Extra Minor Actions and Mass Combat

[chronoplasm]

Ideas:

1) Your Charisma modifier determines the maximum number of minions you can command at any given time.
2) Players can spend minor actions to command one of their minions to move or attack.
3) During your turn, you get additional minor actions determined by your character's Intelligence or Wisdom modifier. These minor actions can be used only to command minions.

So... players get additional minor actions equal to their Int or Wis (whichever is higher).

What do you think?

 

[Alex319]

How do you get these "minions?" How powerful are they? How easy are they to replace if killed? (And are they one-hit-point minions like regular minions?)

It certainly seems to give quite a large advantage to classes with Charisma, Intelligence, and/or Wisdom as primary attack stats. Effectively it gives everyone free attacks equal to min(CHA, max(INT, WIS)).

 

[chronoplasm]

How do you get these "minions?"

1) Hire them. The minions could be mercenaries.
2) Recruit them with a successful skill challenge.
With a certain number of successful diplomacy/intimidation effects, you may attract people to your cause.

How powerful are they? How easy are they to replace if killed? (And are they one-hit-point minions like regular minions?)

They are regular minions; 1 hit point each, and their level can be no higher than your level.
The lower their levels though, the easier they are to obtain/replace.

It certainly seems to give quite a large advantage to classes with Charisma, Intelligence, and/or Wisdom as primary attack stats. Effectively it gives everyone free attacks equal to min(CHA, max(INT, WIS)).

True... It's a work in progress.

 

[Alex319]

Interesting ideas. It seems to me that the most common use of minions would be to keep them in reserve until you need them, unless they're so common you can replace them after most encounters. Basically, since you can recover most resources you use in battle (like healing surges, APs, encounter, and daily powers) a lot easier than you could probably recover minions, and minions are very likely to get killed if you try to use them, you will try to avoid using minions as often as possible. Thus minions will serve the same strategic role as things like daily powers - something that you want to wait to use until you need it. This might mean that the issue I mentioned isn't as important because people won't be using minions every fight, just the few important ones. Another common use of minions might be expendable "decoys" used to distract enemies or set off traps (a la Nodwick).

 

[chronoplasm]

Yeah.
I'm also thinking of designing minions with more utility-oriented features in mind. They can fight if you want them to, but they may also fill specialist roles like engineers and medics.

Some things I think would be a cool:
The trusty squire who always follows around hir master Fighter or Paladin.
The loyal apprentice mage who assists the Wizard with rituals.
A divinely powered choir that stays in the background and pumps up the Cleric with their songs of heavenly glory.

 

[Fredrik Svanberg]

You could also have a system for recovering fallen minions. Just because a minion goes down in a fight it doesn't have to be dead. It could be something simple like making a save for each fallen minion during a short rest. If the minion makes the save it survived and is back for the next fight. If it fails the save it is really dead. This would allow Heal checks to improve the minion's chance of survival, and other effects that manipulate saves.

 

[Khuxan]

Yeah.
I'm also thinking of designing minions with more utility-oriented features in mind. They can fight if you want them to, but they may also fill specialist roles like engineers and medics.

Some things I think would be a cool:
The trusty squire who always follows around hir master Fighter or Paladin.
The loyal apprentice mage who assists the Wizard with rituals.
A divinely powered choir that stays in the background and pumps up the Cleric with their songs of heavenly glory.

The thing is, I would get attached to a squire or apprentice - I would certainly not want him or her to have 1 hit point. I think you need two different rules for two separate things.

 

[chronoplasm]

The thing is, I would get attached to a squire or apprentice - I would certainly not want him or her to have 1 hit point. I think you need two different rules for two separate things.

Good point...
I think maybe Squires and Apprentices be better as class features similar to animal companions.
Hey, that might be a good little project for me to work on sometime.

 

[Smeelbo]

As soon as I can afford to, I always go down to the orphanage and get meself a stout lad to drive and guard the mule. I figure they cost about as much as the mule, but less than the cart. No one misses the orphan much when they don't come back.

Smeelbo

 

[chronoplasm]

How does this look?

Choirboy- Level 1 Minion
Medium Natural Humanoid
HP 1
AC 16; Fortitude 10; Reflex 14; Will 15
Speed 6

Shortbow (At-Will, Standard)
Ranged 20; +4 vs. AC; 1d6 + 2 damage.
Anthem (Allies that can hear the choirboy get a +1 bonus to Initiative.)

Languages- Common, Alignment- Lawful Good
Str 7, Dex 17, Wis 15
Con 4, Int 13, Cha 18
Equipment: Bow, Arrows (20), White robes