I know I've seen this in a game before, but I want to have my PCs caught in a stampeding crowd.
The set up is this: they are in a crowded Daask bar in Lower Sharn investigating something. The NPC they're with instigates a combat -- when this starts, the crowd rushes out -- so the party will have to do a combat encounter while also avoiding getting crushed by the crowd. For the mechanics of it, I was thinking about having the crowd act on 0, with a dexterity save to avoid getting trampled (maybe 2d6 bludgeoning damage?) and knocked prone. But I don't want to reinvent the wheel, and I have a feeling that there are mechanics out there. Has anybody ever run something similar and has advice?
I'd more look to a terrain hazard rule of some sort to adjudicate this. The crowd is certainly difficult terrain, and I think you are on the right track with a Dex or Str save to avoid some damage, but maybe even also hamper some mobility? Maybe a failed save pushes the character ten feet?
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
DEX save or athletics check if they want to just go with the flow or stand still. If they want to move in a different direction STR or athletics to move half speed, can’t go anywhere on a fail.
Maybe something like two or three consecutive fails before they fall? It should be a threat, but it would get really annoying if they’re just trampled, especially since they, I’m guessing, don’t want to hurt the crowd. Damage you suggested could be ok depending on their level
Also, if they’re lucky/creative enough to have something like gust of wind ready, I’d let them clear out a good section without hurting anyone. Or a sleet storm to trip the crowd prone and take the steam out of the stampede. Or some other non-damaging AoE spells or effects.
A DC 10 Athletics or acrobatics check required to move at half speed (I think if I do this kind of thing again, I might allow normal movement on a 20). On a failure, the character can't move; after three failures, the character is knocked prone and takes 1d10 bludgeoning damage.
On initiative 0, the crowd surges and all characters must make a DC 10 Dexterity save or be pushed back 5 feet. A character who fails with a 1 is knocked prone and trampled as above (this happened to one of my Thugs and was actually enough damage to kill him!)
It ended up being really fun. Surprisingly enough, my bard didn't try to calm the crowd, which is just as well because I never came up with rules for that. Also, one of the characters managed to hop up on the bar to avoid the crowd.
I know I've seen this in a game before, but I want to have my PCs caught in a stampeding crowd.
The set up is this: they are in a crowded Daask bar in Lower Sharn investigating something. The NPC they're with instigates a combat -- when this starts, the crowd rushes out -- so the party will have to do a combat encounter while also avoiding getting crushed by the crowd. For the mechanics of it, I was thinking about having the crowd act on 0, with a dexterity save to avoid getting trampled (maybe 2d6 bludgeoning damage?) and knocked prone. But I don't want to reinvent the wheel, and I have a feeling that there are mechanics out there. Has anybody ever run something similar and has advice?
Why dex save and not strength save?
i view it as a dex save is there is space to dodge to.
str save is you have to resist the people rushing into/through you to avoid falling and being trampled.
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I know I've seen this in a game before, but I want to have my PCs caught in a stampeding crowd.
The set up is this: they are in a crowded Daask bar in Lower Sharn investigating something. The NPC they're with instigates a combat -- when this starts, the crowd rushes out -- so the party will have to do a combat encounter while also avoiding getting crushed by the crowd. For the mechanics of it, I was thinking about having the crowd act on 0, with a dexterity save to avoid getting trampled (maybe 2d6 bludgeoning damage?) and knocked prone. But I don't want to reinvent the wheel, and I have a feeling that there are mechanics out there. Has anybody ever run something similar and has advice?
I'd more look to a terrain hazard rule of some sort to adjudicate this. The crowd is certainly difficult terrain, and I think you are on the right track with a Dex or Str save to avoid some damage, but maybe even also hamper some mobility? Maybe a failed save pushes the character ten feet?
DEX save or athletics check if they want to just go with the flow or stand still. If they want to move in a different direction STR or athletics to move half speed, can’t go anywhere on a fail.
Maybe something like two or three consecutive fails before they fall? It should be a threat, but it would get really annoying if they’re just trampled, especially since they, I’m guessing, don’t want to hurt the crowd. Damage you suggested could be ok depending on their level
Also, if they’re lucky/creative enough to have something like gust of wind ready, I’d let them clear out a good section without hurting anyone. Or a sleet storm to trip the crowd prone and take the steam out of the stampede. Or some other non-damaging AoE spells or effects.
I also have a bard who I'm sure will want to try some sort of calming thing. Thanks!
Here's what I ended up doing:
It ended up being really fun. Surprisingly enough, my bard didn't try to calm the crowd, which is just as well because I never came up with rules for that. Also, one of the characters managed to hop up on the bar to avoid the crowd.
Why dex save and not strength save?
i view it as a dex save is there is space to dodge to.
str save is you have to resist the people rushing into/through you to avoid falling and being trampled.