Common Round of Warfare
All PCs, commanders, and creatures take their turn. Commanders can choose to give special orders to units.
At the end of the round, the players control their units. If a unit is more than 20 cm away from a commander, it follows its last given order. If the unit attacks an enemy unit, tell the DM how much damage it takes.
The DM controls the enemy units. If friendly units are attacked, the DM tells the players how much damage it takes (players track HP of units).
New round begins.
The Rules, At a Glance
Battlefield tiles are 30 ft. and 5 cm = 30 ft.
Units within 20 cm of a commander act freely as directed by the commanders. Enemies outside this range follow their last given order.
Units have movement and an action. When moving, they can rotate before and after moving. When engaged, a unit can spend 5 cm of movement to rotate.
Unit-on-unit attacks always hit and deal average damage. Advantage means critical (double) damage, disadvantage means half damage. Units always fail saving throws of effects from other units.
Units have a front, flanks, and a rear. Attacks against the rear are critical.
Units within a tile of each other are Engaged. Allows attack of opportunity when the enemy moves or turns.
A unit reduced to half HP must make a morale test (WIS saving throw). Begins routing on fail. Can be rallied by commanders.
Units at less than half health are diminished: they deal half damage and have disadvantage on morale tests.
Morale test DC = 8 + number of units lost or routing
Common Unit Traits
Archers. Ranged attacker. For every 5 cm above a target this unit is, the range of its ranged attack increases by 5 cm, to a maximum of 100 cm. Unit must have line-of-sight to attack. Unit has advantage against infantry. Lose advantage when attacking the front of infantry with shields.
Cavalry. Unit gains Charge! as a bonus action. After using the Charge, unit is not engaged until end of next turn. Unit always has advantage against archer and artillery units.
Infantry. Unit has advantage against archers and engaged cavalry.
Shields. Archers don't have advantage against this unit when attacking its front.
Polearms. Unit has advantage against cavalry units, also when not engaged. If a cavalry unit attacks its front, unit can attack the enemy as a reaction before taking damage.
Reload. After making an attack, unit must use its action to reload. Roll 1d6 or 1d4 if the unit is diminished. Once the total reload number reaches 10, the unit can attack again.
Common Orders to Give
Hold/Pursue and Attack
Target that unit
Charge
Flank and attack
Advance
Defend this position
Disengage and retreat
Special Actions
a Attack of Opportunity. When a unit moves or turns while Engaged, any unit within touch of it can make one attack against it as a reaction. A unit must be Engaged to trigger an attack of opportunity.
a Dash. The unit doubles its speed until the end of its turn.
Brace! If the unit's front is attacked before the start of its next turn, that attack has disadvantage.
a Disengage. The unit does not provoke attacks of opportunity if it moves this turn.
Charge! The unit moves straight at a target and gains advantage on its attack. In order to charge, the unit must move at least 5 cm.
b Rally! All routing units within 5 cm may make a morale test. On a success, it stops routing.
a This action can be taken by any unit
b This action can be taken by any commander and certain units.
Battlefield Terrain
Slopes. High ground can be used to see more of the battlefield, or to give the arrows of your archers more range.
Forests/Ruined Structures. Entire units can hide inside of thick vegetation, or behind the crumbling walls of a ruin. Creatures inside this terrain are heavily obscured to other creatures 90 or more feet away from them.
Swamps/Mud/Uneven Grounds. Armies are slowed to a crawl by the muck: it counts as difficult terrain.
Cliffs/Rivers/Ponds/Lakes. These obstacles are practically impassible by units, unless they're a unit of druids.
Caves/Tunnels. Sometimes, the battle can happen not just on the ground, but also beneath it, in three dimensions. By incorporating a network of underground tunnels into the battlemap, you give more potential vectors of attack to both armies.
Fortifications. The walls of a city or of a castle are an important defensive position during a siege. They provide siege equipment such as ballistas and cauldrons of boiling hot water, as well as crenalations to hide behind.
Creatures on the wall have advantage on attack rolls made against creatures who are not on the wall.
Creatures not on the wall have disadvantage on attack rolls made against creatures who are on the wall.