Skirmish Combat

Skirmish Combat is designed to take the effect of the mass combat rules presented in Ultimate Battle and Ultimate Campaign and scale them down to run along side standard combat. Assume that all rules involving mass combat are still used, except as detailed on this page.

Important Notes

The primary purpose of skirmish combat to conduct mass combat on a smaller scale than what is detailed in the normal mass combat rules. In many ways, it is much closer to the standard combat used for individual participants. Thus, the scale of skirmish is detailed as:

• Distance: Instead of using hexes, skirmish combat uses the standard grid. In cases of large combats, the scale of the grid is 1" : 10', with any 5' increments rounded up to the nearest 10' square.

• Rounding: There are many parts listed that either round normally or do not round at all. Unless you are dealing with exceptionally large numbers, assume that 2 decimal places is acceptable, rounding any digit beyond it (meaning that 3.14159265 only needs to be 3.14).

• Time: A single round in skirmish combat is 6 seconds, just like a turn in standard combat.

Terminology

Armies in standard mass combat have all of the normal attributes listed. Those with asterisks are the only ones used in skirmish combat.

• Alignment*: The overall alignment of the army.

• Army CR (ACR): The relative challenge rating of the army. This is based CR of the individual soldier and the Army Size.

• Army HP: The number of hit points an army has during standard mass combat.

• Army Size*: The number of individual soldiers in the army.

• Army Type*: The relative size of the army. This is directly based on Army Size.

• Boons: A fixed benefit provided by the leader or commanders.

• Camouflage Modifier*: The modifier applied to attempts to hide any army.

• Causalities: A modifier to damage, assuming there is a successful attack.

• Commander*: Each army starts with one, and only one commander. If the commander is not a specifically detailed NPC, such as a cohort, than it is assumed to be one of the soldiers of the army (although this makes them no more qualified than any other solider).

• Consumption: The cost, measured in BP, to maintain the army, paid weekly.

• Defense Value (DV)*: The overall defensive capabilities of the army. This is the DC for to be attacked during standard mass combat.

• Equipment Multiplier: The multiplier, applied to the BP cost, of any resources.

• Morale*: The overall professionalism and responsiveness of the army. This is a modifier used to make morale checks.

• Name*: The name of the army,

• Offense Modifier (OM)*: The overall offensive capabilities of the army. This is a modifier used to attack during standard mass combat.

• Source: How the army came to serve the leader.

  • Followers - As per the Leadership Feat.

  • Mercenary - As per the Downtime Rules for Organizations.

  • Recruited - As per Kingdom Building rules.

• Speed: The number of 12-mile hexes the army can cover in a single day. Note that this is related to, but not the same as Movement.

• Tactics*: The special tactics that an army has been trained to perform.

• Resources: Any special resources that an army has.

In skirmish combat, there are a number of new terms mentioned. Many of them refer to terms presented in the standard mass combat rules from Ultimate Battle and Ultimate Campaign. The new terms, as well as re-definitions of existing terms, are clarified here.

• Actions: The number of actions taken by an army to act. This is separate than the number of targets and the number of die rolls that could be affected by an action.

• Affected Soldiers: The number of soldiers that are affected by a condition.

• Affected Percentage:

• Attack Type: As in standard combat, there are two different kinds of attacks: individually targeted (like most melee and ranged attacks to a single target) and area-of-effect (where one action can affect multiple individuals with specifically targeting them, like Fireball).

• Average Damage Value (ADV): The average amount of damage per action (hit point, attribute, etc) that one specific action causes or heals, rounded down. Actions that have different options (Power Attack, Vital Strike, etc) have different ADV per option.

  • ADV, Critical: The average amount of damage on a critical hit, if possible. Like the normal ADV, critical actions with different options have a different Critical ADV per option.

  • ADV, Failed: The average amount of damage on an failed action, if possible. Like the normal ADV, failed actions with different options have a different Failed ADV per option

• Bloodied: A condition that applies to a victorious army that lost more than half of its total army HP during the course of the skirmish combat.

• Boon: A benefit provided to an army by its leader or commander. Most boons can only be provided to one army at a time and most boons do not stack. The rules of learning and using a boon remain the same as in standard mass combat, but the effects on skirmish combat are different.

• Commander: The person that is responsible for leading one specific army. Commanders must be located with their army.

• Concentration: The average number of times a action could affect an individual soldier.

• Defeated: A condition that applies to a losing army that has been reduced to 0 total army HP, but is, for the most part, still alive.

• Defense Value (DV): The defensive capabilities of an army in standard mass combat. Except where specified otherwise, assume any changes to an army's DV are applied in skirmish combat as either a circumstance bonus or a penalty to the army's AC.

• Density: The amount of soldiers that are in a single 10' x 10' square, based on their size.

• Destroyed: A condition that applies to a losing army that has been reduced to 0 total army HP, and is, for the most part, killed. An army typical becomes destroyed when it is already defeated and is attacked one additional time.

• Die Rolls: The total number of d20 die rolls that an army needs to make in order to resolve an action.

  • Die Rolls, Critical: The number of successful die rolls that confirm a critical hit.

  • Die Rolls, Failed: The number of die rolls that failed in their attempt,

  • Die Rolls, Successful: The number of die rolls that are successful in their attempt.

• Disbanded: A condition that only might apply to an army that is still routed at the end of the skirmish combat. Otherwise, it has no effect during skirmish combat.

• Facing: Unlike standard combat, the direction in which an army is facing is very important. This is called facing and every army has a front face, a back face (directly opposite the front face) and two sides (called left and right flanks). An army only threatens squares along its front face and largely only aware of what is directly in front of it. Except where specified otherwise, an army only threatens along its front face. Likewise, except where specified otherwise, melee attacks to the back face or left and right flanks of any army are automatically considered flanking, regardless of whether there is an ally on the opposite side or not.

• Formation: The shape of the army, measured in 10' x 10' squares. By default, it is as close to a perfect square as possible.

• Morale: A modifier used to perform certain actions and resist routing during the course of a battle. While the modifier determined the same as standard mass combat, the DC and the effects of the morale check have been updated.

• Leader: The person that is responsible for leading multiple armies. The acting leader must be in the Command Zone, which is usually far from the actual battle.

• Offense Modifier (OM): The offensive capabilities of an army in standard mass combat. Except where specified otherwise, assume any changes to an army's OM are applied in skirmish combat as either a circumstance bonus or a penalty to their attack rolls.

  • Routing: A condition where an army tries to leave the battlefield. In standard mass combat, once an army routes, it cannot be stopped. In skirmish combat, routing can be ended by a commander.

• Soldier HP: The average number of hit points of an individual soldier.

• Strategy: The overall aggressiveness of a leader's armies. Only one strategy can be used at a time and it applies to all of a leader's armies simultaneously. While the choices of strategies and the rules for changing them during combat remain the same as in standard mass combat, the effects on skirmish combat are different.

• Success Percentage: The percentage of die rolls resolved by a d20 roll that are taken by an army and successful. To determine the success percentage, take the d20 result, subtract the DC and multiply by 5%. This number can be negative. Add this number to the base 50%. This number is the success percentage for the roll. The maximum success percentage is always 100% and the minimum is always 0%.

  • Success Percentage, Critical: The percentage of die rolls resolved by a d20 roll that are taken by an army and successfully confirm a critical hit. The critical percentage is based on the critical threat range of the action and the modifier used solely for the critical confirmation.

• Targets: The individual soldiers that could be affected by the action.

  • Targets, Critical: The number of individual soldiers that are affected by a critical hit.

  • Targets, Failed: The number of individual soldiers that are unsuccessfully affected by the action.

  • Targets, Successful: The number of individual soldiers that are successfully affected by the action.

• Total Army HP: This is equal to the total number of hit points every individual has in the army. When the total army HP is full, it means that every soldier is at full hit points. When the total army HP is 0, it means that every soldier is dead or dying. Otherwise, it is assumed that damage is applied equally across all soldiers in an army, unless certain attacks dictate otherwise.

  • Total Army HP, Temporary: This is equal to the total number of temporary hit points every individual soldier has in the army. These are treated like normal temporary hit points.

• Tactics: An action, plan or other special circumstance that applies to an individual army. The rules of learning and using a tactic remain the same as in standard mass combat, but the effects on skirmish combat are different.

• Zones: Areas of the battlefield that used in standard mass combat for specific types of actions. There are four types of zones: Command, Camp, Ranged and Melee. In skirmish combat, they are only defined for the purposes of initial placement and routing. See The Battlefield.

Roles

In skirmish combat, like in standard mass combat, there are three roles: the leader, the commander and the soldier.

The Leader

The leader is the person directing all allied armies in a single military force. The leader is responsible for tactical initiative, choosing strategies and tactics, providing boons that can only be applied to all of the armies in his command and general coordination of all commanders in the field. For this reason, the acting leader must be located in the Command Zone, coordinating their armies.

Leaders are detailed the same fashion in skirmish combat as they are in standard mass combat.

The Commander

Commanders, however, are responsible for managing their own army, issuing commands, preventing their army from routing and rallying their army if it does rout. In order to issue commands, they must always be clearly seen and heard by their army, which means that can be seen and heard by the opposition. They are assumed to be anywhere within their assigned army as desired, but requires normal movement to change position within the army. While commanders are physically located within their respective armies, only their leadership bonus, tactics and boons (if any) are factored in the statistics of the army.

In addition to the normal attributes for commanders, skirmish combat also requires the following:

• Command Range: This is equal 100' plus 25' times the commander's Charisma modifier.

• Defensive Statistics: A commander's HP, AC, saving throws and other defenses are important as commanders can be targeted. Commanders are assumed to have improved cover (+8 to AC, +4 to Reflex saves).

The Soldier

The soldier is a single individual in an army. Unlike standard mass combat, soldiers need to be fully detailed NPCs with identical game statistics that are important in combat. In addition to the standard NPC statistics, additional attributes that are important include:

• CR: This is used to determine the ACR

• Morale: The measure of how professional an army is. This is used for making Morale Checks.

• Source: The source of the soldiers (Followers, Mercenaries or Recruited)

If there is a situation where the soldiers are not exactly identical (such as a sustained effect affecting only some of the soldiers), see Conditions & Effects to determine how it effects the army as a whole.

The Battlefield

In standard mass combat rules, the battlefield is a single hex, roughly defined into four types of zones.

• Command Zones: This is where the leader of the army, his bodyguards and assistants, are located.

• Camp Zone: This is where armies that are not actively participating the battle are located.

• Ranged Zone: This is where all ranged attacks initiate from, although ranged attacks can target any army in a Ranged or Melee Zone.

• Melee Zone: This is where all melee attacks are initiated and resolved.

In standard mass combat, these zones are intentionally nebulous as they shift and change over the course of a battle. For a single hex, they can be roughly represented by the following diagram.

In skirmish combat, these four zones still exist, but serve a different purpose. Unless stated otherwise, the melee zone, ranged zones, and camp zones are all defined by straight lines, perpendicular to the approach of the two largest opposing forces. If the terrain requires something other than a straight line, the distances between the edges of zones must still be maintained as detailed below.

Command Zone

The command zone is located within the camp zone, as far from the battle as the leader desires, so long as he is still able to communicate with his commanders in the field, but no closer than 500' from the edge of the Ranged Zone. By default, the size of the command zone is 20' x 20', although this is subject to the leader's discretion.

By default, the leader of a conflict is always located in the command zone. If the primary leader is not in the command zone, a new leader must be temporarily designated and stay in the command zone. Any boons that the previous leader would give his armies are replaced by any boons the current leader would provide after 1d6 hours (a turn for standard mass combat).

Depending on the nature of the conflict, it is fine for the command zone to be located off the map.

Camp Zone

The camp zone is located immediately behind the ranged zone. All armies not currently participating in the conflict are located here. This is also where any armies that are routing, but have not disbanded, will go towards. The camp zone must be at least 500' wide and as long as the ranged zone.

Depending on the nature of the conflict, it is fine for the command zone to be located off the map.

Ranged Zone

The ranged zone is located immediately behind the melee zone. It is where all armies participating in the conflict are initially placed. The ranged zone must be at least 100' wide and is as long as the melee zone.

Melee Zone

The melee zone must be at least 100' wide and as long as needed for the scope of the combat. No armies can be initially placed in the melee zone. If a leader is defending a site, settlement or other important location, he can determine his edge of the melee zone. Otherwise, it is assumed to be a straight line, perpendicular to the approach of the opposing armies.

Army Representation

Unlike standard mass combat, in skirmish combat, armies do need to be represented on the map and moved, much like miniatures in standard combat. Given the scale of the map (which defaults to 1" : 10'), the exact use of miniatures is somewhat different. Determine the size category of the individual soldier and the army type of the army, then compare to the table below.

Table 1: Army Representation - Miniatures

Note that for large armies, even a Colossal miniature might not be large enough. As such, the miniature scale is expanded to include index cards and their equivalent miniatures. Based on the size of the map, some of the larger groupings of index cards may not be available to be used. If this is the case, split the army into smaller army types, recalculating as appropriate, with some of them 'off camera' at the camp zone.

Table 2: Army Representation - Index Cards

By default, any army is comprised of soldiers so tightly packed that in standard combat rules, they would be considered squeezing. However, due to their thorough training, individual soldiers do not get any of the penalties of squeezing. This training does come with some rules about how an army behaves in skirmish combat.

Facing:

Unlike standard combat, an army does not threaten every adjacent square around it simultaneously. It has what is known as facing. Unless specified otherwise, each army has a front face, back face and left and right flanks and can only threaten the squares along it's front face, up to the limit of the individual soldier's reach, and up to 45 degrees in either direction from the corners. Likewise, an army can only see clearly enough to target opponents that are with 45 degrees of either direction from the corners. Should an army be threatened on any side but its front face, it is considered flanked, regardless of whether there is an opposing army opposite the attacker or not.

The rules for whether or or not an army can threaten squares is the same as in standard combat, except that if an army can threatened squares, it also threatens the squares it occupies.

Formation:

Similar to swarms from standard combat, armies have a shape, called a formation. An army's default formation is called closed formation and it is as close to a perfect square as possible, with a total number of 10' x 10' squares covered equal to its representation. The minimum dimension of a formation is always the width of an army of 1 soldier of the appropriate size category. Changing formation requires using the Change Formation tactic.

Movement & Distance:

As mentioned above, all armies have a specific facing. The direction an army moves, relative to its facing, limits the distance moved. If it is within the 45 degrees in either direction from directly forward, it moves a full movement. If it moves more than 45 degrees in either direction from directly forward, up to 90 degrees, it moves at half movement, rounded down. It it moves backwards at all, it moves at 1/3 movement, rounded down. 5-foot steps are not included as part of a full-round action in skirmish combat. See the below diagram.

Example 1: An army of 100 1st level human fighters, all swinging halberds against a horde of orcs.

Actions: Swinging a halberd takes a standard action, so the number of actions is the 100 (the army size) divided by 1 (the number of full-round actions to swing and be ready again), for a total of 100 actions.

Targets: Since this is melee, we will assume that every fighter is placed to be able to threaten an orc, thus all 100 fighters can target an incoming horde of 500 orcs. The maximum number of targets is 100 (the actions) times 1 (the target per action). The humans choose to select the full number of 100 targets.

Concentration: They do not reduce the number of targets, keeping it at 100 targets, so concentration remains x1.

Die Rolls: Because this action is a weapon attack, the number of die rolls is equal to the number of actions, which is 100.

Example 2: An army of 100 1st level human fighters, all firing heavy crossbows into a well-organized and enchanted gnolls

Actions: Firing and reloading a heavy crossbow takes a full-round action and a standard action, so the number of actions is 100 (the army size) divided by 2 (the number of full-round actions to fire and reload again) for a total of 50 actions.

Targets: Since firing a heavy crossbow is a ranged attack, we will assume that every fighter can target a gnoll. The maximum number of targets is 50 (the actions) times 1 (the target per action). The humans choose to only select 25 targets.

Concentration: They concentrate their attacks on the first 25 gnolls, so 50 (the maximum number of targets) divided by 25 (the chosen number of targets) is a concentration of x2.

Die Rolls: Because this action is a weapon attack, the number of die rolls is equal to the number of actions, which is 50.

Example 3: 32 soldiers of an army of 100 1st level suli fighters is targeted by three Fireballs cast by 3 5th level wizards. The majority of the army is hidden behind cover, so the Fireballs can only cover a portion of the army.

Actions: Casting a Fireball takes a standard action, so the number of actions is the 3 (the wizards's army size) divided by 1 (the number of full-rounded actions to cast and be ready again), for a total of 3 actions.

Targets: Casting a Fireball can affect multiple targets. There is no limit by the nature of the spell itself, so the only limit is based on affected area and density.

Affected Area: Fireball has a 20-foot radius burst, so the number of 10' x 10' squares affected is 13 squares per action. So 3 (the number of actions) times 13 (the affected area per action) results with a maximum total affected area of 39 s

Density: The human fighters are medium creatures. Their density is 16.

Maximum Targets: Only 32 soldiers can be affected, since the rest are behind cover. 32 soldiers divided a density of 16 means on 2 squares could possibly be affected. Even with focusing their effects, the wizards can only select 32 targets.

Concentration: Since the 3 Fireballs would normally be wasted if spread out, the wizards decided to overlap the area of effect, increasing their concentration.

Minimum Affected Area: The affected area of a single casting is 13 squares. 39 (the total affected area) divided by 13 (the affected area of a single effect) results with a concentration of 3.

Die Rolls: Because this action is not a weapon attack, the number of die rolls is equal to 32 (the number of targets) times 3 (the concentration) for a result of 96 die rolls.

The Success Percentage

At the heart of skirmish combat is the concept of large numbers of die rolls being resolved quickly through as few die rolls as possible. This is done by using a success percentage.

Actions:

The purpose of the success percentage is to quickly determine how effective an army's die rolls are is. Before determining the success percentage, make sure you know the number of die rolls that are needed to resolve first.

Using the Success Percentage:

Any time an army is resolving an task that requires a die roll a number of those rolls will either be successful or unsuccessful. Success is based on which side is actually making the die roll. To determine how many die rolls are successful, roll a single d20 roll for the task (applying any appropriate modifiers) and subtract the DC from the result. This number can be negative. Multiply this number by 5% and add 50%. Do not round this number. This is your success percentage. The maximum success percentage is always 100% and the minimum is always 0%

Success Percentage = 50% + (( d20 Result - DC) x 5%), not rounded, max: 100%, min: 0%

Critical Percentage

Certain actions have the option of a critical hit. In skirmish combat, critical hits are determined by a separate critical percentage. To determine the critical percentage, determine the percent chance of landing a critical hit by the critical threat range. Thus, a crit range of 20 is 5%. If a natural 19 would hit, then a crit range 19-20 is 10%, but if only a natural 20 would hit, it would be 5% and so on. Multiply this by the original success percentage, plus 5% for every +1 modifier that is solely used to confirm a critical hit.

Critical Percentage = (Success Percentage + 5% / +1 confirmation modifier) * Percentage of Critical Threat

Modifying the Success Percentage:

There are certain situations where you will need to modify the success percentage before determining the number of successful actions. Listed below are some examples:

• • Partial Benefit or Penalty: If a benefit or penalty to the action only applies to part of the army, add or subtract a percentage equal to 5% per +/- 1 modifier, times by the percentage of affected soldiers, rounded down.

    • Example: If 65% of the army is shaken, which is -2 to attack, then -2 times .05 (base) is -.1, times .65 (for the percentage of affected soldiers) is -.065 or -6.5%, rounded down to a -6% modifier to the success percentage.

    • See Conditions & Effects for more examples.

  • Miss Chance / Fortification: Multiply the success percentage by the inverse of the miss chance (i.e. 80% for 20% miss chance or 50% for 50% miss chance).

    • Example: A success percentage of 45% times 80% results with 36% (.45 * .8)

  • Re-roll on a success: Multiply the success percentage by itself for each re-roll needed (i.e. re-rolling a saving throw for the Persistent Spell metamagic feat).

    • Example: A success percentage of 45% times itself results with 20.25% (.45 * .45).

  • Re-roll on a fail: Take the original success percentage and add the result of multiplying the success percentage by it's inverse.

    • Example: A success percentage of 65%, plus the result of 65% times 35%, results with 87.75% [.65 + (.65 * .35)].

  • Re-roll at a different modifier: Take the original success percentage and multiply it by the success percentage, plus or minus 5% for each +/- modifier:

    • Example: A success percentage of 45% (.45) times a re-roll with a +2 modifier, which is 65% (45% + 10%), results is 29.25% (.45 * .65).

Determining Successful Die Rolls:

Once you have the success percentage, multiple it by the number of die rolls, rounding normally, to determine the number of successful die rolls.

Determining Unsuccessful Die Rolls:

If is important, the number of unsuccessful die rolls is always equal to the total number of die rolls, minus the number of successful die rolls.

Determining Critical Die Rolls

If the action has the option of scoring critical hits, take the critical percentage and multiply it by the number of die rolls, rounding normally, to determine number of successful die rolls that are turned into critical die rolls (effectively subtracting the number of critical die rolls from the number of successful die rolls). The maximum number of critical die rolls is the number of successful die rolls. The minimum is always 0.

Successful Actions = Total Actions * Success Percentage, rounded normally

Critical Actions = Total Actions * Critical Percentage, rounded normally, max: Successful Actions. Subtract the Critical Actions from the Successful Actions

Unsuccessful Actions = Total Actions - Successful Actions

Examples of the Success Percentage

Example 1: An army of 100 1st level human fighters, all swinging halberds against a horde of orcs.

Success Percentage: The humans have a final attack result of 17 against an AC of 14. The success percentage is 17 (the attack result) minus 14 (the AC), which is 3, times 5%, which is 15%, plus the base 50%, which results with a success percentage of 65%.

Successful Die Rolls: 65% of 100 die rolls is 65 successful die rolls.

Critical Percentage: The critical percentage is 65% (the success percentage) + 0% (5% times +0 modifier for confirmation only), which is 65%, times 5% (only threatens a critical hit on a 20), which results with a critical percentage of 3.25% (65% times 5%).

Critical Die Rolls: 3.25% of 100 die rolls is 3.25 critical die rolls, rounding normally to 3 critical die rolls. The number of successful die rolls is reduced by 3 to 62 successful die rolls.

Unsuccessful Die Rolls: Unsuccessful die rolls are not important for this example.

Result: 62 successful die rolls, 3 critical die rolls

Example 2: An army of 100 1st level human fighters, all firing heavy crossbows into a well-organized and enchanted gnolls

Success Percentage: The humans have a final attack result of 15 against an AC of 13, but the target army has a 20% miss chance. The success percentage is 15 (the attack result) minus 13 (the AC), which is 2, times 5%, which is 10%, plus the base 50%, which is 60%. Normally, the success percentage would be 60%, but the gnolls of a 20% miss change, so 60% (the success percentage) times 80% (the inverse of a 20% miss chance) gives a final success percentage of 48%.

Successful Die Rolls: 48% of 50 die rolls is 24 successful die rolls.

Critical Percentage: The critical percentage is 48% (the success percentage) + 0% (5% times +0 modifier for confirmation only), which is 48%, times 10% (only threatens a critical hit on a 19-20, but still hits on a 19), which results with a critical percentage of 4.8% (48% times 10%).

Critical Die Rolls: 4.8% of 50 actions is 2.4 critical actions, rounding normally to 2 critical actions. The number of successful die rolls is reduced by 2 to 22 successful die rolls.

Unsuccessful Die Rolls: Unsuccessful die rolls are not important for this example.

Result: 22 successful die rolls, 2 critical die rolls

Example 3: 32 soldiers of an army of 100 1st level suli fighters is targeted by three Fireballs. The majority of the army is hidden behind cover, so the Fireballs can only cover a portion of the army.

Success Percentage: The poor fighters get a saving throw result of 11 against a DC of 15. The success percentage is 11 (the saving throw result) minus 15 (the saving throw DC), which is -4, times 5%, which is -20%, plus the base 50%, which is 30%, which results with a success percentage of 30%.

Successful Die Rolls: 30% of 96 die rolls is 28.8, rounded normally to 29 successful die rolls

Critical Percentage: Critical percentage is not important for this example.

Critical Die Rolls: Critical die rolls are not important for this example.

Unsuccessful Die Rolls: The number of unsuccessful die rolls is 96 (the total number of die rolls) minus 29 (the number of successful die rolls) for a result of 67 unsuccessful die rolls.

Result: 29 successful die rolls, 67 unsuccessful die rolls.

Note: Since it is the defending army that is making the saving throw, successful means they made 29 saving throws, while failing 67 saving throws.

Average Damage Value (ADV)

Damage or effectiveness of an action (HD affected, creatures summoned, etc.) always take the average value of the die pool for a single action, rounding down only after all addition is done. This is the action's base average damage value, or ADV. ADV from different types (slashing, fire, etc) does need to be kept separate, because any damage reduction or resistance that an individual enemy soldier has is subtracted from the appropriate ADV, resulting in the effective average damage value, or effective ADV.

Determining Critical ADV:

When an action has the option for a critical hit. the critical average damage value, or critical ADV, is the average amount of damage for the critical hit.

Determining Unsuccessful ADV:

If there needs to be a different amount of damage calculated for successful die rolls and unsuccessful die rolls, like making or failing a Reflex saving throw for half damage, there there needs to be a separate ADV and unsuccessful ADV. Remember that successful ADV and unsuccessful ADV is from the point of view of side that is making the die rolls.

Determining Effective ADV:

Any damage reduction or resistance is subtracted from kind of ADV (regular, critical ADV and unsuccessful ADV), to a minimum of 0.

Damage Options:

If the army has different options that affect the damage dealt (i.e. Power Attack, Deadly Aim, etc.), each option results with a different ADV (i.e. a regular ADV for attacks with Power Attack, a regular ADV without Power Attack, a critical ADV with Power Attack, a critical ADV without Power Attack, etc).

Examples of Determining ADV

Example 1: The army of 100 1st level human fighters are swinging halberds, dealing 1d10+1 points of damage.

ADV: The average damage of 1d10 is 5.5, plus the +1 makes it 6.5, rounded down to a ADV of 6.

Critical ADV: The critical ADV for these halberds is a total of 3d10+3 (for a x3 multiplier), so 3d10 averaged is 15.5, plus 3, results with a critical ADV of 18.

Unsuccessful ADV: There is no unsuccessful ADV in this example.

Example 2: The army of 100 1st level human fighters are firing heavy crossbows, dealing 1d10 points of damage.

ADV: The average damage of 1d10 is 5.5, rounded down, to an ADV of 5.

Critical ADV: The critical ADV for these heavy crossbow is a total of 2d10 (for a x2 multplier), so 2d10 averaged is 11, rounded down, results with a critical ADV of 11.

Unsuccessful ADV: There is no unsuccessful ADV in this example.

Example 3: The Fireballs in this example were cast by three 5th level wizards, dealing 5d6 damage.

ADV: 1d6 averaged is 3.5, so 5 times 3.5 is 17.5, rounded down to 17. A successful Reflex saving throw halves the 17, for a total of 8.5, rounded down, to a ADV of 8.

Critical ADV: There is no critical ADV in this example.

Unsuccessful ADV: 1d6 averaged is 3.5, so 5 times 3.5 is 17.5, rounded down, to an unsuccessful ADV of 17 for those that fail their saving throw.

Applying Damage in Skirmish Combat

Before you can apply damage in skirmish combat, you need to determine the following attributes.

• The army size of the targeted army

• The Total Army HP of the targeted army

• The soldier HP of the targeted army

• The Constitution Score for the target army

• Any damage reduction or resistance of the defending army

• The number of targets.

• The Concentration for the action.

• The number of successful die rolls

• Average Damage Value

• Critical Option: If the action has the option for a critical hit, the following attributes are also needed.

  • The number of critical die rolls.

  • The critical ADV.

• Unsuccessful Option: If the action has the option for effecting targets, even if the action is not successful, the following attributes are also needed.

  • The number of unsuccessful die rolls.

  • The unsuccessful ADV.

Determining Effective ADV:

For each kind of ADV (regular, critical ADV and unsuccessful ADV), reduce the amount by any appropriate damage reduction or resistance, to a minimum of 0.

Effective ADV = ADV - DR or Resistance, min: 0

Effective Critical ADV = Critical ADV - DR or Resistance, min: 0

Effective Unsuccessful ADV = Unsuccessful ADV - DR or Resistance, min: 0

Determining Total Damage:

The total damage for each kind of die roll (successful, unsuccessful and critical) is equal to the effective ADV for that kind, times the number of die rolls for that kind.

Total Successful Damage = Effective ADV * Successful Die Rolls

Total Critical Damage = Effective Critical ADV * Critical Die Rolls

Total Unsuccessful Damage = Effective Unsuccessful ADV * Unsuccessful Die Rolls

Once the total damage has been determined for each kind of die roll has been determined, add them together and subtract it from the defending army's Total Army HP. However, the maximum amount of damage dealt cannot exceed the targeted army's soldier HP times the number of targets.

Maximum Damage = Targeted Army's Soldier HP * Number of Targets

Concentration & Reducing Army Size:

If the effective ADV times the concentration for any type of die roll (successful, unsuccessful and critical) is equal to or greater than the target army's soldier HP, reduce the defending army's army size by the appropriate number of die rolls, divided by the concentration, rounded down. It is this step where concentration assists with reducing the target army's army size.

If (Effective ADV * Concentration) >= Target Army's Soldier HP... Then, Target Army's Strength = Target Army's Army Size - (Successful Die Rolls / Concentration, round down)

If (Effective Critical ADV * Concentration) >= Target Army's Soldier HP... Then, Target Army's Army Size = Target Army's Army Size - (Critical Die Rolls / Concentration, round down)

If (Effective Unsuccessful ADV * Concentration) >= Target Army's Soldier HP... Then, Target Army's Army Size = Target Army's Army Size - (Unsuccessful Die Rolls / Concentration, round down)

Dead Soldiers & Acting below 0 HP:

If the effective ADV times the concentration for any type of die roll (successful, unsuccessful and critical) is equal to greater than the target army's soldier HP plus their target army's Constitution score, the number of soldiers that are actually dead is equal to the appropriate number of die rolls, divided by the concentration, rounded down. This reduces the target army's maximum army size. If the soldiers in target army would die at 0 hit points (like most constructs and undead), then reduce the target army's maximum army size by the same amount.

If (Effective ADV * Concentration) >= Target Army's Soldier HP + Target Army's Constitution Score... Then, Target Army's Maximum Army Size= Target Army's Army Size - (Successful Die Rolls / Concentration, round down)

If (Effective Critical ADV * Concentration) >= Target Army's Soldier HP + Target Army's Constitution Score... Then, Target Army's Maximum Army Size = Target Army's Army Size - (Critical Die Rolls / Concentration, round down)

If (Effective Unsuccessful ADV * Concentration) >= Target Army's Soldier HP + Target Army's Constitution Score... Then, Target Army's Maximum Army Size = Target Army's Army Size - (Unsuccessful Die Rolls / Concentration, round down)

If the soldiers in target army can still operate for a period of time below 0 hit points, then the reduction in army size does not apply until they stop operating.

Recalculate:

Once the current Total Army HP, the current army size and the maximum army size have been determined, the current soldier HP is now equal to the Total Army HP divided by the current Army Size, not rounded.

Note: If the soldier HP is calculated to a value greater than the maximum soldier HP, keep the soldier HP at its maximum and the Total Army HP is recalculated to the soldier HP times the current Army Size.

Defeated & Destroyed:

Once an army is reduced to 0 Total Army HP, it is considered defeated, which means that the army cannot act or move and the majority of the soldiers are alive with negative hit points, but stable. If an army's Total Army HP and maximum army size are both reduced to 0, it is considered destroyed, which means that majority of the soldiers are dead. Otherwise, the defeated and destroyed conditions are identical for standard mass combat rules.

Examples of Applying Damage in Skirmish Combat

Example 1: The 100 1st level human fighters are attacking a horde of orcs.

Army Size: The orcs have an army size of 500.

Total Army HP: The orcs have a Total Army HP of 5,500.

Solder HP: The individual orc has a soldier HP of 11.

Constitution Score: The individual orc has a Constitution Score of 12.

Damage Reduction & Resistance: The orcs do not have any damage reduction or resistance.

Number of Targets: The humans targeted 100 orcs.

Concentration: The humans are not focusing their effects, so the concentration is x1.

Successful Die Rolls: The humans have 62 successful die rolls.

ADV: The humans with their halberds have an ADV of 6.

Critical Die Rolls: The humans of 3 critical die rolls.

Critical ADV: The humans with their halberds have a critical ADV of 18.

Unsuccessful Die Rolls: There are no unsuccessful die rolls in this example.

Unsuccessful ADV: There is no unsuccessful ADV in this example.

Determining the Effective ADV: There is no damage reduction or resistance, so the effective ADV and the effective critical ADV remain the same at 6 and 18, respectfully.

Determining Total Damage:

Total Successful Damage: 62 successful die rolls times 6 effective ADV results in a total of 372 total successful damage.

Total Critical Damage: 3 critical die rolls times 18 effective critical ADV results in a total of 54 total critical damage.

Total Unsuccessful Damage: This does not need to be determined in this example.

Total Damage: 372 total successful damage plus 54 total critical damage results with 426 total damage. This does not exceed 1,100, which is 11 (the orc's soldier HP) times 100 (the number of targets). The total damage reduces the orc's Total Army HP from 5,500 to 5,074.

Concentration & Reducing Army Size:

Effective ADV: 6 (the human's effective ADV) times 1 (the concentration) is 6. This is less than 11 (the orc's soldier HP), so the orc's army size is not reduced by the successful die rolls, divided by the concentration, rounded down.

Effective Critical ADV: 18 (the human's effective critical ADV) times 1 (the concentration) is 18. This is greater than 11 (the orc's soldier HP), so the orc's army size is reduce by 3 (the critical die rolls) divided by 1 (the concentration), rounded down for a total of 3. Because 18

Effective Unsuccessful ADV: This does not need to be determined in this example.

Dead Soldiers & Acting below 0 HP:

Effective ADV: The orc's army size was not reduced by any successful die rolls.

Effective Critical ADV: 18 (the human's effective critical ADV) times 1 (the concentration) is 18. This is less than 11 (the orc's soldier HP) plus 12 (the orc's Constitution Score). This means that the 3 orcs that would have been removed from the orc's army size are not dead, but only dying. But, orcs have the ferocity racial trait, so they can continue to operate below 0 hit points, thus this reduction does not apply to the army strength.

Effective Unsuccessful ADV: This does not need to be determined in this example

Total Reduction: The orc's army size would normally be reduced from 500 to 497, but ferocity keeps it at 500

Recalculate: The orc's new soldier HP is 5,074 (the orc's current Total Army HP) divided by 500 (the orc's current army size), not rounded, resulting in a soldier HP of 10.15

Example 2: The 100 1st level human fighters are firing into the tribe of enchanted gnolls.

Army Size: The gnoll's army size is 100.

Total Army HP: The gnolls have a Total Army HP of 900.

Soldier HP: The individual gnoll has a soldier HP of 11.

Constitution Score: The individual gnoll has a Constitution Score of 13.

Damage Reduction & Resistance: The gnolls do have DR 1 / adamantine that applies to the humans and their crossbow bolts.

Number of Targets: The humans targeted 25 gnolls

Concentration: The humans do focus their efforts for a concentration of x2

Successful Die Rolls: The humans have 22 successful die rolls.

ADV: The humans with their heavy crossbows have an ADV of 5.

Critical Die Rolls: The humans have 2 critical die rolls.

Critical ADV: The humans with their heavy crossbows have a critical ADV of 11.

Unsuccessful Die Rolls: There are no unsuccessful die rolls in this example.

Unsuccessful ADV: There is no unsuccessful ADV in this example.

Determining the Effective ADV: The gnolls do have damage reduction of 1 / adamantine that affects the human fighters.

Effective ADV: The effective ADV is 5 (the ADV) minus 1 (the damage reduction), for a total of 4.

Effective Critical ADV: The effective critical ADV is 11 (the critical ADV) minus 1 (the damage reduction), for a total of 10.

Effective Unsuccessful ADV: This does not need to be determined in this example.

Determining Total Damage:

Total Successful Damage: 22 successful die rolls times 4 effective ADV results in a total of 88 total successful damage.

Total Critical Damage: 2 critical die rolls times 10 effective critical ADV results in a total of 20 total critical damage.

Total Unsuccessful Damage: This does not need to be determined in this example:

Total Damage: 88 total successful damage plus 20 total critical damage results with 108 total damage. This does not exceed 225, which is 9 (the gnol''s soldier HP) times 25 (the number of targets). The total damage reduces the gnoll's Total Army HP from 900 to 792

Concentration & Reducing Army Size:

Effective ADV: 4 (the human's effective ADV) times 2 (the concentration) is 8. This is less than 9 (the gnoll's soldier HP), so the gnoll's army size is not reduced by the successful die rolls, divided by the concentration, rounded down

Effective Critical ADV: 10 (the human's effective critical ADV) times 2 (the concentration) is 22. This is greater than 9 (the gnoll's soldier HP), so the gnoll's army size is reduced by 2 (the critical die rolls) divided by 2 (the concentration), rounded down, for a total of 1.

Effective Unsuccessful ADV: This does not need to be determined in this example.

Dead Soldiers & Acting below 0 HP:

Effective ADV: The gnoll's army size was not reduced by any successful die rolls.

Effective Critical ADV: 11 (the human's effective critical ADV) times 2 (the concentration) is 22. This is equal to 9 (the gnoll's soldier HP) plus 13 (the gnoll's Constitution Score). This means that the 1 gnoll that was removed is dead. This reduces the target army's maximum army size.

Effective Unsuccessful ADV: This does not need to be determined for this example.

Total Reduction: The gnoll's army size is reduced from 100 to 99.

Recalculate: The gnoll's new soldier HP is 792 (the gnoll's current Total Army HP) divided by 99 (the gnoll's current army size), not rounded, resulting in a soldier HP of 8.

Example 3: The 32 suli fighters in this example are only a portion of the total army.

Army Size: The suli's army size is 100.

Total Army HP: The suli's Total Army HP is 1,100

Soldier HP: The individual suli has a soldier HP of 11.

Constitution Score: The individual suli has a Constitution Score of 11.

Damage Reduction & Resistance: The suli fighters have fire resistance of 5.

Number of Targets: The wizards targeted 32 suli fighters

Concentration: The wizards do focus their efforts for a concentration of x3.

Successful Die Rolls: The suli fighters have 22 successful die rolls.

ADV: The wizard's Fireball has a ADV of 8. Remember that successful in this case is from the point of view of the suli fighters, not the wizards

Critical Die Rolls: There are no critical die rolls in this example.

Critical ADV: There is no critical ADV in this example.

Unsuccessful Die Rolls: The suli fighters have 67 unsuccessful die rolls.

Unsuccessful ADV: The wizard's Fireball has an unsuccessful ADV of 17. Remember that unsuccessful in this case is from the point of view of the suli fighters, not the wizards.

Determining the Effective ADV: The suli do have fire resistance 5 that applies to Fireball spells

Effective ADV: The effective ADV is 8 (the ADV) minus 5 (the fire resistance), for a total of 3.

Effective Critical ADV: This does not need to be determined in this example.

Effective Unsuccessful ADV: The effective unsuccessful ADV is 17 (the unsuccessful ADV) minus 5 (the fire resistance), for a total of 12.

Determining Total Damage:

Total Successful Damage: 22 successful die rolls times 3 effective ADV results in a total of 66 total successful damage.

Total Critical Damage: This does not need to be determined in this example.

Total Unsuccessful Damage: 67 successful die rolls times 12 effective unsuccessful ADV results in a total of 804 total unsuccessful damage.

Total Damage: 66 total successful damage plus 804 total unsuccessful damage would normally result with 870, but this does exceed 352, which is 11 (the suli's soldier HP) times 32 (the number of targets). So the total damage is 352 and reduces the suli's Total Army HP from 1,100 to 748.

Concentration & Reducing Army Size:

Effective ADV: 3 (the effective ADV) times 3 (the concentration) is 9. This is less than 11 (the suli's soldier HP), so the suli's army size is not reduced by the successful die rolls, divided by the concentration, rounded down.

Effective Critical ADV: This does not need to be determined in this example.

Effective Unsuccessful ADV: 12 (the effective unsuccessful ADV) times 3 (the concentration) is 36. This is greater than 11 (the suli's soldier HP), so the suli's army size is reduced by 67 (the unsuccessful die rolls) divided by 3 (the concentration), rounded down, for a 22.

Dead Soldiers & Acting below 0 HP:

Effective ADV: The suli's army size was not reduced by any successful die rolls.

Effective Critical ADV: This does not need to be determined for this example.

Effective Unsuccessful ADV: 12 (the effective unsuccessful ADV) times 3 (the concentration) is 36. This is greater than 11 (the suli's soldier HP) plus 11 (the suli's Constitution Score). this means that the 22 suli that were removed are dead. This reduces the target army's maximum army size.

Total Reduction: The suli's army size is reduced from 100 to 78.

Recalculate: The suli's new soldier HP is 749 (the suli's current Total Army HP) divided by 78 (the suli's current army size), not rounded, resulting in a new soldier HP of 9.6

Healing in Skirmish Combat

Healing in skirmish combat is handled just like applying damage, just in adding instead of subtracting. Any healing that is performed during a phase is applied after the total damage for that phase is determined, but before any reduction in army size. There are some limitations, however.

• An army's soldier HP can never exceed it's current maximum without the use of temporary hit points.

  • An army's Total Army HP can never exceed it's current maximum without the use of temporary hit points.

  • An army's army size can never exceed it's current maximum without the use resurrection magic.

Running Skirmish Combat

Skirmish combat is designed to be run along side standard combat. However, there are some basic assumptions.

• 1. Because all of the combined actions of all of the armies are occurring randomly throughout the round, each army gets an equal opportunity to act before damage is applied. This is dealt with in phases, which are resolved at the end of each round of standard combat.

  2. While standard combat and skirmish combat can be run side by side, any effect that applies from one to the other does not resolve until the appropriate phase for skirmish combat. In each phase, all standard combat actions resolve before all skirmish actions, resolved in order of initiative (for standard actions) and then all skirmish actions are resolved simultaneously.

  3. Armies, as a single unit, get the same kinds of actions (full-round or standard & move, free, etc) to spend per turn. However, an army acts a single unit and are still governed by the rules for spending actions in a turn. Thus, if an army is performing a standard action for ranged attacks, it does not get one for melee attacks (and visa verse). If an army spends a full-round action, it forfeits its move action for the turn unless it is part of a full-round action (i.e. charge). Because of the nature of how actions are resolved in skirmish combat, armies still get a swift or immediate action, but immediate actions do not prevent another army's action from resolving.

1. Because of the nature of skirmish combat and the scale of the map, armies do not get 5-foot steps as part of a full-round action. Likewise, armies still get immediate actions, but immediate actions never prevent another army's action from resolving. Otherwise, armies have the same kind of movement options that individuals in standard combat have. Participants in standard combat follow the normal rules for standard combat.

Starting Skirmish Combat

Skirmish combat begins with the following setup, resolved in the following order.

• 1. Determine Leaders: Each military force in the conflict determines their acting leader.

  2. Determine Armies & Commanders: Each acting leader determines the armies they have available and the commander for each army.

  3. Determine Boons: Any boon that can be applied to an army by either their leader or their respective commander is applied. Unless stated otherwise, no boon can be applied more than once. See Strategies, Tactics & Boons for details.

  4. Check for Surprise (Optional): As per the rules for Camouflage and Scouting (Ultimate Battle, pg. 25). If successful, the hidden armies have the benefit of an ambush and the target armies are considered flat-footed.

1. Roll Tactical Initiative: Each acting leader rolls their Profession (soldier) skill check. Surprised leaders only use their Profession (soldier) modifier. Resolve each step separately, in order of the lowest result to the highest result, with ties to the highest modifier.

   1. 1. Determine Zone Boundaries: Each leader chooses their command zone, camp zone, ranged zone and their edge of the melee zone. Resolve any conflicts for zone placement after each leader is done making their choices.

      2. Army Placement: Each leader places their armies as desired within their ranged zone or camp zone. When placing an army, the leader also determines its facing. Armies can only be placed in the melee zone if they have succeeded in an ambush.

      3. Strategies: Each leader declares which strategy they are starting with. A leader can change their starting strategy in response to what other leaders have already declared. See Strategies, Tactics & Boons for details.

      4. Tactics: Each commander chooses the starting tactic for their army. These decisions are not made public. See Strategies, Tactics & Boons for details.

      5. Adjust Tactics: For every 5 points a leader's Profession (soldier) check beats another leader, he can either learn 1 tactic of an opposing army or change 1 tactic of his own. No more than 1 tactic can be learned or changed per army.

• 1. Roll Standard Initiative (Optional): Any standard combatants roll their initiative normally. Their initial placement can be in the ranged zone, camp zone or command zone, as appropriate for the encounter.

2. Start the round.

• 1. Standard Combat (Optional): Resolve all standard combat actions as per normal rules.

  2. Skirmish Combat: Resolve all actions of the same type, by the appropriate phase. See Phases vs. Rounds

3. End the round.

4. Repeat to Step 8 as needed.

5. End Combat.

Phases vs. Rounds

During each round of combat, all standard combat is resolved first, as per normal standard combat rules. At the end of each round, all skirmish combat is resolved simultaneously in the following order.

1. Movement & Tactics: All skirmish movement and tactics resolved simultaneously. If the army is going to perform an action other than an melee or ranged attack action, it needs to be determined through the use of a tactic. Some tactics require a Morale check. See Movement & Orders.

2. Ranged Attacks: The damage from all ranged attacks is applied simultaneously.

   1. Declare Actions & Targets

   2. Roll Success Percentage

3. Apply Ranged Damage: The damage from all ranged attacks is applied simultaneously.

• 1. Determine Total Damage: Determine ADVs and total damage.

  2. Healing: Any healing done at ranged is also resolved in this phase, including any channeling energy.

  3. Reducing Army Size & Recalculate: Armies recalculate remaining army size and related attributes.

4. Melee Phase: All skirmish melee attacks, except attacks of opportunity, are determined during this phase.

• 1. Declare Actions & Targets

  2. Roll Success Percentage

  3. Apply Melee Damage: The damage from all melee attacks, except attacks of opportunity, is applied simultaneously. Any healing done at touch is also resolved in this phase, including any fast healing and regeneration.

  4. Determine Total Damage: Determine ADVs and total damage.

  5. Healing: Any healing done at ranged is also resolved in this phase, including any channeling energy.

  6. Reducing Army Size & Recalculate: Armies recalculate remaining army size and related attributes.

5. Other Action Phase: All other actions not covered in the previous phases, with the exception of attacks of opportunity, are resolved in this phase (buffing, debuffing, terrain alteration, etc).

• 1. Opportunity Phase: All attacks of opportunity are determined during this phase.

  2. Declare Actions & Targets

  3. Roll Success Percentage

  4. Apply Opportunity Damage: The damage from all attacks of opportunity is applied simultaneously. Any healing done at touch is also resolved in this phase, including any fast healing and regeneration.

  5. Determine Total Damage: Determine ADVs and total damage.

  6. Reducing Army Size & Recalculate: Armies recalculate remaining army size and related attributes.

6. Routing Phase: Each army makes a morale check to see if they route. See Morale Checks (above).

Movement & Tactics

The first phase of each round allows the leader and all commander to issue all desired commands to their respective armies. Each of the following options is available during this phase, although they do not all have to be used.

Change Strategy:

The leader can issue a change in the overall strategy for all armies in their command. If the change in strategy is only one step (i.e. Hold Firm to Cautious Advance), no check is needed. Otherwise, a Morale check, DC 20 + 1 per step beyond the first, needs to be made for each army. Those that do not succeed do not change strategies. This check can be retried once each turn. Routing armies do not gain the benefit of strategies and thus automatically fail this check. Changes to strategy are immediately noticed by all armies on the battlefield.

Issue Tactics:

The commander of each army not routing can issue a new tactics for their army. Only one tactic can be issued at a time, although melee and ranged attack actions do not require a tactic to be issued. Some tactics fundamentally change the representation of the army on the map. Others require multiple rounds to complete. All tactics requires a Morale check with a DC set by the tactic.See Tactics for examples.

Note: Rallying an army, which is one of the few ways to stop an army that is routing is considered a tactic.

The result of the commander's Profession (soldier) check sets the DC for all other commanders' Profession (soldier) check to notice the change.

Movement:

Movement in skirmish combat follows most of the same rules standard combat. However, all movement for all armies are resolved simultaneously. If such movement would normally provoke attacks of opportunity, notate the number of attacks and which army provokes from which other army. Attacks of opportunity are resolved in the Opportunity Phase.

In order for an army to move through another allied armies squares, it must use the Pass Through tactic.

Strategy, Tactics & Boons

Listed in standard mass combat are three aspects that are not common in standard combat: strategies, tactics and boons. These factors only apply to armies, not to individuals that happen to be fighting along side them.

Strategy:

This is the overall tone of aggression that a whole military force takes. Only one strategy can be taken at a time and it is chosen by the acting leader. In standard mass combat, the strategy applies a modifier to OM, DV and Causalities. In skirmish combat, strategy applies as a modifier to attack rolls, AC, saving throw DCs and Reflex saving throws. There are five strategies, in order of aggressiveness.

Table 7: Modifiers by Strategy

It is possible to change strategies in skirmish combat, just like it is in standard mass combat (See Morale Checks).

Tactics:

A tactic is a particular action or style of combat that a specific army takes. Tactics are chosen by the individual commander for their army (or any range that they have assumed command of). Only one tactic can be chosen per army per turn and not all tactics listed in Ultimate Battle and Ultimate Combat affect skirmish combat. Likewise, some tactics cannot be sustained for multiple rounds. It is possible to change tactics in skirmish combat, just like it is in standard mas combat (see Morale Checks).

See Tactics for examples.

Boon: A boon is a fixed benefit that either a leader to all of his armies or a commander gives to the armies in their command. Most boons can only be given to one army at a time. Boons do not stack. Not all boons affect skirmish combat and once chosen, they cannot be changed within the scope of a skirmish encounter.

See Boons for examples.

Ending Skirmish Combat

At the end of skirmish combat, any army that was, at least once, below half of its original Total Army HP gains the bloodied condition. Any army that is still routed is still routed and is resolved as per standard mass combat rules. All other aspects are handled by standard mass combat rules. See Conditions & Effects for more details.

Alterations to Standard Combat

There are a number of changes to the rules for standard combat that apply to skirmish combat. They are detailed here.

Bardic Performance: Assume the radius for all bardic performances that do not specify one is equal to 100' plus 50' times their Charisma modifier. This is the same as a commander's command range.

Combat Maneuvers: Combat maneuvers, for the most part, are used just like standard combat, with the number of affected targets determined by the number of actions and the success percentage. When they are used, they are resolved during the melee phase. See Conditions & Effects for how to apply them to armies. Certain maneuvers have additional effects in skirmish combat, detailed below.

• • Bull Rush, Drag & Reposition: These maneuvers only move armies as a whole if a -5 penalty is applied to the roll, in which case, the targeted army is moved a maximum of 10'. However, if these maneuvers successfully affect over 25% of the targeted army, even without the -5 penalty, and the targeted army is in either closed or hedgehog formation, the attempt forces them into the open formation.

  • Disarm: This maneuver reduces the effective army size by the number of affected targets for determining the number of army actions.

  • Steal: This maneuver cannot be used in skirmish combat.

  • Sunder: This maneuver has to target the same piece of equipment on every affected target, either a weapon, shield or armor. It then only applies the broken condition to the chosen equipment for the number of affected targets.

Melee Attacks:

Melee attacks in skirmish combat have the following alterations.

• • Attacks of Opportunity & Movement: Whenever one or more armies move in a way that provokes and the two armies threaten each other, the army with the greater reach is the one that gets to make the attack of opportunity. This is checked separately for each pair of armies that threaten each other, up to the normal limit of attacks of opportunity. Unless stated otherwise, other movement does not provoke, but other actions still provoke like normal.

  • Withdrawing From Melee: Once an army is in melee combat with another army, it cannot take a withdrawal action without using the Retreat or Withdrawal tactic.

Ranged Attacks:

Ranged attacks in skirmish combat have the following alterations.

• • Line of Effect & Indirect Fire: In standard combat, ranged attacks are usually resolved in a straight line, known as the line of effect. If a ranged attack that does not require the line of effect, it can be made using the rules for catapults and indirect fire (Core Rulebook, pg. 435). Indirect fire does not suffer the problems of soft cover and firing into melee. Unless stated otherwise, spells, powers, spell-like abilities, psi-like abilities, supernatural abilities and extraordinary abilities must follow the rules for the line of effect. Rock throwing can be used with the rules for indirect fire.

  • Soft Cover & Firing Into Melee: Any time that a ranged attack is resolved through soft cover, meaning that the line of effect is obstructed by other combatants, the normal penalty for soft cover is not applied. Likewise, if a ranged attack is made into an army that is engaged in melee combat without the benefit of the Precise Shot feat, the penalty for firing in melee is not applied either. If either circumstance would apply, 25% of the successful actions, rounded down, are applied to army that is not targeted. If both circumstances apply, 50% of the successful actions, rounded down, are applied to the army that is not targeted. If more than one army would cause either of these circumstances, then apply the diverted actions to whichever army is providing soft cover. If more than one army is providing soft cover, apply the diverted actions to the army with highest army size. This has the same effect on morale modifiers as friendly fire in standard mass combat.

Teamwork Feats: Assume all of the benefits of any teamwork feat that an army has are in effect unless circumstances require otherwise. Teamwork feats that a variable benefit use the army's density to determine the number of soldiers that can work together for the benefit.