Rules of War

A battlefield game incorporates a variety of new or adjusted rules germane to the genre. With these rules, player characters have a significant ability to influence the outcome of the battle raging around them, whether by rallying their fellow troops or by seizing objectives important to the overall cause. Moreover, the PCs’ efforts don’t go unnoticed. Over the course of a war, the PCs have chances to earn medals and promotions.

This section explains how siege engines and other battlefield attacks function, how morale works on the battlefield, how the PCs’ actions both before and during combat influence the course of the battle as a whole, what effects commanders have in a battle, and how the PCs gain recognition for their heroic actions on behalf of their army.

Siege Engines

Siege engines are large weapons, structures, and machines that armies use to lay siege to a castle, fortified town, or other kind of fortress. Their main function is to gain entrance to or bypass the defenses of a defended castle or keep.

The three basic types of siege engines are battering rams, siege towers, and catapults (a category that includes a wide range of throwing machines, from ballistae to trebuchets). The first two provide access to a castle for invading troops. Catapults, contrary to popular belief, are not normally used to knock down castle walls (though many of them are quite effective at this task). Instead, catapults are throwing machines used as artillery to lob projectiles over castle walls to damage the structures and troops inside.

The Dungeon Master’s Guide provides rudimentary information on siege engines (see pages 99–100). While that material is sufficient for an occasional encounter featuring a ballista or a battering ram, a campaign that prominently features siege engines requires more detail. For that reason, the information in this chapter augments and supersedes the information in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

All statistics for the siege engines in this chapter assume they are designed for Medium creatures. Adjust as appropriate for siege engines designed for smaller or larger creatures. Creatures smaller than Small typically do not use siege engines.

Unlike other ranged weapons, siege weapons deal full damage to objects.

Building Siege Engines: It’s rare that PCs will build their own siege engines if they’re part of a standing army. But during a long siege, it’s possible that the defenders will need to take matters into their own hands. Craft (siege engine) is the relevant skill, and the DC for constructing or repairing a siege engine is DC 20. Construction follows the rules for crafting items found under the Craft skill description. Each week you’ll make (check result × 20) gp worth of progress. (Because siege engines are so expensive, you measure progress in gold pieces, not silver pieces.)

The construction times assume that the lead craftsman has at least three unskilled laborers to assist in construction. If that’s not the case, divide the progress accordingly (by 2 if only one laborer is available, and by 4 if you’re doing it by yourself).

Setting up and Moving Siege Engines: It takes a minute to set up or take down a ballista and 10 minutes to set up or take down anything else. To figure out how fast a siege engine moves, look up the weight in the siege engine description, figure out the strength of whatever’s pulling it, then consult the Carrying Capacity table. Divide the siege engine’s weight by four if the siege engine has wheels (most do).

Ballista: This torsion-powered catapult looks rather like a huge crossbow that launches large harpoonlike bolts through the air.

Firing a ballista requires an attack roll by the crew chief, using the crew chief’s base attack bonus and any range increment penalties (since this is a direct attack, no Intelligence modifier applies, unlike with those catapults that make indirect attacks). Unless the crew chief has the Ballista Proficiency feat, he takes a –⁠4 penalty on the attack roll. Additional members of the crew can use the aid another action to grant the crew chief a +2 bonus on the attack roll by succeeding on a DC 10 Profession (siege engineer) check. Unlike most other catapults, a ballista aims at either a creature or an object (such as a section of wall) rather than a square.

Loading a light ballista requires two full-round actions (that is, two crew members can load it in a single full round). Loading a heavy ballista requires four full-round actions. A ballista need not be reaimed; each attack succeeds or fails independent of previous attack rolls.

A light ballista takes up a 5-foot square, while a heavy ballista takes up a 15-foot-by-15-foot space.

Battering Ram: The battering ram is a simple device consisting of a heavy pole⁠—​either suspended by ropes from a movable scaffold or held aloft by troops⁠—​that is repeatedly smashed into a gate or other barrier to break it down. The end of the pole is often shod in iron, which can be forged into a variety of decorative shapes such as dragon heads.

The typical battering ram is 30 feet long. Including its scaffolding, it occupies a space 10 feet wide and 30 feet long. Up to ten Medium or Small troops can occupy the same space as the ram and its scaffolding, in two rows of five (one row on either side). Larger creatures can contribute to the attack as long as they share at least one square of their space with the ram.

As a full-round action, the character closest to the front of the ram makes an attack roll against the AC of the target construction, applying the –⁠4 penalty for lack of proficiency (it’s not possible to be proficient with this device). In addition to the damage given on Table 4–1: Siege Engines, up to nine other characters holding the ram can add their Strength modifier to the ram’s damage, if they devote a full-round action to doing so (the character guiding the ram adds any Strength modifier of his own as well). For example, ten gnolls (each Str 15, +2 modifier) wielding a ram will deal 3d8+20 points of damage on a successful hit.

It takes at least one Huge or larger creature, two Large creatures, four Medium creatures, or eight Small creatures to swing a ram (Tiny or smaller creatures can’t use a ram). If the ram is held aloft rather than suspended from a scaffold, the number of troops required is doubled. (In this case, Small creatures can’t operate the ram because not enough of them can be adjacent to it.)

The act of operating a battering ram provokes attacks of opportunity.

Mangonel, Heavy or Light: The standard or default catapult described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (pages 99–100), the mangonel is a torsion-powered siege engine. Its single arm ends in a sling capable of throwing a heavy stone hundreds of feet. Like all stone-throwing catapults, a mangonel launches projectiles in a high arc, so it can hit squares out of its line of sight.

Loading a light mangonel requires a total of two full-round actions (taking one full round for a crew of two, or two full rounds for a single crew member). Loading a heavy mangonel requires four full-round actions.

A light mangonel takes up a 10-foot-by-10-foot space. A heavy mangonel takes up a 15-foot-by-15-foot space.

Scorpion: This complex, torsion-powered catapult uses an intricate system of pulleys running along both sides of the base to provide as much power as a heavy mangonel in an engine the size of a light mangonel.

Loading or reaiming a scorpion requires two full-round actions. If the crew fails any check made to load or reaim a scorpion by 5 or more, the pulley system breaks, rendering the scorpion inoperable. Repairing a broken pulley system requires 10 rounds and a DC 20 Craft (siege weapon) check.

A scorpion takes up a 10-foot-by-10-foot space.

Siege Tower: A siege tower is a large wooden tower built on wheels that troops use to scale castle walls under cover. The walls of a siege tower are normally 2 inches thick.

A typical three-level siege tower is 30 feet tall and takes up a 15-foot-by-15-foot space. It can hold nine Medium creatures per level.

A siege tower can be pushed by the nine creatures on the lower level at a speed of 10 feet (siege towers cannot run). The nine creatures on the lower level have total cover. Those on higher levels have improved cover and can shoot through arrow slits.

Trebuchet: A trebuchet uses a heavy counterweight to fire heavy projectiles an extraordinary distance. The great trebuchet uses a 30-foot-long swing arm on a fulcrum with twin buckets filled with rubble attached to one end and a sling for the ammunition attached to the other end. The counterweight buckets are hauled into the air by a winch system and held in place by a latch. The light trebuchet, by contrast, uses a bulb-shaped counterweight built into the swing arm. This arrangement makes the light trebuchet significantly easier to use than the heavy trebuchet but limits its range and can make the engine unstable if it’s not winched or loaded properly.

Loads of shot launched by a heavy trebuchet deal damage to all creatures within 2 squares of the target square.

Loading a light trebuchet requires three full-round actions. Loading a heavy trebuchet requires six full-round actions. Reaiming a trebuchet requires four times as long as loading it, and the weapon cannot be reaimed while it is loaded. If the check to load a light trebuchet fails by 5 or more, the weapon tips over, dealing 4d6 points of damage to all crew members (as well as any other creatures adjacent to it). Righting a fallen trebuchet requires an hour of work by its crew.

A light trebuchet takes up a 20-foot-by-20-foot space, and a heavy trebuchet takes up a 25-foot-by-25-foot space.

Masterwork Siege Engines

A masterwork siege engine costs double the normal price for that kind of siege engine (see the Siege Engines table). A masterwork siege engine grants a nonmagical +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls made with the siege engine. It also adds this bonus to any skill checks made to operate the siege engine (but not to Strength checks to reload the siege engine). This enhancement bonus does not stack with magical enhancement bonuses of ammunition or that of the siege engine itself, if it is later enchanted.

Each individual piece of masterwork siege weapon ammunition costs 300 gp (regardless of the original price of the ammunition).

So What About Catapults?

Although the specific siege engine most people picture when they hear the word “catapult” is more properly called the mangonel, in this book the term applies to any type of throwing machine that uses torsion power or counterweights to throw large objects hundreds of feet through the air.

Torsion-powered catapults, such as the ballista, mangonel, and scorpion, use skeins—that is, bundles of twisted ropes often braided from hair or tendon—to fling one or two wooden arms forward, sending a projectile into the air.

Counterweight catapults, such as the trebuchet, power a swinging arm with a huge counterweight attached to one end. The weight is hauled up into the air by a winch or a team of soldiers and latched into place. The team then places a projectile in a sling on the other end of the swing arm. When the latch is released, the counterweight falls, flinging the sling-end up into the air and sending the projectile flying.

Catapults can propel very large objects over incredibly long distances (up to 1,500 feet). Common projectiles include stones weighing from 40 to 150 pounds, massive javelinlike bolts, and even pots of burning oil and alchemist’s fire, which can burn down wooden structures within the stone walls, gutting a castle from the inside.

Troops have been known to load their catapults with anything available, including loose rubble, chains, discarded weapons, odds and ends of armor, dead mounts, the severed heads of fallen enemy soldiers, and even live captives. Often this bombardment will deal more psychological than physical damage to the castle and its inhabitants.

Stone-throwing catapults can also propel bags of “shot.” These are tightly packed sacks of small rocks and pebbles that literally explode upon impact, shredding everything within a small area in a lethal spray of rock fragments.

Operating a Catapult

Most catapults do not use the normal combat rules for determining the success of their attacks, because typically a catapult is fired not at a particular creature but rather at a specific square on the battlefield. (Ballistae are an exception to this rule, so they use the normal combat rules for determining the success of their attacks.)

First, the catapult crew must aim the catapult at a target square. Doing this requires a DC 15 Profession (siege engineer) check by the crew chief (the lead operator of the catapult) and one or more full-round actions taken by the crew of the catapult. Multiple crew members can perform these full-round actions at the same time, reducing the time it takes to aim the catapult. The number of rounds required varies by the weapon. Other crew members can assist this skill check by making a DC 10 Profession (siege engineer) check, as described under Combining Skill Attempts; success on this check this grants the crew chief a +2 bonus on his check.

Next, the catapult must be loaded. As with aiming, loading a catapult requires one or more full-round actions taken by the crew members. As before, multiple crew members can perform these full-round actions at the same time, reducing the time it takes to load the catapult (for example, if the catapult requires four full-round actions to load, a crew of four can load it in a single round). The crew chief must succeed on a DC 15 Profession (siege engineer) check, and at least one member of the crew must succeed on a DC 10 Strength check. Other members of the crew can assist with either of these checks by using the aid another action but must choose which check to aid (that is, the same crew member cannot assist in both rolls). Large or larger creatures load a catapult in half the given time, while Small creatures require twice the given time. Tiny creatures can’t load a catapult.

Finally, the crew chief makes a special attack roll to fire the catapult. He rolls 1d20 and adds his base attack bonus, his Intelligence modifier, any penalty for range increments (see the Siege Engines table), and any other modifiers that apply (see below). A square on the battlefield is treated as having AC 15 against a catapult’s attack. This attack is a standard action, and the attack roll can’t be assisted by the crew.

Catapults (other than ballistae) hurl their ammunition in a high arc. A catapult requires vertical clearance equal to half the range to the target to operate, so subterranean races rarely use such devices. Because of this high arc, catapults can strike squares that aren’t in line of sight of the crew, though at a –⁠6 penalty on the attack roll.

If the attack fails to hit a target that is in line of sight of the crew, and the catapult’s next shot targets the same square, the crew chief gains a +2 bonus on his special attack roll. If successive shots at the same square continue to miss, this bonus improves by 2 on every additional attempt to hit the same square, up to a maximum of +10 (after five straight misses).

If the targeted square is not in line of sight but can be seen by an observer communicating with the crew, the bonus for successive attempts against the same target starts at +1 and can improve to as much as +5 (after five straight misses). Each of these attack rolls also takes the –6 penalty that applies because the crew cannot see the target.

If the attack roll succeeds, the catapult’s payload hits the target square. A stone deals the indicated damage to any object or character in the square. A load of shot deals only half the indicated damage (see the Siege Engines table) but deals this damage to all creatures or objects in or adjacent to the target square. A creature can attempt a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid the damage from a stone or to reduce the damage from shot by half. Some special forms of ammunition have their own rules (see Creating Magic Siege Engines).

Once a catapult successfully hits the target square, all subsequent shots automatically hit the same square with no attack roll needed, until the catapult is aimed at a different square.

Attacks that Miss: If the attack misses the target square, roll 1d8 and consult the diagram here to determine the deviation of the throw. The ammunition lands 3 squares away from the target square for every range increment of the attack.

Aerial Bombardment

Many siege weapons hurl large objects, such as boulders, through the air to smash down upon the enemy. However, armies that deploy airborne troops can transport weighty objects into the air and drop them more directly upon foes. These bombardments follow the rules for falling objects. Aerial bombardiers might be creatures such as giant eagles trained for such missions, troops under the effects of a fly spell, or a creature flying with a stack of rocks on a carpet of flying. An object might also be sent aloft by a telekinesis spell or similar magic. Creatures defending a wall or cliff might push or drop objects over the edge.

A creature that has a fly speed can move at full speed while carrying aloft an object that does not exceed its light load (if carrying a medium or heavy load, its speed is reduced by one-third). Heavier objects deal more damage, and the damage increases with the distance the object falls. However, bombardment from higher altitudes is less accurate. The range increment of a dropped object is 50 feet. Objects dropped from altitudes higher than 250 feet are always considered indirect hits (see below).

Attack Rolls: The creature dropping an object makes a ranged attack roll against AC 5 to hit a square directly, applying any penalty for range increments and a –4 penalty for using an improvised weapon. In addition, the creature’s maneuverability may provide a penalty: –2 for average maneuverability, –4 for poor, or –6 for clumsy. An attack that misses hits a nearby square; see Missing with a Thrown Weapon.

Damage: The damage dealt by a dropped object is based on the weight of the object and the distance the object falls, as noted in Falling Objects. A creature can avoid damage from the attack by making a DC 15 Reflex save.

Dive Bombing: A diving creature gains more control over the trajectory of its payload and gets a +2 bonus on the attack roll. Range increment penalties, if any, are calculated from the point where the object is released, but for the purpose of determining damage, the length of the dive is added to the distance the object has fallen. Dive bombing is treated as a charge, imposing a –⁠2 penalty to the diving creature’s AC. Flyers with clumsy or poor maneuverability need to remember to leave themselves enough maneuvering room to avoid crashing into the ground or target (see Moving in Three Dimensions).

Volley of Arrows

In most battlefield situations, archers don’t pick particular targets for their shots. Instead, large groups of archers concentrate their shots on an area occupied by enemy troops, ensuring by sheer volume of projectiles that something will be hit. Despite the name of this tactic, it can be attempted by any characters wielding projectile weapons, such as crossbows or slings. The rule presented here originally appeared in a simpler form in Complete Warrior; this information updates and expands on that material.

If at least ten archers are in a contiguous group (each one adjacent to at least one other), they can loose a volley of arrows as a full-round action. Rather than aiming at a specific target, they concentrate their arrows in a general area, hoping to hit whatever’s there. Each archer fires a single arrow, regardless of her normal rate of fire.

The commander of the archers (generally an officer or veteran soldier, who need not be one of the archers himself) makes a special attack roll against AC 15, using only his base attack bonus, Intelligence modifier, and any range increment penalty. If the attack hits, arrows land in the target area, which has the same shape as the archers in the group. For example, if two rows of five archers hit with an arrow volley, arrows land in a 2-square-by-5-square area.

An arrow volley that misses its intended target still lands somewhere. Refer to the diagram on page 158 of the Player’s Handbook to determine the misdirection of the attack. Since the target area is larger than a single square, the archers’ commander must designate one square at or near the center of his formation to correspond to the target square in the diagram. It is entirely possible for an arrow volley to be slightly off target yet still hit a portion of the target area because the area in which the volley lands may overlap the intended target.

Any creature in a square where an arrow lands takes damage from the arrow unless it makes a DC 15 Reflex save. Modifiers might apply to the save DC, as noted in the Arrow Volley Save DC Modifiers table below. Each arrow deals normal damage, including Strength modifiers if appropriate.

For example, ten 1st-level warriors wielding longbows each fire a single masterwork arrow as part of a volley against a target area 150 feet away from the most distant archer. Assuming the commander makes her attack roll to hit the designated area, each creature in the target square takes 1d8 points of damage, with a DC 14 Reflex save to avoid this damage (base DC 15, ⁠—​2 because the square is two range increments away from the most distant archer, +1 for the enhancement bonus from the masterwork quality).

Indirect Fire versus Direct Fire

A typical volley of arrows is fired in a high arc, rather than directly at the target square. This kind of attack requires additional vertical clearance to accomplish, making a volley difficult or even impossible in most dungeon environments. The top of the arc reaches a height of 10 feet per range increment (or fraction thereof) of the volley. A volley of arrows fired from longbows at a target 450 feet distant reaches a height of 50 feet (since 450 feet is more than four range increments for a longbow).

Because of this arc, an indirect volley can ignore cover (even total cover) between the archers and the target, as long as the arc is high enough to clear the cover. For instance, a 20-foot-high wall midway between volleying archers and a target square 300 feet away offers no protection against the volley. A volley cannot ignore total cover within 10 feet of the nearest archer or within 10 feet of the target square; such cover prevents a volley attack entirely.

It’s possible to fire a volley of arrows as a direct fire attack, rather than an indirect fire attack. Such an attack is not capable of targeting areas behind the enemy’s front line and may not ignore any cover between the archers and the target area.

Archers delivering a direct fire volley can target a square only if each character participating in the volley can draw at least one straight line between his square and the target area without being blocked by cover.

Concentrated Volley

Archers who perform an arrow volley can focus their attention on a smaller area than normal. This kind of attack is called a concentrated volley and is capable of dealing a significant amount of damage.

To produce a concentrated volley of arrows, up to ten contiguous archers focus their fire on a particular 5-foot square. Each archer makes a full attack, firing as many arrows as he chooses (and is capable of firing).

The leader of the volley makes a special attack roll (as noted above) against AC 20. (It is not possible to score a critical hit with this special attack.) Success means the volley hits the target square; failure means it hits some other square (again, see page 158 of the Player’s Handbook). All creatures in the target square take damage as if they were hit by one-fifth of the arrows fired (1d6 points of damage per five arrows fired from shortbows, or 1d8 points of damage per five arrows fired from longbows). If the arrows don’t all deal the same damage⁠—​because they are fired from different bows or because of damage modifiers that apply to some but not all attackers⁠—​use the damage dealt by the most arrows in the volley as the default damage value.

A target that makes a DC 15 Reflex save takes half damage. Modifiers can adjust this save DC, as noted in Table 4–2 above.

For example, ten 1st-level human warriors with the Rapid Shot feat each fire two masterwork arrows from a longbow at a designated square within line of sight, 150 feet away from the most distant warrior. If the attack succeeds, each creature in the target square takes 4d8+4 points of damage (one-fifth of twenty arrows is four arrows), with a DC 14 Reflex save to reduce this to half damage (DC 15, –⁠2 because the square is more than one range increment from the farthest archer, +1 for the enhancement bonus from the masterwork quality).

The type of damage dealt by the volley is normal for the projectiles being fired (typically piercing, for arrows). If all arrows share the same enhancement bonus, magical property, or other special ability that applies on damage rolls, add this to the damage dealt by each arrow in the volley. For example, if all arrows fired in the volley described above were +1 flaming arrows fired from a composite longbow (+1 Str bonus), the damage would be 4d8+8 piercing plus 4d6 fire (Reflex half).

Special properties that don’t directly affect the arrows’ attack rolls or damage have no effect on a volley. For instance, a volley of ten +1 seeking arrows would add +1 to the Reflex save DC and +1 to the damage roll (as normal for +1 arrows), but the seeking property would have no effect.

It doesn’t do any good to have more than ten archers focus on a single square in a single attack. Typically, larger groups of archers divide their efforts to target additional squares (in teams of four or more archers per square), or split up their attacks to focus on the same square on separate initiative counts. For instance, a group of fifty archers can target the same square with concentrated volleys on five different initiative counts, or they can split up to cover five different squares with concentrated volleys.

Deflecting a Volley

A character capable of deflecting arrows, such as one with the Deflect Arrows feat or the Block Arrow feat, can ignore some or all the damage dealt by an arrow volley.

Against a normal arrow volley, any character capable of deflecting one or more arrows per round takes no damage from the volley.

Against a concentrated volley, such a character takes less damage than normal. To determine the damage dealt by a concentrated volley, reduce the effective number of arrows in the volley by twice the number of arrows the character can deflect or block each round. Thus, a fighter with Block Arrow targeted by a concentrated volley of eight arrows takes damage as if only six arrows were fired. An epic-level character with the Infinite Deflection feat (see page 60 of the Epic Level Handbook) takes no damage from concentrated volleys.

Strategic Advantages

Armies receive strategic insight from a number of sources, including leadership, divination, scouting, and various kinds of intelligence information about the enemy. In this way, the general’s advisors become just as much a part of the battle planning as she is because of the strategic advantage they provide. Some terrain features can also provide a localized strategic advantage, for those attacking or defending.

In game terms, a strategic advantage does what its name suggests: It gives an advantage to one side in a battle. Mechanically, this advantage is represented by the awarding of victory points (see page 78) before the start of battle. Most strategic advantages are gained through planning before the battle even begins, though some can be gained even if battle is joined without a plan, such as if an enemy force is ambushed. The description of each kind of strategic advantage notes when that advantage might be gained.

The advantages of strategic planning apply only to large-scale battles. Skirmishes are typically too small to be affected by the advantages discussed here.

Using Strategic Planning

The art of strategic planning is invisible to the PCs unless they’re doing the high-level planning themselves as military leaders or members of a general’s staff. Sometimes successful strategic planning leads directly to adventures; for example, if the PCs use scrying on an enemy general to reveal that he is traveling to the Abyss to make a pact with demons, they might be able to follow him and break up such a bargain before it is struck.

More often, strategic planning provides countless mundane benefits to the army, such as the knowledge that “There’s no good line of sight into the bottom of that valley” or “The enemy’s White Tiger Regiment is too fatigued to fight well.”

Although strategic advantages might represent specific factors, the game abstracts the concept for ease of play. For every strategic advantage possessed by the PCs, award them 10 victory points for the upcoming battle. Victory points, described later in this chapter, represent how the PCs’ actions influence the battle’s outcome. Because victory points measure only the PCs’ influence, there’s no change in victory points when NPCs perform these functions.

In addition to the options presented in this section, other possibilities for strategic advantages will undoubtedly appear in your battlefield campaign. Use the guidelines presented here to help determine whether a particular action or ability of some other kind could provide a strategic advantage.

Bardic Knowledge

Many bards know songs and tales of legendary battles. Some bards understand the history behind the lyrics and know that hidden in those tales are bits of information relevant to how those battles were won. Reflecting on the meaning of these legends, a bard might piece together clues that might lead to victory.

A bardic knowledge check (or a lore check, such as that made by the loremaster prestige class) result of 25 or higher while planning will grant your force a strategic planning advantage.

If battle is already joined, a bardic knowledge check result of 30 or higher is required to acquire the same strategic planning advantage.

Divination Spells

Powerful divination spells can provide a key to victory, especially those spells that communicate with extraplanar entities. If a spellcaster successfully casts commune, commune with nature, or contact other plane and asks questions about an upcoming battle, she can provide her force with a strategic advantage. Victory points can only be earned this way once, regardless of the number of times these divinations are cast or how many characters cast such spells.

A successfully cast legend lore or vision can also be used to grant a strategic advantage in the place of geographic knowledge or historical knowledge, if the upcoming battle has a connection to a legendary one.

These divinations are typically performed on the eve of battle, though vision can be cast during the battle.

Knowledge Skill

A PC who supplies his side with knowledge relevant to the upcoming battle (by succeeding on a DC 20 Knowledge check) gains a strategic advantage. This benefit might represent knowledge of a particular choke point in the local terrain, recollection of prior battles fought in the area, or even specific knowledge of enemy commanders.

Each category of knowledge applies to different kinds of situations and produces a different sort of information. Below are some examples of situations in which a successful Knowledge check provides a strategic advantage. If one or more of these situations here happens to apply to your battlefield adventure, then you already know what sorts of Knowledge checks have the potential to provide a strategic advantage in your game. Otherwise, use these examples as guidelines to tailor certain Knowledge skills to other situations. For example, you could decide that Knowledge (the planes) is also useful if the enemy force on a Material Plane battlefield includes any creatures from other planes.

• Arcana: The opposing force is led by a powerful spellcaster or otherwise heavily reliant on magic.
• Architecture and Engineering: The battle involves attacking, defending, or laying siege to a fortification or other large structure.
• Dungeoneering: The battlefield is underground or in a dungeonlike environment.
• Geography: The battlefield contains notable terrain features (such as a marsh or a hill).
• History: The battlefield has been the site of previous battles of note.
• Local: The opposing force is native to the immediate area.
• Nature: The weather during the battle is unusual or particularly harsh.
• Nobility and Royalty: The opposing force is led by a member of a noble house or royal family.
• Religion: The opposing force is led by a high priest, theocrat, or otherwise highly religious individual.
• The Planes: The battlefield is on a plane other than the Material Plane.

Leadership

The leader of an army provides strength to his or her forces. She might be a mighty and grand general, marshaling her troops forward. Or he might be an orc warlord, leading simply because he hasn’t been killed yet. But a truly great leader is one who commands his or her army through many victories. A strategic advantage for leadership should be awarded only if a player character is leading the army and has a Leadership score of at least 10.

A character’s Leadership score equals his or her level or Hit Dice plus any Charisma modifier, +1 for each leader feat the character has taken. A character can substitute his or her commander rating (see page 75) in place of the Charisma modifier when determining his or her Leadership score.

This advantage is determined when battle commences. If a PC takes over for the overall commander in the middle of the battle, that leadership provides no automatic victory point award.

Scouting

Spies, spellcasters, or scouts can impart a firsthand account of an enemy’s army, which can be invaluable when planning a battle. In populated areas, refugees and locals might provide clues as to the nature of an opposing force.

Spies and scouts who avoid being caught can grant a strategic advantage to a force if they have seen the bulk of the opposing force, including major siege weapons or elite forces. Spellcasters might try to use scrying on an enemy commander or advisor, or use spells such as prying eyes (if they can get into range) or arcane eye to gain visual information.

A character can attempt a DC 20 Gather Information check in a populated area to gain accounts of an enemy force, which also provides the same strategic advantage.

All scouting that contributes to a strategic advantage must be completed prior to the battle, since the information is used during the planning phase.

Terrain and Fortifications

Some places on the battlefield are easy to defend or to attack from, making a general’s job easier. If the PCs have personal control of such a key structure (it’s their stronghold, for example), they earn 10 victory points for their army because they know its details inside and out. See Terrain, page 28.

The Morale Check

The battlefield is a frightening place, with death and destruction everywhere. Under the stress of battle, many creatures abandon their army’s cause for one much more immediate: self-preservation.

A creature who begins to succumb to fear progresses down a slippery slope. First he becomes shaken, then so afraid that he runs from the battle. In extreme cases a creature might completely snap under the pressure, becoming a danger not only to himself but to his comrades. Only a charismatic leader can bring such a creature back into the fray.

Morale is a creature’s defense against fear. This fact is simulated by the morale check, which is simply a term describing a DC 20 Will save against a fear effect. Any modifiers applying to Will saves (or against fear-based effects) function normally. Additional bonuses or penalties on the morale check are assessed based upon the conditions of battle, as listed below.

When to Use the Morale Check

Morale has always been an important part of both real-world and fantasy wars, so it’s an important factor in the battlefield adventures you create at the gaming table. The effects of morale⁠—​from brave knights rallying their fellows to hapless peasants throwing down their spears as they flee⁠—​are fundamental to the genre.

When the action focuses on the PCs battling small groups of enemies (which should be almost always), morale checks aren’t usually necessary. However, if you’re describing the action on another part of the battlefield⁠—​or if high-level PCs confront a big group of low-level enemies⁠—​the morale check allows you to simulate the swinging fortunes of battle quickly and effectively.

Because the PCs are the protagonists and the focus of the game, they don’t ordinarily make morale checks. The decision to retreat and fight another day is for the players to make and shouldn’t be forced by a die roll (unless everyone has agreed to use this rule; see the sidebar on page 75). However, their NPC allies must make morale checks just as the enemy does.

Morale in the Dungeon

You can also take these rules beyond the battlefield if you wish, using them in dungeon-based adventures, urban settings, or elsewhere. In most cases, using the morale rules means that monsters run away more often than they do in a typical D&D adventure. That situation is common in organized warfare, but rare in a dungeon because the monsters are found in their lair and have nowhere else to go. In contrast, a smart commander encourages her units to retreat (or at least make a strategic withdrawal) when they’re overmatched or needed elsewhere. If you use these morale rules in a traditional D&D adventure, make sure you account for the greater likelihood of NPCs retreating.

Making Morale Checks

Typically, a creature must attempt a morale check on the first round that one of the following conditions applies:

Creature Takes 50% Damage: Once a creature’s hit point total falls to 50% or less of its full normal hit points, that creature must make a morale check.

Unit Takes 50% Casualties: Creatures make a morale check if half or more of the comrades in their unit are unable to fight, whether they’re dead, unconscious, fleeing, paralyzed, or otherwise out of commission.

If a creature is required to attempt a morale check, it makes the check at the start of its turn, before it takes any other action. Depending on the situation, certain modifiers might apply to the check. (For the purpose of these modifiers, “nearby” is defined as in sight and within 120 feet.)

Group Morale Checks

In cases when you need to know whether a large group of creatures stays or runs, a single morale check can often take the place of individual checks for each member of the unit, with the result applying equally to all creatures in the unit. This saves a lot of time and effort on the DM’s part.

Use this shortcut only when you’re dealing with a large group and the fate of individual soldiers doesn’t matter, such as when the PCs are observing part of a battle but haven’t waded into melee themselves. If you feel it’s important to know how each individual soldier reacts, use the normal morale check rules instead.

Since you probably aren’t keeping track of the hit points of the individuals in the group, make a morale check only when the unit has taken 50% casualties. For the purposes of a group morale check, the unit is the maneuver element of the enemy army (usually a squad or a platoon of soldiers numbering in the tens). Just because two thousand orcs marched onto the battlefield one morning doesn’t mean they don’t make morale checks until one thousand of them are dead or dying.

For the purpose of making a group morale check, the unit’s Will save modifier is the average of the individual Will save modifiers of each soldier. If the group consists of essentially identical creatures, this value is the same as any single creature’s Will save modifier. In groups of differing creatures, add together the Will save modifiers for all creatures in the group and divide the result by the number of creatures in the group. If you anticipate using this short cut, you should figure out this value before the gaming session begins, to save time at the table.

Morale Check Effects

If the morale check succeeds, the creature can act normally.

Each time a creature (or unit) fails a morale check, the morale condition of that creature (or the creatures of that unit) worsens by one category. Morale conditions are described in the accompanying sidebar.

If a creature fails a morale check by 10 or more, the morale condition worsens by two categories. For example, a heartened soldier who fails a morale check by 10 is reduced from heartened to shaken.

Panicked is normally the worst morale condition; panicked creatures can’t get any worse. However, strange things can happen on the battlefield when a soldier snaps. If a creature rolls a natural 1 on a morale check that would make it panicked, it becomes crazed instead.

Morale Conditions

The following morale conditions are organized from highest morale to lowest morale, with the special morale condition of “crazed” listed at the bottom. Unless otherwise noted, all conditions last for the duration of the battle or until the character’s morale condition changes as the result of another morale check or a rally check.

Heartened: A heartened character has been encouraged and is confident of victory. Heartened characters gain a +1 morale bonus on Will saves against fear effects (including morale checks).

Normal: The typical state of a combatant at the beginning of battle.

Shaken: A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws (including subsequent morale checks), skill checks, and ability checks (see Shaken). This condition lasts for 10 minutes after the battle ends.

Frightened: As shaken, but a frightened character must try to flee as best it can. If unable to flee, it will fight (see Frightened). A creature who becomes frightened due to a failed morale check improves to shaken 10 minutes after the battle ends (or 10 minutes after it has fled the battlefield) and returns to normal 10 minutes after that.

Panicked: As frightened, but a panicked creature drops everything and runs at top speed away from danger (see page 301 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). If cornered, a panicked creature cowers and does not attack. A panicked creature does not need to make additional morale checks. A creature that becomes panicked due to a failed morale check improves to frightened 10 minutes after the battle ends (or 10 minutes after it has fled the battlefield), becomes shaken 10 minutes after that, and returns to normal 10 minutes after that.

Crazed: If a creature rolls a 1 on a save that would make him panicked, he assumes one of the following conditions, determined randomly, instead of becoming panicked. This condition overrides the effects of the character’s normal morale condition. It remains for the duration of the battle plus one hour, or until the creature’s morale improves to shaken (or better). If a crazed creature’s condition is removed through some other effect, treat the creature as panicked. Crazed creatures count as panicked for the purpose of rally check DCs.

The Rally Check

Once morale begins to degrade, the best course of action is for a charismatic character to rally the troops with a few stirring words. This is accomplished by making a rally check, which requires a move action by any creature that currently has a morale condition of normal or better.

To make a rally check, a character rolls 1d20 and adds her Charisma modifier and her commander rating. A single check allows a character to try to rally any comrades within line of sight and earshot (see the description of the Listen skill). This is a language-dependent effect.

A creature can be subject to only one rally check attempt per round (measured from the beginning of that creature’s turn to the beginning of the creature’s next turn). Unsuccessful rally attempts make that target more difficult to rally (see Rally Check Modifiers, below).

Use the Rally Attempts table to determine the effectiveness of a rally attempt. The numbers in the table indicate the rally check result required to achieve the new morale condition. In some situations, modifiers might apply to the rally check.

For example, troops that are panicked can be made frightened with a successful DC 20 rally check. Those same troops can then be made heartened in a later round with a DC 30 rally check.

Rallying Against Other Fear Effects: Characters can make rally checks to rally creatures that are shaken, frightened, or panicked due to effects such as a dragon’s frightful presence or spells such as fear. Because the morale effect has a magical origin, it’s much more persistent than garden-variety fear of dying on the battlefield. Rally attempts against magical fear only last for 1 round (measured from the beginning of the shaken, frightened, or panicked character’s turn), so the leader must repeat the rally check every round to keep nearby comrades in the battle.

The Prebattle Rally Check: Before the battle begins, the leader of a military unit can make a rally check to improve the troops’ morale condition. This is similar to a normal rally check but takes at least 1 minute to deliver. (A stirring example of this is the “Band of Brothers” speech in Shakespeare’s Henry V.)

This rally check affects everyone who can see and hear the leader. It cannot be retried, either by that leader or another character. In other words, a leader only gets one chance to inspire the troops with a speech. That’s why armies with charismatic generals try to get as many soldiers as possible to listen to a single speech. Armies with less compelling top brass rely on the exhortations of junior officers and sergeants to inspire the soldiers under their command. Characters can’t take 10 on this check.

Commanders

In a fantasy setting, commanders can take a variety of forms. Regardless of appearance or abilities, however, all commanders share a few things in common.

Commander Rating

Any character with a rank higher than private (or its fantasy equivalent) has a commander rating. The Commander Ratings table lists the range of values, along with some sample rank names applicable to those ratings. Commander rating acts as a bonus on the rally checks a character make to attempt to rally demoralized troops (see Morale Checks).

For example, a lieutenant trying to rally shaken troops gets a +3 bonus on the rally check; even if they’re demoralized, most soldiers have a degree of respect for the rank the lieutenant has attained.

Not every army uses the same rank structure, of course—one army’s captain is another’s warchief is another’s lord knight. Regardless of the name by which a rank is known, all characters of a certain rank have more or less the same amount of responsibility.

The sample ranks summarized in the Sample Ranks table are typical of different fantasy armies.

Regardless of rank, not every officer is in command, making decisions and issuing orders. Every officer has lower-ranking officers whose job it is to offer advice, manage logistics, and handle other specialized functions such as communications and intelligence, even if this support staff consists of only an aide or two.

These staff officers make up the bulk of many armies’ officer corps. They rarely exercise their authority to give orders to lower-ranking troops, instead putting their own expertise at the disposal of the officer in command.

Rank Has Its Privileges

In addition to the commander rating, rank often has benefits that go along with its responsibilities.

Access to Information: The higher a character’s rank, the more information he’ll get in formal briefings and other meetings before a battle begins. Such information helps him understand the overall strategic situation, which in turn helps him make better choices on the battlefield.

A lowly private might just be told “Seize that hill.” But a lieutenant accompanying the unit seizing the hill knows that the army hopes to deploy siege engines to that hill later in the day, and the major who orchestrated the attack on the hill knows that those siege engines will be trained on the road south of the hill, an important line of retreat for the enemy. The general hopes that the presence of siege engines on that hill will convince the enemy to retreat through the valley instead⁠—​and into a trap (those woods are full of hidden archers).

Commander Aura: Each commander has the ability to grant certain benefits to nearby allies. See Commander Auras for more details.

Entry Requirements: Some prestige classes, organizations, and feats might have rank as a requirement.

Pulling Rank: A commander can issue orders to soldiers of lower rank, and they’ll usually obey. When a commander makes an Intimidate check to coerce a lower-ranking soldier to comply with a command, he gains a bonus on Intimidate checks equal to the difference between his commander rating and the lower-ranking character’s rating.

Commander Auras

As a character’s commander rating improves, he gains access to gain special abilities that he can share with his allies. These abilities are called commander auras. Despite being a reward for military rank, these auras are beneficial to almost any group of adventurers (or, in the hands of NPC enemies, to the foes the PCs face).

Unless otherwise noted, a commander aura provides its benefit only to allies with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher within 30 feet of the commander. Characters can benefit from more than one commander aura simultaneously. Commander aura benefits never stack.

Commander auras do not provide any benefit to characters whose commander rating is equal to or higher than the commander who has the aura. Thus, a commander can’t ever benefit directly from his own commander aura.

A character selects his first commander aura upon gaining rank 1 (corporal or the equivalent). Each time the character’s rank improves, he can either keep his current commander aura or replace it with any other commander aura for which he qualifies. No character can ever have more than one commander aura unless specifically allowed (such as by a prestige class feature).

If a character’s commander rank is reduced, he may not replace his commander aura unless he no longer qualifies for the one he possesses (in which case he must immediately replace it with one for which he is qualified).

Animal Commander

You are adept at using warbeasts to assault your foes—and bringing them back alive when the battle is done.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 1, any neutral alignment, wild empathy class feature.

Benefit: Animal and magical beast allies within 30 feet of you gain a +2 morale bonus on saving throws. This aura affects allies with Intelligence scores of 1 or higher.

Archery Commander

You have a knack for directing arrows from the archers in your command.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, any chaotic alignment, Point Blank Shot.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +1 morale bonus on ranged attacks. Add 1 to the save DC of any volley of arrows that you direct.

Bloodthirsty Commander

You are most effective when you direct your troopers to finish off wounded enemies.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, any evil alignment.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +1 morale bonus on damage rolls against wounded creatures.

Deathslayer Commander

Your allies battle undead with exceptional fervor.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, any good alignment, ability to turn undead.

Benefit: Living allies within 30 feet of you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage on melee attacks made against undead creatures. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Defensive Commander

The orders you give in combat always keep the safety of your troops paramount.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, lawful good alignment.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +1 morale bonus to Armor Class.

Doublestrike Commander

You direct your troops to press the advantage against enemies they have wounded.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 5, chaotic good alignment.

Benefit: If an ally within 30 feet of you rolls a natural 20 on a melee attack, that ally can immediately make another melee attack with the same weapon or natural attack, using the same attack bonus.

Dwarf Commander

You are adept at inspiring your troops to stand fast against giants and other foes of the dwarf people.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, dwarf, lawful good alignment.

Benefit: Dwarf allies within 30 feet of you gain a +2 morale bonus to Armor Class, or a +4 morale bonus to AC against giants.

Elf Commander

You are particularly good at safeguarding the elves under your command.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, elf, chaotic good alignment.

Benefit: Elf allies within 30 feet of you gain a +2 morale bonus on saving throws.

Feral Commander

You can whip animals under your command into a bloodthirsty frenzy.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, any neutral alignment, Handle Animal 5 ranks.

Benefit: Animal and magical beast allies within 30 feet of you gain a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls. This aura affects allies with Intelligence scores of 1 or higher.

Giant-Killer Commander

You can direct your troops to bring down enemies bigger than they are.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, Small or smaller size, any good alignment.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +2 morale bonus on melee attacks against creatures at least two size categories larger than they are.

Goblinoid Commander

You bring out the bloodthirsty, savage nature in your goblinoid troops.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, goblinoid, lawful evil alignment.

Benefit: Goblinoid allies within 30 feet of you gain a +2 morale bonus on melee attack rolls.

Healing Commander

Your healing touch can inspire your troops to charge back into battle.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, any good alignment.

Benefit: Whenever you use a spell or effect to heal damage taken by an ally, you can attempt a rally check as a free action to improve that ally’s morale.

Maneuvering Commander

You keep your soldiers always on the move, looking for the weakest points in your enemies’ defenses.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, chaotic good alignment.

Benefit: Any ally who starts her turn within 30 feet of you and moves at least 10 feet gains a +2 morale bonus on the next melee attack roll she makes during her turn.

Melee Commander

You are most effective when inspiring your soldiers to take the fight to the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, any lawful alignment, base attack bonus +2 or higher.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +1 morale bonus on melee attack rolls.

Mobile Commander

Your troops are exceptionally fleet of foot.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, any chaotic alignment.

Benefit: Any ally who begins his turn within 30 feet of you gains a 5-foot bonus to his speed. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Necromantic Commander

Your unliving allies battle the living with exceptional fervor.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, any evil alignment, ability to command or rebuke undead.

Benefit: Undead allies within 30 feet of you that have an Intelligence score of 1 or higher deal an extra 1d6 points of damage on melee attacks made against living creatures. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Opportunistic Commander

You can direct your soldiers to take advantage whenever your enemies are distracted or overwhelmed.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 1, any chaotic alignment.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage on any successful attack of opportunity. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Orc Commander

You can hone the fighting instincts of the orcs under your command.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, orc, chaotic evil alignment.

Benefit: Orc allies within 30 feet of you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage on melee attacks. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Orderly Commander

You are adept at getting your soldiers back into the fray quickly.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, any lawful alignment.

Benefit: Any ally rallied by you gains a 10-foot bonus to its speed for 1 round. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Protective Commander

Your allies benefit from your protective guidance.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 1, any lawful alignment.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +1 morale bonus on saving throws.

Pursuing Commander

You direct your soldiers to chase down any cowards who dare try to escape your iron grip.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, lawful evil alignment.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage against foes who are frightened or panicked. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Reckless Commander

You inspire your allies to charge ferociously into battle.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, chaotic evil alignment.

Benefit: Any ally who begins her turn within 30 feet of you deals an extra 1d6 points of damage on the next charge attack she makes during her turn. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Runt-Squasher Commander

Your soldiers delight in fighting foes that are smaller than themselves.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 2, Large or larger size, any evil alignment.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +2 morale bonus on attacks made against foes at least one size category smaller than they are.

Sneaky Commander

You are good at surrounding your enemies, then striking from all sides.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 5, chaotic evil alignment, sneak attack ability.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage against foes that they flank. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Spellslinging Commander

The spellcasters in your command are inspired by your presence and can channel extra energy into their combat spells.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 3, ability to cast 1st-level spells, Spellcraft 5 ranks.

Benefit: Any area spell cast by an ally within 30 feet of you deals an extra 1d6 points of damage. Only spells that deal damage gain this bonus. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Steadfast Commander

You are skilled at getting your troops to hold the line against the fiercest attacks.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 5, lawful good alignment.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +2 morale bonus to Armor Class against foes who move at least 5 feet before attacking.

Tyrannical Commander

Your soldiers are more afraid of you than they are of the enemy.

Prerequisites: Commander rating 5, lawful evil alignment, Intimidate 5 ranks.

Benefit: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +5 morale bonus on morale checks but automatically become panicked if they fail a morale check.