Tactics

Tactics are the orders that commanders issue to armies at the beginning of every round of skirmish combat. An army only knows a certain number of tactics, although the Bonus Tactic boon can allow a commander to issue a tactic that an army does not know. All armies start knowing the following tactics:

  • Change Formation (Open and Close)

  • Full Defense

  • Furious Charge

  • Retreat

  • Standard

  • Withdrawal

Armies with ranged attacks also know the Volley tactic. Learning new tactics and the maximum number of tactics known is the same as in standard mass combat. However, how tactics affect skirmish combat is different than how they affect standard mass combat.

Issuing Tactics

Issuing a tactic requires the commander to spent a standard action and requires a morale check by the army to comply. If the morale check fails, the new tactic does is not successfully applied and the army keeps the original tactic applied. With the exception of the Change Formation tactic, an army can only benefit from one tactic at a time. When a new tactic is successfully issued, the benefits and penalties of the new one are immediately applied and the benefits and penalties are immediately lost.

A commander can always issue a tactic to the army they are assigned to regardless of size of their army, but they can only issue a tactic to another allied army that does not have a commander if a portion of the other army is within the command range for the commander, measured from center of two respective armies. A commander can only issue one tactic per round, but that same tactic can be issued to every army that they can reach.

Every tactic has the following format:

Name: Function

Morale Check DC: ## (The default DC is 15).

Requirements: Some tactics have requirements that must be met before it can be used.

List of Tactics

Listed below are the tactics from Ultimate Battle and Ultimate Combat available and their effects in skirmish combat (if any).

Cautious Combat: The army is more cautious in combat, resulting in a -2 penalty to all attack rolls and -1 penalty to DCs, but gets a +2 bonus to all Morale checks.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: None.

Calvary Charge: The mounted army makes two melee attacks against two different armies as part of a charge. The two targeted armies do not need to be adjacent, but the mounted army must travel in a straight line forward. The total number of army actions for each attack is half the normal amount, rounded down. The mounted army suffers a -2 penalty to AC and provokes attacks of opportunity as normal, based on their reach and the reach of the targeted armies.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: The commander and the army must have mounts, the Ride-By Attack feat and be using melee attacks.

Change Formation: The army changes its formation. Unlike other tactics, the benefits and penalties of this tactic are maintained even if another tactic is used. The benefits and penalties of this tactic are only changed if this tactic is issued again to form a different formation. If a formation has another formation in parenthesis after it, like Hedgehog (Close), the army must first be in the formation in the parenthesis before attempting the new formation. Unless a different formation is used, the default formation, called closed formation, is as close to a perfect square as possible, covering a number of 10' x 10' squares appropriate to the army's representation and the army has the default arrangement for facing (1 front face, 1 back face and 2 flanks). Any change in the army's formation cannot allow it to occupy squares already occupied by other armies.

Armies automatically know the closed and open formation. Each additional formation is counts a separate tactic.

  • Closed: This is the default formation, with soldiers as tightly packed as possible while still allowing them to move quickly.

    • Open: Soldiers spread out to cover more ground.

      • The army covers twice as many 10' x 10' squares appropriate to the army's representation

      • The army's density is divided by 2, round up.

  • Hedgehog (Close): This formation has the army set up in a circle, with weapons set to receive a charge.

      • The army covers half as many 10' x 10' squares appropriate to the army's representation. This must be in as close to a perfect square as possible.

      • The army cannot move and cannot use weapons with the double quality.

      • The army's density is doubled.

      • The army's facing is changed so that every face is considered its front face.

    • Scatter (Open): The soldiers are scatter to be as separate as possible.

      • The army covers four times as many 10' x 10' squares appropriate to the army's representation. This must be in as close to a perfect square as possible.

      • The army's density is divided by 4, round up.

    • Shaped (Open or Closed): The formation rearranges solders to be in a different shape other than as perfect (or near-perfect) square. Through this, lines, wedges, triangles or any other continuous shape could be made. The rules for the shape are as follows.

      • All 10' x 10' squares of the army's representation must be adjacent along their sides, not just their corners.

    • The minimum dimension of any one side is the representation of one soldier, to a minimum of 10' x 10'.

      • The shape must have a defined front face, back face and two flanks. The distance along the front face cannot be larger than that of the back face.

      • Maintaining the shaped formation while moving requires reissuing the same tactic every round.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: None.

Combat Maneuver: This orders the army to perform a combat maneuver. Each maneuver commanded in this way counts as a different tactic

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: The army must be able to perform the desired combat maneuver.

Covering Fire: The army selects an allied army, an opposing army that is threatening it and makes a ranged attack against the opposing army during the ranged phase. If an allied army attempts a Retreat or Withdrawal tactic on the following round, it gets a +2 bonus to the morale check to issue the tactic.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: The army must be using ranged attacks.

Defensive Wall: The army spends more time protecting itself than attacking, resulting in a -2 penalty to all attack rolls and a -1 penalty to DCs, but gets a +2 circumstance bonus to AC and a +1 circumstance bonus to Reflex saves.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: None.

Full Defense: This is the same as ordering the army to fight defensively, providing a +2 to AC, but at -4 to attack rolls. If the army has the Combat Expertise feat, the army uses it.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: None.

False Retreat: The army must target another army that is threatening it and spend both move actions to move away and forward again, surrounding the targeted army. These move actions do not actually change the army's position, facing or formation on the map, but on the following round, the army gains a +6 circumstance bonus to melee attacks against the targeted army and a +6 circumstance bonus to AC from melee attacks from the targeted army.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: None, but this maneuver takes 2 rounds to complete.

Feint: The army is ordered for half of the troops to perform the feint maneuver while the other half attacks. Divide the number of army actions in half, rounding toward those attacking with melee weapons. Make a feint attempt against the target opposing army. If the feint is successful, the following melee attack is made with the opposing army's Dexterity bonus to AC. Both of these checks are resolved during the melee phase.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: The army must be using melee attacks.

Furious Combat: The army makes a charge action toward a targeted opposing army, screaming and yelling along the way. In addition to the standard benefits and penalties of charging, the targeted opposing army is at a -2 penalty to any morale check to issue a any Retreat or Withdrawal tactic the following round.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: The army must be using melee attacks and have at least 1 rank in Intimidate.

Other Action: This maneuver commands the army to perform some other action that has been predetermined and practiced so that they army can do it as a unit. Examples include digging a trench, setting up a siege weapon, perform a drill or any other plan. An action has to be clearly defined, although it can have as many steps as the army has army actions. Each action is considered a separate tactic.

Morale Check DC: Varies (GM's discretion, between 10 to 30)

Requirements: None.

Overwhelming Onslaught: By making a charge action against a targeted army that is using the Full Defense, Pike Square or Screening Defense tactic, the army attempts to unnerve them. In addition the normal effects of the charge, the army makes an opposed morale check against the target army. If the army succeeds, the targeted army looses the effect of their tactic at the end of the round and automatically fails any morale check to use the Full Defense, Pike Square or Screening Defense tactics so long as the targeted army is threatened by the army using this tactic.

Morale Check DC: Opposed by targeted army's morale check.

Requirements: The army must be using melee attacks and have at least 1 rank in Intimidate.

Pass Through: The army can pass through an army. All armies must be in open formation and armies cannot end their movement occupying the same squares. The morale check to be successful by every army involved in order for the tactic to work. Failure means that the armies end their movement adjacent to the army that failed the morale check.

Morale Check DC: 20

Requirements: None

Pike Square: The army prepares to receive any charge against its front face for the remainder of this round. This is the same as having weapons readied against a charge

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: The army must be using weapons with the brace feature and cannot be mounted

Rally: This tactic can only be used on an army that is routing. It allows for the routing army to make another morale check to stop routing.

Morale Check DC: The original DC of the failed morale check.

Requirements: None.

Retreat: The army attempts to run back to the camp zone. In order to do so, it must succeed on an opposed morale check against each opposing army that would threaten it along the most direct path back to the camp zone. If successful, the army changes its facing up to 180 degrees, in the most direct route back to the camp zone and moves its full movement rate. Each turn it maintains this tactic, it double moves back toward the camp zone. Failure means that the army provokes an attack of opportunity. If the army would be threatened by more than one opposing army, this tactic requires one morale check per opposing army, with each failure provoking an attack of opportunity separately from the respective opposing army. Regardless, the army does not make any attacks so long as it is using this tactic.

Morale Check DC: Opposed by opposing army's morale check.

Requirements: None

Set Spikes: An army places spikes, stakes or other quickly-deployed, portable traps in the field. Each 10' x 10' squares requires five army actions, times the number actions it takes to set the spike or trap. A group of spikes or stakes are simple enough that they only require a standard action to set or remove, thus five army actions per 10' x 10', but are obvious and only deal ADV to an army equal to its density for every 10' x 10' square covered.

Portable traps are more expensive, factored like equipping a soldier with one or traps. If the traps are supposed to be hidden, the army needs to complete this maneuver unobserved by any opponent. What is considered quickly-deployed and portable is subject to GM's discretion, but does include bear traps and benefits from the Quick Trapsmith rogue talent. Once deployed, the trapped squares resolve during the melee attack phase, using the opposing army's density to determine the number of affected soldiers.

Morale Check DC: 20

Requirements: The army cannot be used while mounted.

Screening Defense: The army protects an adjacent allied army. Both the army and the protected army must be threatened by the same opposing army or armies.. The army interferes with any melee attacks made against the protected army, meaning that they are targeted for any melee attacks instead of the protected army. Any ranged attacks made against the protected army have the number of army actions divided in half, rounding toward the protected army and are resolved against the protected army and the protecting army separately.

Morale Check DC: 20

Requirements: None

Shield Wall: The army interlocks their shield to form a wall. By doing so, the army has a -2 to any attack rolls, but gets cover (+4 to AC and +2 to Reflex saves) for either against melee attacks and direct ranged attacks or against indirect ranged attacks (based on whether the shields are in front of or above the soldiers). If the soldiers are using tower shields (and are proficient with them), then the army can spend their standard action to gain total cover for either against melee attacks and direct ranged attacks or against indirect ranged attacks for the round.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: The army must be using shields.

Spellbreaker: The army holds their actions in response for the first signs of enemy spellcasting. To use this tactic, the army must target an opposing army that is using spells, powers, spell-like abilities or psi-like abilities. If the army is used ranged attacks, then the opposing army must make a concentration check for effects released during the ranged phase. If the army is using melee attacks, then the opposing army must make a concentration check for effects released during the melee phase. In both cases, the DC for the concentration is the 10 + the spell or power level + the result of the army's ADV minus any damage reduction or resistance. Coverage does not factor into the damage for the purposes of this concentration check.

Morale Check DC: 15

Requirements: None

Standard: The army has no special orders, with no benefits or penalties.

Morale Check DC: No check is needed

Requirements: None

Withdrawal: If the army is threatened by an opposing army and wishes to make a withdrawal action (as per standard combat rules), it needs to succeed on a Withdrawal Tactic. If successful, the army can either change its facing 180 degrees and move at its full movement rate (spending two move actions) or maintain its facing and move backwards at 1/3 its movement rate and still have a standard action. Failure means that the army does not move and the attempt provokes an attack of opportunity. If the army is threatened by more than one opposing army, this tactic requires one morale check per opposing army, with each failure provoking an attack of opportunity separately from the respective opposing army.

Morale Check DC: Opposed by opposing army's morale check.

Requirements: None.

Tactics Not Used in Skirmish Combat

Certain tactics that are still valid in standard mass combat are not used in skirmish combat. They are:

  • Pincer Maneuver: This tactic is not used in skirmish combat as it is already covered in the rules for flanking.

  • Pursuit: This tactic is not used in skirmish combat as it is already covered in the rules for movement.

  • Relentless Brutality: This tactic is not used in skirmish combat as it is already covered in the rules for attacks.

  • Siegebreaker: This tactic is not used in skirmish combat, as it is covered in the rules for attacks.

  • Skirmishers: This tactic is not used in skirmish combat as it is already covered in the rules for movement.

  • Sniper Support: This tactic is not used in skirmish combat, as it is covered in the rules for attacks.

  • Strafing Skirmishers: This tactic is not used in skirmish combat as it is already covered in the rules for movement.

  • Taunt: This tactic is not used in skirmish combat, as it is covered in the rules for tactical initiative and player choices.

  • Volley: This tactic is not used in skirmish combat, as it is covered in the rules for attacks.