Conditions & Effects

If a condition or a sustained effect is applied to every soldier in an army, then the entire army is affected by that condition. If a condition or a sustained effect is only applied to a portion of an army, determine the number of affected soldiers (those that the condition applies to, usually equal to the number of successful targets) and the corresponding affected percentage of the army.

Affected Soldiers = Successful Targets (usually)

Affected Percentage = Affected Soldiers / Army Size, not rounded.

Once you have the number of affected soldiers and the affected percentage, the condition or sustained effect is applied to the army in one of the following ways:

    • Action Reduction: If the condition prevents soldiers from taking actions, then the army size is reduced by the number of affected soldiers for the purposes of determining the number of army actions. If a choice needs to be made between action types (standard vs. move), then all affected soldiers make the same choice. Examples include the grappled, dazed, and paralyzed conditions.

    • Die Rolls: If the condition affects a die roll, then take the amount of the modifier for the condition and the affected percentage into account when determining the success percentage. Examples include the shaken and sickened condition.

    • Miss Chance: If the condition causes a miss chance or other percentile roll for failure, the effective miss chance is equal to the affected percentage times the miss chance percentage. This is then applied appropriately to the success percentage. Examples include the blinded condition.

    • Movement Rate: The movement rate of an army is always equal to the slowest soldier in that army. Examples include the exhausted condition.

    • Hit Points: Conditions that affect hit points affect the hit point totals of individual soldiers, thus their impact on the army's Total Army HP is appropriate to the number of affected targets. Examples include energy drain or Constitution damage.

    • Statistics: If the condition affects a statistic, then take the amount of the modifier times the affected percentage, rounded normally, and apply it to the appropriate statistic. Examples include any attribute damage.

Any reduction in army size is assumed to apply to affected soldiers and non-affected soldiers equally, maintaining the affected percentage, unless stated otherwise.

Existing Conditions

Listed below are any additional alterations to the standard conditions when used in skirmish combat.

  • Blinded: If over 50% of the army is blinded, it no longer gains the benefit of their commander's leadership bonus to morale checks. Blinded soldiers with telepathic contact with their commander do not count when determining if the commander's leadership bonus is lost.

  • Confused: An army, or portion thereof, that is confused does not roll on the normal percentile chart. Instead, the army size is reduced by twice the number of affected soldiers for the purposes of determining the number of army actions, as some clearheaded soldiers are restraining the confused ones.

  • Dead: This condition does not apply to armies. See Defeated and Destroyed.

    • Deafened: If over 50% of the army is deafened, it no longer gains the benefit of their commander's leadership bonus to morale checks and it cannot change strategy or tactics. Deafened soldiers with telepathic contact with their commander do not count when determining if the commander's leadership bonus is lost.

  • Dying: This condition does not apply to armies. See Defeated and Destroyed.

  • Frightened: In addition to the normal effect, if over 50% of the army is frightened, it no longer gets the commander's leadership bonus to morale checks and it cannot change strategy or tactics.

  • Panicked: In addition to the normal effect, if over 50% of the army is panicked, it no longer gets the commander's leadership bonus to morale checks and it cannot change strategy or tactics.

  • Stable: This condition does not apply to armies. See Defeated and Destroyed.

Mind Control

If an effect resolves with only a portion of an army under the control of an opposing force, it is resolved in one of two ways. If the affected percentage is 25% or less, the army has a whole remains under it's own control, but suffers a penalty to any success percentage equal to twice the affected percentage for as long as it needs to restrains the affected soldiers. If the affected percentage is 75% or more, the army has a whole falls under the control of the opposing force, but with the similar penalty to the success percentage, equal to the unaffected percentage (i.e. 100% - the affected percentage). Any affected percentage between these two causes the army to be considered grappled with each itself for as long as the affected percentage remains within this range.

An army that is dominated cannot fail a morale check to prevent routing, but a charmed army still needs to be make the check like normal.

New Conditions

Listed below are three new conditions that only apply to armies. They were originally presented in Ultimate Battle and Ultimate Campaign, but have been expanded here to apply to skirmish combat.

New Condition: Bloodied: A new condition where an army survives a skirmish combat, but was below half of its Total Army HP at least once during the conflict. Bloodied armies are at a -1 to attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws and AC until they have been reformed or replenished, as per standard mass combat rules. This definition is in addition, not replacing, the definition presented in Ultimate Battle.

New Condition: Defeated: A new condition that applies whenever an army's Total Army HP reaches 0 or less, but still has an army size of 1 or more. A defeated army is assumed to have the majority of its soldiers either dying or unconscious and stable, with only 10% of the original army size as dead. A defeated army cannot act or move until its Total Army HP is positive again, at which point is no longer defeated. A defeated army that has its army size reduced to 0 is destroyed. This condition applies only to armies as a whole, not individual soldiers. This definition is in addition, not replacing, the definition presented in Ultimate Battle.

New Condition: Destroyed: A new condition that applies whenever an army's Total Army HP reaches 0 or less and the army size is 0. A destroyed army is assumed to have 1d6x10% of the original army size is now dead and another 1d4x10% have fled. The army's new army size is only what remains, to a minimum of 0. This condition applies only to armies as a whole, not individual soldiers. This definition is in addition, not replacing, the definition presented in Ultimate Battle.

New Condition: Routing (or routed): A new condition where an army leaves the battle out of fear or cowardice. A routing army in skirmish combat will attempt to leave the battlefield by any means necessary, until it is successfully commanded otherwise. While routed, an army in skirmish combat does not gain any benefit (or penalty) from any strategy or tactic, takes -4 penalty to AC, cannot attack and attempts to leave the battlefield as fast as possible. So long as a routed army cannot leave the battlefield, it can operate normally, but at a -5 penalty to all d20 rolls. If an army is still routed at the end of the encounter, it must make check to see if it has disbanded as per standard mass combat. If an army is still routed by the end of the skirmish combat, it still considered a routing army and resolved as per standard mass combat rules.

This is considered a fear-based effect between frightened and panicked, but only affects armies as a whole, not individual soldiers. Thus, immunity to fear only applies if the entire army has immunity to fear. This definition is in addition, not replacing, the definition presented in Ultimate Battle.