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Mass Combat
The sun climbed high in the sky. The
Knights stood upon the battlements of
the Tower, staring out across the
plains until
their eyes ached. All they could see was
a great tide of black, crawling
figures swarming over the fields,
ready to engulf the slender spear
of gleaming silver that advanced
steadily to meet it.
The armies met. The Knights
strained to see, but a misty gray
veil crept across the land. The
air became tainted with a foul
smell, like hot iron. The mist
grew thicker, almost totally
obscuring the sun.
Sometimes a Narrator will want to create a combat scene that concerns more than just a few heroes battling a handful of foes. When whole armies go on the march, as in the above passage, the information in this chapter can help decide the outcome. Players conduct combat between armies in more or less the same way as they handle combat between individuals: Armies attempt attacks and counterattacks and suffer wounds, just like heroes. Those familiar with the combat rules from Chapter Four of the Book of the Fifth Age already know most of the terms and methods used in this chapter. However, as the battle alters a bit when armies fight, players and Narrators need to learn a few new terms, too, many of which appear in the table of Standard Armies on page 85. Ranges Mass combat can take place at four of the six range categories used in individual combat: melee, near missile, far missile, and artillery. Personal range is too close for the scale of mass combat, and visual range is too distant. Time Mass combat is a ponderous affair. Each exchange of attacks between armies takes one hour. (Most instances of individual combat, by contrast, include an exchange of blows each minute.) Heroes involved in a mass combat may freely attempt other actions while the opposing armies maneuver. Mass combat always proceeds in one-hour increments, regardless of range. Surprise An unexpected maneuver at the beginning of a battle might catch one side or the other unawares. Therefore, armies check for surprise before combat, just as individuals do. Duties An army's commander functions as its scout/sentry and leader. Of course, the commander does not stand guard over every soldier, nor does he lead each attack. However, the plans he makes and the orders he issues determine how well his army functions. For the sake of simplicity, an army as described in this chapter has only one commander. Army Base Power An army's base power depends on the combined abilities of the individuals in it. The more creatures in the army (and the more powerful they are), the more formidable it becomes. When two armies clash, their relative levels of power determine how easily they can harm each other. Average Coordination An army's ability to maneuver in the field depends partly on the quality of its commander and partly on the mobility of its troops. An army mounted on griffins is quite mobile compared to an army of kobolds. In mass combat, an army's average Coordination works just like a creature's Coordination score. Average Physique It's no surprise that an army of ogres tends to be meaner in battle than the aforementioned army of kobolds. In mass combat, an army's average Physique functions just as a creature's Physique score does in individual combat. Command Score Armies are generally only as effective as their commanders. While it is possible for highly skilled or powerful troops to fight well despite inept command, it is rare. An army's command score is equal to its commander's Presence score. Command Hand The army commander conducts all actions for his army by playing cards from a hand he draws at the beginning of the battle. If the commander is a hero, he must discard his Hand of Fate to draw his Command Hand. A hero's Command Hand is based on his reputation rating, just like his Hand of Fate. Therefore, a commander with a Hero reputation would have a Command Hand of seven cards. Army Final Power As noted above, an army's effectiveness depends greatly on the capabilities of its commander. The presence of defensive fortifications also can make an army more powerful. Both these elements factor into an army's final power. Developing an army's scores from scratch would require a great deal of arithmetic. That's why the table of standard armies on page 85 provides game information for most of Ansalon's military forces. Players and Narrators can select the army that best applies to the situation at hand and move quickly into mass combat. Those who want to create armies from scratch can refer to Appendix Three. The base power, average Coordination, and average Physique that appear in the chart for each standard army were calculated using the method described there. Using the Armies Each army's command score is based on the Essence rating of the creatures in it. In most cases, the command score is 1 point higher than the Essence rating for the race, as exceptional individuals tend to become army leaders. Commanders The Presence code of the above commander dictates how effectively he can lead his army. Therefore, the final power for each army on the chart includes an adjustment for the commander's Presence code (usually assumed to be a "B"). Players or Narrators can adjust the command score listed for a standard army, if they wish. Skilled leaders improve effectiveness and poor leaders reduce it as follows (round resulting fractions down):
* An "army" consisting of a single powerful creature, such as a Great Dragon, always enjoys this modifier. Fortifications The final power of the standard armies assumes they enjoy no fortifications. Of course, an army defending a castle or walled city has a tremendous advantage over attackers outside. Narrators can adjust an army's final power based on the type of fortification it defends - if any - according to the points below. As large armies often have more troops than can be effectively deployed along a fortification's walls, each type includes a maximum number of points an army can gain from it.
- Small keep: One-quarter more than
base power (multiply by 1.25). The
bonus can add no more than 1,000
points to base power.
Command Hands Players and Narrators should assign the selected standard armies a Command Hand according to the commanding hero's reputation category, which should be at least Adventurer (four cards). Of course, as with normal combat actions, all mass combat actions take place from the hero's point of view. In other words, no one holds a Command Hand for the army opposing the heroes - unless that army contains heroes as well. Usually, though, the Narrator decides the opposing army's intent (or determines it through random draws or interpretive card play), then allows the heroes' army the appropriate defense action. When each army in a mass combat contains at least one hero, the player of the hero with the highest Presence plays the Command Hand for his army. Army Descriptions The following section offers a few additional details on the standard armies. Raiders Groups of raiders consist of twenty-five to two hundred individuals bent on plunder. Some of them also employ mounts or war animals. The brute raider army, for example, includes one hundred brutes and five mammoths; goblin raiders include one hundred of the creatures mounted on worgs. Cavaliers A cavalier army is a force of one hundred heavily armed and armored warriors on war horses. Most human and elf rulers can field several such units at once. Draconians Most draconian units contain several types of creatures, though Baaz and Kapak predominate. Any army that inflicts a wound on a draconian force must attempt an Endurance action or suffer 1 damage point itself, to reflect the various magical effects that occur when draconians die. The action's difficulty is determined by the relative sizes of the armies, just like other combat actions (see page 88). The draconian army listed is the national army of Teyr. These individually powerful creatures comprise a formidable force. The rulers of Teyr opt for a defensive posture however, reserving their strength to defend their adopted homeland - and to fight alongside the Dark Knights, according to treaty. Elite draconian units include one hundred creatures, usually evenly divided between Bozaks and Sivaks. These units guard Teyr's borders and occasionally serve as mercenaries or freebooters. Auraks usually command. Draconian militia consists of mixed units of Baaz and Kapaks. Within Teyr, several militia units stand ready to back up every elite unit. Outside of Teyr, these units usually act as mercenaries or brigands. Elite An elite force consists of about a hundred exceptional individuals usually of the same race. An elite unit of elves, for, example, consists strictly of elf heroes and characters. These armies serve as royal bodyguards and garrisons for important locales. They tend to be tightly organized and well led. Militia Militia forces are made up of one hundred typical members of a particular race. They represent groups of common citizens called together for war. An older, experienced warrior usually serves as the commander. Hordes All horde armies contain a mixture of creatures, though one type usually predominates. A goblin horde, for example, contains mostly goblins, but also a smattering of worgs, hobgoblins, ogres, and hill giants. Hordes tend to be loosely organized but led by some ambitious individual. Knights of Solamnia Most Solamnic Knight units consist primarily of armored warriors mounted on war horses. Foot patrols contain no mounted troops and usually number about one hundred strong. They frequently serve as sentries, guards, or constables. Mounted patrols contain one hundred Knights astride war horses. They're usually put to work guarding borders and roads. Pegasus and dragon rider units resemble large mounted patrols but include a small detachment (ten dragon riders or twenty-five pegasus riders) replacing some of the horsemen. These forces serve as scouts, shock troops, and reserves. Garrison units contain a mixture of mounted and foot Knights, plus detachments of elves and dwarves. Larger garrisons also include dragon and pegasus riders. A field army includes one thousand Knights, most mounted on war horses. The force also contains dragon and pegasus riders, plus detachments of elves, dwarves, and centaurs from the auxiliary. Knights of Takhisis The various Dark Knight units resemble those of Solamnics but usually employ brutes and draconians instead of elves, dwarves, centaurs, and pegasus riders. Various monster armies form the Minions of Dark, independent troops allied to the Knights of Takhisis.
Combining the Armies Because most of the units shown on the standard army table are fairly small. Narrators or players may wish to combine several armies into a larger force. To do so, a player just adds up their final power numbers, using the best command score in the combined group and the average Coordination and average Physique of the most numerous group. For example, a combined army made up of a mounted patrol of Knights of Takhisis, two groups of brute raiders, and a group of draconian militia would have an average Physique of 11, an average Coordination of 6, a command score of 9 and a final power of 43,200. For a more accurate estimate of this army's battlefield abilities, see Appendix Three. Once players have selected their armies, they can begin the battle. The order of action is as follows:
1. Determine initial range (first hour of
battle only).
Step One: Determine Initial Range The initial range between the opposing armies depends on the terrain and the circumstances that brought about the meeting between the forces, just as with single combat (see Chapter Four of the Book of the Fifth Age). Step Two: Determine Surprise The heroes' army (and the attacking one, if both sides contain heroes) performs actions to see whether it is surprised. This action works just as it does in individual combat (see Chapter Four of the Book of the Fifth Age), except that the players use the commander's Presence score as the action ability. As for all Perception actions, the Suit of Orbs is trump. Step Three: Range Maneuvers Just as in personal combat, either or both sides can attempt to maneuver the combat range before the battle begins. In mass combat, the commander's Presence score becomes the action ability. In addition, the army with the higher average Coordination adds the difference between the two scores to its action score. For example, closing range in single combat usually requires an average Agility (Agility) action. If Commander Nika decides to order her force of Solamnic Knights to close with an army of goblins, however, she attempts an average Presence (Agility) action. The opposition score is the goblin army's average Coordination (5). As the Knights have a superior average Coordination score (9), Nika's action score receives a bonus of +4. Cards from the Suit of Shields are trump for range maneuvers. Step Four: Combat Actions Mass combat uses the same attack and counterattack procedure as single combat. Attacking To launch a mass combat attack, a commander uses Presence as the action ability. The opposition ability becomes the defending army's average Physique score (for melee combat) or average Coordination score (for missile or artillery combat). The difficulty varies according to final power of the attacking army relative to the defending army, as follows:
- Easy (4): If the attacking army's power is
more than twenty-five percent stronger
than the defender (power ratio* of 1.25
or more), the action is easy.
* Divide the attacker's final power by the defender's final power to get the power ratio. Outmanned forces have a more difficult time attacking and defending. Defending When the heroes' side is the defender rather than the attacker, the army's average Physique score (for melee battles) or average Coordination score (for missile and artillery range battles) becomes the action ability to evade enemy counterattacks. The opposing commander resists this action with his Presence score. The action's difficulty varies according to the relative final power of the two armies, as above. Note: The range between the armies has no effect on the attack difficulty, as it does in personal combat. Army Wounding If an attack (or counterattack) succeeds, the defending army suffers injury, just as a hero would in individual battle. This wound is equal to the attacking army's average Physique score (for melee battles) or average Coordination score (for missile and artillery range battles), plus its commander's Presence score. An army wound forces the commander to discard card from his Command Hand, just as a player discards them from his Hand of Fate when his hero is struck in combat. Heroes attached to the army - not commanders - sustain the same number of damage points as their army suffered. This injury represents the active role heroes play on the battlefield. Armor and shield bonuses reduce the damage, as they would for any normal attack. Players and Narrators should remember that mass combat proceeds by the hour, giving wounded heroes plenty of time to heal magically between combat exchanges, unless they engage in other activities. A hero serving as an army's commander does not resolve personal wounds until the battle concludes (see "Ending the Battle," next page). After all, a commander's fate lies with his army. Attack Modifiers The situational modifiers in Chapter Three apply to mass combat as well as single combat. An army hidden in the woods, for example, is harder to hit with missile attacks than is one out in the open.
![]() Step Five: Ending the Battle When a hero's Command Hand runs out of cards, his army is defeated. A defeated army my is routed off the field unless the commander opens the range. The player acting for the commander draws a new Hand of Fate and plays a card for this action, as a last-ditch personal attempt to save his army. If the action fails, the card used is not replaced; players should treat the loss as a normal wound. The losing army is routed automatically if the damage points left over after its commander has discarded his last card exceed the army's average Physique score. When a hero's army proves victorious, the commander must keep the enemy from routing by preventing the defeated commander from opening the range. A victorious commander cannot play cards from his own hand to cause a rout. Routed armies suffer increased casualties, as noted below. Casualties After the battle, each army must check for casualties. Each army attempts an Endurance action with a random draw (according to the rules in Chapter Three of the Book of the Fifth Age), using its average Physique. For the victorious army, the action is easy, while the defeated army finds it daunting. The actual casualties depend on the action's result. A victorious army suffers ten percent casualties if the action succeeds, twenty percent if it fails, and thirty percent casualties if a mishap occurs. The defeated army incurs the same results, except it suffers fifty percent casualties in the event of a mishap. A routed army suffers twenty percent of its original total as additional casualties, no matter what the result of the Endurance action. About one-third of the winning army's casualties die in battle, with the remainder badly injured and unsuited for campaigning for about a month, barring magical healing. A mishap at the Endurance action for the victorious army means that ten percent extra casualties are taken prisoner, spirited away from the field by fleeing elements of the defeated army. In the defeated army, half the casualties lose their lives in the battle, while a quarter of them are wounded as above, but escape the field. The remaining twenty-five percent become prisoners - half are wounded and half are not. Commander and Heroes' Fates After a battle, commanders and heroes also must determine their fate through Endurance actions. The Victors The victorious commander's action is an easy random draw; if it succeeds, the commander has escaped unharmed. If it fails, the commander suffers a wound equal to one hit by the enemy army (average Physique/Coordination + opposing commander's Presence). Armor and shield bonuses reduce the damage. A mishap forces the victor to draw another card-its suit determines his fate:
- Dragons: The commander dies.
Narrators can decide how to interpret other suits based on the circumstances in their individual games. Heroes in victorious armies must attempt this Endurance action, too, each playing a card from his own Hand of Fate instead of making a random draw. (This option applies even for the hero who commanded the winning army.) Mishap conditions apply, as above. The Defeated The commander of the defeated army - and any attached heroes - must attempt an average Endurance action. The heroes use cards from their Hands of Fate, while the commander makes a random draw. The results are as outlined above.
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