War Machine
The “War Machine” is a system of game rules designed to resolve large battles in the D&D game. The War Machine will work with any number of troops; it is recommended for any group with more than 10
combatants. To use the system, all you need is a pencil and paper, plus some knowledge of simple arithmetic.
20 unable to see targets on the battlefield
Explanations:
W - Winner
L = Loser
#% -The percent of the force killed and wounded. Round fractions up.
N = The force is not fatigued.
M = The force is moderately fatigued.
S = The force is seriously fatigued.
F = The force holds the battlefield after the battle
R = The force must retreat from the field.
R+# = The force must retreat that number of terrain units
F+# = The force may advance that number of terrain units
Rout = The force ceases to exist as such. Survivors will appear at home 1-10 weeks later.
Special Rules
Any troops that are immune to fatigued are not effected (Eg undead golems ect)
Any troops with regeneration who hold the battlefield after only have 1/2 the Casualties are all their wounded heal up fast. If dont hold battlefield wounded are killed so full Casualties apply.
Infected any wounded troops become infected, if infected hold battlefiend can add them to their numbers, if dont they are killed by winners.
Assumptions
Several things are assumed in the War Machine mass combat system: 1. All troops have a “level of quality’’ that can improve or drop with time and experience. 2. Many other factors such as terrain, weather, etc., besides quality of troops, influence the outcome of a large battle. 3. Luck, good or bad, can influence combat results, whether in a single combat or a clash of armies. 4. A character knows how to survive in the D&D world; the player does not need to know the tactics of war.How It Works
Each body of troops (called a “force”) is given a rating for their quality. When combat occurs, this “Battle Rating” is modified for battle conditions (terrain, number of opponents, morale, etc.). Each player then rolls d% , and adds the modified Battle Rating of the troops. The high roll wins the battle. The entire system has four basic steps: 1. Calculate the BASIC FORCE RATING (BFR) of the troops. 2. Find the TROOP CLASS. 3. Calculate the BATTLE RATING (BR). 4. Determine and apply Steps 1,2, and 3 are handled when a force is hired and outfitted. Step 4 is used when a battle occurs. Throughout the system, the person or creature commanding a force is called the Leader. Others, called Officers, help the leader to control the force. The fighting persons in a force are called the Troops. In the calculations, round all fractions UP unless the instructions say otherwise.STEP 4: Determine COMBAT RESULTS
The forces that have been rated according to the above three steps are now prepared to meet on the field of battle. To find out what the result of this engagement is, start with the BR of each force, and add or subtract all of the following adjustments that apply.1. Troop Ratio (use only one per battle):
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Troop Ratio: Find the total number of troops in each force, and divide the larger number by the smaller. If the total is 1.01 to 1.5, the 1.5 ratio is used.
Only the larger side benefits from this adjustment, and only one benefit applies.
Steeds are only counted as members of a force if their primary function is fighting (such as dragons) and not
transportation (such as horses).
| Bonus | Odds to 1 |
|---|---|
| +15 | 1.5 |
| +30 | 2 |
| +45 | 3 |
| +60 | 4 |
| +70 | 5 |
| +80 | 6 |
| +90 | 7 |
| +100 | 8 |
| +110 | 9+ |
2. Morale (use all that apply):
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+10 if force is in the dominion of their liege
+10 if they have beaten this foe before under this leader.
+10 if Troop Class is 2 levels higher than the enemy
+30 if attacking an enemy “On the March”
-10 if any accompanying force has Routed
+10 if can't be permanently killed (vampire turning mist when killed, Lich and his soul gem etc)
Morale: This reflects the confidence of a force. Troops that fight in their home territory, that know they can beat an opponent, or are of superior quality to the foe may benefit from one, some, or all of these.
3. Environment (use all that apply):
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+25 if in an extremely favorable environment
-25 if in an extremely unfavorable environment (Humans fighting in darkness or fire giants in snow)
+20 if the entire force in a night battle has Dark Vision
Environment: Certain conditions may help or harm a force. Goblins in the daylight are at a disadvantage, as are fire giants in snow.
4. Terrain (use all that apply):
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+20 if higher than opponent
+20 for Halfling force in fields or woods
+10 for Elven force in woods
+20 for Dwarven ‘force in hills or mountains
-20 for the force with mounted troops in mountains, woods, or strongholds ( riding not used if vehicles)
-20 for force in mire (marsh/mud)*
-10 for force on shifting ground (snow/rough terrain)
Terrain: In many cases, the ground on which the battle is fought will give an advantage to one side or the other. Apply as many of these modifiers as fit your force; note that some apply only to defenders.
Determining the Defender: When two forces arrive at the same location, they must stop moving. If both forces choose to defend, neither gets the defender bonus.
* Defender Only (Ignore if all of attackers can fly; use only 1/2 of adjustment if 5 % or more of attackers can fly. If tactics overcome defense do not add bonus):
+10 if defending in place (holding) +50 if defending a narrow defile, pass or Bridge +40 if attacker must cross deep water +20 if defending in mountains, hills, or Rough Terrain or Behind a Wall +50 if the force is in a strongholdImmunities (use only 1 per force):
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+150 if force is immune to enemy’s attacks
+50 if 1 % of the force is immune to the enemy’s Attack
+50 if force is immune to 80% of the enemy’s Attack
Immunities: This reflects the advantage possessed by some creatures who cannot be hit by normal weapons; gargoyles and lycanthropes are some
examples. If a creature has DR more than the weapons attackers have use immune to attacks, if can do at least 5 damage use 1% immune, If do less than 5 use 80% immune.
6. Fatigue (use only 1 per force):
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-10 if force is moderately fatigued
-30 if force is seriously fatigued
Fatigue: Troops may become fatigued as a Combat Result of a previous battle (see the Combat Results Table) or because of a Forced March.
7. Tactics (One Side get this):
Up to +20 if one side has superior tactics that give a clear advantage over the other side. The DM will have to decide if this is awarded or not.Results
When the BR is modified as applicable, each player rolls d% (a Combat Roll),and adds the modified BR to the result. The total is the Combat Result. The player with the highest Combat Result wins the battle. Applying Combat Results When the winner and loser of a battle have been identified, determine the effects of the battle (killed, wounded, fatigued, etc.) as follows: subtract the Loser’s Combat Result from the Winner’s. Find this difference in the left-hand column of the Combat Results Table. Apply the resulting Casualties, Fatigue, and Location to both the Winning (W) troops, as noted.| Difference | 1-8 | 9-15 | 16-24 | 25-30 | 31-38 | 39-50 | 51-63 | 64-80 | 81-90 | 91-100 | 101-120 | 121-150 | 151+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casualties W | 1% | 3% | 10% | 10% | 20% | 5% | 20% | 30% | 10% | 5% | 20% | 10% | 10% | |
| Casualties L | 10% | 20% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 30% | 50% | 60% | 50% | 30% | 70% | 80% | 100% | |
| Fatigue W | N | N | N | N | M | N | M | M | N | N | N | N | N | |
| Fatigue L | N | N | M | M | S | S | S | S | S | Rout | Rout | Rout | ||
| Location W | F | F | F | F | R | F | F+1 | F+1 | F+3 | F+3 | F+3 | F+3 | F+5 | |
| Location L | R | R | R | R+1 | R | R+2 | R+3 | R+3 | R+3 | Rout | Rout | Rout |
BASIC FORCE RATING
STEP 1: Calculate the BASIC FORCE RATING The Basic Force Rating is the total of 4 factors: Leadership, Experience, Training, and Equipment. A fifth factor applies if the force is Special: powerful monsters. a. Leadership FactorFind the level of the Leader of the force. Modify it by all the Leader’s adjustments for Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. Then add a +2 bonus for each 1 % of the force that is 9th level or higher.
Leadership Factor Calulation
Leader level + IN, WI, and CH adjust+ 2 per 1 % of the force that is 9th level
Find the average level of the officers in the force (not counting the leader), and multiply it by 3.
For nonhuman troops, the Officer level is the average Hit Dice, plus one. Note: A force must have 1 officer for every 40 troops, or this part of the Experience Factor is zero.
Find the average level of the troops (not including the Leader or Officers), double it, and add that to the Officer rating.
Add 1 to the total for every victory the force has won in the last 10 years (+10 maximum) under this leader, and
subtract 1 for every time the force has been routed in that time (-10 maximum) under this leader.
Experience Factor Calulation
(Total levels of officers)/(Number of officers)x3
(Total level of troop)/(Number of troop)x2
+ 1 per victory (up to +10) under this leader
1 per rout (up to +10) under this leader
Score 1 point for every week spent in training (maximum 20 per year).
Add 1 for each week that the Leader spends with them (maximum 20),
and add 1 for each month that the troops remain together and are not off in their homes or towns (maximum 12 per year).
Costs: Use the “Mercenary” pay rates. Training time costs double the amounts given.
Training Factor Calulation
+ 1 per week trained (up to 20)
+ 1 per week leader trained with them (up to 20)
+ 1 per month troops on duty (up to 12)
The base value is 5, 10, or 15, depending on the quality of the
weapons.
Use 5 if the weapons are “average” (the normal cost). All troops are assumed to
have average weapons unless others are specified).
Use 10 if the weapons are hi-tech (laser guns ect), or
15 if all troops have hybrid (magictech) weapons.
Add 5 if the troops are armed with a second weapon of the same quality as the first.
Add 5 more points if the average Armor Class of the troops is 15 or better.
Add 10 if any troops have power armor.
Equipment Factor Calulation
+ 5, 10, or 15 (based on the quality of the weapon)
+ 5 (if carrying a second weapon of equal quality)
+ 5 (if AC +15 or better)
+10 if have power armor
If the troops are all non-player races( undead, dragons, monstrous humanoids etc), this factor is 15.
If some monster troops have two or more special attacks or defenses from the following list:
Energy drain,
Incorporeal traits,
Regeneration,
Fast Heal,
Elemental Immunity(two types count as one),
DR 10+,
Natural Flying,
Natural Invisibility,
Death gaze or touch,
Petrification Gaze or touch,
3 SLA or more,
Paralyzing Gaze or Touch,
and Fear.
For each 1% of the force that is “Special,” scores 2 points for this factor.
Example: In a force of 290 ghouls and 10 spectres, 4% of the force is Special, for a Special Factor of +8.
STEP 2: Find the TROOP CLASS
“Troop Class” is a measure of the overall quality of a force. Once you know the BFR of the force. use the chart below to find the Troop Class. Keep a record of both the BFR and the Troop Class.| BRF | Class |
|---|---|
| 1-20 | Untrained |
| 21-35 | Poor |
| 36-55 | Below Avg |
| 56-70 | Fair |
| 71-80 | Avg |
| 81-100 | Good |
| 101-125 | Excellent |
| 126-150 | Elite |
| 151+ | Super Elite |
STEP 3: Calculate the BATTLE RATING (BR)
Divide the BFR of the force by 10, rounding up. The result is the Bonus to use in all the following calculations. Examine the following statements and their explanations, and then add the Bonus to the BFR every time one of the statements is true. Since this could be done up to 12 times, the total bonus could be more than the original BFR. The total BR is the original BFR plus all bonuses. Note the BR with the Troop Class and the BFR. Mounted:
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a. 20% or more of the force is mounted including vehicles.
b. 50% or more of the force is mounted including vehicles.
Missiles:
Mounted applies to any “steed,” including horses, dire wolves, griffons, dragons, etc
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c. 20% or more of the force can use missile fire including guns.
d. 20% or more of the force has a missile fire range of 100’ or more including guns.
Magical:
Missiles include bows, crossbows, slings, and guns plus giant-thrown boulders, manticore spikes, etc.)
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e. 1 % or more of the force is equipped with magical abilities or psionics
f. 20% or more of the force is equipped with magical abilities or psionics
g. 100% of the force is equipped with magical abilities or psionics
Spells:
Magical includes magic weapons (sword +1, arrow +2, et a].), breath weapons, any poison, magical defenses, regeneration, energy drain, wands and other devices, etc
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h. 5% or more of the force can cast spells.
i. 30% or more of the force can cast spells.
Flying:
Spells includes only spells memorized, cast from scrolls, or spell-like natural abilities (such as a spirit’s).
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j. 1 % or more of the force can fly including flying vehicles
k. 20% or more of the force can fly including flying vehicles
Speed:
Flying includes normal and magical forms, but not mere levitation. It applies to flying steeds as well (such as pegasi).
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1. The force has an average movement rate of 100’ per turn (or more).
Speed should be calculated with a creature’s fastest mode of movement. For example, flying creatures should be used at their flying rate, not their walking rate.