The HP is kind of high. I am workshoping a mass combat idea myself now, but I am kind of running into a issue with how high the HP totals are coming out. Like if you put a 1000 of anything on a field, the total HP is just going to too high to let the players matter or to let the battle not be a huge drag.
D&D 5E My homemade 5th Edition Mass Combat Rules (Based on Handling Mobs)
Nickolaidas
Explorer
Okay, here are the rules in a more complete form:
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SUMMARY
This is a system to be used for large-scale battles between armies, no matter how many soldiers belong in a unit, how many armies, and what abilities they have.
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ARMY HEALTH
An army’s health equals to the hit point total of all units belonging to that army. For example, an army composed of 1.000 soldiers with 8 hp each means that the army has 8.000 hit points. When an army loses a large number of hit points, the loss of soldiers translates into lessened effectiveness.
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THE HIT POINT BANK
Write down the total number of damage your army receives in a round on the hit point bank. On the beginning of the next round, subtract the number on your bank from your hp total, and reduce the Bank to zero.
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ARMY EFFECTIVENESS
An army who loses a percentage of its hp total loses Effectiveness, which in turn lessens the damage the army causes on its turn. There are 5 levels of Effectiveness.
100% Effective = full hit points = x 1 multiplier
75% Effective = less than 3/4 of total hp = x 0.75 multiplier
50% Effective = less than 1/2 of total hp = x 0.5 multiplier
25% Effective = less than 1/4 of total hp = x 0.25 multiplier
0% Effective = hp depleted = army is destroyed
Note that a change in effectiveness takes place at the beginning of the next round, not the round the army unit takes damage (because the army hits and gets hit at the same time).
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ARMY HIT PROBABILITY & DAMAGE
It’s impossible to perform all attack rolls individually when dealing with an army of thousands, for it is incredibly time-consuming and complicated. Instead, for simplicity sake, use the following rule, inspired by the Handling Mobs rule in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, page 250.
Look up the attack roll bonus the soldier unit of your army has, and compare it with the AC of the enemy soldier who belongs in the opposing army your soldier is attacking. Then, based on the table above, see how many soldiers manage a hit on their turn.
For example, if a soldier needs a 19 to hit an enemy soldier, that means that only one out of ten soldiers manages a hit. Once you see how many attackers are needed, roll for damage, then multiply by the number of total soldiers the army had at the beginning of the battle, then divide by the number of attackers needed, then multiply by your effectiveness meter. That’s the damage your army unit caused the enemy army unit in its turn.
For example, an army of 1000 human soldiers - with a hp total of 8000 hp, since each soldier has 8 hp - is fighting an orcish horde. At the beginning of round 4, the human soldiers have 3978 hp, which is less that 50% of their hp total the army used to have. This means that the human soldiers fight at 50% effectiveness and have a multiplier of 0.5 whenever they cause damage. The human army attacks the orcs. An orc has an AC of 12, and the human soldier has a +3 bonus when attacking with their melee attack. This means that a soldier needs to roll a 9 to hit an orc. Looking at the Army Hit Probability Table, a 9 means that 1 out of 2 soldiers manages to hit the orcs. The player rolls for damage and gets an 8. The army started at 1000 soldiers, so 8 x 1000 = 8000 hp. Then, the damage is divided by 2 (since only 1 out of 2 soldiers hits), reducing the damage to 4000 hp. Then, the damage is multiplied by 0.5 (because the army has lessened Effectiveness) to a total of 2000 hp. The army of human soldiers reduces the hp total of the orcish horde by 2000 hp.
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ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGE
An attack at a disadvantage translates as one step lower in the Hit Probability Table. An attack at an advantage translates as one step higher.
For example, you order your army unit of 12 Trebuchets (catapults) to fire at a hobgoblin army unit when they are 1000 feet away. The hobgoblins have AC 18 and the Trebuchet has a +5 attack roll bonus, which means it needs a 13 to hit the goblins. This means that only 1 out of 3 trebuchets hits. However, since the attack is at a disadvantage (because the attack range of the trebuchet is 300/1,200 ft), the damage is calculated as if it was one step lower (which is 1 out of 4). The final damage roll is 8d10 x 12 (total number of trebuchets), divided by 4 (number of trebuchets needed for one to hit).
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MULTIPLE UNITS & INITIATIVE
An army can have as many units as they like, each army unit acting once in a round. Initiative is rolled individually for each army unit, whether it is friend or foe.
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MERGING & DIVIDING ARMIES
You can merge multiple army units into a single one, or divide one army unit into multiple ones, as long as the army unit is composed of the same creature with the same statistics. Whenever you merge or divide an army unit, the new army unit’s Effectiveness is brought back to 100%, and you divide the new hp total with the hp amount a single soldier has to find out how many troops belong to the new unit(s).
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ARMY PLACEMENT & MOVEMENT
The armies are usually placed on the battlefield the moment an army’s unit can attack another, usually via siege weapons or ranged attacks. Every round an army unit can choose to move and attack, stay its ground and attack, or move twice.
--------------------------------------------------------------
NUMBER OF ATTACKS
Each army unit attacks just as a singular member of its unit would and its damage is then multiplied by the number of soldiers. This means that creatures who can attack more than once in a single round can do so as an army unit as well (for example, an army of 50 Veterans will attack twice). If an army unit contains a unique character or monster - called a VIP in these rules - that character’s melee attacks are accounted for automatically and absorbed by the army unit he belongs to - these attacks just don’t make a difference.
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SPELLS
Spells that target a single creature cannot be used as an attack action by a VIP. Area spells however (such as Fireball), work normally and can be used as a bonus action by a VIP. If an army unit is composed solely of spellcasters (for example, an army of 100 mages), that army can use spells which target a single creature, and then multiply the result by the number of units the army originally had, then multiplied by the army’s Effectiveness. Spells which need a melee attack roll follow the same rules with melee weapons. Each time a spellcasting army uses a spell, that spell wastes a slot for all members of the army.
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SAVING THROWS
For simplicity’s sake, and because it is harder to dodge a disintegrateng beam or a fireball when surrounded by troops, always rule that soldiers fail their saving throws. Resistances, immunities and vulnerabilities still apply however.
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RECHARGES
Creatures with the recharge ability recharge their ability after 3 rounds (if the recharge works on a 5-6) or 6 rounds (if the recharge works on a 6).
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SOLO CREATURES
A solo creature is a unique monster which doesn’t form an army yet is so powerful it can hold its ground against one. Such creatures are dragons, the Tarrasque, a Demon Lord or other similarly powerful creatures. These creatures ignore the rules of Effectiveness and do not divide their damage via the Hit Probability table. Their immunities also guarantee that they can destroy all but the most powerful of armies.
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MULTIPLE ARMY UNITS OCCUPYING THE SAME SPACE
Multiple army units can occupy the same space (which is then referred to as Enemy Space). For example, an army unit of 60 ogres can fight side by side with a friendly army of a 1000 goblins, each of them attacking individually on their turn.
When an army unit attacks an Enemy Space, the attack can only target one enemy army unit contained in the Enemy Space. If the attack obliterates the enemy army unit with more than enough damage points remaining, the rest of the damage does *not* transfer to other enemy army units which occupy the same Enemy Space.
For example, a human army is attacking an Enemy Space occupied by a goblin army unit and an ogre army unit. The humans decide that the ogres are the greater threat and focus their attack action on them. The ogres have a total of 867 hp and the human attack causes them 1256 hp of damage. The ogre army unit is destroyed, but the goblin army unit is untouched on that turn - the rest of the damage is wasted.
Area-affecting spells are the exception to this rule. The spellcaster(s) who cast an area affecting spell can divide the damage to the enemy army units occupying the same Enemy Space as they see fit. Spells which target a single creature and are cast by an army unit of spellcasters follow the same rules with melee attacks - which means that excess damage is wasted when the target army unit is destroyed.
For example, the Human Sorcerer Cabal casts multiple fireballs at an enemy army space occupied by 100 ogres and 1000 goblins. The attacks deal a total of 1826 hp. The spellcasters decide that 500 of those hp are affecting the ogres, and the other 1326 affect the goblins.
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ARMY COMMANDER
Every army has a commander which issues commands and bolsters morale. This is usually the leader of an orc tribe, a human general or a lich king. While these creatures do not turn the tide of battle through their abilities, their mere presence or demise can shift the balance of the battle. If the commander is specifically searched for by enemy VIPs (a process which can take 1d6+2 combat rounds and needs the army unit the VIPs are members of to physically engage the army unit the Enemy Commander belongs to), a battle between the VIPs and the Commander begins (which is always treated as a Hard Encounter). If the VIPs successfully slay the Enemy Commander, the enemy army rolls a d12. On a 1-6 the army loses morale and retreats. On a 7-12 the army keeps going, but all attacks which consult the Hit Probability table are calculated with one ‘step’ lower.
For example, the orcish army needs a 9 to hit an army of human soldiers, which means 1 out of 2 orcs hit. If their commander is slain and the orcs roll an 8 on their d12, the orcs that hit are lowered to 1 out of 3.
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SIEGE WEAPONS
Siege weapons can be incredibly useful - they can attack enemy army units way sooner than the armies will be able to engage in melee, or even in the range of their ranged attacks. While most siege weapons take a while to load, target and fire, the reward is considerable.
Siege weapons of any size move at 10 feet per combat round. Large siege weapons need 20 medium creatures (or 40 small creatures or 7 large creatures) per siege weapon to be moved and operated. Huge siege weapons need double that amount of creatures to move and operate, and gargantuan siege weapons need four times that amount. Siege weapons cannot move and do anything else - they either move, or prepare to fire.
When Siege Weapons attack an enemy army unit which is engaged in melee combat with another army unit, 3/4 of the damage goes to the enemy army unit and 1/4 of the damage is allocated to the army unit the enemy unit itself is attacking.
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ARMY SHEET
An army sheet is helpful if it looks like this:
ARMY UNIT NAME: The race / class of the army unit
Number of Soldiers: The number of soldier the unit had when it was ‘created’. This number is recalculated every time the army unit is merged with another, or divides itself into multiple units (each getting its own sheet)
4/4 HP [100% Effectiveness (x 1 modifier)]: The total number of hp the army unit had at its inception.This number is recalculated every time the army unit is merged with another, or divides itself into multiple units (each getting its own sheet)
3/4 HP [75% Effectiveness (x 0.75 modifier)]: The 3/4 of the number above.
2/4 HP [50% Effectiveness (x 0.5 modifier)]: The 2/4 of the number above.
1/4 HP [25% Effectiveness (x 0.25 modifier)]: The 1/4 of the number above.
0/4 HP [0% Effectiveness (army destroyed)]: 0
HIT POINT BANK: The total damage the army unit has sustained until its turn comes. Once the army unit begins its turn, subtract this number from your current hit points.
CURRENT HIT POINTS: The current hit points the army unit has. When this number reaches a number which is less than 3/4, 2/4, or 1/4 of its hit point total, apply the appropriate multiplier because of lessened effectiveness.
ATTACK ROLL MODIFIER: The attack roll bonus (or penalty) a regular member of the army’s unit has.
ARMOR CLASS: The armor class score a regular member of the army’s unit has.
VIPs: If any VIPs are located in the same space with the army unit, write them down here.
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EXAMPLE ARMY SHEET
ARMY UNIT NAME: Human Guard
Number of Soldiers: 1000
4/4 HP [100% Effectiveness (x 1 modifier)]: 8000
3/4 HP [75% Effectiveness (x 0.75 modifier)]: 6000
2/4 HP [50% Effectiveness (x 0.5 modifier)]: 4000
1/4 HP [25% Effectiveness (x 0.25 modifier)]: 2000
0/4 HP [0% Effectiveness (army destroyed)]: 0
HIT POINT BANK: 0
CURRENT HIT POINTS: 8000
ATTACK ROLL MODIFIER: +3 (spear, dmg 1d6+1)
ARMOR CLASS: 16
VIPs: James Robgill (Male Human Fighter, Lvl 2)
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That's it, basically.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY
This is a system to be used for large-scale battles between armies, no matter how many soldiers belong in a unit, how many armies, and what abilities they have.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARMY HEALTH
An army’s health equals to the hit point total of all units belonging to that army. For example, an army composed of 1.000 soldiers with 8 hp each means that the army has 8.000 hit points. When an army loses a large number of hit points, the loss of soldiers translates into lessened effectiveness.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE HIT POINT BANK
Write down the total number of damage your army receives in a round on the hit point bank. On the beginning of the next round, subtract the number on your bank from your hp total, and reduce the Bank to zero.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARMY EFFECTIVENESS
An army who loses a percentage of its hp total loses Effectiveness, which in turn lessens the damage the army causes on its turn. There are 5 levels of Effectiveness.
100% Effective = full hit points = x 1 multiplier
75% Effective = less than 3/4 of total hp = x 0.75 multiplier
50% Effective = less than 1/2 of total hp = x 0.5 multiplier
25% Effective = less than 1/4 of total hp = x 0.25 multiplier
0% Effective = hp depleted = army is destroyed
Note that a change in effectiveness takes place at the beginning of the next round, not the round the army unit takes damage (because the army hits and gets hit at the same time).
----------------------------------------------------------------
ARMY HIT PROBABILITY & DAMAGE
It’s impossible to perform all attack rolls individually when dealing with an army of thousands, for it is incredibly time-consuming and complicated. Instead, for simplicity sake, use the following rule, inspired by the Handling Mobs rule in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, page 250.
Look up the attack roll bonus the soldier unit of your army has, and compare it with the AC of the enemy soldier who belongs in the opposing army your soldier is attacking. Then, based on the table above, see how many soldiers manage a hit on their turn.
For example, if a soldier needs a 19 to hit an enemy soldier, that means that only one out of ten soldiers manages a hit. Once you see how many attackers are needed, roll for damage, then multiply by the number of total soldiers the army had at the beginning of the battle, then divide by the number of attackers needed, then multiply by your effectiveness meter. That’s the damage your army unit caused the enemy army unit in its turn.
For example, an army of 1000 human soldiers - with a hp total of 8000 hp, since each soldier has 8 hp - is fighting an orcish horde. At the beginning of round 4, the human soldiers have 3978 hp, which is less that 50% of their hp total the army used to have. This means that the human soldiers fight at 50% effectiveness and have a multiplier of 0.5 whenever they cause damage. The human army attacks the orcs. An orc has an AC of 12, and the human soldier has a +3 bonus when attacking with their melee attack. This means that a soldier needs to roll a 9 to hit an orc. Looking at the Army Hit Probability Table, a 9 means that 1 out of 2 soldiers manages to hit the orcs. The player rolls for damage and gets an 8. The army started at 1000 soldiers, so 8 x 1000 = 8000 hp. Then, the damage is divided by 2 (since only 1 out of 2 soldiers hits), reducing the damage to 4000 hp. Then, the damage is multiplied by 0.5 (because the army has lessened Effectiveness) to a total of 2000 hp. The army of human soldiers reduces the hp total of the orcish horde by 2000 hp.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGE
An attack at a disadvantage translates as one step lower in the Hit Probability Table. An attack at an advantage translates as one step higher.
For example, you order your army unit of 12 Trebuchets (catapults) to fire at a hobgoblin army unit when they are 1000 feet away. The hobgoblins have AC 18 and the Trebuchet has a +5 attack roll bonus, which means it needs a 13 to hit the goblins. This means that only 1 out of 3 trebuchets hits. However, since the attack is at a disadvantage (because the attack range of the trebuchet is 300/1,200 ft), the damage is calculated as if it was one step lower (which is 1 out of 4). The final damage roll is 8d10 x 12 (total number of trebuchets), divided by 4 (number of trebuchets needed for one to hit).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MULTIPLE UNITS & INITIATIVE
An army can have as many units as they like, each army unit acting once in a round. Initiative is rolled individually for each army unit, whether it is friend or foe.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
MERGING & DIVIDING ARMIES
You can merge multiple army units into a single one, or divide one army unit into multiple ones, as long as the army unit is composed of the same creature with the same statistics. Whenever you merge or divide an army unit, the new army unit’s Effectiveness is brought back to 100%, and you divide the new hp total with the hp amount a single soldier has to find out how many troops belong to the new unit(s).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ARMY PLACEMENT & MOVEMENT
The armies are usually placed on the battlefield the moment an army’s unit can attack another, usually via siege weapons or ranged attacks. Every round an army unit can choose to move and attack, stay its ground and attack, or move twice.
--------------------------------------------------------------
NUMBER OF ATTACKS
Each army unit attacks just as a singular member of its unit would and its damage is then multiplied by the number of soldiers. This means that creatures who can attack more than once in a single round can do so as an army unit as well (for example, an army of 50 Veterans will attack twice). If an army unit contains a unique character or monster - called a VIP in these rules - that character’s melee attacks are accounted for automatically and absorbed by the army unit he belongs to - these attacks just don’t make a difference.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPELLS
Spells that target a single creature cannot be used as an attack action by a VIP. Area spells however (such as Fireball), work normally and can be used as a bonus action by a VIP. If an army unit is composed solely of spellcasters (for example, an army of 100 mages), that army can use spells which target a single creature, and then multiply the result by the number of units the army originally had, then multiplied by the army’s Effectiveness. Spells which need a melee attack roll follow the same rules with melee weapons. Each time a spellcasting army uses a spell, that spell wastes a slot for all members of the army.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAVING THROWS
For simplicity’s sake, and because it is harder to dodge a disintegrateng beam or a fireball when surrounded by troops, always rule that soldiers fail their saving throws. Resistances, immunities and vulnerabilities still apply however.
------------------------------------------------------------
RECHARGES
Creatures with the recharge ability recharge their ability after 3 rounds (if the recharge works on a 5-6) or 6 rounds (if the recharge works on a 6).
-----------------------------------------------------------
SOLO CREATURES
A solo creature is a unique monster which doesn’t form an army yet is so powerful it can hold its ground against one. Such creatures are dragons, the Tarrasque, a Demon Lord or other similarly powerful creatures. These creatures ignore the rules of Effectiveness and do not divide their damage via the Hit Probability table. Their immunities also guarantee that they can destroy all but the most powerful of armies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MULTIPLE ARMY UNITS OCCUPYING THE SAME SPACE
Multiple army units can occupy the same space (which is then referred to as Enemy Space). For example, an army unit of 60 ogres can fight side by side with a friendly army of a 1000 goblins, each of them attacking individually on their turn.
When an army unit attacks an Enemy Space, the attack can only target one enemy army unit contained in the Enemy Space. If the attack obliterates the enemy army unit with more than enough damage points remaining, the rest of the damage does *not* transfer to other enemy army units which occupy the same Enemy Space.
For example, a human army is attacking an Enemy Space occupied by a goblin army unit and an ogre army unit. The humans decide that the ogres are the greater threat and focus their attack action on them. The ogres have a total of 867 hp and the human attack causes them 1256 hp of damage. The ogre army unit is destroyed, but the goblin army unit is untouched on that turn - the rest of the damage is wasted.
Area-affecting spells are the exception to this rule. The spellcaster(s) who cast an area affecting spell can divide the damage to the enemy army units occupying the same Enemy Space as they see fit. Spells which target a single creature and are cast by an army unit of spellcasters follow the same rules with melee attacks - which means that excess damage is wasted when the target army unit is destroyed.
For example, the Human Sorcerer Cabal casts multiple fireballs at an enemy army space occupied by 100 ogres and 1000 goblins. The attacks deal a total of 1826 hp. The spellcasters decide that 500 of those hp are affecting the ogres, and the other 1326 affect the goblins.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ARMY COMMANDER
Every army has a commander which issues commands and bolsters morale. This is usually the leader of an orc tribe, a human general or a lich king. While these creatures do not turn the tide of battle through their abilities, their mere presence or demise can shift the balance of the battle. If the commander is specifically searched for by enemy VIPs (a process which can take 1d6+2 combat rounds and needs the army unit the VIPs are members of to physically engage the army unit the Enemy Commander belongs to), a battle between the VIPs and the Commander begins (which is always treated as a Hard Encounter). If the VIPs successfully slay the Enemy Commander, the enemy army rolls a d12. On a 1-6 the army loses morale and retreats. On a 7-12 the army keeps going, but all attacks which consult the Hit Probability table are calculated with one ‘step’ lower.
For example, the orcish army needs a 9 to hit an army of human soldiers, which means 1 out of 2 orcs hit. If their commander is slain and the orcs roll an 8 on their d12, the orcs that hit are lowered to 1 out of 3.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SIEGE WEAPONS
Siege weapons can be incredibly useful - they can attack enemy army units way sooner than the armies will be able to engage in melee, or even in the range of their ranged attacks. While most siege weapons take a while to load, target and fire, the reward is considerable.
Siege weapons of any size move at 10 feet per combat round. Large siege weapons need 20 medium creatures (or 40 small creatures or 7 large creatures) per siege weapon to be moved and operated. Huge siege weapons need double that amount of creatures to move and operate, and gargantuan siege weapons need four times that amount. Siege weapons cannot move and do anything else - they either move, or prepare to fire.
When Siege Weapons attack an enemy army unit which is engaged in melee combat with another army unit, 3/4 of the damage goes to the enemy army unit and 1/4 of the damage is allocated to the army unit the enemy unit itself is attacking.
-----------------------------------------------------
ARMY SHEET
An army sheet is helpful if it looks like this:
ARMY UNIT NAME: The race / class of the army unit
Number of Soldiers: The number of soldier the unit had when it was ‘created’. This number is recalculated every time the army unit is merged with another, or divides itself into multiple units (each getting its own sheet)
4/4 HP [100% Effectiveness (x 1 modifier)]: The total number of hp the army unit had at its inception.This number is recalculated every time the army unit is merged with another, or divides itself into multiple units (each getting its own sheet)
3/4 HP [75% Effectiveness (x 0.75 modifier)]: The 3/4 of the number above.
2/4 HP [50% Effectiveness (x 0.5 modifier)]: The 2/4 of the number above.
1/4 HP [25% Effectiveness (x 0.25 modifier)]: The 1/4 of the number above.
0/4 HP [0% Effectiveness (army destroyed)]: 0
HIT POINT BANK: The total damage the army unit has sustained until its turn comes. Once the army unit begins its turn, subtract this number from your current hit points.
CURRENT HIT POINTS: The current hit points the army unit has. When this number reaches a number which is less than 3/4, 2/4, or 1/4 of its hit point total, apply the appropriate multiplier because of lessened effectiveness.
ATTACK ROLL MODIFIER: The attack roll bonus (or penalty) a regular member of the army’s unit has.
ARMOR CLASS: The armor class score a regular member of the army’s unit has.
VIPs: If any VIPs are located in the same space with the army unit, write them down here.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLE ARMY SHEET
ARMY UNIT NAME: Human Guard
Number of Soldiers: 1000
4/4 HP [100% Effectiveness (x 1 modifier)]: 8000
3/4 HP [75% Effectiveness (x 0.75 modifier)]: 6000
2/4 HP [50% Effectiveness (x 0.5 modifier)]: 4000
1/4 HP [25% Effectiveness (x 0.25 modifier)]: 2000
0/4 HP [0% Effectiveness (army destroyed)]: 0
HIT POINT BANK: 0
CURRENT HIT POINTS: 8000
ATTACK ROLL MODIFIER: +3 (spear, dmg 1d6+1)
ARMOR CLASS: 16
VIPs: James Robgill (Male Human Fighter, Lvl 2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
That's it, basically.
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