My players are about to be ambushed by a highly organized, well-funded group of mercs. They will set up an ambush with lots of cover and various weapon types. This is all well and good, and things I know well enough to wing them. However, there's one aspect that is very hard for me to plan out properly: The Navigator. We have no equivalent in our own world, so real-life experience won't help me think like these mercs.

How would you set up such an ambush as a GM? The players consist of a Seneschal, Arch-Militant, Void Master and Navigator (all of them rank 4 at this point). I want to be fair, so no hidden snipers starting combat with a headshot from long range. I also don't want to punish the players for having certain abilities. In other words, I want the Navigator to use her destructive powers, but I don't want it to be too easy.

What would a merc company bring along to help them combat a Navigator while minimizing the risk to themselves? I have a few ideas, but they all have weak points to them. I plan to have someone with a heavy weapon lay down supressing fire to force the Navigator to run for cover instead of attacking, but since the Navigator has the highest willpower in the group, that might not work out so well. I'm thinking I might have someone throw a smoke grenade at the players, hiding the Navigator's eye while allowing the mercs to drop grenades and other area attacks at the smoke even if they can't see the characters inside it. I might have the mercs attack in pairs, with one hiding completely behind cover while the other is somewhat exposed and firing, then the next turn they swap places. That way the Navigator can't affect more than 50% of the mercs at any one time, regardless of angle, but the mercs sacrifice some of their firepower by keeping half their squad out of combat at any one time.

Is there some equipment that is tailor-made for these situations? These guys are well funded, so as long as the equipment isn't unique or near-unique, it should be okay. They probably won't have archaeotech or xenotech, but you never know.

Suggestions? I want this fight to be exciting and deadly without being frustrating or too easy.

Mace

Although not strictly psykers the rules say to treat Navigators as psykers for game purposes. You could consider making a few mercs specifically trained to take out Psykers/Navigators, with talents like Resist (Psy Tech) and Strong Minded. (Using the Lidless Stare fx is an opposed WP test). You could even include a "blank" , although that probably needs a bit more explaining to be included in a merc party. (The rules for Lidless Stare state explicitly that some creatures, including blanks are not affected).

Your idea of smoke grenades will also work pretty well, the range of the Lidless Stare is 15m, reduced to 5m in fog etc.

Also remember that the Lidless stare works on everyone, including friends. They get a bonus to resist if forewarned, but it could still be risky. Plus to work effectively the Navigator might need to be in front (due to short range), which is somewhere my Navigator wouldn't be... (to be honest he probably wouldn't even come along unless the local cuisine is exceptionally good, but that's a different story).

Smoke grenades seem a fine idea if they've been sent by someone who knows of a navigators capabilities, though that will obviously cause trouble for them as well when they're trying to shoot the PCs. I'd be hessitant to give them more for resistance than 30-35 Willpower and maybe Resistance: Psychic Techniques, given that that makes them about as good at resisting psychic powers as the average space marine. Willpower higher than that and Strong Minded would really only make sense if they're some sort of super-elite specially trained psyker killing squad.

In Shadowrun the maxim always was: "Shoot the mage first!" Have the mercs yell that and the Navigator will probably go into cover. :-)

If the mercs are pros as you said: use cover, stay ot of range (15m), use servitors or scum to distract them. The mercs can use heavy weapons (stubber, bolter etc) and not just pinning they can actullly harm the players with a good shot. They can use snipers falmers, booby traps to. If the place of the combat is theirs, there can be hideouts, bunkers, secret passages and so. If there is enugh big places they can use vehicles (sentinels, chimara). Ok this brutally but this a professional merc team so they know each of the tricks. If they know about the navigator and its a high risk factor, then they shot him first. This is tactics.

We have a rule: What the players can use, it can use the GM too, but not vice versa.

auer said:

That seems like a pretty awfull rule.

If the navigator has putt his points into boosting Lidless Stare he obviously wants to use it, so why not have them charge the group in melee so he can kill half a dozen of them and look awesome?

eBarbarossa said:

That was actually my original intention, but when I started thinking about it that course of action made little sense. After all, these mercs know exactly who they're dealing with and will have made sure everyone knows to shoot at the Navigator before the PCs even show up. I will have every one of them start shooting at the Navigator if she makes the mistake of being exposed. She should know better anyway. Depending on how the battle goes, the mercs are going to try and kill the Navigator as quickly as possible, or at least keep her busy surviving (throwing grenades at her general position if she hides behind cover, for example).

Many good suggestions so far in this thread, most of them pretty grounded. I'm kind of tempted to have some or even all of the mercs resistant towards the Navigator's powers. It makes sense for the situation that they'd pick the mercs most suitable for the job. Their company is being paid an absurd amount of money for the job.

I'm leaning towards using solutions that involve as little risk as possible for the mercs. These guys aren't altruists. They're in it for the money and aren't willing to squander their lives for a job. If the choice is between overwhelming power or safe tactics, they're going to stick with the latter.

So far in this campaign the group has only encountered real challenges when faced with xenos, never against humans. Those they have fought have been ill equipped for the job and have never known in advance what the Navigator could do, resulting in some pretty easy fights. This time they're going up against a heavily organized group capable of using advanced tactics, and I want it to show. I'm really looking forward to it and am deathly afraid that I'll miss something important that makes the encounter a total cakewalk.

limxophobiac said:

That's my standard modus operandi as a GM. Let the players feel awesome. However, if I try to let them feel awesome all the time it won't really be all that interesting. There needs to be contrast for dramatic storytelling to have the proper impact.

In any case, an experienced group of highly trained mercs charging a rogue trader and his retinue in melee combat? Sounds like the mercs you're thinking of need new leadership.

I'd actually open it up with a planted blind grenade as a mine (either proximity or command), with the closer mercs equipped with flamers or meltaguns (or possibly full-auto weapons), as well as aux./disposable grenade launchers loaded with a selection of firebombs, web, virus, tanglefoot, photon flash, toxin, choke, bloodfire and rad grenades. Add to that overwatch and fire support from one or more heavy weapons (heavy bolter or heavy stubber would probably be best, although autocannon and assault cannon have potential) and/or snipers safely out of the carnage.

If the party doesn't spot the initial mine in time, then they will have likely have problems as they get sprayed with fire (both literal and in the form of full-auto hard rounds and bolt shells) and pelted with some rather nasty grenades designed to confuse, disorient and damage them, as well as make it difficult to get to cover.
However, if they spot the mine early enough, they have the option of springing the ambush early (which makes the flamers and meltas less useful to the mercs, and things will turn into a more conventional gunfight, which means the party will have a chance to play to their strengths as opposed to merely reacting to being showered with exploding grenades and covered in fire.

Would a psy dampening field affect the lidless stare?

A psy dampener doesn't say anything about navigators but it should effect them. They are psykers even if they don't use psy rating. I say use the guidelines in Rogue Trader for converting psychic effects and apply a penalty to navigator power tests as you would to other psychic powers.

As for the ambush, snipers are a great way of messing up even strong parties. Even one sniper in a prepared position with a camo-cloak and a silenced hunting rifle can scare the hell out of players. A lot of GMs restrict combat to close range which leaves out some great tense possibilities. "WHERE'S THE SHOOTER!?!?" Also, he may have the job of taking out the psyker freaks, mutants and other dangerous wild cards.

Grenades are also wonderful for causing disruption and mayhem. Whether thrown or used as traps (set off by tripwires, timers, remote detonators).

I say play the mercenaries as if they are professionals and not goons to just die immediately. It'll be more memorable!

For live capture I would look at 5 squads.

Squad 1 - Heavy stubber, grenade launcher(smoke and stun/sleep gas), 2x auto or las guns, bolt gun.

Squad 2 - Heavy stubber, grenade launcher(smoke and stun/sleep gas), 2x auto or las guns, bolt gun.

Squad 3 - 2x needle rifles w/ stun/sleep poison, 2x auto or las guns carrying flash grenades and gas grenades, bolt gun

Squad 4 - Web gun, 2x auto or las guns carrying flash and gas grenades, bolt gun.

Squad 5 - Web gun, 2x auto or las guns carrying flash and gas grenades, bolt gun.

3 vehicles, flyers if appropriate, for pickup and delivery of cargo. All equipped with gas masks, protective goggles, and optics to cut through the smoke.

If they are really well of mercs, add in a psyker to throw down some love.

They should be well prepared and emplaced before the RT crew gets where they are going to be ambushed. Be mean and efficient with the mercs. Hold the boltguns until the mercs decide that live capture clause in their contract means "mostly alive".

I wasn't planning on live capture, but you make a convincing argument. In fact, it lets me throw more mercs into the battle without fearing that I might accidentally kill the whole party. No psykers though. Not at this stage anyhow.

TiLT said:

I wasn't certain if you were looking for live capture or not. I was just thinking that there is a lot of money to be made ransoming a Rogue Trader and retinue back to their dynasty or to a rival.

The previous list would still work for a kill mission: Subdue, Identify, Eliminate.

If you wanted it to be more kill oriented, change the grenades to frag and krack in the launchers, swap the web guns for heavy stubbers, hunting rifles or bolt guns, and use the needle rifles with the normal toxin.

But why would mercenaries try to murder a Navigator? I would rather try to capture one, the Navis Nobilite should pay a nice ransom for one of their own.

So, guys in gas masks + stun weapons, stun gas, web-grenades and maybe a shocknet. Remember, can't block a Neural Whip and conversion field + blast goggles / photo visors makes a mean combo.

My vote is on combat servitors (relatively cheap & immune to Stare, afaik.) and flash-bang grenades (blind the fluffer, can't stare if he can't see).

The navigator houses can be pretty brutal in response to parties who openly cross them. They don't keep assassins and mercenaries of their own on hire to look pretty.

If someone really wants the party dead, you could crack out the horde rules from Deathwatch or Black Crusade. Horribly dangerous, even for space marines but beatable with some tactics and luck.

I didn't see anyone mention, but Hexagramic Wards will help if all else fails. +20 to resistance checks is rather nice and lets them soak the damage with their AP.

well I have to say the hexagrammatic wards and tac teams are for me the most favourable options, but let me elaborate a bit on my rather short first reply:

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Mace

An extremely rare xeno liquid especially developed to disable a Navigators third eye. Laced with a psychic fluid which can also be found in farcosia (PtU - Rejoice for you are true) gives this liquid the property to inflict pain on the Navigators third eye on opening.

Application: 'Mace' comes in a small canister that needs to be sprayed into the face of the Navigator. This can only be achieved in point blank range (3m) and requires a challenging (+0) BS test. (It thus has NOT the spray quality (DW/BC)).

Effect: When the navigator is succesfully sprayed with the Mace he can only use his power on passing a succesfull Hard (-20) Toughness test. The effect however wears off every round making this test one step (+10) easier every round. The effect fully wears off as soon as the Navigator accumulates a total of 10 successes on his T rolls. If the navigator fails this T test with 3 DoF or more, one of these accumulated successes is deducted to a minimum of 0.

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As usual you can bet your ass that when theres a challenge there is a solution, or should I say concoction. The first thing that comes to my mind when someone uses there 'eye' to attack, is to disable it. The above is then a likely candidate.

Alesseo said 'Blind Mine' and I agree. Blind grenades and photon flash grenades. No power should be the all situational win button, so if he is going to have his eye open, then blind it.

Ever been Tear Gassed? I have, and it burned the skin, but I could take that, it buned the lungs, but ditto, but it's the Eyes, the eyes I say, they teared up so much that even when I could open them I couldn't really see anything. Just tear gas him and it will be a toughness test to even open his eyes.