Mass battle is resolved using the “spotlight” method, zooming in on what the party are doing across a series of **Field Events.** The events are dealt with “in media res”, dropping the PCs into the action amidst the broader battle. The approach is intended to be abstract and improvised, obviating the need for miniatures or maps (of course these may be added if desired). The mass battle ends with the **Final Confrontation,** which determines the ultimate victor of the conflict. ## Field Events The default is that PCs must face **six Field Events** before reaching the **Final Confrontation,** reflecting their part in the mass battle. Importantly, whatever situations arise, **the PCs are the only characters available** to deal with them. Their NPC allies, if any, are too busy managing other emergencies. The **usual procedure** is: 1. **PCs** decide their **starting positions** on the battlefield, based on the situation. 2. **Roll `dice: 1d20`** on the chart to determine which **Field Events** arise (reroll repeats), choose entries according to the scenario, or prepare a sequence of events. Adding custom events is encouraged. 3. **The GM decides who is affected** by each event, based on the situation and who was involved in the last one; eg the **whole party,** **specific** or **random** PC(s), or the GM might allow the **players to choose.** 4. **The referee decides how** each Field Event is resolved on a **case by case** basis (fight, group check, montage, social, etc). **Simultaneous** events are possible, forcing the party to split. 5. **If some adventurers are not involved** in an event, but are in the vicinity of battle, *Consult the Bones* (GM’s call if likely, unlikely, etc) to determine if one or more characters suffer a **Sudden Twist** while their allies are handling the latest event. 6. **After six Field Events** (or other number as the referee decides) the **Final Confrontation** occurs (which decides the victor). | `dice: 1d20` | Field Events | | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | **Assume Command** A high ranking official (roll 1d6: (i) infantry captain, (ii) militia head, (iii) scout sergeant, (iv) knight commander, (v) quartermaster, (vi) siege crew boss) is dead or incapacitated, their forces in disarray as the enemy threatens to charge. Can the PCs take control? | | 2 | **A Worthy Foe** An enemy champion or monstrous foe appears from the chaos, driving back PC forces. Roll 1d4+4 for HD, and *Consult the Bones* to determine if a *Heavy* or *Boss*. Can the adventurer(s) defeat the champion and turn the tide? | | 3 | **Death From Above!** Siege weapons hammer the area the PCs are in. Roll 1d6: (i) boulders, (ii) fire, (iii) toxic gas, (iv) ballista bolts, (v) diseased heads, (vi) Nets. Use traps to improvise effects. | | 4 | **Fire & Flame!** A large blaze has broken out nearby (building, wagon, corpse pile, trees, grasslands, etc), thick smoke filling the air. If the PCs don’t take action, the fire will swiftly spread/grow into a raging inferno! | | 5 | **Innocents In Peril** One or more non-combatants are in danger (eg 2d6 civilians being dragged away by foes, 1d4 stowaway children cowering beneath a supply wagon about to be attacked, an allied warrior’s helm is knocked off revealing a highborn’s underage heir). Will the PCs intervene? | | 6 | **Hold the Line!** 3d6 enemies are about to break through the shield wall or other defensive line close to the PCs. Can they hold the line? | | 7 | **A Friend in Need** Through the carnage, the PCs spot a *[[Wounded]]* NPC friend slowly but inevitably being encircled by 2d6 enemies as his/her allies are cut down. Can the PCs save their mate? | | 8 | **And My Axe** During a furious melee, one PC spots an exhausted soldier drop to both knees after felling multiple foes. Behind him, another enemy readies her spear to skewer him. Will the PC intervene? If saved, the grateful soldier pledges to repay his rescuer (a free random henchmen for one year). | | 9 | **Frantic Beasts** Nearby animals (roll 1d4: (i) war dogs, (ii) mules, (iii) chargers, (iv) supply horses with carts) have been spooked by the death of their handlers, siege weapons, fire, foul weather, etc. Can the PCs help calm the beasts, or will they break free and wreak havoc? | | 10 | **With Me Brothers!** Soldiers fighting alongside the PCs are losing heart due to recent setbacks (roll 1d4: (i) captain killed, (ii) suffered heavy losses, (iii) serious fatigue, (iv) enemy magic) and are on the verge of breaking. Can the PCs rally them? | | 11 | **Traitorous Scum** 2d6 traitors have been hired or coerced to kill the PCs mid battle by an old nemesis, enemy forces, unknown threat, etc. The traitors are each armed with one dose of moderate [[2 - Rules/Poison]]. | | 12 | **In the Thick of It** The PCs are battling where the fighting is fiercest, hewing enemies left and right in a desperate bid to survive. But as one foe falls, another takes its place. How much longer can the PCs endure? Treat as a combat with 3d6 foes. At the end all PCs must make a *[[Luck]]* (Con) save or be *[[Fatigued]]*. | | 13 | **Behind Enemy Lines** A fleeting chance to gain a battlefield advantage arises if the party can sneak behind enemy lines. Roll 1d4 for their mission: (i) sabotage enemy supplies, (ii) assassinate a 6 HD leader, (iii) gather crucial intelligence about war plans, troop movements, reinforcements, etc, (iv) steal or neutralise a secret weapon. Can the PCs infiltrate enemy territory, get the job done, and make it back in one piece? | | 14 | **Right Place Right Time** As the PC drops another foe, they spot disaster about to unfold a short distance away! Roll 1d3: (i) battering ram or siege tower flounders when one of the handlers is killed, (ii) dying standard bearer can’t raise her signal banner at a crucial time, (iii) a riderless messenger horse is rearing in panic, undelivered orders visible in the saddle bag. Can the PCs complete the task in time? | | 15 | **Fall Back!** As the battle unfolds, PCs and nearby soldiers are forced to withdraw, driven back by overwhelming odds. Can the adventurers escape? | | 16 | **Sniper Hunt** A hidden sharpshooter (siege tower, tree line, valley ridge, high building, etc) is targeting the PCs’ area, protecting enemy champions and picking off key allied warriors (sergeants, standard bearers, medics, etc). Can the PCs find the sniper and neutralise them? | | 17 | **Medic!** Through the smoky haze, urgent cries for a medic ring out as a dying NPC is dragged to relative safety (roll 1d3: (i) messenger with critical orders, (ii) scout with intel, (iii) highly respected sergeant good for morale). The ally is on the verge of death; can the PCs save him/her? | | 18 | **Shields Up!** A barrage of arrows, spears, bolts, [[Fire Pot]]s, and other personal ranged weapons target the PCs’ location. Soldiers without shields or that can’t find cover drop like flies. PCs require a *[[Luck]]* (Dex) save or 3d6 damage and *[[Missile Trauma]]* (1d10+2). | | 19 | **Dark Ritual** Word somehow reaches the PCs in the midst of combat that an enemy warlock, sorceress, priest, etc (5+ HD, *Consult the Bones* to determine if a *Heavy* or *Boss*) is performing a dark ritual elsewhere on the battlefield (gathering a bowl of hearts to offer to the dark gods, etc). Can the PCs stop the ritual? | | 20 | **Suicide Mission** A genuine suicide mission presents itself (eg: hold the tide of enemies on the bridge so allies can escape, light the warning beacon atop the tower surrounded by foes, collapse the tunnel taking out a tide of foes as well as oneself). Will the PC(s) sacrifice themselves for the greater good? If so, the PC must make a *Death save*. If successful, roll on the *Injuries & Setbacks* table, and they awaken later with 1 hp, somehow left for dead. If none of the PCs take the mission, add a complication to the Final Confrontation. | ## Sudden Twists In mass battle the PCs are in the thick of extreme danger; swept up in a gruesome throng of panicked shouts, slashing blades, and deadly arrows. Amidst the chaos, injury and death threaten from all corners! During a Field Event, if combat is occurring nearby, every time a PC rolls a natural 1 or 20 on an attack roll or other `dice: 1d20` check, a Sudden Twist is triggered. Roll `dice: 1d20` and see below. | `dice: 1d20` | Sudden Twist | | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | 1 | **Duck!** A stray crossbow bolt or distant marksmen takes a pot shot at the PC (attack roll at +4, 2d8+1 damage). | | 2 | **Incoming!** Somebody hurls a brace of [[Fire Pot]]s in the PC’s vicinity; a *[[Luck]]* (Dex) save is required to avoid 3d6 damage and the *[[Burning]]* condition. | | 3 | **Allied Reinforcements** appear from nearby trees, over a small rise, from another street, etc. If the PC is mid battle, enemies are automatically defeated (50% chance they are slaughtered, 50% they flee). | | 4 | **Dead Weight** A hireling, henchmen, pet or important NPC accompanying the PC (if any) has been *[[Wounded]]* and knocked unconscious until dusk/dawn. Can the PC keep them safe? | | 5 | **Lost Weapon** The adventurer’s weapon is somehow lost or destroyed (if magical it is damaged instead, but not usable until it is repaired, likely sometime after the battle). | | 6 | **Backstab** A sneaky git stabs the PC in the back whilst they are preoccupied fighting others (1d8 + PC level damage). | | 7 | **Lootin’** The PC seizes the opportunity to quickly loot nearby bodies. *Consult the Bones* to determine whether they gain *[[Carry Loot B]]* or *[[Valuables A]]*. | | 8 | **Band of Brothers** Rallying cheers from the PC’s surrounding allies reinvigorates the adventurer (restore up to half of lost hit points, a class ability use, or a *[[Rerolls]]*). | | 9 | **World of Hurt** A spear, javelin, etc strikes the PC in a vital location, causing *[[Missile Trauma]]* (1d10+2). | | 10 | **Corpse Hazard** The PC threatens to become entangled in the growing pile of dead & dying underfoot: Dex (Acrobatics) check or fall *[[Prone]]*, plus a further Str check to avoid dropping held items. | | 11 | **Tide of Battle** Sheer numbers threaten to force the PC and their opponent into dangerous terrain (eg toppled off a wall, thrown into a raging river, knocked down a steep slope, pinned against a rock, pushed down a sewer chute, etc). A Str (Athletics) or Dex (Acrobatics) check resists. | | 12 | **Crushing Intervention** A catapult stone, heavy warhorse, hurtling wagon, or other large moving object threatens to crush the PC. A *[[Luck]]* (Dex) save is required to avoid 2d6 damage and *[[Blunt Trauma]]* (1d6+6). | | 13 | **Selfless Protector** If the PC is reduced to zero hp sometime during the mass battle, a nameless solider automatically intervenes to negate the attack. The soldier dies in the process. Once only, reroll repeats. | | 14 | **Spoils of War** As the PC fells their latest foe, a valuable object is somehow revealed on the deceased (spills from a pouch, hangs about their neck, etc; 1 x [[Valuables A]]). | | 15 | **Shaken Soul** A dreadful atrocity witnessed by the PC threatens to traumatize them. A *[[Luck]]* (Will) save is required to avoid a random Madness p.161. | | 16 | **Fearsome Charge!** A small force of enemy cavalry or war beasts (pack of Hounds, Boars, Dire Wolves, etc), thunder through the area, leaving carnage in their wake! All PCs in Close range suffer *[[Blade Trauma]]* (1d10+2, a *[[Luck]]* (Con) save resists). Foes in the area are killed or scattered. | | 17 | **Extreme Terrain** Terrain the PC is standing on or near becomes dangerous (a wall falls down, forest wildfire, bridge collapse, rockslide, choking smoke bomb, etc). The PC suffers 6d6 damage (an appropriate *[[Luck]]* save reduces damage by half). Nearby NPCs are similarly affected. | | 18 | **Obscurement** A vision obscurement floods the area (heavy smoke from nearby fires, an alchemical smoke bomb, rolling fog, night time torches extinguished by freak winds, etc), limiting vision to Close range and imposing a 33% miss chance on attacks. Checks relating to hiding/escape gain adv. | | 19 | **Snap Opportunity** A distant champion, leader, or other important enemy figure is momentarily exposed during the surging melee. Can the PCs take advantage of this fleeting opportunity to act against them? | | 20 | **Sorcery!** An enemy mage or warrior with a one shot magical item unleashes it upon the PCs. Roll 1d4 (as 6th level): (i) [[Brain Burst]], (ii) [[Lightning Bolt]], (iii) [[Blast of Frozen Ruin]], (iv) [[Hellblast]]. *Consult the Bones* to determine if there is a [[Dark and Dangerous Magic]] effect. | ## Final Confrontation The Final Confrontation is the mass battle’s **ultimate climactic encounter;** when the party goes head to head with the **enemy leaders** or **Boss!** The GM determines the details of this **set piece encounter.** Whoever wins the Final Confrontation also **wins the mass battle** (or as GM decides).