Credits������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Author: Jason Nelson

Artists: Bruno Balixa, Frank Hessefort, Tim Kings-Lynne, James Krause, Mike Lowe, and Matthew Manghi
Development: Mike Kimmel
Design and Layout: Rick Kunz
Legendary Games Team Members: Alex Augunas, Clinton J. Boomer, Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck,
Paris Crenshaw, Matthew Goodall, Jim Groves, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Thurston Hillman, Tim Hitchcock,
Victoria Jaczko, Jenny Jarzabski, N. Jolly, Jonathan H. Keith, Michael Kortes, Jeff Lee, Nicolas Logue, Will
McCardell, Jason Nelson, Jen Page, Richard Pett, Tom Phillips, Alistair Rigg, Amber Scott, Mark Seifter, Tork
Shaw, Mike Shel, Loren Sieg, Neil Spicer, Todd Stewart, Russ Taylor, Greg A. Vaughan, Mike Welham, Linda
Zayas-Palmer, and Clark Peterson
Editing and Development: Jason Nelson
Publisher: Jason Nelson
Executive Partner: Neil Spicer
Business Director: Rachel Ventura
Art Director: Rick Kunz

Ultimate Battle (5E) © 2016, Legendary

Games; Author Jason Nelson, adapted by
Mike Kimmel.
ISBN-13: 978- 1537573380 Legendary Games
ISBN-10: 1537573381 3734 SW 99th St.
First printing October 2016. Seattle, WA 98126-4026
Printed in USA. makeyourgamelegendary.com

ii
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a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. due to statute, judicial order, or governmental Ultimate Battle © 2013, Legendary Games; Author
No terms may be added to or subtracted from this regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Jason Nelson.
License except as described by the License itself. No Material so affected. Ultimate Rulership © 2013, Legendary Games;
other terms or conditions may be applied to any 13. Termination: This License will terminate Author Jason Nelson.
Open Game Content distributed using this License. automatically if You fail to comply with all terms Ultimate Rulership (5E) © 2016, Legendary Games;
herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of Author Jason Nelson.

iii
Introduction 3 Special Rules 24
On the March 24
Camouflage and Scouting 24
The Field of Battle 3
Terrain 26
Battle Zones 3
Visibility 27
Strategy 4
Weather 27
Battle Phases 4
Bloodied, Defeated, Destroyed, and Disbanded Armies 6
Engagement 6 Index of Tables
Fatigue 6 Table 1: Strategy 4
Healing After Battle 8 Table 2: Army Morale Modifiers 11
Parley 8 Table 3: Army Size 13
Tactics 8 Table 4: Equipping an Army 19
Victory and Aftermath 10 Table 5: Reserve Armies 21
Pillage and Plunder 11 Table 6: Terrain 26
Prisoners of War 11 Table 7: Visibility 27
Table 8: Weather 28

Building Armies 13
Army Size 13
Commanders 13
Command Boons 14
Recruiting an Army 17
Equipping an Army 18
Maintaining an Army 21
Special Abilities 22

iv
Special Electronic Features
We’ve hyperlinked this product internally from the Table of Contents and externally
with references to the official System Reference Document (SRD) and 5eSRD. If
it is in the core 5E rules, we generally didn’t link to it unless the rule is an obscure
one. The point is not to supersede the game books, but rather to help support you,
the player, in accessing the rules, especially those from newer books or that you
may not have memorized.

About Legendary Games

Legendary Games is an all star team of authors and designers, founded by Clark
Peterson of Necromancer Games, Inc. Legendary Games uses a cooperative,
team-based approach to bring you, the 5th edition fan, the best expansion mate-
rial for your game. We are gamers and storytellers first, and we believe that pas-
sion shows in our products. So check us out, and Make Your Game Legendary!
Visit us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our website at
www.makeyourgamelegendary.com

1
 What You Will Find Inside
Ultimate Battle
Ultimate Battle is a massive expansion to the 5th Edition rules to help you wage war in
your campaign! Building upon the rules introduced in Kingdoms by Legendary Games for
founding domains, claiming territory, and building armies, Ultimate Battle provides over 100
army tactics, special abilities, command boons, and types of military equipment, from heavy
armor to howdahs and screening defense to strafing skirmishers, whether you want your
army to unleash a magical barrage or infiltrate the enemy like wolves in the fold. Better still,
it introduces a robust abstract battlefield management system to keep the action moving and
provide you an incredible variety of options for dealing with ranged and melee attack and
maneuvers without getting bogged down with armies of miniatures. Ultimate Battle isn’t just
about what happens when armies clash; it also helps you prepare for battle with advanced
rules for army recruitment and commanders, dealing with terrain, weather, and visibility,
camouflage and scouting, and parleys with the enemy. In the aftermath of victory or defeat,
you’ll be ready to deal with fatigue and healing, along with pillaging, plunder, and prisoners
of war. Whether you’re using the base rules in Kingdoms or the advanced kingdom options
in Ultimate Rulership (5E), your heroes can stake their claim to power in the campaign world,
daring anyone to stand against the armies and tactics they command! Grab this fantastic 5E
supplement today and Make Your Game Legendary!

If you want innovative new rules created by the people who bring you the rules and know
them like no other third-party publisher, this is the place. The Legendary Games tradition is
to combine rich story and background, innovative layout, beautiful aesthetics, and excellence
in design that is second to none. This product is the latest in that tradition, and we hope you
enjoy using it as much as we enjoyed making it. Game on!

- Jason Nelson

2
 Introduction introduced in Kingdoms from Legendary Games. There
are large amounts of additional Command Boons, Tactics,
and rules for your armies, as well as enhanced roles for
In the early days of role-playing games, with roots deep in ta- commanders and leaders and an enriched abstract system
bletop wargaming and miniatures battles, founding a nation of resolving battlefield combat, as well as dealing with the
of your own setting yourself up to rule and command armies aftermath of war. These expanded rules give players more
was considered an important part of a PC’s career. He hadn’t options not only in how to conduct a battle but also in how
really “made it” in the world until he had reached “name lev- to plan the special training they might give their troops, the
el” and started clearing a territory of his own, either by the tactical exploits they might use with several armies together
strength of his own sword arm or the grant of a liege lord of in coordination, and how they as a country will approach war
a fiefdom. A high priestess who established a fortified mon- in general.
astery could expect help from the church in building it, and a
small army of zealous followers to staff and guard it. Wizards These rules for mass combat, while more detailed than those
could build a tower and attract apprentices, and thieves or presented previously, are nonetheless still an abstraction,
assassins found their own guild and attract a gang of roguish not a highly detailed miniatures wargame. They are intended
underlings. Sure, none of this made you any better at slaying as a supplement to the ordinary careers of adventuring
dragons or traveling to the Abyss and smiting demon lords, leaders, not a replacement for it, providing a mass combat
but they were part of the heroic legacy that every character system that can be easily played out during the course of
sought to forge. a single game session (or even just part of a session), even
with complex battle scenarios, without having to uproot the
While goals like these have been de-emphasized somewhat entire campaign.
in the years since, they made a triumphant return with the
release of Kingdoms from Legendary Games, which provided
a ready-to-play framework for establishing, developing, and
Battle Zones
defending a kingdom as part of the core of an entire cam- Any battlefield has three primary zones. These zones are
paign. While these rules present a fully functional system, no abstract rather than geographic, and represent where armies
single product can cover every possibility, and building and are in relation to one another. An army may begin a Battle
defending a kingdom or taking the fight to your enemies is phase in the Ranged zone, but if an enemy army advances
such a rich field of play that there is ample room to expand and engages them, they are now considered to be in the
still further, to incorporate details in both flavor and me- Melee zone even if they have not actually moved. If the army
chanics that can enrich the implementation of mass combat attacking them is destroyed and no other army engages
in any campaign. That is what you will find inside Ultimate them, they return to the Ranged zone.
Battle: an expansion providing you with even more tactics,
command boons, special abilities, and more, as well as an It is perhaps easiest to think of these zones as concentric
innovative abstract combat system that nonetheless allows circles, with the Melee zone at the center, surrounded by the
you to make a variety of dynamic decisions in how you create Ranged zone, with the Camp zone beyond it. A line down the
your units and bring battle to life at the table. center of the circle divides it in half, with one army’s forces
in its Melee, Ranged, and Camp zones and it’s enemy’s forces
in theirs.

The Field of Battle Camp Zone: This represents an army’s base of operations,
which may be a temporary bivouac or a permanent
When two or more armed forces representing opposing fortification. Armies in the Camp zone cannot participate
interests collide, you have a battle. On the field of battle, in a battle unless enemy armies move into the Camp zone.
players do not draw upon the individual resources of their Generally speaking, armies cannot enter their enemy’s Camp
characters (unless modeling them as a solitary hero standing zone as long as the enemy has active armies in the Melee or
against the hordes of the enemy). Instead, they lead and Ranged zone.
support the armies serving under them as they clash steel to Command Zone: This is the area where the army’s
steel with the forces of their enemies. A battle plays out over commanders direct the flow of battle. This area is generally
several rounds, each of somewhat arbitrary length, though considered part of the Camp zone and cannot be directly
1d6 hours is a reasonable approximation. Each round attacked as long as the active armies are present in the Melee
consists of several phases, wherein characters decide upon and/or Ranged zones.
the actions their armies will take, hurl them into the fray
Ranged Zone: This represents the back lines of an army
with missile and melee attacks, and then determine which
on the field, with forces either arrayed to engage in ranged
armies are still standing with bodies and will unbroken.
combat or simply to hold in place in reserve. Armies in the
In order to better showcase the great variety of tactical Ranged zone cannot be attacked in melee.
options possible on the battlefield, especially a fantasy-based
Melee Zone: This represents the front lines of any battle,
battlefield, we present here a large number of alternate
where forces meet in close and brutal combat. Armies in the
and supplemental rules to enhance the mass combat rules
Melee zone can be attacked with melee or ranged attacks.
3
 Strategy Battle Phases
At the beginning of a battle, each side must decide upon Each round of a battle is split into several phases, with a
its overall strategy for the battle, not in terms of the typical Battle phase taking a total of 1d6 hours.
precise maneuvers that will be used but more in terms of Tactical Phase: Each round of combat,the overall army commander
her philosophy about how the battle is to be conducted. can shift the overall strategy that all forces under her command
Selecting a strategy applies to all armies and will follow. In addition, each unit commander can
armies under the general’s command; decide what special tactics their unit will use
while individual armies may have their to implement that strategy. These choices
own specialized tactics that define must be made before tactical initiative
how they carry out the overall is determined.
strategy, that one strategy
guides all of their actions on Ranged Phase: During this
the battlefield. phase, any army or unit that is not
engaged with an enemy force can
During each Tactical make a ranged attack (assuming
Initiative phase, the it has ranged weapons or other
commanding general for capabilities enabling ranged
each side can try to alter attacks to be made).
the strategy her forces
pursue, adjusting it by one Melee Phase: During this phase,
step in either direction armies move together and engage
without needing to make a in melee combat, using a variety of
Morale check. A general can special tactics to outmaneuver and
attempt to shift strategy to a destroy their opponents.
greater degree, but this is difficult Rout Phase: After resolving ranged
for all but the most highly trained and melee combat for the round, each
armies, requiring a Morale check with surviving unit must succeed at a Morale
a penalty equal to the number of steps by check to sustain its will to fight.
which strategy is being shifted. If the check fails, the
army’s strategy changes one step in the desired direction, Tactical Phase
but the army is thrown into disarray for the remainder
The secret of success for many battlefield commanders lies
of that Battle phase, resulting in a penalty to OM and DV
in their ability to read a battlefield and gauge the intentions
equal to the number of steps the general attempted to shift
of their opponent, which may be by intercepting signals,
their strategy.
gauging the importance of troop positioning and favorable
This strategy rule replaces the standard Strategy track and or unfavorable ground, and being able to disguise their own
rule in the original mass combat rules. intentions until their enemy has revealed their own. One
way to reflect this in conaducting a mass battle is through
the use of Tactical Initiative. Each commander makes an
Table 1: Strategy Intelligence check (representing tactical knowledge), and
Type of Strategy OM DV Casualties whichever commander rolls lowest on their check must
reveal their strategy first. A commander with a higher check
Hold Firm -4 +4 -2 can change his strategy in response to his opponent’s, though
Cautious Advance -2 +2 -1 moving strategy more than one step on Table 1 requires a
Standard - - - Morale check to perform smoothly.
Aggressive Attack +2 -2 +1 In addition, to forcing his enemy to reveal his strategy first, if
All-Out Assault +4 -4 +2 one commander’s check exceeds his opponent’s by 5 or more, he
can either force his enemy to reveal one tactic or he can change
one of his own army’s tactics for every 5 points by which his check
The Casualties modifier applies to damage dealt by you and
exceeds his opponent’s. The commander can choose which army
damage dealt by your enemies, including damage from failed
he wishes to learn about; if that army has more than one tactic
attacks and friendly fire (internal links). This number was
available, it must reveal the tactic it is using during this Battle
reduced to eliminate the doubling effect in the published
phase. Regardless of the result of your check, you can reveal only
rules caused by adding an additional modifier to damage
one tactic per enemy army or change one tactic for each of your
when the existing modifiers to OM and DV already directly
armies; any excess is lost. Command boons and creature special
adjust damage (since damage equals 1d20 + OM - DV, plus
abilities are not revealed by winning tactical initiative.
other modifiers that apply).

4
 Actual combat is effectively simultaneous, so going first Rout Phase
is irrelevant and enemy armies can destroy each other in Once an army has advanced upon the enemy, the Melee
the course of a combat round. Even so, an army gains a +1 phase begins. Each army resolves its attack as described in
OM bonus whenever it attacks an enemy army with a lower the mass combat rules, but unlike in the published rules
tactical initiative check. after each army has attacked once the Melee phase does not
repeat. Instead, after resolving all attacks each army proceeds
Ranged Phase to the Rout phase, with each surviving army making a Morale
During the ranged phase, two armies are arrayed near one check with a DC of 10 plus 1 for each allied army that has
another but have not yet advanced to commence the battle been destroyed or routed from the field. If this check
in earnest. During this phase, armies cannot attack in melee succeeds, the army may continue the fight undaunted. If the
but can attack with ranged weapons or other abilities that check fails, the army’s Morale score is reduced by 1d4. If this
allow them to attack at a distance. During the ranged phase, reduces the army’s Morale to zero, you must make a Loyalty
each army can attack (provided it has the ability to attack check. If successful, the army remains intact with its Morale
at range), advance (move up to engage the enemy in close reset to 1 and the army routs, fleeing from the battlefield. If
combat), or hold (remain in place, neither attacking nor the Loyalty check fails, the army disbands. A cumulative -5
advancing). An army that advances can then attack in the penalty applies to each Loyalty check for this purpose after
Melee phase. Armies that do not advance cannot attack in the first that each side makes during a battle.
the Melee phase unless they themselves are attacked by an
Routed Armies: A routed army is forced to flee the battlefield
enemy unit that advances.
and cannot attack. Any one army engaged with it can make a
Some battlefields contains impassable barriers between armies, free Standard or Volley attack against the routing army. After
such as a river, cliff, or even a city wall or similar fortification. this attack is resolved, the army’s commander must make
In this situation, armies may be unable to advance during the an opposed Intelligence check with a -4 penalty against the
Ranged phase unless they have some means of circumventing commander of the engaged army that made the attack, with
the barrier. If you are using the simplified published rules, an each commander adding the forced march speed of each of
army inside a Fort, Watchtower, or fortified settlement with City his armies to this roll (making it advantageous to use cavalry
Walls and/or a Moat does not count as having an impassable or other fast armies to attack routing armies). If the fleeing
barrier between itself and enemy armies; instead, the Defense army wins the check, it is able to disengage and escape from
value of the fortification is considered to represent the difficulty the battlefield to its Camp zone. If the enemy army’s check is
of approaching to attack. Armies may remain at range and attack higher, the routing army disengages but is forced to remain
with ranged weapons, but armies using the advance action are on the battlefield in the Ranged zone.
considered to be attempting to scale the walls or otherwise
General Retreat: At the end of any Rout phase, a commander
assault the fortifications in such a way as to threaten the safety
can sound a general retreat, ordering all of his armies to fall
of the defending army.
back and leave the battlefield. This functions like the Retreat
Resolving a ranged attack is described under Attacking and tactic but can be performed even by armies that have already
Taking Damage in the base mass combat rules in Kingdoms. attacked in the Battle phase; however, retreating armies take
Friendly Fire: When an army makes a ranged attack against an an additional -2 penalty to their Morale check to disengage
enemy army that is engaged with one of your armies, it has from enemy armies. In addition, when a General Retreat is
a 25% chance of dealing 1d6-3 points of damage to the allied ordered, any enemy army that is not engaged with one of
army regardless of whether its attack is successful. If your your retreating armies can make one Volley ranged attack
ranged attack roll is a natural 1, your allied army automatically against any retreating army of its choice.
takes 1d6-3 points of damage, while on a natural 20 your allied Mercenaries: When a mercenary army’s Morale drops
army never takes damage from friendly fire. An army taking to 1, or when they have lost more than half of their hit
damage from friendly fire loses 1 point of Morale. points, they must make a Morale check to avoid routing.
A kingdom takes no penalties when a mercenary army
Melee Phase disbands or is destroyed.
Once an army has advanced upon the enemy, the Melee
phase begins. Each army resolves its attack as described in
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Campaign, but unlike
in the published rules after each army has attacked once
the Melee phase does not repeat. Instead, after resolving
all attacks each army proceeds to the Rout phase described
below, and as long as at least one army on each side survives
without being routed, the battle enters a new round, with a
new check to determine Tactical Initiative, as described in
the Tactics phase above.

5
 Bloodied, Defeated, Destroyed, When an army disbands, all allied armies take a -1 penalty
to Morale checks for the remainder of the battle; this stacks
and Disbanded Armies if more than one army disbands. When an army disbands,
In battle, armies almost never fight until the last soldier is the kingdom for which it fights takes a permanent -1 penalty
killed. While iconic, this is simply not a normal reality of to Fame, Loyalty, and Stability and the city where the army
warfare. When one army is clearly beaten and its cause is lost, was recruited (with an Improvement or Recruitment Edict)
it loses the will and the ability to fight long before the point takes a permanent -2 penalty to Law.
of annihilation. If a unit disbands while you are at war (rather than, for
Bloodied Armies: An army that is reduced below half its example, disbanding because of lack of pay or training
hit points during any battle, whether its side is ultimately during peacetime), your enemy gains a one-time reduction
victorious or not, becomes bloodied. A bloodied army has lost a in its consumption for any one unit within one hex of the
substantial number of its soldiers to death or permanent injury, disbanded unit equal to 1/2 the disbanded unit’s ACR; if this
and no amount of rest, recovery, or even magical healing can amount exceeds your unit’s Consumption, any excess is lost.
bring the unit up to its full fighting strength. A bloodied army is However, if you use an Improvement Edict or Recruitment
treated as though its ACR is 1 less than normal for all purposes. Edict to create a new army in a Fort or settlement within 3
This reduction applies each time it has been bloodied, and the hexes of the site of the enemy army’s desertion, you gain a
effects stack for the purpose of determining the unit’s OM, one-time bonus to your next Loyalty check to recruit that
DV, maximum hit points, and all other game effects except the army as you take advantage of disaffected deserters from
army’s Consumption. The bloodied condition can be removed your enemy who have turned to your side.
only by reforming the army (as described in the Optional Mass
Combat Rules in Kingdoms) or by replenishing the army with Engagement
new recruits (see Recruiting an Army). When an army attacks another in melee, the armies become
Defeated Armies: An army reduced to 0 hit points is defeated engaged even if the attack fails. Engaged armies are caught
and can take no further actions in the battle, but it can be up in the thick of the fighting, seething together in a mass
taken prisoner or massacred by its enemies following the of bodies, blades, and blood. Once armies become engaged,
battle, attacked in spite of their surrender in the midst of neither can leave the battlefield until one or both armies are
battle, or recovered, reformed, and restored to fighting defeated, destroyed, or routed from the field, or until one
strength by its allies after the battle ends (see Victory and side performs a successful Retreat, Withdrawal, or similar
Aftermath). A defeated unit typically has 10% of its number tactic that allows it to disengage from its enemies and those
dead, and 1d4 x 10% of its number wounded and unable to enemies either cannot or choose not to pursue them.
fight, the rest simply too physically exhausted or emotionally
shaken to continue fighting. Fatigue
Destroyed Armies: If a defeated army is attacked before the An army that becomes fatigued takes a -1 penalty to OM and
battle ends, it takes a -2 penalty to its DV. If successfully DV and cannot use the Furious Charge or Overwhelming
attacked by an enemy army of at least half its size, the Onslaught tactics. If an army engages in an activity that
defeated army is instead destroyed and ceases to exist as a causes it to become fatigued when it is already fatigued, it
fighting force. In a destroyed unit, the dead number 1d6 x becomes exhausted instead. Its penalties to OM and DV
10% of the army’s soldiers, with 1d4 x 10% wounded, and the increase to -3 and its movement is halved, and it cannot use
remainder simply surrendered or deserted. the Cavalry Sweep, False Retreat, Pincer Maneuver, Pursuit,
When an army is destroyed, the country for which it fought Skirmishers, or Strafing Skirmishers maneuvers. If an army
loses 1 point of Fame. In addition, there is a 25% chance that performs an action that would cause it to become fatigued
the city where the army was recruited (with an Improvement when it is already exhausted, the army takes 1d4 damage.
or Recruitment Edict) has a Building Demand event during To remove fatigue, an army must retreat or withdraw
the next kingdom turn, demanding a Monument to be from the battlefield and remain away from the battle for at
erected as a memorial to the fallen. This is in addition to any least 2 Battle phases; each Battle phase after the first that
other kingdom events that may occur. it spends resting, it may attempt a Morale check to recover
Disbanded Armies: When an army is reduced to 0 Morale and from its fatigue. If a battle ceases for at least 8 consecutive
fails a Loyalty check, it not only routs from the battlefield hours, armies on both sides can attempt a Morale check
but actually ceases to exist as a fighting force, disintegrating to recover from fatigue. If a unit is exhausted, making one
in a combination of flight and surrender. When an army Morale check to recover improves its condition to fatigued.
disbands, 50% of its number is permanently deducted from The army can attempt an additional Morale check for each
the kingdom’s population, as those soldiers desert their Battle phase it continues to rest away from the battlefield
country and flee for safer lands where their shame will not (or each 8 hours when no battle occurs) to remove the
follow them. The other 50% of the soldiers filter back into fatigued condition.
the population of their kingdom.

6
Healing After Battle only one army. If all infected armies do nothing but rest and
recuperate in a settlement or Fort, you gain a +2 bonus to
An army that remains on the field or is able to retreat from the Stability check. If infected armies are forced to fight, you
it without being defeated (i.e., reduced to 0 hit points) can take a -2 penalty to that week’s Stability check for each army
rest for 1 hour in order to regain hit points equal to 1/2 its that fights.
ACR and automatically reduces the exhausted condition to If you roll a natural 1 on any Stability check to avoid or
fatigued. If the army can rest for 8 additional hours without alleviate infection, the contagion is carried back to the
interruption, it regains hit points equal to its ACR and nearest of your settlements to the battlefield (or to where
automatically removes the fatigued condition. Thereafter, an the infected armies are being kept during their recovery),
army heals hit points equal to its ACR for every 24 hours of and during your next Kingdom turn that city experiences a
complete rest. Armies that are marching, guarding prisoners, Plague kingdom event, as described in Kingdoms.
or performing other light-duty tasks heal half the normal
amount of hit points (rounding down). Armies that engage
in a battle or that take damage from a forced march do not
heal at all.
An army that has been defeated but is able to exit the
battlefield regains 1 hit point after 1 hour of rest. After this
time, it can again function as an army, including using
the healing rules described above. An army that has been
destroyed or disbanded cannot heal. The Magical Healing
command boon or Healing Potions resource doubles the
number of hit points regained by one army during the first
hour of its rest (or allows a defeated army to regain hit points
equal to half its ACR after 1 hour of rest).
Disease: One of the great killers in war throughout history
has been disease. Germs have often killed far more than
blades, bullets, and bombs combined. A combination of
injury, exhaustion, poor sanitation and diet on the campaign
trail, frequently inadequate medical supplies, abundant
carrion and garbage and vermin feasting upon both with
equal relish, and the simple proximity of so many people in
confined spaces make battlefields an ideal medium for the
growth and spread of contagion.
Whenever your armies finish a battle, whether victorious or
not, make a Stability check for the kingdom with a penalty
equal to the number of your armies that was bloodied plus
the number of enemy units taken prisoner. You gain a +2
bonus to this check for each commander with your army that
can provide Magical Healing and for each Healing Potion
you expend after the battle (those consumed during the
battle do not affect this check). If your armies are within 2
hexes of any of your settlements, you gain an additional +1
bonus for each Alchemist, Herbalist, and Temple, +2 for each
Cathedral, and +4 for each Hospital in that settlement (or
those settlements, if more than one).
If this check fails, one of your armies becomes infected.
This army should be chosen at random from those who took
any damage during the battle, even if that damage was later
healed. Infected armies are treated as fatigued (or exhausted,
if already fatigued) and become bloodied by this infection.
You must repeat the Stability check with the modifiers noted
above once per week. If the check succeeds, you army recovers
and is no longer infected, though it is still bloodied and
must be reinforced. If the check fails, another army chosen at
random from those damaged in the battle becomes infected.
If multiple armies are infected, each successful check cures

7
 Parley Cavalry Sweep: Your unit is trained in making swift ride-by
attacks against infantry, dashing across the battlefield and
Once per battle, at the beginning of any Battle phase, the harrying the enemy. Your unit can attack two non-mounted
commander of either army may ask for parley, a meeting under armies in a single Battle phase. Your unit gains -4 OM and
a flag of truce with a spokesperson for the opposing side. You -2 DV for the remainder of the Battle phase and your attacks
must use this maneuver before any army has attacked in the deal only half damage, but you are not considered engaged
Battle phase. The commander asking for Parley must make a after attacking a non-mounted unit. Requirement: mounts.
Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check opposed by the Covering Fire: Your unit keeps some of its soldiers back
Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check of the opposing from the front lines in order to provide covering fire for
general. When using Persuasion, the commander adds his you and allies and to strafe targets of opportunity trying to
nation’s Fame score to this check. When using Intimidation, move around you. Once per Battle phase, when your unit
the commander adds his nation’s Infamy score instead. Each or an allied unit disengages from an enemy unit, including
commander chooses which skill to use and need not choose the Retreat or Withdraw Tactic, or a unit that routs or is
the same skill. A commander takes a -1 penalty for each destroyed, you can make a ranged attack against the enemy
unit under his command that has been defeated or routed, unit from which it is trying to disengage. If your attack
-2 for each that has been destroyed. If your check equals or hits, you inflict 1d4-1 Casualties and your allied unit gains
exceeds the opposing general’s, you can force them (or their a +1 bonus to DV and to opposed Morale checks made to
representative) to come forth and meet you under a temporary disengage. Requirement: ranged weapons.
truce to discuss terms of surrender or withdrawal from the
field, to offer a challenge of champions or other contest, to Defensive Wall: As described in the basic mass combat
exchange hostages or negotiate ransom, or simply to taunt rules in Kingdoms.
and bluster at one another. Armies normally do not attack False Retreat*: As described in the basic mass combat rules
during the Battle phase when a Parley occurs, though they in Kingdoms.
may use command boons or disengage from enemy armies, or
Full Defense: As described in the basic mass combat rules
perform other actions that are not attacks. If a unit does attack
in Kingdoms.
during a Parley, the kingdom whose army it is gains +1d4
Infamy, and each unit that attacks loses 1 point of Morale. In Furious Charge: Your unit makes a furious rush to attack
addition, your armies gain a +1 bonus to OM and on opposed an enemy unit. You gain +2 OM and -2 DV for the remainder
Morale checks against any army that attack during the Parley of this Battle phase. An engaged unit cannot use this tactic.
for the remainder of the battle. If you successfully attack an enemy unit, it takes a -1 penalty
to Morale checks made to try disengaging with you until the
end of Battle phase.
Tactics
Feint: Your unit feigns an attack to draw enemies out of
Tactics differ from strategy in that they represent specific position and distract them from greater threats elsewhere on
maneuvers that an army can perform on the battlefield the battlefield. On a successful attack, you deal half damage but
focused on attack, defense, movement, or a combination do not become engaged. In addition, your unit and the unit
of the three. Strategy dictates each side’s overall approach attack must make opposed Morale checks with a bonus equal
to what all of their armies will do, but each individual unit to the unit’s ACR. If you win this opposed check, the defending
can adopt its own unique tactics. A unit can select one tactic unit is drawn out of position and takes a -2 penalty to DV for
each Battle phase, and maneuvers marked with an asterisk the rest of the Battle phase. If your attack fails, your attack does
(*) are usable only once during a battle by each side as they no damage and your unit becomes engaged with the defender.
represent either maneuvers based on limited resources or on
battlefield deception. Some maneuvers require one or more Overwhelming Onslaught: Your unit makes a wild and
kinds of specialized equipment for the unit performing it. reckless attack meant to overwhelm and overrun the
defending unit. Your unit gains +4 OM and -4 DV, and after
In order to use a tactic, a unit must be trained in it, either resolving your attack you take you take 1d6-3 Casualties if
when it is created, through training, or through victory in the attack succeeds, 1d6 if the attack fails (these casualties
battle, up to a maximum number of tactics equal to its ACR. are modified by your Strategy, as per Table A1). If your attack
All armies know the Full Defense, Furious Charge, Retreat, succeeds against a target using Full Defense, Pike Square, or
Standard, and Withdraw tactics (and an army with ranged Screening Defense tactics, the defending unit must succeed
weapons automatically has the Volley tactic); these tactics do on a Morale check (DC 10 + Attacker’s ACR) or those tactics
not count against this maximum. are negated for the remainder of the Battle phase. If the
Many of these tactics (and command boons and special Morale check fails by 5 or more, that unit cannot use any
abilities in later sections) are described in full in Kingdoms of those tactics again for the remainder of the battle. If you
and are listed here for ease of reference. successfully attack an enemy unit, it takes a -2 penalty to
Morale checks made to try disengaging with you until the
Cautious Combat: As described in the basic mass combat
end of Battle phase.
rules in Kingdoms.

8
 Pike Square: Your unit grounds its polearms and sets them Siegebreaker: As described in the basic mass combat rules
to fend off enemies, especially mounted foes, while setting in Kingdoms. In addition, a unit using this tactic can try to
a shield wall to protect against infantry. Your unit gains -2 circumvent the protection of a unit using the Screening
OM but gains +2 DV against mounted armies and deals +2 Defense tactic if the unit it protects is equipped with siege
damage on a successful attack against a mounted unit. In weapons. If your attack against the screening unit succeeds,
addition, your unit deals +1 damage against any unit using your attack deals half damage to that unit and you can make
the Aggressive Attack strategy, +2 against armies using All- a second attack against the protected unit and its siege
Out Attack strategy. Requirement: reach weapons, no mounts. weapons. This attack also deals half damage.
Pincer Maneuver: Your unit is trained to envelop a unit that Skirmishers: Your unit makes a quick probing strike and
is already engaged by your allies. You gain +2 OM against a unit then disengages. Your unit takes a -2 OM penalty and deals
that is already engaged by an allied army; however, because you half damage on a successful attack, but you do not become
are spread out you take a -2 penalty to your DV for the rest of engaged with the target unit whether or not your attack
the Battle phase against attacks from armies that are not already succeeds. Requirement: no medium or heavy armor.
engaged with you. When you use this tactic, a unit engaged with Sniper Support: As described in the basic mass combat
you takes a -2 penalty to Morale checks made to disengage, flee, rules in Kingdoms. Requirement: ranged weapons.
retreat, or withdraw for the remainder of the Battle phase.
Spellbreaker: As described in the basic mass combat rules
Pursuit: When an enemy unit retreats, routs, or withdraws in Kingdoms.
from the battlefield, your unit can try to chase them down,
even if they are in the Camp zone. Make an opposed Morale Strafing Skirmishers: Your unit keeps on the move while
check against the target unit, with each unit adding their riddling its targets with quick volleys. Your unit takes a -2
forced march Movement to this check (you gain an additional OM penalty and deals half damage on a successful attack
+1 bonus if the target unit routed in the previous Battle phase). during the ranged combat phase, but it gains a +1 DV and
If your Morale check succeeds, you force the target unit back once per round when attacked during the melee phase your
into the Ranged or Melee zone (your choice) and can make unit can attempt a Morale check to avoid becoming engaged.
a Standard melee attack or Volley ranged attack against that Requirement: ranged weapons, no medium or heavy armor.
unit. You cannot use this tactic if your unit is engaged. Taunt*: As described in the basic mass combat rules in
Relentless Brutality: As described in the basic mass combat Kingdoms.
rules in Kingdoms. Volley: Your unit remains stationary and makes a ranged
Retreat: Your unit can exit the battlefield completely with attack against any enemy unit on the field. Requirement:
this tactic. Your unit cannot attack during the Battle phase ranged weapons.
in which it uses this maneuver and takes a -1 penalty to DV Withdraw: As described in the basic mass combat rules in
and Morale. The unit must attempt opposed Morale checks Kingdoms.
against all enemy armies engaged with it; each unit adds its
Forced March speed to this special Morale check. If an enemy
unit’s Morale check exceeds yours, it can make a free melee
attack against you, even if it has already acted this round.
Enemy armies that fail to beat your Morale check do not gain
this free attack. If your army survives these attacks (even if
your unit takes all of its Casualties, but not if it is destroyed),
it disengages from all enemy armies and leaves the battlefield.
Screening Defense: Your army may choose another army
to protect on the battlefield. Melee attacks made against the
army you are protecting affects your army instead. While
using this tactic, your army cannot attack any army unless it
first attacks you in melee. The unit you are protecting
cannot be engaged by an enemy unit unless your unit
is routed or destroyed. If the unit you are protecting
is already engaged, it remains engaged; using
this maneuver does not force the opposing
unit to disengage. The unit you protect can be
targeted with ranged attacks, though it gains a
+2 bonus to DV against them. You take 1d6-3
points of damage if the unit you guard is hit
with a ranged attack; and the unit you guard takes the
same damage if your army is hit with a ranged attack.

9
 Victory and Aftermath additional items they choose. If double the normal ransom
is paid, the ransomed character’s goods are returned along
Once all armies but those belonging to one side have been with them. At the GM’s option, individual items may also be
eliminated, whether defeated, destroyed, disbanded, routed, ransomed separately; if the captors are unaware that an item
or retreated from the field, that army is victorious. is magical or unaware of the nature of their enchantment
Fighting in the Command Zone: Once the active armies and its market value, they may demand only the sale price of
of one side have been swept from the Melee and Ranged an item of its type, or an entirely arbitrary ransom amount
zones, that army’s Command zone is considered overrun for items of significance that may not correlate to their
and the commanders of that army can be captured or killed. monetary value; for example, their ransom for the royal
You can resolve the overrun of an army’s Command zone in crown is not required to be equal to its sale price as a piece
several ways. of jewelry.

Combat: The leader(s) of your army can engage in direct Offering to return leaders that you hold captive in exchange
character-to-character combat with the leader(s) of the enemy for a ransom is considered a mark of honor and gains your
army. This plays out using the standard combat rules in the kingdom +1 Fame for a kingdom leader, +2 Fame for a ruler.
SRD, but leaders from the victorious army gain a +2 bonus You gain an additional +1 Fame if you offer to ransom all
to attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and initiative leaders you capture in a battle (assuming there is more than
for the duration of this combat. Your armies generally do one). If you pay a ransom to recover your leaders, you lose
not participate directly in this kind of confrontation, as an amount of Fame for your own country equal to what the
they are assumed to be securing the area and taking junior captor’s kingdom gains; however, you gain an equivalent
commanders and soldiers into custody while the major PCs bonus to Loyalty, as your subjects appreciate the lengths to
and NPCs fight. If an NPC leader ends a round of combat at which the kingdom will go to reclaim its own.
less than half his or her hit points, there is a 50% chance per Manpower Attrition: Having soldiers captured or killed in
round that the leader surrenders. battle (or deserting from the field) has a significant impact
Execution: If a commander or other significant leader is on the health and vitality of a kingdom. Soldiers killed or
captured, the leaders of the triumphant army have the option captured in battle still count against a kingdom’s available
to publicly execute that leader. If that leader is a player Manpower for 1 year. When an army is bloodied, 10% of its
character, they should generally be allowed the chance to soldiers are counted as killed.
escape execution by playing out a normal combat encounter; Wounded soldiers from an army that has been defeated or
however, if they have already been overcome and rendered destroyed count against a kingdom’s available Manpower for
helpless in normal combat, execution may be their fate. NPC 1 month. When an army is bloodied, 10% of its soldiers are
leaders are killed automatically if the victorious leader calls counted as wounded.
for execution. Being killed in combat is not considered an When an army disbands, 50% of its soldiers desert the
execution, nor is a leader choosing to commit suicide; a kingdom and count against its Manpower for 1 year.
leader must be slain as a helpless captive (usually by a coup The other 50% survive and count against the kingdom’s
de grace) to be treated as an execution. Manpower for 1 month.
Executing an enemy leader earns +1 Infamy for the kingdom In addition to the effect on army recruitment itself,
whose army performs the execution if the executed character losing large numbers of soldiers has a detrimental effect
is a kingdom leader (+2 if they are the ruler). If you execute all on the livelihood of the kingdom away from the front
leaders you capture in a battle, rather than just one, you earn lines. For every 500 soldiers a kingdom loses in battle
double the Infamy modifier for the highest-ranking leader to death, capture, or desertion (i.e., anything that counts
you execute. Executing ordinary military commanders that against the kingdom’s Manpower for 1 year), the kingdom
are not kingdom leaders does not affect a kingdom’s Infamy. takes a permanent penalty of -1d4 to Economy, Loyalty,
Ransom: Rather than being executed or kept as a captive, and Stability.
in many cultures it is commonplace to offer up leaders Fame and Infamy: The kingdom of a victorious army
captured in battle (including those whose armies have been gains a +1 to either Fame or Infamy when all enemy armies
destroyed, even if their side later won the battle) may be are defeated, destroyed, disbanded, routed, or retreated
offered up for ransom. A usual ransom demand is 1 BP from the field. This bonus is increased by +1 if a Fort or
times the captive leader’s character level for a kingdom settlement is captured and occupied, and the bonus is
leader. This ransom demand is halved for a leader that does doubled if the victorious army is able to triumph while
not have a leadership role in the kingdom (i.e., an ordinary losing no more than 1 army (or unit). The kingdom of an
military commander) but is doubled if the captive leader is army on the losing side in a battle loses 1 point of Fame (2
the kingdom’s ruler. points if it allowed a Fort or settlement to be captured by
These ransom demands typically include only the enemy forces), and this loss of Fame is doubled if in defeat
ransomed person and a noble or royal outfit of ordinary they failed to defeat, destroy, disband, or rout more than
clothing, though the leader’s captors can of course return any one enemy army (or unit).

10
 Morale: Success and failure on the battlefield obviously has Finally, armies can attack buildings in a city whose
a significant impact on the Morale of the surviving armies defenders all have been defeated, destroyed, disbanded, or
involved. What transpires in between battles likewise helps routed. This is treated as attacking an enemy army, with
an army, defeated or triumphant, prepare for its next foray a building having an effective DV equal to 15 plus the
onto the battlefield. Careful preparation and training with building’s Defense modifier (if any) and hit points equal to
their leaders keeps them sharp and ready, while armies its BP value. The army can attack once per Battle phase (if a
languish after too long a period of inactivity. battle is still going on nearby) or three times per day (if not).
A battle reduced to less than half its hit points (BP value)
ceases providing any benefits to the kingdom that owns it.
Table 2: Army Morale Modifiers A building can be repaired on its owner’s next kingdom
turn, spending BP equal to the damage the building has
Modifier Condition
taken. If the building is reduced to 0 hit points (BP value),
+1d4 Winning a battle (-1 per allied unit defeated or it is destroyed.
destroyed, to a minimum or 0).
+1 Trains with general or significant character for
1 week.
+1 Pay double consumption for 2 consecutive
months.
-1d4 If an army’s commander is captured and
executed while the army still exists.
-1 Take friendly fire damage from an allied army.
-1 Per month without combat (per year for reserve
unit).
-1 Survives battle, but battle lost (a fortification or
city captured by enemy armies, or more armies
lost than the enemy in a battle in the open
field).
-2 Survives battle but routed from the battlefield.
-3 Consumption not paid, per month (active
armies only).

Pillage and Plunder

The equipment and supplies of a defeated army or unit can
be taken by the victors in a battle as spoils of war. These
spoils are worth a number of BP equal to 1/4 the ACR of an
army that is defeated, or 1/2 the ACR of an army that has been
disbanded or destroyed.
In addition, an army of 50 or more soldiers can be sent
into any hex containing terrain improvements, spending
one week burning fields, slaughtering herds, tearing down
buildings, and generally wreaking havoc. At the end of Prisoners of War
each week, all terrain improvements in that hex that the As described in the Bloodied, Defeated, Destroyed, and
army’s commander wishes to destroy are destroyed unless Disbanded section, armies on the losing side in a battle
the kingdom that owns the hex succeeds at a Stability are rarely if ever completely wiped out. In most cases, the
check with a -1 penalty for every 50 soldiers engaged in wounded and surrendered far outnumber the dead. This
pillaging their land. A successful Stability check preserves raises the question, of course, of what to do with enemy
those improvements, but if the pillaging armies undertake soldiers now in your custody. Turning them loose to rejoin
another week of destruction this Stability check must be their fellows in the fight against you is hardly a viable option
repeated, with an additional -5 penalty for every week after (though officers and leaders may be ransomed). Generally
the first. Pillaging armies earn 1 BP for their kingdom for speaking, a victorious army has three options: forced labor,
each improvement they destroy. internment, or massacre.

11
 Civilian Prisoners: Civilian populations can be rounded up number. If there are more prisoners than this, the kingdom
and imprisoned, put to work, or slaughtered just as captured holding the captives must make a Stability check each week
soldiers can. Abuse of civilians is generally frowned upon. with a cumulative -1 penalty for each multiple of the number
Imprisoning civilians generates +1 Infamy per 1,000 civilians of guards beyond x10 (e.g., an army of 20 soldiers could
placed in internment, and Infamy modifiers for forced labor safely guard up to 200 prisoners; if there were 250 prisoners,
and massacre are doubled. However, civilians are generally a weekly Stability check would be required with a -2 penalty,
less likely (or less able) to rebel against their captors, and since there are 12.5 times as many prisoners as guards, which
each civilian counts as only 1/10 of a prisoner of war for the exceeds the limit by 2 multiples over x10). A failed Stability
purpose of how many guards are required. check results in an uprising among the prisoners, which is
If any portion of a civilian population of a hex or a settlement treated as a Vandals (if prisoners are kept inside a settlement)
is made captive, any kingdom bonuses from buildings in that or Bandit Activity (if outside a settlement) kingdom event.
hex or settlement (except for Defense value) is halved; if 50% Prisoners can instead be escorted to permanent internment
or more of the civilian population is eliminated, all kingdom at a Barracks, Fort, Garrison, or Jail; a Barracks or Jail can
benefits for those improvements or buildings are lost. hold up to 100 prisoners each while a Fort or Garrison can
Forced Labor: Soldiers captured in battle can be put under hold up to 200. This number can be increased by crowding
guard and forced to work for the benefit of their new kingdom. prisoners into narrow quarters, up to five times the normal
For each 100 captives forced to work for a full month, you amount, but each additional 100 (Barracks or Jail) or 200
can reduce the cost of any terrain improvement by 1 BP, (Fort or Garrison) prisoners or fraction thereof beyond
or you can compel them to labor on a Farm, Mine, Quarry, a building’s normal capacity generates 1 point of Unrest.
or Sawmill, increasing the BP output (or Consumption Stationing a reserve army (see the original mass combat
reduction) of that improvement by 1. Forced laborers do rules) at the same building reduces Unrest by 1.
not increase your kingdom’s Consumption, as their unpaid Interning captives increases your kingdom’s Consumption
labor and meager standard of living offset what little they by 1 per 100 prisoners. You may choose to reduce this
consume. However, using prisoners for forced labor results Consumption increase by half by starving your prisoners;
in a -1 penalty to Stability per 100 forced laborers (or fraction however, doing so causes you to gain +1 Infamy each month.
thereof ), and your kingdom gains +1 Infamy each month it Massacre: A victorious army may decide that they lack the
uses prisoners for forced labor. Prisoners used for forced resources or the desire to keep its captive enemies alive,
labor must be guarded at all times, as described under choosing instead to wipe them out, killing them to the last.
internment below. Massacre of enemy forces earns +1 Infamy per army or unit
Internment: Soldiers captured in battle can simply be locked put to death (regardless of size), plus an additional +1 Infamy
away, kept as prisoners for the duration of the conflict. for every 1,000 soldiers (or fraction thereof ). Your kingdom
Prisoners must be kept under guard, either in temporary earns +2 Infamy for the massacre of any number of civilians,
stockades or permanent prisons. Any army capable of fighting plus an additional +1 Infamy for every 1,000 civilians (or
can guard a number of soldiers equal to 10 times their fraction thereof ).

12
 Building Armies Soldiers: The number of creatures present within the unit.
For creatures whose CR is less than 1, multiply this number by
the amount required to bring that CR to 1 (e.g., a unit of orcs
The following rules deal with constructing an army, whether (CR 1/2 individually) would have 2 times the normal number
comprised of ordinary humanoid soldiers or something of orcs, such as 20 orcs in a squad or 100 in a company).
more exotic. Many of the following rules amplify or expand
Equipment: When purchasing equipment or other
upon the basic mass combat rules, while others offer
Resources for an army of this size, multiply the BP cost by
revisions or alterations to how those rules work.
this amount. This modifier replaces the Resource Scaling
table in the existing rules.
Army Size Camouflage: Larger armies have a harder time keeping
themselves concealed from the eyes of enemies than do smaller
In a system where the default army size is a unit of 100 armies, so this modifier applies whenever the army might be
soldiers, it becomes difficult to replicate anything like the discovered by scouting (see Camouflage and Scouting.
kinds of armies provided even in most existing adventures. Army Challenge Rating (ACR): This functions as described
This is in part because it is hard to reflect the granularity in the existing mass combat rules.
of numbers based on what exists in a published adventure,
but also in part because when the numbers are very small in
comparison to that 100-soldier baseline, armies of otherwise
impressive creatures become low-ACR armies with low hit
Commanders
points and low offense and defense. Leadership on the battlefield is a role that anyone can
Armies comprised of a few dozen impressive-sounding claim, but for which not everyone is equally suited. A keen
monsters, such as giants, dire bears, or even dragons, often are intellect is of key importance in understanding the ways of
trivial opponents when represented in the basic mass combat war and the situations likely to occur on the battlefield, as
rules. These armies often possess few hit points and can be are the wisdom to know when to attack, when to hold firm,
defeated in a single round of mass combat. That brings up and when to retreat, as well as the raw charisma to get your
another problem: If virtually all armies end up very small in soldiers to follow you once more into the breach. However,
size and hit points, mass combat becomes a very swingy affair, unlike in the existing mass combat rules, high ability scores
something prone to being over in a single round. A battle are less important in command than actual battlefield
should not be a tedious grind, especially in an abstract system experience and reputation.
meant to be a diversion from the primary campaign and not Command Limit: In the published rules, each leader
a replacement for it, but it also should last long enough to commands a single army. A kingdom can field a maximum
actually use some of the interesting tactics, combat boons, number of armies equal to its Loyalty modifier divided
and other special rules that allow mass combat to be more by 10 (rounded down) plus the Charisma modifier of the
interesting than just a few anticlimactic die rolls. kingdom’s General.
To adjust for this effect, the following revised army sizes If using the rules for Recruitment Edicts, a kingdom’s
can serve as an alternative to those described in the published Militarism level affects the number of armies it can recruit.
mass combat rules. For reasons of flavor, each army size has A Pacifist kingdom can field only 1/10 the normal number
been given a specific unit designation rather than being of armies and a Peaceful kingdom 1/2 the normal number.
assigned a creature size descriptor, though every race and Contrariwise, an Aggressive kingdom can field 50% more
culture will have its own nomenclature for army armies of armies than normal, while a Warlike nation can field double
different sizes. the normal number of armies.
Table 3: Army Size
Army Type Soldiers Equipment Camouflage Army Challenge Rating (ACR)
Hero 1 n/a +10 CR of individual creature -4
Patrol 5 x.1 +8 CR of individual creature -2
Squad 10 x.25 +6 CR of individual creature
Platoon 20 x.5 +4 CR of individual creature +2
Company 50 x.75 +2 CR of individual creature +4
Battalion 100 x1 +0 CR of individual creature +6
Regiment 200 x2 -2 CR of individual creature +8
Brigade 500 x5 -5 CR of individual creature +10
Legion 1000 x10 -10 CR of individual creature +12

13
 The kingdom’s General has nominal command of all military
forces of the kingdom, though in any battle the General may or
Command Boons
may not personally lead those armies. Often, another PC or NPC As described in the existing mass combat rules, boons are
is designated as the local commander, such as the Heir, Marshal, special advantages that a commander or significant character
Royal Enforcer, Ruler, and Warden, and this individual leads the offers to an army. The standard rules assume that kingdom
armies involved in the battle. In the standard published rules, leaders possess a number of automatic boons, but you can
the overall commander of the kingdom’s armies has no game ignore this rule if you wish for the tailoring of boons specific
effect on armies that she does not personally lead. to each character be a more organic process.
Leadership Bonus: In the published rules, a commander’s Likewise, the standard rules allow characters to select one
Charisma modifier applies as a bonus to his army’s Morale boon per 5 hit dice; if you wish to restrict this number to simplify
checks, with an additional bonus of +1 per 5 hit dice. These command and control or create more significant choices for
rules presume a larger role for commanders (especially when PCs, you can instead allow each commander or significant
they are player characters), allowing them to have a greater character to provide only a single command boon. This boon
impact on the battlefield effectiveness of troops under must be chosen when the character first trains with an army,
their command. Expert commanders deploy their forces to taking one kingdom turn, and it cannot be changed until the
maximum advantage while pedestrian leaders keep their character acquires at least one additional hit die, at which point
troops too long in compromising positions on the field, the old boon can be discarded and a new boon added.
blunting their effectiveness in both attack and defense. This Many command boons have prerequisites based on class
skill in command is represented by the Leadership Bonus features, feats, or proficiencies; usually these prerequisites
(LB) statistic, and it applies not only to Morale checks but depend on the commander or significant character, but some
also to DV and OM. also depend on the creatures comprising the army to which the
A commander’s base LB is equal to +1 for every 5 hit dice. A boon applies. Some boons affect all armies on a side, but some
commander’s LB is increased by 1 for each of the following: affect only a single army, usually the one led by the commander
Intelligence modifier +3 or greater, Charisma modifier +3 or whose boon it is; however, some boons can be used to affect
greater, Wisdom modifier +3 or greater, or an appropriate an allied army instead, or even shifted from army to army each
background (at the GM’s discretion). Ability modifiers that Battle Phase. Unless otherwise specified, a significant character
are magically enhanced provide this increase only if that must be present at a battle (or, for some boons, with a specific
bonus is permanent, such as through a magical item (but not army) in order to provide the benefits of a command boon.
a temporary spell). Leaders and Losses: If a leader is killed or incapacitated, any
boons he provides are lost for the remainder of the battle, except
Significant Characters: While each army has only one
for permanent boons. If an army is destroyed or disbanded,
commander, it is certainly possible for more than one powerful
d100 should be rolled for its commander and any significant
character or creature to accompany and support an army.
character fighting with it to determine if they escape (01-30), are
These special auxiliaries are called significant characters, and
killed (31-50), or are captured (51-00). Player characters should
by embedding themselves within an army they allow that army
typically escape with 25% of their hit points rather than being
to gain access to command boons that would not normally be
killed, or the GM may run an individual combat encounter to
available to them or their commander. A significant character
resolve their fate. In any event, characters that escape can spend
can accompany only one army at a time. Each player character
one Battle Phase making their way to the Command Zone (not
accompanying an army counts as a significant character. In the
counting the phase in which their army was eliminated). Once
case of a GM-controlled army, those significant characters are
there, the commanding general can reassign them to a new
typically unique NPCs, which should probably be comparable
army and in subsequent Battle Phases they can again make use
in number to the number of PCs present.
of their command boon (not including permanent boons).
If no significant character is present with an army, it is led Permanent Boons: Some command boons are not dependent
by an unexceptional commander that is a typical creature of on a specific action taken by a commander during battle,
the type comprising the army. but instead reflect specialized training of the unit with their
The Command Zone: As described under The Field of commander and with other soldiers with a similar range of skills.
Battle, the general in charge of the battle and any other These permanent boons must be applied when an army is created,
significant characters that are not personally leading armies and the commander cannot later shift the permanent boon to
on the field are considered to be directing the battle from a different army, though he can retire from command of the
behind the lines. The Command Zone is not necessarily a army. The leader forfeits the ability to grant a boon (or one boon,
fixed location but is wherever the commander and his aides if able to grant more than one) for 2d4 months after retiring. If
may be at any given point, shuttling from place to place the commander leaves an army with a permanent boon, whether
giving orders and providing support where it is required. through death, retirement, or some other incapacity, and is not
Characters in the Command Zone are not part of any army replaced by another significant leader that also qualifies to grant
and cannot be directly attacked or damaged until defending the same command boon, the army loses 1d4 points of Morale
armies are eliminated, as described in Victory and Aftermath. and the permanent boon is lost within 1d4 months.

14
 The following boons can be selected by commanders, but Defensive Tactics: As described in the basic mass combat
no boon can be applied to an army more than once unless rules in Kingdoms.
otherwise noted. Most boons apply to only one army at a Expert Flankers: As described in the basic mass combat rules
time but can be shifted from unit to unit during each Battle in Kingdoms, but moved to being a command boon rather than a
Phase. A boon marked with an A applies to all allied armies Tactic, as command boons better represent the concept of training
(or includes an effect that affects all allied armies). A boon to develop expertise in a particular style of combat vs. tactics being
marked with P is a permanent boon that applies to only a a particular action or maneuver performed during a battle.
single army and cannot be shifted to other armies.
Flexible Tactics: As described in the basic mass combat
Advanced Tactics: An army with this boon gains a +2 bonus rules in Kingdoms.
to its OM; however, this bonus is halved if the target army also
has Advanced Tactics or Defensive Tactics. Requirement: The Hit and RunP: As described in the existing mass combat
character granting this boon must have at least 11 hit dice. rules. In addition, if an army with this boon attacks an army
with which it is not engaged, it can attempt to disengage
Bloodied but Unbroken: As described in the basic mass immediately after its attack by making a Morale check.
combat rules in Kingdoms. Requirement: The character granting this boon and soldiers
Bonus Tactic: As described in the basic mass combat rules must have a Dexterity score of 15 or higher, or an ability that
in Kingdoms. grants a permanent movement speed increase (such as a
Cavalry Experts: As described in the existing mass combat barbarian’s fast movement) or the ability to dash or withdraw
rules, but moved to being a command boon rather than a Tactic, as a bonus action (such as a rogue’s cunning action ability).
as command boons better represent the concept of training to Hold the Line: As described in the basic mass combat rules in
develop expertise in a particular style of combat vs. tactics being Kingdoms. Requirement: The character granting this boon must
a particular action or maneuver performed during a battle. be a barbarian, bard, fighter, or paladin with 2 or more hit dice.
Combined Tactics: An army with this boon deploys Implacable Advance: Each Melee phase, this boon grants
screening infantry to defend its ranged attackers. The army one army a +1 bonus to OM, damage, and Morale until the
cannot attack in the Melee Phase but gains a +1 bonus to end of the current Melee Phase. Any army it attacks takes a
its DV until the beginning of the next Battle Phase and -1 penalty to Morale until the beginning of the next Battle
can make ranged attacks even if engaged. Requirement: The Phase. Requirement: The character granting this boon must
character granting this boon and the creatures have 11 or more hit dice.
comprising the army must have ranged Last StandP: A unit with this boon can stave off
weapons and a Dexterity of 13 or higher. elimination when on the brink of destruction.
Daring Maneuvers: An army with If the army is reduced to 0 hit points or
this boon can overextend itself below, it is not defeated or destroyed if
to press home an advantage, it receives a Magical Healing boon or
though this leaves its flanks uses Healing Potions before the
exposed. The army gains a +4 end of the current Battle Phase
OM (or AV) bonus but takes sufficient to restore it to at least
a -2 penalty to DV until 1 hit point. Even if it does not
it acts in the next Battle receive this healing, it remains
Phase. engaged with any enemy
Death Before Dishonor: armies until the end of the
An army with this boon next Melee phase, and it can
reduces Morale penalties make an attack in that phase
or reductions, regardless against an army engaged
of their source. All effects with it, though it cannot
that would cause a -1 move, retreat, disengage, or
penalty to Morale have attack armies not engaged
no effect, while larger with it. Requirement: The
Morale penalties or character granting this
reductions are reduced boon and the creatures
by 1. Requirement: The comprising the army
character granting this must have the rage class
boon and the soldiers feature, or the relentless
in the army must all be endurance half-orc trait,
barbarians, fighters, or another similar
or paladins with 2 ability at the GM’s
or more hit dice. discretion.

15
 Live off the Land: As described in the basic mass combat Master RecruiterA: The maximum number of armies the
rules in Kingdoms. kingdom may support is increased by 2. If this boon is lost,
LoyaltyA: As described in the existing mass combat rules. the armies with the lowest Morale immediately disbands
In addition, as long as a commander with this boon and his and flees the battlefield. If multiple armies have identical
army are active on the field, all allied armies gain a +1 bonus Morale scores, determine randomly). Requirement: The
to Morale checks made to avoid routing or disbanding character granting this boon must have a Charisma score of
during the Rout phase. Requirement: The character providing 17 or higher.
this boon must have a Charisma score of 15 or higher. Merciless: As described in the basic mass combat rules in
Magical AdvantageA: All allied armies gain a +1 bonus on Kingdoms.. In addition, if you reduce an enemy army to 0
damage rolls and gain a +1 bonus to Morale checks if the hit points, it is automatically destroyed rather than merely
army they attack does not also have Magical Advantage or defeated. Requirement: The character granting this boon must
Magical Protection. Requirement: The character providing have at least 6 hit dice and either proficiency in Intimidation
this boon must be able to cast at least one spell of 6th level or an evil alignment.
or higher. Quick Repairs: An army inside a fortification can conduct
Magical Barrage: An army with this boon can attack during emergency repairs while a battle still rages, repairing 1d6
the Ranged Phase make ranged attacks with a bonus to OM points of damage to a fortification at the end of each Rout
(for ranged attacks only) equal to 1/2 the level of the highest- Phase (assuming the army has not been routed itself ). An
level spell that the character granting the boon is able to army on board one or more ships, or a naval squadron with
cast. Requirement: The character granting the boon must be this command boon, can likewise use this ability to repair
capable of casting at least one area-effect offensive spell of ships that have not been sunk. Requirement: The character
3rd level or higher. granting this boon must be able to cast at least one 4th-level
or higher spell that creates or modifies raw materials, such
Magical Healing: Immediately before the end of each
as fabricate.
Battle phase, this unit can remove 2d4 hp of damage from
any one allied army. If the target army is fatigued, that Ready for Battle: An army with this boon gains a +4 bonus
condition is removed but the damage healed is halved. If to skill checks made to determine tactical initiative during
the target army is exhausted, that condition is reduced to the Tactics Phase. Requirement: None.
fatigued and the damage healed is halved. Requirement: The Screaming for VengeanceA: The first time during a battle
character granting this boon and the soldiers in the army that any army is defeated, destroyed, or routed (but not if
must each have an ability that cures hit point damage, such it is disbanded), all allied armies gain a +1 bonus to OM
as second wind or the cure wounds spell. and Morale checks for the remainder of that Battle phase
Magical Protection: An army with this boon gains a +1 (doubled to +2 if attacking or engaged with the army that
bonus to its DV and reduces damage from all attacks by 1 killed their allied army). Requirement: None.
point. In addition, modifiers from enemies using Magical SharpshooterP: As described in the basic mass combat
Advantage, Magical Barrage, and Magical Trickery are negated rules in Kingdoms. In addition, the army never deals friendly
for an army with this boon. Requirement: The character fire damage to allied armies. Requirement: The character
granting this boon must be capable of casting abjuration granting this boon and the creatures comprising the army
spells of 4th level or higher. must have the archery combat style or the Sharpshooter feat.
Magical Trickery: At the beginning of each Battle Phase, Swift RidersP: An army with this boon gains a +2 bonus
this army may select one enemy army to confound with to Morale checks to disengage (doubled to +4 against enemy
illusions, mind-affecting effects, and magical barriers to armies that are not mounted). Requirement: mounts. Cannot
sight and movement. The target army takes a penalty equal use medium or heavy armor, each soldier must have Dexterity
to 1/2 the highest-level spell that the character providing this or Wisdom 13 or higher.
boon is able to cast, and that character may choose to affect Triage: As described in the basic mass combat rules in
the target army’s OM, DV, Morale, Movement, or Scouting, or Kingdoms.
as a bonus to an allied army’s Camouflage. If the target army’s
Wolves in the FoldP: An army with this boon uses disguise
speed is reduced to 0, it cannot disengage or use any tactic,
and deception to infiltrate enemy lines and throw them
boon, or special ability requiring movement. Each round,
into chaos. On the first Melee Phase of a battle, this army
you may target a different enemy army, or you may continue
gains a +1d6 bonus to its OM (or AV), and on a successful
targeting the same army with a different penalty or repeating
attack the target army takes a -1 penalty to its own OM (or
the same penalty. The effects of Magical Trickery end at the
AV), DV, and Morale until the beginning of the next Battle
beginning of the next Battle Phase unless you renew them.
Phase. Requirement: The character granting the boon and
Requirement: The character granting this boon must be able
the soldiers must have the sneak attack ability; or the ability
to cast at least one area-effect illusion or mind-affecting spell
to change their shape or appearance to that of the enemy
or spell that impedes movement (e.g., black tentacles) of 3rd
(such as through disguise self); or proficiency in Charisma
level or higher.
(Deception) and at least 5 hit dice.

16
Recruiting an Army recruitment still cost your kingdom a number of BP equal
to 1/2 the ACR of the army you intended to create (rounding
The standard campaign rules provide a simple system for up). However, your efforts are not wholly wasted, as you gain
creating armies: It is simply an option to be taken in lieu of a +5 bonus to your Loyalty check to recruit an army during
founding a settlement during the Improvement Phase. Use your following kingdom turn if you try to create one at the
the action, pay the creation cost, and you are done. Your army same Fort or settlement.
is created immediately (with the abstracted assumption that You can also use an Improvement Edict to make adjustments
you’ve been spending the month when you take the kingdom to an existing army, which does not require a Loyalty check.
action). However, there are many unanswered or ambiguous You can add equipment to an existing army by using your
questions about army creation, such as the relative costs Improvement Edict (as described below in Equipping an
involved in mustering an army versus simply maintaining Army). You can also expand an army to the next larger army
it. What follows here are more elaborate rules involving size (see Table 3: Army Size) by spending BP equal to the new,
army recruitment, whether using the standard Kingdoms larger unit’s ACR. An army gaining new soldiers or equipment
rules or the expanded rules (including Recruitment Edicts gains no benefits from them until the end of the month in
and Manpower) described in Ultimate Rulership (5E) from which the Improvement Edict was issued, as the army must
Legendary Games. spend that time training with its new additions.
Kingdoms Rules: Creating an army as part of your Ultimate Rulership Rules: Using the Recruitment Edict
Improvement Edict requires a Loyalty check, with a penalty rules from Ultimate Rulership, you can achieve a more
equal to the ACR of the army you intend to create. If successful, granular and more realistic pattern of recruitment than
you must spend BP equal to twice the army’s ACR in order boiling down the act of recruitment to army formation in
to create the new army. The army must be created in one specific cities. Instead, you can have your kingdom engage
of your Forts or in a settlement with a Barracks (for armies in nationwide recruitment, making one Loyalty check per
of up to 100 soldiers) or in a settlement with a Garrison day, adding its Infamy modifier and an additional bonus
(for armies of 100 or more). The army is not successfully equal to the number of BP it spends on recruitment. Your
created if the Loyalty check is unsuccessful, your efforts at kingdom must spend at least 1 BP each day it recruits, but

17
 it is not required to recruit every day of a month in which establish themselves. The BP cost of recruiting a mercenary
it issues a Recruitment Edict. Each day that you succeed on army is reduced by half compared to recruiting a citizen army,
your Loyalty check, you attract 1d6 soldiers per BP spent, and mercenary armies do not count against the kingdom’s
plus an additional 2d6 soldiers per Barracks and Fort and Manpower limit or its Command Limit on how many armies
4d6 soldiers per Castle or Garrison. If you roll a natural 20 it can field. However, mercenaries demand to be paid in cash
on your Loyalty check, you attract the maximum number of for the duration of their employment. A typical fee is 100 gp
soldiers that day. A failed check means that the minimum times the army’s ACR every week; this fee is in addition to the
number of soldiers arrive (or none, if you roll a natural 1 kingdom paying the BP cost for their consumption.
on this check). You may choose to recruit Elites rather than Mercenaries can be recruited unequipped, arming as the
ordinary soldiers, assuming you have any prerequisite kingdom wishes and at their expense. They may also be
buildings available in your kingdom (such buildings must hired with their own equipment, but in which case they will
be in the same city district as a Barracks, Castle, or Garrison); charge a fee of 100 gp times the BP value of their equipment
however, each check brings only 1/4 the normal number of each month (each year if a reserve army). Healing potions for
soldiers (rounding down). a mercenary army must be bought with BP.
Recruits: Once people are recruited, they are considered Recruiting a mercenary army functions much like
recruits but are not yet an army. The kingdom’s Consumption recruiting a normal army; however, the kingdom also must
increases by 1 for every 100 recruits (or fraction thereof ) it make an Economy check against the same DC any time it
supports, and recruits count against the kingdom’s Manpower makes a Loyalty check as part of the recruitment process.
limit. Recruits that will not be used as reinforcements to an
existing unit or used to form a new unit can be kept at the
improvement where they were recruited in anticipation of Equipping an Army
adding further recruits in the future or they can be sent home
to avoid paying Consumption or to decrease the kingdom’s Girding an army for battle is an expensive endeavor. At the
Manpower load. time an army is created, as a default it is assumed to possess
simple melee weapons and light armor, often homemade
Reinforcements: Recruits can be added to an existing army
or improvised from equipment normally used in farming,
that has been bloodied. As described above, they can also
crafts, or trades. Gear can be upgraded at any time after
be added to an existing unit to increase it to the next larger
the unit is created, assuming the army is in the same hex
army size (see Table 3: Army Size). Whether replenishing a
as a settlement containing a building of the appropriate
bloodied army or expanding a healthy army, the new recruits
type. However, each time gear is changed for an army after
provide no benefit to the army until the end of the month in
creation, the army must undergo training with their new
which the recruits were added.
gear. This takes one month, and until training is completed
Training: Once a sufficient number of soldiers has been the army gains no benefit from its new equipment.
attracted, you can begin forming them into one or more
armies or armies, spending a number of BP equal to twice
the ACR of each unit (plus any modifiers for equipment) to
create the unit. At this point, the army or unit must train
until the end of the next kingdom turn after the Recruitment
Edict was issued, at which point another Loyalty check is
required with a penalty equal to the new army or unit’s ACR.
If the check succeeds, the army is ready for duty. If it fails, the
unit’s training is incomplete it must wait until the following
kingdom turn to attempt another Loyalty check (with a
cumulative +2 bonus for each check after the first), spending
BP equal to its ACR each month. Once the Loyalty check is
successful, the unit is ready for battle.
Recruiting Mercenaries: Rather than conscripting or
recruiting its own citizens to fight, a kingdom can hire
mercenaries to fight its battles on its behalf. Mercenary
armies come ready-trained and usually have their own
equipment, though smaller mercenary bands may be seeking
employment in the hope of making enough money to truly

18
Table 4: Equipping an Army
Army Equipment Cost Melee Ranged DV Movement Requires
Armor, Heavy 8 BP - - +2 -1 Smith, Tannery
Armor, Magic 16 BP - - +1 1
- Smith, Magic Shop
Armor, Medium 2 BP - - +1 -1 Smith, Tannery
Chariots, Heavy 15 BP +2 +0 +1 as mount -1 Smith, Stable
M,2

Chariots, Light 9 BP +1 +0 - as mount Smith, Stable

M,2

Firearms2 16 BP - +1 - - Exotic Artisan, Smith

Howdahs, 20 BP - +1 +2 as mount -1 Exotic Artisan, Stable
Heavy M,2
Howdahs, Light 12 BP - +0 +1 as mount Exotic Artisan, Stable
M,2

Mounts, HeavyM 10 BP +2 - - as mount Stable

Mounts, Light M
6 BP +1 - - as mount Stable
Potions, 4 BP - - - - Alchemist or Temple
Healing
Potions, Magic 8 BP - - - - Alchemist, Caster’s Tower, Sacred Grove, or
Temple
Shields 1 BP - - +1 - Smith or Tannery
Shields, Magic 16 BP - - +1 1
- Smith, Magic Shop
Siege Weapons, 5 BP - +1 - -1 Exotic Artisan
Light2
Siege Weapons, 15 BP - +2 - -2 Exotic Artisan
Heavy2
Siege Weapons, 10 BP +1 - +1 -2 Exotic Artisan
Close
Weapons, Magic 24 BP +2 +2 - - Smith, Magic Shop
Weapons, 1 BP - +0 - - -
Ranged2
Weapons, Reach 1 BP - - +13 - -
Weapons, 4 BP +1 +1 - - Smith
Superior

M
An army with mounts has double the normal Consumption cost (triple normal for chariots and howdahs), as the mounts
must also be provisioned. In addition, the cost to equip an army with mounts with Medium or Heavy Armor is increased by
50% to provide barding for the mounts.
1
The DV bonus for magic armor can be applied to ordinary armor but also stacks with Medium and Heavy Armor. The
bonus for Magic Shields also stacks but requires Shields.
2
An army with Ranged Weapons increases its Consumption by 1 (by 1d4 if using Firearms or Heavy Siege Weapons) during
any week in which it participates in a battle.
3
This DV bonus applies only against armies with mounts or armies that are not already engaged with you. An army cannot
use both Reach Weapons during any Battle Phase in which it uses Ranged Weapons or Shields.

19
 Instead, its OM for ranged attacks is based on the CR of
the creatures riding in the howdah, which is treated for
this purpose (and for the purpose of recruiting, manpower,
and effects on the kingdom if these soldiers are killed) as
a separate army of smaller creatures but does not have its
own separate Consumption, nor does it count against the
kingdom’s Command Limit. If the mount army is bloodied,
defeated, destroyed, disbanded, or routed, the rider army
suffers the same fate.
Howdah, Grand: Grand howdahs are mounted on creatures
three size categories larger than the howdah’s riders. A grand
howdah carries 10 soldiers, so its OM is determined as an
army three size categories larger than the mount army.
Howdah, Light: Light howdahs are mounted on creatures
two size categories larger than the howdah’s riders (such as
humans and elephants). A light howdah carries 4-5 soldiers,
so the ranged OM of the howdah army is determined as an
army two size categories larger than the mount army.
Magic Potions: Armies with magic potions can choose any
one of the following effects that they can use as a single-use
special ability that lasts for the duration of one Battle phase:
elemental resistance (choose one), magic weapons, aligned
Cost: This listed BP cost on Table 4 should be multiplied by weapons (overcome superior damage reduction), climb
the Equipment modifier on Table 3 above for army. (Speed 1), defense (+2 DV), flight (Speed 5), invisibility (+4
Chariots: These wheeled conveyances are driven into Morale check to disengage, +2 Camouflage).
combat, drawn by a team of war-trained beasts of burden Magic Weapons: This equipment benefit applies to both
and bearing one or more warriors into battle. melee and ranged weapons. It overlaps and does not
Chariots, Heavy: These combat vehicles are stout and stack with superior weapons (and can be upgraded from
sturdy, drawn by a team of two heavy or four light mounts. superior weapons).
Heavy chariots are usually armor-plated to give cover to a pair Siege Weapons: These function as described in the existing
of armed passengers. The chariots themselves are typically mass combat rules, but with the following adjustments based
spiked and bladed for scything through enemy formations. on their category.
Chariots, Light: These combat vehicles are lightweight and
fast, each drawn by a single heavy mount or a pair of light
mounts, usually with a single driver and a bow-armed rider.
Bladed hubs cut a bloody path though creatures approaching
a moving chariot’s flanks.
Healing Potions: Armies with healing potions can use the
Magical Healing command boon on themselves on a one-
time basis. Unlike most equipment, training time is not
required to use healing potions. Once used, they must be
replaced before being usable again.
Howdah: Howdahs are special saddles and battle platforms
used by smaller creatures to ride much larger creatures
(more than one size category larger) into combat. The base
army is considered to be the unit on which the howdahs are
mounted, and its CR is used to determine the ACR of the
army in Melee situations. A unit with howdahs can make
ranged attacks; however, the larger and generally much
stronger creature bearing the howdah is not the creature
making those ranged attacks, so its base CR is not used to
determined the howdah army’s ranged OM (unless the base
creature is a dragon, manticore, or similar creature with its
own powerful ranged attack).

20
 Siege Weapons, Close: These heavy rams, picks, tumbling Each active army increases your kingdom’s Consumption
flails, and battle-wagons can attack only in Melee, and by 1 for every 25 soldiers or fraction thereof, which must be
generally are deployed in conjunction with movable mantlets paid once per week.
and galleries or even full-blown siege towers.
Reserve Armies: In addition to keeping active armies in the
Siege Weapons, Light: These light weapons, including field, a kingdom can maintain any number of reserve armies.
smaller ballistae, catapults, springals, cannons, and mortars Reserve armies do not count against the kingdom’s command
must attack from the Ranged zone.
limit, and soldiers in a reserve army count as only 50% of
Siege Weapons, Heavy: These massive siege engines, like their actual number in terms of the kingdom’s Manpower
large mangonels, trebuchets, and bombards can be placed limit. Once formed, reserve armies must be stationed in a
within the Camp zone and still be able to make ranged specific improvement, as described below.
attacks against enemy forces. They cannot be attacked in
return except by other heavy siege weapons or by an army
with the Magical Bombardment command boon. Table 5: Reserve Armies
Improvement Maximum Special
Name Soldiers
Maintaining an Army Bardic College 50 Bards only
The existing rules predicate the Consumption score of Barracks 50
an army upon its ACR, which makes a certain sense in that
Caster’s Tower 20 Sorcerers, warlocks,
it reflects the proportional size of larger or smaller armies.
wizards only
However, that logic breaks down when the Consumption
Castle 200
required by one army of 100 7th-level human fighters is
vastly different from the Consumption required by an army Cathedral 50 Clerics and paladins only
of 100 1st-level human fighters. True, BP are an abstract Fort 100
concept and can include higher monetary rewards for more Garrison 500
skilled soldiers, but if you prefer for Consumption to reflect
more the physical upkeep and needs of your armies, you can Magical Academy 50 Sorcerers, warlocks,
consider the following alternate rules. wizards only
Military Academy 100
Abstract Armed Forces: While not directly represented
in the mass combat rules, the monthly Stability checks the Monastery 20 Monks only
kingdom makes to keep the kingdom functioning smoothly Sacred Grove 20 Druids and rangers only
assume the existence of ordinary local watch, town guard, Temple 20 Clerics and paladins only
city police, and militia patrols throughout the kingdom. Watchtower 20
These abstract armies have no statistics as such but allow
the kingdom to deal with local threats arising from kingdom
Any building used to house a reserve army must have a
events and other small-scale disturbances. Abstract armed
Granary in the same city district. In addition, if a unit has
forces do not affect your Consumption.
mounts, there must be a Stable in the same city district.
Active Armies: Most kingdoms do not maintain large
Reserve armies are described under the existing Optional
standing armies, ready to march into battle at a moment’s
Mass Combat Rules. In addition, since reserve armies spend
notice. This is due both to the direct cost to outfit the troops,
most of their time going about their daily life and work,
house them, feed them, and train them, but also because
usually spending less than a week each month on drill and
every soldier kept under active arms is a worker not tending
training. They can be put on active duty at any time; this does
to their shops or their crops. Still, a wise kingdom will keep
not require a kingdom action but does cost BP equal to 1/2
at least some armies ready to fight.
the army’s ACR, and Consumption must be paid on a weekly
As described under Command Limit, a kingdom can rather than monthly basis. In addition, the army takes a -1
maintain a maximum number of active armies equal to its penalty to its OM, DV, and Morale until your next kingdom
Loyalty modifier divided by 10, adjusted by the Charisma turn or until it survives its first battle, whichever comes first.
modifier of the kingdom’s general. The total number of
Reserve armies do not increase your Consumption
soldiers in the kingdom’s active armies (plus its reserve
based on the number of armies. Instead, total the number
armies) is determined by its Manpower limit. Active armies
of soldiers in all reserve armies in your kingdom; your
can be stationed in any hex your kingdom has claimed (or
kingdom’s Consumption increases by 1 for every 100 soldiers
sent into an unclaimed hex if you wish).
or fraction thereof, and this Consumption is paid per month

21
 as part of your normal kingdom turn. If you move a reserve Beast Stride (Druid 2, Ranger 8): An army with this ability
army from one base of operations to another, this incurs ignores penalties from rough terrain (see Terrain) comprised
additional Consumption increase of 1 per 100 soldiers or of plants, undergrowth, and trees.
fraction thereof in that unit for each week or portion of a Breath Weapon: As described in Kingdoms, but the bonus
week in which the reserve army travels. is +1 per 3 dice of damage (rounding down) that your breath
Retiring an Army: You can retire a reserve army in any weapon deals.
city where it is stationed. You recover a number of BP equal Charger: An army whose members possess pounce,
to 1/2 the army’s ACR from the sale of its equipment and trampling charge, or similar abilities gains +1 OM for each
increased productivity in that city as workers return to their ability it possesses when attacking an army with which it is
jobs. You can retire an active army in any city with a Barracks not already engaged.
or Garrison, generating BP equal to the army’s ACR. A retired Climb: As described in Kingdoms, but in addition An army
army generates no Consumption and its former soldiers no with a climb speed can make melee attacks against armies
longer count against your kingdom’s Manpower limit. inside a fortification, becoming engaged with that army with
a successful attack (though they take a -1 penalty to DV when
Supply Lines: It takes more resources to supply an army engaged in this way). If they successfully attack an army
when it is away from your supply network. Any time an active inside a fortification in consecutive Battle phases, they can
army is 10 or more hexes away from your nearest settlement subsequently attempt to disengage inside the fortification,
or Fort, its Consumption is increased by 25% per 10 hexes, up ignoring its Defense value for the remainder of the battle (but
to a maximum increase of 100%. losing the ability to use the Retreat tactic for the remainder
of the battle).
Construct: As described in Kingdoms, but in addition
Special Abilities constructs never rout or become fatigued.
Create Spawn: If an army with the ability to create undead
While the mass combat rules in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
spawn (like a wight’s life drain or a wraith’s create specter
Ultimate Campaign provide rules for a great many special ability) destroys a living humanoid army of equal or greater
abilities for creatures and characters alike, that list is far size, it heals 25% of any damage it has taken as it adds newly
from exhaustive. The list of abilities that could be translated created undead to itself.
into mass combat equivalents is essentially endless, and
Danger Sense (Barbarian 2, Rogue 5): If an army with
this product cannot contain them all, but the following are
this ability is ambushed, the attacking army must resolve
offered as additional rules to expand the range of possibilities the attack as a normal attack. An army with this ability is
for customizing your armies so that their combat statistics unaffected by Feint tactics.
reflect the creatures that comprise them more fully.
Divine Smite (Paladin 2): As described in Kingdoms, but in
Ability Modifier: When an army is comprised of a humanoid addition when this ability is used this army’s Melee attack
race with a modifier to its physical ability scores, it affects the ignores any resistance to damage if the defending army is
combat statistics of the armies they comprise: evil. This ability can be used in only one Melee phase per day.
Strength: The army gains a +1 bonus to OM if its soldiers Dwarven Resilience: An army of dwarves does not have its
gain a bonus to Strength, -1 if they have a penalty. movement rate reduced when wearing Medium Armor or
Dexterity: The army gains a +1 bonus to OM if its soldiers Heavy Armor and gains a +1 bonus to DV and Morale checks
gain a bonus to Dexterity, -1 if they have a penalty. to resist poison and magical effects. The army also gains a
+2 DV bonus against armies comprised of creatures with the
Constitution: The army gains 1 additional hit point and a +1
giant subtype.
bonus to Morale checks to avoid fatigue if its soldiers have a
bonus to Constitution, -1 if they have a penalty. Elven Grace: An army of elves gains a +1 bonus to Morale
checks to resist Magical Trickery and a +1 bonus to
Ability Damage or Drain (alternate): When you successfully
scouting checks.
attack in melee, the defending unit takes a -1d4 penalty to
OM and DV for the remainder of the battle. Energy Immunity: An army with this ability takes no damage
from attacks of the energy type to which it is immune.
Amorphous: This unit is immune to critical hits in mass
combat; when an attacking unit rolls a natural 20 on its Halfling Luck: An army of halflings gains a +1 bonus to all
attack, they deal normal damage. Morale checks.
Beast Friend (Druid 1, Ranger 1): An army with this ability Life Drain: As described in Kingdoms, but in addition the
gains a +1 DV bonus against armies that include animals, attacking army removes 2 points of damage (or Casualties)
including animals with mounts. each time it damages a living army.

22
 Magic Resistance: As described in Kingdoms, but this Sneak Attack (Rogue 1): As described in Kingdoms, but this
army also gains +1 DV and a +3 bonus to Morale when an army can also use this ability in conjunction with the Pincer
attacking army uses the Magical Advantage, Magical Barrage, Maneuver Tactic and the Wolves in the Fold Command Boon.
or Magical Trickery command boons. In addition, on a successful attack when using this ability,
Multiattack: An army whose members possess the the attack deals an additional +1 point of damage for every 2
multiattack ability gains +1 OM when attacking an army with levels of the ninjas or rogues in the army over 1st.
which it is already engaged. Spellcasting: An army comprised of spellcasters or creatures
Orcish Ferocity: An army of half-orcs or orcs gains the with spell-like abilities can make use of the Magical Advantage,
Ferocity special ability and gains a +1 bonus to opposed Magical Barrage, Magical Healing, Magical Protection, or
Morale checks when fighting an unit that has taken more Magical Trickery command boons, provided its members have
casualties than they have. spells or innate spellcasting of the appropriate type to qualify
for each boon; they do not need a leader to grant those boons.
Paralysis: As described in Kingdoms, but it also reduces
the Movement of the target army by 1. If movement reaches Sunlight Sensitivity: An army of creatures with this special
0, the target army can continue to fight but cannot move, quality take penalties in bright light (see Visibility) as other
disengage, retreat, or withdraw, nor can it prevent enemy creatures would take in dim light.
armies from disengaging or attack them when they do. The Track (Ranger 1): An army with this ability gains a +1 bonus
effects of paralysis can be removed by the Magical Healing to its Scouting score.
ability. In addition, an army can attempt a Morale check at Trackless Steps (Druid 3 or Ranger 3): An army with this
the beginning of the next Rout phase to reduce the penalties ability gains a +1 bonus to its Camouflage score.
caused by paralysis by 1.
Trip: If the creatures comprising the army have the ability
Petrification: As described in Kingdoms, and as the to knock targets prone after a successful attack, such as
Paralysis ability above, but this effect cannot be removed by wolves and worgs, a defending army also takes a -1 Movement
Magical Healing. penalty until the end of the current Battle phase.

23
 Whelm: This ability functions as Paralysis, but only if the Forced March: When moving overland, an army can
attacking army chooses to remain engaged with the defending be compelled to continue marching past the point of
army. An army with this ability gains +1 OM against swimming exhaustion. A typical forced march is for 12 hours instead
or shipboard armies and can automatically disengage from of only 8, allowing an army to move 1 additional hex beyond
them after attacking in melee, and automatically succeeds its normal movement. However, an army is automatically
at opposed checks to retreat or withdraw. An army with fatigued for 1 day after a forced march. An army that force
vortex can also attack two swimming or shipboard armies
marches again when already fatigued becomes exhausted
in the same Battle phase, making separate Melee attacks
and takes 1d4 points of damage.
against each and dealing half damage with each attack. The
Screening Defense tactic is ineffective against an army with
the vortex ability.
Whirlwind: This ability functions as Paralysis, but only Camouflage and Scouting
if the attacking army chooses to remain engaged with the
defending army. An army with this ability gains +1 OM In most cases, armies travel in the open, with little effort at
against flying armies and can automatically disengage from stealth. As a result, detection of enemy armies is considered
any army after attacking in melee, automatically succeeding to be automatic for any enemy armies that are in the same
at opposed checks to retreat or withdraw. An army with the hex. However, armies can bivouac under cover to hide their
whirlwind ability can also attack two armies in the same presence, and by moving at half speed they can remain largely
Battle phase, making separate Melee attacks against each out of sight. Note that if an army would already be moving
and dealing half damage with each attack. The Screening at only 1 hex per day, it must use a forced march (see below)
Defense tactic is ineffective against an army with the to continue moving at 1 hex per day while using camouflage.
whirlwind ability. To notice another army that is using camouflage, an army
rolls 1d20 and adds its Scouting modifier against a DC equal

Special Rules to the enemy army’s Camouflage score, which is equal to 10

plus the commander’s LB (scout) bonus and applying the
Camouflage modifier noted in Table 3: Army Size, plus the
Warfare involves more than what happens when swords are army’s Dexterity (Stealth) modifier. GMs can apply a modifier
drawn on the field of blood and the deadly results of such an to the DC based on the size of individual units in the army:
encounter. There are also logistical realities to deal with in -2 per size category larger than Medium, +2 per size category
getting armies from place to place, and special and unusual smaller than Medium.
rules for battles that take place far from level ground and
open fields. When two armies enter adjacent hexes, each makes a
Scouting check with a -5 penalty. If both succeed, both are
aware of the other. If neither succeeds, neither is aware of
the other, and the two armies may continue moving and
On the March could blunder into one another. If one army succeeds and
Armies are slow-moving beasts at the best of times, and the other fails, it can set an ambush for the other, lying in
moving one cross-country is an exercise in patience; however, wait until the enemy army moves into its hex.
care must be taken an army (or a group of armies) can be Ambushes: When one army is aware of another but has
quite vulnerable if attacked while strung out along the road. not been noticed itself, it is in position for an ambush.
Leadership Bonus (LB): In addition to a commander’s An army waiting in ambush gains a +5 bonus to its
standard Leadership Bonus (see Commanders), which applies Camouflage score against an army that has already failed
to conventional warfare on the field of battle, a commander once to notice it. If the enemy army enters its square, it
can also have specialized Leadership Bonuses for several can trigger the ambush, allowing it to make a melee or
other common situations in warfare. Many commanders ranged attack (their choice) against the enemy army. For
specialize in one kind of warfare, but true warmasters try to the duration of the ambush, the attacker gains the benefit
be competent in all. of the Advanced Tactics command boon (gaining an
additional +2 bonus to OM if it already has that boon) for
LB (Scout): Determine LB (scout) as described above, the duration of the ambush. There is a 50% chance that
granting a bonus for backgrounds appropriate to scouting. high ground (see Terrain) is present at the ambush site;
Speed: Every army has a base Speed, which indicates how if so, the ambusher can occupy the high ground before
many 12-mile hexes it can cross in a day of typical marching. the ambush begins. This initial attack is followed by a
If several armies are moving together, they must travel at the Rout phase, and if the army being ambushed survives and
speed of the slowest army or else separate into faster and does not rout, the battle proceeds to the Tactics phase and
slower-moving groups. initiative is rolled normally.

24
 If the army it wishes to ambush fails to enter its hex, the move from their original position to reset their ambush. If
ambushing army can hold its position and wait for the any unit is detected, enemy armies sound an alarm and their
enemy army to spring the trap, or it can move to an adjacent opportunity for ambush is lost. Armies that are undetected
hex and reset the ambush. Having to shift its position makes cannot be attacked by the enemy. When they launch their
it easier to be discovered, and an ambushing army gains only ambush, it occurs after all other attacks have been resolved,
a +2 bonus to Camouflage if it has to move. immediately before the Rout phase.
If more than two armies (one on each side) are present, Living Off the Land: Armies with the Living Off the Land
then usually all armies on one side of the battle must command boon are highly skilled at surviving in the wild. Any
remain undetected in order for the ambush to be fully army can attempt to supply itself by foraging and hunting,
effective. At the GM’s option, however, it is possible for reducing its Consumption by half for one week. This requires
one or more armies to remain hidden while some of their a DC 10 Morale check, though the DC increases by 1 for every
allied armies engage in battle in the open. At the beginning 100 soldiers in the army. Each time an army attempts to live off
of every Rout phase that occurs, however, all enemy armies the land in the same hex, the DC increases by 1. Once a check
present can make a Scouting check to notice these armies is failed, that hex is exhausted in terms of available game.
hiding in preparation to ambush. Hidden armies gain a Armies can choose to commandeer resources from people
+2 bonus to their Camouflage score as long as they remain living in the hex, or simply rob them and pillage their
stationary; they get no bonus to Camouflage if they had to supplies. This adds a bonus of +1d6 to the Morale check,
+2d6 in a hex with farms, but each
hex you pillage results in -1 Loyalty
and +1 Infamy.
Supply Train: Most armies travel
with supply trains to take care of
ordinary physical needs of the troops
and to transport their materiel. Any
army that is more than 4 hexes from
your nearest city or Fort must have
a supply train traveling with it to
keep it supplied. A supply train is
represented the same way as an army,
though it may have weaker soldiers
(typically represented by fewer levels
or hit dice). If it is supporting a single
army, the supply train is one size
category smaller than that army. If the
supply train is supporting multiple
armies, it is the same size as the largest
army in the group. These armies are
typically noncombatant, remaining
in the Camp Zone, but at the GM’s
discretion may be forced into combat
by a relentless opponent or may be
captured or killed by a victorious
enemy. Armies in the supply train
do not count against a kingdom’s
command limit or Manpower limit,
but supply train armies lost in battle
do stack with soldiers lost in terms of
affecting their kingdom’s Economy,
Loyalty, and Stability, as described in
Victory and Aftermath, and they must
be dealt with as prisoners of war if
captured after a battle.

25
 High Ground: Typical battlefields are relatively even when
it comes to topography, but if the GM wishes the general
winning Tactical Initiative during the first Battle Phase of a
battle may claim the high ground, placing one army atop that
slope. It enjoys the bonuses listed above, while armies trying to
attack it have the listed penalties. The army forfeits the benefits
of the high ground if it is forced to leave the battlefield or if it
leaves its position to use any of the following Tactics: Furious
Charge, Overwhelming Onslaught, Pincer Maneuver, Pursuit.
If an army vacates the high ground, other armies can try to
claim it, though an engaged army must try to disengage in
order to do so. If more than one army tries to claim the high
ground, the two armies must fight; each of them takes the
penalties for attacking the high ground and neither gains the
bonuses of holding the high ground. If one army succeeds in
its attack and the other does not, the successful army claims
the high ground after both attacks are resolved.
Generally speaking, if a fortification (including a fortified
settlement) is present on the battlefield, that fortification will
always be built upon the high ground unless otherwise noted. At
the GM’s option, spells like move earth could be used to reshape
the battlefield and alter the position of the high ground.

Terrain Rough Terrain: This includes dense rubble, heavy

undergrowth, shallow bogs or water (such as a ford or beach), or
In warfare, the topography and terrain of a battle can have a trees, including any area prepared with plant growth or similar
huge impact. The standard rules assume a fairly even playing magic. Such terrain often offers cover and concealment.
field for both armies and little in the way of impeding terrain. Treacherous Terrain: This includes snow, ice, mud, deep
The following rules describe how to adapt a battlefield for bogs, shifting sand or snow, or fast-moving water. This
greater variety. terrain rarely offers much in the way of cover, and footing in
this terrain is very unstable.
Barriers: A cliff or ravine provides an impassable barrier,
as does any substantial body of open water too wide or too
deep to wade across. Neither prevents ranged attacks, but
both prevent movement or melee attack across the barrier
unless it is circumvented in some way.
Dangerous Terrain: This includes thorn brambles, hot
springs or geothermally active areas, a forest fire or brushfire,
toxic vapors, or magically treated areas of spike growth and the
like. If being used tactically to target specific enemy armies,
use the Magical Trickery command boon. If the entire
battlefield has been treated with such magic, then all armies
(except those inside fortifications) take 1 point of damage
at the beginning of every Rout phase unless they have the
Magical Protection command boon.
Table 6: Terrain
Terrain Melee Ranged DV Scout Movement
Cliff or ravine X - - - X (climbing or flying possible)
Dangerous terrain - - - - -1
Open water X - - - X (swimming or flying possible)
Rough terrain - - +1 -1 -1
High ground (holding) +1 +1 - +1 +1
High ground (attacking) -1 - -1 - -1
Treacherous terrain - - -2 -1 -1

26
Visibility (see Ranged Phase) is increased to 50%. In addition, even attacks
during the Melee phase against an army engaged with an ally
In warfare, simply identifying friend from foe is not always have a 25% of dealing damage as friendly fire to your allied army.
easy, and this is especially true when some creatures have If you attack an army that is not engaged with any other
perceptual abilities far beyond those available in the real army (including yours) using one of the following tactics, the
world. Creatures able to see in the dark have a great advantage attacking army has a 25% chance of inflicting friendly fire
in battles at night, while those sensitive to bright light avoid damage on itself due to the fog of war: Cavalry Sweep, False
fighting by day if they can. Weather effects are described in the Retreat, Furious Charge, Feint, Overwhelming Onslaught,
subsequent section, but the table below describes the effect Pincer Maneuver, Pursuit, Skirmishers.
of various illumination levels on general combat effectiveness
on offense and defense, as well as the ability of armies to Weather
spot one another or even to move effectively. Creatures able
to see normally in darkness take no penalties for fighting in Weather also can play a major role in a battle. There are
it, while those sensitive to bright light take penalties in such general guidelines for factoring this into a battle in the
conditions. Otherwise, all creatures present in a battle take existing mass combat rules, but presented below is a table for
the same penalties from poor visibility unless they have some your reference demonstrating the effects of various weather
special means of negating them. The Movement modifier conditions on mass battles, along with special rules for
below can never reduce an army’s movement below 1. how weather can interact with armies in the field. The SRD
does not include rules dictating the effects of weather, or
Table 7: Visibility the likelihood of given weather conditions, so GMs should
use their discretion when determining the existing weather
Visibility Melee Ranged DV Scout Movement
during a battle. The control weather spell can also determine
Bright - - - +2 - what weather conditions are present.
Light
Normal - - - - -
Light
Dim -1 -2 - -2 -1
Light
Darkness -2 -4 -1 -4 -2
Lightly -1 -2 - -2 -
obscured1
Heavily -2 -4 - -4 -1
obscured2

1
An army that has attacked with firearms or cannon during
the current Battle phase is covered in light smoke, as is an
army that has been attacked with a Magical Barrage, Special
Bombardment, or similar attack using fire. Light smoke can
also be created by intentionally setting fires or (at the GM’s
option) by repeated casting of spells like control weather, fog
cloud, and obscuring mist. If spells are used, they should generally
apply their effects to both sides; for specifically targeted tactical
battlefield use of obscuring magic, a commander within the
army should use the Magical Trickery command boon.
2
An army that has attacked with multiple fire attacks (such
as those described in the above footnote) may at the GM’s
option be shrouded in thick smoke. A settlement with an
uncontrolled fire may also be covered in thick smoke.
Fog of War: Whenever an army takes a penalty to its OM due
to poor visibility, its chance of shooting awry increases. When
attacking an army that is engaged with an allied army during
the Ranged phase, the chance of dealing friendly fire damage

27
 Table 8: Weather
Weather Melee Ranged DV Scout Movement
Extreme Cold -1 -1 - - -1
Extreme Heat -1 -1 - - -1
Fog -2 -4 - -4 -1
High Altitude -1 -1 -1 +1 -1 (climb or fly speed is unaffected)
Mist -1 -2 - -2 -
Rain - -1 - -1 -
Rain, light -1 -2 -1 -2 -
Rainstorm
Snow - -1 - -2 -1
Snowstorm -1 -2 -1 -4 -2
Wind, strong - -2 - - -
Wind, severe -1 -4 - - -1 (Medium or larger creatures can
move normally)
Windstorm -2 X/-2 -2 - -2 (Large or larger creatures can move
normally)
Hurricane -4 X/-4 -4 - -3 (Huge or larger creatures can move
normally)
Extreme Conditions: High altitude, extreme heat, and extreme cold forces armies to make a Morale check at the end of
each Rout phase to avoid becoming fatigued, with a -1 penalty for armies wearing Medium Armor, -2 for those wearing
Heavy Armor.
Precipitation: Light rain and snow have a 10% cumulative chance for each Battle phase they continue of causing the
battlefield to turn into treacherous terrain (see Terrain) due to the accumulation of snow or the liquefaction of the ground
into mud. A rainstorm or snowstorm doubles this chance. This should be checked at the end of every Rout phase.
Wind: With very high winds, normal ranged attacks become impossible (indicated by the X above); however, siege weapons
can still be used, as can magical attacks such as breath weapons or a Magical Barrage command boon. In addition, flying
creatures and creatures on board wind-powered ships take double the listed penalties to OM.

28
29
 Ultimate Battle is a massive expansion to the 5th Edition rules to help you
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