Skip to main content

← Back to Monster List

Bandits

Bandits

Bandit​

  • Size: Medium or Small
  • Type: Humanoid
  • Alignment: Neutral
  • AC: 12
  • Initiative: +1 (11)
  • HP: 11 (2d8 + 2)
  • Speed: 30 ft
ATTRVALMODSAVE
STR11+0+0
Dex12+1+1
Con12+1+1
INT10+0+0
Wis10+0+0
CHA10+0+0
  • Gear: Leather Armor, Light Crossbow, Scimitar
  • Senses: Passive Perception 10
  • Languages: Common, Thieves' Cant
  • CR: 1/8 (XP 25; PB +2)

Actions​

Scimitar. Melee Attack Roll: +3 , reach 5 ft . Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) Slashing damage.

Light Crossbow. Ranged Attack Roll: +3 , range 80/320 ft. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) Piercing damage.

Bandit Captain​

  • Size: Medium or Small
  • Type: Humanoid
  • Alignment: Neutral
  • AC: 15
  • Initiative: +3 (13)
  • HP: 52 (8d8 + 16)
  • Speed: 30 ft
ATTRVALMODSAVE
STR15+2+4
Dex16+3+5
Con14+2+2
INT14+2+2
Wis11+0+2
CHA14+2+2
  • Skills: Athletics +4 , Deception +4
  • Gear: Pistol, Scimitar, Studded Leather Armor
  • Senses: Passive Perception 10
  • Languages: Common, Thieves' Cant
  • CR: 2 (XP 450; PB +2 )

Actions​

Multiattack. The bandit makes two attacks, using Scimitar and Pistol in any combination.

Scimitar. Melee Attack Roll: +5 , reach 5 ft . Hit: 6 (1d6 +3 ) Slashing damage.

Pistol. Ranged Attack Roll: +5 , range 30/90 ft. Hit: 8 (1d10+3) Piercing damage.

Reactions​

Parry. Trigger: The bandit is hit by a melee attack roll while holding a weapon. Response: The bandit adds 2 to its AC against that attack, possibly causing it to miss.

Lore & Background​

Bandits are opportunistic criminals who prey upon travelers, merchants, and isolated settlements. They range from desperate individuals driven to crime by poverty and hardship to organized criminal enterprises with complex hierarchies and territorial control. Most bandit groups operate from hidden camps in wilderness areas, using their knowledge of local terrain to ambush victims and evade pursuit by authorities.

Bandit societies often develop their own codes of conduct, traditions, and internal politics. Some groups are led by charismatic captains who maintain discipline through a combination of fear and shared profit, while others operate as loose confederations of criminals united only by mutual benefit. The most successful bandit organizations establish networks of informants in nearby settlements, allowing them to identify valuable targets and avoid law enforcement.

Many bandits are former soldiers, guards, or adventurers who turned to crime due to circumstances beyond their control. Others are born into criminal families or recruited from the ranks of the desperate and disenfranchised. Despite their criminal nature, bandits often follow certain unwritten rules, such as avoiding unnecessary killing or targeting those under the protection of powerful patrons.

Combat Tactics​

Bandits rely on superior numbers, terrain advantage, and the element of surprise to overcome their opponents. They prefer to set ambushes along well-traveled roads, using natural cover and concealment to remain hidden until the optimal moment to strike. Bandit captains coordinate their followers' attacks, focusing fire on the most dangerous opponents while using terrain to limit enemy movement.

Common bandit tactics include blocking escape routes, using ranged attacks to soften targets before closing to melee, and employing intimidation to encourage surrender rather than costly fighting. They often target spellcasters first, recognizing the threat posed by magical abilities. When facing superior opposition, bandits are quick to retreat, preferring to live to fight another day rather than face certain death.

Bandit captains lead from the front, using their superior equipment and skills to inspire their followers and eliminate key threats. They're skilled at reading the flow of battle and adapting their tactics accordingly, whether that means pressing an advantage or organizing a strategic withdrawal.

Encounter Ideas​

The Toll Road: A well-organized bandit group has established a 'toll' on a major trade route, demanding payment from all travelers while maintaining the pretense of legitimacy through forged documents and official-looking uniforms.

The Desperate Band: A group of refugees turned to banditry after losing their homes to war or disaster, creating a moral dilemma for heroes who must choose between justice and mercy.

The Inside Job: Bandits have infiltrated a merchant caravan or noble's household, using their positions to gather intelligence and coordinate attacks from within the target's own ranks.

The Rival Gangs: Two bandit groups are engaged in a territorial war, with innocent civilians caught in the crossfire as the criminals fight for control of lucrative smuggling routes.

Environmental Effects​

Hidden Camps: Bandit lairs are typically well-concealed and fortified positions that take advantage of natural terrain features like caves, dense forests, or rocky outcroppings.

Watchtowers and Signals: Established bandit territories often feature crude watchtowers or signal systems that allow for rapid communication and early warning of approaching threats.

Trapped Approaches: Experienced bandit groups create pitfalls, snares, and other traps along the approaches to their camps, both to deter enemies and to capture potential victims.

Safe Houses: Bandits maintain networks of safe houses and supply caches throughout their territory, allowing them to operate effectively even when their main camp is compromised.

Treasure​

Stolen Goods: A mixture of valuable items taken from previous victims, including coins, jewelry, weapons, and trade goods that can be sold or ransomed back to their original owners.

Contraband: Illegal or restricted items such as banned books, forbidden magical components, or substances that are heavily taxed or regulated by local authorities.

Information: Maps showing secret routes, lists of wealthy targets, correspondence with corrupt officials, and other intelligence that could be valuable to the right buyers.

Personal Effects: Items of sentimental value taken from victims, which might be used for ransom or could provide clues about the bandits' previous activities and potential future targets.

Plot Hooks​

The Reformed Bandit: A former bandit captain seeks redemption and offers to help the heroes in exchange for protection from their former criminal associates who view them as a traitor.

The Missing Caravan: A merchant caravan has disappeared along a supposedly safe route, and investigation reveals the involvement of a bandit group with connections to corrupt local officials.

The Bandit's Daughter: The child of a notorious bandit leader has been captured by rival criminals, and the desperate parent offers valuable information in exchange for their offspring's safe return.

The False Flag: Bandits are impersonating soldiers or guards to commit crimes while deflecting suspicion onto legitimate authorities, threatening to destabilize the region's political situation.