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Table of Contents
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Mass Combat situations refer to any where Hordes can be expected to fight other Hordes. For E-Scale battles, these rules only use the 'horde on horde combat' rules. For P-Scale battles, all the rules are used.
Scale
P-Scale Mass Combats are done on dm scale, with each square being 10 metres. Each horde occupies a single square. Allies can move through allied hordes, but not enemy hordes.
Horde on Horde combat
Much of the combat takes place between two groups of hordes. As resolving Horde-on-Horde combat the usual way would take too long and be tedious, it is simply resolved like this.
Horde Defense
Hordes take their TB and their AB and add them together. This gives them their Horde Defense rating.
Example: A Squad of MK 1 Iron Guard have a TB of 5 and an AB of 4. This gives them their Defense rating of 9.
Horde Melee Attack
Hordes take their WS Bonus and add it to half their SB, rounded up. This gives them their Horde Melee Attack rating.
Example: A Squad of MK 1 Iron Guard have a WS Bonus of 4 and an SB of 7, so they add the WSB of 4 to half of 7, rounded up (4) to give them 8.
Horde Ranged Attack
Hordes take their BS Bonus and add it to half their Perception Bonus, rounded up. This gives them their Horde Ranged Attack rating.
Example: A squad of Stormtroopers has a BS Bonus of 4 and a PB of 4, so they add the BSB of 4 to half of 4, rounded up (2) to give them 6.
Horde Attacking
Step 1: Attack Roll
When one Horde attacks another, they roll a 1d10 and add their Attack (Melee for melee attacks, ranged for ranged attacks) to it, then subtract by 10. Note the result down and reverse it. This result is called the 'Attack Quality'.
Example: The Stormtroopers shoot at the Iron Guard, using their Ranged Attack of 6. They roll a 1d10+6-10 and get an Attack Level of 3, which they reverse and note down as '-3'.
Step 2: Defense Roll
When a horde is attacked, they roll a 1d10 and add their Defense to it, then add the Attack Quality of the roll to it, then subtract by 10. If the result is zero or higher, the attack deals partial damage. If the result is -1 or lower, the attack deals full damage.
Examples: The Iron Guard roll for defense, using their Defense rating of 9, from which they subtract a 3 for Attack Quality, and a 10. They roll a 1d10+9-3-10, for a total result of 5. The attack has been stymied and only does half damage.
Step 3: Counter-Attacks
Hordes attacked in melee may, so long as the horde has not been destroyed, confused or suffered a morale loss, perform a melee counter-attack. This is resolved exactly as above, except with a -2 penalty to the attack roll.
Successful Damage (Ranged)
Deal damage equal to the horde's weapon code (max 1d10), adding to it the Horde's tens of Magnitude (rounded up) as well as half their semi-auto/full auto ratings (whichever is higher). Subtract from this the AP of the defender (reduced by the Pen of the attack) and their TB.
Example: The Cultists (Mag 80) have made a successful attack on the Marines (Mag 60) with their bolters (1d10+6 Pen 4 S/2/-). They roll a 1d10 and get a 5, to which they add the 6 from the weapon's damage bonus and a 2 from their semi-auto quality, before adding the 8 due to their Magnitude tens. This gives them a result of 21. From this the Marines subtract 2 due to AP (6-4) and 4 due to TB. This gives them a result of 15, bringing the Marines down to 45.
Successful Damage (Melee)
Deal damage equal to the horde's weapon code, rolling only a single 1d10 but adding +2 damage per extra die, adding to it the Horde's tens of Magnitude (rounded up) as well as their SB. Subtract from this the AP of the defender (reduced by the Pen of the attack) and their TB.
Example: The Marines (Mag 45) have made a successful attack on the Cultists (80) with their Chainswords (1d10+3 Pen 2). They roll a 1d10 and get a 5, to which they add the 3 from their weapon's damage bonus, a 4 from their SB and a 4 from their Magnitude tens. This gives them a result of 15. From this the Cultists subtract 4 due to AP (6-2) and 3 due to TB. This gives them a result of 8, bringing the Cultists down to 72.
Partial Damage
Deal damage equal to the Horde's weapon code, rolling only a single 1d5 instead of 1d10s, adding to it half the Horde's tens of Magnitude (rounded up) as well as their SB (if melee) or half their Semi/Full auto (if ranged). Subtract from this the AP of the Defender (which is not reduced by Pen in a Partial attack) and their TB.
Example: The Cultists (Mag 72) Counter-attack the Marines (Mag 45) but only achieve Partial Damage with their Monokatanas (1d10+3 Pen 3). They roll a 1d5 and get a 2, to which they add 4 from their half of Magnitude tens and 3 from their SB. This gives them a result of 9. From this the Marines subtract 6 due to AP (6-0) and 4 due to TB. This gives them a result of 0- the Marines are unharmed by the Counter-attack!
Contextual Modifiers
Attack and Combat Modifiers
Note: Hordes are considered to be in CQC if they are adjacent to an enemy unit.
Positive: Hordes that charge into CQC gain a +2 to their Horde Attack for that attack.
Negative: Hordes that are dealing Counter-attacks take a -2 to their Horde Attack for that counter-attack.
Negative: Hordes that are not trained with their weapons halve their respective Horde Attack.
Negative: Hordes that are tied up in CQC may not use ranged attacks and can only target Hordes they're engaged with in melee.
Negative: Hordes that are tied up in CQC can only move using the retreat actions or the 'Pull back' action.
Defense Modifiers
Positive: Hordes that are behind cover gain a flat +2 Cover Bonus to their Defense roll.
Positive: Hordes whose AP value is at least four points higher than that of the attack's Penetration value add a +2 Armor Bonus to their Defense roll.
Positive: Hordes that are tied up in CQC gain a +3 to their Horde Defense against ranged attacks.
Negative: Hordes who are outnumbered 2-1 in close combat take a -1 to their Defense roll, and another -1 for being outnumbered 3-1, 4-1, etc.
Negative: Hordes take a -1 stacking penalty to Defense after every attack they receive.
Negative: Hordes whose AP value is zero or who take an attack with a Penetration value at least twice that of their AP, add a -2 Armor Penalty to their Defense Roll.
Morale Modifiers
Positive: Hordes that are adjacent to allied Hordes take a +10 bonus to Willpower.
Positive: Hordes that are in Cover take a +10 bonus to Willpower.
Positive: Hordes that are in a HQ area take a +10 bonus to Willpower.
Positive: Hordes that are led by an Officer always take at least a +10 bonus to Willpower, which stacks with other benefits (eg. Iron Discipline).
Positive: Hordes that are led by an Officer with Into the Jaws of Hell count as Fearless.
Negative: Hordes more than 5dm away from an allied unit take a -10 penalty to Willpower.
Negative: Hordes outnumbered 3-1 in close combat take a -10 penalty to Willpower.
Negative: Hordes whose entire army have lost 50% or more hordes (to fleeing or defeat) take a -10 penalty to Willpower.
Negative: Hordes that are fleeing or suffering morale failure have effectively zero defense, and any attacks made against them maximize their die roll.
Weapon Modifiers
Accurate
Weapons with the Accurate quality deal +2 damage and +2 Penetration.
Blast
Weapons with the Blast quality deal damage in an unusual way. For each level of Blast (Blast (1), Blast (2) etc) add +2 to to their Magnitude for the purposes of damage. However, regardless of the amount of dice the damage code usually has, it only rolls a 1d10. Similarly, due to the scale being in dms, blast attacks will only hit
multiple units if it has a Blast of 20 or higher.
Tearing
Weapons with the 'Tearing' Quality may reroll damage, but they also add +1 to their valid Attack and +1 to their Damage.
Horde Talents, Traits and Abilities
Ambushers
This horde can, providing it has appropriate cover or reason (cloaking devices etc), can spend a Full Action to enter stealth mode. They cannot be seen or attacked in this mode unless first discovered with Awareness tests. Ambushers can voluntarily break their stealth. They also break stealth if they attack or move. If they attack from stealth, they gain a +2 to attack and damage and, if they inflict more than 20% damage to a target Horde, force it to take a morale test.
Assault Shooters
This horde gains a +2 to its melee attack and damage if it has a pistol weapon.
Blood-Soaked Tide
This horde becomes frenzied when it suffers a morale failure.
Disciplined
Disciplined Hordes gain the ability to take a morale test when they drop beneath 25% Strength. Furthermore they take no penalties for being below under-strength.
Fearless
Hordes with Fearless do not ever suffer morale failures.
Fire Drill
Hordes with Fire Drill add +1 to their Ranged Attack, and count their Magnitude as being +2 higher for the purposes of Ranged Damage.
Swift Attack
Hordes with Swift Attack add +1 to their Melee Attack, and count their Magnitude as being +2 higher for the purposes of Melee Damage.
The Commander, the Command Centre, And Officers
Each side is led by a Commander The Commander is a powerful figure who directs their forces using the Orders as seen below.
The Commander must often remain at a command post or similar area to order units. Otherwise, he can only order units he can personally see.
Attack Target! (Half)
The unit will attack the target as ordered, using the ordered methods (Melee, shooting etc). Note that other Hordes (enemy or ally) block line of sight.
Charge! (Full)
The unit will charge the target as ordered, moving at a speed equal to their Full Move rating.
Brace! (Full)
The unit will brace for impact. Should the unit be charged this turn, their counter-attack triggers first, and they do not suffer the -2 penalty for Counter-Attacks.
Get Down! (Full)
The Unit forms a defensive position, doubling its cover bonus for that turn, but incurring an extra -2 to counter-attack penalties.
Tactical Advance! (Half)
The unit will move a number of dm equal to their half move rating.
Rapid Advance! (Full)
The unit will move a number of dm equal to their full move rating.
Forced March! (Full)
The unit will move a number of dm equal to three times their half move rating, but take a -2 to Attack and Defense until the start of their next round.
Pull Back! (Full)
The unit withdraws from melee combat, moving its half move rating in any direction so long as it doesn't end up touching an enemy unit at the end of its move.
Tactical Retreat! (Full)
The unit will automatically retreat towards HQ, moving at three times their half move rating. This action allows them to pull back safely.
Full retreat! (Full)
The unit will automatically retreat towards HQ. They dissolve and reappear the next round at HQ. They will lost 1d5 magnitude if for some reason all paths to HQ are occupied. Units already at HQ may withdraw from the battle with this action.
Rally! (Free)
Use this on units that are routing or otherwise suffering morale damage. They gain a free Willpower test to regain control.
Split! (Free)
The unit will split into two more units. The Commander may select the level of Magnitude each unit ends up with.
Merge! (Free)
Two or more units of the same type (in proximity) merge into a larger one. For command purposes this unit cannot be larger than 100 Magnitude.
Officers
Officers are special 'hero' units that can freely join or leave Hordes. They often grant special abilities. Here are the rules for how officers operate:
Officers are able to move at their normal rates, although the Sprint action gives them fatigue automatically.
Multiple Officers may occupy the same space.
When Officers attack Hordes, they do so using the normal PC-vs-Horde rules.
Officers may be freely attacked in return using those same rules.
Officers can join Hordes as a free action. They move as the Horde moves. If the officer has already moved, the horde may not move.
Officers grant special bonuses to Hordes.
Multiple Officers can join a Horde, but only one bonus is applied to the Horde. Choose this bonus at the start of the round.
Officers that are part of a Horde cannot be attacked by other Hordes. If Hordes are capable to attack an officer -or- a Horde they must choose the Horde.
Officers are however hit by attacks against the Horde that deals blast damage.
Specialists
Specialists are generic 'addon' units that can be attached to Hordes to grant that Horde a special bonus or ability.
Specialists function fundamentally the same as Officers, except that they are attached to a Horde at the beginning of a combat and may not leave that Horde. If the Horde is destroyed, the Specialist retreats. Specialists have their own wound pools equal to the normal wound level for their unit template. Specialists come in a variety of classes, shown below:
Engineer
Engineers allow the unit to travel at full speed through difficult terrain and increase Cover AP bonuses by +2.
Medic
Medics can assist their unit by reducing casualties. They reduce the amount of magnitude taken by their horde by 15% and can provide medicae to nearby officers if required.
Pathfinders
Pathfinders are special vanguards who mark enemy units, improving their allies' accuracy. They improve a unit's ranged attack by +2.
Weapon Specialists
Weapon Specialists are trained soldiers who carry special weaponry, such as a heavy machine gun. They are most commonly used for heavy weapons or very specialised weapons such as positron rifles.