Encounter 2.1.2: Tavern Brawl
Preliminaries
The party has chosen to travel to Spirit Lake by using established roads. Their first major stopover after leaving the Bugbear's Head Inn is the village of Feybridge Crossing - 5 days journey from the Inn. The four evenings of roadside camping will be uneventful; on the second day, the party will be on the stretch of road that has a scattering of farmsteads - it's not just wilderness.Upon reaching the village, the party heads to the Two Bridges Inn - the only place in town with rooms available. After leaving gear in rooms, they head down to the common room... and the fun begins.
Your five-day journey to Feybridge Crossing was uneventful. Each evening, you found areas to make camp that had obviously been well-used by other travelers in the past. For the past three days, you have also passed a number of farmsteads established along the road. But you are looking forward to a comfortable chair, a warm fire, a good dinner, and a soft bed. Crossing the bridge and entering the village central area, you have no trouble finding the Two Bridges Inn - the only place in town with rooms to rent. After a quick discussion with the proprietor in the tavern common room, you are showed to your rooms where you can stow your backpacks and armor before enjoying a good meal, a few drinks, and perhaps even a game of chance or two in the common room below.
If the party wants to do some shopping, they can try. They'll have about an hour of daylight left, and most shops close at dusk. Other than basic supplies, though, there isn't much this town has to offer. Eventually, one way or another, the party should end up in the common room for the evening's "festivities".
You settle into a table and order a round of drinks which are brought by one of the three tavern serving women you can see. As darkness falls, more townspeople begin to arrive, and another group of folk come down the stairs from the rooms above to take up a table. A lute player standing near the fireplace strumming softly, and the warm glow of the fire in the hearth give the room a cozy atmosphere. Before long, though, the common room is beginning to get a bit crowded. In addition to yourselves and the other party of folk, there are eight other patrons - most of whom are standing at or near the bar talking with the barkeep. Sounds of indistinct conversations fill the air, punctuated by laughter.
You order your dinner from one of the serving girls; she brings out a platter of hot sliced meats smothered in a thick gravy, along with another platter with a chunk of hard cheese and a loaf of freshly baked (and still warm) bread. A bowl with a large slab of butter finished the service.
You order your dinner from one of the serving girls; she brings out a platter of hot sliced meats smothered in a thick gravy, along with another platter with a chunk of hard cheese and a loaf of freshly baked (and still warm) bread. A bowl with a large slab of butter finished the service.
Let the party eat their dinner. And then, let the fun begin.
There are several ways in which the tavern brawl can be initiated. The Game Master should choose the one that works best for the particular party involved. Examples include:
- The Trigger Antagonist NPC accidentally strikes one of the party members (ideally a barbarian, champion, or fighter) in the back of the head... hard... with an elbow. An optional slosh of beer from the tankard in the NPCs hand can also accompany this.
- While a party member is heading to or from the bar, the already quite drunk Trigger Antagonist NPC barrels into them - or trips over them if they are size Small. Antagonist's drink is spilled, and the Antagonist is rather angry about it.
- The Trigger Antagonist NPC has been joking with his friends about one of the party members' appearance (size, dress, race, anything). As he gets drunker, he's getting more obnoxious. Finally, at a dare from one of his friends, he comes to the table to make the insults directly -- and he won't stop as long as his friends are laughing.
- The Trigger Antagonist NPC has been harassing one of the serving women all night, but as he gets drunker, he's getting more obnoxious. Finally, he crosses the line - getting into the server's face just as she's bringing drinks to the party's table.
- While the Trigger Antagonist NPC is in the process of being shown the door by a couple of burly friends of the barkeep, he violently twists free just as he's passing the party's table. He lashes out at one of the bouncerss, but strikes a party member.
- One or more of the party gets involved in a game of chance with the Trigger Antagonist NPC. After the player character wins a hand, or round, or game, or whatever, the Antagonist jumps up - chair flying backwards into somebody - and accuses the player character of cheating. If the player character doesn't respond physically, the Antagonist's friends come to back him up, talking about "taking the cheater out back to teach him/her a lesson."
The GM is encouraged to use these... customize these... or make up something else entirely to ensure that the party gets sucked into the fight. Make the Roll Initiative call as soon as a member of the party (probably, but not necessarily, the aggrieved party member) decides to act either defensively or offensively. But it is important to remember the following:
- The PCs don't really start the fight; they get sucked into it.
- There should be mass mayhem and minor property destruction.
- There should be the possibility for things to get really out of hand (lethal vs non-lethal) (broken bottle as weapon?)
Adjudicating the barroom fight should be a mixture of game-mechanical combat and narrative description, since the intent is to get the entire bar involved. The Antagonist's friends will already be joining in. If they're not already involved, that will get the barkeep's two associates (unofficial bouncers) involved - and maybe even the barkeep himself. The serving women may also be in the middle of things. At some point, have one of the PCs knock a combatant into the table where the other party is sitting and they get involved. The only person in the bar that should be completely immune to harm is the singer/instrumentalist entertainer in the corner - who keeps playing, and in fact plays louder and faster - as the fight progresses. Not every blow needs to be dice-rolled. If one NPC is fighting another, the GM can describe the fight in whatever way is entertaining.
Some other "colorful events" that should be peppered into the description of the fight (possibly in the peripheral battles that aren't actually being role-played out with the party:
- Somebody gets thrown out the door or through the front window
- Somebody gets thrown over the bar. (This may be how the barkeep gets involved.)
- Somebody falls onto or gets thrown onto a table - splintering it and sending its contents flying. Note that each table has a candle light source, so there's a chance that a person's clothing could get ignited... or the common room furnishings could get ignited.
- Somebody gets thrown onto the bar, or a long table, and then "slid" along its length to be dumped off the end. Again, everything on the surface goes flying.
- All sorts of small projectiles are being thrown around: tankards (full or empty), wine-glasses, bottles (full or empty), mugs, plates, chairs, stools, chunks of food, small casks from the bar, etc. Actual weapons (daggers, darts), should be avoided, or at least be a very last resort - unless the party draws weapons.
- As the fight gets more desperate, broken furniture bits could be picked up to be used as clubs or cudgels.
- Early on, people may try to step into the fight to break it up - only to be struck and either sucked into the fight or driven to cower in a corner. This may be somebody who was already in the tavern, or could be a passerby who heard the commotion. (The town cleric, mayor, or shirriff are good options for this.)
After the Fight
If the PCs didn't get too raucous, and if nobody got seriously hurt, there should be no repercussions after the bar fight. Unless the party members were going out of their way to use tables, chairs, bottles, etc. as weapons, the barkeep will understand that "these things happen", and will not expect any compensation from the party. If the party was exceptionally "helpful", they may even be thanked.Depending on the degree of injury to the Antagonist, he may (a) not remember the fight the next day, or (b) apologize to the party, or (c) consider the party as lifelong enemies.
If property damage was severe, and the party was a significant contributor to that, they may be arrested... or run out of town... or payment may be demanded (an amount that will exceed the ability of the party to pay). In the first case, they may need to escape, or face a magistrate. In the latter case, they may need to promise future payment or service - but side "penance" quests that disrupt the current arc are not suggested.
THIS ENDS THE CURRENT ENCOUNTER
NPCs/Statblocks Needed
- the bartender
- two bouncers (bartender's friends... convenient regulars)
- two or three tavern maids
- the Trigger NPC Antagonist
- four or five friends of the Antagonist
- the musician in the corner
- the "other party" - which could be...
- ...a fat merchant with two bodyguards
- ...a group of four level 1 adventurers (GM's choice of classes)
Optional NPCs to Make Things Really Interesting
- a prostitute or two that use upstairs room for their trade
- the town cleric, who was either in the tavern or was passing by and wants to stop the fight
- the town mayor, who was either in the tavern or was passing by and wants to stop the fight
- the local shirriff, who heard (or was alerted to) the commotion and runs in from outside
Maps Needed
- battle map of the common room (including any accessible stairways, balconies, etc.
Plot type
Encounter
Parent Plot
Unarmed Actions:
DisarmGrappleDisarm
Attack
1 Action
Requirements: You are Trained in Athletics. You have at least one hand free. The target can’t be more than one size larger than you.
You try to knock something out of an opponent’s grasp. Attempt an Athletics check against the opponent’s Reflex DC.
Critical Success: You knock the item out of the opponent’s grasp. It falls to the ground in the opponent’s space.
Success: You weaken your opponent’s grasp on the item. Until the start of that creature’s turn, attempts to Disarm the opponent of that item gain a +2 circumstance bonus, and the target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to attacks with the item or other checks requiring a firm grasp on the item.
Failure: Nothing happens.
Critical Failure: You lose your balance and become Flat-footed until the start of your next turn.
ShoveGrapple
Attack
1 Action
Requirements: You have at least one free hand. Your target cannot be more than one size larger than you.
You attempt to grab an opponent with your free hand. Attempt an Athletics check against their Fortitude DC. You can also Grapple to keep your hold on a creature you already grabbed.
Critical Success: Your opponent is restrained until the end of your next turn unless you move or your opponent Escapes.
Success: Your opponent is grabbed until the end of your next turn unless you move or your opponent Escapes.
Failure: You fail to grab your opponent. If you already had the opponent grabbed or restrained using a Grapple, those conditions on that creature end.
Critical Failure: If you already had the opponent grabbed or restrained, it breaks free. Your target can either grab you, as if it succeeded at using the Grapple action against you, or force you to fall and land prone.
TripShove
Attack
1 Action
Requirements: You have at least one hand free. The target can’t be more than one size larger than you.
You push an opponent away from you. Attempt an Athletics check against your opponent’s Fortitude DC.
Critical Success: You push your opponent up to 10 feet away from you. You can Stride after it, but you must move the same distance and in the same direction.
Success: You push your opponent back 5 feet. You can Stride after it, but you must move the same distance and in the same direction.
Failure: Nothing happens.
Critical Failure: You lose your balance, fall, and land Prone.
Trip
Attack
1 Action
Requirements: You have at least one hand free. The target can’t be more than one size larger than you.
You try to knock an opponent to the ground. Attempt an Athletics check against your opponent’s Reflex DC.
Critical Success: The target falls and lands Prone, and takes 1d6 Bludgeoning damage.
Success: The target falls and lands Prone.
Failure: Nothing happens.
Critical Failure: You lose your balance, fall, and land Prone.
Conditions:
Flat-footedGrabbedFlat-Footed Condition
You’re distracted or otherwise unable to focus your full attention on defense. You take a –2 circumstance penalty to AC. Some effects give you the flat-footed condition only to certain creatures or against certain attacks. Others - especially conditions — can make you universally flat-footed against everything. If a rule doesn’t specify that the condition applies only to certain circumstances, it applies to all of them; for example, many effects simply say “The target is flat-footed.”
ImmobilizedGrabbed Condition
You’re held in place by another creature, giving you the Flat-footed and Immobilized conditions. If you attempt a manipulate action while grabbed, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or it is lost; roll the check after spending the action, but before any effects are applied.
ProneImmobilized Condition
You can’t use any action with the move trait. If you’re immobilized by something holding you in place and an external force would move you out of your space, the force must succeed at a check against either the DC of the effect holding you in place or the relevant defense (usually Fortitude DC) of the monster holding you in place.
RestrainedProne Condition
You’re lying on the ground. You are Flat-footed and take a –2 circumstance penalty to attack rolls. The only move actions you can use while you’re prone are Crawl and Stand. Standing up ends the prone condition. You can Take Cover while prone to hunker down and gain cover against ranged attacks, even if you don’t have an object to get behind, gaining a +4 circumstance bonus to AC against ranged attacks (but you remain flat-footed).
If you would be knocked prone while you’re Climbing or Flying, you fall. You can’t be knocked prone when Swimming.
Restrained Condition
You’re tied up and can barely move, or a creature has you pinned. You have the Flat-footed and Immobilized conditions, and you can’t use any actions with the attack or manipulate traits except to attempt to Escape or Force Open your bonds. Restrained overrides Grabbed.
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