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Base Mechanics of a Horde
Horde Compositions and Magnitude Modifier
- All Hordes are organised into between one to five Squads. Squads represent the Horde's overall strength- the more Squads, the stronger the Horde. Every Horde has at least one Squad, and no Horde can have more than five Squads.
- Every Round, a Horde gains two Half Actions or one Full Action, just like Independents. It may use these Actions as it likes, within certain limits, outlined in the "Horde Actions" section.
- Squads are made up of a max of 20 Magnitude, and every Squad begins with 20 Magnitude. Thus, a Horde with 5 Squads will begin with a total of 100 Magnitude, a Horde with 3 will begin with a total of 60, so on and so forth.
- When a Horde is damaged, the Magnitude is subtracted from the fifth squad first; once the fifth Squad is destroyed, damage is then allocated to the fourth, then the third, then so on.
- All Hordes possess something called the Magnitude Modifier, which is a number equal to Squads*5. This modifier is applied to many Horde tests, and can be applied as a bonus or as a penalty depending on the action.
Magnitude
- Even though Hordes represent a number of enemies in the dozens or hundreds, they act as one unit and possess a single unified trait that measures their size: Magnitude.
- Magnitude replaces Wounds for Hordes, and represents the size of the Horde in an abstract fashion. One point of magnitude does not equal one soldier or spawn; it could represent dozens of soldiers, or three or four weapon specialists, or so on.
- Hordes lose Magnitude in a different way to Wounds, however. These rules are specified below.
Hordes and AT Fields
- Every Squad in a Horde contributes a number of ATS towards a total. This number does not need to be whole, and if the final result is not a whole number, is rounded down. Thus, in a three Squad Horde where Squads contribute 1.5 ATS per Squad, the total (4.5 ATS) is rounded down to 4.
Horde Movement
- Hordes use Half/Full/Charge/Run speeds, just like Independent Characters.
Horde Actions
Action Name | Action Type | Subtype | Effect |
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Aim: Half | Concentration | - | Aiming as a Half Action grants a +10 bonus to your next attack test. The next action you perform after an Aim action must be an attack action, or else the bonus is lost. Aiming may be used with both melee or ranged attacks. |
AT Power: Half or Reaction | AT Field | - | You use an AT Field Power that counts as a Half/Reaction if possible. |
Firefight | Concentration | - | You try to remove the fire from an adjacent square. You make an Agility-10 test, +5 per squad; on a success the fire is removed. |
Knockdown | Attack, Melee | - | You make a Knockdown attempt by making an Opposed Strength test against a single target, with a +5 bonus per Squad (although the target may attempt to dodge before the Opposed Strength test). If made after a Half or Full Move action you gain a +10 bonus, and may be made in place of an attack with a charge action. If you win, your target is knocked prone. If you surpass their enemy's DoS by two or more, you may choose to deal Unarmed damage to the target and inflict a level of fatigue against them. If the target wins, then they keep their footing; If they surpass your DoS by two or more, then you are knocked prone instead. |
Move: Half | Movement | - | You move up to your Half Move distance. If you end your movement adjacent to an enemy, then you may engage them in melee at your discretion. |
Move: Full | Movement | - | You move up to your Full Move distance. If you end your movement adjacent to an enemy, then you may engage them in melee at your discretion. |
Prone/Stand/Dismount | Movement | - | If you are lying or sitting on the ground, then you may stand. If you are standing, then you may either lay prone or mount an animal or vehicle. If you are mounted or in a vehicle, then you may leave the vehicle or dismount the animal and end the action standing. This action may also be used to move you around a vehicle as needed. |
Standard Attack, Melee | Attack, Melee | - | You attack an enemy with a melee weapon. This attack gains a +5 bonus to hit per Squad in you possess. |
Standard Attack, Ranged | Attack, Ranged | - | You attack an enemy with a ranged weapon on single shot. This attack gains a +5 bonus to hit per Squad you possess. |
Takedown | Attack, Melee | - | Requires the Takedown Talent. You make a single Melee attack by testing WS against a target, +5 per Squad. On a success, roll for damage; if the attack deals at least one point of damage, then the damage is negated and instead their target must take a Toughness test or be stunned for one round. The target takes a -10 penalty if you deal more damage than their TB; this penalty increases by 10 for every multiple of their TB (So TB3 takes a -20 penalty at 6 damage or more). |
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Morale System for Hordes
Breaking and Reforming Hordes
Hordes do not need to always be completely wiped out. As a Horde takes damage, its will to fight weakens; after enough stress the horde will break and flee. Below are instructions for breaking the morale of a Horde.
- Breaking Horde Rules
- Hordes that take 20 Magnitude damage or more in a single turn must make a Willpower test at the start of its next turn, it must take a Willpower test at the start of its next turn. If it passes, it may continue to act; if it fails the Horde breaks and flees as quickly as possible. It may flee away from its attacker, or it may try to retreat to a predetermined rally point depending, or simply whichever path leads away from combat. Hordes with nowhere to flee to will either surrender, or will suddenly attack their foes for as long as it takes to form an escape route.
- Hordes who take multiples of 20 Magnitude damage incur another Willpower test per 20 damage. So a Horde that takes 40 Magnitude damage in a single turn must test Willpower twice at the start of its turn.
- Hordes that have lost 2 or more squads suffer a -10 to all WP tests.
- Fearless Hordes never Break; they must be completely broken.
- Hordes do not take Fear or Break tests vs. the 'Fear' trait. If they encounter the Fear trait they instead take a -5 penalty to all tests per point of Fear.
- Hordes that Break in melee combat trigger attacks of opportunity as they flee.
- Reforming Broken Hordes
- A Broken Horde will in most circumstances, try to retreat off the map and be removed from play, but this is not necessary. Many factors, such as a lull in the fighting, the presence of allies, or a commanding presence can rally a broken squad, pushing them back into the fight. At the start of their turn, a Broken Horde can make a Rally test, which is a Willpower test with the same penalties and bonuses to a Break test, so long as they meet one of the following criteria:
- Hordes who are out of sight of the enemy.
- Hordes who can see more unbroken allied Hordes than enemy ones.
- Hordes with a Leader embedded in the unit.
- A Commander may make a Command Test as a Full Action to force all subordinate Hordes to attempt a rally test.
Combat with Hordes
Line of Sight
Hordes, unlike normal units, count as blocking Line of Sight, both to allies and enemies, with the following exceptions:
- Flying Hordes do not block Line of Sight.
- Objects at least two size categories larger than the Horde ignore the Horde for the purposes of Line of Sight; for example, a Normal-sized horde will block line of sight to a Hulking-sized vehicle or character, but an Enormous-sized vehicle or character is visible and may be targeted as usual.
- Prone Hordes do not block Line of Sight.
Damaging Hordes
Attacks dealt against Hordes resolve in mostly the usual way, with a few differences.
- The primary rule: as per usual, attacks begin with an attack roll being made; should it hit and should the attack do damage after TB and AP, the enemy's Magnitude is reduced by 1, no matter how high the damage.
- Below is a list of rules pertaining to the various modifiers that are applied when attacking Hordes. Note that the bonuses below stack as appropriate.
- Scatter and Burst Attacks fired at a Horde roll damage once; if the damage is not enough, none of the hits have an effect. Every extra hit gained with a Burst attack is allocated against the same Horde and may not be allocated elsewhere. So a Burst attack that scores 5 extra hits will deal 6 hits total to a Horde, reducing its Magnitude by 6.
- Explosive damage attacks gain a single extra hit per attack roll. So a Full Auto with an Explosive weapon that scores 4 hits will deal 5 total.
- Blast attacks deal a number of extra hits equal to the size of its Blast quality; a weapon with Blast (5) will deal 6 hits total.
- Line attacks deal an extra hit per two degrees of success, to a max of 5. So an attack with the Line Quality that scores 5 hits will deal 6 total.
- Spray attacks deal a number of hits equal to twice the range, plus an extra 1d5. So a cone attack with 3km range will deal 1d5+6 Magnitude total.
- Tearing, Prog and Hy-Prog attacks gain a single extra hit per attack roll. So a Burst attack with a Tearing weapon that scores 4 hits will deal 5 total.
- Melee attacks score an extra hit for every two degrees of success. So a Melee attack that rolls 6 degrees of success will score a total of 4 hits (1+3 extra).
- Hordes do not use Locations. They thus only have a single dominant AP quality that all damage is rolled against. The only exception is if the Horde is in cover, in which case Locations will be used to see if the attack hits cover or not.
- Hordes may not evade with Parries or Dodges, but they may deflect.
- Hordes may be pinned as normal, with the entire Horde making a single WP test, applying Magnitude Modifier as a bonus. On a failure, they are Pinned; they may only make a single normal action and a move action.
- The Stun, Takedown and Knockdown actions apply to a Horde as normal with the entire Horde making a single test. On a failure, they suffer the usual consequences. However, the initial test by the attacker to Stun, Takedown or Knockdown a Horde takes a -5 penalty for every Squad in the Horde and does not gain the Magnitude To-Hit bonus (see below).
- Magnitude To Hit Bonus: Independent Characters attacking a Horde apply the Horde's Magnitude Modifier as a bonus to their attack tests.
- Attacks against a Broken Horde gain a +20 bonus.
Special Damage
- Fire. Hordes can be set on fire in the usual ways- being struck by fire attacks or being in or adjacent to a square that is on fire. (On Strategic Maps, they have to be sharing a square with a fire to catch aflame). Hordes that are on fire take 1d10 Magnitude damage a turn, and suffer a -20 penalty to Willpower tests. As a Full Action, they may put themselves out automatically.
- Falling Damage. Hordes who fall roll Falling Damage as normal. However, if the damage is sufficient to pass, then they lose 1d5 Magnitude per Squad. They must then test Toughness or Willpower; on a failure, they are stunned for one round.
- Fatigue. Hordes take the penalty and do not collapse. However, in any turn in which they take an action whilst their fatigue is equal to or higher than their Fatigue Threshold, they lose 1d10 magnitude.
- Insanity and Ego. Whenever a Horde takes Ego or Insanity damage, they lose a number of magnitude equal to the amount of damage taken. If the amount taken is greater than their Willpower Bonus, the Horde tests Willpower. On a failure, it is stunned for a round.
Attacks with Hordes
- Hordes may make either a Melee Attack or Ranged Attack. They use either a melee or ranged weapon as appropriate.
- Hordes may only attack a single target at a time. They roll WS (for melee) or BS (for ranged) once, applying Magnifier Modifier as a bonus. This attack may be dodged or parried, with the dodge/parry test applying Magnitude Modifier as a penalty; a basic success will negate the attack fully.
- If the Horde successfully strikes the target, then it rolls damage as normal. However, when attacking Independent Characters, Hordes gain bonus damage from the following sources:
- Every DoS grants +1 damage against Independent Characters. Against Horde targets, this is +1 Magnitude Damage instead.
- Every extra hit from a Burst, Scatter or a Flurry attack does not generate extra damage rolls, but instead deals +1 damage against Independent Characters. Against Horde targets, this is +1 Magnitude Damage instead.
- If a Horde has the appropriate Dual Wielding talents, then it may reroll an attack with this weapon with a -20 penalty on the reroll.
- Finally, Horde attacks on other Hordes deal extra magnitude damage from Explosive attacks (+1), Blast (as X), Line (+1 per 2 Dos, Max 5) and Spray (2* of range +1d5) attacks and Tearing, Prog and Hy-Prog (all +1) attacks.
- This extra damage does not apply to Vehicles.
- Hordes do not gain benefit from Ganging Up. Once per Round, a Horde may make a standard Attack of Opportunity against a target who moves out of melee combat without disengaging.
Examples |
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EXAMPLE A1: Ranged Attack on character. A five-squad Stormtrooper Horde with 40 BS makes a Ranged Attack with a weapon on single shot against an enemy character- specifically Blaise Herriot. Because they have five squads, they add +25 to their BS attack test for a total of 65. They roll a 30 and gain 3 Degrees of Success. Blaise rolls dodge vs 50, but applies the 25 penalty to make it 25; he rolls a 30! He fails to dodge; the Horde now rolls damage. Their weapon is 1d10+3, but because they earned 3 DoS, they add +3 damage for a total of 1d10+6. |
EXAMPLE A2: Ranged Attack on enemy Horde. A five-squad Stormtrooper Horde with 40 BS makes a Ranged Attack with a weapon on single shot against an enemy horde- specifically a Starfleet Marine horde. Because the Stormtroopers have five squads, they add +25 to their BS attack test for a total of 65. They roll a 30 and gain 3 Degrees of Success. The Stormtroopers now roll damage. Their weapon is 1d10+3; unlike in Example A1, they do not add extra damage to this roll. Instead, if the damage roll is enough to deal damage after the Marines' AP and TB, then the Marines will take 4 Magnitude damage- 1 from the Stormtroopers managing to hit at all, and an extra +3 from Degrees of Success. |
EXAMPLE B1: Ranged Burst Attack on character. A five-squad Commando Horde with 45 BS makes a Ranged Attack with a weapon on Full Auto against an enemy character- specifically, Mana Kirishima. Because the Commandos have five squads, they add +25 to their BS attack test, then take a -20 penalty for full auto, for a total of 50. They roll a 10 and gain 4 Degrees of Success. Mana fails to dodge; the Horde now rolls damage. Their weapon is 1d10+3, but because they earned 4 DoS, they add +4 damage. However, the weapon is also Full Auto 3; this means they gain 2 extra hits from the Full Auto attack (+1 hit per DoS). This stacks with the damage gained from scoring DoS at all, meaning another +2 damage. In total, their attack gains a total of +6 extra damage, making it a 1d10+9 attack. |
EXAMPLE A2: Ranged Burst Attack on enemy Horde. A five-squad Commando Horde with 45 BS makes a Ranged Attack with a weapon on Full Auto against an enemy horde- specifically a Ganger horde. Because the Commandos have five squads, they add +25 to their BS attack test, then take a -20 penalty for full auto, for a total of 50. They roll a 10 and gain 4 Degrees of Success. The Commandos now roll damage. Their weapon is 1d10+3 and Full Auto 3; unlike in Example B1, they do not add extra damage to this roll. Instead, if the damage roll is enough to deal damage after the Gangers' AP and TB, then the Gangers will take 7 Magnitude damage- 1 from the Stormtroopers managing to hit at all, an extra +4 from Degrees of Success, and because the gun is Full Auto 3, fired on burst mode and scores 4 DoS, it also gains +2 Magnitude damage from burst. |
Horde Traits
All Hordes can possess Horde Traits. These Traits change how the Horde acts, giving it special bonuses or behaviours. Traits are listed below.Horde Trait Name | Effect |
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Design Traits | |
Capital Ship | The Horde is a Capital Ship. Capital Ships take damage like an Independent Character, meaning that you roll damage per hit against them separately and Horde attacks against them follow the rules as though they were attacking any other Independent Character (they have 100 Wounds instead of Magnitude) but still possess 1 'Squad' per 20 Wounds. They are immune to pinning. Capital ships ignore Fire effects, simply taking 1 Mag damage per turn instead. Capital Ship Specialists have TB*4 wounds. Finally, Capital Ships without any allied Hordes inside of them can be Captured. |
Command Centre | The Horde possesses a Command Centre. Any Commander commanding the Horde may choose to use this Horde as their Command Centre. Commanders in possession of a Command Centre may command a whole Army; if they have the Great Leader talent they may instead control two at once. Command Centres may be crewed, improving the performance of this Horde. See Appendix entry 2 for details. |
Control Point | This Horde is a Control Point. Control Points do not have any Magnitude, cannot be commanded, cannot move, cannot attack or be attacked and do not take any actions. Their role is entirely passive. Control Points act as rally points for the controlling side; any horde which breaks will flee to the nearest Control Point, unless that Control Point is contested (has an enemy unit within 2km of it). The turn after arriving at a Control Point, a broken horde will make a rally test with a +30 bonus. If the horde fails the test, it will move to the next nearest Control Point instead, away from the enemy. If a horde has consistently failed to rally and the closest Control Point other than the one it is currently at would involve going towards the enemy, then it will retreat off the map instead. Control Points can be captured by Hordes by moving adjacent to it and expending a Full Action. This automatically captures the Control Point, but it can only be done so long as there are no enemy Hordes inside or adjacent to the Control Point. |
Fortress | This Horde is a Fortress. Fortresses take damage like an Independent Character, meaning that you roll damage per hit against them separately and Horde attacks against them follow the rules as though they were attacking any other Independent Character (they have 100 Wounds instead of Magnitude) but still possess 1 'Squad' per 20 Wounds. They are immune to pinning. Fortresses cannot move, and cannot be Broken. Fortresses increase the Natural Cover AP of their square by their TB. Finally, Fortresses without any allied Hordes inside them can be 'captured'. |
Large | This Horde is made up of a small group of larger enemies, and takes a flat 10 mag damage from attacks which have 2d10 or more attack die. Large hordes ignore Fire effects, simply taking 1 Mag damage per turn instead. |
Swarm | This Horde is so numerous and spread out that only heavy area attacks do much damage. When this Horde takes Magnitude damage from any source other than an AoE attack or from another Swarm Horde, it halves the final amount. |
Mobility Traits | |
Mobile (X) | This horde is made up of quick, mobile forces who are not easily slowed down by poor terrain. This Horde treats all Difficult Terrain Values as being X points less than they really are; if this would reduce DTV to zero, then it does not count as Difficult Terrain. |
Mounted (X) | This Horde is mounted, either on horses or motorcycles or other light vehicles. They may dismount with the Dismount Action. Mounted Hordes treat their AB as X when moving across ground, gain +2 DoS on all Charge attacks, and gain the Brutal Charge trait. Conversely, they treat all DTVs as being 2 points higher than they really are, and attacks made against Mounted hordes gain a +10 to hit due to the size of their mounts. |
Morale Traits | |
Adept-Linked | This Phantom Horde is linked to an Adept. Adepts are often linked to a maximum of four Phantom Hordes, and so long as the Adept lives, the Phantoms are fearless. If the Adept dies, the Phantom Horde rolls on the Abandonment table (see Appendix). |
Battle-Hardened | This Horde ignores its first failed Break test of the battle. |
Blood Soaked Tide | When the Horde fails a Willpower test to avoid being broken, it instead gains the Fearless, and Overwhelming (1) traits. |
Disciplined | This Horde does not suffer the -10 Willpower penalty for having lost two Squads, nor does it automatically break and flee after losing three Squads. |
Fanatics | This Horde counts as fearless. Furthermore, whenever this Horde loses a squad, it gains the Overwhelming (+1) and Fire Drill (+1) traits. |
Fighting Withdrawal | When this Horde breaks, it does not flee at top speed but rather moves at whatever speed is appropriate away from the battle, making ranged attacks as it withdraws. It will Disengage from melee instead of fleeing. |
Stubborn | This Horde, if Broken, may automatically test WP at the start of every turn regardless of circumstances. |
Offensive Traits | |
Brutal Efficiency | Whenever this Horde uses the All Out Attack action, it applies Magnitude Modifier as a penalty to attacks against its leaders and specialists, instead of the zero penalty when All Outs are used by a Horde. |
Dirty Fighter | When this Horde attacks, it always hits its target's body location with the lowest AP. If the target is an E-Scale unit such as an Eva, it may choose to target the body location with the lowest Wounds remaining instead. Against enemy Hordes, this Horde instead increases its Penetration of all attacks by +2. Doesn't affect Specialists. |
Fear Incarnate (X) | This Horde forces enemies within a number of KM equal to X to apply Magnitude Modifier as a penalty to all Willpower tests. If a single target is affected by multiple versions of Fear Incarnate at once, they ignore all but the most powerful version. |
Fire Drill (X) | This Horde's ranged attacks deal +x extra damage to Independent Characters, and +x extra Magnitude damage to Hordes. Doesn't affect Specialists. |
Overwhelming (X) | This Horde's melee attacks deal +x extra damage to Independent Characters, and +x extra Magnitude damage to Hordes. Doesn't affect Specialists. |
Reckless Charge | Whenever this Horde uses the Charge action, it gains the Brutal Charge (Number of Squads) trait, but takes 2 Magnitude Damage to itself per squad. |
Wild Fire | This Horde may always make Burst attacks as a half action, but whenever it fires these weapons and misses, it takes 1 Magnitude damage per squad. |
Support Traits | |
Ambushers | The Horde is able to hide and move without being detected, given appropriate cover, using the Stealth skill. Attacks against unaware enemies treat the enemies as Surprised. Specialists/Leaders attached to the horde may ignore the Horde Penalty to called attacks. |
Evasive | This Horde uses its AB to reduce damage in place of TB. |
Exemplary Leadership | This Horde may possess one extra Specialist of your choice, although you may still not have two Specialists of the same type. |
Replenishing (X) | This Horde regains X amount of Magnitude per turn. |
Support(X) | This Horde grants a +10 Bonus to all Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Perception and Willpower tests made by allies within range equal to X. This bonus does not stack. |
Terrain Traits | |
Alpine | So long as you're on a Rough square, you gain the following bonuses: enemies take a -20 penalty to attacks to hit you, you reduce Rough DTV by 2, you gain a +10 to stealth tests, and increase the Rough AP bonus by 1. You gain a +20 to attacks to enemies on Rough squares and deal +1 damage against them. |
Marine | So long as you're on a Water or Shallows square, you gain the following bonuses: enemies take a -20 penalty to attacks to hit you, you gain a +10 to stealth tests, and reduce the Water or Shallows' DTV by 2. You gain a +20 to attacks to enemies on Water/Shallows squares and deal +1 damage against them. |
Ranger | So long as you're on a Forest square, you gain the following bonuses: enemies take a -20 penalty to attacks to hit you, you reduce Forest DTV by 1, you gain a +10 to stealth tests, and increase the forest's AP bonus by 1. You gain a +20 to attacks to enemies on forest squares and deal +1 damage against them. |
Siege Rat | So long as you're on an Urban square, you gain the following bonuses: enemies take a -20 penalty to attacks to hit you, you gain a +10 to stealth tests, and increase the Urban AP bonus by 2. You gain a +20 to attacks to enemies on Urban squares and deal +1 damage against them. |
Characters and Specialists
Hordes don't have to fight alone. They are often supported by special individuals, who command or fight alongside them. This section details how Hordes interact with Independent Characters.
- Specialists are not Independent Characters, but rather special members of Hordes who confer bonuses to the Horde and possess their own wound pools. Specialists help customise Hordes and round them out.
- Specialists are horde-based characters who can confer bonuses on a Horde.
- Hordes possess a single Specialist by default. This can be improved with special traits.
- Specialists have a Full Action or two Half Actions as well as a Reaction. However, the actions they can perform are limited based on their type.
- Specialists possess the base Characteristics with their Horde, and possess their own wound pools, the default of which is Horde's TB*3. They may not leave their Horde, and if their Horde is destroyed, they are also destroyed. It can be assumed that they disperse or retreat.
- Specialists may not be targeted by Horde attacks (although Weapon Specialists can still attack), and all attacks aimed at a Specialist incur a -10 penalty per Squad remaining in the Horde unless the Horde is Stunned or Helpless. This penalty is reduced by Called Shot talents (but the talents do not stack if the shot at the Specialist is also a Called Shot.) They are unaffected by AoE attacks that hit the Horde.
- A Horde may only choose from a certain selection of Specialists; the Specialists they are permitted to take will appear on their profiles. A Horde may never have more than one of a specific type of Specialist, ie. No having two spotters, two Weapon Specialists etc.
- If a Horde is affected by a status effect, then all Specialists are also automatically affected.
- All Specialists may make Parry and Dodge actions as normal.
- Some Specialist bonuses can be improved or affected by the Specialist's talents.
- Horde Leaders are Independent Characters who have been attached to the Horde. They command it, confer bonuses to it and are protected by it.
- A Horde may possess a single Horde Leader. This Leader provides bonuses to the Horde, and may activate Tactics for that Horde. The Leader also travels as part of the Horde.
- If a Horde does not have a Leader, then a Characters may join it. The Horde's initiative will then change to match the Leader's, and the Horde may instantly act now, unless the Horde has already acted this turn.
- The Horde counts as the Leader's subordinates for the purposes of talents such as Iron Discipline or skills such as Command. This includes Operations Director talents.
- Horde Leaders may activate Tactics on the Horde.
- Leaders may not be targeted by Horde attacks (although Weapon Specialists can still attack), and all attacks aimed at a Leader incur a -10 penalty per Squad remaining in the Horde unless the Horde is Stunned or Helpless. This penalty is reduced by Called Shot talents (but the talents do not stack if the shot at the Specialist is also a Called Shot.) They are unaffected by AoE attacks that hit the horde.
- So long as the Leader is attached to the Horde, then the Leader moves with the Horde freely; this does not cost actions.** If a Leader wishes to detach from a Horde, they must decide this before the Horde takes actions that round.
- Leaders possess a Leadership Trait, which provides a bonus to a Horde just like a Specialist.** In this case, the Character's Leadership Trait will be designed by the Game Master, but is likely to mimic the normal Specialist roles as listed in the Specialist section. Any benefits granted by a Leader stack with the benefits granted by Specialists.
- If a Horde Leader is stunned, knocked unconscious, rendered helpless or killed, then any bonuses they provide, including sustained tactics, instantly end.**
- Horde Commanders are Independent Characters who are considered to command all of their faction's Hordes on the field. They command all of their side's Hordes, can confer bonuses to them, and can also be attached to a Horde to act as a Horde Leader as well.
- Commanders are characters who are considered to be in overall command of all of their faction's Hordes for their Mission or (for P-Scale missions) their Battlefront. Commanders must have the Great Leader talent.
- Hordes without Horde Leaders act on the Commander's Initiative.
*The Horde counts as the Commander's subordinates for the purposes of talents such as Iron Discipline or skills such as Command. This includes Operations Director talents.
*Commanders may activate tactics that affect all subordinate Hordes, as well as tactics that affect just a single Horde of their choosing.
*Commanders can be attached to a Horde, and act as a Horde Leader for that Horde.
*Commanders possess a Leadership Trait, which provides a bonus to a Horde just like a Specialist. In this case, the Character's Leadership Trait will be designed by the Game Master, but is likely to mimic the normal Specialist roles as listed in the Specialist section. Any benefits granted by a Leader stack with the benefits granted by Specialists.
*A Horde thus can have two leaders at any given time: a Horde Leader, and the Horde Commander. They may benefit from tactics from either leader.
*If a Horde Commander is stunned, knocked unconscious, rendered helpless or killed, then any bonuses they provide, including sustained tactics, instantly end.
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Leadership Horde Traits and Specialist Bonuses
Character | Name | Effect | Battlefront Effect |
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SOS | |||
Raphael Guillory | Sir Heart-Eating Steel Vampire | +2 Ranged Damage and once per round, a single Horde under his command can reroll a BS test. Choose one of the following per battle: Go Fast (+2 AB, Mobile (2)) or Go Hard (+2 TB, +20 WP, provides the Fighting Withdrawal Horde Trait) | Air Marshal, Skirmish or General (If the enemy's Morale is lower than your own, they take a -10 penalty to tactics tests). |
Blake Macnair | Old Leather | +1 TB, +10 WP. Provides the Battle-Hardened, Stubborn, Disciplined, Fighting Withdrawal Horde Traits. | - |
Blaise Herriot | DUKER | +2 Melee Damage, +2 Penetration, Overwhelming (1) | - |
Euphrasie Beringer | Grumpy Medic | Grants the Replenishing (10) and Stubborn Horde Traits. | - |
Henri Duval | Inoffensive Techie | +2 AP to Horde. Attacks against the Horde in cover reduce Penetration by 2 and take a -10 penalty to hit. | - |
Hugues Monette | Avenging Magpie | +1 TB, +10 WP. Whenever the Horde takes Magnitude Damage, it reduces it by 1 to a minimum of 0. | - |
Isidor Rurikovich | Ice-Cold Executioner | +1 Melee damage, Overwhelming (2) and once per round, a single Horde under his command can reroll a WS test. | - |
Mana Kirishima | Unlucky Plucky Butterfly | +1 AB, +10 Agility, Mobile (2), +10 to Stealth tests. | - |
Samantha Martins | Everyday Stalingrad | +2 Ranged Damage, Fire Drill (2). | - |
Terence Savage | Indomitable Sundae Overlord | +2 TB, +20 WP, Battle-Hardened, Stubborn, Disciplined, Fighting Withdrawal | General (Your units gain Armoured (+2)). |
Victor Pai | Star-Longing Student Sniper | +2 Ranged Damage, provides the Dirty Fighters Horde Trait. | - |
UEF Operations Directors and Commanders | |||
Alphonse Wellesley | Duke of the Air | +1 DoS, +2 damage. Hordes gain +2 PB. | Any Role (Your units gain an extra use of each of the following abilities: Intercept, Evasive Maneuvers, Raid). Air Marshal Only (If you gain a Victory or Decisive Victory, then you gain one extra Advantage.) |
Augustus Harken | Lord of the Iron Treads | +1 DoS, +1 Damage. Hordes gain the Brutal Charge (AP/2) Trait, to a max of 5. | General (Your units treat the Shock Attack and Bombardment abilities as though they had 2 extra stackings). |
Euphemia One | Iron Spearhead | +2 TB, +20 WP, Battle-Hardened, Stubborn, Disciplined, Fighting Withdrawal | General (Your units treat the Ambush and Deep Strike abilities as though they had 2 extra stackings). |
John Brown | Independent Warfare | +1 Dos, +1 Damage. Hordes always count as Supported, and gain the Dirty Fighters Horde Trait. | General (Gain +3 Edge on any battlefront with Forest or Rough terrain). |
Kourosh Rustami | Simurgh | +1 DoS, +1 damage. Once per round, a single Horde may reroll a test and take the preferred result. | Any Role (Once per Turn, you may use a Before Tactics Test ability after a Tactics Test instead.) |
Leon Thomas | Pillar of France | +1 DoS, +1 Damage. Hordes gain the Overwhelming (+1), Fighting Withdrawal and Fire Drill (+1) Horde Horde Trait. | General (Your units gain Armoured (+1) and a +10 to break tests). |
Liu Lin | Eastern Tiger | +1 Dos, +1 Damage. Hordes count their Squad number as +1 for the purpose of Special Abilities and gain the Mobile (1) Horde Horde Trait. | Skirmish and General (Enemies that Break suffer 30 magnitude damage, not 20). |
Marianne Amatore-DeForest | Adeptus Marshal | +2 DoS, +2 Damage. Hordes may, once per turn, pick a damage roll, reroll all die in it and take the highest net result. | Any Role (Increase starting Morale by 3.) |
Minerva Linden | Overlord | +1 DoS, +1 Damage. Hordes gain a +10 bonus to all tests. | Any Role (You add +10 to your Tactics tests, and if you win a Contest with a Decisive Victory result, all Advantages gained from your Contest count as though they were stacked with an extra two uses when used in their Mission.) Skirmish. (Gain +2 extra CP from the Salvage Operation bonus.) |
Misato Katsuragi | Lady Longshot | +1 DoS, +1 Damage. Hordes gain +2 TB (or AB if Evasive) and reduce total Magnitude damage taken by 1. | Skirmish and Admiral (Your units gain Armoured (+1) and, if you fail a Tactics test, you gain a +20 bonus to your next Tactics test). |
Sarasvati | Goddess of Wisdom | +1 DoS, +1 Damage. Once per Round, a Single Horde can be granted Fire Drill (+3) and +3 Ranged Damage. | Air Marshal, General, Admiral (You add half your Intelligence to your side's total Magnitude to determine the result of the Contest). Skirmish (Treat your final unit count as +1 for the purposes of calculating victory and how many bonuses you gain). |
Solomon Primes | |||
Agatha | Time Lord | ??? | ??? |
Augustine | Chaos Scion | +1 Dos, +1 Damage. Attacks against the Horde take a -10 penalty. | ??? |
Joan | Angel of Death | +2 Melee Damage, +2 AB, Overwhelming (2). | ??? |
Scholastica | Angel of the Moon | +2 Ranged Damage, +2 Penetration, Fire Drill (2). | ??? |
Sophia | Vengeful Spectre | ??? | ??? |
UN Operations Directors and Commanders | |||
Ezra Caine | NS Triple-Zero One | +1 DoS, +1 Damage. Hordes gain the Stealth skill (or increase it by +10 if they already possess it) and the Alpine, Marine, Ranger and Urban Rat Horde Traits. | Any Role (If a unit has a negative terrain modifier, reduce the penalty by 1; if they have a positive terrain modifier, increase it by 1). |
Juno Winter-Lorenz | Arsenal of Democracy | +1 DoS, +1 Damage. Hordes increase their Semi/Full Maximum by +1. | General (Whenever an enemy Horde fails a Break Test, all enemy Hordes take a -10 penalty to any Break Tests next turn). |
Narendra Gadhavi | Great Wolf | +1 DoS, +1 Damage. All Hordes may, once per round, reroll either an attack test or Damage roll if attacking an Independent Character. | Skirmish or General (You may choose to double Damage dealt to the enemy; however, now only one enemy unit suffers Magnitude Damage this turn. You generate an extra Advantage in the case of Victory or Decisive Victory). |
Sarah Holt-Caine | Offense Radical | ??? | ??? |
Non-Aligned League Operations Directors and Leaders | |||
Vera Hiroko Freitas Kuromiya | Effortless Action | +1 DoS, +1 Damage. Once per Round, you may grant a single Horde an extra Half Action, which is not bound by limits on Concentration or Attack actions. | Any Role (Twice per Contest, one of your units may use a limited-use ability without expending a use). |
Generic Leadership Traits | |||
Air Marshal | Fighter Command | - | Air Marshal (You increase the Fast Attack Unit Edge bonus by +2). |
Air Marshal | Bomber Command | - | Air Marshal (Any Advantages derived from Hordes with the Support trait count as though they were stacked with an extra use when used during a Mission). |
Air Marshal | Carrier Command | - | Air Marshal (Whenever you gain Victory or Decisive Victory, you add an extra +2 Edge to any linked Sea Contests). |
Air Marshal | Support Attack Command | - | Air Marshal (Whenever you gain Victory or Decisive Victory, you add an extra +2 Edge to any linked Land Contests). |
Air Marshal | Recon Command | - | Air Marshal (Whenever you gain Victory or Decisive Victory, your side in any linked Land Contests reduce any penalties from terrain by 1). |
Admiral | Cruiser Captain | - | Admiral (So long as you have a unit with the Coordinator trait, you may reroll one failed Break test per round) |
Admiral | Fleet Skirmisher | - | Admiral (Your Troop Units gain Armoured (+1). Your hordes increase the Edge gained from Terrain Adept and Master by one) |
Admiral | Sea Wolf | - | Admiral (Your Hordes with the Silent Running ability may use it an extra time per Contest). |
Admiral | Marine Corps | - | Admiral (Whenever you gain Victory or Decisive Victory, you add an extra +2 Edge to any linked Land Contests). |
General | Commando | - | General (Your units may use the Ambush ability one extra time per contest) |
General | Commissar | - | General (Your units gain +10 to Willpower tests) |
General | Defensive Doctrine | - | General (Your Troop and Support Units gain Armoured (+2)) |
General | Master of Ordinance | - | General (You gain +1 Edge per Support Unit) |
General | Offensive Doctrine | - | General (You gain +1 Edge per Assault and Fast Attack unit, to a max of +4) |
General | Suitjockey | - | General (Your units may use the raid ability one extra time per contest) |
General | Tank Ace | - | General (Your Assault Units ignore the Terrain Poor trait) |
Skirmish | Line Commander | - | Skirmish (Your non-Construct Units gain Powerful (+1)) |
Skirmish | Superheavy Commander | - | Skirmish (Your Troop Units gain Armoured (+2)) |
Skirmish | Superheavy Commander | - | Skirmish (Your Troop Units gain Armoured (+2)) |
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Special Abilities
Many Hordes possess a unique set of abilities that may be used on the Horde's turn. Some abilities are normal Actions, some are Full, and some don't require an action at all. Most importantly, most of these Abilities require the Horde to have a certain number of Squads. If they have less Squads than is needed, the Ability cannot be used. The details for Special Abilities are incorporated into a Horde's profile.
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Appendix
Abandonment Table
All Phantom Hordes come in batches, up to four at once. These Phantoms are all linked to a single Solomon Adept, either a Specialist in a single squad, or a separate character. So long as the Adept lived, the Phantoms have the Fearless quality. But if the Adept dies, their emotional anchor is lost and the sudden loss of that in a combat situation can prove devastating. All Phantoms linked to the dead Adept must, on their turn, immediately test Willpower, taking in all bonuses and penalties as appropriate including those from squad casualties. Phantoms who succeed may continue acting normally, but ones who fail must roll a 1d10 on the chart below, adding +1 to their result per degree of failure on the willpower test.
ABANDONMENT TABLE | |
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Roll | Result |
1-3 | Honourable Retreat: The Phantoms, now leaderless, begin to retreat, but not without the body of their leader. They will make any effort to retrieve the body (or some object or fragment- anything left capable of fitting in a shoebox), ignoring any and all Willpower tests until the goal is met. Once the body (or fragment) is obtained, or there is literally nothing left, they will instantly move to retreat at top speed. |
4-6 | Retreat: The Phantoms instantly break, fleeing the battlefield at top speed. |
7-9 | Shock: The Phantoms mill about in confusion, some of them acting as though waking from sleep. The entire Horde is unable to act for 1d3+2 rounds, unless attacked, and even then they may only retaliate against their attacker and take -20 penalties to their attack rolls. Once those rounds are over, the Horde gets its act together and may act as normal. |
10-12 | Berserk: The Phantoms enter a berserk state and can think of nothing but vengeance. They instantly gain +20 to WS, Strength and Toughness, gain the Overwhelming and Fearless talents, and will charge into melee combat whenever possible, otherwise using their ranged attacks. They will prioritize slaying the killer of the Adept, but are more than happy to butcher anyone stupid enough to get in their way. |
13+ | Abject Grief: The Phantoms are overwhelmed with the worst sort of grief, beyond anything they understand. The Horde is paralyzed with sorrow, sobbing and howling and hugging themselves for 1d5+5 rounds, during which they count as stunned. They also instantly take 2d10 magnitude damage as some members turn their weapons on themselves in their sorrow. At the end of this period, they roll on the Abandonment table again. |
Command Centres
Hordes with the Command Centre trait count as 'command centres', large organised nerve centres for military operations. Command Centres offer the following benefits:
- They always count as being equipped with MAGI systems.
- They can be Staffed. Each Command Centre has five positions that may be filled with the Commander's followers and subordinates. This improves the functioning of the Horde and can also provide benefits to the Commander.
- All Staff that are crewing a Command Centre are counted as being with the Commander in the case of, for example, an attack destroying the Commander's HQ. In this situation, all Staffing bonuses end.
- Note: several of the Station prerequisites make reference to the Operate (Horde's class) skill. Although Hordes are not mechanically vehicles, many of them in reality are. Thus, this can vary, but most naval vessels require Naval; Flying Warships like the Cyrus-Class vessels require Void. Fortresses would be Stationary.
- Finally, one of these Officers may be designated as the XO; in the event that the Commander is somehow incapacitated, the XO takes their place, gaining access to the MAGI Command talent in the process.
Stations | Prerequisites | Effect |
---|---|---|
Chief Engineer | Tech Use; Operate (The horde's 'class') | The Horde may use the Chief Engineer's Intelligence in place of its own, if the Chief Engineer's is higher. If ever called on to make a Tech Use test, it may use the Officer's skill training as its own. The Applied Engineering, Master Engineer, Overclocking and Temporary Reinforcement talents may also be applied to the Horde, if the Officer has them. |
Coordination Officer | Awareness, Lore (Administration) | The Horde may use the Coordination Officer's Perception in place of its own, if the Coordination Officer's is higher. If the Horde has the Support trait, increase it by an amount equal to the officer's IB/2 or PB/2. If the Horde is ever called on to make an Awareness test, it may use the Officer's skill training as its own. |
Navigational Officer | Navigate (Appropriate to the horde's movement), Operate (the Horde's 'class'); Must be capable of moving | The Horde may add half the Navigational Officer's AB or IB, rounded down, to its own AB (or to its fastest movement value if Aquatic, Flight etc). If ever called on to make an Agility test, it may make it an Operate test instead, treating the Officer's skill training as its own (but using its own Agility). The Adept Maneuvering, Brace for Impact, Push the Limit and Reduce Profile talents may also be applied to the Horde, if the Officer has them. |
Security Officer | Lore (Tactics) | If the Horde is ever called on to make a test against the "Boarding Assault", Raiding Assault", "Sabotage" Horde Abilities, or attempts to capture the Horde (for example, if it were a Fortress), the Security Officer may instead test Lore (Tactics) in its place. This is also valid against other sabotage-based or invasion-based actions at the GM's discretion. |
Warfare Officer | Operate (The Horde's 'class'.) | The Horde and its specialists may use the Warfare Officer's WS/BS in place of its own, if the Warfare Officer's is higher. Before each battle, the Warfare Officer may select a number of Melee and Ranged Combat talents equal to their IB; the Horde counts as possessing these talents. |
E-Scale Leaders, wounds and Defeat
E-Scale Leaders do not use their own wounds or toughness. Instead they count as having 20 Wounds, and TB and AP the same as the Horde to which they're attached.
Whenever an E-Scale Leader (who is not also a Construct pilot) is reduced to zero wounds or their Horde is defeated, then they must follow the below rules.
- The leader must pass a single Intelligence test. On a success, they pass and escape; but on a failure they take 1 point of Critical Damage per degree of failure (minimum 1) and appear adjacent to the Horde.
- They may now be captured or retrieved by allies as normal. They may not join new Hordes to lead them.
- If the Leader is part of a Command Centre, they must also make one intelligence test for every Follower crewing a station, with the above results applying.
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