanks for the quality video!
I recently discovered your channel.
This must be the biggest secret on the internet. I'm really enjoying your content. The most applicable advice to my DMing style I've found yet. And I've already subscribed to at least 3 other popular channels.
Dungeoncraft, the DM's Lair, and RP Archive.
I feel things like this are something every dm thinks of, but not a lot put the time to organize it as well as this. Very good video. Thanks
Awesome shirt!
Nice concise video too. Great points. Really liking your content ☺️
I need this video (in about 4-10 months for my next campaign) I saved if for later. :D Lots of great information. Thank you.
Great Video. This is some really good advice. I really like your naming convention.
Thanks for this video. You have definitely made me consider my guards more.
One of the things I did was make an adventuring guild called the "irregulars"
All adventurers go through training before becoming members, and taking commissions without guild membership is punishable by a hefty fine.
This puts certain expectations and limits on the plyers. They aren't just murder hobos, they are semi-official in their own right. Like civilian contractors with government contracts.
It also allows their level to be translated into guard/military rank when needed.
But limiting characters would always come with an offset benefit.
While in any town or city of the Kingdom they are serving, they can act with legal authority to question people, and room and board is covered by the crown. They just have to show that they are Irregulars in good standing.
The capitol guards "The Protectors of the Heart" work with the Irregulars, some gratefully due to understaffing, some resentfully, but also know they can call on irregulars to supplement their numbers when needed.
If PCs go murder hobo, they loose their privileges, but also have the guards calling in full blown adventurers as the "Elite force" to deal with them.
Likewise, the PCs can find themselves called upon at higher level to BE the élite force.
I've been diving into a lot of your old videos. Great stuff.
This is fantastic advice
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing, I'm really loving your content. Keep up the good work, it's appreciated.
Some good advice in this video, thanks for sharing your ideas.
Using the guards as walking visual exposition of a city and its districts. That is brillaint. You can say a lot without saying much at all. It can be a vector into deeper history, if the players want to go there. It certainly does help with variety.
Very extensive video! Lots of useful information for inspiration.
I feel like the experience of the guards would be the opposite, especially if the guards are actually an organized position under an authority rather than a localized militia.
The more experienced guards would be assigned to defend the nobility, even if those districts see less action and crime. Either because working in richer districts is seen as a reward for accomplished guards, or because the nobility request to have the more accomplished guards in order to make themselves seem safer.
Guards working in high crime districts have a much less incentive to actually interfere with crime. Crime is widespread and dangerous, and there is little reward for actually doing a good job, especially if there is a local crime organization. There might be some seasoned guards who are there to actually do their jobs, but I feel it would be much more likely that working in crime districts is a dead-end position that most guards seek to work their way out of or take advantage of through corruption, or get positioned as a punishment for not bowing to authority or nobility.
In one of my campaing I did this, every major town had their own guards, I even made Hero Forge minis to show my player
Thanks for the advices !!
Happy to help! 😁
There are a lot of good ideas here, especially about the differences in the watch in different districts and their rank structures and organization. But it does presume a civilization with a great deal of wealth and advancement, particularly in the idea that even small villages have four or five full time guards and that most cities will have some kind of elite force to call in when the fit hits the shan.
In a world with more of an early medieval/Dark Age feel, a peasant village won’t have any guards at all; if there’s trouble, the manor lord, his sons and his bailiff have to deal with it personally, bringing along whatever farmhands with hoes and rakes they can find if the danger looks bad. If they still can’t handle the attackers, then the survivors will send a speedy horseman or two to the Duke’s castle, which may be a day or two away even at full gallop, and it may be another day or two before the Duke can get a large enough force together to kill or drive away the outlaws. In the meantime, the villagers will likely head for the hills with whatever they can carry.
Likewise, a city watch in a poor, post-imperial-collapse type of place is likely to be amateurs conscripted to serve a day or two each month, with no training or esprit de corps, and certainly with no elite force. Frontier towns are often too poor to want to pay for professional police; even in the boomtowns of the American West, the city leaders usually had to be facing out-of-control crime before they would fork over the money to hire a marshal to supplement the county sheriff. Even if they can afford a professional city guard, the local clergy and nobility may hesitate to create a force that they could potentially lose control of or which could even displace them (as the Goldcloaks did to Eddard Stark). A fight that the watch can’t win will be met with church bells tolling and the local priests and leaders sending in any ad hoc force of knights and squires who answer the call, rather than by a modern SWAT-like team of trained professionals. This sort of unplanned emergency response could be a great adventure hook, of course.
Finally, if there is a full time guard force, give the guards something to do when they’re not guarding. There should be a favorite tavern where they like to congregate when they come off shift. There should be a lake nearby where they go and fish or hunt, and perhaps give their guard dogs a little practice following trails. They may have a favorite church or temple where they pray together, ask for healing, and offer sacrifices to their gods. There may even be a house of ill repute that the unmarried (?) ones frequent, and some of the working girls, for the right price, may tell the adventurers which guards are bribeable, or blackmailable, or incorruptible. All this is part of the good advice to make each guard force unique.
holy crap, you voice is not what I was expecting. solid video, thanks
very well done bro
I have overlapping levels of guards in my city Erathvorn, a large city built on the concept of law and order. Level 1 are the beat cops who patrol and deal with petty crimes. They are the Erathvorn Guard but the populace know them as Yellow Bellies for their yellow and black tabards. They are bullies who demand bribes and are generally hated. Next are higher level guards called the Pearl Hammers. The city is a theocracy to the goddess Erathis and Pearl Garlstrucker is a major bishop. Her guard are soldier level in quality but also serve as a religious Inquisition, rooting out threats to order or heresy to Erathis. They are named for their leader whose dress is covered in pearls even though the city is a thousand miles from the nearest sea. The populace fear them, closing doors and shutters when they march by. The next level are the Knights of Erathis, a paladin order who ride griffons and are seen as the ultimate ideal of good, literal knights in shining armor. They deal with any large disturbances in town and have authority to take command of any Yellow Belly or Pearl Hammer unit in times of emergency. One final thing is that the Adventurer's Guild must provide one adventuring company per day to serve as law enforcement under the command of the Yellow Bellies. This is a rotating job so no single group does it often. The hero adventurers will eventually have to do this duty which lets them get inside the guards and explore them as more than just the guys who show up when the fireball start flying.
I'm still fairly new to DM'ing, but my elite guard of a capital that is fairly connected to the Fey Wilds are called the Ancients, and I've drawn a lot of inspiration from the Oath of the Ancients paladin subclass, as they very much are a lot more apt in using magic and coutnering it.
Wow, where have you been during my DM career? Fantastic advice on a topic rarely discussed and brilliantly presented.
Neverwinter in DnD's Forgotten Realms has multiple guard-organizations, covering different districts and responsibilities. Look up the Greycloaks.
As a precursor, I think it's also important to determine whether the guard forces are a separate entity to the military or an extension of it. In the latter case, the "guards" may well be veterans who makes little to no distinction between "criminals" and "enemies", meaning they'd be much more likely to use lethal force. It also means the justice system may be more like "catch 'em and hang 'em" rather than a more robust judicial process. Where the city watch are a separate entity, it is likely that there may be detectives and other specialised roles, as well as fully-fledged justice system. And then the justice system... who are the judges, how are they appointed? In some places, they might be clerics of a lawful god, in others they might be rich, educated high-born folks with keen minds. And some places may just pack you off to the arena to fight for your life - let the gods decide! Best of all, whatever choice you make informs so much of the rest of the city!
Outstanding advice! Def a Subscriber now.
I’ve been working on a worldbuilding project set in a very backstabby, Italian Renaissance-like kingdom with a paranoid king. There is a sort of domestic spy organization/secret police called the “Orecchie del Re”, the “Ears of the King”. I haven’t gotten far into the world yet, but I will definitely keep these tips in mind for the future!
great video! going to add this to my game.
As another shining example, I really like how Matt played the crownsguard in the first couple episodes of campaign 2 of Critical Role.
You shaved?!?!? Man I was really digging your mustache it was starting to look pretty dang good
This guy’s spittin’ wisdom out here!
New Tales Arcane! WOOOOOOOO
That's what this year is all about - regular upload schedules!
It always sounds to me like you say "fancy storytelling" and that's a perfect description of D&D!
"shall we gather for whiskey and cigars?"
Brilliant content
Cool! I'll try and remember these
Here is some wisdom from your betters:
- City guard encounters are with 2-16 mercenary soldiers in the employ of the city as gate and wall guards or in a police function. There will always be 1 higher level leader- 2 if more than 8 guards, 3 if more than 12 - in addition to the 0 level guardsmen. Leaders are of 2nd to 5th level fighting ability. They will question suspicious persons, arrest law breakers, etc. In addition, the guard party will always be accompanied by a magic-user of 1st to 4th level who is indentured for 1 year far some service rendered to him or her by the city which was not repayable in some other manner (bad debts, resurrection, infraction of city rules, non-payment of taxes, etc.).
- City watchman encounters are with squads of the watch (5 men plus a 1st - 3rd level sergeant during daylight; double numbers, plus a 4th or 5th level lieutenant at night). These squads will always be accompanied by a cIeric of 2nd to 5th level indentured to the city as magic-users are to the guard. They will generally act as do city guards, and at night these patrols will be ready to aid attacked persons and arrest lawbreakers.
The AD&D DMG town/city encounters table is a wealth of wisdom that can be drawn from.
Who doesn't love rolling on the Harlot Tables.
Creating a street encounter table is a nice way of filling out the city streets. Far from all are going to be hostile. You can hound the PCs with vendors, place road crews in their path, let them meet more or less friendly drunk caravaneers, playful street dogs chasing them, prostitutes looking for a john and water buffalo taking a nap. There will be lots of moments where "Who is on the street right now?" is important. There you can bake in guard encounters. One of my friends made 2-3 charts for different parts of town, and a roll of d20 instead of d12 when night fell and the weird stuff came out.
A level 1 sergeant overseeing every ten level 0 goons is a ratio we've used. If the PCs hire their own mercenary unit, they get the same. I know some 2e settings could be generous with medium-level people. Walking into a pub run by a level 6 bloke or meeting some level 5 MUs travelling through wasn't odd. They were not the norm but they were generously sprinkled through the world. I tend to follow the level 0 norm more extensively. I tend to make spellcasters rare. They might have a spellcaster somewhere in the watch and a few more on retainer in case they need them but not so many they can staff them in foot patrols.
Thieves' World had an extremely high encounter chance. Every 15 minutes once you stuck your nose out the door at morning I think. A lot of those would be normal folks who just happened to be around. Everywhere you go in Sanctuary, there's a chance some sod is along by chance. A lot of results are going to be "five kids are playing on the corner" or "two dudes with a wagon are trying to pass".
I have this "there are no random NPC's" rule in my games. As in I don't allow my players to approach a "random guard". Because no one ever approaches random people. They look around and see 5-10 guards. And then they pick one to approach. So the player will describe the guard they approach along with what they wish to accomplish from the interaction.
"I approach the young guard in a brand new uniform. Looks like it's the first day on the job so I expect him to be super gullible and easily manipulated."
Or:
"I approach this old grey haired guard that looks like he's a week away from retirement. Someone who's willing to look the other way at everything and just wanna get through this week and maybe pocket a quick bribe."
Instantly tells me a whole heap of how the player wishes to engage with the town as a whole, it takes alot of the load off of me by having me spend less time generating randos and it provides me with a steady stream of NPC's that the players actually care about because they had a hand in their creation.
New to your channel. Are your products compatible with 3.5e? Thanks, Current DM(always learning)
It should be noted that, historically, some times there was no "city guard". Depending on the time and place, justice might be dispensed by whoever was wronged, and whatever guys they could get together, or by every able-bodied man who could answer the hue and cry. This sets a very different paradigm for so called "law enforcement" that can really add a bunch more flavor to a locale, without you actually having to go through the trouble of making up a guard regiment.
in my homebrew setting have all of this bar Elite forces may add that.
the capital of the human Kingdom guard force is called Talon Company as the King formerly Lord gelthari family is Griffin themed even have some tamed ones in the Royal Palace.
their armour style is Plate mail and chain mail with fur for when winter hits, weaponly is generaly Cudgels and crossbows for rendering threat unconscious or Wounding/Disarming threats. and Nets and cuffs for capture.
the city only has 3 districts from the 2 rivers runing through it, the Noble's and Castle district Known as the Crest District the central market and royal palace witch is called the Roost District and the feather dristrict mostly housing and the fields beyond it. 2 Mini district are the docks witch is called the Maw, and the castle overlooking the city and palace called the Den as it Mainly used my Military high command, and was Once the palace for the dragonblood royal family before their dynasty ended.
the structure isfrom top to Buttom
Commander: Command Entire city
Sargent: command a District
The Watchers: Mostly Scouts and eyes in the sky Using Hawks to spot Criminals
Officer: steet cop patrols and bosses the Privates around works along side the Watchers as Equals
Private just does their job
also most can use magic magic users are 98 % of all humans in my setting so most can cast magic to some decree weather their good at it is another matter, all of the watchers are spells casters that have undergone Rigorus training so for Magical threats or casters they get called in as front line help.
each guard group has a diffrent name but their all a company of some kind Under the Banner of The watch, and in times of war they take their orders from the Military rather then the Noble Lords under war times, generaly they serve the Lords and common people first.
a few Listed Companys so far
Talon company
Iron Foot Company
Badger Company
Oldguard Company
each company also guards the entire region that city holds.
**WARNING WALL OF TEXT** TL:DR "Iorich by Steven Brust, it is great for guards inspiration, see quote and reason below!"
There is this wonderful passage that I downright stole for my guard captains or officers running tabletop, it is from Iorich (Vlad Taltos series), by Steven Burst and it goes something like this:
“There was a sergeant at a desk. I knew he was a sergeant because I recognized the marks on his uniform, and I knew it was a desk because it's always a desk. There's always someone at a desk, except when it's a table that functions as a desk. You sit behind a desk, and everyone knows you're supposed to be there, and that you're doing something that involves your brain. It's an odd, special kind of importance. I think everyone should get a desk; you can sit behind it when you feel like you don't matter.”
In my opinion, this is such rich writing, because it conveys very briefly the idea, of how a person sits at the desk, to convey tons of personality in one fell swoop. A Captain might sit as if he was the center of the district, and his gaze to reach to the every little corner of his 'realm', a tyrant in his own right. Or it might be a thug more interested in the beer on his desk, than in having to do any lawenforcement work. PCs might visit on their own accord, get dragged in after a fight breaks out, or maybe there is an assignment for them, since they are outsiders and can operate outside of the existing district that they are in. (Especially because cross-districts, the captains might not get along).
I would heavily recommend the series in general, but Iorich to anyone that wants a little perspective into on how law, justice and such can take form in a fantasy world. Plus Brust offers many good perspectives on story-telling, which can lend good DM'ing tips too! :3
So I do have my city watch copy pasted from town to town, because they're the same force in each hand town. The Dukes Guard is a force trained by the ruling family of the country, that being Arch-Duke Cannon's family. The Dukes Guard is composed of locals who have been trained at the Cannon Academy and have military equivalent training. The other nobles allow this because Mind Control magic is not common, and working with the Cannon family means the Guard gets access to gunpowder weaponry and a gunpowder ration, both of Which the Cannon Family very tightly controls
nice! thanks!
Are we not a little cautious about having the guards wear armour that gives resistance or even immunity to certain spell types
Maybe I’m just being overly cautious but I feel I’d try and steal a piece even at low level when playing that
Give guards paralysis poison, blowpipes and darts. I think its quite fitting for DnD
A noble with a private guard inside of a walled city. This noble has convinced the city guard loyalty. The noble hires the poor, disenfranchised, foreigners to spark a revolt. All of those that supports the noble's cause do not stop this revolt. Instead, this military eliminates and imprisons the current rulers over the city. Once accomplished the guards now protect, and enforce the rule of the noble's dictates.
"See him stalking day or night
The islands of the bay
Like some veteran tiger
Come to hunt his chosen prey
He'll never lack a target here
For scum will always rise
And to the man who guards your walls
That comes as no surprise
And who will be the guardian
To take your dangers on
Who will guard your sleep at night
When old Black Cal is gone
For one in ten's a predator
Who treats the rest as prey
So someone's always needed here
To drive those wolves away
We never left the jungle
We just carted it to town
The leopards took on human form
And follow us around
And who will be the guardian
To take your dangers on
Who will guard your sleep at night
When old Black Cal is gone
Who will dare deny him there
And say it isn't so
Most claim there's no walkway at night
They wouldn't dare to go
That sovereignty or righteousness
Will keep them safe from harm
And if their own front door is shut
The whole wide world is warm
And who will be the guardian
To take your dangers on
Who will guard your sleep at night
When old Black Cal is gone
Who will say the job is wrong
And shouldn't be at all
Must then take up the gun themselves
To guard each door and wall
Must spend their nights in sentry lines
Their days in packing heat
It's easier to pay the man
Full time to guard your streets
And who will be the guardian
To take your dangers on
Who will guard your sleep at night
When old Black Cal is gone
Evolution never stops
We always have to choose
The thug who waits to mug you
Is collecting Darwin's dues
And you can't drive hyenas off
By kneeling down to pray
So who will raise the weapon then
To keep the beasts at bay
And who will be the guardian
To take your dangers on
Who will guard your sleep at night
When old Black Cal is gone
Run like deer
Or die like sheep
Or take your dangers on
For you must guard your sleep yourselves
When old Black Cal is gone"
Guardian - Mercedes Lackey - Fever Season Tape
Last time my players attacked the guards the guards just knocked out their Caster in first turn, my players surrendered. This wasn't even the full force of the town, but I saw no reason to hold my punches as the guard defended a town in the middle of a dangerous forest
Such great information! … and the moving background is giving me motion sickness. 😜
Keep in mind that guards in the more criminal areas will have dealt with violence and guard targeting violence regularly. Strangers will definitely raise that suspicion. Not to mention that those guards, who's lives are constantly at risk , will most likely respond with violence more quickly to swiftly end whatever danger is presented. It's a self defense mechanism.
It's worth saying that you are specifically talking about Faerun world.
Which is high-fantasy.
If you play GreayHawk or even lower-fantasy world, then when your players reach level 6 they can easily overtake a city. Maybe later in about 2 weeks or longer there will come an elite nation force that deals with such threats. (There might be no more than 1% of all adventurers above level 6)
If you stand your ground against them you will cause a domestic-war between you and the king. If you survive THAT, you have your own country congratulations.
Also If you play low-Fantasy, giving guards a fancy name is actually ridiculous. You simply call them guards UNLESS they are actually highly elite.
Idk about your last point. The example he used from Game of Thrones was probably a descriptive that the populous used before the guard started using it themselves. I happen to live in a world where the town guards are called “the blue” or “the fuzz” or “the 5-0”, and my world has zero magic! So it doesn’t have to be flashy and poetic, but having the local populous say “better watch out for the ‘leathers’” is way more realistic and immersive than every town calling them “the guards”
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Idk - in Poland we 95% of the time call police - police.
And the town guards - the town guards.
We sometimes come up with nicknames if we are angry on them like : "dogs" for police.
But if you are not particularly angry on the police you don't use that often.
The nicknames are neither poetic nor they are historical. They are basically slurs or descriptive.
People on roads call police : "the blues" from the blue clothes and lights on cars.
So relating name of guards to their history or even making people use nicknames all the time feels out of place. Like in some high-fantasy film or sth.
I write them with some common fucking sense and my players hate it. They think its gonna be like a video game where they always roll high and convince one guard to look the other way and it calls them all off but then they do something stupid and the guard calls them out on it and tries to stop them. Then i have them roll at disadvantage because the guard *saw* them do the crime and when they fail they’re like “Oh guess i’ll have to kill the whole town” and then the guards swarm them with halberds, can attack twice in a turn, have 18 AC, flanking benefits with each other, and warhorns to summon more guards if needed.
And all of that is in a relatively low-income standard fantasy setting large town or small city. Bigger cities have guards with nicer armor, faster and quieter means of getting around, and magically enhanced stun clubs that deal additional lightning damage and are non-lethal so the players get beat into submission and sent to prison.
Because thats the only thing that really makes sense. A group of four adventurers below level 10 isnt meant to be able to take over an entire city by slaughtering all the guards and government and make it all theirs, and the base stats for standard guards are absolutely that easy to kill that it could very well happen
The “city guard” in my city confuse the players a bit. The city guard only guard the city, they don’t police it. This is the capital of a very rich merchant kingdom (which is protected diplomatically by a larger empire they pay fealty to. The same players interacted with the larger empire a lot in the previous campaign) so most of their policing are accomplished by placing bounties on criminals. Because the city is known for its rich bounties, it attracts a lot of people willing to perform those bounties.
But for more local issues, there are a few factions in the city that use their own funds for local policing, which means each district has its own set of rules. These factions vie for power in the city, but their businesses provide essential functions to running a district that the factions are forced to trade.
My players are currently hanging out in the outer gate district with the arms dealer, an android constructed by dwarves that brought the dwarves’ gunpowder inventions down from the mountains. The vampires control the river and the flow of water (I just found that ironic and poetic for the vampires). The knights are liaisons for these factions and the local nobility, as well as providing muscle when needed. And the Cthulhu cult can spread information (or misinformation) and collect information with their vast network.
I like the idea of a city campaign where the party is part of the City watch. Big city Like Baldur's Gate or Waterdeep. Plenty of adventure keeping the city safe
Makes sense. Historically a guard was just a patriot who could afford a little bit better weapons than garden tools or table ware who was willing to take a stand if someone threatened his tribe.
Excellent points in this video. HOWEVER, shame on the players for committing crimes/harming guards/bribing them!!! As for your point about unique naming for the guards. Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe has a great example of that.
This is good
Nice Video
Thank you :D
So question... what about naming the guards in a "Pleasure District" of sorts? We can't exactly call them "The professionals" now can we? 🤷♂️ with how that can be confusing.
My favourite are the Stormreach city watch, in Eberron. Stormwatch is a city with seatrade and piracy as its main theme. The city watch is corrupt to the bone, easily bribeable, with no sense of civic duty whatsoever.
I wouldn’t make guards in wealthy areas less experienced, if anything I would say those guards would likely be more experienced, especially in leadership roles, but perhaps their approaching the end of their career. They have played the game and made their way up the chain and are more experienced and refined as professionals. However having moved to serve in a less crime prone district maybe they’ve put on a bit of extra weight. They also might be less likely to rough up a suspect but more likely to profile perceived outsiders.
They would also likely be better equipped and paid, being expected to at least create the illusion to the nobles and merchants they serve as a community of competence.
You have to be careful about making guards in an area that houses wealth and power less capable: players will see that as an opportunity for mischief. Organically in the world, officials will know this and will want capable guards who can handle any ne'er-do-wells who might seek to exploit the wealth and power of the district.
Hold person is a devastating spell, making players make a ton of saves eliminates the threat eventually.
If you give the gaurds magic armor, you might as well be giving you players magic armor 😮💨
That's why you introduce the elite unit very early on. Then if they DO decide to try and rob the guards, they can't be too surprised when the elite unit deploys and they end up in jail 🤷
Don’t let them be stupid
Remember PCs should not be on par with a typical “adventurer” but guards should be.
Have them work in teams
Make real consequences if you fight with or gods forbid kill a guard.
Get a full time job as a security guard and keep it for about a year or two. Then you'll have a sense of just how widely variable their experiences are, how few of those experiences are violent, how much boredom and tedium is involved, and the lack of respect with which they are treated. It's a job that tends to shape the people who work it, especially depending on where they work, how much danger is involved, etc.
Most guards come from colorful lives and landed in this tedious line of work out of necessity. They may be a failed scholar, disenfranchised noble, reformed criminal being given a second chance, etc.
The advantage of taking a bribe should be weighed against the advantage of catching a criminal and having it on their record when promotions are considered.