BX Monsters A to Z: Bandit

 Another entry from the Basic Set, and one that's probably extremely familiar to everybody who's ever played any edition of the game: Bandits. 

Moldvay describes bandits as NPC thieves who have joined together for the purpose of robbing others. This makes them the second character class to receive the monster write-up. Their listed AC of 6 implies leather armor and a Dexterity bonus of +1; this makes them the only class-as-monster to assume a bonus in the class's prime requisite. Bandits are also listed with one full Hit Die, as opposed to 1/2 HD, despite the standard class using a d4 per level. Whether this allows for possible Constitution bonuses, or level 2 bandits, is unknown. They may have a leader of higher level than themselves of any human character class.

The description says bandits will try to surprise victims by pretending to be normal humans; certainly a viable strategy. Oddly, there's no mention of any actual stealth tactics. Most of the thief class's skills (Open Locks, Find/Remove Traps, et. al.) are not particularly useful to bandits, at least not in confrontations with bands of adventurers, but Hide in Shadows, Move Silently, Hear Noise, and especially attacking unnoticed from behind (a.k.a. "backstab" in other editions) would be relevant. I can see why a DM wouldn't want to muck about with skills in the sense PC thieves use them, but an increased chance of surprise and decreased chance to be surprised for the entire group, coupled with the standard +4 to hit/double damage when attacking by surprise would be a workable simplification. In straight-up combat, they would probably favor using missile weapons when possible. Bandits also seem like the type to set traps, both at their intended ambush points and in and around their lairs. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that bandits are clearly in it for the money, which means they're likely willing to make a deal if they believe combat would be risky for them. They'd rather get a quarter of what that tough-looking party of adventurers is carrying and walk away with their hides intact than try to get it all and maybe get slaughtered.

Bandits out on the prowl carry Treasure Type U, so might yield a little loot for adventurers, but the real score (Treasure Type A) is in the lair. Though randomly rolled treasure is in the form of coins and gems, it would be fun to swap out some of those for other stuff they might have plundered from traders, travelers, and adventurers, like miscellaneous (non-magical) arms and armor, trade goods and luxury items (tea, tobacco, liquor, cloth, lace, spices, books, etc.) or even prisoners to be ransomed or sold into slavery if not rescued. 

How can you make bandit encounters more interesting? Give the group of bandits an overall personality. Are they hard, desperate men eking out an existence outside polite society? Are they amoral pragmatists who just prefer stealing to honest work? Are they a bunch of merry miscreants who'll rob you with a smirk and a swagger? Do they pretend to be righteous folk heroes robbing the rich in the name of the common people? The character of the group may also be strongly influenced by the leader; a bandit gang led by a magic-user or cleric is likely going to be quite different from one led by a fighter or thief.

What would I change about the monster listing? First, I'd give them a 3-in-6 chance of surprising opponents, and a 1-in-6 chance of being surprised themselves to reflect their stealth and listening skills. Also, I'd drop their morale score to about a 6 rather than the listed 8. They're not warriors, after all. They're in it for relatively easy money, not the thrill of a fight or sacrificing their lives for some grand cause. If the going gets even a little bit tough, they'd rather live to rob another day, not lay down their lives so their surviving cohorts (if any) can have the loot.