WAR & PEACE
Military Rules for Malaan Realms
Rules
Sample Unit
Training/Recruitment
Mercenaries
Upgrading Forces
Cost of Troops
Sample military unit.
Red Dragon Legion (Name of Unit)
(Heavy Infantry) 450 (Type of Unit) (Number of Soldiers)
Level .75 [Siege Techniques] (Average Level) (Skills)
Training and Recruitment
Raising an Army:
Requirements: Raising units of soldiers requires the following: people
and equipment.
Weapons and Armor costs are given in your Players Handbook (2nd ed)™.
If weapons and armor are produced in your realm or your are able to
buy in large quantities (100+) then you may receive considerable discounts
on the costs of these items (Contact GM or other players). Uniforms
and such cost approximately 1-4 Gold per unit (depending on how nice
you want them). Housing runs about 10 gold per soldier.
Cavalry units cost extra: Horses costs are in the PHB (again discounts
for large quantities). Saddles, bit and bridle cost 15 Gold, Stables
costs 35 Gold/horse. This assumes of course that you can buy them.
Quantities may be limited depending on the area.
People can be brought into your military via two main means.
The first is to levy troops from the population. This method
converts existing population into Soldiers. (Typically conversions
will occur in areas where there is an overabundance).
The second is to raise troops from outside the realm. In other
words recruit people from outside the city to immigrate to the realm
and become soldiers.
The main advantage of the first method is that the people are generally
more loyal than troops of immigrants. In addition there are no recruitment
costs other than outfitting the troops. The drawback is that most
populations do not have vast quantities of unemployed people. So
it is rarely possible to raise a large army without harming production.
So long as the military does not exceed 10% of the population one
can levy up to that amount without significant harm to the economy
or happiness. However beyond that will reduce income, and food surplus
(which will also reduce happiness).
The main advantage of the second method is that it increases the
number of soldiers without changing anything else in the realms
production (although consumption will go up). Also, it is possible
to attract already skilled soldiers, ex-mercenaries etc. so that
the troops start off somewhat higher level than levied troops. The
main disadvantage is that these troops are not particularly loyal
to your realm until they've been there for some time.
The time it takes to raise such troops depends on the availability
of potential soldiers in your area. Assume that around one month of
levying is necessary to raise any troops within a realm. Recruiting
outside the realm can take two or three times that.
New Troops are usually added as soon as they are equipped and brought
in. The level they begin as depends on whether they join existing
units or are raised as an entire unit. The idea being that it is easier
to increase the size of existing units than it is to build all new
units.
If new soldiers are added to existing units, then they simply join
the unit and reduce its over all level. New Recruits act as -.9 level
soldiers. For every skill level of the unit subtract .6 levels from
the recruits.
- ex.
- 20 recruits join an existing unit of 200 medium cavalry (riding
and medium armor) of level .5
So new average level becomes 200 x .5 = 100, plus 20 x -2.1 = -42,
= 58 / 220 = .26 new average level.
- ex.
- 10 recruits join an existing unit of 400 light infantry of level
1.
The new average level becomes 400 x 1 - 400, plus 10 x -.9 = -9,
= 381/400 = .93
- ex.
- 100 new recruits join an existing unit of 50 light cavalry (riding)
of level .3
So the new average level becomes 50 x .3 = 15 plus 100 x -1.5 =
-150, = -135/150 = -.9
If an entire new unit is created, it begins as whatever unit type
is designated by the creator assuming the equipment and or livestock
is available. However its starting level is -.9 minus .9 level for
every skill needed.
- ex.
- 100 soldiers are levied to serve as light cavalry
They begin with an average level of -1.8.
- ex.
- 100 soldiers are levied to serve as light infantry.
They begin with an average level of -.9.
Units will naturally go up levels through combat and training and
to a lesser degree through other activities. See upgrading.
Mercenaries:
Rather than raise one's own army or as a supplement to existing forces
a lord may choose to hire mercenaries. Mercenaries are soldiers of
fortune who come in two groups. Mercenary units and Free-agents. Free
agents are individual soldiers who will temporarily group together
to fight in a war. They can serve as trainers, guerillas or in a larger
force (either another mercenary band or a regular unit). Mercenary
units are entire bands who've trained together and have an existing
chain of command. Typically such bands will not split into smaller
units or fit easily into an existing larger group. The main advantage
of mercenary units is that they act as a whole unit with the command
bonuses and a high average level. Free agents have no loyalty to a
command structure and can easily fit into most existing units.
Mercenaries range in cost and must be negotiated with directly. Free
agents will sign on to a job that seems fair and rewarding. Units
sign as a whole and will stay or leave as a group. Generally mercenary
bands are more reliable once a contract has been made.
Typical costs: (actual costs must be negotiated)
|
Mercenary Type
|
Guard, Patrol or Back-up
|
Active Combat
|
|
Free Agent
|
1 gold/ month x (level + each skill level)
|
1 gold per sortie
|
|
Mercenary Unit
|
1 gold/ month x (average level + 1 + each skill level) x number
in unit
|
(1 gold x (average level + skill levels) x number in unit)
/ sortie
|
Upgrading Troops:
There are two types of upgrades in the military. Combat levels and
Specialty skills. These are not used as the normal skills and are
generally recorded only with each unit that learns them. If the unit
is ever lost or disbanded, then the skills are lost. Each unit gets
one Action each month. Only uninterrupted months of training
result in any skill enhancement or acquisition. However actual combat
counts as training for military units.
Note: When a unit is first formed, it immediately begins using
Military Actions (not civic actions)
Combat Levels
These are simply levels as fighters.
- An action of training a unit can raise a negative level number
up .3.
(A unit with level -.6 can use an Action to go up to level -.3)
- An action of training can raise a positive level number up .2
(up to level 1)
(A unit with level .5 can use an action to up to level .7)
- Each combat sortie raises the level of a unit by .1.
- Each month of action (Patrol, Guard, Police) raise the level by
.1
- Each month of non-action (Recover, Travel, specialty training)
has no effect on the unit's level.
- Each month of non-military action (Farming, Building, etc..) reduced
the unit's level by .2. However the unit may add one civic action
as if it were a separate population. (100 = 1 action, 200 = 2 actions,
400 = 3 actions etc..) Note when this is done realm's population
should be recalculated to subtract the military from its total.
Specialty Levels
Existing units can upgrade themselves into other units. This requires
learning new skills and gaining any equipment necessary. They can
continue as their previous unit's level until four months of training
(per skill) have past at which they fight as that unit at their previous
level or they may begin immediate as the new unit type with -.8 level
for each new skill.
- ex.
- A unit of light infantry level 1 is trained to be light cavalry.
They can continue to act as level-1 light infantry until they have
had four months of training (it need not be consecutive months).
At which time they will be level-1
Alternatively the unit could begin fighting immediately as light
cavalry of level .2.
- ex
- A unit of light infantry level .5 is trained to be medium cavalry.
They can continue as light infantry until eight months have past
at which point they become level .5 medium cavalry.
Alternatively they can begin as medium cavalry at level .5 minus
1.6 or level -1.1
Alternatively they can begin as light cavalry at level .5 minus
.8 or level -.3 until four months have past at which point they
become -.3 level medium cavalry.
Or they can begin as medium infantry at level .5 minus .8 (-.3)
until four months have past at which point they become -.3 level
medium cavalry.
The military specialty skills include:
Other skills may exist, consult the DM.
Cost and Upkeep
Apart from equipment and housing costs military units do not need
to put into you calculations for pay and such. Obviously they are
paid but this is considered part of your upkeep before taxation income.
However, if the proportion of military to civilian population is very
small, say in excess of 10% then the income from the city will go
down. For every 1% beyond 10% of the population that is in the military
reduce the city's income modifier by 1%. Thus at 20% is it unlikely
that city will be able to maintain such a force without outside income.
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