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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other Mass Battle System. WIP. PEACH.



Ralcos
2014-07-18, 04:03 PM
I made a concept for a system, as stated in the title.
Hope that it works with you guys!

A mass battle in d&d is one of the hardest ideas to execute, though it’s one of the most prevalent idea in movies and tv shows.
My solution? I make it simple and make it similar to a 1 on 1 battle, including the players with a skill challenge.
Simply put, an army is considered its own creature/character for the purposes of battle.
Note: This system is made to be against itself,

Step 1: Decide the strength of both sides in a mass conflict, preferably based off of the average party level (This does not mean a single character has permission to play whack-a-mole with an entire armada!)
The categories are as follows:
Weak Army; Levels 1 through 6
Medium Army; Levels 7 through 12
Strong Army; Levels 13 through 18+

Army Potential (Hit Points)
Weak Army; 10 or 20
Medium Army; 20 or 30
Strong Army; 30 or 40

Army Training (Minimum and Maximum Attack Bonuses)
Weak Army; +0 / +4
Medium Army; +5 / +9
Strong Army; +9 / +15

Damage Potential
Weak Army; 1d4 or 1d6
Medium Army; 1d8 or 1d10
Strong Army; 1d12 or 2d6

Step 2: Detail and Fluff! To make your armies in a campaign actually worth something, you and your player characters should get to know them.

Step 3: Apply bonuses for when applicable (e.g. If they are an assassin’s group, the army could get a +2 bonus to all damage rolls when ambushing the enemy army). If there are major players in the battle (Such as a PC leader that the DM allows or NPC hero), Add a +1 bonus to all attack rolls.

Okay, let’s make armies now!
Let’s say I want a horde of untrained, dragon worshiping, Kobolds to attack the nearby city in the next session. First, I’ll need to detail both sides.



There’s the militia of Kormall City, and the Cult of X’olken the Red Dragon.

So, As DM, I’ll record both sides and their respective strengths.

Party Level: 8
Militia; Medium Kobold Cult; Medium (Weak)

Now, to write in the numbers, and choose how good they shall be.

Party Level: 8
Militia; Medium ; 20 / +6 / 1d8
Kobold Cult; Medium (Weak); 20 / +5 / 1d6

As DM, I’ll say that the Kobolds have an edge with an ancient Red Dragon leader. This gives his Kobold Subjects a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls. This dragon is going to be a major encounter to the PCs; but before that applies, the PCs must participate in the war effort for a while (Say, 1d6 rounds).

Party Level: 8
Militia; Medium ; 20 / +6 / 1d8
Kobold Cult; Medium (Weak); 20 / +6 / 1d6; Leader: X’olken (+1 Attack)

Now, we could apply defenses for the militia.

Party Level: 8
Militia; Medium ; 20 / +6 / 1d8
Defenses: Palisade Wall; 2 DR for 6 HP

Kobold Cult; Medium (Weak); 20 / +6 / 1d6; Leader: X’olken (+1 Attack)


Now, both armies are ready.
To battle, the DM only needs to roll d20s with the attack bonuses of both armies per turn before the players can begin or continue the skill challenge.

At round one, the Kobolds attack the wooden walls and roll a total of 24, while the militia rolls a 21 total. This marks a hit, and the kobolds deal a total of 4 damage to the Militia (rolling a 6), and destroying the wall with impunity.
He announces to the players that the red dragon flies over the walls and bombards the walls with flames, destroying the wood in an explosion of shrapnel.

And then the militia makes a counterattack, rolling a 15 while the kobolds roll an 18. The cult is strangely coordinated for a defense, and hold against the attack.


I do have ideas for the skill challenge AND for the calculation of EXP gain for the skill challenge.
So, what do you think? Good/Bad/Ugly/Meh?

Epsilon Rose
2014-07-18, 10:40 PM
This seems to remove all of the nuance of troop composition, equipment, and tactics that most people would want in a mass combat. What's worse, the players can't make any meaningful decisions. At this point, you're basically comparing numbers and letting an RNG decided who wins.

There also aren't any guidelines for picking stats.