Mass Combat

From “Exalted 2nd Edition,” Page 160

Although it is theoretically possible to run a combat with dozens or even hundreds of active participants, such battles last
interminably and quickly stop being fun. As a result, Exalted uses the following rules to abstract mass combat into the existing
system by making battle a clash of units rather than individual characters. Units do not fight in the standard one‐tick increments of
individual battle. Instead, they track time with long ticks that last approximately one minute each. Storytellers should keep in mind
that these rules aren’t appropriate to every engagement, particularly if the clash of armies only serves as a dramatic backdrop to
smaller‐scale personal combat. Once protagonists become involved in the direction of mass combat or the Storyteller wishes to
leave a battle’s outcome to dice rolls and strategy rather than a plot device, use these rules. Moreover, mass combat in Exalted
assumes that unit Commanders fight at the vanguard, leading from the front rather than the safety of the rear. Those who wish to
direct a battle from the rear are not unit Commanders. Instead, they take the role of generals, using relays and standard bearers to
communicate orders to the unit Commanders under their command. Therefore, a distant general can direct an entire force but
cannot personally rally troops to victory through her own prowess.

“YOU WEAR THEM”

The metaphor of the rules that the military apparatus of mass combat is merely an enhancement to the commander. Troops
comprise a bonus for their Commander, adding to his traits. In addition, troops marching in formation possess the ability to force
their context on individual they engage. Characters who come into contact with aggressive units of troops will be forced to fight
them as solo stacks in mass combat, not as heroes facing a large number of individuals in normal combat. This is a part of the nature
of Creation, and Storytellers shouldn’t let characters fight individual members of units once the unit is gathered together in the field.

It’s worth noting that units in mass combat are rarely destroyed through sheer damage unless they are set upon by a truly ferocious
supernatural power. More often, units are rendered ineffective by exhaustion and gradual loss of Magnitude by failed morale
checks, until their commanders stand alone and unaccompanied on the battlefield.

UNITS

Each unit on a battlefield falls into one of two broad categories. First, there are solo units, who are individual characters that are not
part of any group. However, most units are complementary units, made up of a commander and all those who directly follow her
orders. Statistically, a complementary unit is its commander, with trait bonuses awarded according to the numbers, equipment and
training of her troops. These special traits of complementary units include:

Magnitude: The size of a unit
Drill: The trained discipline of a unit
Endurance: The physical reserves of a unit’s member. Solo units also have this trait
Might: The overall mystical power of a unit, factoring in magical equipment
Close Combat/Ranged Attack Rating: The skill of unit members at attacking.
Close Combat/Ranged Attack Damage: The lethality of unit members when attacking.
Armor: The average protection provided by unit members’ armor
Morale: The overall bravery of a unit.
Special Characters: A non‐numerical listing of important characters within a unit’s ranks.
Formation: A non‐numerical trait that describes a unit’s current tactical arrangement.

Magnitude

When a unit attacks another, the larger unit applies the difference in magnitude as bonus successes to its attacks or subtracts the
difference from the successes of attacks by the smaller unit. This bonus/external penalty cannot exceed +/‐3.

My Modification: Keep track two Magnitude values.
“Actual”: Calculated based on raw number of troops in the unit. This will be used for maneuvers and rally rolls. This eliminates the penalty for a 100 Solar Exalted army being as clumsy and hard to manage as 700 men army.
“Effective”: This is the actual value used for attacks and such. So a 100 Solar Exalted fight just as well as a 700 men army.

Might

This value is added as number of successes to the Commander’s attack.  It is also added to the Commander’s Essence value to determine resistance and qualification against charms and spells

Close Combat/Ranged Combat Attack Rating

This value is added as successes to the Commander’s attack
This value is capped by Commander’s War Rating
This value is doubled for Close Formation
Half this Value is added to the Commander’s Parry DV

Close Combat/Ranged Combat Damage Rating

This is added to the Raw damage of the Unit’s Commander

My Modification: Unit does not use the weapon damage of the Commander.  Instead it only use the Skill of the Commander and Stats.  It is assumed the commander is “wielding” the Unit’s Abstracted Weapon.  So if everyone in the Unit is using a Reaver Daiklave, it is assume the commander is using the same.  If everyone gets the material bonus, it is assumed the commander does so as well.

Armor

This value is added to the Commander’s natural soak to determine the Unit Soak.

Morale

The lower of the “average valor of the unit” or the “Commander’s.”

Special Characters

• Maximum special characters in any unit is Magnitude x 2
• When attacking the special character uses the higher of the Heroes’ Close Combat (Attribute + Ability) or the Commanders, limited by Commander’s War ability.
• When attacking the special character uses the higher of the Sorcerer’s Range Combat (Attribute + Ability) or the Commanders, limited by Commander’s War ability.
• Units with Magnitude of 3+ must have at least one relay for every dot of magnitude, or suffer communication failure.

Hero: These characters are sub‐officers who are capable of assuming command if their unit commander dies. Furthermore, heroes may attack other units in close combat as if they were solo units, effectively giving their unit additional (but weaker) attacks.  Finally heroes can break away entirely and take part of a unit with them, transforming the breakaway group into a new unit under their own command. A hero can lead her Close Combat Rating to her unit, using her trait rather than the unit
Commander’s but the trait is limited as normal by the commander’s War.

Sorcerer: These characters might be actual sorcerers, skilled archers or neutral observers embedded deeply in the ranks for their own protection, but First Age tactical manuals such as “The Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier” use the designation “sorcerer” for all such individuals. Sorcerers can lead the unit in missile fire, lending their rating in the place of the unit’s. This is limited by the commander’s War rating, as normal. In addition, sorcerers have the capability to make ranged attacks independently of their unit, but they cannot assume command or lead troops to break away into new units as heroes can.

Relay: Possibly the most important special characters to organize military units, relay are the assorted drummers, buglers, standard bearers and signalmen who carry the commander’s orders through the ranks. Units with Magnitude of 3+ must have at least one relay for every dot of magnitude, or else, they suffer communication failure. This means the unit can only assume the unordered information and it suffers a penalty of ‐2 to its effective Drill. Besides passively maintaining order and communication, relays can stand in for the commander when the unit hesitates and tests for rout, and in other situations when commands are vital.

Formation

Unordered: Undisciplined Mob, add 2 to the difficult of hesitation rolls.

Skirmish: 2x shield/cover bonus against all attacks, additional +3 DV against ranged attacks. Enemy units attacking with close combat attacks 2x their Magnitude for purpose of calculating attack bonuses. If the attacker is in Close Formation, then 3x attacker Magnitude. Unit in skirmish formation add 2 to the difficulty of hesitation rolls.

Relaxed: Standard formation, no advantage of disadvantages. Double shield and cover bonuses against ranged attacks.

Close: vulnerable to AOEs. 2x unit’s Close Combat Rating, 2x their DV bonuses from shields/cover against Close Combat Attacks.
Enemies attacking with ranged attack bonuses 2x their magnitude. Subtract 2 from all hesitation rolls.

Combat Summary

• In mass combat, use the lower of the relevant combat ability or the commander’s War ability.
• When on horse, use the lower of the relevant combat ability or the rider’s Ride ability.
• The commander adds her unit’s Close Combat Rating and her Unit’s Range Combat Rating as bonus successes to close and
  ranged attacks.
• The Bonus successes added cannot exceed the commander’s War Rating, before applying modifications from formation.
• Add an additional number of successes equal to the unit’s Might value.
  • So a crack unit of young Dragon‐Blooded archers with Range Combat 5 and Might 2 commanded by a character with War 4 would add 4+2=6 successes to range attack rolls.
• If a unit attacks another and those units have different Magnitudes, the larger unit applies the difference as bonuses successes
  to its attack or subtracts the difference from the successes of attacks by the smallest unit. This difference cannot exceed +/‐ 3.
• Besides Improving Attacks, Might also adds to the commander’s Essence Rating to determine if particular effects can target the
  unit and/or to help him defend against the effects of hostile Charms.
• One half a unit’s Close Combat Rating adds to the Commander’s Parry DV. This is not modified by formation.
• A Unit’s Close Combat/Range Combat Damage adds to the raw damage of the commander with his weapon, respectively.
• A Unit’s range and its range increment are based on the range of the Unit’s weapon, not the Commanders.
• A Unit’s Minimum damage is not equal to the commander’s Essence or the Minimum damge of the weapon. It is equal to the
  Magnitude of the Unit, including Formation Modifiers.
• A Unit’s Armor adds to its Commander’s natural bashing, lethal and aggravated soak.
• A Unit’s number of health level is equal to the Commander’s full health levels.
• A Unit does not suffer wound penalties.