Elite Town Guard

Elite Town Guard Troop (Swarm; CR 10)

Usually Lawful - Medium - Humanoid


Lore:	Know (Local)
18		38
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

14


Perception:
30	+20
Passive	Active

Ambush:

8+

on a d20

Senses:

Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Walk 30 ft.

Defense

AC

28

Man Def

31

Monster Health
420	210	16
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+12
Refl:	+7
Will:	+7

Strong Against:

(Swarm Role) Hardened (½ damage): slashing (physical, common), piercing (physical, common)
(Swarm Role) Immune (no effect): Critical Hits and Flanking
(Swarm Role) Immune (no effect): Any attack that targets Maneuver Defense
(Swarm Role) Immune (no effect): Any spell that targets a specific number of creatures, except mind-affecting spells (if this creature has an Int score).

Weak Against:

(Swarm Role) Vulnerable (1.5x damage): area of effect spells (including Channel Divinity)

Offense


Size:	Medium
20 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+16

Man Off

+19

Action

0

Points

(Component Creatures: 5 ft. / 5 ft.)

Standard Attack (Melee):

1x Guarding Swords (Swarm -- Auto-Hit) (2d8+10/19-20 x2)
as slashing (physical, common)
plus Subdue

Full Attack (Melee):

3x Guarding Swords (Swarm -- Auto-Hit) (2d8+10/19-20 x2)
as slashing (physical, common)
plus Subdue

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

14

STR

12

DEX

12

CON

10

INT

9

WIS

11

CHA

Skills:

Knowledge (Local): 21
Perception: 20
Sense Motive: 21
All other skills: 11 (no ranks)

Languages: usually Common

Feats:

Mobility (EFFECT: +4 AC against attacks of opportunity from movement)

Special Abilities

Subdue (Ex) Automatic with movement

If an elite town guard (as a troop or not) threatens or moves into the same square as an enemy they are fighting, it provokes an attack of opportunity as normal, but neither it nor the enemy suffer from the squeezing rule, due to the guard's special subdual training. During its attack action, the elite town guard may attempt a Grapple check against the target as a free action. A single elite town guard can grapple one foe only, as normal. If they are an organized troop, then the troop can attempt grapples against up to two creatures, each no larger than size large, at any one time. While engaged in a grapple, a non-troop elite town guard suffers the normal effects of being in a grapple. If they are a troop, then the squadron does not suffer any of the penalties normally associated with being in a grapple, and in addition, the troop may move around normally. Grappled creatures are dragged along with the troop when it moves, but always take damage as though subjected to a full attack action (3d8+9) whenever a troop makes an attack action (even a standard attack action).

Take Them Alive! (Ex) Free Action 1/Rnd after inflicting damage

Up to once per round, an Elite Town Guard with any role can inflict the Secured status condition on any creature they successfully damage with an attack. This condition lasts until the end of the encounter, or until the victim manages to shake it off. This allows town guardsmen to employ less lethal tactics against unruly townsfolk, when the situation calls for it. However, enemies that pose a deadly threat to the citizens, or threaten the leadership of the town with harm will likely not be granted this 'mercy'.

Darken the Sky (Ex; Swarm Role) Standard Action

As a standard action, the troop launches a volley of projectiles into a 20' cubic area (4x4x4 squares) within 100 feet of their space. Creatures within the affected area must make a reflex save, DC 20, or take 2d8+10 points of piercing (physical, common) damage from the savage strikes of this deadly rain. Those who succeed on the save take only half damage.

Sum of the Parts (Ex; Swarm Role) Always On

Swarms, troops, and hordes follow the squeezing rules based on their component creature size, NOT the size of the swarm, troop, or horde as a whole. This means these groups of creatures can easily move through doorways that are sized appropriately to their component creature sizes. They can even stop in such spaces without suffering squeezing penalties. In such cases, the swarm's shape is unaffected, except that its space excludes any blocked spaces. That is, its space doesn't deform into a non-square shape, it's just treated as not occupying any blocked spaces within its space. This means it cannot threaten through blocked spaces, since it isn't technically occupying them.

Multiple swarms, troops, and hordes can share the same squares without squeezing or movement penalties. They can move through, and even stop on top of (or within) the spaces of other swarms, troops, or hordes.

Swarms, troops, and hordes can also move over, through, and into spaces occupied by enemy creatures without provoking attacks of opportunity, even if they pass through or leave a threatened square. Furthermore, creatures inside the space of a swarm, troop, or horde are treated as flanked while they remain in that space (though this doesn't usually matter much, since swarms, troops, and hordes automatically hit with their attacks).

Finally, a maximum of two swarms, troops, or hordes can attack a single given creature in a round, even if more than two swarms, troops, or hordes are threatening that creature. There simply isn't enough surface area of the enemy creature for more attacks to be inflicted.

Elite Town Guard Troop

This creature possesses the Swarm role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

This monster frequently has the Swarm role, but may be set to different roles if desired.

The Town Guard represent the 'local authorities.' Frequently also called the Watch, Town Guards are the forces that maintain the peace in organized settlements, typically, but not always, of Civilization. It is possible, but rare, for monsters to have a Town Guard.

Now, in most cases, a single Town Guard can easily be represented by a Constituent, and higher-level adventurers presented with sufficient obstacles by higher-level 'Guards', since a Constituent can be generated at any level required by the Million Monster Machine. Some GM's may feel this is not as realistic as they might like, since if the Guard has level ten Watchmen on salary (or even higher!), what do they need the adventurers for?

To address this power difference, but allow the Guard to still keep their town safe against more powerful foes, we present the Elite Town Guard, which is almost always used with the swarm role, turning them into a troop. The individual members of such a troop can be lower level watchmen, or, if the GM chooses to have an Elite Town Guard with a different role, or no role at all, then that Guard is indeed a high level elite. Now, this is not to say that a large city or metropolis doesn't have Constituents also acting as elite Guards of any level required, but the bulk of their forces are likely to be highly-trained more-or-less 'normal' watchmen formed into these troops.

A troop of town guards is a squad of approximately 16 to 20 town guardsmen who have been trained to act as a single fighting force in combat. Because of this coordination, town guard squadrons are actually significant threats and ample defenders of a town, even against some of the mightier threats a town might face, such as ogres and orcs.

Most towns have dozens of town guard squadrons, and significant defense points, such as city gates, might have several of these troops on duty at all times. Larger villages and cities likely also utilize these squadrons to police the cities, ensuring the citizens are protected from lawbreakers and banditry. Of course, not all town guard squadrons are quite so noble, and it is not unheard of for squadrons to partake of a little banditry themselves.

Combat Tactics

Elite Town Guards without a swarm role will fight as individual monsters, although they will usually seek to Secure their victims in all cases, and will be prone to start Grapples early and often, looking to hamper the players while more guards arrive.

If they have the swarm role (as is most likely), then they tend to behave a bit differently. While quite large, troops can stack with themselves without impairment and can move through narrow gaps as needed, though only two squadrons can attack a single opponent in a given round. However, this lets squadrons easily navigate narrow alleyways, or other closely confined spaces, and still bring their full might to bear against their enemies.

Elite Town Guard Troops can move through enemy squares without restriction, though it does provoke attacks of opportunity to do so. However, this lets the squadron close with the back ranks of a party easily, tossing grapples on 'clothies' in the back ranks. In combat, Elite Town Guards will provoke attacks of opportunity whenever necessary, if it will give them the positioning they want. Elite Town Guards are reasonably smart, so if there are multiple troops of them present, they will spread out to ensure that all targets get the full two troop attacks each round. (Remember that a troop attacks everyone it is sharing a square with AND everyone it has reach to).

Troops threaten adjacent squares, which means they can make attacks of opportunity like traditional creatures.

While Elite Town Guards will frequently provoke attacks of opportunity from their movement, note that they have the Mobility feat (even in a troop form), and can only provoke once per enemy from any part of the squadron's movement -- in troop form, it is a single creature making a single move action, thus it can only provoke once.

Troops will use their Subdue power to hamper movement and prevent their enemies from escaping. However, it is nearly always in the squadron's best interests to hold one or more troops in reserve (rather than attacking), because only two troops can ever attack the same target. Given their mobility and ranged attacks, it should be trivially easy for just a few troops of Elite Guards to fully engage a whole party of enemies, assuming they're not too spread out, leaving the remaining squadrons to circle around, take up blocking positions or just stand ready to fill in, when the first squadrons fall.

Elite Town Guards are trained to never fall back or run away, so most will fight to the death. If they have the swarm role, note that "death" doesn't actually mean that the entire troop is slaughtered to the last man. Like swarms, "death" just means the troop is dispersed, meaning that some individuals will likely get away to tell the tale of any big bad party of PC's who just butchered the town's only defense against external invaders.

On that note, GM's should probably encourage the party to use less lethal tactics themselves, since killing lots of town guards might have certain legal ramifications for them later, should they decide to ever visit this town again after the fight. REALLY Elite Guards (Constituents of the proper level, equipped with Patterns and Roles as desired) are likely to be hired and can cause issues with even high level parties, so politeness is encouraged.

Out of Combat

Out of Combat, Elite Town Guards are citizens in good standing of their community. If they have the swarm role, the troop disperses into its component members and they go about their lives as any other humanoids. That said, you have to be careful starting bar fights in places with a strong town Watch, for you may throw that first punch and suddenly those fifteen or twenty scruffy fellows scattered around the place are revealed as members of the guard, and before your very gaze, they form up into a troop.

There's few things quite as unpleasant as being a nice, hearty fourth level hero, full of fresh vigor and new powers, and suddenly getting trounced all over the inn and tossed in the drunk tank by a troop of elite guards that were just trying to get a pint on their way home after hours....

Rewards

XP: 19,200 (Swarm role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 13,750 gp.

Weight: 200 lbs. Volume: 8 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)