large scale war in the realms-How to handle as a DM

[PrinceParrot]

So as a DM I was kicking around the idea of having an alien invasion of some sort and I have run up against a few problems that I was hoping the community here could help with. How do your groups handle large scale war?

My main problems are roleplaying problems. What is the party's role in fighting large wars? What sort of things can I work up as a dm that will make the war against the enemy meaningful yet still level appropriate without straight up railroading them into "attack this outpost soldier!"

Writing this has shown my how half formed my idea is here so apologies if this isn't the most directed discussion. Just wanted to hear some advice from people who's group was in a war scenario that felt satisfying.

[Pokonic]

Well, this depends alot on the exact area. There is a entire modal based on a single armies movements, for example. What nations are fighting? Do they have help from others? Any powerful creatures the party could convince to aid there side?

Now theres a role-play encounter: The party must convince a Elder Red dragon that would normaly be a encounter under any other time to aid there side, with it knowing there is little it could gain and that the enemy has Roc air-platforms that could wound it horribly.

[PrinceParrot]

Thanks, you post seems to have jumpstarted the idea engine. :-)

[Hiro Protagonest]

Elminster, Blackstaff, and the seven sisters (just as a reference, one is the leader of Silvermoon, the youngest is a CG drow, a third is a witch-queen, a fourth is a ranger, I think the fifth is a Harper, the eldest is the dead witch of Shadowdale who sacrificed herself to slay a dragon and is now a ghost, and I forget the last one) handle it.

[Tvtyrant]

The easiest way to do this would be to have the group be in some small town, and the enemies attack with a force just big enough to win if the party wasn't there. Then after you win there you find that they sent much larger forces at the bigger towns, with the prosperous (Waterdeep, Silverymoon, etc) areas easily defeating them but most of the little outposts of the world being destroyed. Have the party hunt down the local portal and destroy it, before either having them go face other small groups trying to reclaim territories lost to the invasion or move on to something else.

[Silva Stormrage]

In my campaigns wars are rarely fought by two sides having their armies whack away at each other like in standard medieval warfare. Usually its a series of Hit and Runs, Small high level strike forces or total war tactics. AoE's and high level characters just are too strong to have a system that pits level threes against level 15's. Most generals wouldn't accept the amount of losses that the level three's would take in that fight.

Though I am not really familiar with the Realms so if thats actually how they conduct warfare I would suggest sending the party in assassination missions.

[Feytalist]

Complete Warrior has a section on the PCs' roles in large scale battles or wars. Essentially, handle the PCs as a precision strike team, not as a front-line vanguard. Let them handle tasks such as information gathering, assassination, supply line disruption and so forth. You don't want them in the battle proper, you want them on the fringes somewhere, or behind enemy lines.

Or let them take part in the defense of a small village from a first-strike assault group or something. (Or let them take part in the assault of a small village, if the tables are turned.)


Dragon magazine (issue somewhere in the 300s, I forget exactly where. #309? #311? somewhere thereabouts) also has an article on war (a Githyanki invasion, I seem to recall) that might help you out as well.

[Red_Dog]

This topic is really to wide to cover...

Heroes of Battle & Complete Warrior have good guide lines.

PF's King Maker module can also help[never read it, about to get it actually]

Depending on over all level of average soldiers, things change a lot.
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I am currently running a war campaign but because I would think it is different from yours[mine has average level of NPCs as 8, overhauled XP & craft systems & modded resurrection rules & some other minor stuff] I can only give basic advise.

=> Supplies. Its one thing to have a party outfitted, its totally different to outfit a company of ~500-700 people. It gets even more complicated to do that with army that counts its numbers in thousands.

Some missions your players can undertake could involve securing a supply route, or large shipment of weapons that a side would need. Alternatively destroying your enemy's supplies can be just as important.

=> Reinforcements. How does army deal with fallen members? Even at level one, it takes a human 15-ish years to count as an "adult". Securing Magic items that grant resurrections and people that can use those items can be a task for players.

=> Leaders & Tactics. A mundane assassination attempt mission can be rather useful in a middle of battle. Even if a leader can be resurrected, this cans swing a tide of battle in your favor. Also devising a clever tactics like securing higher grounds, using a proper elemental damage that enemy is weak to, flanking units, using mass demoralizing methods or creating unfavorable conditions with big area spells can all contribute to a victory. All of this players are capable of doing.

And finally => Party Separation & Cut-scenes. No one wants to do this, but at large enough scale, it might be necessary. A player suited to be a front line sergeant (Goliath Marshal Dungeon Crusher) might be better off leading a charge on a front line than executing an assassination attempt. However because it might happen only in a big, decisive battle it shouldn't happen to often.

After all tactics are established, spells cast, roles assigned & small missions(which can include some players leading a charge) completed. A cut scene may be in order. If players did everything right, why roll metric tons of dice, when a complex flow chart [which you can adjust on a fly, players don't have to know that you did not foresaw there actions exactly] can give an approximate number of casualties for both sides and & all the battle's outcomes.

I hope this helps. War campaigns are freaking awesome, but take a LOT of work to prep. Consider making players buy you dinner = ] Heh just jesting ^^