I’ve been looking at ways to handle swarms/hordes/mass combat. The standard combat rules don’t work too well for this purpose, and there are no minions to slice through like in 4th edition. So I devised a system that I think represents what it would be like for a hero to slash (or blast) their way through a sea of enemies. As you read the rules, keep a few things in mind:
1. This is an abstract representation of combat. The logistics of attacks, damage, and spacing for a horde don’t fit into the regular combat system very well, so I'm representing the elements of combat to fit the heroes facing off against a large number of low-level foes. The AC, hit points, attacks and damage represent a group of foes, not individual threats.
2. Fighting a horde is not without its peril. The horde hit back. They’re goblin and orc ‘minions’, so they will hit and do damage. Melee combatants will take damage, and spellcasters at range are targets for enemy archers, too. But cannon-fodder also get in each other’s way, they recoil when you advance; they scatter when they see a streak of lightning or flame rip through the battlefield, etc. Hence the -5/0/+5 attack modifiers for the bevy of foes that surround the heroes. Damage is calculated accordingly, even though it’s not just from 3 attacks- it’s from the seven or eight goblins surrounding you.
3. The 'horde' is broken down into smaller units. Think of the horde as a group of CR-appropriate swarms in terms of attack, hp, and damage. I used the following stats for a group of orcs and goblins: AC 14, HP 100, 3 attacks at -5/+0/+5 for 3d10+4 bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage. The stats are equivalent to a CR 3 or 4 monster. Then I build up from there: "how many CR 4, 100-hp units of this horde does the party need to defeat in order to defeat the horde?" I used 500hp worth (five units) against three 9th level characters, and it was a tough fight for them.
Finally, I did this for the fun of a different kind of encounter and to add to the ‘epic-ness’ of this kind of fight. It’s designed to be tough but fair; it’s not a way to have the characters ‘win’- if that was the case, I’d just ask my players to narrate their character’s role in the battle. Rather, it gives the characters a way to battle a horde for real (as opposed to a skill challenge/narrative method). It’s still an imposing task, and it’s dangerous- if the dice rolls don’t go in favor of the party, they may need to retreat and regroup.
’Vs the Horde’ Rules
The enemy is all around you, stabbing and jabbing, slashing and gnawing at your arms and legs, jumping on your back and trying to overwhelm you.
Enemy gets 3 attacks on its turn: a single d20 roll with these modifiers: -5/0/+5. Damage is rolled normally for each hit. Critical Hits apply. A horde cannot be blinded, charmed, deafened, grappled, incapacitated, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned or knocked unconscious. Any condition is represented by an extra 1d12 damage.
Melee/ranged attacks:
Natural 1= 0 damage. Your swing got jammed up by too many goblins hanging off your arm, the spell overshoots the horde
Miss= half damage
Hit= regular damage
Hit by 6 or more*= total damage roll x2
Critical Hit= max damage x2
*in this case, a 20 or above since the horde AC is 14
For an attack that produces an effect (such as a fighter’s maneuver) add 1d12 to the damage roll. This represents the advantage that those conditions grant.
Damage-dealing spells that require an attack roll (ranged or melee) work like melee/ranged attacks as above. Ex- the cantrip Fire Bolt would do half damage on a miss, full damage on a hit, double-damage on a 20+ and automatically do 20 damage (max x2) on a crit.
Area of effect spells that damage (like fireball) are handled as below. Damage is applied to the horde (not an individual creature). The effectiveness of your spell (and their failed saves) means you dropped that fireball in the perfect spot, or the group you targeted was focused on something else and unaware of a spell being cast their way, etc.
Successful save= half damage
Failed save by 5 or less=full damage
Fail saving throw by 6 or more= double damage
Natural 1= max damage x2
Spells that produce a condition, such as Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Sleep, or Hypnotic Pattern (any spell that causes the target to become prone, incapacitated, charmed, etc) the spell does 2d12+ your spellcasting modifier in damage (represents the additional damage your melee combatants do to the incapacitated foes). This is in addition to any of the spell’s damage (essentially the 2d12+ replaces the benefits of the condition you put on the enemy). The saving throw chart above applies to these spells.
I think the system can be a hell of a lot of fun in this situation. Yes, it is very much all about damage damage damage and not very tactical, but hey- that’s what mowing through a horde is supposed to be like.
I used it once and the players liked it (9th level fighter, ranger, and wizard) : tough fight, they still got to use their special attacks and spells. The mechanics made sense of the in-game action in a nice way. It's quick n dirty and it was fun.
Thoughts, comments, critiques?
1. This is an abstract representation of combat. The logistics of attacks, damage, and spacing for a horde don’t fit into the regular combat system very well, so I'm representing the elements of combat to fit the heroes facing off against a large number of low-level foes. The AC, hit points, attacks and damage represent a group of foes, not individual threats.
2. Fighting a horde is not without its peril. The horde hit back. They’re goblin and orc ‘minions’, so they will hit and do damage. Melee combatants will take damage, and spellcasters at range are targets for enemy archers, too. But cannon-fodder also get in each other’s way, they recoil when you advance; they scatter when they see a streak of lightning or flame rip through the battlefield, etc. Hence the -5/0/+5 attack modifiers for the bevy of foes that surround the heroes. Damage is calculated accordingly, even though it’s not just from 3 attacks- it’s from the seven or eight goblins surrounding you.
3. The 'horde' is broken down into smaller units. Think of the horde as a group of CR-appropriate swarms in terms of attack, hp, and damage. I used the following stats for a group of orcs and goblins: AC 14, HP 100, 3 attacks at -5/+0/+5 for 3d10+4 bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage. The stats are equivalent to a CR 3 or 4 monster. Then I build up from there: "how many CR 4, 100-hp units of this horde does the party need to defeat in order to defeat the horde?" I used 500hp worth (five units) against three 9th level characters, and it was a tough fight for them.
Finally, I did this for the fun of a different kind of encounter and to add to the ‘epic-ness’ of this kind of fight. It’s designed to be tough but fair; it’s not a way to have the characters ‘win’- if that was the case, I’d just ask my players to narrate their character’s role in the battle. Rather, it gives the characters a way to battle a horde for real (as opposed to a skill challenge/narrative method). It’s still an imposing task, and it’s dangerous- if the dice rolls don’t go in favor of the party, they may need to retreat and regroup.
’Vs the Horde’ Rules
The enemy is all around you, stabbing and jabbing, slashing and gnawing at your arms and legs, jumping on your back and trying to overwhelm you.
Enemy gets 3 attacks on its turn: a single d20 roll with these modifiers: -5/0/+5. Damage is rolled normally for each hit. Critical Hits apply. A horde cannot be blinded, charmed, deafened, grappled, incapacitated, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned or knocked unconscious. Any condition is represented by an extra 1d12 damage.
Melee/ranged attacks:
Natural 1= 0 damage. Your swing got jammed up by too many goblins hanging off your arm, the spell overshoots the horde
Miss= half damage
Hit= regular damage
Hit by 6 or more*= total damage roll x2
Critical Hit= max damage x2
*in this case, a 20 or above since the horde AC is 14
For an attack that produces an effect (such as a fighter’s maneuver) add 1d12 to the damage roll. This represents the advantage that those conditions grant.
Damage-dealing spells that require an attack roll (ranged or melee) work like melee/ranged attacks as above. Ex- the cantrip Fire Bolt would do half damage on a miss, full damage on a hit, double-damage on a 20+ and automatically do 20 damage (max x2) on a crit.
Area of effect spells that damage (like fireball) are handled as below. Damage is applied to the horde (not an individual creature). The effectiveness of your spell (and their failed saves) means you dropped that fireball in the perfect spot, or the group you targeted was focused on something else and unaware of a spell being cast their way, etc.
Successful save= half damage
Failed save by 5 or less=full damage
Fail saving throw by 6 or more= double damage
Natural 1= max damage x2
Spells that produce a condition, such as Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Sleep, or Hypnotic Pattern (any spell that causes the target to become prone, incapacitated, charmed, etc) the spell does 2d12+ your spellcasting modifier in damage (represents the additional damage your melee combatants do to the incapacitated foes). This is in addition to any of the spell’s damage (essentially the 2d12+ replaces the benefits of the condition you put on the enemy). The saving throw chart above applies to these spells.
I think the system can be a hell of a lot of fun in this situation. Yes, it is very much all about damage damage damage and not very tactical, but hey- that’s what mowing through a horde is supposed to be like.
I used it once and the players liked it (9th level fighter, ranger, and wizard) : tough fight, they still got to use their special attacks and spells. The mechanics made sense of the in-game action in a nice way. It's quick n dirty and it was fun.
Thoughts, comments, critiques?
