No, intro. Let’s get into it.
Mass Combat (Method 1)
This method makes a group of monsters one big stat block, inspired much by the Blog of Holding method. Using the instructions below you can convert any stat block into a unit stat block
Description: Based on a pre existing stat block.
Number: the amount of people in this unit
Attributes: Same as the original stat block
Defenses: Same as the original stat block
HP: Same as the original stat block multiplied by number
Size: Same as the original stat block√(number)’ by same as the original stat block√(number)’
Speed: Same as the original stat block
Boss edge: Same as the original stat block
Favored Actions:
- X - Attribute (d20+xdx w/ Adv x multiplied by number) vs. Guard/Toughness/Resolve triggers Bane on x damage or more
Feats: Same as the original stat block
Equipment: Same as the original stat block
Strategy: Same as the original stat block
Example
Original stat block: Zombie (level 1)
Description: Undead, brainless, brain-hungry monsters
Attributes: Agility 3 (1d8), Fortitude 4 (1d10), Might 3 (1d8)
Defenses: Guard 16, Toughness 14, Resolve 10
HP: 18
Size: Medium
Speed: 30’
Favored Actions:
- Punch/bite - Might (d20 + 1d8 w/adv 1) vs Guard, triggers Imobile on 5 damage or more
Feats: Bane Focus (Immobile)
Equipment:
Strategy: BRAAAIINS!!!
Unit stat block: Zombie hoard
Description: Undead, brainless, brain-hungry monsters
Number: 25
Attributes: Agility 3 (1d8), Fortitude 4 (1d10), Might 3 (1d8)
Defenses: Guard 16, Toughness 14, Resolve 10
HP: 450
Size: Larger than large (25’ by 25’)
Speed: 30’
Favored Actions:
- Punch/bite - Might (d20 + 1d8 w/adv 1 * 25) vs Guard, triggers Imobile on 125 damage or more
Feats: Bane Focus (Immobile)
Equipment:
Strategy: BRAAAIINS!!!
Mass Combat (Method 2)
This method is an attempt at keeping the system as it is as much as possible. When 100 soldiers run towards you, they are still 100 soldiers. I’m just trying to clear up some of the difficult parts with running such an encounter.
Formation
A large number of troops of the same stat block can be organized into units. In the heat of battle, we often only care about the troops that are in the front line, as they are the ones that will be attacking and/or will be attacked most often.
If you have a large number of troops in a unit, decide how many troops will be in the front line, the rest are in the replacement pool. Only the troops in the front line have turns. Whenever a troop in the front line perishes, they are replaced by a troop in the replacement pool at the beginning of their turn.
A unit may change the number of troops in the front line with a number of move actions according to the table below:
| Creatures in the army | number of move actions | Movement Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| 1-9 | 1 | - |
| 10-99 | 2 | 5’ |
| 100-999 | 3 | 10’ |
| 1 000-9 999 | 4 | 15’ |
| 10 000-99 999 | 5 | 20’ |
| 100 000-999 999 | 6 | 25’ |
| 1 000 000- 9 999 999 | 7 | 30’ |
Movement
Oftentimes, to make things simpler, a unit moves together. This can be achieved either by having every troop in a unit share a turn which they act with together or by having them share their feet of movement among them which can be taken on any one of their turns. Additionally, larger units are more sluggish and therefore get a movement speed penalty according to the table above with a minimum movement speed of 5 ft.
Commanding
If a player is commanding a unit they may treat the unit as a mount or vehicle. If they order the unit to make an attack roll, it expends their major action. If they order the unit to move, they move with it and it costs their move action.
Replacement pool attacks
If the troops are equipped with weapons with the reach property or certain ranged weapons, a troop in the replacement pool may make an attack during the turn of a front line troop (GM decides whether it is possible in that scenario that someone makes an attack past another troop). For example, a unit of 100 roman soldiers that have 10 soldiers in the front line may make a total of 20 attacks as each front liners turn consists of their own attack and one attack with a longspear from the roman directly behind them. This lasts as long as there are enough troops in the replacement pool to make attacks.
Grouping together dice rolls
This is less a rule and more of a tip. If there are still too many action rolls you could simply state that a single attack roll represents the attack of 2 troops. Or 5, or 10, or 20, or 50, or 100, whatever.
For example, a unit of space soldiers with 20 troops in the front line attacks 10 tarantula aliens and the GM rules that replacement pool attacks are okay in this situation for a total of 40 attacks. The commanding player chooses to instead do 2 action rolls, each representing 20 soldiers. The first roll is for using bolster (agility) on the soldiers in front of them, which succeeds. The second is for attacking one tarantula each with the bolstered soldiers, which deals 5 damage. Since there were 20 attacks against 10 spiders, each spider is hit with 2 attacks which deal a total of 10 damage.
Morale and other typical war game mechanics
A lot of things usually associated with mass combat, such as morale, can often be handled much better without rules, especially in Open Legend. I think it should be up to the players, the GM and the dice whether an army flees or not or if a powerful speech from a PC gives advantage to an army, etc.
NPC Level determining
In order to determine the level of NPCs I’ve been using a number of formulas based on the properties of the stat block I’m trying to determine the level of. I have personally put these formulas in a Google Sheet but they could be used in other ways. Be aware that sometimes you’ll get negative and weird results and also that these are approximations, not laws. I have had plenty of times where I thought the values where too low or too high, for example.
- Level according to Defenses = ((2*(Guard)+(Toughness)+(Resolve))/4)-12
- Level according to Hit points = ((Hit Points)/2)-7
- Level according to Highest attribute = (2*(Highest attribute))-7,5
- Level according to Attribute points spent = ((Attribute points spent)-31)/9
- Level according to Feat points spent = ((Feat points spent)-3)/3
In Google Sheets language (in my particular case):
| Level according to | Script |
|---|---|
| Defenses | = ((H4+H4+H5+H6)/4)-12 |
| Hit Points | = (H7/2)-7 |
| Highest Attribute | = ((Max(C4:C25))*2)-8 |
| Attribute points spent | = (E28-31)/9 |
| Feat points spent | = (E29-3)/3 |
Wealth Extended
Whenever you purchase a good or a service with your wealth score there is a cooldown according to the table below. The cooldown is a time that you have to wait before being able to make a purchase of the same wealth level again. If you violate any cooldowns your wealth score is reduced by 1.
| Wealth Level is equal to | Cooldown |
|---|---|
| Wealth score | 10 days |
| Wealth score minus 1 | 1 day |
| Wealth score minus 2 | 2,5 hours |
| Wealth score minus 3 | 15 minutes |
| Wealth score minus 4 | 90 seconds |
| Wealth score minus 5 | 9 Seconds (basically free) |
If you wish to purchase a relatively inexpensive item in bulk you treat it as a single purchase of a higher Wealth level. If the number of items is ten or lower, treat it as one level higher. If the number of items is a hundred or lower, treat it as two levels higher, and so on.
If the object of your purchase is one level higher than your wealth score and your wealth score is above 0, you can acquire it, but the cost is so great that your wealth score is reduced by 1.
If you wish to purchase something but you can’t because of a cooldown you may treat it as a higher wealth level and purchase it anyways.
For example, Wilhelm has a Wealth Score of 3. He wishes to supply himself and his four crew members with some brand new weaponry, one Pump Shotgun and one Grenade each. Since there are two weapons of Wealth Level 2 and a total of five crew members, it adds up to 10 items of Wealth level 2. Wilhelm treats this as a single purchase of Wealth Level 3 (one level higher than 2) which means he cannot make a purchase of Wealth Level 3 before 10 days have passed, or he’ll lose a wealth level.
He also wishes to purchase a state of the art light tank for his companions which has a wealth level of 4. He does so at the cost of the reduction of his Wealth Level. Until the GM says otherwise, Wilhelm now has a Wealth score of 2.
A few days later, he wishes to go out for a night on the town but it has not been 1 day since he purchased his Baseball bat. Instead of waiting, he chooses to treat the purchase as a Wealth level 2 purchase and therefore has to wait for 10 days before he can make a purchase of Wealth level 2.
Feat: Attribute Mastery
Cost: 3 Feat points
Prerequisites
- Tier 1:
- Character Level 11
- An attribute score of 9
Description
You have mastered one particular aspect of yourself to an incredible extent.
Effect
You choose one attribute which you have an attribute score of 9 in. At the cost of 10 Attribute points (for a total of 55 attribute points sunk into that attribute) you may make that attribute score a 10. If you have this feat in combination with Martial focus, Extraordinary focus or something similiar, roll 4d10 as your attribute dice.
Special
You may take this feat multiple times for different attributes.