Need to stat up high end, clued in mercinaries

[zenten]

So for my next game the big bad will have hired some mercinaries to deal with the PCs (and a lawyer to talk to them).  They won't necessarily be shooting at the PCs, but that could easily happen if negotiations go south.  What I'm not sure is what stats to give the mercs.  The PCs are pretty powerful (11 base refresh, 43 skill points) and are good at working together.  I also have a tendancy to understat the bad guys.  So I'm wanting to go all out with what sort of merc group could be hired by someone with a *lot* of money and a *lot* of connections.

[braincraft]

What kind of a fight can your PCs put up? Refresh isn't a very useful metric; it's possible to make 20-refresh characters who would get splattered by two gangbangers with AKs, and it's possible to make 8-refresh characters who can easily manhandle an armored column. If you have a WCV who can pump out a ridiculous amount of AoE shifts of Incite Emotion, and the opposition doesn't have a counter for that, it can very well shut down mortal soldiers however well-armed they happen to be. If one PC has Superb Resources and Windfall, and the merc leader has the aspect Anything For A Buck, it's going to be a real short negotiation.

[admiralducksauce]

Does the mercs' client know the PCs and do they know what they are?  The mercs can research Catches, if applicable.  They can subcontract to other supernatural hitters or lone gunmen too, like a focused practicioner to veil them or hire a helicopter pilot to circle a stolen news chopper or something for an aerial view (and target painting).  I know I at least automatically think "gunmen" when you say "mercs" but that doesn't need to be the case, I suppose.  I mean, Madrigal Raith says a clan of ghouls makes pretty effective mercenaries.

[zenten]

I forgot to mention that the big bad will have a magical scrying link on the scene (and has ways of contacting the mercenaries).  The big bad can also use magic on the scene, although would be wary about doing so if it means the Sorcerer figures out who the big bad is, since an attack would be a flat out violation of the Accords.

What kind of a fight can your PCs put up? Refresh isn't a very useful metric; it's possible to make 20-refresh characters who would get splattered by two gangbangers with AKs, and it's possible to make 8-refresh characters who can easily manhandle an armored column. If you have a WCV who can pump out a ridiculous amount of AoE shifts of Incite Emotion, and the opposition doesn't have a counter for that, it can very well shut down mortal soldiers however well-armed they happen to be. If one PC has Superb Resources and Windfall, and the merc leader has the aspect Anything For A Buck, it's going to be a real short negotiation.

OK.  So there are 7 PCs, but it's rare to have everyone show up.

One is a Sorcerer.  She has full evocation with the elements of spirit, water, and metal, as well as the Sight (her Rituals is just for exorcisms, and isn't going to be relevant in the fight).  She's known for doing Harry style force shield blocks with spirit, and attacking with the metal element.  But the player is good at being creative on her feet with magic.

Another is the Emissary of the Collective Unconsciousness of Humanity (which is a freeholding lord).  He is very good at interrogating and whatnot, but in a fight he tends to just buff others psychically.  He also has powers that lets him absorb the consequences of allies (and has Supernatural Recovery with the catch of it only working on consequences gained with that power).  He has another power which allows all the PCs to act as if they have an upgraded version of Pack Instincts, which allows them to use Pack Communion if they are in the same scene (not just same zone), and they all use the highest initiative of anyone in the group +1.

There's a Knight of the Cross.  She's got a really good Weapons skill, but her guns and athletics is less super amazing.  I expect that she won't be as useful in this fight as she's been in ones against supernatural baddies.

There's the "Retired ex-biker" (his high concept).  Pure mortal, with 9 free refresh.  His athletics is 5, and his guns is 4.  His player is a very strong tactical thinker, and a lot of his aspects are handy in a gun fight.

There's the half nixie changeling.  Her main response to a fight is to turn invisible, sneak around, and then swing at someone with a weapon and her inhuman strength.

There's another pure mortal, who's an RCMP constable.  He's got reasonably good athletics and guns, but not as good as the ex-biker.  If he gets a chance to call for backup though things will get bad for the mercenaries.

The last is a mortal with faith powers.  He's got Fists at Superb.  The mercs won't be suspecting him since the big bad doesn't know about him, but at the same time I don't see him making a huge impact on the fight.

The PCs know how manoeuvres and blocks and whatnot work, and are good at using them.  They may or may not be expecting a fight, depending on how various rolls beforehand go.

[zenten]

Oh, here's a zone map of the warehouse the PCs will likely be in:



The goal is to take a book on Outsider magic that the PCs are planning to destroy at the warehouse.  The big bad wants the book intact.  Negotiations will be the first tactic, but the PCs knowing that there are mercenaries ready to storm the place will only help with the negotiations.

[mstorer3772]

I figure you given them all guns & endurance at 3 or 4 each, athletics at 2 or 3, and some Body Armor, plus rifles and grenades.

If you really want to play hardball, have them cut the lights and CS gas the place as they enter (just some maneuvers really), maybe plant some explosives ahead of time (another maneuver, only their demo guy can tag/compel it to hit a zone with a weapon 4 attack).  That sort of thing.

Maybe have a couple sneaky sniper types enter well ahead of time (providing they can make their stealth rolls, with the assistance of some FP).  Have them maneuver to place "in my sights" or some such on the heavy hitters in advance.

Give them some useful aspects ("grizzled veteran" can cover a lot of ground), and a pile of communal fate points (or give each a set amount if you're up for the bookkeeping)... AND USE THEM.

If they heavily outnumber the PCs... say 3 to 1, you can have the first two maneuver to set up the third for an attack.  A free +4 is no joke, even before they start slinging fate points around.

With the right set-up, +2 and +3 skills will be plenty to Take Out your players.  In fact, you might want to dial that back a bit so you don't stomp their guts out.

[Sanctaphrax]

I recommend my Ordinary Soldier stats for average mercenaries. They're on the first page of the Generic NPC thread. In groups, they can be pretty dangerous. But they're also pretty fragile, as befits unimportant minions.

In order to make things more interesting, I'd also throw in a few specialists at approximately Chest Deep level. Build them for combat and give them their own (small) Fate Point pools.

Watch out for zone attacks, they'll make mincemeat of your mooks.

And shoot the wizard first. Focusing your fire on one character at a time is probably a good idea too.

[zenten]

My plan is to use a communal fate point pool, because I already do that for all antagonistic NPCs.

Should these guys be taking Consequences at all?  There's going to probably be about 15 of the mercenaries.

I'm wanting to have all the mercenaries use the same stats, just to make it easier for me.

I started a thread about the tactics being used on another board here: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?590218-Trying-to-figure-out-how-really-high-end-mercenaries-would-storm-a-warehouse

[razorsmile]

High-end clued-in mercs in the Dresdenverse? You mean, like Monoc?

I'd expect them to have at least one Father Roarke-level* operative and at least one focused practitioner or shapeshifter on the team would be expected too. Couple of snipers, shotguns with Dragons Breath rounds, rock salt, iron filings. Perhaps an anti-magic amulet on the squad leader.



*_{from "The Warrior."}

[computerking]

Oh, here's a zone map of the warehouse the PCs will likely be in:

Ooh, What program did you use to make that?

[zenten]

Ooh, What program did you use to make that?

I have no idea, as I didn't make it.  One of my players did.  His character was the one who in game selected the location and whatnot in a previous adventure.