Patrol Warfare
With the Desolate Swamp Warcamp conquered and the formation of The Silver Order by the Band of the Blade and The Draconic Hoarders the fight against the Enduring Domain has escalated into the next stage of warfare. No longer must individual heroes travel alone relying entirely upon their wits and will waiting for opportunities to strike. For the first time in this conflict the resistance can begin initiating the battles with the Domain, making lightning strikes against vulnerable targets before retreating into the hills and swamps of the Crescent Wildlands.
Your enemies still outnumber you, and you will need to be vigilant against counterattacks and measures, but you have no doubt that the Domain will come to fear the arrival of The Silver Order and its Champions.
Groups of warriors, scouts, man-hunters and many others have begun flocking to your cause. They are untrained and poorly armed for the moment, but you will lead them to victory and forge their mettle in the fires of combat. As the Champions of the Silver Order the weaker members look to you for guidance, so muster your forces and arm them for battle. Train them, arm them, lead them and the Crescent will be free once more.
Troops
There is strength in numbers. A group of determined, untrained commonfolk armed with silver weapons may not be able to take down a werewolf warband, but they could overcome a weakened patrol, especially if lead by a powerful hero. Groups of your less individually capable allies can be formed into like-minded forces to accomplish certain tasks. There are several different kinds of Troops, each able to act independently within a region. Recruiting, training, and arming these troops requires support as well as the availability of weapons or personnel, and the population center to recruit from.
War Party
Troops armed with silvered weapons and leather armor, these groups are the primary fighting force of the Silver Order. They are untrained but tenacious survivors.
Availability: Requires Silvered Weapons (1 stock per strength)
Recruit: 125sp 2d6 (to a maximum of available silver weapon stock) 12 Maximum Strength
Aid: Characters may add their strength to Attacks and Ambushes, Ambush stealth checks roll with advantage
Athletics +4, Stealth +3, Passive Perception 12 Actions: Attack, Ambush, Rest, Recruit
Scouts
Eagle-eyed, lightly equipped troops of watchmen and hunters that spy on the enemy while maintaining their distance.
Availability: 3x (population centers) maximum
Recruit: 60sp 1d4 4 Maximum Strength
Special Rules
Scout action always meets a 20, no roll necessary
May move and Scout in the same activation
-1 to all combat rolls
Aid: Scout Action always meets a 30, no roll necessary
Athletics +6, Passive Perception 17 Actions: Scout, Rest, Recruit
Specialists:
Lycan Trackers:
May take the Attack action
Do not suffer -1 to combat rolls
Hunters
Small troops of commandos that pick off enemies one at a time within a region.
Availability: 2x (population centers) maximum
Recruit: 100sp 1d4+1 6 Maximum strength
Aid: Hunt with Advantage and inflict 1d4 damage
Athletics +4, Stealth +5, Passive Perception 15 Actions: Hunt, Rest, Recruit
Pathfinders
Expert woodsmen and trackers forge paths, blaze trails and craft blinds to keep their allies one step ahead of their foes.
Availability: 3x (population centers) maximum
Recruit 60sp, 1d4+1 6 maximum strength
Special Rules
Pathfinding & Survey actions always meet a 20, no roll required
No athletics check needed for movement
-1 to all combat rolls
Aid: Pathfinding and Survey always meet a 25, no roll needed
Passive Perception 15 Actions: Pathfinding, Survey, Rest, Recruit
Healers
Magically or medicinally empowered troops that serve as field medics for the Order. These groups help reduce the risk of death and injury greatly.
Availability: 1 per shrine controlled
Recruit: 150sp 2 Maximum Strength 2
Special Rules
Fails all combat rolls
Aid: When aided may not be the target of Hunt, Ambush or Attack Actions and automatically passes all athletics checks made for terrain
Athletics +2, Passive Perception 13 Actions: Heal, Rest, Recruit
Gatherers
Unarmed workmen that collect resources and reagents from controlled regions.
Availability: 1 per controlled region
Recruit: 40sp 1d4 4 maximum strength
Special Rules
Harvests one common reagent from the occupying region every full day present
Fails all combat rolls
Aid: May choose to Harvest either 1d6+1 common, 1d4+1 uncommon, or 2 rare reagents from the region for every full day aided. When aided automatically passes all athletics checks made for terrain.
Athletics +2, Passive Perception 11 Actions: Rest, Recruit
Troop Strength
Each Troops have three different strengths, their acting strength, their combined strength and their maximum strength. These strengths can be the same number but are tracked separately. A troop’s acting strength may never exceed its combined strength, and neither may exceed their maximum strength.
Acting Strength: Is the current power of all uninjured, operational members of a troop ready for action.
Combined Strength: Is the power of the entire troop including any injured or exhausted members
Maximum Strength: Is the limit to which a troop’s power may be increased through recruitment.
•Note that Heroes aiding a troop do not count the power they add towards the maximum or minimum strengths of a troop.
Troop Actions & Special Rules
Troops follow slightly different rules during guerilla warfare than individual heroes. A patrol of people is less flexible than a single powerful individual and each troop is specialized in what actions it may perform. Some troops can take the same actions as heroes, but in a different way. These rules below apply to all troops unless specified otherwise.
Troops may only move or take an action during an activation, not both.
Should a troop’s Acting strength fall to 0 through any means the Troop is disbanded.
Troops may only perform the Rest action at population centers
Troops Combined strength may be increased by taking the Recruit action at a population center, up to the Maximum strength allowed for the troop type.
For each action or failed athletics check made by a troop, an Endurance test must be taken.
Endurance
Troops get exhausted, injured, or run out of resources and must return to a resupply in order to sustain operations. Every time an action is taken, or an athletics check is failed the whole troop must take an Endurance test to see how injured or weakened they become, including any hero aiding the troop. Roll a d6 for each point of strength the troop possesses. For each roll of a 1 or a 2 the acting strength of the troop is reduced by one. Heroes roll dice for each power they are adding to the acting strength. For each 1 or 2 rolled they gain a level of exhaustion and become injured should they no longer add any acting strength.
During an attack or ambush troops can suffer irrecoverable damage as members die or become permanently injured. Once the attack or ambush action has been resolved, if there is any strength left in the troop then roll an endurance test. Roll a single dice for each strength lost and an additional dice for each point of acting strength an opponent had over the troop at the start of the action. On the roll of a 1-2 that strength is lost from the troops combined strength.
In summary:
Endurance must be tested for each action and failed athletics check
Rolls of 1-2 on a d6 reduce the Troops acting strength
After an attack or ambush action endurance must be tested for each strength lost during the fight, any failed roll is removed from the combined strength
Heroes that roll 1-2 gain a level of exhaustion and may become injured.
Troop Actions
While some actions troops take are identical to the ones heroes make there are several that are different and some that are unique. Unless otherwise noted here or in their unit descriptions the actions troops take are treated the same way as heroes.
Attack
The troop engages an enemy patrol, scout, hunter or warband in battle. Each group rolls a d8, the side that rolled the lower number loses an active strength. Repeat this process until one side has rolled a number of times equal to their total strength.
Defenders win ties
For each point of acting strength one side had over the other at the start of the action an additional dice is added to their following endurance test.
Heroes aiding the troop may use their strength rather than the troop’s whenever they wish, rolling a maximum number of times equal to their strength.
Ambush
The troop attempts to catch the enemy unaware and gain the upper hand by way of surprise. The ambushing troop rolls a stealth check against the passive perception of their target. Should the check exceed the targets passive perception the ambush resolves as an attack action except the attacker gains +1 on the attack rolls and wins ties.
Should the ambush fail then the troop must roll an endurance test and then continue to resolve an attack action afterwards.
Heal
The troop sets up a field hospital to aid the other forces in the region. It takes a full day to set up the location. After 3 activations have passed the hospital is established. Should the troop move or be attacked during this time the action will fail.
Any endurance test within the region fails on the roll of a 1 rather than a 1 or 2.
Should the troop performing the heal action disband, move to another region or take another action the field hospital will be dismantled and need to be reestablished again.
No endurance test is necessary to take the heal action
Rest
The troop spends time resupplying and recovering at a population center. Make an endurance test for the troop, roll a dice for each point the acting strength is below the combined strength. For each success increase the acting strength by one.
Recruit
The troop enlists more fighters to their number, spending resources to bolster their forces. Spend supply and choose to either create a new troop or add to an existing one’s strength. If recruited to a current troop the active and combined strength will increase by the amount determined by the troop’s unit entry, up to its maximum strength. Any amount in excess of the troop’s maximum is lost.
Heroes Aiding Troops
Troops can reach their full potential under the right leadership. By sacrificing their autonomy and working to lead their allies heroes can accomplish more than they could alone.
Once during an activation, a hero may join a troop and start Aiding them or leave a troop they are currently aiding. While aiding a troop the hero does not use their own actions or movement, instead they contribute to the troop’s actions. Should the troop move or act while aided then the hero will count as having moved or acted with them. Any actions made are taken by the troop, any athletics checks required are taken by the troop as well. Most troops receive significant benefits from being aided, as specified in their unit descriptions.
A character that is aiding a troop adds their strength to the troop but is not considered for the purpose of maximum strengths or minimum active strengths. A hero's strength is equal to their level/4, rounded down. Any number of heroes may aid a single troop.
Each level of exhaustion a hero has reduces the amount they contribute to the active strength of a troop by 1.
Heros aiding a troop gain a level of exhaustion when they fail an endurance test.
Heros that have enough exhaustion to no longer contribute to the active strength of a troop become injured and leave the troop.
Heros with enough exhaustion to no longer contribute to the active strength of a troop may not join a troop to Aid them until rested.
