Bunkers & Dragons: Machine Guns for D&D

Crappy notebook map

In watching a series of WWII history vids on YouTube, I had the idea that mid-20th century infantry tactics could make for a novel series of D&D adventures. 

Squad tactics, pivoting off machine-guns, fields of fire and flanking maneuvers feel very chess like. Figuring out how to assault a position with interlocking fields of fire without getting splattered seems like a worthy challenge. 

Machine Gun = Gazer Laser

We'll need something that delivers suppressing fire in a limited arc. I'll be using a large stone head that fires destructive beams from it's eyes, mounted on a palanquin. You could use a taxidermized Beholder or a clockwork rapid-fire ballista, if you'd prefer. Choose your own flavor.

My wife called this a "tiki-turret"

System Agnostic Rules: 

• They have a 90 degree arc of fire.
• To change the arc, two people have to pick up the gun and move it.
• They do not roll for initiative. Instead, they reactively hit enemies that move through their arc. 
• Damage is high but probably not enough to drop a tough character in one hit.
• One damage roll for everyone in their field of fire, divide result equally among targets.
• Add damage die for each additional target.
• Generally, the more targets the less damage each individual takes. 
• If you have cover, you get a saving throw vs the damage.
• Targets take half damage if they drop prone.  

Gazer Laser:

• The operator puts their head into an opening in back of stone head. They can see through statue's eyes but can't sense anything else. They are pretty vulnerable.
• Manned by a "gunner" and two porters. The porters have sidearms and will try to protect the gunner.

Example: In my current game, characters have 10 - 20 hit points, so 3d6 damage seems about right for the Gazer Laser. If they try to rush it together, +1d6 damage per character.

Rushing one Laser might be possible if you can get most of the way under cover, If you're facing two together, it's suicide.

Countermeasures: The usual WWII stuff that you've seen on Band of Brothers should work.

• Bayonet charge = Barbarian with halberd (risky!)
• Grenades = burning oil flasks
• Bazooka = fireball spell

The puzzle is figuring out how to approach without exposing yourself to overwhelming firepower for too long. 

A Demonstrative Dungeon 

In figuring out how to put this together, I drew up a little dungeon.

• This is just one example. You can come up with all sorts of variants using fields of fire to make all sorts of tricky tactical puzzles.

You can re-skin this to your liking and I think it'll be a challenge. A frontal assault is likely to result in a TPK but clever adventurers will adapt and should be able to overthrow the defenses. 

• Be sure to give the players ample warning. This is supposed to be an obstacle not an unfairly lethal ambush. A scattering of shots in the entrance hall could alert them to the danger.
• After they win, they'll have great fun hauling around the laser heads and blasting their enemies.
• If they find it too easy, you can set up a more devious fortification down the road.