Running Large Battles in D&D 5e: DM's Guide

Ever wondered how Dungeon Masters (DMs) pull off huge battles in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition? They handle everything from massive armies to defending a fortress. It’s a big challenge, but there are ways to make these battles exciting without slowing down the game. In this guide, I’ll share tips on how to handle large battles in D&D 5e and make your campaign’s fights even better.

Key Takeaways

• Explore the unique challenges of running large-scale battles in D&D 5e, from managing multiple units to maintaining player engagement.
• Discover how to represent units on the battlefield and determine their statistics and abilities.
• Learn techniques for running a large battle, including unit construction, customization, and command structures.
• Understand the role of siege weapons, terrain, and environmental factors in shaping the battlefield.
• Explore strategies for balancing encounters and incorporating the player characters as a special forces unit.

So, are you ready to dive into the chaos of epic D&D battles and emerge victorious? Let’s get started!

Understanding Large-Scale Combat Challenges

Running big battles in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition can be tough. As the Dungeon Master, you have a lot to handle. But, there are ways to make these battles easier and keep players excited.

Maintaining Engagement and Excitement

To make large battles exciting, focus on the story and action. Use descriptive language to bring the battle to life. Don’t worry too much about every single action.

Break the battle into smaller, themed parts. This makes the players' actions count more. Designing tasks for each character keeps them interested and eager to win.

Strategies for Managing Large Battles	Benefits
Emphasize narrative and cinematic descriptions	Maintains player engagement and excitement
Structure battles into thematic encounters	Ensures character actions feel meaningful
Incorporate character-centric objectives	Keeps players invested in the outcome

Using these strategies, you can handle big battles well. Your players will stay excited and involved. This way, you can keep the game fun and true to Dungeons & Dragons.

Representing Units on the Battlefield

In D&D 5e, it’s hard to manage groups of enemies on the battlefield. It’s not practical to give each soldier their own turn. But, there’s a smart way around this - Units. These Units can be seen as “swarms,” losing strength as they take damage.

Determining Unit Statistics and Abilities

To make a Unit, boost the stats of a creature. A Unit is like a creature one size bigger than its members. When a player attacks a Unit, treat it as a single target, just like a swarm.

• A unit in D&D 5e is like twenty identical creatures acting as one.
• Different creatures take up different spaces on a grid. Medium or smaller creatures need 1 square, Large ones 2x2, Huge 3x3, and Gargantuan 4x4.
• Units don’t make death saving throws. When they hit 0 hit points, they’re gone.
• Melee attacks from units can hit targets next to them.
• Units move at the speed of the creature they represent. But, movement in combat is different.

Creature Size	Troops per Unit
Medium or Small	50
Large	25
Huge	10
Gargantuan	5

This method keeps things simple, sticking to regular D&D rules. PCs and NPCs can lead Units in battles. This makes big battles feel like part of the game, not something extra.

Running a Large Battle in DND 5e

As a Dungeon Master, running large battles in Dungeons & Dragons 5e is both exciting and challenging. There are effective strategies to manage these epic encounters. These strategies help keep your players engaged in the chaos. Let’s explore the key aspects of running a large battle in DND 5e.

Units can move and act independently on the battlefield. They can move alongside the party and act on their own initiative score. If a unit is commanded by a party member, it will only follow that character’s orders. But if no command is given, the unit will try to defend itself or help the party advance.

As a DM, you can let party members give commands to their units as a bonus action. They must be within 60 feet for the unit to hear and respond. This allows players to influence the battle, like telling units to attack a cannon or defend a position.

When a unit’s hit points drop to 0, it immediately starts retreating from the battle. This adds strategy as players must choose between eliminating enemy units or protecting their own forces.

1. Units can move and act independently, based on their own initiative score.
2. Party members can issue commands to allied units as a bonus action, but must be within 60 feet.
3. When a unit reaches 0 hit points, they immediately begin retreating from the battle.

By using these mechanics, you can create dynamic and engaging battles. These battles challenge your players’ strategic thinking and keep them excited. The key is to balance unit autonomy and player agency. This ensures both the DM and players can shape the battle’s outcome.

Unit Construction and Customization

In Dungeons & Dragons 5e, creating custom enemy units is key for big battles. You can adapt monster stat blocks to make different unit types. This makes your battles more varied and lets you adjust the units to match your players’ strength.

Adapting Existing Monster Stat Blocks

For example, take a guard’s stat block. Keep the Armor Class, speed, languages, proficiencies, and damage resistances the same. For hit points, multiply the creature’s average health by five. This gives you a unit of soldiers with 55 hit points.

To make them tougher, multiply their hit points by the number of soldiers. This can be from 8 to 15, depending on how hard you want the battle to be.

When it comes to attacks, you have choices. You can make the attack hit one target and roll more dice. Or, you can make it require a saving throw, making the unit act together.

Example Unit Types and Abilities

• Orc Warband - These units are fierce in close combat. They deal extra damage and can knock enemies prone.
• Elven Archers - These units are great at hitting enemies from far away. They have a longbow attack that hits harder and has a chance to deal extra damage.
• Dwarven Ironclads - These units are hard to kill. They have high Armor Class, damage resistance, and a strong shield bash attack.

Unit Type	Armor Class	Hit Points	Attack	Special Abilities
Orc Warband	14	60	Melee (2d6+2, chance to knock prone)	Savage Attacks
Elven Archers	12	40	Longbow (2d8, increased range)	Elven Accuracy
Dwarven Ironclads	18	90	Shield Bash (2d8+2, chance to stun)	Damage Resistance, Dwarven Toughness

By creating custom enemy units, you can make your battles in Dungeons & Dragons 5e more exciting. Your players will face a variety of foes and make important decisions that affect the battle’s outcome.

Commanding and Controlling Units

In Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, commanding units in dnd 5e and controlling groups of npcs in combat is key. Players lead allied units into battle, adding strategy and excitement. This makes the game more thrilling.

Understanding initiative scores is crucial for managing player party issued orders to allied units. Units can move and act on their own initiative. But, if a player commands a unit, they can give orders as a bonus action, within 60 feet.

Commands can range from simple to complex. For example, “Attack that enemy unit until they retreat” or “Destroy the enemy cannon, then take up a defensive position on the left flank.” This flexibility lets the party adapt to the battlefield, working together for the best results.

However, the fate of these units is uncertain. If a unit hits zero hit points, it starts retreating. This can leave the party vulnerable. As the Dungeon Master, finding the right balance is key.

Mastering commanding and controlling units in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition can make battles more epic. It creates tactical and narrative-driven encounters that keep players engaged.

Incorporating Siege Weapons and Terrain

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is always changing. Siege weapons and terrain make big battles more exciting and strategic. The Dungeon Master’s Guide has lots of info on these tools, which can really change the game.

Utilizing Siege Weapons from the Dungeon Master’s Guide

The Dungeon Master’s Guide, page 255, is a great resource for siege weapons in D&D 5e. Trebuchets, cannons, and ballistas are powerful. But, they’re hard to move around on the battlefield. They work best when defending a place like a fortress or city.

Using these siege weapons needs teamwork. It takes several actions to load and fire them. This makes them hard for the party to use directly. But, they’re great for NPCs to help the players.

These siege weapons can fire at set times, adding strategy to battles. They can shoot at the start or end of each round.

Incorporating Terrain into Large Battles

The battlefield’s terrain is key in big fights. Obstacles, cover, and elevation can help or hinder. Mixing terrain with siege weapons makes battles more exciting and challenging.

For example, hiding siege weapons behind terrain can surprise players. Or, players might find a secret way to avoid the siege. The Dungeon Master’s creativity can make battles unforgettable.

Adding siege weapons and terrain to battles in D&D 5e makes games more fun and challenging. The Dungeon Master’s Guide helps create exciting battles. With creativity and planning, these elements can change the game, making battles epic.

Balancing Encounters and Party Involvement

Running big battles in Dungeons & Dragons 5e is a challenge. You need to balance the party’s role in the fight. This ensures players feel important without getting lost in too many details.

Treating the Party as a Special Forces Unit

Think of the party as a special team. Instead of facing endless enemies, they tackle specific missions. This way, they can make a big difference in the battle.

Give them tasks like sabotaging enemy gear or taking out key leaders. Their success or failure affects the battle’s outcome. This makes them feel crucial to the fight’s success.

Recommended Encounter Balance for One-on-One D&D 5e Games	Character Level	Recommended Monster CR
1st Level	CR 1/4 or lower
4th Level	CR 1 or lower
7th Level	CR 2 or lower
10th Level	CR 3 or lower
13th Level	CR 4 or lower
16th Level	CR 5 or lower
19th Level	CR 6 or lower

This method makes the game exciting and meaningful. It lets the party feel like they’re changing the game. Yet, it keeps the battle’s story and strategy intact.

Narrative Techniques for Mass Battles

Running large-scale battles in Dungeons & Dragons 5e is best done narratively. I only focused on the most crucial moments. After my players’ characters defeated the army, I described the orcs and giants leaving.

The missions at the table were the heroic moments. But other siege details, like soldiers fighting orcs, were handled narratively. This kept the focus on the epic encounters.

Using narrative approaches to mass combat in DND 5e helps create a grand scale. It’s about finding a balance between player agency and strategic decision-making. This way, the game stays exciting without getting too detailed.

Remember, the players are the heroes. Their actions and choices should be the main focus. With descriptive storytelling, a GM can make players feel like they’re in the middle of an epic battle.

Optional Lightweight Rulesets

If you want to dive into the details of mass combat or sieges, look for a lightweight ruleset. These rules are short, easy to learn, and quick to use. They’re about 5 pages long.

Buying a big 200-page book on mass combat can be overwhelming. It takes time for you to learn the rules. Then, teaching your players takes even more time, taking away from game time.

A lightweight ruleset lets you start playing fast. It keeps the focus on the story and the thrill of large-scale battles. You won’t get lost in complex rules.

Here are some lightweight rulesets for 5e to consider:

• Initiative Score variant: Simplifies initiative by tracking initiative bonus of every creature and running it in order from highest to lowest.
• Static initiative for monsters: Instead of rolling, use the monster’s initiative bonus + 10 for speed in battle preparation.
• “Side initiative” variant: Characters roll one d20, monsters are rolled by the DM with no modifiers, whoever rolls highest goes first.
• Skipping initiative with surprise: Characters or monsters go first based on the situation, circumventing the need for rolling initiative.

These lightweight systems make combat flow better. They keep the focus on the story and excitement of large-scale battles in your 5e campaigns.

Ruleset	Description	Recommended Use
Initiative Score	Tracks initiative bonus of every creature, running in order from highest to lowest.	Clear advantage for characters or monsters, simple combat scenarios.
Static Initiative	Use monster’s initiative bonus + 10 instead of rolling.	Battle preparation where turn order isn’t crucial.
“Side Initiative”	Characters roll d20, monsters rolled by DM with no modifiers.	Players value their turn order, complex battles where order affects outcome.
Surprise Initiative	Characters or monsters go first based on the situation.	Circumventing the need for rolling initiative.

Using these lightweight rulesets in your 5e campaigns simplifies war gaming. They make alternative systems for large battles more manageable. This way, you can focus on the story and excitement of mass combat without getting lost in complex rules.

Conclusion

This article has given a detailed summary of running large battles in DnD 5e. It offers great DM tips for epic encounters and shares important key takeaways for mass combat in 5e. DMs now have many strategies to make unforgettable battles for their players.

Remember, treat the party like a special forces unit. Resolve side actions through storytelling. Also, think about using simple rules to make things easier. With these tips, you can make the battles of D&D lore come alive at your table.

Let’s use what we’ve learned to create memorable battles. Your players will be on the edge of their seats, planning and working together to win. The fate of the world is in their hands!