Thank you for this info! I'll be using it!

Quote from Ac3d >>

I've always made my guards low CR but what really sets them apart is the ability to call more!

I usually add: 

Raise the Alarm! - If he/she is not in a secluded location a guard may use an action to raise the alarm. By shouting or ringing a bell the alarm brings an additional guard every 3 rounds, this effect stacks for every guard who raises the alarm.

This makes them much more deadly as an organisation. As guards should be.

 Thank you! I'm applying this in my next sessions!

To everyone in this thread, remember: you don't have to use lethal force for EVERY encounter. The guards, if proving to be too difficult, simply bring the party in to the jail to await a day in court, which could be in a day or two. They could be brought in and maybe they have to fight it out in RP, or maybe the court gets attacked by that cool Thieves' Guild you have been dying to introduce. Maybe, a character from their past doesn't want them to rot in jail, and tries to take matters in to their own hands, disrupting the courts and giving the party time to escape.

I make all my human guards Variant Humans with the Sentinel feat. :D That way they at least have something useful when it comes to stopping people from going into certain areas, even if they are hard to kill individually.

Computed directly by the rules in the DMG, the guard should be CR 1/4.

One of my characters tried sneaking past a guard, he rolled a 2, so I made them say "I'm sneaking, don't notice me." They laughed out loud at what I said. Thankfully, they had a spellcaster who had a very high persuasion.

Quote from STUV101 >>

Quote from masterwitchpoly >>

I don't see why you would need to do all this work. The basic evolution of the common man soldier.

Commoner --> Guard --> Veteran --> Champion ---> Warlord 

Then we have nobles.

Noble --> Knights

And of course the church.  

Acolyte --> Priest --> War Priest

 

1.) Because the vast gaps in challenge between statblocks like guards and a veterans is way to much. To put it in perspective: a party of 4 - 1st level PCs can handle a group of 4 guards at about a medium challenge; A party of 4 - 5th level PCs might actually lose a member or two against veterans with it being considered a deadly encounter (believe me, I've done this twice).

And on the flip side with hirelings: sometimes you don't want your party to have access to veterans and want a statblock somewhere between a guard and veteran (maybe like the soldier from GGTR) or healers that are more useful than acolyte, but not as combat heavy as a priest or war priest.

2.) Nobles are nothing like knights. Nobles are upper class elite, politicians, senators, etc. Their power comes from their coin and connections rather than their training, oaths, and loyalty.

1). I completely agree, there is a bit of a weird gap around CR 1 on the standard NPC list.  Personally, I’d use the Thug statblock, with a shield and some proper armor (take or leave the Pack Tactics), as something like a “Sargent-At-Arms” for a mercenary company or more professional town guard.

Alternatively, you could just double the standard guard’s HP and give him an extra attack.  That’s s good way of making a “elite/leader” for a lot of “basic” statblocks.  Upgrading their gear help too, thematically as well as mechanically.  Halberds and heavy armor help convey that these guys are tougher than the run-of-the mill farmer with a spear and mail shirt.

2). This is only partially true.  There are also plenty of merchant-nobles and creatures of the court, who lead through backroom schemes exactly as you described, but it was also very common for members of aristocratic families (even the heirs of Kings and Dukes) to become knights, before settling into a more “supervisory” role after inheriting estates later in life.  Even in the 20th century, Aristocratic British, Italian, and German Commanders were renowned for boldly leading from the front (and subsequently not surviving very long).

The Roman Empire has great examples of both.  Early on, the Patricians with their superior war-gear, did the lion’s share of the fighting and took the lion’s share of the loot.  In layer periods, a Roman Nobleman might do the bare minimum of token military service demanded by tradition, if he was interested in holding office, but always left the real fighting to paid professionals.  For most of its history, you could find examples of both.

i think the Noble is a good middle ground, between these two types.

Some can, I use a modified version of the Commoner, and occasionally throw in some with daggers, assorted tools, and other quirks. It's a good idea, but not super plausible that every single villager is wearing armor and has a weapon + military training. But, it might be a good way to differentiate from the normal weak villager.

Quote from Helmut_McQuack >>

Quote from ShaydyCharacter >>

Don't forget that guards come in all flavours. Expect guards of wealthy people/areas to be better equipped than the basic guard. Farm villages might use bows to fight on the open plain, mining towns could use metal martial weapons and heavier armour like breastplates or chain mail. Palace Guards might use heavy armour and possibly halberds.
Feel free to adjust their stats based on experience, training, and role. Here's a list of suggestions with a range of health to challenge players of different levels.
For instance a royal Captain of the guard might use Elite and Leader mods, putting it at 50-225 health with high stats and 3 attacks. 

All of these stat suggestions refer to changes to the base stats given, not the modifiers.
Level:
Basic: 10-25 Health
Skilled: 15-35 health, +1 STR/DEX, +1 WIS
Expert: 20-50 health, +2 STR/DEX, +2 WIS, +1 CON, Possibly +1 Attack
Elite:  25-75 health, +3 STR/DEX, +2 WIS, +2 CON, +1 Attack 
Role:
Leader: 2-3 x Health, +3 CHA, +2 INT, +1 All Other Stats, +1 Attack
Champion: +2 STR, DEX, CON, +1 Attack 
Sentry/Scout: -1 STR, +2 DEX, +2 WIS, DEX Based Gear
Heavy: + 5-20 Health, +3 STR, -2 DEX, +2 CON, Heavy Armour and Weapon
Finishing Touches:
Add feats if you feel the need. Make elite sentries, give them crossbow expert and heavy crossbows and call them "Dragon Slayers" 
Take expert guards, give them pack tactics and call them "Shield Brothers" Just have fun with it.

 Awesome. Now someone needs to make a table for the CR of all the different combos.

 The DMG has guidelines for determining challenge ratings.

ok

I mean what would you do if you were a traffic cop and an eldritch horror wearing your buddies face started slithering over to you screaming the whole time?

I like it!

Quote from Ac3d >>

I've always made my guards low CR but what really sets them apart is the ability to call more!

I usually add: 

Raise the Alarm! - If he/she is not in a secluded location a guard may use an action to raise the alarm. By shouting or ringing a bell the alarm brings an additional guard every 3 rounds, this effect stacks for every guard who raises the alarm.

This makes them much more deadly as an organisation. As guards should be.

That's certainly an ability they would logically have, but the execution is a little stilted.

I'd prefer a more organic solution: Simply have the guard raise an actual alarm that exists in-world, and flood the place with more guards as you see fit. That way, the players can cut the alarm before the guard reaches it, and you also won't have an awkward situation where, as it happens, no backup arrives at all, because the guard was killed within 3 rounds.

Doesn’t that mean going through a hoard of guards (4 to 8) mean that if they all do raise the alarm, would that make it a group vs (8 to 12)?  

Unable to parse dice roll.

469

I like to give my guards Pack Tactics, and sometimes spells like Expeditious retreat or command. Captains tend to get Compelled dual and the sential feat 

Quote from masterwitchpoly >>

I don't see why you would need to do all this work. The basic evolution of the common man soldier.

Commoner --> Guard --> Veteran --> Champion ---> Warlord 

Then we have nobles.

Noble --> Knights

And of course the church.  

Acolyte --> Priest --> War Priest

 

 A logical person, hello there

My party broke one of these guys legs

Has anyone thought about recruiting guards before. In some of my D&D campaigns, I will try to persuade and recruit people and enemies. Normally I only do this with low level enemies, because its easier to pull off. I wish that there was a campaign where you build an actual army to win the game.