RPGs are, generally speaking, focused on the deeds and actions of a single party of adventurers. Sometimes there are a few helpful NPCs here and there, but the narrative is focused on the PCs because they're the main characters of the story.
But there are times when the conflicts the PCs join are far beyond the scope of just the party. Whether it's a massing horde of demons trying to break free from a shattered hole in reality, or simply the opposing armies of two nations warring in a great battle, there is only so much the party can do to influence the outcome of this combat.
So how do you realize that in a way that's engaging, instead of boring?
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| There's too damn many of them! |
While there are rules for dealing with mass combat in books like Ultimate Campaign, I've found they generally have the effect of turning what should be a pitched, pivotal moment into a miniatures war game. The party stops being the central characters of the narrative, and they become just one more unit on the board. A powerful unit, to be sure, but just one among the sea being moved back and forth across the map as the battle rages.
If that sort of change in scope and perspective doesn't appeal to you, but you also don't want to set up a massive army of enemy figures and pre-roll dozens to hundreds of combat checks, I would recommend using a setup that I've come to call The Thick of Battle.
The Armies Are Massing (And You're in The Middle of It)
Picture the scene. The party is approaching the last battle with their foe. The dark and secret cult has come out into the open, and they're bringing everything they can to try to clinch victory. They've conjured demons, deployed their armies of black-armored zealots, summoned undead champions from ages past, and the potent sorcerers of the cabal stand, calling down fire and death upon their foes. The heroes have a shining host at their backs, as well as a company of griffin riders, a mercenary unit of drake cavalry, a copse of oaken warriors and their druid allies, and a single dragon who has stood for ages against these servants of darkness.
That is an absurd amount of firepower on both sides, and no DM in their right mind would try to work this all out on an individual basis.
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| No one. |
I've been in this situation probably half a dozen times as a player. The endgame is near, and you've called in all the favors you've built up since the beginning of the campaign to bring a full force to bear. What keeps things feeling epic, without losing focus on the PCs, is that the action never shifts away from them.
But at the same time, they're not fighting everything by themselves. Let me explain.
Before the battle really gets going, determine the important zones of conflict across the field. If the party was defending a town, for example, you might have the main gate, the bridge at the southern entrance, and the beach where a water assault might happen. Watch where the party sets up their defenses, and when the assault starts just track who does what, and how long it takes.
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| Time is of the essence, here. |
For example, say the enemy stages an assault by giants on the main gate to draw attention. Conveniently, that's where the party is. When that happens, start the timer. Does the party try diplomacy and parley? If so they might stop the giants from attacking for a time, but the pre-arranged 10 minute secondary assault at the southern bridge begins no matter what's going on up north. Now what happens? Does the party fight the giants and hope the southern bridge holds? Do they trust the giants to abide by any agreements and flee south to reinforce?
Or you could reverse the situation. Say the party laid traps and an ambush at the gate, and the giants are dealt with in less than a minute. With that force of enemies no longer a concern, the party can move to instantly reinforce any other zone that's hit. If they cast buff spells on themselves, track those effects to see what carries over from one fight to the next (especially things that increase their movement speed, allowing them to reach other combat zones more quickly). Now when the pirates come sailing toward the beach, or the enemy mercenaries attempt to take the bridge, they're not only dealing with the NPCs and prearranged defenses, but also the party they expected to be occupied elsewhere for this fight.
Keep Everything in Motion
While the focus should always be on the party, the entire battle needs to be in constant motion around them, with changing situations spilling over as things develop. If the skald is playing atop the wall to boost their comrades, ask how many NPCs are likewise bolstered in their battles. And if the party can provide long-range support (given the 400+ feet a lot of spells can reach), ask what happens if the wizard or the sorcerer sends some arcane artillery into a nearby field to aid their allies.
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| You wanna get nuts, fine... let's get nuts! |
You, as the DM, are still going to have to reduce the other fields of combat to a miniatures game that you can quickly resolve with a few rolls of the dice in between rounds. Whether it's the duel between the black cloaks and the skeleton brigade, or how well the combat between the drake riders and a squadron of enemy bat cavalry goes, you need to be able to present those background struggles as poignant moments in the chaotic swirl of combat.
But they should also act as a way to change future battlefield conditions... for better or worse.
For instance, say the party is trying to take a hill being held by a heavily entrenched enemy. If the dragon defeated its previous opponent, the party might be able to call down its breath weapon like an air strike, giving them the chance they need to advance. If a group of warriors defeated a nearby encounter, they might swarm up the other side of the hill, splitting the enemies' attention so the party can progress. Or if a nearby ally was overwhelmed, now there are plodding zombies reeking of rot and disease closing on the party's position while they're pinned down from above.
To make your life simple, allies should act as a situational modifier or bonus support, while enemies should show up as monsters to be dealt with. Firstly because action economy is a serious consideration, and secondly because the whole point is to focus on the experience the PCs are having during the battle. The actions they take and the choices they make will effect the outcome, but they need to make those choices while in the thick of things rather than sitting on the other end of a chess board.
This Won't Be For Everyone
The key thing to remember is that this strategy won't work for everyone. Some DMs may like preexisting rule sets for mass combat, while others might like the idea of moving to a minis game that has its own, simpler resolution mechanics for dealing with big battles before zooming back into the action.
With that said, my experience has been that if you make the party scramble to keep up with the battle on a larger scale, you get more satisfying results. This is doubly true for being able to break out magic items, spells, and other pieces of equipment that are meant for larger battles and bigger scales, but which just don't come up all that often during regular dungeon delves.
Also, if you're a DM who's looking for inspiration for forces to call on in a big battle scene, you might find the following supplements by yours truly to be of interest:
- 100 Random Mercenary Companies: From battlefield evokers, to howling, roaring berserkers, these free companies have every kind of warrior one could hope to field. Allies and enemies alike may be found in here, should one have the coin or the favor to pay them.
- 100 Knightly Orders: From noble banner bearers defending the realm, to the brutal, shadowy enforcers who hunt the darker corners of the world, there are orders in here for nearly any circumstance you might face. Good, evil, and more than a few in between.
- 100 Cults to Encounter: Whether they're servants of dark lords, or the hidden aids of nature faiths, these cults can often be just as dangerous as allies as they are when they're enemies. In addition to cults, though, you might also find the entries in 100 Secret Societies to be of interest!
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