15 NPCs with multiple attacks

[Booker Grimm]

What is the best way of doing a mass battle?

In my game I have a party of 8 vs 15 NPCs each capable of 3 attacks each.
Any recommendations on how best to do this on the combat tracker?

Doesn't seem fair to do just an average...

I'm using the advanced combat tracker extension and because the mobs can attack Recklessly have an effect so they attack with advantage.

[damned]

as the GM make sure that each NPC is fully targeting PCs...
keep the action flowing

npc
npc
pc
npc
pc
npc
npc
npc
pc
etc

tell the PC to act and meanwhile you start the 2 npcs actions - let them happen at the same time, as soon as she starts tell the next pc to cue their attacks as soon as the first pc finishes let the second pc attack while you are attacking everyone left and right...

it will be hard to keep up the momentum and enthusiasm for what could be may rounds of 20 actors...

[LordEntrails]

Random init for the NPCs, so they don't attack as a group. Then just be good with targeting and attacking via the CT. I've run a 6 v 45 battle and the players didn't think the combat went too slow.

[GavinRuneblade]

Be sure to let the players know "you're coming up next be ready with your actions while I finish this NPC" so you don't spend a lot of time waiting for someone to figure out their actions.

Be sure you are comfortable with the NPC stat block and know their powers and abilities so you don't have to keep checking them over and over.

It is do-able, and if you do it well it is memorable.

[JohnD]

I've run a lot of large combats.

The biggest was a party of 8 with 15 accidental henchmen (traveling sell swords camped in the wrong place at the wrong time) defending a ruined keep from attack by a mixed band of brigands, Gnolls, Bugbears, a couple Ogres and even an accomplished Assassin. Defenders were outnumbered probably 75:23 at the worst of it.

Combat took place across multiple maps: interior of the ruined keep itself, the courtyard, externally to the ruined keep via a collapsed wall that could be climbed and even from below as the attackers were trying to insert themselves via the underground catacombs into the ruined keep.

The combat tracker was at least 3x the length of my screen and the combat took three full gaming sessions of 3.5 hours each to resolve.

Key thing is to keep things moving quickly from your side. While you're waiting for a player to act, make sure you know what your next three bad guys are going to do so you can quickly run through that. It does take some practice to run a situation like this smoothly. It helps if your ruleset is geared away from cumbersome rounds... in my case I was using Castles and Crusades and it went really really well (except for the three people who lost their PCs I suppose... they might have something different to say).

[flynnkd]

If the NPCs are identical you only need one real one in the combat tracker, to act as a target and to trigger effects. On the map just put down tokens with numbers to id them. When a player makes an attack he targets the one guy on the combat tracker and when that dudes HPs exceed you kill off a map token and reset the HPs back to 0. There will be some overflow that won't be logical but just ignore it... you could even give him #x# HPs to present the total of all, then when a certain number of HPs are exceeded then one of the map tokens dies... get your players to track this for you, its in their interests.

[celestian]

What is the best way of doing a mass battle?

In my game I have a party of 8 vs 15 NPCs each capable of 3 attacks each.
Any recommendations on how best to do this on the combat tracker?

Doesn't seem fair to do just an average...

I'm using the advanced combat tracker extension and because the mobs can attack Recklessly have an effect so they attack with advantage.

I think the key thing I would try and make sure to do is have individual NPC initiative campaign setting set. That way all the npcs have different initiatives and keeps the players engaged the entire combat.