Large Scale War Handling a large scale combat is a daunting task that does not lend itself well to traditional mechanics. This system provides an alternative which can handle many of the messier details of large-scale combat. Firepower Firepower is a trait which determines exactly how much destructive potential an army has. The better armed and better trained a militia is, the better the firepower trait will be. When the army has the benefit of a General, the army may add the Presence score of that General to Firepower as long as the General can directly command his troops. This bonus cannot be applied if less than 100 troops are available to command. Exalted Commanders may have Charms which give a bonus to all troops under the command of that exalted, such as Heroism Inspiring Presence. These Charms serve to increase the Presence bonus applied by a General. For simplicity, simply add the Essence requirement of the charm involved to the total presence score of that general. The most most simple and obvious method of increasing firepower is increasing numbers. A barbarian horde, while untrained and unarmed, can nontheless be a dangerous enemy. A unit recieves a +1 firepower for having 100 troops within it. This bonus magnifies as the number of troops grows, in accordance with this chart. 100 - +1 500 - +2 1000 - +3 4000 - +4 5500 - +5 7750 - +6 10000 - +7 12500 - +8 15000 - +9 17500 - +10 20000 - +11 Each additional 2500 troops will provide another + 1 bonus. Other traits besides numbers can influance Firepower considerably. All the following bonuses are cumulative. Different bonuses require different numbers of specialist troops to fill the roll an army might demand. Common sense is the watchword here. Trained Troops - +1 Elite Troops - +1 Exalted Troops - +1 Combat Medicine - +1 Troop Well Fed, Rested - +1 Homeland Bonus - +1 Ranged Units Mixed in Force - +1 Shield Units Mixed in Force - +1 Spear Units Mixed in Force - +1 Sword Units Mixed in Force - +1 Firewand Units Mixed in Force - +2 Catapult, Balista units Mixed in Force - +2 Disciplined Formation - +1 Surprise - +1 Artillary Support (Catapult, Ballista) - +2 Firedust Cannon units mixed in force - +2 Warstrider units mixed in force - +4 Simple Weapons (Spears, Rocks) * - +1 Poor Weapons (Iron, Bone) * - +2 Good Weapons (Steel, Arrows) * - +3 Excellent Weapons (Exceptional) * - +4 Magic Weapons (First Age) * - +5 Crude Flight * - +1 Controlled Flight * - +2 Bezerker Army ** - +2 (-2 Armor) Superior Terrain Positioning - +1 to +3 Magic (Spirit Charms, Glamour, Etc) - Variable Exalted Combat Charms - +1 to +3 per Charm Poor Visibility - -1 Hostile Weather - -1 to -3 Poor Morale - -1 to -3 Illness - -1 to -3 Thirst, Starvation - -1 to -3 * - The traits are exclusive in the sub-catagories they represent (Flight, Weapons, Etc) ** - The trait Beserker Army must be taken in both Armor and Firepower. Mobility Mobility is a trait which determines exactly how fast a unit can move. It also determines the effectiveness by which an army brings Firepower to bear. Units with high mobility are able to bring more destructive force to bear in specific areas within a short span of time. An army may only employ Mobility bonuses if no slower units are holding them back. Mobility can experience a significant penalty if an army is too large for a General to command effectively. Presence is required in order to effectively marshal communications to and from distant troops. The amount of Presence required to command an army may be referenced on the following chart. Round off all number to the nearest iteration of 10. Presence 1 100 Men Presence 2 1000 Men Presence 3 10000 Men Presence 4 100000 Men Presence 5 1000000 Men If a General is commanding more men than he is capable of leading, while in command his mobility will suffer a one die penalty for each dot of presence he lacks. This penalty cannot reduce Mobility to less than 1. Leadership Charms, such as Heroism Inspiring Presence, and battlefield communication charms, such as Commanding the Ideal Celestial Army, double this limit cumulatively. Injuries have a negative effect upon Mobility. An army who has recently fought will no doubt have many injured. Injured armies are considered to have an Average Speed of 5MPH, no matter what the original speed of the army might have been. This limitation can be ignored if the General opts to travel hard despite the injured. In this case, roll a die of casualties as specified below. This chart sums up Mobility advantages and penalties - Average Speed 5MPH * - +1 Mobility 15MPH * - +2 Mobility 30MPH * - +3 Mobility 60MPH * - +4 Mobility 120MPH * - +5 Mobility Flight - +1 Mobility Beasts of Burden * - +1 Mobility Armored Beasts of Burden * - +2 Mobility Armor (Land Ships, Warstriders) * - +3 Mobility Poor Warships (Navy Only) * - +1 Mobility Good Warships (Navy Only) * - +2 Mobility Fine Warships (Navy Only) * - +3 Mobility Athletics Charms - +1 to +3 Mobility Communication Network - +1 to +3 Mobility Elemental Affinity - +2 Mobility Teleportation - +5 Mobility * - The traits are exclusive in the sub-catagories they represent (Flight, Weapons, Etc) Armor Armor is a trait which determines how difficult the army is to cripple or destroy. As a general rule, armor is more difficult to generate than firepower. Many things can contribute to Armor - literal body armor, positioning, fortifications such as trenches as walls, airborne abilities, magic, or the command of Exalted Officers. Armor is calculated, initially, in much the same way that Firepower is - each iteration of population gains a new bonus.Like with Firepower, the Presence score of a General may be added to Armor, and Exalted Generals may use charms such as Heroism Inspiring Presence to increase the bonuses imparted by Presence. Fortification - +1 (ditches) to +3 (fortress) Positioning - +1 (High Ground) to +3 (Perfect Ambush) Poor Armor (Leather, Rags, Hide) * - +1 Good Armor (Chain, Breastplate) * - +2 Fine Armor (Plate Mail, Exceptional) * - +3 Magic Armor * - +4 Flight vs Melee Only - +4 Flight vs Ranged - +1 Ranged vs Melee Only - +1 Stealth (Camoflauge, Night Cover) - +1 Poor Combat Medic * - +1 Good Combat Medic * - +2 Magic Healing * - +3 Able to Demanifest - +1 Unnatural Fortitude (Undead, Trolls) * - +1 Amazing Fortitude (Golems, Demons) * - +2 Bezerker Army ** - -2 (+2 Firepower) * - The traits are exclusive in the sub-catagories they represent (Flight, Weapons, Etc) ** - The trait Beserker Army must be taken in both Armor and Firepower. War Explained Phase One - Initiiative Each Army must Roll 'Mobility' to determine the order of initiative. The successes on this roll may be added to either Armor or Firepower, depending on which trait the General determines will be most useful. This decision must be made now, in the Initiative phase. The army may add a number of dice equal to the amount of successes scored on the Mobility roll to his mobility roll in the initiative phase of the next day of fighting. As the fighting continues, each side has the opportunity to 'dig in' and establish regular supply lines. Phase Two - War Each Army must roll 'Firepower' to determine the number of casualties inflicted. Regardless of whether an army will be destroyed within the turn or not, this roll is still completed. Each and every side will suffer casualties unless armor is sufficient to repel the attack. Phase Three - Survival Each Army must roll 'Armor' to determine how many casualties may be avoided. These succs cancel out the Firepower succs of opposing armies. Firepower succs which are not canceled are considered casualty points and carry over into the next phase. Phase Four - Death Casualty Points must now be distributed. Each casualty point raises the difficulty on -any- roll... Firepower, Armor or Mobility... by one for the duration of the war. In addition, the total number of casualty points should be carefully noted during the fighting. If the war has not yet ended, return to phase one for the next day of fighting. If an army opts to retreat, it may do so. This requires no roll, but an army can only retreat if it won the initiative phase. Alternately, the enemy may allow the retreat if it chooses to do so. If the war has ended, the total number of casualty dice is compared to the total Firepower + Armor pool of each army enduring casualties. This provides a percentage that indicates the number of defeated enemy forces. Example - An army endures 16 casualty points in a war before withdrawing. When the fighting is over, the 16 casualty points are compared to the total Armor + Firepower of the army (20). The percentile, when calculated, is eighty. This means that eighty percent of the army has been defeated - the population of the army should be reduced accordingly. Note that not all of the warriors who suffer defeat actually die (Though many do). Many are injured, or abandon the fighting out of cowardicet. These enemy units must be taken as prisoners of war, executed, or turned loose. This can present significant logistical problems after a successful campaign. Upon the completion of Phase Four, a day of combat has passed. All green units become trained, all trained units become elite. This 'experience' applies both to the victor and the defeated. Army Vs Exalted In the event of an army being ground into conflict against an Exalted, the Exalted must be considered an Army in and of itself. Bonuses are applied and deducted as per a regular army, using the formula above. Note that since an Exalted is unable to gain population, formation, presence or mixed army bonuses... it is generally unwise to engage in combat of this sort. Even given this, the casualties a single Exalted warrior can inflict upon an army are staggering and may number in the hundreds or thousands. Each point of 'Casualties' inflicted upon an Exalted translates into unsoakable Lethal damage. This damage cannot be avoided, even by Charms which specificly state that they may cancel the damage from any single attack. Wound penalties from this damage are accounted for in future Mobility, Firepower and Armor rolls. This replaces the wound penalty and casualty system described for use with larger armies, above. An Exalted may not command an army, and fight alongside it, at the same time. The Exalted may opt to fight seperately from his armies if he wishes to take the risk, yet the army will not benifit from his Presence while he is seperate from it, and he takes the risk of dying if the full force of an enemy militia is brought to bear upon him.. - Dace - Pop. = 1 Firepower = +1 Trained Troops +1 Elite Troops +1 Exalted Troops +1 Combat Medicine (Exalted Healing) +1 Troop Well-Fed, Rested +5 Magic Weapons (First Age) +5 Five Combat Charms _______________ 15 Firepower Mobility = +2 15 MPH (Exalted March) +1 Enhanced Speed (One Speed Charm) +2 Armored Beast of Burden (War Horse) ______________ 5 Mobility Armor = +4 Magic Armor (Orichalcum) +2 Good Combat Medic (Exalted Healing) ______________ 6 Armor ---Examples--- - The army of Malpazar- The army of Malpazar numbers some 12,000 strong. This militia has repelled the Wyld Hordes on several occasions and has a long service of history to the King and country. Young men hold the army in great esteem, and it is considered a great honor to be allowed a lifetime position within this formidable force. Though the army -has- been routed twice in recorded history (Both times by the Realm), the people of Malpazar largely believe it invincible. These numbers assume the Army is defending Malzapar itself from attack. Pop. = 12,000 (+7 Firepower, +7 Armor) Firepower = + 7 - Population Bonus + 1 - Trained Troops + 1 - Well Fed, Rested + 1 - Ranged Units Mixed in Force + 1 - Shield Units Mixed in Force + 1 - Spear Units Mixed in Force + 1 - Sword Units Mixed in Force + 1 - Disciplined Formations + 1 - Homeland Bonus + 3 - Good Weapons (Steel, Arrows) + 3 - General Matzar ______________ 21 Firepower Mobility = +1 - 5 MPH Heavy Armor March +2 - Armored Beasts of Burden (War Horses) _____________ 3 Mobility Armor = + 7 - Population Bonus + 2 - Fortification (Castle, Fortress) + 2 - Good Armor (Standard Issue Chain) + 2 - Good Combat Medic (Priest Order) + 3 - General Matzar ____________ 16 Armor - The Wyld Horde- This army is typical of those that lay siege to many towns and cities within the Threshold, comprised primarily of Wyld Barbarians. While the Horde does not have the advantage of weapons or armor, large numbers make them formidable just the same. Pop. = 5,000 Firepower = +5 - Population Bonus +1 - Well Fed, Rested +1 - Ranged Units Mixed in Force +1 - Spear Units Mixed in Force +1 - Sword Units Mixed in Force +1 - Simple Weapons +2 - Bezerker Army +2 - General Goltha Beastlord ____ 13 Firepower Mobility = +2 - 15 MPH (Light Armor March) +2 - Armored Beasts of Burden +2 - Elemental Affinity ___ 6 Mobility Armor = +5 - Population Bonus +1 - Poor Armor +1 - Stealth (Camoflauge) +1 - Poor Combat Medic -2 - Bezerker Army +2 - General Goltha Beastlord ___ 8 Armor - The Fairie Army - Forces such as this are a rare sight since the Cataclysm, after the Empress broke the backs of many of the ancient Fae Generals who threatened the Realm. Some events can still summon up an organized Fairie resistance, however, and when these legions take to the field they are truly a terror to behold. While rarely numerous, fairy armies are armed with nightmares and clad themselves in dreams. These traits represent an Army of the North. Wind Fae are often capable of flight, and those that are not ride upon great winged serpents or within tornado funnels conjured by comrades. Pop. = 1000 Firepower = +3 - Population Bonus +1 - Well Fed, Rested +1 - Trained Troops +1 - Elite Troops +1 - Combat Medicine +1 - Ranged Units Mixed in Force +1 - Spear Units Mixed in Force +1 - Sword Units Mixed in Force +5 - Magic Weapons +2 - Controlled Flight +5 - Fairy Glamour +4 - Lord Faelwyn ___ 26 Firepower Mobility = +4 - 60 MPH +1 - Flight +2 - Armored Beasts of Burden +2 - Communications +2 - Elemental Affinity ___ 11 Mobilty Armor = +3 - Population Bonus +4 - Magic Armor +1 - Stealth (Camoflauge) +3 - Magic Healing +1 - Unnatural Fortitude +4 - Lord Faelwyn ___ 16 Armor - Army of the Dead - The dead have great advantages when provoked to war. Numbers, fortitude, and supernatural abilities make them ferocious in battle. The following Traits are appropriate for an army of War Ghosts, as presented in the Exalted core book. Although the Dead have many advantages, they can never benefit from combat medicine. Pop. = 13,000 Firepower = +8 - Population Bonus +1 - Trained Troops +1 - Troop Well Fed, Rested +1 - Shield Units Mixed in Force +1 - Spear Units Mixed in Force +1 - Sword Units Mixed in Force +1 - Disciplined Formation +4 - Excellent Weapons (Undead Steel) +2 - Undead Charms +3 - General Peronius ___ 23 Firepower Mobillity = +2 - 15 MPH +3 - Communicaiton Network (Hivemind) ___ 5 Mobility Armor = +8 - Population Bonus +2 - Good Armor (Chain, Breastplate) +1 - Stealth (Intangibility) +1 - Able to Demanifest +1 - Unnatural Fortitude (Undead) +3 - General Peronius ___ 16 Armor - Imperial Legion - Often lead by the Wyld Hunt, armies of the Realm are rarely seen anywhere outside of the Blessed Isle these days. They do emerge, however, to occasionally crush Solar regimes which pop up in backwater areas of the Threshold. Pop. = 80,000 Firepower = +28 - Population Bonus +1 - Trained Troops +1 - Elite Troops +1 - Exalted Troops +1 - Combat Medicine +1 - Troop Well Fed, Rested +1 - Ranged Units Mixed in Force +1 - Shield Units Mixed in Force +1 - Spear Units Mixed in Force +1 - Sword Units Mixed in Force +2 - Firewand Units Mixed in Force +2 - Catapult, Balista units Mixed in Force +2 - Firedust Cannon units mixed in force +4 - Warstrider units mixed in force +1 - Disciplined Formation +5 - Magic Weapons (First Age) +3 - Magic: War Artifacts +8 - Exalted Combat Charms +15 - Dominant Tiger, Fire-Lord of the Southern Peninsula ___ 79 Firepower Mobility = +1 - 5MPH - Human March, Armored +2 - Armored Beasts of Burden +1 - Exalted Athletics Charms +2 - Communication Network (Sorcery) ___ 6 Mobility Armor = +28 - Populaton Bonus +4 - Magic Armor +1 - Stealth (Air Dragonblooded Fog) +3 - Magic Healing +15 - Dominant Tiger, Fire-Lord of the Southern Peninsula ___ 51 Armor