User:Spazalicious Chaos/The Book of Frenzied Warfare (3.5e Sourcebook)/Mass Combat/The Unit

The Unit
The unit is a new template intended to make mass combat easier and less stress inducing, which can be added to any monster that has the capacity for organization and is Huge or smaller in size.

Reasoning Behind The Unit
This all started back in my GMing infancy when I first tried to run what was, at the time, a massive battle. The party wanted to use an army of villagers to help bring down a squadron of orcs. I was dealing with over 70 combatants. What had resulted was a battle where one round of game time took about half an hour to resolve. Everyone was bored to tears and looking for an excuse to leave the table. By the time half the orc and villagers were dead, so were my players interest. I left the table that day thinking, "there HAS to be a better way..."

I found my answer when the DMGII introduced the mob. Scanning it over I saw a half finished Helen Keller of an idea, a bright idea that need refinement before it could be considered a viable option in any REAL D&D game. After testing it (unpromisingly) "as is", I jumped in with modifications, starting with a capacity for ranged attacks and finishing with making them more like a mob of lesser men (joining a mob does NOT make you faster, smarter or more resistant to nerve gas, thank you.)

What is seen below is the result. If there are still problems, talk to me and I will see what can be done to fix it.

The Unit Template
Summary::An organized group of 25 soldiers.

The unit is the staple of massive combat, the groups that come together to form a larger army. Without units, the world militaries would fall apart into chaotic rabble that would tear apart under it's own lack of organization in the already chaotic cluster-fuck of war.

Creating a Unit
The unit is an acquired template that can be bestowed to any humaniod, monstrous humanoid, giant, or undead that meets the qualifications under the Forming a Unit section below. A Unit can also qualify and gain the new Cavalry subtype, which allows the addition of any animal, magical beast, vermin, or dragon.

Size and Type
Type does not change, and size increases by two steps, as the unit gains the Subtype::Swarm sub type. Cavalry units are consider both base creature types and use the larger of the two base creatures when determining size and size increase.

Hit Dice
Hit Dice remain unchanged as per the normal monster. Cavalry units add the hit dice of their base monster components. Hit points are calculated as Morale on the following axis:
 * Green=1-3 HD, Morale equals base creature Hit points x 5
 * Veteran= 4-6 HD, Morale equals base creature Hit Points x 10
 * Elite= 7-10 HD, Morale equals base creature Hit Points x 15
 * Legendary= 11-15 HD, Morale base creature equals Hit Points x 20
 * Epic= 16+ HD, Morale equals base creature Hit Points x 25

Speed
Speed is unchanged, the cavalry unit uses the speed of the steed base monster.

Armor Class
Armor is remains as per normal for the base monster, with cavalry units using the highest bonuses of any given armor bonus type between the two base monsters. In addition, the unit gains a continuous +2 bonus as if benefiting from the aid another action.

Attack
The unit does continuous damage to any within it's space equal to it's primary weapon x5 dice (example, a great sword using unit deals 10d6 damage to any in it's space). In addition, it can use the attack option to deal weapon dice x 3 to attack adjacent targets, using it's normal attack bonus with a +2, as if benefiting from a continuous aid another action.

A unit also gains a +10 to all grapple checks.

Finally, if the unit possess a ranged attack, it becomes an area effect that targets an area equal to the units own space within range increment x10 for projectiles, or range increment x 5 for thrown attacks. This attack deals weapon dice x 5 unless a DC (10+the units ranged attack bonus+2) Reflex is made for half damage.

Cavalry units use both mount base and soldier base when figuring out attacks, including automatic damage and attacks per round.

Special Attacks
Any spell casting abilities or similar powers have the same number of uses per day as per the base monster, but all such abilities are widened, maximized, and heightened. The DC for all such effect increase by 2.

Special Qualities
The unit gains the following effects:

Teamwork : When making any roll related to a physical skill, attack roll, or defense, the unit benefits continuously under aid another effects. In addition the following effects are in place:
 * Charm spells that do not have mass in their name only take away one hit die worth of morale from a unit. To effect a unit a charm spell must affect a large number of creatures, at minimum 12.
 * A unit that has a friendly commander in it's space gains 1 hit die worth of morale every round.
 * Spells that target individuals can only do at maximum one monsters hit die worth of damage to a unit.

Formations: Units gain the benefits and follies of formations, discussed in the next section. The base statistic assume the unit is in Standard formation, and thus cannot not make Reflex saves but otherwise benefits from all the above effects.

Abilities
Base monster score are unchanged, with cavalry units using the better of the two monsters stats in each ability.

Skills
Units only record the physical skills for usage, which gain a +2 as per the continuous aid another effect.

Feats
Feats are unchanged

Environment
As per normal for the base monster

Organization
Units are components of armies, and thus rarely will one see only one unit by itself unless it is guard detail or similar menial work.

Challenge Rating
Green +2, Veteran +4, Elite +8, Legendary +12, Epic + 16

Morale-NOT Hit Points
Morale is a partial return to the Gygaxian view of hit points, wherein complete loss of hit points resulted in the monster giving up and running away. Morale works on a similar principle: a unit at zero morale will disperse and discontinue fighting. How this happens has two constants and a few variables. The two constants are as follows:
 * When Morale runs out, the unit fractures into individual warriors.
 * The individual survivors are Unfriendly for purposes of diplomacy, but will not seek confrontation or violence of any sort.

As for variables...
 * The number of survivors left when morale runs out depends on the tenacity of the unit, i.e. the number of individuals hit point totals that were added to create morale in the first place. This will always be a ratio out of 25. Example: a green unit of orcs will have about 20 survivors after morale runs out (unit=25, green=[monster HPx5] morale, 25-5=20)
 * The actions of the survivors will always depend on the culture and situation of the unit. Returning to the example of the defeated green orc unit, the orcs will run given the chance, but will surrender if they are trapped or think they are smarter than their opponents.
 * Actions after the initial defeat again depend on culture and situation, and may result in a return to hostility. Again, that same defeated green orc unit if captured will definitely plot to overthrow their captors, whereas if allowed to run are unlikely to ever challenge their opponents unless ordered to by a sufficiently strong individual, who may find convincing the to do so easier than expected...

Forming a Unit: THIS IS WARCRAFT!!!
If the player want to form a unit... good for them. There is just one problem: unless you have twenty five player characters who all made almost exactly the same characters, this is impossible! The requirement for forming a unit are the following:
 * A group of 20-30 individuals (treat as 25 to make the stats above easier), cavalry unit also needing an equal number of mounts
 * Identical Hit Dice between soldiers and their mounts
 * Identical feats, abilities, ability scores and physical skill rankings
 * Identical equipment

Within these strictures nearly any kind of unit is possible, from orcish bear cavalry to frost giant sorcerer-berserker corps. However, the unit is intended strongly for monster use, for it would take a very specific and unique group to run a unit campaign.