D&D 4E Mass Battle Rules for 4e

[Garthanos]

Recently I have been considering how to integrate troops and Martial Practices such as Marshal Troops (as well as some others) within battle like scenarios such as protecting a village from an Orc Horde or similar.

So of course I find myself stumbling on this ... associated with a Warrior Princess.

http://www.xena.nu/aressystem4e.html#AMBUSH


I am wondering if anyone has used similar or had troop deployment within an adventure context.

Also what do people think of the above. The use of Battle Deeds I find interesting.

 

[Garthanos]

The Xena and Gabrielle references really rock

 

[Garthanos]

for example

PARLEY

Xena: "Athena. I would say it's an honour, but considering you're here to kill my baby, I'll skip the formalities."

(Amphipolis Under Siege)

At-Will * Truce
Requirement: Diplomacy DC 15.
Success: You can engage in conversation with an enemy representative with authority to influence the enemy army’s actions. The battle continues, but no fighting takes place within 6 squares of either of you, or in any square between you.
The conversation itself can be a skill challenge, a couple of skill rolls, the mention of a crucial bit of information (or desinformation), or many other things depending on the circumstances.
An example of such a skill challenge can be found here.
Regardless of how long you talk, it doesn't take more than 1 standard action of you and no action from your opponent. If you consciously want to keep the enemy representative busy, you must make a succession of Parley battle deeds, each with a difficulty of 5 more then the former one. Each success keeps the enemy representative and you busy for another round.
Failure: The enemy representative and 2 enemy soldiers attack you. The battle starts 6 squares apart. 1 enemy appears every time the enemy representative gets to act.
Special: You can use this feat several times, but each time the difficulty goes up by 5, regardless of whether you try to parley with the same or another enemy representative.

 

[Garthanos]

In 4e I generally would build Xena as a Marauder Ranger...

Although she is very much a Warrior Princess (Warlord Probably Bravura Style) - this reminds me of the Aragorn is a Ranger I mean Warlord issue.

 

[Sadras]

Recently I have been considering how to integrate troops and Martial Practices such as Marshal Troops (as well as some others) within battle like scenarios such as protecting a village from an Orc Horde or similar.

So of course I find myself stumbling on this ... associated with a Warrior Princess.

http://www.xena.nu/aressystem4e.html#AMBUSH


Also what do people think of the above.

Good find. In a few months I will be running a mass combat scenario (end of Tyranny of Dragons) and this link will certainly be useful. I suspect I will have to make necessary adjustments for 5e's mechanics but that should not be too much of a problem.

The battle deeds certainly can inspire, perhaps event influence, the direction of the fiction.

 

[Garthanos]

Good find. In a few months I will be running a mass combat scenario (end of Tyranny of Dragons) and this link will certainly be useful. I suspect I will have to make necessary adjustments for 5e's mechanics but that should not be too much of a problem.

The battle deeds certainly can inspire, perhaps event influence, the direction of the fiction.

I did also see an unearthed arcana from 5e that you might glean mechanical bits from.

 

[Garthanos]

I am thinking fantasy war needs to go further than this

A couple of other factors I am thinking between heros flash training villagers into unexpected competence

and Zombie masters conjuring malignant undead from defiled cemeteries

Or Tree-ents awakening armies from forests

Heck in Epic tier the Tuatha might have a Cauldron of the Goddess to raise their dead and other effects I want to account for.. they as a unit might have regeneration and hold to the field longer in the first place because they know they will be back if they can just win the fight.

 

[Sadras]

I am thinking fantasy war needs to go further than this

A couple of other factors I am thinking between heros flash training villagers into unexpected competence

and Zombie masters conjuring malignant undead from defiled cemeteries

Or Tree-ents awakening armies from forests

Heck in Epic tier the Tuatha might have a Cauldron of the Goddess to raise their dead and other effects I want to account for.. they as a unit might have regeneration and hold to the field longer in the first place because they know they will be back if they can just win the fight.

I have not investigated the link in detail but do the Battle Deeds account for tier? Because inputting that makes it somewhat more complicated.

 

[Garthanos]

I have not investigated the link in details but do the Battle Deeds account for tier? Because inputting that makes it somewhat more complicated.

Hmmm maybe (but not so explicilly ) ie one of the speakers in the quotes is Athena and with the DCs I am seeing maybe not
However I think we are on our own with regards to much tier flavor they are generic enough that it seems likely translatable across tiers in effect for me its the difference than something written to enable mass combat in a rpg (The writer of this was basically targeting Xena and that is a narrower genre) vs something with the full D&D boom.

 

[Garthanos]

I did also see an unearthed arcana from 5e that you might glean mechanical bits from.

OK I admit I think this was bland in comparison (it is presented as play test material or the one I found did)