Sword and Axe

The Anarea Combat System

G. Army Combat

Systems Change and clarification as from 1 II 2504 in italics.

Systems Changes as from 1 I 2505 in bold italics.

Index to this Section

1. Army Combat Rolls
2. Death or Injury
3. Experience

1.    Army Combat Rolls

Instead of running numerous Melees in detail, the participation of individual fighters in battles may be abstracted. Three rolls of d100 (RUD) are made:

• Success ("S"): the Ft's success in the battle
• Danger ("D"): the risk to the Ft from the battle.  At the DM's discretion (especially in smaller-scale skirmishes run using Army Combat), the opposing force's Success roll (which is not an Army Combat Success roll, as immediately above) may be used as the D result.
• Saving Throw ("st"): the Ft's avoidance of that risk

The rolls are repeated for each phase of the battle. Their frequency depends on how hectic the fighting is, but assume that one set of rolls represents 1/2 hr's fighting.

D is specific to the individual Ft, and may be varied in relation to the overall level of Danger of the battle, at the DM's discretion.

2.    Death or Injury

D and st may result in injury or death to the Ft. The exact result is at the DM's discretion, but the chances are as follows:

Base chance of death / injury from st:

• >= 11 no effect (07 before 1 II 2504)
• 05 - 10 light wound (04 - 06 before 1 II 2504)
• 02 - 04 serious wound (02 - 03 before 1 II 2504)
• 01 death

If the Ft's side in the battle has been defeated (e.g. if the Army Combat roll is during a rout of the Ft's side) the chances of death / injury are doubled and there is a risk of being taken prisoner, as follows:

• >= 31 no effect
• 21 - 30 surrounded / situation hopeless: can surrender or fight on at D*2 (note whether taken prisoner will depend upon the victors' sense of honour)
• 09 - 20 light wound
• 03 - 08 serious wound
• 01 - 02 death

The following modifiers apply to the above base chances (before st is rolled against them):

• + (D-50)/10
• * 5 to chances (after D mod.) if FtL0
• -1 if FtL2-3
• -2 if FtL4-6
• -3 if FtL7-10
• -4 if FtL11-15
• -5 if FtL16

A "light wound" result is typically a Taper Axe doing 2d4+2 in the Ft's choice of HitLoc point (e.g. max ADS in the Chest), with no Shield or Parry allowed (they are already assumed to have failed).  A "serious wound" is typically the same in the DM's choice of HitLoc point (e.g. min ADS in the Head), or a hit from a Weapon doing more DAM in the Chest - the end result should be sufficient to prevent the Ft from continuing in the battle, but without killing him.  The wound results may be varied by the DM at his discretion to achieve this sort of result, having regard to the Ft's HP, but avoid Army Combat results becoming predictable.  Note that multiple light wound results can become a serious wound, and more light wound and/or serious wound results can amount to death.  Death should not result from a single wound result, but can do from multiple ones.

3.    Experience

S factors directly into the calculation of Fighter Experience. The experience gained is:

S / [experience divisor] * FtL

varied as usual at the DM's discretion, depending on the overall circumstances.

If D is in the 90s, S  is doubled for experience purposes. If D is 100, S is quadrupled for experience purposes.

There is no additional experience for being subject to the higher st requirement upon defeat.  Less experience is gained from defeats than from victories.

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