D&D 5E How do I run a zombie horde?

[the Jester]

Create zombie "swarms" that represent multiple zombies. Go with several Huge monsters with lots of hit points and the Swarm trait.

To add to this, I would also include a few individual zombies and give the swarms a trait that causes them to produce, say, four zombies when reduced to half hit points and another four individual zombies when destroyed.

 

[robus]

Still wanting to know the effect of Turn Undead on a zombie swarm...?

 

[Oofta]

Still wanting to know the effect of Turn Undead on a zombie swarm...?

I'd say it splits the swarm into two based on how many would be turned. Of course I'd also give them resistance as some that would try to run away and get shoved forward anyway.

 

[aco175]

My last mass combat I tagged the monsters with colored beads to mark how near death they were. Zombies like this may be one or two hit monsters. I marked a blue bead if the monster was around half HP and a red bead when they had less that 5 HP left and were considered 1-hit left monsters. I let the players mark the monsters and everything moved fine.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

Thanks, everyone, for the great advice. So far, players have managed to turn/destroy about 1/5 of them, then slow down the rest with a spike growth spell. It hasn't been the massacre I was hoping for--but there's always next session.

 

[Oofta]

Thanks, everyone, for the great advice. So far, players have managed to turn/destroy about 1/5 of them, then slow down the rest with a spike growth spell. It hasn't been the massacre I was hoping for--but there's always next session.

Hope, and zombies, spring eternal.

 

[robus]

Thanks, everyone, for the great advice. So far, players have managed to turn/destroy about 1/5 of them, then slow down the rest with a spike growth spell. It hasn't been the massacre I was hoping for--but there's always next session.

What kind of damage are you dishing out with each swarm?

 

[dave2008]

You don't "run" a zombie horde - it is more a shuffle, shamble, or possibly a trundle really

 

[Pielorinho]

A small but crucial note to running zombies that can make them incredibly scary:

Most monsters, once an enemy drops to zero hit points, ignore that enemy in order to focus on the folks standing up. Zombies don't. They're not interested in survival, they're just hungry.

As soon as a PC drops, every other zombie tries to use its action to attack the downed PC: they're going in for lunch. They don't care if that exposes them to attacks, they'll take the attacks.

If you can manage that, the players are gonna take zombies very seriously going forward.

 

[Eltab]

How much room does the horde have to get into action? A horde coming down a hallway is not as scary as one that spreads out over a farm field. (Fireball is great in confined spaces.)