Mass Combat Rules
[Disclaimer:Â This is a stream of thought idea, read it with that in mind.]
I had the thought of having a larger mostly melee based battlefield swirling around a party, an ‘epic’ encounter but at the heroic level. The party would help direct the forces of the battle by using minor actions to make skill checks and these would add bonuses to the embattled forces.
To that end there needs to be some quick and fast rules for massed combat that are easy to keep track of and yet allow for varying degrees of ‘quality’ of the combatants.
Yes I know there are published rules for this kind of thing and they may be awesome but half the fun of a DM is coming up with your own stuff.
My initial though is each side will have units of troops. These will be under the control of the DM but can be influenced by the players.
The units will make opposed rolls but their ‘turn’ takes place over the course of the players encounters so they’re several minutes long typically.
The players will be directly involved in a series of encounters, waves of the bad guys and will be performed as normal. The other forces will have a single simple die roll that will be performed at the end of each of the PC encounters. The players will get a 5 minute rest between waves.
My current idea is each unit will have an Attack and a Defense value.
These attack and defense values will range from 1 to 20 although I see typical units falling into the 1 to 10 range.
When two (or more units) attack each other there they make an opposed roll, attack versus defense. Each side can make this roll or not although obviously if neither side does then it’s a little boring. But a side with a strong defense but weak attack may decided not to attack but only make defensive rolls. If both sides want to make attack rolls damage is determined at the end.
The difference between the opposed rolls is divided by X . For my needs I’m making X = 5, 1 for each minute of the mass combat round.
Both sides in a fight take 1 base damage. The loser of the opposed roll also takes the computed difference. In the case of a tie, both sides take just the 1 base damage.
Once a unit hits 0 or less in both attack and defense they’re considered destroyed or otherwise out of the combat.
Example:
Kings Guard squad a A:7 and a D: 7
Bloody Hand Orc squad has an A:8 and a D:2
Both sides are going to attack so it’s two sets of rolls.
Let’s do the guards attack roll first – d20(16)+7 = 23
The orcs make a defense check – d20(6)+2 = 8
The difference is 15 and we divide that by 5 and end up with (15/5) =3.
The orcs currently will take 4 damage to their attack and defense at the end of the round and the guard take 1 for the base.
The orcs make an counter attack:
Orcs attack – d20(14)+8= 18
Guard defense – d20(11)+7 = 18
It’s a tie so sides take (base 1)+(0/5) or 1.
The orcs will take 3+1+1(computed damage)+( base damage).
The guard takes only the base 1+1 damage.
Round two –
Guard – A:5 D:5
Orcs – A:3 D:-3
Orcs attack –
Orcs attack is (11+3) = 14
Guard defense is (20+5) = 25
Defense wins by 11 so the orcs will take 11/5 or 2 damage +1 base or 3 total.
Guards take 1 base damage.
The guards counterattack –
Guard attack is (4+5) = 9
Orc Defense is (11-3) = 8.
Even results (1/5) = 0 so both sides take an additional 1 base damage.
That’s a total of 4 damage for the orcs and 2 damage for the guards:
Guard – A:3 D:3
Orcs – A:-1 D:-6
The orcs are decimated/routed/slaughtered whatever you wish to have had happened.
But the guard unit is not looking too good and if the orcs have another squad or two to throw at them then the guard could very easily go down and that wall of the keep could be ripe for the taking.
I need to actually try it out and get a feel for it. It’s simple enough I suppose unless without be so simple as “This side beat this side, that side is destroyed.”. It allows for units to be drained of power over the course of time and allows them to be ‘healed’ up by simply shoving men from the reserve units into their place.
Probably needs defensive bonuses for cover. Perhaps a +2/+4/+6 if they’re in cover but they can’t attack from cover only defend.
Bears consideration I suppose.
2 comments
Anonymous
July 24, 2009 at 7:40 pm (UTC -5)
What affect do the PC’s have on the battle? how are you going to calculate their influence on the battle?
Dennis
July 24, 2009 at 8:27 pm (UTC -5)
My thoughts are their actions will grant either an Attack or Defense boost, Heal damage on a unit using Arcana, Athletics, Endurance,Heal, History, Insight, Perception, Thievery depending on the situation. Probably a DC based on X+the current Attack/Defense value. So the higher their value the harder it is for the PC’s to affect them.
I was also considering adding in a morale check, say a DC 10 and they roll a d20+(Lower of Attack or Defense) once one of those numbers hit negatives. And then PC’s could boost that with Bluff, Intimidate, Diplomacy checks. If the unit routs the PC’s would have one chance to recover them at a higher DC and if not then the unit is ‘destroyed’. If they do recover then probably go back in action at half A/D. Routed units tend to rout again after all.
That kind of thing is what I was thinking about.
Also do remember this is just an initial “How could I do this?” kind of idea, it might completely suck in practice.