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5e Homebrew

Combat

* Modified: *

Mobs/Groups

On occasion, the PCs may be attacked by a large number of combatants (“a large number” being at the discretion of the DM.) In these cases, the combatants may be merged into one or more groups to help speed up play.

  • A group has a single action economy (action, bonus action(s)).
  • Movement and Reaction(s) of individual members of the group are independent.
  • The group has a single pool of HP and abilities totalling that of its individual members.
  • Lowering the group HP by a number equal to that of an individual member lowers the damage factor and use of abilities by that number.
  • Attacks and other actions requiring a roll are resolved as a group with a single roll. The total is compared to the AC of any in-range PCs, or target DC if a non-attack.
  • If the group action requires a Save by the target, each individual PC may make their Save (as normal); if one or more group members need to make a Save (for example, being hit with a Fireball), a single roll is used.
  • Damage is rolled once, and multiplied by the total number of successful hits (or failed Saves) to a target. If there are multiple PC targets in range that are successfully hit, the PCs may decide how the damage is distributed.
  • This may apply to the PCs as well in certain cases; for example, when they lead a group of hirelings or utilize magic such as Summon spells or Animate Dead.

Thoughts on Game Design

At lower levels and with fewer numbers of foes, the speed of combat in terms of table-time in 5e is not much of an issue. However, at higher levels or with large numbers of combatants, play can slow significantly. In part this is due to the nature of the “Action Economy” in 5e. Action Economy is key to 5e combat — the more actions a combatant or set of combatants has, the better positioned they are against their foes. Large numbers should (in general) have an advantage, and strategic play with this mechanic can be put to good use. Playing out large numbers of combatants mechanically, however, takes time. This house rule is meant to speed up play when large numbers of (more-or-less identical) combatants are involved.