Elite Town Guard
Town Guard Squadron (CR 10)
A squadron 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 squadrons 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.
General
CR 10 Hit Dice 15
XP 9,600
LN (or any alignment) Gargantuan Swarm (individual components are Medium Humanoid (Human))
Init +5; Senses Perception +15
Defense
AC 30, touch 19, flat-footed 25 (+6 armor, +5 dex, +5 natural, +4 deflection)
hp 175
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +10
Aura: -
SR: -
Special Defenses: -
Immunities:
- Flanking (but critical hits and precision damage work fine)
- Trips, Grapples and Bull Rushes
- any spell which targets a specific number of creatures
Weaknesses: Vulnerable to area of effect spells (+50% extra damage)
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Space / Reach: 20 ft. / 5 ft. (special; see Troop Subtype)
Single Melee Troop (2d6+2) lethal or non-lethal damage, plus Subdue
Full Melee Troop (2d6+2) lethal or non-lethal damage, plus Subdue
Ranged -
Special Attacks Troop Subtype, Subdue
Action Points 0
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 11
Base Atk +10; CMB +16; CMD 26
Feats -
Skills Sense Motive +15
Languages Common
Special Abilities
- Troop Subtype
A troop is a collection of creatures that acts as a single creature, similar to a swarm, but typically as part of a military unit. A troop has the characteristics of its type, except as noted here. A troop has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed, and a single armor class. A troop makes saving throws as a single creature. A single troop occupies a 20-foot-by-20-foot square, equal in size to a Gargantuan creature, though the actual size category of the troop is the same as that of the component creatures. The area occupied by a troop is completely shape-able, though the troop must remain in contiguous squares to accurately reflect the teamwork of trained military units. A troop has a reach equal to that of the component creatures based on size or armament. A troop can move through squares occupied by enemies and vice versa without impediment, although the troop provokes an attack of opportunity if it does so. A troop can move through any area large enough for its component creatures. The exact number of a troop's component creatures varies, but in general, a troop of Small or Medium creatures consists of approximately 12 to 30 creatures. Larger creatures can form troops, but the area occupied by such a troop should increase proportionally according to the size of the component creatures.
Unlike swarms, Troops can be critically hit and are subject to precision damage. Furthermore, troops do not have the swarm Distraction ability, though casting a spell while adjacent or inside of a troop requires a combat casting check.
Multiple troops can move into, stop and occupy spaces that other troops occupy without ever suffering from the squeezing rule. However, no more than two troops can inflict damage or effects on a single target in a single round.
- Troop Attacks
Creatures with the troop subtype don't make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature within reach or whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. A troop's stat block has “troop” in its Melee entry with no attack bonus given. The amount of damage a troop deals is based on its Hit Dice. Unless stated otherwise, a troop's attacks are non-magical. Damage Reduction sufficient to reduce a troop attack's damage to 0 or other special abilities can give a creature immunity (or at least resistance) to the troop's attacks. Some troops also have other special attacks in addition to normal damage. Troops threaten all creatures within their reach or within their area, and attempt attacks of opportunity as normal with their troop attack.
Town Guard Squadrons can deal either lethal or non-lethal damage to their targets, as they prefer, with no penalties for either choice. Most Town Guard Squadrons use non-lethal damage inside their town limits, and lethal damage against anyone attempting to invade or overrun the town's defenses. Town Guard Squadrons might use lethal damage inside the town limits if the town's laws on murder are particularly lax.
- Subdue
If a town guard squadron 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 squadron's swarm-like nature. After doing so, during its attack action, the town guard squadron may also attempt a grapple check against the target as a free action. A single town guard squadron can attempt grapples against up to two creatures, each no larger than size large, at any one time. While engaged in a grapple, the town guard squadron does not suffer any of the penalties normally associated with being in a grapple. Each round the grapple is sustained, the squadron can deal damage to the grappled creature as well as any other nearby creatures, and may move any part of the squadron that isn't engaged in a grapple, as long as the squadron's shape remains contiguous at all times.
Treasure
sell value of approximately 5,000 gp
Combat Tactics
While quite large, squadrons can stack with themselves without impairment and can reconfigure their shape 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.
Squadrons 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. In combat, squadrons will provoke attacks of opportunity whenever necessary, if it will give them the positioning they want. Squadrons are reasonably smart, so if space allows, they will spread out to ensure that all targets get the full two squadron attacks each round. (Remember that the squadron attacks everyone it is sharing a square with AND everyone it is adjacent to).
Squadrons also threaten adjacent squares (but not internal squares), which means they can provide flanks like traditional creatures. Because of their malleable shape, squadrons can even 'wrap around' an opponent to get a flank with itself. However, this does not apply when the squadron is inside the same square as an enemy, only when adjacent. (This is to prevent automatic 'perma-flanks' from stacked squadrons; Squadrons must to use tactics to get flanks, not just dogpile the target.)
Note that when a squadron reconfigures its shape, this is treated as movement. Each square of the squadron can only move 30 feet from its starting point during a move action, it must always end adjacent to one or more members of its squadron, and all parts of the squadron must remain contiguous. While a squadron will frequently provoke attacks of opportunity from its movement, note that it can only provoke once per enemy from any part of the squadron's movement -- it is a single creature making a single move action, thus it can only provoke once.
Squadrons 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 squadrons in reserve (rather than attacking), because only two squadrons can ever attack the same target. Given their mobility and adjustable shape, it should be trivially easy for just a few squadrons 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.
Town Guard Squadrons are trained to never fall back or run away, so most will fight to the death. Note that "death" doesn't actually mean that the squadron is slaughtered to the last man. Like swarms, "death" just means the squadron 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 non-lethal damage 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.