Guards!
On aquiring protection for your downstairs regions
So I was inspired by this old entry of Thursdays in Thracia, where the party get to hire a dwarven mercenary company to secure the first level of the dungeon, to more easily move further into the dungeon. I really like this, as both a use for money (it should be costly and continuous), and also as a powerful tool for players to start getting their hands on the dungeon.
But I couldn’t help getting inspired by ideas for how to make this a part of the dungeon being run dynamically. Just like how the early levels of a dungeon shouldn’t get to stay cleared after the party goes through it the first time but instead shift over time and refill those vacuums. In the same way, a guard set up in a place should be reliable, but not static.
Guards get complacent, their defences get infiltrated, they get bribed; but they also might do a number on attacking factions, they may uncover secrets missed by the party, or they may pacify a nearby faction. Crucially though, most of the time, they are just trying to do their job (the bare minimum), but these things can happen.
Hiring and Establishing
But first things first, getting the mercenaries in place. I’m assuming your OSR-etc game of choice already has rules and prices for hiring, so I won’t go into detail with that, but I do agree with Chris P. Wolf in making it a specific mercenary company. Give them character, since they are gonna become a new feature of the dungeon, not just a timesaver.
Example Mercenaries:
The Rowdy Boys (2d6+6)
Glorified street gang driven from their turf, led by ‘Mad’ Gusto
Fight dirty, live cheap, know when to cut losses.
The Peregrin Company (2d10+10)
Exiled soldiers of a conquered land, led by Captain Nairn
Hardened, desperate, living on hope.
The Scarlet Regiment (2d8+20)
Professional condottieri mercenaries, led by Lady Pyrite.
Dashing, brutal, out to get paid.
Another thing to stress, is that these mercenaries are not hirelings that follow the party into the dark to clear out the dungeon. They are hired to shore up the gains of the party. Specifically, they are hired up front. Before the party venture into the dungeon to clear out a part, they must pay the upfront deposit for the mercenaries to wait outside. Then it’s a big push to clear out as big an area as possible in one go, for the mercenaries to then shore up and defend (at a regular upkeep cost). Should the party later want to expand the area being guarded, that would require a renegotiation of contract (another upfront payment).
The area cleared in one go should likely be limited to one contiguous level of the dungeon at the maximum. When considering the relative strength of the guards vs possible attackers, the total number of guards should be divided by the points of egress into the guarded area (including secret ones and the exit).
It could probably be even less, considering the need for guard rotations, but the point is that the guards can quickly get stretched thin. But the guards are still much preferable to the dungeon being just left to reclaim and repopulate the areas. In most cases, as you would want, having hired guards just works and they do their job. But variety is the spice of dungeoneering.
Each time the party returns to the secured part of the dungeon (max 1/day), roll for guard events. The table is modified by the number of guards available per exit, determined by if that ratio is more of less than 2 per post, {(total/exits)-2}.
Example: 30 guards for 6 exits means 5 per post, and thus 3 more than the required minimum of 2 on guard. This would grant a +3 bonus to the following roll.
Guard Events (2d6)
≤2. Gone Rogue
3. Old Trap
4. Demand Raise
5. Lost Men
6. Hardship
7. Status Quo
8. Upswing
9. Damaged Opponents
10. Overheard Rumours
11. Found Secret
12+. Pacify Faction
Gone Rogue
The guards have lost their loyalty to the party, either from mistreatment, general eeriness of the dungeon, or perhaps bribed by a dungeon faction to switch allegiance. In some cases, this could mean the guards simply abandoning their posts, leaving the level to repopulate. But they could instead also stay for their own purposes, becoming a new obstacle for the party, perhaps setting up a toll.
Old Trap
A guard leaned on the wrong wall sconce or floor tile, reactivating a previously inert hazard into full force. They will be missed. A part of the guarded section of the dungeon becomes cut off by this new danger, and the area past it may repopulate.
Demand Raise
Turns out this was more hassle than the guards bargained for. The party isn’t allowed through the guarded area until they agree to the new terms. If refused, the guards may threaten to Go Rogue.
Lost Men
A recent incursion into the guarded section led to significant losses for the guards, enough to reduce their numbers by one guard per exit. If the nearby faction behind this attack is likely to take prisoners, some of the guards may still be alive somewhere to be freed.
Hardship
It’s hard work this. Living in a dingy dungeon, nasties always trying to creep though, weird noises at night, food gets mouldy faster. Guards get a cumulative -1 penalty to morale checks.
Status quo
Things are going just okay. Just keep paying them and they will keep doing their job.
Upswing
Things have gone pretty well. The last attack was sent back running, the supplies have gotten through regularly, and guards even found some minor treasure they felt no need to inform the party about. Guards get a cumulative +1 bonus to morale checks.
Injured Opponents
The last wave of attacks got put down hard and really put a dent in their strength. A nearby hostile faction loses a third of their strength. This may cause them to draw back and refortify themselves or even be amiable to negotiation.
Overheard Rumours
When you spend this much time in the dungeon, you hear things. Whispers, snippets of conversations, shouted threats. The guards convey some rumoured information about what lies deeper in the dungeon. This could be of vast treasure, a terrifying foe that even the local faction fears, or of a new route of exploration. Only one way to find out if it’s true.
Found Secret
This guard leaned on exactly the right wall sconce. Some secret aspect of the guarded section is discovered. This could be a secret door, if the map allows it, or treasure found. Since the guards actually told the party about this treasure and didn’t just pocket it, it’s likely pretty weird and unusual.
Pacify Faction
Now pacify can mean many things. It could mean they actually came to some point of agreement and found a way to at least reduce hostilities, for now. Or that faction might not be there anymore, either slain or fled, leaving the area free to explore, until it repopulates again if not guarded.
Thoughts:
This is just my spur of the moment idea for how to run this. Is you already have a system for dungeon faction turns, just have the guards be included as a faction. For very large megadungeons, this could even end up with multiple guard companies interacting and perhaps becoming rivals and all sorts of fun stuff. Let me know what you think of the idea.