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[Urist Tilaturist]

The gameplay mechanics implied by hostage taking are so numerous that there's a lot of groundwork to be laid before getting to the point where that scenario can play out without making it too gamey and formulaic. Overall this suggestion is more like one of Toady's old power goals, it consists of a large number of individual mechanics playing together.

I don't think balance is an issue in a singleplayer fantasy game like DF. If one of your dwarves or your adventurer is a superhumanly strong fighter he should be able to perform superhuman feats. Mass combat lacks mechanics like many other parts of DF but if a large host of creatures can use their combined mass to push down a creature might as well have the possibility of the single creature pushing down the large host if it's strong enough. We might be talking about a dwarf or an archangel.

It is not just an issue of strength but also of mass. In order for the adventurer to shove over the horde he would also have to have huge mass, far bigger than a dwarf, since the pushing force he could exert would be limited by friction with the ground otherwise. Since there is no suggestion that adventurers are much bigger than normal dwarves, shoving over huge numbers of foes is not feasible. If the player is a gigantic monster, it is a very different story.

There is a limit to the strength that can be obtained by a creature at a certain mass. In order to have more strength, he must be bigger (why ants cannot toss humans in the air). Since adventurers are not super sized, they cannot be too super strong either. Legendary dwarves' strength should be limited to what their mass can allow and what will not destroy their joints.

[StagnantSoul]

You are aware that this is a fantasy game, right? Vampires can obviously generate much more strength than a dwarf ever could. Also, fifty soldiers can't touch me so long as I have their beloved king and my knife. It doesn't matter how many soldiers there are, I wont be letting go of the king. Unless you're doing some roleplay run through where you actually get intimidated, then it'd never matter how many soldiers there are.

[Urist Tilaturist]

See my comment on strength and mass. The vampire would also have to be much denser or bigger to avoid being shoved over, since friction is only so much. It is friction with the ground that resists his being pushed back, and that goes up with lower centre of gravity and more mass.

Eventually the hostage taker would have to let go of the king to actually rule the settlement, going back to the original idea of taking over settlements. Unless he plans on holding the king captive forever - possible for a vampire - he will eventually have to let him go and put himself at risk. Even if he keeps the king at knifepoint, he could still be ambushed and struck before he can react.

If the hostage taker us going to rule the city, he needs loyal accomplices to watch out for surprise attacks and keep the population at bay.

That said, if all you want is ransom money, go ahead. No numbers of soldiers can stop you then.

[StagnantSoul]

Have you forgotten about your twelve+ companions you can get? A vampire, supported by 16 soldiers, could rule a city by fear. And you seem to forget, this is a fantasy game where giant moose and sperm whales exist, where the dead can be raised and a locked door stops a siege. If Toady wants vampires to continue to break physics like they already do, he can. Not everything has to be 100% like real life.

[Urist Tilaturist]

If the city's population is below about 200, yes, especially if local forces are well paid to stay on side (an important part of dictatorship is keeping local forces loyal to help with the dirty work). Recruiting paid informers would also help a lot.