Updated - Mass Combat

Mass combat is conducted almost exactly the same as normal combat with the following exceptions;

Each square or hex represents 10 metres, by 10 metres, enough to fit 100 men into.

A character is replaced by units. Units have a strength of 1-100 men (as only 100 people can realistically squash into a 10m x 10m space, this is a bit abstract but whatever) but a summarised by the average statistics of the creatures in the unit, and have skills, talents and traits as if they were a character. Whilst individual members of a unit may in fact have different stats or skills to each other (and this may come into play in normal skirmish combat, or roleplay) for mass combat we essentially ‘average’ the abilities of a unit of men into composite statistics.

Each unit may have a designated leader, who should be treated as a Character or NPC. If they don’t have different out of mass combat stats already, then they have the exact same profile as the rest of the unit, except they have Command as a skill.

Units have Facings, a unit may only shoot or charge or move into the hexes/squares that are 45 degrees in front of them.

Move distances are converted into 10s of metres rather than metres.

Each unit has a single action in a turn. With which they may;

• Move their move distance
• Move half move distance rounding up (or change facing by 45 degrees) and then shoot or make a half  action reload.
• Charge, moving their move distance and making an attack at +2.
• Attack
• Change facing by more than 45 degrees and then move half their move distance rounding up. (or vice versa)
• Brace for Charge gaining +2 against a charging enemy.
• Form shield wall/phalanx (if they have shields, to double their shield damage resistance) and may only move at half speed.
• Take cover, receiving a -2 penalty to hit them with ranged attacks. A unit may then shoot, but not attack. When a unit breaks cover in a subsequent turn they may change their facing for free, they unit essentially breaks ranks and goes to ground.
• Double time, receiving +2 to their movement, but doubling melee casualties if they are engaged.
• A unit may elect to Flee (see the morale section)

Units do not have reactions (such as Dodge or Parry in DH/FF style).

Damage is replaced by Casualties.

When units attack they roll to hit opposed by the enemy units same check. For each degree they beat the enemy by they count as dealing an extra causality. For each degree they are beaten by the enemy they count as doing one less casualty. When a unit makes an attack action it automatically deals its weapon damage with all normal modifiers in casualties. Both units then roll damage.

Unit strength modifies the attack rolls. For every 10’s of creatures in a unit the unit gets +1. So a unit of 100 gets +10. A unit of 90-100 gets +9 etc.

Casualties are reduced by Armour Resistance but instead of armour resistance applying to single points of the body, simple add total armour Resistance of all body parts for the creatures in the unit. This is for an armour as damage reduction system, if using AC, us non dex based AC/unadjusted AC from Weird Fantasy Role Playing if you prefer that term.

Critical hits do not provide extra damage, but rather provoke a Command check for the opposed unit, and  if that unit fails they begin to flee.

Weapon profiles are the same, though instead of reach, reach weapons gain +2 damage against cavalry, and roll as many attacks as their Reach (x) number and roll damage twice.

Units may try to make special attacks, all of which do casualties as per weapon damage.

• Break the line. Instead of extra casualties, every degree of success forces the enemy unit to make Command check at negative the amount of degrees of success.
• Skirmish, instead of making an attack you roll opposed Dexterity attacks s and the skirmishing unit can move up to half its move distance, rounding up, the same for the pursuing unit. The enemy unit must make a Command check to refrain from pursuing if they do not want to make the opposed Dexterity check. For every degree of success the Skirmishing unit does a single casualty, and for each degree of failure they take a single casualty, this allows them to break from combat. If the skirmishing unit or pursuing unit have ranged weapons they deal their ranged weapons damage in casualties.

A unit’s strength is measured by the amount of fighters in the unit. A unit may never do more casualties than fighting creatures in its unit.

• Swift attack doubles the maximum casualties a unit could do instead of make two attacks.
• Lightning Attack triples the maximum amount of casualties. (Both of these are multiple attack talents, if using standard D20 attack progression, more than one attack doubles or triples the maximum number of casualties, etc)

Each unit has Morale. Morale is check in certain circumstances. Morale is a Command check by the leader of a unit.

• Each turn a unit that is reduced to below 50% strength takes casualties it makes a Command check. For each 10% it is lower than 50% it suffers an additional -1 to the check.
• If this check fails then the unit flees.
• Fleeing counts as a Double Time move, and the unit makes its way to the nearest Cover/Terrain or back to friendly units not engaged in combat. When it reaches cover or friendly lines it may attempt a command check to rally. If a unit breaks from combat in this way the enemy engaging them unit must make a command check or pursue the enemy unit. If they pursue they must have equal to or greater move distance than the fleeing unit (not including the fleeing units double time). They make a dexterity check against the Fleeing unit. If they beat the fleeing unit then they catch the fleeing unit, dealing twice weapon damage in casualties, and both move double time from their original positions. If they fail the dexterity check then they move half their movement, rounding up.
• If a unit begins to flee within sight (next to, or in front of) an friendly unit, the friendly unit must make a command check (with penalties for not being at full strength) or also begin to flee. These units receive a +1 bonus on their command check for every friendly unit within sight that is above half strength.

Ranged attacks and other miscellany; 

Ranged attacks still reload normally. A half action reload can be accomplished with an attack action but incurs a -2 penalty to the attack roll. Full action reload is a full action as normal.

If the overall army general can be seen or heard by any unit that has to attempt a Command check then they may use his command instead of their leaders.

Mages convert their damage based on the total dice they roll. If a mage is rolling 4d6 for damage, he instead rolls d4 against a unit. Etc. The same for single attacks, except generally these ignore armour.

Mass Combat

These are my rules for mass combat, inspired by this post and based on the Warhammer rules. These are tailored for my bastard 3.5, but could easily be applied to most D&D or RP rules.

Use one model to represent a unit or group of men. Assume they all have the same stats and stuff, if they don't use only what the majority of the unit has. One inch, square or hex should represent either 30ft or 60ft so either a single move action, or a double move action covers it. Infantry units are generally 100 men and Cavalry generally 40 men.

Anything one could do in normal tactical combat, can still be done with the follow changes;

Movement as normal except it is a half move to change facing of a unit and a full move to about turn.

When in melee, both sides attack in each turn to simulate the press of the melee. Both sides roll to hit, but they will automatically do damage in 'amount of soldiers' as theit weapon damage rather than HP, as in the bloody melee, even the strongest warriors are pressed in and dragged to the ground etc.

If a unit's attack rolls beats the enemy AC, then that amount of extra casualties is done. Critical hits still apply, and represent a very strong enemy surge or good morale or some such. Any bonuses for charging (including lances) still apply.

So in a combat turn two units will roll off with their attack rolls against each others ac and deal their weapon damage in casualties, with an extra casualty caused for every point they beat the enemy ac by (in my system these casualties are reduced by DR from armour as well). All normal bonuses for flanking and charging etc still apply and units fight as if at full strength regardless of casualties taken.

Ranged units use the same rules, except they receive no opposed attacks obviously. So they automatically do their ranged damage, and an extra casualty for every point they beat the enemy AC by.

Morale checks are taken when a unit reaches 75% of its original strength of numbers. The check is DC10. A subsequent check is taken when they are dropped below 50% @ DC 15 and subsequently every time a unit is damaged thereafter. These are versus the highest command skill (or charisma) in the unit (so generals will probably assign officers with names and stats to most units, who if they have no ranks in a command skill equivalent have a high intimidate or charisma).

These checks are modified by the difference, positive or negative, between each units kills in that turn. So if a unit reaches 75% but did 2 more kills than the enemy unit that turn, then the check is DC8 not 10. If the opposing unit also dropped beneath 75% that turn they would check at DC12 not 10.

If a unit fails the command check it breaks, it immediately makes a move action away from the winning unit provoking an attack of opportunity as normal. Make a opposed dexterity checks to simulate the other unit trying pursue, (cavalry should automatically catch infantry or receive massive bonuses to this check). If a unit doesn't wish to pursue they must make a command check DC 10 to refrain. If a unit is 'caught' then then the chasing unit gets to move with the fleeing unit, staying in combat and make an additional attack, with no opposing attack roll. In subsequent turns make the same dexterity check until either the fleeing unit manages to escape or the pursuers refrain from following.

Once a unit is broken and escaped combat they may make a rally checks to stop fleeing, otherwise they continue to move full speed away from the fight, probably to cover. You may make a rally check in each of your turns, and it is a command check as per the DC of the break checks, so DC10 for a unit below 75% and DC 15 if the unit is below 50%. In addition this check should take an additional -1 for each 5 casualties below 50%. strength.

After battle D% of casualties of each unit are actual deaths, permanent injures and perhaps a further D% of these actual casualties are prisoners of war. These are both rounded down and any casualties not in this group were only minorly injured or knocked unconscious and can still fight in a subsequent battle.

Characters in combat take d4 attacks per round and these roll to hit as normal, and the character takes normal HP damage. When the character attacks, keep a tally of the damage they do, whenever they have dealt enough accumulative damage to normally kill one of those creatures in the unit, they count as having done a single casualty (this is the same for ranged attacks from characters, who can probably get and additional +4 to hit because of circumstances). If a character is stupid enough to charge a unit by themselves, they should take 9-10 attacks per turn from being attacked by multiple soldiers or creatures at once.

The way I am thinking of adjudicating mass magic killing is just figuring out how many troops in the unit would normally be effected, given they are standing ranked up all next to each other (each in a 5ft square next to each other) by the area of the spell and the the caster can just roll damage against them as normal, doing casualties if they successfully kill single soldiers and keeping track of damage done against others, assuming that if they hit the unit with another spell they will target those same soldiers first, but this accumulative damage only applying to that spell caster. Currently I can't think of a better way to model this that isn't ridiculously overpowered or under powered for casters.