Combat
Much of the activity in Warband is done in combat encounters. Here, the heroes fight their enemies on a battlefield. Fighting might not be the objective, but regardless, it is inevitable that the heroes will clash with foes and hopefully take them down before they themselves get removed.
At the start of combat, all combatants deploy their forces. Usually, all combatants deploy at the same time, their forces hidden from each other until revealed. The Initiative Order is then established: each character rolls a 1d10, and adds to that their Agility score. The characters are then sorted from top to bottom in order of highest initiative to lowest.
Sometimes, one force will gain an edge over the other before the start of combat. This is called Advantage, and often comes up as part of surprise attacks, ambushes or sudden betrayals. When one side has Advantage, they may deploy anywhere within 10 squares of the disadvantaged side's deployment zone. Furthermore, the disadvantaged side must deploy first and reveal its deployments, allowing the side with Advantage to see exactly where their enemies are before they deploy. They also reroll initiative and take the highest result.
Combat is divided into Turns. Each turn is furthermore divided into five phases: the Utility Phase, the Movement Phase, the Ranged Phase, the Melee Phase and the Aftermath. Each phase is performed in order, and at the end the combat ticks over into the next Turn and starts again at the Utility Phase.
Characters are deployed on the battle map, with each character taking up a single square. Each character also has a 'facing', which determines the direction in which they face. They can change this facing whenever they finish a Move action.
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Utility Phase
The Utility Phase is at the start of each turn. Those with magic may use the Use Utility Spell action once during this phase. Characters may act in any order during the Utility Phase.
Characters may also use the Utility Phase to change their Equipment around, use an item marked 'Utility' or perform the 'Brace' action.
A list of actions may be found here. Characters may perform as many different Utility actions as they like. However, they may only perform each action once per turn unless stated above or in the Description.| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Brace | If you have a talent or item that lets you Brace, you can Brace. Bracing means you cannot move for the duration of this turn. However, any enemy who charges you this turn will gain no bonuses from charging. |
| Disengage | If you are Engaged in Melee, you can leave Melee now without incurring an attack of opportunity, moving 1sq. away from any enemies adjacent to you. You lose a corresponding 1sq. off your max movement distance in the Movement Phase. |
| Encourage | You may attempt to rally fleeing comrades and steel the nerves of those remaining. By passing a Resolve test, all allies who can see or hear you take a +1 to any Morale tests made this turn, plus +1 per 3 DoS on your test. Allies may benefit from only a single successful Encourage at a time. |
| Rally | If you are Routing because you failed a Morale test, you may attempt to rally by passing another Morale test. On a success, you regain control of yourself. You take a -1 penalty to all tests for the rest of the turn, however. You may not rally if the closest other character to you is an enemy. |
| Rotate | You can freely determine which direction you face during the Utility Phase. |
| Swap Equipment | You can swap equipment around. Armour cannot be equipped (As it takes too long) but it can be removed. |
| Use Consumable | You use a Consumable item on yourself or an adjacent ally. |
| Use Utility Spell | You use a single Spell marked 'Utility' on your Spell list, following the usual rules for using Spells. |
Movement Phase
In the Movement Phase, all characters may move. The order in which characters move depends on the Initiative Order.
If you end your move adjacent to an enemy, you and they count as being Engaged in Melee. Any movement actions performed whilst Engaged in Melee will provoke an Attack of Opportunity from all you are Engaged with.
Characters may perform one of the following actions in this Phase.| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Use Movement Spell | You use a single Spell marked 'Movement' on your Spell list, following the usual rules for using Spells. |
| Charge | You move a number of squares in a straight line towards a specific enemy equal to your Agility score. You have to move at least two squares. If you end your movement adjacent to the enemy, you and they Engage in Melee and may not move this turn. Furthermore, your Melee attacks this turn gain a +1 to hit and +1 to damage. Characters who charged go first in the Melee Phase. |
| Climb | You climb a vertical surface, up to a number of squares equal to your Agility score halved. For ladders and other tools meant for climbing, this is an easy activity, but if it is a difficult surface to climb (eg. A cliff-face, a wall) you may have to pass a Strength or Agility test with possible penalties. Failing this test means you do not move at all, whilst failing it with 3+ DoF means you fell; you take Falling Damage based on how high you were when you fell. |
| Jump | You jump across a gap, either horizontally or vertically. The distance covered can be no longer than your Agility score in squares. You make an Agility test. If you fail the test, you reduce the distance you moved by 1 square for every 2 DoF (thus if you have an Agility of 6 and rolled an 8, you move only 5 squares), potentially resulting in Falling Damage. |
| Move | Basic movement action. You move a number of squares in any direction equal to your Agility score. |
| Prone | You throw yourself to the ground for the duration of the turn, rising automatically at the start of the next turn. You gain a +1 bonus to Defense tests against Ranged attacks, but you yourself may not make any Ranged attacks, and take a -2 penalty to Melee to-hit tests. Attacks against you do not suffer Superior Skill Penalties. |
| Sprint | You move a number of squares in any direction equal to three times your Agility score. However, you may not make any Attacks this turn. |
Ranged Phase
In the Ranged Phase, any character who possesses a ranged weapon may make an attack with that weapon against any valid target. The order in which characters shoot depends on the Initiative Order. Characters who are Engaged in Melee may not make Ranged Phase actions, unless it is with a weapon or spell marked 'Melee-Safe'.
Characters may perform one of the following actions in this Phase. Any attacks not used in this phase are left for the Melee phase.| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Use Ranged Spell | You use a Spell marked 'Ranged' on your Spell list, following the usual rules for Spells. This uses up an Attack, and so you may only use as many Ranged Spells as you have attacks. |
| Shoot | You attack a target with your ranged weapon(s), making as many attacks as you wish up to the limit your weapons allow. Any attacks not used this Phase may be used to make melee attacks. |
| Stand and Shoot | If you were charged in the Movement Phase before you had a chance to move, you may make a Stand and Shoot action, which works just like a normal Ranged Attack, except you can use non Melee-Safe weapons, and you possess a -1 penalty to the to-Hit test. |
Melee Phase
In the Melee Phase, any character who is in melee can make an attack against any valid target. The order in which characters attack depends on the Initiative Order. However, any characters who Charged have their turns pushed to the top of the order (unless they charged a Braced target).
Characters may perform one of the following actions in this Phase.| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Melee Attack | You attack a target with a melee weapon, making as many attacks as your Attack Score will allow. |
| Use Melee Spell | You use a single Spell marked 'Melee' on your spell list, following the usual rules for Spells. This uses up an Attack, and so you may only use as many Ranged Spells as you have attacks. |
Aftermath
This phase is concerned with wrapping up the rest of the turn. Any ongoing effects (eg. Spells, environmental hazards, ailments) that have a duration measured in turns ticks down by one: if it ticks to 0, then it ends.
This phase is also when characters may have to make Morale tests. A Morale test is simply a Resolve test, but the results of failure can be catastrophic.
When a character fails a Morale test, they instantly Rout, moving up to twice their Agility score away from the nearest visible enemy. They keep doing this so long as they are Routing. Routing characters can make no attacks or perform any Utility actions except 'Rally'. If a Character was Engaged in Melee when they Routed, all enemy characters in Melee with them may make an Attack of Opportunity against them.
When a Morale test is triggered depends on the nature of the character (Hero or Minion), and when certain events occur. The list is below. Once exposed to a trigger, the character ignores that trigger for the rest of the encounter unless the trigger is explicitly marked as repeating.
Heroes have to make a Morale test if…
- Their side's Captain is incapacitated or Routing.
- The Hero is being flanked and is on 0 wounds.
- The Hero is the last Hero standing.
- They have just been charged by an enemy with the "Terror" trait.
Minions have to make a Morale test if…
- Their side's Captain is incapacitated or Routing.
- Each time a Hero is incapacitated.
- There are no Heroes left (Repeating each turn).
- They have just been charged by an enemy with the "Terror" trait.
Attacks
This section deals with the rules on how to make attacks against enemies- a no doubt fundamental part of combat!
There are two types of attacks: Ranged Attacks and Melee Attacks. They both operate similarly, with a few key differences.
Melee Attacks
Melee attacks are made using a melee weapon against an enemy in range (which is almost always adjacent). It usually consists of three separate rolls: a to-Hit roll, a Damage roll and a Defense save; occasionally there might be a 4th roll, known as a Ward Save.
- The to-Hit roll is first. The attacking character makes one Melee test for every attack they are making. Every test that passes is a confirmed hit. Rolls of 1 are Critical Hits (see 'Special Circumstances'). To-Hit rolls can be penalised for various reasons. A common source of penalty is 'Superior Skill'; certain talents or items allow a character to penalise attackers whose Melee score is lower than their own Melee or Agility score.
- The Damage roll is next. The attacking character makes one Strength test for every confirmed hit. Every test that passes is a wound.
- The Defense save is next; unlike the first two, it is performed by the target character(s). For each wound, the character makes a Defense test, which is usually testing against your Toughness score plus your Armour score. Every test that passes negates a single wound.
- Some attacks have 'Penetration', which ignores a number of Armour points equal to the Penetration value. For example, if you have an Armour score of 3 and an attack has a Penetration value of 1, you treat your Armour score as though it were 2 (3-1 = 2). Penetration has no effect on Toughness.
- Lastly is the Ward Save. Ward saves are just like a Defense save, except they use the character's Ward value. Every test that passes negates a single wound. Essentially, Ward gives you a 'second chance' to negate a hit, and are rarely penalised.
- Any wounds left over that have not been saved against by the Defense and Ward rolls are confirmed wounds, and the character reduces their Wound count by that amount. If this pushes the character to 0, then they must make Injury rolls (see below).
Ranged Attacks
Ranged Attacks are very similar to melee attacks. However, they're a lot more dependent on the weapon's values rather than that of the user.
Firstly: the ranged weapon a character uses will have two values worth noting: a Strength value and an Attack Limit. Strength value is used to determine if the weapon deals damage. Attack Limit says how many attacks can be made with this weapon as a maximum per turn; so if you have an Attack 2 weapon, but possess 3 Attacks, you may only perform 2 Attacks with the weapon per turn. However, if you have an Attack 2 weapon but possess 1 Attack, you can still only perform 1 Attack.
Ranged attacks are made using a ranged weapon against an enemy in range (noted on the weapon profile). It usually consists of three separate rolls: a to-Hit roll, a Damage roll and a Defense save; occasionally there might be a 4th roll, known as a Ward Save.
- The to-Hit roll is first. The attacking character makes one Ranged test for every attack they are making. Every test that passes is a confirmed hit. Rolls of 1 are Critical Hits (see 'Special Circumstances'). To-Hit rolls can be penalised for various reasons. A common source of penalty is 'Superior Skill'; certain talents or items allow a character to penalise attackers whose Ranged score is lower than the target's Agility score.
- The Damage roll is next. The attacking character makes one Strength test for every confirmed hit, using the Strength value of the weapon and not themselves. Every test that passes is a wound.
- The Defense save is next; unlike the first two, it is performed by the target character(s). For each wound, the character makes a Defense test, which is usually testing against your Toughness score plus your Armour score. Every test that passes negates a single wound.
- Some attacks have 'Penetration', which ignores a number of Armour points equal to the Penetration value. For example, if you have an Armour score of 3 and an attack has a Penetration value of 1, you treat your Armour score as though it were 2 (3-1 = 2). Penetration has no effect on Toughness.
- Lastly is the Ward Save. Ward saves are just like a Defense save, except they use the character's Ward value. Every test that passes negates a single wound. Essentially, Ward gives you a 'second chance' to negate a hit, and are rarely penalised.
- Any wounds left over that have not been saved against by the Defense and Ward rolls are confirmed wounds, and the character reduces their Wound count by that amount. If this pushes the character to 0, then they must make Injury rolls (see below).
Special Rules
Not all attacks act in the same way, and many have special rules. The most common are outlined here.
- Wave Attacks. Some attacks affect a wave or cone-shaped area. Wave attacks are a Ranged Attack, but do not roll to-hit. Instead, they cover a 30 degree arc in the direction of fire, up to the range listed. Anything within that area of effect is immediately struck.
- Blast Attacks. Blast attacks have an area of effect when they hit. Weapons marked as 'Blast x' affect everything within x squares of the attack as well.
- Magic Attacks. Magic Attacks can strike Ethereal enemies and usually have other benefits.
- Poisoned Attacks. Attacks that are poisoned automatically wound on Critical Hits (rolled a 1 on a to-hit roll).
Special Circumstances
There are some special circumstances for attacks that modify their tests or have special rules. These are listed below.
All Attacks:
- High Ground. Attacks against enemies at a lower elevation gain a +1 to-Hit modifier.
- Overkill. Certain attacks are so deadly that any hit by them is simply wiped out. If a character is hit and wounded with a weapon that has a Strength value higher than twice their Toughness score (whichever is higher), they are instantly incapacitated, no Defense roll allowed (although Ward saves are permitted).
- Outnumbered. An enemy who is Engaged in Melee with twice as many enemies as they have adjacent allies, including themselves, suffers a -1 penalty to all Defense Saves. Eg. If you are alone, and engaged with two enemies, you count as outnumbered. If you have one adjacent ally, however, you do not.
- Critical Hits. Characters who roll a 1 with an attack not only automatically hit, but deal an extra wound with that hit, which must be saved separately. If it reduces the target to 0 wounds, they add +2 to their Injury roll.
- Superior Skill Penalties. Sometimes, a target might possess a talent or item that means that their skills make them harder to hit. For example, a character with the Parry talent inflicts a -1 penalty to hit on any melee attacker with an inferior Melee score. A character with the Dodge talent inflicts a -1 penalty to hit on any attacker whose attacking Score (Melee, Ranged) is inferior to the target's Agility. These are called Superior Skill Penalties.
- Attacks on Prone or Stunned targets. Attacks on Prone or Stunned targets ignore Superior Skill penalties.
Melee Attacks:
- Attacks of Opportunity. If an enemy you are Engaged in Melee with makes a Movement Action, you may make a single melee attack against them which counts as Flanking.
- Flanking. Attacks aimed at a character from behind them (with 'behind' being the three square-arc directly behind the character) count as Flanking. Flanking attacks ignore Superior Skill penalties; the defender also takes a -1 penalty to Defense Saves against flanking attacks.
- Charging. Characters who charged into melee as part of their Movement Phase gain a +1 to-hit and damage modifier during that turn only.
Ranged Attacks:
- Volley. Some ranged weapons, such as bows, allow for a volley attack, shooting over walls and other obstacles and letting the missile's arc carry it to their enemies. Volley attacks in this way can shoot over obstacles, but take a -2 to-hit modifier.
- Shooting into Melee. Shooting at characters who are Engaged in Melee takes a -2 to-hit modifier.
- Cover. Shooting at characters who are in some form of cover takes a -1 to-hit modifier.
Injury Rolls
Heroes and Minions whose wounds drop to 0 during an encounter must immediately make an 'Injury roll'. This is a 1d10, with three outcomes.
- 1-4: Knocked down. The character is knocked flat by the force of the blow. If the character is on an edge (eg. The very edge of a cliff, building) they must pass a subsequent agility test or fall off the edge. The character must expend their Movement action to rise in the next turn (and thus may not move). If they do not, they count as prone. Melee attacks against knocked down targets automatically hit. If the character suffers at least one wound whilst knocked down, they become stunned.
- 5-7: Stunned. The character is stunned by the force of the blow, and knocked flat. They risk falling from edges, as above. The character may do nothing at all during their next turn, and may not make Parry saves. During the Aftermath of the next turn, the character stops being Stunned and becomes knocked down instead (but do not have to roll to fall off edges). Melee attacks against stunned enemies automatically hit and wound (defense saves permitted). If the character suffers at least one wound whilst stunned, they become incapacitated.
- 8-10: Incapacitated. The character is out of action for the rest of the battle. They may be injured, unconscious or dead. They follow the rules for 'Incapacitated Incidents' below.
Incapacitated Incidents
In the aftermath of the battle, every character who was incapacitated must work out any lasting effects from this. How this is treated depends on the type of character.
An incapacitated Minion rolls a 1d10. On a roll of 1-8, the Minion's injuries are not life threatening and they are ready to work at the start of the next Cycle. On a roll of 9-10, the injuries are severe enough that the Minion is no longer able to fight. They may be dead or crippled, or so traumatised that they leave, but either way, they are no use to the warband in a fight anymore. Any equipment they had on them at the time is considered lost as well.
Incapacitated Heroes roll a 1d10, and compare the result to the Incident Table below.
A character may choose to 'burn' a Fate Point. They skip this step (essentially, they take no lasting injuries or results) but their Fate Point pool is permanently reduced by one.
- Incident Table
| Roll | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minor Injury | The effects are minor- at worst the character was knocked unconscious. They suffer no ill effects and are ready to go next Cycle. |
| 2 | Weakened | The character is weaker than normal. They reduce their Strength score by 1 until the end of the next Cycle. |
| 3 | Disorientated | The character is experiencing a long period of disorientation and has trouble focusing. They reduce their Melee and Ranged scores by 1 until the end of the next Cycle. |
| 4 | Hobbled | The character suffered a nasty leg injury. The damage isn't permanent but it still leaves them hobbling for the short term. They reduce their Agility score by 1 until the end of the next Cycle. |
| 5 | Frightened | The character is physically fine, but the experience has left them traumatised. They reroll all Resolve tests next Cycle and take the worst result. |
| 6 | Fatigued | The character is physically fatigued, and less able to take harm. They reduce their Toughness and Wound scores by 1 (to a minimum of 1) until the end of the next Cycle. |
| 7 | Confused | The character has been knocked senseless, and whilst they'll recover eventually, in the short term they are erratic and unreliable. They reduce their Insight score by 1, and gain the Stupidity trait until the end of the next Cycle. |
| 8 | Humiliated | The character has not been injured, at least physically, but the injury is humiliating. Perhaps it is embarrassing or somehow, tales of it have been spread and distorted in the telling. They reduce their Resolve score by 1, and automatically reduce all DoS from Resolve tests by 2 (min. 0) until the end of the next Cycle. |
| 9 | Long Term | The character's injuries are extensive. They reroll on this chart, and on a result of 1-8, suffer that result for two Cycles instead of one. |
| 10 | Severe Incident | The character has been permanently marked by the incident. Roll a 1d10 on the Severe Incident table and take that result. |
- Severe Incident Table
| Roll | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | From the Fires | The character recovers… In fact they seem stronger than ever, as though some holy force has infused them with might- or their brush with death has refocused the mind. They gain a Fate Point. |
| 2 | Enmity | The character is consumed with a bitter hatred for the one who hurt them. They gain the 'Hatred' trait, with the target being anyone belonging to the individual who hurt them, as well as their warband. |
| 3 | Hardened | The character survives the harrowing journey… And are stronger for it. They gain the 'Fearless' trait. |
| 4 | Scarred | The character is physically scarred, making them appear grisly and intimidating. They take a permanent -1 penalty to all non-combat social Resolve tests, but gain the 'Fear' trait. |
| 5 | Major Wound | The character is severely injured; for the next 1d3 cycles, they enter encounters with 0 wounds. |
| 6 | Robbed | The character is unharmed, but roll a 1d6; they lose this many random pieces of equipment, which may not be a Construct. |
| 7 | Limb Injury | The character suffers a severe injury to a leg or the arm. Roll a 1d10; on a 1-5, the leg is injured, resulting in a permanent -1 loss to Agility; on a 6-9, the arm is injured, resulting in a permanent -1 loss to Melee. On a roll of 10, an arm or hand must be amputated, inflicting the permanent -1 loss to Melee, but also giving the character a single hand to use from now on. |
| 8 | Blinded | The character loses all sight in one of their eyes. This reduces their Ranged score by 1 permanently. A character who suffers this result twice is totally blind. Their Ranged score becomes 0, they take a -1 to Melee, and reroll all Agility tests and take the worst result. |
| 9 | Captured | The character has been captured by the enemy. They are at their mercy now. Depending on their captors, the character can expect to be ransomed, tortured, or executed. Their equipment is also taken, unless the character's warband won the encounter, in which case only they are taken. |
| 10 | Dead | The character dies. Their equipment may be salvaged if the warband won, but otherwise it is taken by the victor. |
Magic
Mages are those who learn how to shape the fundamental forces of magic to their whim, using it as a channel to impose their will on the physical. Powerful and dangerous in the wrong hands, those who use magic are feared and respected across the world.
This section details the anatomy of magic and furthermore, how to use magic.
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Spells and Circuits
Magic is split into two categories: Spells and Circuits.
Spells require actions to activate, and provide an immediate benefit.
Circuits are passive low-level magic effects that apply so long as you have them memorised. They provide a constant, passive benefit.
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Using Spells
Using a Spell requires the user to know the Spell. Then they must, during the proper phase, declare the Spell and select a target (as appropriate). Using the Spell requires the user to pass a Magic test.
When someone uses a Spell, they must decide whether the Spell is being used at Base level or Surge level.
Base Level activates the Spell as normal, using all the listed effects.
Surge Level may only be used if you haven't activated any other Spells this round, and activates the Spell as normal, but provides an extra benefit listed in the spell's profile. However, Surging has the following negative side effects:
- You take a -1 penalty to the activation test.
- You are unable to cast any more Spells until the start of the same Phase next turn.
- If the Spell is Tiring, then you incur an extra point of Stress.
Anatomy of a Spell
All Spells possess the following fields below, which contain all one needs to know about how to use the Spell and what it does.
The fields are as follows: Name, Phase, Modifier, Targets, Range and Effect.
- Name. The name of the Spell.
- Phase. This is the Combat Phase in which the Spell may be used. The various phases are Utility, Movement, Ranged, Melee, and Non-Combat.
- Non-Combat Spells may not be used in combat.
- Modifier. Certain Spells are easier or harder to use than others. The Modifier thus adds a bonus or penalty to your Magic test.
- Targets. This lists the type of target (and how many) the Spell may affect.
- Range. This lists the maximum range for the Spell, outside of which the Spell may not be use.
- Effect. The meat of the Spell, this lists what exactly the Spell does. If it is an attack Spell, it also lists the type of attack (Melee, Ranged, Direct, Vortex).
- Surge Effect. Many spells are made more powerful when used at Surge Strength. The details are on the Spell's card. Note that these augmentations are optional and do not need to be used.
Attack Spell Types
Attack Spells are used to attack enemies. They are either Ranged or Melee, and act much like an attack of that type, with their own profiles. However, all attack Spells belong to one of five types, which determines how it behaves: Melee, Ranged, Direct, Bombardment, Wind and Vortex. Spells do not require rolling to hit, as the activation test is treated as sufficient. Spells of this type may be defended against with a Defense test and Ward save as normal.
Melee Spells leap from the useer's hands to a short range away, essentially acting as a Melee Attack. They receive modifiers to the Magic test as though they were a Melee Attack.
Ranged Spells are treated like a normal Ranged Attack, and create a projectile that travels from the user to the target.
Direct Spells directly attack a target and are not blocked by obstacles, so long as the user can see the target.
Wind spells travel in a straight line from their point of casting, hitting everything in their path for a designated distance.
Vortex Spells are use on a point in range, affecting everything around them. They Remain in Play after they are use, and travel in a random direction, hitting everything in their path.
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Dispelling Spells
Mages have the ability to twist magic to their own ends, but that same ability can be used to interrupt a rival mage's spellcasting. This is known as 'Dispelling'. Dispelling is when you interrupt a spell the moment it is cast before any effects take place.
A Mage can declare that they are Dispelling a spell the moment the caster passes their magic test. Only one Dispel attempt can be made per spell, and this attempt occurs outside of the initiative order. The dispelling mage makes a Magic test, with a penalty equal to the DoS of the activating magic test; if the test passes, then the spell is dispelled. If the spell is Tiring, then the dispeller also suffers Stress.
- Spells that were activated on a roll of 1 cannot be dispelled. Surge spells also apply an extra -1 penalty to the Dispel test.
- A Mage can only attempt a single Dispel per turn.