Managing player summoned mobs

[Marcloure]

I think this is a recurrent problem that happens whenever there is a druid or necromancer in play. Managing 8-16 summoned creatures in combat is a tough thing to do, and a pain in the ass. This time, I am the player who will be doing the mess.

My character is a demonologist bastard of Orcus, so I think Animate Dead and the summoning spells from That Old Black Magic matches perfectly with her. But I am thinking that to control around 6 undead and summoning other 8 dretches/manes might turn the combat into a slog. Maybe it will be fun for the frist time, but I don't think it will still be short after. There were a druid I DMed to who voluntarily gave up on Conjure Animals, even though he knew that the spell is a very good one and without I asked to.

So, what tips do you have about summoning hordes? Play it all at the same turn may help, but what else can be done? Or is this kind of spell fated to don't work well in combat, and I should reconsider? I'm asking in advance, the character is level 3 for now, so she doesn't have any summon yet. The questions are asked by a player, but I could make use of tips for my DM too.

Thanks, giants.

[Thrudd]

Have summoned creatures act on the turn of the summoner, break the creatures into small groups based on their objectives and send them all at once - don't move each mane one at a time - if they are all going to the same place just move them as a group all at the same time.

Also note that controlling conjured creatures requires verbal commands - so it is only practical to summon as many creatures as can be commanded in any given round. I would rule that a maximum of six one-word commands could be given in any round - if the commands are longer, time it and cut off at six seconds. In general, controlling them doesn't need to take long - usually you are just saying "everyone, attack those guys!" and then they all move straight into range and start attacking. You shouldn't really have a ton of time to think and debate about what all the creatures are going to be doing- combat rounds are only six seconds long, so consider that and keep it simple and practical, and make a point to make all your moves quickly.

For expediency in attack and damage dice, get different colored d20's for each creature, with matching colored damage dice, and roll everything at once. Write down on a reference sheet what color goes with what creatures and use the same ones all the time, as much as you can. Or, even easier, use a dice rolling program/RNG - if you can program macros or come up with a scheme to easily identify which result belongs to which creature even better.

[Marcloure]

Have summoned creatures act on the turn of the summoner, break the creatures into small groups based on their objectives and send them all at once - don't move each mane one at a time - if they are all going to the same place just move them as a group all at the same time.

Also note that controlling conjured creatures requires verbal commands - so it is only practical to summon as many creatures as can be commanded in any given round. I would rule that a maximum of six one-word commands could be given in any round - if the commands are longer, time it and cut off at six seconds. In general, controlling them doesn't need to take long - usually you are just saying "everyone, attack those guys!" and then they all move straight into range and start attacking. You shouldn't really have a ton of time to think and debate about what all the creatures are going to be doing- combat rounds are only six seconds long, so consider that and keep it simple and practical, and make a point to make all your moves quickly.

For expediency in attack and damage dice, get different colored d20's for each creature, with matching colored damage dice, and roll everything at once. Write down on a reference sheet what color goes with what creatures and use the same ones all the time, as much as you can. Or, even easier, use a dice rolling program/RNG - if you can program macros or come up with a scheme to easily identify which result belongs to which creature even better.

Moving and attacking with them at once is the best way I could figure too. I think that is also how an enthralled army whould respond. The dice pool can be managed with macros, yes. I play at Roll20 (online game), so I can make a macro for the mob attacks.
About the commands, Animate Dead has a clear rule about that, "you can use a bonus action to mentally command any creature you made with this spell". To make two or more commands, you need two or more bonus actions. I don't remember how druid's conjurations works exactly, but I don't think that is with a verbal command either.
Thanks for the tips.

[Renvir]

Getting familiar with the Mob Attacks table (pg. 250 in the DMG) helps. It worked pretty well in a campaign I was running a while back. The player in question also created a supplementary average damage table using the creatures stats and the Mob Attacks table.

[Thrudd]

Moving and attacking with them at once is the best way I could figure too. I think that is also how an enthralled army whould respond. The dice pool can be managed with macros, yes. I play at Roll20 (online game), so I can make a macro for the mob attacks.
About the commands, Animate Dead has a clear rule about that, "you can use a bonus action to mentally command any creature you made with this spell". To make two or more commands, you need two or more bonus actions. I don't remember how druid's conjurations works exactly, but I don't think that is with a verbal command either.
Thanks for the tips.

All the conjure spells use verbal commands to direct the creatures - animals, woodland beings, elementals, etc. Those are also concentration spells, so there can only ever be one spell's worth of summons under your control at one time. The animated dead are mentally controlled, yes. So you could have your undead servant(s) being mentally controlled with a bonus action, plus whatever the conjure spell gets you that you need to verbally give orders to.

[Malifice]

I think this is a recurrent problem that happens whenever there is a druid or necromancer in play. Managing 8-16 summoned creatures in combat is a tough thing to do, and a pain in the ass. This time, I am the player who will be doing the mess.

I think the summon spells where you bring in 8+ creatures was bad design personally.

I rule that they act on your initiative and you can only commnd them in general terms as a mob in combat where you only have a few seconds to blurt out orders. Its realistic and it speeds things up.

You tell the DM your orders (you must be able to say those orders inside 3 seconds) and he then interprets those orders (as the creatures) and they comply as best they can, as they understand those orders.

'Attack those creatures!' is fair enough. Then the DM moves the monsters and rolls 8 attack rolls. Of if they're Pixies, they might decide to sleep or polymorph a creature (including turning a PC into a more appropriate combat form) while giggling.

Because 'Pixies'.


My character is a demonologist bastard of Orcus, so I think Animate Dead and the summoning spells from That Old Black Magic matches perfectly with her.

You're obviously good aligned.