Dungeon Master: Guard Formation

It's nice to have some NPC groups that can be dropped in to games for combat purposes or to draw up intrigue in location. For this reason I hope to provide one more that people can use.

Composition

16 Guards

1 Wizard (see defense wizard or scroll wizard) or noble**

* Can be modified to be higher level if party is in need of bigger challenge. Guards can be replaced or supplemented with some knights as well.

** All stats available from basic rules or SRD.

Tactics

If under attack, the guards will form a protective square 5 guards wide on each side. If they are reasonably sure they know where the attack is coming from, they can shrink the square to 4 guards wide and put the remaining 6 guards on the side they think the attack is coming from. If they are almost completely sure they know what direction they are being attacked, they can commit completely to one side and form a 3 guard deep and 4 guard wide formation in front (there may be 5 foot gaps in case of fireballs and similar spells) of their wizard with the 4 remaining blocking line of sight to the flanks of the wizard/noble. The VIP will move as far as possible from the apparent danger while still being inside the formation. Their choice of tactic (counter attack attackers or fall back) will depend on the situation. They may even choose to split the guards in order to stall for the escape of the wizard or noble.

Things Not Going as Planned

If the wizard dies first, the loyal guards will try to drag the body back. This could be for a variety of reasons: loyalty, to ensure body is fine for proper burial, they may be only wounded instead of dead (using optional wounding rules for NPCs just like for players), or they may try to raise them using magic. The idea is that while not as well trained in fighting as a knight, the guards are loyal and will fight to protect their wizard or noble. However, the Dungeon Master could decide they are not as reliable and may flee if things don't go well. Roll a D20 when half or more of the guards are dead or incapacitated. If the roll is 12 or higher, they flee (first half, then the other when they realize they were abandoned). They may also flee if their wizard or noble is killed.