Any Tips For Running Mass Combat in a Confined Space (Hall of the Fire Giant King)?

[Puh Laden]

I'm running my group through the "Against the Giants" series. (Not the Yawning Portal versions, the originals but with 5e statblocks. I've also put a lot of emphasis on the cult of the elder elemental god and have added monsters to thematically tie-in the the elemental evil aspect.)

Inspired by a certain comic, and the crazy amount of gold my players have, I want to encourage them to head an army in the "Hall of the Fire Giant King." However, the mass combat rules from Unearthed Arcana don't really fit, since units in those take up 100 feet on a side, and they don't seem as dynamic.

I have found a homebrew supplement I currently plan to use for the rules of the squads themselves, but does anyone have tips for how to actually run mass combat in a session and particularly in Roll20?

[Unoriginal]

I might have some advice, but what will be the forces in presence from either side, just to know?

[Steampunkette]

Use the UA mass combat rules. Just shrink the unit sizes to fit into the arena you need. 100ft squares is just one abstraction.

My suggestion for Dynamism is to do the Mass Combat turn (Which takes 2-3 rounds) as an initial set of orders given by the PCs and then do the smalle scale hero combat while the 2-3 round "Mass Combat" round goes on, engaging them with the leader and a few support NPCs of an enemy unit. Have the small battle impact the large scale battle. Then move onto the next Mass Combat turn.

So let's say they engage a unit of Hobgoblins under the command of a Fire Giant and his Hellhound pet. Let them declare their unit action, then swap into the small scale fight of the Giant, a few hobs, and the Hellhound. Once 2-3 rounds of small scale combat have completed, go back to the Mass Combat scale. If they defeated the leader the unit's modifiers change accordingly. If they get defeated, they survive but their own unit's modifiers change accordingly.

Gives the players a greater individual stake while still giving them the feeling of being a part of a big battle.

[Puh Laden]

I might have some advice, but what will be the forces in presence from either side, just to know?

On the giants' side:


6 ettins
1 king snurre
1 queen frupy
8 hell hounds
40 fire giants
28 fire giants who have HP and attacks as frost giants
2 giant weasels
1 chimera
8 gnolls
1 dwarf fighter/rogue (probably levels 9/2)
3 rakshasas, who will likely only be invited to fight when things turn desperate

There are other creatures, but they're not going to be part of the "regular" defense.



On the party's side:

level 10 hill dwarf champion fighter
level 10 high elf fighter 2/evocation wizard 8
level 11 half-orc abjuration wizard
level 11 wood elf tranquility monk
level 11 goliath revised monster slayer ranger
level 11 eladrin wu jen mystic
level 10 firbolg death cleric

orc tribe - recently freed by the party, the chief and some of his most trusted orcs are available

the resources of about two small human kingdoms, an elven conclave, a goliath federation of villages, a dwarven city, and an eladrin city, all ravaged by the giants. These are the groups from which they will be able to hire soldiers and mercenaries.

[Sariel Vailo]

You use luuuuuuucha.every cluckin character
Monk luchadore hyper mecha lucha.just suplex that giant.gnome monk suplex a dragon.half orc monk suplex a draco lich. Just suplex everything go tag team double lucha.http://mfov.magehandpress.com/2017/05/luchador.html?m=1