[3.5] How would you run a Dynasty Warriors-esque game?

[Coidzor]

The idea came up at one of our sessions where it looked like a couple of our players wouldn't be able to show up for a major event in the Battle of Brindol in our Red Hand of Doom campaign, but it wasn't fleshed out very much because the people whose cellphones had died came in at about the time we had printed up the fresh character sheets.

What I started thinking of was basically one long running battle (sometimes with waves, sometimes with basically "areas" to fight skirmishes in progressing to a mini/boss encounter) with the majority of loot done away with, just receiving occasional potions of cure or spell slot restoration and getting a "score" with which to requisition any gear changes inbetween battles, and probably do a house rule so that all PCs start out with a base of ~10-30 HP. Basically meaningless hack and slash and burn at its finest.

Anyone else thought of anything similar or actually encountered a set of rules to work with in this sort of sitch?

[Kylarra]

You'd probably want something more like GURPS than D&D for that sort of thing. A built in point-buy improvement system instead of levels.

[Coidzor]

Hmm, there is GURPS light(lite?)...

Kinda didn't wanna learn a new system as a group, might be necessary, might not be...

[Behold_the_Void]

Yeah, 3.5 may not be the best system for it. 4e'd probably work reasonably well, just let them gain the equivalent of a short rest between waves.

I've got a homebrew tabletop system based around anime and general heroic high-powered fantasy if you wanna give that a go too, linked in my signature. It's more of the Sengoku Basara/Devil Kings extremely over the top style than Dynasty Warriors, which is a bit more subdued (albeit not by TOO much).

[Myrmex]

On a playstation.

[Kantolin]

Make the party very high level, and generally capable of handling multiple opponents at once (But not, say, all of them via any such nonsense). Make the enemies extremely low level, except for their generals, who are themselves a noticable deal higher level than the PCs.

At least, that's how I'd make a dynasty warriors type of sequence. ^_^ Include a lot of terrain and multiple battlemaps and go for it.

Now insofar as general war combat, I'm not nearly as sure. But hey.

[Lycanthromancer]

Three words: Tome of Battle.

Just make sure someone takes some healing stances and maneuvers, and there you go.

[bosssmiley]

What I started thinking of was basically one long running battle (sometimes with waves, sometimes with basically "areas" to fight skirmishes in progressing to a mini/boss encounter) with the majority of loot done away with, just receiving occasional potions of cure or spell slot restoration and getting a "score" with which to requisition any gear changes inbetween battles, and probably do a house rule so that all PCs start out with a base of ~10-30 HP. Basically meaningless hack and slash and burn at its finest.

Yes, because grinding endless mobs for little-to-no return is what D&D is all about. Pulp fantasy is all about swedging through waves of endlessly respawning anonymous peons. :smallamused:

You'd probably be better off going with Exalted for full-on "I teabag entire armies for the fun of it" Bu Lu lunacy.

[Ladorak]

If you're really attached to this idea try getting Heros of battle. It's really the only thing it's good for tho, so choose carefully

[The_Werebear]

Three words: Tome of Battle.

Just make sure someone takes some healing stances and maneuvers, and there you go.

Seconded. ToB it up, with five minute breaks in between. Allow the caster's to refresh spells in the breaks through some Deus Ex.

[AmberVael]

Seconded. ToB it up, with five minute breaks in between. Allow the caster's to refresh spells in the breaks through some Deus Ex.

Maybe the casters could just use the ToB-type mechanics too. Arcane swordsage, perhaps? Properly done, it wouldn't be too bad (and would certainly be better than just letting them refresh a day's worth of spells every few minutes).