Skirmish rules

[aluman]

4E introduces (well Swarms were in 3E, but they are improved, imo.) two 'classes' of monsters I think can be adapted to Skirmishing fairly easily.

First and the biggest, are Swarms.
The key points of warms are:
*1/2 Damage from Melee/Ranged attacks vulerable to area affects
*Immune to forced movement from melee and ranged attacks, AoE attacks can still move them as normal.
*A swarm can enter and pass through an enemy's space this movement doesn't provoke OA (the 4e verision of AoO), and can pass through an opening that is large enough for at least one of the smallest consitutes.

Most swarms presented also have an aura of daamge, so anything that starts adjacent to them takes damage.

So groups of 20 soliders could make a large swarm, lose the reach of large creatures and you have single stat block for small group of soliders, and wit hthe cherry picking I think we could do with minions (see below) we can create rough stat blocks that involve very little die rolling (thus speeding up skirmish combat) that is still interactive with the players (thus keeping a real feeling for th game).

Minions:
These are meant as cannon fodder, designed to die quickly but still be more than nusiance while standing.
Have 1 HP (not going to be used I don't think)
If an attack that misses normally deals damage misses the minion it deals no damage. (with normal HP this is irelevant)
Static Damage (this I want to use more than the rest of it)

So a group of 20 soliders turned into army-swarm could look like this:
Anuriean Infantry Level 3 Solider XP 150
Large Humanoid (Swarm, Human)
Swarm Attack Aura 2 The infantry swarm may make a basic attack against all enemies who start within range of their halberds as a free action
+5 Initiative Perception +6
HP 47 Bloodied 23
AC 18 Fortitude 16 Reflex 15 Will 14
Immune: Melee and Ranged deal 1/2 Damage
Vulerability: Vulerable 5 against close and area attacks
Speed 5
Melee Basic Attack Halberd (Standard at will) Weapon
Reach 2 +10 v AC, 8 Damage. Targetr is marked until the end of the next turn
Powerful Strike (Standard, Recharge 5,6) Weapon
Requires Halberd reach 2 +10 v AC 12 damage and the target is knocked prone
Crossbow (basic range) (standard at will) weapon
Ranged 15/30 +9 v AC 6 damage

Alignment Any Langauges Anuerien
Skills Streetwise +7
STR 16 (+4) CON 15 (+3) DEX 14 (+3) INT 10 (+1) WIS 11 (+1) CHA 12 (+2)
Equipment: Chainmail, Halberd crowssbow with 20 bolts.

Notes: the modifer after attribute includes the 1/2 level boost for skills not listed.

[Wilenburg]

I like the idea it would simplify the startegic combat into making it the same as if you have a character and this means that if you wanted to create elite units/specialized units it would be easier as well as if the bloodline are one right the PC/NPC General can have an influence through skills and feat and not change the combat as much as it did in 3rd and even 2nd and still keep true to BR.

[aluman]

That was my thought too, by getting both skirmish (20 man) and unit sized (200 man, maybe more/less depending on type) swarms (army swarms) but keeping damage a flat amount, it keeps the need for rolls down (just 1d20+modifer for hit per group), while making it easier to word out abilities/feats to affect it.

[kgauck]

I'm not sure this is all that different from my skirmish rules (http://www.birthright.net/brwiki/index.php/User:KGauck/Skirmish_rules) Including a flat damage amount.

[aluman]

I'm not sure this is all that different from my skirmish rules (http://www.birthright.net/brwiki/index.php/User:KGauck/Skirmish_rules) Including a flat damage amount.

It might not be, I'm reading them over now as we speak, this is just basically taking the swarm of Needlefang Drakes in the MM and taking the Swarm part slapping it on the level 3 soliders in the human section.

[kgauck]

3.5 had swarms of humans, called mobs. See pf 124 of Cityscape.

[aluman]

Don't have that, but your skirmish rules do look awfully similar to how that stat block came out. Thats cool, means less work has to be done to refine the 4e conversion.

[Wilenburg]

I like the way you put it KG that would be a good way of putting but I still like the idea of treating them like monsters as well then if the PC wants to nothing but adventuring if he happens to stumble in a warzone then there are bases of infantry for him to use as encounters since battles take place over a large area and are coorridinated by a general or group generals usually near the front ine but close to the center as possible.

[kgauck]

The notion that a general is in the center, presume the non-fighting general of the gunpowder era. Fighting generals, who carry swords, are generally found on the right. Medieval armies are composed of three bodies, the vanguard, main body, and rear guard, and these assemble on the right, center, and left respectively. The right is the position of honor, and is where you are more likely to find the elite troops.

There are all kinds of operation reasons to do something different, but this is the expected norm.