Under D&D rules, a dagger does 1d4 base damage. The average human has a Strength score of 10, adding no bonuses. Several of them, due to the military background of many, likely had strength or dexterity scores of 11-14. But only two or three, and quite a few would be frail with old age, sinking to 8-9 strength. All in all, we can only add a total of +1 damage per round from Brutus.
An estimate of sixty men were involved in Caesar’s actual murder. Not the wider conspiracy, but the stabbing.
Julius Caesar was a general, which is generally depicted as a 10th level fighter. Considering his above baseline constitution and dex, weakened by his probable history of malaria, epilepsy, and/or strokes (-1 dex modifier), and lack of armor at the time of the event, he would likely have something along the lines of AC 9 and 60 HP. The senators would likely hit him roughly 55% the time.
So the Roman senate had a damage-per-round of 66, more than enough to kill Caesar in one round even without factoring in surprise round advantage.
.Let’s not forget a person can only have up to four people flanking them at the same time. The other 4 people around Caesar wouldn’t receive a flanking bonus. Plus factoring in the movement actions of those involved, that means only 16 senators could attack Caesar a round. So in actuality it would take a little over 3 rounds to kill him.
You all keep forgetting that every senator had to do time as a Roman soldier in the Legions. You didn’t get political power unless you were an experienced warrior as well. So these aren’t just a bunch of flabby old men in togas. These are the canny SOBs who survived and led lives of privilege earned in the blood of Rome’s enemies. They’re prestige level tacticians, fighters, and backbiting Advisors. And most of them haven’t forgotten how to wield a blade. Damn sure Caesar didn’t. So that’s a lot more damage behind each stab than just 1D4.
Caesar wasn’t some scrub NPC General. Caesar was an Epic Tier Warlord. He was a full on player character with all the CHA he needed to not only take power, but inspire so much fear when he decided that he’d keep it.
His assassins had to scatter like cockroaches when his people heard about what they’d done.
Dictator For Life had to be taken out unnamed in the seat of his power by “trusted” friends. Because damned sure he would have won any civil war they’d have brought to him. Massive debuffs rendered upon him from the shock of betrayal alone. They had to do it that way in game terms as well because a Warlord’s best weapons are the people loyal to him.
Going by 5th Edition, with its notable attribute inflation, the best trained NPC soldiers are “Veterans.” STR 16 DEX 13 CON 14, Multiattack. Adding them into the flat human average of 10 across the board inflates the to hit percentage and damage a bit, but Caesar still goes down in a round without grid rules.
Caesar wasn’t epic level. Epic levels don’t exist under current 5th Edition rules, and I think you’re seriously underestimating 10th level fighters. Epic level fighters in previous edition could fight archdevils and gods; no human being historically even approached those levels. Even so, if we inflate Caesar to 20th level and 18s in all stats - better than a Vampire Lord - his AC still only hits 14 and his hit points are 160ish (20d8+80).
Note that a Werewolf is STR 15, DEX 13, CON 14. An ogre is STR 19, DEX 8, CON 16.
Caesar was unarmed, and did not kill any of his attackers with his unarmed strikes due to Caesar’s lack of Monk levels. His charisma, while high, has no effect on combat. He was not a paladin or swashbuckler.
So even HyperCaesar goes down against average humans with 5 veterans in about 5-6 rounds (30-36 seconds). He would have received 20-24 attacks, but failed to do sufficient damage with any of them.
wait, so Caesar put all his points into CHA? Would that make him more of a bard? Did he ever roll to seduce the attackers?