Sometimes battles occur that are on a scale too large to effectively resolve with standard combat. Maybe an orc army is assualting the Player Characters' castle, or a foreign army is invading the kingdom, or an army of demons has found its way to the realms and several nations have banded together to fight them off. In all these cases, the battles can be resolved through large scale combat.
Large scale combat occurs on two fronts: Strategic Combat and Tactical Combat. Strategic combat is army on army, and individual combatants are grouped into units that clash on the field. Players act as champions for their army, leading them into the fray. Tactical combat is just like normal combat in D&D, and occurs when the champions of the two armies come together in combat to try to turn the battle in their favor.
While the champions of both sides are involved in large scale combat and can be the deciding factor in victory or defeat, it's the soldiers on the ground who do most of the fighting. Each combat unit represents a group of similar combatants, be they archers, men-at-arms, cavalry, or even monsters like trolls, giants, and dragons. The exact size of these combat units is not specific, and can vary depending on the scale of the battle, but typically range from 20 to 100 men (fewer for monsters, or potentially even singular for particularly fierce creatures like great dragons). These units each have a series of attributes, much like characters, and combat with them is handled in a similar fashion to combat with individual characters.
All large scale battles begin with strategic combat. Each army takes their combat units, each a grouping of soldiers or monsters, and places them on the battlefield, then begin combat. Each champion controls a portion of each army, and rolls initiative as per normal combat. On each champion's initiative, they can issue commands to their combat units, having them move, attack, or use special abilities, as well as taking limited commander actions themselves. This combat continues until one army routs or the champions of the two sides meet in tactical combat. Strategic combat plays out over larger time scales than normal combat, with each round of strategic combat lasting for 10 minutes of game time.
Tactical combat is the climax of a large scale battle, when the champions of each army finally face off. At this point, the battle is typically full swing, often with one side pressing close to victory, though the outcome of a tactical combat can swing any but the most lopsided battles in either direction. Tactical combat is played out like normal combat, with the champions of both sides being placed on the battle map and initiative being rolled. Combatants from either side may carry injuries or spent resources from the main combat, and the current state of the battle may affect possible intervention from surrounding allied or enemy units, as well as morale bonuses or penalties for either side. At the end of the tactical combat, the army of the defeated champions will suffer significant penalties as a result of the loss of their commanders, typically routing on the spot unless the battle was lopsided in their favor.
Not all battles are fought on a flat, open field. There can be terrain, structures, bridges, walls, trenches, stakes, trees, and all other manner of obstacles that affect the way troops perform in a battle. Some of these features are natural, and others are built specifically with battles in mind. Similarly, some are fixed features and some can be moved. Rules for how many common features are handled can be found in this category.
The ground on which a battle is fought can be as much a deciding factor on the outcome as those who fight it. Rules and effects of various types of terrain can be found in this category.
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