So, lots of replies since this morning, and although appreciated I can't see much point in replying or continuing those particular dicussions.
Anyone here actually throw a hundred enemies at their PC during 5E? I'm not counting swarms for the purposes of this question. I'm counting running a hundred enemies as a hundred enemies. I don't run 5E so I'll won't get that chance.
In 5E, no, not quite.
When I first started 5E we had an encounter with our party versus orcs (yes, actually orcs LOL), and IIRC there was 84 of them in total. I don't think we ever faced more than 15 or so at once, as we killed some others moved in to fill the gaps (so to say). The combat lasted several hours, and in the end we had two PCs dead, two unconscious, and my dwarf still standing. He only survived due to a very good AC and having DR from heavy armor master. Now, RAW this wouldn't have worked since we were only 2nd or 3rd level, but we all got a feat at 1st level.
Needless to say, it was an epic fight I'll probably never forget.
In AD&D, I was running a high-level game at this point, about 14th or 15th maybe, and our ranger had a challenge by an Elven god to face 100 ogres. The ranger defeated them all.
i don't know why you'd ever do that in any system. that sounds awful.
For our games, both experiences were incredibly awesome.
To hit rolls
And magic items
To hit rolls for Fighters improved a lot (+15 or 16 IIRC), but the other classes not quite as much.
"Ballooning" is a subjective term, of course, so it makes such comparisons difficult (at best) to be valid.