Tattered Banners

Bandit Lords and Mercenary Captains

By Umberto Pignatelli
 Tattered Banners
Bandit Lords and Mercenary Captains

By Umberto Pignatelli
A Sword and Sorcery Savage Worlds sourcebook for Beasts & Barbarians

Some of them are dirty, their weapons rusty, their bellies rumbling with hunger, but more deadly than
snakes. Others are splendid in their shimmering bronze armor, their swords impressive, and are looking
for glory and a reign for themselves.

They are mercenaries and bandits, the scum and outcasts of the civilized lands, come to pillage the rich
cities of the Dominions and to trample ancient thrones under their dusty sandaled feet...

Do you dare to be one of them?

 Beasts
Barbarians &
A Sword and Sorcery Savage Worlds setting

By Umberto Pignatelli

Credits
Author: Umberto Pignatelli
Editing: Andy Slack
Cover Art: Tomek Tworek
Interior Art: Marta Poludnikiewicz, Magdalena Rudzińska, Toby
Gregory, Anthony Cournoyer, Tomek Tworek, Tamas Baranya, Peter
Temesi, Peter Szabo Gabor, Storn Cook, some images copyright Erisian
Entertainment and Louis Porter, Jr. Design, used with permission.

Layout: Michał Smaga

Playtesters: Daniele Bonetto, Luca Coero Borga,
Maner Samuel, Paolo Boiero, Pierpaolo Ferrari.

Special Thanks to: Marta Castellano (my wife) queen of all the Amazons,
Massimo Campolucci (my uncle), for being the first, real Dhaar, Simone Ronco and
Polliotti Yoshi (my friends) for fighting alone against the Valk demons. And from
Piotr to Marysia, Agnieszka, Kasia, Jerzy, Marcel Koryś and Irish team: Maciek
Kursa with Paulina Nahajowska + Waldek Tkacz – for helping a friend in need.

Dedicated to Jeff Scifert. Jeff – Thank you!

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at
www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment
Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or
suitability for purpose of this product.

©2012 Gramel Justyna Koryś, Beasts and Barbarians, Dread Star Dominions and all related marks and logos are
trademarks of Gramel Justyna Koryś. All Rights Reserved.

Produced under license by Studio 2 Publishing, Inc. The Studio 2 logo is a trademark of Studio 2 Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
 Contents
Player’s Guide
The Book of Lore ���������������������������������������������������������������������������10
Mercenary Histories��������������������������������������������������������������10
Bandits’ Tales ������������������������������������������������������������������������14
Organization��������������������������������������������������������������������������17
Band Creation�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������20
Creating a Band ��������������������������������������������������������������������20
Band Stats �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������20
Personalities ��������������������������������������������������������������������������23
Band Edges and Hindrances��������������������������������������������������29
Advancement ������������������������������������������������������������������������38
Additional Mass Battle Rules ��������������������������������������������������40
Battle Value and Battle Tokens ���������������������������������������������40
Battle Benny Pool �����������������������������������������������������������������42
Battle Initiative and Battle Events�����������������������������������������43
Battle Called Shots ���������������������������������������������������������������44
Battle Token Soaking������������������������������������������������������������44
Many-Sided Battles ��������������������������������������������������������������44
Fortifications��������������������������������������������������������������������������45
Applying Casualties ��������������������������������������������������������������45
Managing Bands ������������������������������������������������������������������������������46
Day to Day Management: The Law of Loot��������������������������46
Recruitment and Replacement�����������������������������������������������47
Setting Rules �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������48
After The Adventure Band Events�����������������������������������������48

Game Master’s Guide

Running the Game ��������������������������������������������������������������������������54
A Change of Perspective��������������������������������������������������������54
Introducing a Band ���������������������������������������������������������������55
Adventure Themes�����������������������������������������������������������������56
Support Token Management ������������������������������������������������59
Blood and Fire!���������������������������������������������������������� 61
Relics ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������65
Conquest Points Campaigns ��������������������������������������������������������70
Design and Preparation ��������������������������������������������������������70
Appendix: Bands of the Dominions ��������������������������������������������80
Player’s
Guide
Player’s Guide
Shangor moved silently among the elephant grass, as silently and deadly as a panther.
He looked back. Only a little rustle of the plants behind him revealed the presence of
his comrades, the black-skinned Scarlet Lions, and he grunted his approval.
Tangur, Shangor’s first lieutenant and best friend, approached the mighty barbarian,
stealthy as a shadow.
“The warriors are ready, Thunderfist.” whispered the tribesman, his visage fearsome
under the buffalo blood war paint. “We are ready to strike at your command”.
Shangor nodded. He well remembered the day the Scarlet Lions found him, buried
neck-deep in the sand, doomed to die under the merciless sun of the savannah. The
Lions had freed him and offered him a place in their band, but not before he had
proven his worth, fighting barehanded against one of them.
Despite being exhausted and dehydrated, the Northlander had managed to kill his
opponent, a giant of a man, with a lucky blow to the head. The giant was Runla,
former chief of the Lions. That afternoon Shangor gained both a nickname and
leadership of a group of savage savannah murderers, ready to follow the strongest of
the pack.
Several moons had passed since that day, and they were bloody ones: today the Scarlet
Lions were no longer a small group of outcast warriors, content with simply robbing
even the poorest traveler passing through the Savannah to fill their bellies. They were
a strong, organized band who fought only the real enemy: the Caldeian slave hunters
who raided the savannah virtually unhindered.
“We spied them, Thunderfist. They are more numerous and more cautious than the last
time. They are starting to fear us,” continued Tangur. “And they are led by the man
with the crow-feathered helm.”
Sorakan the Crow! Shangor’s grip on the axe’s handle contracted spasmodically.
Finally, after all these months he was going to face the man who had condemned him
to die under the sun. And this time he had a sharp blade in his hand!
“Tell the men to attack on my order only,” he rumbled, barely controlling his anger.
“Tonight we’ll butcher these dogs and take great spoils.”
Far away in the evening, a hyena howled.
 Introduction

Introduction
Welcome back to the Dominions! This supplement focuses on one
of the staples of Sword and Sorcery, mercenary companies and
bandit bands. These assorted groups of fighters, scoundrels and
rebels have more than once held in their blood-stained hands the
history of the Dominions, and their dust-covered banners have
shaped today’s kingdoms.

The involvement of the heroes with these organizations can be

on multiple levels: they can be worthy and interesting opponents,
patrons and friends, or even more interestingly, the characters can
be members themselves, becoming powerful captains and feared
bandit lords.

Does the idea of a rugged war Band at your command appeal to

you? Then read on, but beware, powerful men always have power-
ful enemies…

9
 The Book of Lore

The Book of Lore

Mercenary their slave-collared necks tremble before

the might of the Phalanx.
Histories Then, from the east, we heard the horns’
blowing, and then, like an impetuous
Tracing the history of mercenary compa- sea, the barbarians stormed out! They
nies is almost impossible: they were (and were painted in red and blue, and many
they are) too numerous and too diverse for of them had frothing mouths like rabid
a complete narrative. In the paragraphs beasts. But the most terrifying things
below, some hints are given about the were the long necklaces made of human
most famous companies in the history of skulls which hung from their brutish
the Dominions. necks…”

In effect the Tricarnians were the first re-

Fighting for Skulls corded race to employ mercenary troops
in their war against the Iron Confedera-
Men in the Dominions fought for money tion, in the years before the Empire. Priest
before the fall of the Dread Star, but the Prince Karimas the Sly hired an entire
first recognized report of a mercenary clan of Northlander warriors to supply
force dates back to the first Tricarnian- the backbone and shock troops his slave
Faberterran War, in 1528 AF. army lacked. These Northlanders, which
in those times were still mixed with the
Brother Clarius, Smith-Priest of Hulian Cairnlords, belonged to a particular caste
and armorer of the Seventh Phalanx of warriors known as the Skullhunters,
wrote these words in his diary: which believed that robbing a man of his
head would increase the personal strength
“When the fog rose up, we saw the army and vigor of a man.
of Tricarnia awaiting us, fraught with
spears as a porcupine with its quills, pro- For this reason Karimas, who won all
tected under large greenish shields, which the battles where the Skullhunters were
are only poor copies of ours, forged with present, never had to pay them: the bar-
iron in the holy fires of Hulian. barians were content to decapitate their
fallen enemies and collect their skulls, a
These soldiers were inferior to us both form of compensation that Karimas was
in strength and in number, and we saw happy to accept and which earned him his
nickname.

10
 Mercenary Histories

The Syranthian Blood of restoring to him and his men the lands
taken from the Empire.
Writ
In truth the real history of mercenary According to legend, the writ restoring
companies officially begins just a couple the lands was written and signed with the
of years later. In 1530 AF, Danaios, a Syr- blood of Ganymedes, hence the saying
anthian noble dispossessed of his lands by that you can trust a mercenary or a demon
the Iron Confederation, escaped south of only if he seals a contract with blood.
the border with some fellow nobles who
had many reasons to hate the Faberterran Nevertheless, Danaios and his men didn’t
conquerors. enjoy their lands for long. By order of the
Imperial Council, the Syranthian Riders
That assorted group of rebels sought the joined a daring attempt to recapture As-
protection of the mightiest enemy of Fab- caia, the Amazons’ Island, which ended
erterra in that era, the Autarch of Kyros. in the total annihilation of the mercenary
company. Needless to say, the lands re-
Ganymedes I was more than glad to ac- stored to the Syranthian Riders reverted
cept these men under his protection, and back to the Empire after the demise of
used them to create a small elite fighting their owners.
unit, the Syranthian Riders, which quickly
became the pride of the Kyrosian army
and a constant threat to the Iron Confed- The Amazon Companies
eration troops patrolling the Syranthian
borders. In the years after the consolidation of the
Empire, the presence of Ascaia and the
Then the Second Faberterran-Kyrosian Amazons became a more or less accepted
War started, with half of Kyros siding with reality. Gradually, the rigid isolationism
Karistos, a minor brother of the Autarch which followed the first years of the Re-
and pretender to the throne, supported by bellion relaxed; meanwhile, the Amazon’s
the Iron Confederacy. reputation as fierce warriors increased.

Nevertheless, Ganymedes’ forces, sup- In 1640 AF the Sister Queens, Alexandra

ported by elephants, were winning and and Prassilde, allowed a group of Amazon
Karistos and the Iron Confederacy warriors to fight side by side with the Em-
seemed doomed to suffer another beating. pire’s Phalanxes to root out the dreaded
Pirates of the Elephant River, whose pres-
Then, the unexpected happened: during ence made river navigation in the Bor-
the decisive Battle of the Flooded Hills, derlands hazardous. So great were their
the Syranthian Riders, led by Danaios, be- exploits that the Governor of Felantium
trayed Ganymedes’ army and attacked it hired them with a twelve-year contact to
from behind with flaming torches, driving patrol the river with their Hawk Ships
the mighty elephants into a panic. and the first Amazon mercenary company,
the River Huntresses, was founded.
As was revealed afterwards, Masterarkos
Domestan, the future first Emperor, had The Sister Queens contracted payment in
bribed Danaios to help with the promise the most valuable resource for their realm:

11
 The Book of Lore

male slaves, to be used for breeding pur- The Independent

poses.
Cities and the Free
It was a pact which satisfied both par- Companies
ties, thereby emptying the Imperial dun- In more recent times, mercenary compa-
geons of criminals while simultaneously nies have blossomed in the fertile ground
giving an alternative to kidnapping and of the Independent Cities. Very few of
male raiding to the warrior women. The these city states had ever had a regular
pact lasted until the decline of the Empire army and they were content to hire sell-
and the later creation of the Borderlands, swords, likely resulting in the great insta-
when the Count of Felantium cancelled it. bility of this area of the world.

Even today the Amazon mercenary com- In fact, a mercenary captain hired by an
panies, although rare and costly, are famed independent city has often decided to
as the most faithful soldiers money can snatch the opportunity offered, taking
hire. control of the city with his own troops.
This was the case of the celebrated Hruss
Horn Beard, a former Borderlands raider
who, in 2420, was hired with his men by
the Queen of Teyerana to protect the city
from the incursions of the Caldeian cor-
sairs; he subsequently forced the queen
to marry him and ruled over the city for
twelve years before drinking a cup of poi-
soned wine.

Also legendary are the figures of Valeri-

os the Turncoat and his impressive Steel
Legion (also known as the Windbags).
Valerios, a renegade officer of the Impe-
rial Phalanxes who fled to avoid the ex-
ecutioner’s axe in the summer of 2489,
was hired by the city of Karalda to fight
against their hated neighbors, Vantoria.
Gifted with charming manners and the
soul of a slave trader, he changed sides
in the conflict four times in three years,
never fighting a single battle and pillaging
and destroying both cities, which now are
only designated as crumbling ruins on a
map. With the enormous wealth earned,
he bought a pardon from the Empire and
ended his days pampered by slave girls in
a sumptuous villa near Faberterra. Even
today, many wonder what happened to the
enormous piles of riches he brought home

12
 Mercenary Histories

Heroes’ Journal:
Mercenaries’ Code of (Dis)Honor
Mercenaries follow a specific code of conduct, a sort of unwritten set of rules, some of which
are summarized below. Parts of them are public and deemed as honorable; these are the
ones they usually brag to lure potential customers. Others, marked with a (D), are kept very
private and, although usually deemed dishonorable, represent the moral reality of hired
swords. Players creating a mercenary hero can take inspiration from them when defining
their character (choosing 3-4 from this list is enough to detail the Code of Honor Hindrance).
In the same manner, the Game Master can either pick selectively from them or roll randomly
using a d20 to add some flavor to mercenary bands of his own creation. In the case of ran-
dom rolls, be aware that some points are in conflict with each other and if rolled, the result
should be rerolled.

1 Contracts must be always be fulfilled.

2 Never take a contract from a previous opponent.

3 Always for sale, even in the heat of a battle (D).

4 No sense in fighting against the odds (D).

5 Fight to the last man.

6 Survival is the most important thing (D).

7 Don’t accept any money until a contract is completed.

8 Never betray a customer.

9 Always insist on payment in advance.

10 Death is better than surrendering.

11 In the mercenary company every man is equal and his past is forgotten.

12 Give no quarter, ask no quarter!

13 Looting, raping and slave hunting are the most important part of the contract (D).

14 Never fight on the same side as a certain country/race/religion/group.

15 Do anything to save a comrade.

16 When the battle becomes hard, it is time to leave (D).

17 We fight not only for money, but for atonement.

18 Only rightful causes.

19 Grab the money and flee! (D)

20 Win with honor, win with deceit, but win (D).

13
 The Book of Lore

from his pillaging, because after his death as simple robbers who take taxes without
they could not be found. providing anything in exchange.

Despite these poor examples of trustwor- It is no surprise then that in many ru-
thy mercenaries, the Independent Cit- ral areas locals tend to hide, protect and
ies are bustling with mercenary bands, generally tolerate bandits, so long as they
known locally by the romantic name of concentrate their rapacious instincts on
Free Companies. These bands usually ac- foreigners and representatives of author-
cept men regardless of race or past deeds ity. These types of outlaws are considered
among their ranks, as long as they know friends of the locals and, in certain cases,
the right way to hold a sword. even champions of the poorest classes.

But this is only one of the faces of ban-

ditry: other robbers are simply rabid dogs
Bandits’ Tales who murder, steal and pillage without any
sense of friendship or loyalty. These are
If mercenaries are common during the the most dangerous ones.
history of the Dominions, the same is not
true for bandits: during the height of the
Imperial peace (2060-2300 AF) it is said The Wolf Lord
that a virgin carrying a bag of gold could
walk alone from one end of the Empire to Bandits are usually leaded by a charismat-
the other without any fear for her virtue or ic figure: the strongest, meanest, biggest
her possessions. beast of the pack, and the danger posed
by the band is directly proportional to the
But in those times the Imperial Roads cunning and tactical skill of their leader.
were constantly tended and guarded by So it is no surprise that many bandit lords,
the Phalanxes, communications were especially the ones who fight on the side
fast and, in general, the populace was less of the locals, become a sort of folk hero,
prone to violence and robbery. even if they retain an aura of fear and dan-
ger.
Today the situation is very different.
The Wolf Lord is probably the most fa-
mous of the bandit folk heroes. His iden-
Isolation and Banditry tity unknown and appearing as a hulking,
half-naked figure covered in a wolfskin
One of the main factors causing the pro- cloak and wearing an impressive horned
liferation of banditry in the Dominions is helm, the Wolf Lord has his den some-
isolation: cities today are surrounded by where in the Northlands. At the sound
vast areas of wilderness, which in the past of his grim horn, dozens of men dressed
were well-tended farmlands dotted with in wolf pelts and, incredible as it seems,
rich villages that were connected by secure wolves jump out from the forest to as-
roads to rest of the world. Small towns sault caravans, Imperial soldiers, and, in
and hamlets now look with suspicion on certain cases, even the forts of the Bor-
strangers, and even the Imperial soldiers derlands. He is ferocious and bloodthirsty,
(or the militia of the local lord) are seen very rarely takes prisoners, but directs his

14
 Bandits’ Tales

rage only against the Empire and its rep- important Faberterran family. His father,
resentatives. despite leaving all the family riches to his
older brother, bought Justaios the rank of
The Wolf Lord persona has existed since commander in the Imperial Phalanxes, to
first appearing in 2200 AF during the secure his younger son an opportunity to
height of the Empire, when he assaulted make a name for himself.
a heavily protected caravan bringing the
taxes of the Northlander tribes to Faber- Justaios made the most of this opportu-
terra. He has been captured and executed nity. An elegant, educated man, he also
at least three times, and his Band has been showed great tactical and military acumen
wiped out on many occasions. Somehow and, with his habit of always leading from
he always returns and even today, in the the front rank, he earned the respect of
Borderlands, he leaves a trail of bodies and his soldiers and the consideration of his
blood. superiors. So, when the riotous moun-
tain tribes of the Iron Mountains became
It is likely someone takes on his identity a problem, Faberterra sent him and his
periodically and uses his legend to gather men to subjugate them and to secure the
men, but this doesn’t explain the great re- mountain passes, considered vital for the
semblance the various Wolf Lords share commerce between the Empire and Jali-
among them, or their uncanny ability to zar.
tame wolves. There are stories that the
Wolf Lord is in truth a shape-changer,
the son of a famous tribal chief of the
past, an immortal being whose only
goal is to take revenge on the Imperi-
als for murdering his wife hundreds of
year ago.

While the veracity of the

presence of an im-
mortal Wolf Lord
is unable to be
determined, what
is not in doubt
is that for any
Imperial, ending
up in the claws of
the Wolf Lord means
enduring a long, painful
death.

Justaios’ Rebellion
Not all bandits are poor desperate farmers
turning to robbery out of hunger and des-
peration. Justaios is the second son of an

15
 The Book of Lore

Justaios fought the mountaineers for three Justaios was declared a rebel by the Em-
long, dangerous years in a war of attrition peror, but so far no army has been sent to
that seemed to bear no fruit; the rebels capture him. The Imperial generals are
knew the terrain too well and the war aware that digging him out of his nest
quickly became an endless series of am- would require more manpower and re-
bushes, chases in the mountains and dirty sources than the Empire can currently af-
fights among the narrow valleys. One ford.
night after a particularly brutal ambush,
Justaios suddenly understood he could If Justaios fears retribution from anyone,
not win this war and that he had been it is from the Merchant Houses of Jalizar,
sent on this mission to die; the generals whose caravans are continuously robbed
of the Empire wanted him dead because by the bandit lord and who have the fund-
they feared his popularity at home. Re- ing to hire their own mercenary army…
turning to camp that night, Justaios spoke
with Joggra’Lek’Gran, a mountaineer war
chief he had captured in the ambush, and The Zakharites
forged a pact.
Zakharius Swift-Hands was one of the
A week later, Justaios’ Phalanx, battered best thieves of Jalizar. A Whitemouse, an
and wounded, arrived at the Fist, the independent working outside the Thieves
massive fortress of Iron Guard Pass, the Guild, he ended his career in the dreaded
largest and strongest stronghold in the Justice Tower. While he awaited judgment
Empire. The defenders, suspecting no from the Magistrate, he swore to himself
treason, allowed them to enter. The battle that, in the event he was allowed to live, he
was quick but bloody. In less than an hour, would change his life.
Justaios’ men captured the fortress and
then the mountain clans, hidden nearby, Luckily for him, since the crime for which
arrived to help them defeat the last of the he was jailed was only a verbal offense
opposition. against a noble, he merely had all his teeth
smashed with an iron mace.
Seven months have passed from that day,
and now Justaios, who married the daugh- So, Zakharius the Toothless wandered far
ter of Joggra’Lek’Gran, controls all of the from Jalizar, eventually ending in Ekul.
northern Iron Mountains. No merchant There he learned of the Jademen philoso-
dares to cross the mountains unless he phy, becoming first a Chela, a disciple of
gives a share of his goods to Justaios’ “toll- a monk, and finally a monk himself. He
men”. Refusing is not an option, and a re- meditated frequently, especially on the
bellious merchant can easily find himself concept of wealth and its negative in-
robbed and killed. fluence on a man’s advancement on the
Path of Enlightenment. He reached the
In addition, when merchant traffic is conclusion than any possession above
sparse, the former Phalanx soldiers and self-sustainment is only a burden and a
the mountaineers raid the hills on both distraction, weighing down the individual
sides of the mountains, pillaging what and diverting him from his philosophical
they want and then quickly taking shelter progression.
under the walls of the Fist.

16
 Organization

Promoting such a worthy and interesting that a much darker and sinister force is
concept, Zakharius started attracting a currently leading the monk bandits.
number of followers, in great part young
monks, but also humble common people. Another mystery about the Zakharites is
But Zakharius decided that proselytizing what happened to the enormous wealth
about his philosophy wasn’t enough: peo- they have stolen over the years. Not a
ple needed to be freed from riches, to fly single coin was spent or ever seen again.
high on the wings of the spirit. And so he Someone think that the loot was destroyed
and his followers enthusiastically started so as to not be a temptation, but there are
their crusade against the wealthy, robbing whispers of a secret hideout, concealed in
rich people of all their belongings. a place beyond suspicion, where all the
riches stolen by the Zakharites are held.
Utilizing his old thieving skills and the
incredible capabilities of his disciples, in
a few months the Zakharites had robbed
a myriad of rich merchants and haughty
nobles, gaining the silent support of the
Organization
general population. This chapter gives a more detailed insight
into the organization of mercenary com-
The Zakharites are pacifists and don’t panies and bandit bands; some details are
usually kill, but nevertheless they have no also applicable to the regular armies of the
remorse in using non-lethal force, treach- Dominions.
ery and lies to free a man of his personal
burdens of trinkets and gold. Today, six
years have passed since the first Zakhar- Structure and
ite “liberations” and they don’t seem to be
nearing an end; no rich lady is secure in Chain of Command
the safety of her jewels and no Valk lord Mercenary companies and bandit bands
can trust the safety of his herd of horses if are organized in a pyramidal structure. At
the pious bandits are nearby. the top there is a single leader, usually the
strongest or most charismatic member or
Although they can seem odd and harm- the band. Below him there are a limited
less to strangers, the Zakharites are a se- number of officers. Unlike regular armies,
rious problem. The Valk, when they dis- where the officers tend to be quite numer-
cover one, simply tie him behind a horse ous, among mercenaries and bandits they
and drag him to his death. are far less so. The few there are tend to be
very capable; indeed, they must be strong
Even King Eku himself complained to commanders to maintain control over such
the senior hierarchy of the monks about single-minded, individualistic cutthroats.
the problems caused by these riotous chil- The nature of command itself in bands and
dren, but despite all efforts no solution companies is very different from regular
was found. The Zakharites grow increas- armies; mercenary and bandit leaders tend
ingly more numerous and more organized to lead from the front rank, sharing the
every day and their leader has not been same risks, if not greater ones, as their un-
seen in public in quite some time. Some derlings. A leader hiding in the rear ranks
suspect that Zakharius is long dead and quickly loses the respect of his troops, often
ending his career with a dagger in the back.

17
 The Book of Lore

Composition and
Recruitment Another important factor in defining
Companies and bands, especially smaller companies and bands is recruitment. De-
ones, tend to be specialized in a single spite conventional wisdom, bands and
role; for example, they are all spearmen, companies are rather picky. Many bands,
archers or cavalrymen. In this manner especially smaller ones, are formed only
mercenaries can maximize their utility by members of the same race, clan or, as
on the battlefield and this specialization happens for Amazons, gender. Practically
enhances their ability to command high- this holds true for reasons of trust: merce-
er wages. Larger companies tend to be naries often are strangers in a strange land
broader in scope, often with two comple- and outlaw bandits must be very careful
mentary specializations; for example, light to avoid spies among their numbers; thus
cavalry with archers for support. Only these groups tend trust only people simi-
very large companies are organized like lar to themselves.
regular armies, including all three divi-
sions: infantry, missile troops and cavalry. Larger bands and companies are usually
more open, and have fewer restrictions on
recruitment.

Equipment
No general description can be given
which encompasses all bands and com-
panies: equipment is extremely variable,
depending on the composition of the in-
dividual unit. What is common among all
mercenary units is the fact that equipment
is often considered a personal responsibil-
ity and usually isn’t provided. This is the
reason why bandits and mercenaries tend
to be quite poorly equipped and inhomo-
geneous in their weaponry compared to
their regular counterparts.

But, in case of very rich companies,

the opposite is true, and very suc-
cessful mercenaries and bandits
can be armed with high-quality
gear.

Also, larger and more estab-

lished companies tend to be
more standardized, arming
fresh recruits and dock-

18
 Organization

ing their initial wages or shares of loot to certain bands may derive minimal revenue
repay these costs. from extorting levy on lands they control
in exchange for protection, similar to le-
gitimate lords. In certain cases, especially
Subsistence and for rebel or outlaw bands, bandits receive
free food, lodging and protection from
Payment locals, but they are expected to fight for
Don’t let be fooled, despite their boasts of their protection and occasionally share
fighting for freedom or just causes, ban- part of the loot with their supporters.
dits and sell-swords fight for a single rea-
son: loot. Looting is a very delicate matter for both
mercenaries and bandits. There are usually
Mercenaries are hired through a personal strict rules which govern the gathering
deal between their captain and the patron, and organization of loot so that an equi-
and usually the payment includes three table distribution is made. Being caught
things: food and lodging, wages and the embezzling loot from the communal haul
promise of loot. Mercenaries can some- is an offense usually paid for with one’s
times accept to be hired for very little life.
money, if the prospective loot is very good;
the patron, however, should be aware that, In rare cases, commanders may declare a
if the loot cannot be found or is too risky day of “free loot” when the rule above isn’t
to acquire, the mercenaries may choose to enforced, and anybody can keep for him-
exert their predatory instincts on the pos- self what he finds. It usually has a prodi-
sessions of the patron. gious effect on morale, but it is also very
dangerous because a band can lose a great
For bandits, the situation is a little differ- number of men in the fights which inevi-
ent and more complex: they live mainly tably erupts over possession of loot.
off acquiring loot, although in some cases

19
 Band Creation

Band Creation
This chapter deals with how to create, The character has managed to create a
manage and use mercenary companies Band around him and is mechanically
and bandit bands during the game, in a detailed as follows. A starting Band is
Fast, Furious and Fun way. For simplicity, usually of Small Size (200 Battle Value),
from this point on both types of groups has Average Discipline and no starting
are referred to as “Bands”. Personalities. A Band also has one Band
Edge and can take up to two Minor and
The same rules are generic enough to al- one Major Band Hindrances.
low you, with slight modifications, to cre-
ate regular armies, ships’ crews and so on.

Band Stats
Creating a Band Bands during the game are detailed by a
number of numerical and descriptive stats,
There are basically two ways for player as detailed in the table below. The table is
characters to be involved in a Band. The read in this manner: a Very Small Band,
first way is by narrative: the Game Mas- for example, has a starting Battle Value of
ter creates an adventure where the party, 200, has 0/4 Personalities and needs one
for a reason or another, joins a Band and Support Token.
eventually achieves important positions or
even leadership.
Name
The second way is a method based on A Band’s Name is one of the defining traits
Savage Worlds game mechanics: one of the of a Band and maybe the most important;
characters takes the Edge detailed below. some Bands are named after their leader, for
Note that including a Band in a campaign instance Girtos’ Crows, while others have
can drastically change the focus of the self-imposed nicknames or titles earned for
game, so the Edge can be taken only with their deeds, such as the Grim Company or
the approval of the Game Master. the Defenders of Kenaton. Whatever the
origin of a name, it is intended to impress
potential patrons and frighten enemies.
Band Commander
(Leadership Edge) Commander
Requirements: Legendary, Command, Bands, except in rare cases, are led by a
Smarts d6+ single individual. You can assign him arbi-

20
 Band Stats

trary stats or use the Brigand Lord NPC

profile from Beasts and Barbarians Golden
Edition, maybe with some tweaks. Usu- In and Out
ally it isn’t important to have a fully stat- of a Band
ted Commander; his Knowledge (Battle)
and Spirit Traits must be defined, because
(Player’s
during Mass Battles the Commander is Perspective)
the one who rolls. Bands can be fun to play with, but in
certain cases they become too cumber-
Usually a Commander has one or more some for the heroes (or the players)
lieutenants under him who can take his to manage, severely hindering their
place in case of demise or incapacitation. freedom. It’s a common Sword and
They are some of the Personalities of the Sorcery trope that a Commander can
always leave his command behind and
Band (see below).
hit the road again. His men will soon
find another leader.
Size While this can be appealing, players
This stat represents in an abstract way the who invested in the Band Commander
relative Size of a Band. There are five lev- Edge could feel themselves robbed of
an Advance. As compensation, any
els of Size: Very Small, Small, Medium,
character voluntarily dropping the
Large, and Very Large. The Size of the leadership of a Band can swap the Band
Band also influences the maintenance cost Commander Edge with another Edge
in Support Tokens. Band Size goes up au- for which they meet the requirements
tomatically when the Battle Value reaches for free. In the future he can also try to
the minimum threshold to qualify for the regain his lost position, but usually it
next Size; for example, if a Small Band isn’t an easy task…
with 580 Battle Value somehow manages
to reach 620 Battle Value it automatically
becomes of Medium Size.

Band Stats Table

Size Battle Personalities Support

Value Tokens
Very Small 200 0/4 1
Small 400 1/4 2
Medium 600 2/5 3
Large 800 2/5 4
Very Large 1000+ 3/6 5
For every 200
+1/+0.5 +1
Battle Value

21
 Band Creation

Battle Value ficient. See page 46 for detailed Support

This number represents the combat ca- rules.
pacity, in absolute terms, of the Band.
For details describing the use of this new
stat, see the Additional Mass Battle Rules
Personalities
chapter. A Band is composed of a leader, a number
of non-descript grunts and some key fig-
ures called Personalities. These NPCs are
Discipline the most notable ones of the Band and
Discipline represents the general attitude, they can offer chances for role play, in-
willingness to fight and organization of a teraction and so on. In addition, the exact
Band. A Band with a high Discipline is type of Personality (see page 23) can give
a well-oiled mechanism which works well the Band some extra advantages both in
in battle, while one with low Discipline is Mass Battles and outside them.
a riotous bunch just waiting for a chance
to disband or to rebel against their chief. The number before the slash represents
There are five levels of Discipline, each of the starting number of Personalities a
them influencing the Battle Benny Pool Band of a certain size usually has, while
(see the Additional Mass Battle Rules the second number is the maximum al-
chapter). Discipline can go up or down lowed. If a Band goes up in size during
depending on Support and various other the game, only the maximum number of
circumstances. Personalities goes up and new open posi-
tions must be filled during the game.
Band Discipline Table
Edges and Hindrances
Discipline Effects Similar to characters, Bands have both
Battle Benny Pool Hindrances and Edges. A Band normally
Very Low starts with a single Band Edge. A Band
reduced by two
Battle Benny Pool may take up to two Band Minor Hin-
Low drances (1 point each) and up to one Band
reduced by one
Major Hindrance (2 points). Edges may
No modifier (starting
Average be purchased with these points exactly
value)
as per the character creation rules in the
Battle Benny Pool
High Savage Worlds core rules.
increased by one
Battle Benny Pool
Very High History and Description
increased by two
Some hints on the history of the Band,
a narrative description and so on can be
Support useful to identify it and to expand its
Larger Bands require more food, wine, background.
women and other luxuries to be happy
and fight well. This number represents
how much loot, represented by abstract
Banner or Battle Cry
Support Tokens, the Band needs to be ef- The banner or battle cry of the Band, if it
has one.

22
 Personalities

Force Composition
(Optional)
The actual numbers of men, mounts, siege
engines and so on comprising the army.
This is purely optional and can be easily
calculated from the Battle Value using the
Actual Size of Armies sidebar on page 42.

Personalities
Personalities are special characters (usu-
ally NPCs) filling an important role in a
Band. Usually they don’t need full stats;
the rules below detail their skill in the
Band’s structure and during Mass Bat-
tles. If necessary some personality can be
added rolling by on the Allies Personality
Table in the Savage Worlds core rules.

Player characters can become Personali-

ties if they meet the requirements, per-
haps even becoming the Commander.
It should not be a simple task achieving
these positions, but rather a rewarding
and compelling process of role play. Usu-
ally the candidate must pass a test of some Armorer
type, so that the other Band members rec- Requirements: Repair d8+
ognize his worth (this can lead to some
interesting side adventures), or pass sub- An armorer is responsible for maintaining
stantial time among the soldiers (in gam- the weapons and armor of the Band and,
ing terms: gaining a new Advance while if necessary and furnished with the proper
in the Band). tools, to forge new ones. If there is at least
one Armorer for every two Size steps of
Another factor to consider is that Person- the Band, the Band has +1 to Battle rolls
alities and Commanders occupy exclusive for having fully functioning equipment.
positions within the Band; if all the open-
ings are occupied, a removal of some type
must be carried out. It can be peaceful,
Artillerist
but Bands are a violent bunch and often a Requirements: Knowledge (Demolition)
duel or other confrontation of some sort d8+, Repair d4+, Smarts d6+
is involved; the winner must always guard
his back against any grudge held by the An artillerist is trained in using the siege
loser. engines typical of the Dominions. He
knows how to maintain, repair and use

23
 Band Creation

them to their best advantage. He is a use- stroying) fortifications. He is only useful

ful Personality only if the Band has the if the Band has the Sappers Band Edge
Artillery or Improved Artillery Edge. and, in a limited way, he is also useful in
conjunction with an Artillerist. In case of
During a siege, an artillerist can try to de- a single character occupying both of these
stroy the defender’s fortifications by mak- Personality slots, an Artillerist/Engineer
ing a Knowledge (Demolition) (-2) roll. can stack his bonuses.
On a success, the Fortification modifier
(see page 45) of the defender drops by one Sappers led by an Engineer receive +2 to
point. The roll is made without penalty their Smarts and Vigor rolls to build or
if the Band has the Improved Artillery destroy a fortification, and can always use
Edge. the Engineer’s Knowledge (Demolition)
skill in place of their Smarts when build-
Artillerists are also very useful during ing a new impromptu fortification.
open field battles because they can com-
mand their engines with terrible preci- An Engineer adds +2 to Knowledge
sion, spreading death among the enemy’s (Demolition) rolls by an Artillerist to de-
ranks. Once per battle, the Artillerist can stroy fortifications.
make a Knowledge (Demolition) roll; for
each success and raise, his Commander
adds +1 to his next Battle roll. This ability
Healer
can be used twice per battle if the Band Requirements: Healer, Healing d8+
has the Improved Artillery Edge.
Healers are of no use during the heat of
battle, but are invaluable in the aftermath.
Champion Healers make a cooperative Healing (-2)
Requirements: Fighting d8+, Intimida- roll after the battle; for each success and
tion d8+, at least two Combat Edges raise, a Battle Token is automatically re-
covered in addition to the normal After-
Champions are particularly strong and ca- math rules in the Savage Worlds core rules.
pable warriors who, by their presence and
brutish impact, can change the tide of a
battle if unleashed at the right moment. A
Lieutenant
Commander can use each Champion once Requirements: Knowledge (Battle) d4+,
per battle. Planning is important to maxi- Smarts d6+, at least one Leadership Edge
mize their efficacy, so a Commander decid-
ing to use a Champion before making a Bat- As second in command, the Lieutenant is
tle roll receives +2 to his roll; if he decides to the man responsible for ensuring that the
use him after rolling, he adds only +1. Commander’s orders are obeyed. Some
of them are trusty, faithful fellows, while
others are opportunists who await only
Engineer the right occasion to backstab their su-
Requirements: Knowledge (Demolition) perior and seize power. A Band can have
d6+, Smarts d6+ any number of Lieutenants, but a chain of
command must be decided (so who is the
An Engineer is an architect or stonema- first Lieutenant, who is the second and
son with expertise in building (and de- so on). Lieutenants can substitute for the

24
 Personalities

Commander in the case

of his demise (following
the chain of command)
and during battle they
may make cooperative
Battle rolls to help the
Commander.

If you are using

the Individual
Loot rules, Lieu-
tenants receive
three shares.

Lotusmaster
Requirements: Lo-
tusmastery d8+, Smarts
d6+, at least one Power
Edge

Lotusmasters can be very useful in

a battle. Their drugs can transform even
the weakest man into an invincible war-
rior, but this comes with a price; when it
ends, the power of the Lotus can leave
Priest/Prophet
the soldiers so exhausted that they cannot Requirements: Persuasion d8+, Priest
fight.
Bands sometimes host men of faith which,
If he has enough time before a battle (at for one reason or the other, have aban-
least one hour) and he makes a successful doned a more stable life to join the ranks of
Lotusmastery (-2) roll, a Lotusmaster can the Band. Commanders are usually glad to
spend 10 Power Points to drug the soldiers have one of these figures among their men;
of the Band with his amazing potions. On they instill in the troops the idea of having
a success, the Band immediately acquires the gods on their side, boosting their mo-
one Battle Token due to the enhancing ef- rale. Usually Priests are inoffensive, but it is
fects of the drugs, two with a raise. wise to keep them on tight leash; some of
them are fanatics, while others are plotters
However, the first time the Commander and schemers who want to use the Band to
rolls a 1 on the Battle die, regardless of the further their own agenda. Before a battle, a
Wild Die, it means that the drugs’ effect Priest can hold a sermon to encourage the
abruptly ends and the army immediately troops and makes a Persuasion (-2) roll. On
loses two Battle Tokens. a success, the Priest grants +1 to Morale
rolls, +2 with a raise. The bonus lasts for the
Extra tokens are lost at the end of the bat- rest of the battle or until the priest is killed.
tle and must not be counted for the pur- Multiple Priests can work together, making
poses of calculating casualties. a cooperative roll.

25
 Band Creation

Quartermaster If a Recruiter is in the Band, a Com-

Requirements: Streetwise d8+, Smarts mander either receives +2 to his Persua-
d6+ sion recruitment rolls (see page 47) or he
can choose to use the Recruiter’s Persua-
Fighters are important, but even the sion skill die instead of his own for the
strongest warrior is weak as a sheep when same roll.
his belly is empty and his armor is reduced
to rusty pieces. The Quartermaster is re-
sponsible for keeping the Band fed, outfit-
Scout
ted and stocked. He supervises the finances Requirements: Notice d6+, Survival d8+,
and checks the rations. Many of them are Woodsman
shameless thieves, but Commanders usu-
ally turn a blind eye to their theft if they do Scouts are expert rangers and woodsmen.
their job well. At the end of the month, if They usually are deployed in advance of
a Band has fewer Support Tokens than the the main force and are tasked with check-
minimum required for its size, the Quar- ing the terrain to discover ambushes and
termaster can make a Streetwise roll; for find the best fighting positions. They are
each success and raise, he adds a Support of invaluable help during ambushes (see
Token to the Band, up to the minimum page 62) and a Commander can always
required to avoid Discipline loss (extra roll using his Scout’s skills instead of re-
Support Tokens cannot be used to increase sorting to group rolls when trying to set
Discipline above the minimum). In game or to discover an ambush.
terms, the Quartermaster doesn’t actu-
ally conjure loot from thin air, but instead In addition, at the beginning of the bat-
manages to forage, finding useful resources tle, if the Band has time to take up po-
in unsuspected places. sitions (GM discretion), the Scout is al-
lowed a Survival (-2) roll. On a success,
If this ability is used for more than one he finds good terrain and foes have -1 on
month in a row, the roll suffers a cumu- any Knowledge (Battle) rolls during Mass
lative -2 for each subsequent month. The Battles due to the slight terrain advantage.
penalty wears off after a single month in
which the ability isn’t used. Outside combat the Scout is also use-
ful because he can help with foraging; if
there is at least one Scout for every two
Recruiter Size steps of the Band, they are allowed
Requirements: Charisma 0+, Persuasion a cooperative Survival (-4) roll. On a suc-
d8+, Streetwise d6+ cess, they reduce the Support Token re-
quirement of the Band by one, minimum
These smooth-tongued individuals are of one.
totally worthless in battle, but they are
worth every Moon they receive in the If you are using the Strategic Movement
months and weeks before and after. A Re- System, a Scout can negate the movement
cruiter incessantly roams many miles away penalty of a Band in difficult terrain with
from the Band looking for new potential a Survival (-2) roll. A Scout may never al-
recruits. When he finds suitable recruits, low a Band to move in forbidden terrain
he persuades, forces, kidnaps or somehow (e.g., cavalry in mountains).
coerces them into joining the Band.

26
 Personalities

Sorcerer
Requirements: Sorcery d8+, at least two
Power Edges

Sorcerers and warlocks are a fearful ad-

dition to a Band, but the nature of their
powers is so dangerous that, if some error
occurs in their rituals, things can become
ugly for the whole army. A sorcerer can
spend 5 Power Points and makes a Sor-
cery (-2) roll before the start of each mass
battle round to scare the opposing army
in some way. On a success, the opposing
general must immediately make a Mo-
rale roll, with a -2 penalty if the warlock
scored a raise.

If the Sorcery roll is a 1, apart from the

warlock suffering the effects of the Sor-
cery Critical Failures Table, his Com-
mander must make an immediate Morale
roll at -2.

Fear isn’t long-lasting on the battlefield,

however. If a Band scores a raise on the
Morale roll against the terrifying magic of
the Sorcerer, it is immune from the effects
for the rest of the battle. must have Specialist Troops (Cavalry), an
Archer Commander must have Specialist
Troops (Archers) and so on.
Specialist Leader
Requirements: Knowledge (Battle) d4+, A Specialist Leader allows using the cor-
one of the following skills at d8+: Fight- responding Specialist Troop twice per bat-
ing, Knowledge (Demolition), Riding, tle (see the Specialist Troop Band Edge).
Shooting, or Throwing, Specialist Troop
Band Edge.
Spy
A Specialist Leader is an officer very Requirements: Persuasion d6+, Stealth
skilled in leading a particular type of troops d8+, Streetwise d6+, Smarts d6+, Thief
in battle. For example he can be the Mas-
ter of Slingers, the Cavalry Captain, the A Spy is a master of infiltrating the op-
Heavy Infantry Commander or the First ponent’s forces. Excellent spies can even
Javelin Thrower. To be effective, a Special- manage to discover enemy plans or lure
ist Leader must have the corresponding them into ambushes. Before the battle,
Specialist Troop in the Band (granted by a Spy is allowed a Stealth (-2) roll. On a
the Specialist Troop Band Edge); for ex- success, he receives some hints regarding
ample, a Band with a Cavalry Captain the battle plans of the opposition; in the

27
 Band Creation

first round of battle, any Battle Plan bonus

the enemies have is reduced to zero. On a
Occupying Multiple raise, the Spy’s side also gains a +2 Battle
Personality Slots Plan modifier thanks to the information
If they meet the requirements, player found.
characters can occupy up to two Per-
sonality slots; alternatively, if they are The Spy’s job is a dangerous one, and in
Commanders, they can also be a Person- the dire event she rolls a 1 on her Stealth
ality. The advantage of this choice al- die, regardless of the Wild Die, she is dis-
lows increased flexibility for the Band. covered and suffers 2d6 damage. If a criti-
However, it can also be a liability: if the cal failure is rolled, the Spy is captured,
single multiple-slot individual is killed, with consequences left to the GM.
the Band effectively loses two Person-
alities. In addition, during each battle
round, only one Personality option may
Note: The Spy mechanic described above
be chosen; thus, a character must either is quick-and-dirty and suited for NPCs.
choose which single Personality they PC Spies should actually play the scouting
wish to utilize for that round or if they mission as an interesting side adventure.
choose to function as a Commander, if The outcome of the mission can reduce
that option is available to them. Thus, the Battle Plan modifier of the enemy to
a Commander who wants to act as a zero or, in the case of extreme success, give
Personality must delegate command to a Battle Plan bonus to the Spy’s side rang-
someone else (usually a Lieutenant) in ing from +1 to +4.
that battle round.

Standard Bearer/Musician
Requirements: Charisma 1+, Persuasion
d6+, Spirit d6+

Some Bands have horn blowers, others

have standard bearers or even mummers
Personalities and who taunt and make jests about oppo-
Characters in nents. The mere presence of these individ-
uals is comforting to the soldiers. A Band
Mass Battles with a Standard Bearer gains +1 to Mo-
Player characters can fill any Person- rale rolls and, if the Commander rolls a 1
ality slot, so they can also be used as on the Spirit roll to check for Morale, he
Champions, Specialist Commanders or can reroll it for free, Wild Die included,
Sorcerers. In any round when they are
exactly as if he used a Benny. As a draw-
“used” by the Commander, they cannot
act normally as per the Characters
back, losing the Standard Bearer during a
in Mass Battle rule in the Savage battle is a strong blow to the troops’ spirit
Worlds core rules; instead, they make a and the Band suffers -2 to all Morale rolls
Vigor (-2) roll. On a failure, they are until the end of the confrontation.
Fatigued for the rest of the battle; on a
critical failure, they receive a Wound.

28
 Band Edges and Hindrances

Band Edges
and Hindrances
Like characters, Bands have both Hin-
drances and Edges. A Band normally
starts with a single Band Edge, but an ad-
ditional one can be taken (see Edges and
Hindrances under the Creating a Band
section on page 20). Band Edges aren’t
exclusive to bandit bands and mercenary
companies and can also be used by armies,
navies and other similar fighting groups.

Band Hindrances
Breaking Point (Minor)
Any army has a breaking point, a mo-
ment when the men, even the toughest
ones, can suddenly decide to throw away
their weapons and flee. This Band has an
even lower threshold than most: any time Cumbersome (Major)
it is reduced to half or less of its starting Maybe these troops wear very heavy
number of Battle Tokens, the Command- armor which hinders their mobil-
er must make an immediate Morale roll; ity in combat, or maybe they fight in
on a failure, the Band routs. very rigid formations making them slow
to move. Whatever the reason, they can-
not fully exploit the advantage of num-
Costly (Major) bers. The Band reduces the Battle bonus
The soldiers of the Band are real vultures derived from having more Battle Tokens
and they consume loot with the voracity than its opponents by one (modifier can-
of a pack of wolves. The Support Token not drop below zero).
requirement of the Band is raised by one.
Example: The Defenders of Kenaton (10
Tokens) attack a savage Pict war-party
Courage in Numbers (Minor) (7 Tokens). Normally, the mercenar-
The Band fights well when the odds are ies will have +3 to Battle rolls due the
on their side, but when they are outnum- difference in Token numbers. Since they
bered (start the battle with less Battle are wearing very heavy armor they can-
Tokens than the opponent) they suffer an not take full advantage of their mobility
additional -1 to Morale rolls. This works (they have the Cumbersome Hindrance)
only when they start the battle outnum- so their bonus is only +2.
bered – not when they are outnumbered
during it.

29
 Band Creation

Exclusive (Minor) Individualistic

Joining the Band isn’t easy; maybe a partic-
ular joining ritual is required, or the Band (Minor or Major)
only accepts a specific type of individual(s) The Band is composed of single-minded
(for example, only women or only former individuals who fight without maintain-
gladiators). For this reason, the Band suf- ing battle formation and with little respect
fers -2 to any Recruitment roll. for orders, making it very difficult to ac-
tually direct them on the battlefield. It is
a behavior particularly common among
Faceless Grunts barbarians. With the Minor version of
(Minor or Major) this Hindrance, a Commander must make
a Smarts roll to use a specific Personality
The Band is composed of common sol- in the current battle round; on a failure,
diers for the most part, thus it doesn’t at- the Personality cannot be used (but the
tract outstanding individuals. With the “use” isn’t wasted and he can try to use a
Minor version of the Hindrance, halve different Personality if he so chooses; this
(rounding down) the maximum number requires a separate check). With the Ma-
of Personalities a Band can have. With jor version, the Smarts roll suffers -2; on a
the Major version, only a single Personal- failure, no Personality can be used in the
ity can be part of the Band. current round.

Free Looters (Minor) Inferior Equipment (Major)

The Band is more interested in free loot- The average armies of the Dominions are
ing than in receiving the standard pay. Any equipped with bronze weapons and armor
time there is a chance to pillage, if they and soldiers are taught to keep them in
aren’t allowed a “free loot” day (meaning good shape. Primitive cultures, such as
that any soldier can keep for himself what Cairnlanders, Nandals, Caledmen, Pyg-
he finds without sharing it with comrades) mies and certain Ivory Savannah tribes
the Commander must make a Persuasion instead employ weaker or more primitive
roll, with a penalty ranging from -1 to -6 weapons made of stone, wood or bone. Or
depending from the size of the settlement perhaps the troops are issued good equip-
to be raided (-1: Small Village, -6: Me- ment but they lack the knowledge or dis-
tropolis). On a failure, the Band loses a cipline to keep it in good shape, so good
Discipline level. armor rusts and bowstrings weaken after a
few engagements.
If the “free loot” day is granted, no Persua-
sion roll is necessary. When a Band with Inferior Equipment
fights against one with average or better
equipment, the Battle die of the Com-
Honorable (Minor) mander of the Inferior Equipment force
Mercenaries and bandits usually fight is reduced by one step (minimum d4-2).
only for money, but these men are differ-
ent. The Band fights only for honorable
causes or for a particular faith or political
Reluctant Fighters (Major)
faction. The soldiers in the Band don’t have much
motivation to fight. Perhaps they are slave

30
 Band Edgesand Hindrances

troops who fight only because they fear roll, regardless of the Wild Die, the army
their Commander more than the enemy, retreats from battle.
or maybe they are braggarts who piss their
pants when the boasting ends and swords
are drawn. Reluctant fighters suffer -1 to
Traitor (Minor)
any Morale roll and the army routs with a A rotten apple, someone who holds a
result of 1-2 on the Morale roll, not only grudge against the Commander, the
on a 1. Personalities, or even against the whole
Band, hides himself among the men. He
is only waiting for the right moment to
Slow Marchers (Minor) seize command or secretly wants to sell
The Band takes a long time to move from his comrades out to their enemies. Trai-
a location to another. Maybe there are a tors are masters of dissimulation and are
great number of camp followers slowing very patient. At the beginning of every
them, or the troops insist on doing par- session the Game Master draws a card
ticular religious rituals before any long from the Action Deck and secretly looks
march and so on. Whenever reaching a at it: if it is a Club, the Traitor will strike
particular place in a short time becomes during this session if he spots an open-
vital, the Commander must make a Spirit ing. Traitors can be found and rooted out;
(-2) roll. On a failure, the Band arrives late; in this case, either a new Hindrance may
if a battle is involved, this can have very be selected to replace this one, the Com-
dire consequences and the Band suffers a mander may spend an Advance to buy off
penalty of up to -4 on Battle rolls (GM the Hindrance, or another sneaky Traitor
discretion). In addition, if you are using will soon appear…
the Forced March rules (see page 75), the
Commander rolls suffer a -2 penalty.
Undisciplined (Major)
The Band is made up of undisciplined in-
Slow Reactions (Major) dividuals who aren’t able to fight as a co-
The Band’s chain of command is some- hesive unit. Their Discipline level is low-
what ineffective, so orders are often con- ered by one step.
fused or executed late, or the Band consists
of mindless drones or very dumb soldiers.
Whatever the reason, during the Battle In-
Wanted (Minor or Major)
itiative phase, the Commander draws two The Band’s members are considered out-
cards from the Action Deck and uses the laws and criminals and likely stay together
worse of the two (GM discretion). only for self-protection. With the Minor
version of the Hindrance, all Band mem-
bers suffer -2 to Charisma; with the Ma-
Superstitious (Major) jor version, the penalty increases to -4.
The Band members have great fear of the
supernatural. Whenever they have to fight
against a supernatural opponent they must Band Edges
pass a Morale roll before the battle starts.
On a failure, they suffer -2 to all Battle What follows is a list of available Edges
and Morale rolls during the battle. If a 1 for a Band. Some require a certain Dis-
is rolled on the Spirit die for the Morale cipline level or a Commander with a cer-

31
 Band Creation

tain skill level. If the requirements are no Artillery also takes time to be properly
longer met (for example, Discipline loss positioned and prepared; it cannot be used
resulting in a value below the required if the Band is surprised or in similar con-
level or removal of the Commander), the ditions (GM discretion).
Band retains the Edge but cannot use it
until the requirements are met again.
Improved Artillery
Like character Edges, Band Edges also Requirements: Seasoned
have a Rank requirement (see Band Ad-
vancement on page 38). The Band has one or more powerful siege
engines, such as a trebuchet or the deadly
Hulian’s Scorpions, the infamous ballistae
Animosity of the Iron Phalanxes, loaded with dozens
Requirements: Novice of vicious darts. The Battle bonus derived
from the Artillery Edge is doubled (so be-
The Band has a deep hatred for a race, a comes +2).
group or a culture (which must be chosen
when this Edge is acquired). When fight- Given the great amount of effort required
ing against that type of opponent, Battle to move, supply and man these powerful
and Morale rolls are made with a +1 bonus. siege machines, this Edge increases the
Support Token requirement of the Band
by one.
Hate
Requirements: Seasoned, Animosity
Bane
As Animosity above, but the bonus to Requirements: Novice, Average Disci-
Battle and Morale rolls is +2. pline

This Band is specialized in fighting against

Artillery a certain type of opponent, usually Infan-
Requirements: Novice try, Cavalry or Missile troops. This can be
due to special equipment (for example,
Although not a unit widely employed, ar- pikes against Cavalry or rain of arrows
tillery is used in the Dominions and many against Infantry) or tactics (forming a tor-
armies, including the Iron Phalanxes, use toise against Missiles with their shields).
them in sieges and even in open-field bat- When this Edge is taken a particular type
tles. Artillery weapons consist mainly of of troop must be chosen. Whenever the
catapults, ballistae and rams (the latter Band faces an opponent composed of that
are used only in sieges). A Band with this type of troop it can decide, at the begin-
Edge employs such weapons and gains +1 ning of each round, if it is using this Edge
to Battle rolls. Still utilizing primitive ma- defensively or offensively. In the first case
chines, artillery is quite slow and requires the opponent suffers -2 to any Battle roll;
some time to be reloaded; the bonus can in the second, the Band receives +2 to
only be applied once every other round (so Battle rolls.
usually on the first, third, fifth and so on).

32
 Band Edgesand Hindrances

Base are trained to quickly deploy and stow. A

Requirements: Novice, None Band with a Mobile Base can bring it with
them as they wander.
The Band has a refuge of some sort: a
fortress, a hideout, or a permanent camp
where they can lick their wounds and
Battle Hardened
train new recruits. A Band with a Base can Requirements: Novice, Commander’s
automatically raise its Battle Value by 5% Knowledge (Battle) d6+, Commander’s
each month, and due to the Base’s healing Spirit d6+
facilities, can reroll one die for free in the
Aftermath sequence to recover a lost Bat- The Band has fought in many dire situa-
tle Token. In addition, if attacked while in tions under their Commander and always
their Base, they receive +1 to Morale rolls, survived. A Commander with a Battle
while the opponents suffer -1 to Battle Hardened Band receives +2 to Battle To-
rolls due to the fortifications. Note that a ken Soak rolls.
Base is a stationary structure, so wander-
ing Bands cannot benefit from its bonus.
Improved Battle Hardened
Requirements: Veteran, Battle Hard-
Improved Base ened, Commander’s Knowledge (Battle)
Requirements: Base d8+, Commander’s Spirit d8+

The Band’s Base is something stronger As Battle Hardened above, but the bonus
and more elaborate: a castle, a complex is +4.
of caverns, even an entire village. A Band
with an Improved Base can automatically
raise its Battle Value by 10% each month
Courageous
or acquire a new Personality (up to the Requirements: Novice, High Discipline
maximum allowed) and can reroll twice
(or once per two different tokens) dur- When normal soldiers tremble, a Coura-
ing the Aftermath sequence to recover a geous Band continues to fight! They gain
lost Battle Token. The defenses of an Im- +2 to Morale rolls.
proved Base are improved and they grant
+2 to the Band’s Morale rolls and enemies
suffer -2 to Battle rolls. A structure of this
Creature
size has its costs, raising the Support To- Requirements: Novice.
ken requirement of the Band by one.
The Band hosts one or more terrible
Creatures among the ranks. They can be
Mobile Base elephants, terrible demons summoned by
Requirements: Base sorcerers or even worse. If a Band with the
Creature Edge receives more than two Bat-
The Band’s Base isn’t a stationary structure, tle Tokens at the start of the combat, one
like a castle, but instead can be moved. For of them must be of a different color than
example, it can be a ship, a caravan, or even the others. This is the Creature Token. It
an excellent encampment, like those the works exactly as other Battle Tokens, but,
Iron Phalanx utilize and whose soldiers while the Creature Token is present, the

33
 Band Creation

Band receives +1 to Battle rolls and oppo- Extra Personalities

nents suffer -1 to Morale rolls. Requirements: Novice

A Creature Token can be eliminated from The Band attracts heroes and famous
the attacker’s forces with a Battle Called people. Increase the maximum number of
Shot (see page 44). Personalities the Band can have by three.

Creatures either eat a lot or need special

care; for these reasons, a Band with this
Familiar Terrain
Edge requires one more Support Tokens Requirements: Novice
than usual. They are also rare and diffi-
cult to replace; if, during the Aftermath The soldiers of this Band are particularly
phase, the Creature Token isn’t recovered, good when fighting in a particular envi-
it means that the Creature is dead, and ronment: forests, swamps, urban areas or
this Edge cannot be used until a suitable deserts are the most common ones. When
replacement is found (usually 2d4 weeks). choosing this Edge, choose a particular
type of environment. When fighting in
This Edge can be taken multiple times, this type of terrain they reduce the Ter-
but only once per Rank of the Band. rain penalty by 2 and receive +2 to Morale
rolls. In addition, if you are using the
Strategic Movement System
Cult of Personality (see page 74) the Band
Requirements: Novice, Commander’s i g n o re s
Charisma 1+

The Commander of this Band is wor-

shipped by his fellow soldiers, who are
ready to follow him anywhere. Once per
battle, the Commander can add his
Charisma bonus to a Battle or
Morale roll (not both).

As a drawback, be-
cause command is so
focused on his per-
son, if the Com-
mander falls, the
Band must make
an immediate group
Spirit (using lowest
Spirit value in case
of different Spirit
values) roll or im-
mediately rout.

34
 Band Edgesand Hindrances

penalties caused by their specific terrain. Local Aid

However, such troops may never allow a Requirements: Novice, Commander’s
Band to move in forbidden terrain (for Knowledge (Area) d6+
example, artillery in a swamp).
The Band is well known and respected by
the local population, which hides and sup-
Frightening ports them as best they can, providing in-
Requirements: Novice, Sorcerer Person- formation and hints of troop movements
ality or Creature in the area. The Band’s Commander re-
ceives +2 to Streetwise and to any roll to
The Band has a halo of fear around them, set or avoid ambushes. In addition, the
usually linked to either the presence of Commander can use the Connections
one or more warlocks in its ranks or to a (Local) Edge once per scenario. These bo-
horrifically mighty creature or monsters nuses apply only in a Band’s home region,
(for example, elephants). Before the start and is particularly suitable for a Band of
of the first battle round the opponents of a outlaws which enjoys the support of the
Frightening Band must make an immedi- local population. At the GM’s discretion,
ate Morale roll. this Edge is lost if the Band behaves poor-
ly towards the locals (for example, looting
This effect can be used in conjunction a nearby village).
with the ability of a Sorcerer Personality.
In such a case, a single Morale roll is re-
quired, with an additional -2 modifier if
Heroes of Battle
the Band has the Frightening Edge for a Requirements: Novice, Individualistic
total Morale penalty of -4. Hindrance

In addition, any time an opposing Com- The Personalities are the real engine of the
mander scores 1 on his Battle roll, he must Band and their deeds on the battlefield
immediately make another Morale check. inspire the rest of the men. For every two
Personalities in the Band, the Commander
Fear isn’t long-lasting on the battlefield, is granted +1 to Battle or Morale rolls (the
however. If a Band scores a raise on the choice must be made at the beginning of the
Morale roll against a Frightening effect, it battle round, after Action Cards are dealt).
is immune from the effect for the rest of
the battle.
Mindless Army
Requirements: Novice
Frugal
Requirements: Novice The Band is formed mainly of mindless in-
dividuals, such as undead, Lotus slaves or
Perhaps the soldiers of this Band aren’t similar types. They don’t know the meaning
that attached to loot, or maybe the com- of the word retreat, gaining +4 to Morale
pany is mainly made of hunters and for- rolls. On the other hand, they are so dumb
agers who manage to live off the land. as to be impossible to command properly.
Whatever the reason, reduce the Support The Commander of a Mindless Army must
Token requirement of the Band by one. spend two Bennies from the Battle Benny
Pool each time he wants to reroll dice.

35
 Band Creation

This Band is trained to fight in very close

ranks, making them terrible in battle. An
excellent example is the Iron Phalanx.

Any time the Commander of the Phalanx

spends a Benny from the Battle Benny
Pool to reroll, he adds +2 to the total (as
per the Elan Edge, the Edges stack).

Pillagers
Requirements: Novice

The Band is ruthless when they loot, halv-

ing the required time to effectively loot a
settlement and adding +2 to the Notice
roll to find loot.

Popular
Requirements: Novice, Commander’s
Charisma 2+

The deeds of a Popular Band are told by

bards and poets in songs, and every farm-
boy dreams of leaving his home behind
and joining these glorious warriors. Al-
though this may be only propaganda from
Mobility some cunning recruiter, the Band receives
Requirements: Novice, Commander’s +1 to any Recruitment roll.
Knowledge (Battle) d6+, Commander’s
Smarts d6+
Very Popular
The Band is trained to respond to orders Requirements: Seasoned, Commander’s
very quickly, possibly due to having excel- Charisma 4+
lent officers, a good battle signals system
or even magic. Whatever the reason, dur- As Popular above, but the Recruitment
ing the Battle Initiative phase, the Com- roll bonus is +2.
mander receives two Action Cards and
can choose the best one (player’s choice).
Resource
Requirements: Novice
Phalanx
Requirements: Novice, Commander’s The Band has found a permanent source
Knowledge (Battle) d8+, Specialist Troop of income: it can be a village which pays a
(Heavy Infantry), High Discipline protection tax, a bridge or pass on which
they charge a toll or something similar.

36
 Band Edgesand Hindrances

The Resource, if accessible, grants an extra is possible for the attackers to enter the
Support Token every month. Resources enemy fortress (ignore any Fortification
are linked to a particular location; if the bonus and give +4 to the attacker’s next
Band leaves them for some reason, not Battle roll).
only does the Resource not produce Sup-
port any more, but every month a card Sappers work better if led by an Engineer
must be drawn from the Action Deck: if it Personality.
is a Club the Resource has fallen under the
control of someone else (the Edge is lost).
Shoulder to Shoulder
Requirements: Seasoned, Average Disci-
Sappers pline or better
Requirements: Novice
The soldiers of the Band are accustomed
The Band includes several persons expert to fighting when being outnumbered;
in stonemasonry, woodworking, sapping they simply raise their shields, close ranks
and all the other crafts necessary to build and bite the bullet. The opponent reduces
fortifications and defenses. If enough re- any bonus for having more Battle Tokens
sources are available (wood, stone and than the Band by one (minimum zero).
so on, in the form of Support Tokens), a
Band with Sappers can repair a broken
fortification; it takes one week for each
Skirmishers
class of Size of a settlement (see page 60). Requirements: Novice, Small or Very
Small Band Size, Mobility
In addition, with a successful group Smarts
roll (usually they have Smarts d6), if they The Band is especially good at hit-and-
have at least two days of time they can run guerrilla tactics. They never engage
build an impromptu fortification (moats, enemies in direct confrontations and usu-
chevaux de frise, ramparts or palisades are ally move away very quickly before be-
the most common ones). For each suc- ing hit. If the Skirmishers’ Commander
cess and raise, they halve the time needed is dealt an Action Card higher than his
to construct the impromptu fortification opponent, he can decide, after making his
(minimum 12 hours). An impromptu for- Battle roll, to retreat immediately, pre-
tification lasts for a single battle and gives venting the adversary from responding
a defending army one point of Fortifica- and ending the battle; this represents the
tion modifier (see page 45). Skirmishers’ ability to launch sudden at-
tacks and then disappear.
During sieges they can also dig tunnels
under the enemy fortifications to either In addition, retreat being part of the Skir-
make them collapse or to open a breach in misher’s tactics, they are quick to reform
them. For each week of digging, the Sap- their ranks; regardless of whether they
pers make a group Vigor (-2) roll (they won or lost the battle, they recover Battle
have Vigor d6). With a success, the For- Tokens in the Aftermath phase with a 2-6
tification modifier of the fortress drops on the d6.
by one point, two with a raise. With two
raises, they don’t damage the fortification Note that the Skirmishers Edge is negat-
but create an opening through which it ed whenever the Band doesn’t have space

37
 Band Creation

to retreat (GM discretion). For example, The Band has some piece of outstanding
when they are trapped in a fortification or equipment; it can be iron weapons and
there is terrain of some kind seriously hin- armor, Valk bows and ponies or some-
dering them (such as a rushing river or a thing similar. When facing another army
crevasse), the Band does not benefit from without the same Edge, the Knowledge
this Edge. (Battle) die of the Commander of an
army with this Edge is raised by one die
Only Small or Very Small Band can be step. Superior equipment is more costly,
Skirmishers. Larger bands simply lose however, so these units generally are less
this Edge. numerous; reduce by 5% any Battle Value
increase due to Reinforcements.
Specialist Troop
Requirements: Novice

A Specialist Troop is a part of the Band

Advancement
which is highly trained in a particular Player-controlled Bands gain Advances
field. When this Edge is taken the type of as player characters do, although at a very
Specialist Troop must be chosen; Cavalry, much slower pace. At the end of any sce-
Heavy Infantry, Archers or Siege Engines nario (not session) where the Band played
are the most common ones. a central role (for example, was engaged in
a large battle or similar), the Game Mas-
Once per battle, the Commander can de- ter awards it Experience Points, using the
cide to utilize a Specialist Troop. First, he same criteria as for characters.
must provide a plan in which the Special-
ist Troop can logically contribute. It can Unlike characters, Bands can use Advanc-
range from simply ordering the Cavalry to es in the following three ways:
charge to a more complex strategy (in this
case, the Band also receives the battle’s Acquire a new Band Edge
plan bonus as per the Savage Worlds core
rules). A non-Wild Card Commander us- Raise the Discipline level of the Band by
ing his Specialist Troop may use a Wild one step (only once per Rank).
Die in the next Battle roll, while a Wild
Card has his Wild Die increased by two Raise the Size of the Band by one step,
steps (usually to d10 if an NPC). bringing the Battle Value of the Band to
the minimum required for the new Size;
This Edge can be used more than once if for example, 400 for a Small Band, 600 for
a Specialist Leader Personality is present an Average one and so on (limited to once
(see page 27). per Rank).

Specialist Troops are costly; a Band with The fact that the Band members aren’t al-
this Edge requires one more Support To- ways the same (there are deaths, replace-
kens than usual. ments, and desertions) doesn’t matter;
newcomers are usually taught the “rules of
the Band” very quickly by more seasoned
Superior Equipment veterans.
Requirements: Novice

38
 Additional Mass Battle Rules

Additional Mass
Battle Rules

This chapter presents some additions to • Compare the Battle Values of the two
the standard Savage Worlds Mass Battle armies.
rules. They are purely optional and you
can decide to include some or all of them • The army with the higher Battle Value
in your game. receives 10 Battle Tokens

• The army with the lower Battle Value

receives Battle Tokens in proportion:
Battle Value • 10 : Highest Battle Value = x : Lowest
and Battle Battle Value

Tokens • Where x can be calculated as (10 x

Lowest Battle Value)/Highest Battle
Battle Value is a new layer of abstrac- Value.
tion to estimate the strength of an army.
Unlike Battle Tokens, which are relative • Round the number to the nearest integer.
to the strength ratio of two armies, Bat-
tle Value is an absolute value. This is im- Example: The Battle of Teralia. The De-
portant because it allows tracking the life fenders of Kenaton (Battle Value: 650),
of an army during a Campaign, giving a a mercenary Band led by the burly Zan-
more accurate view of their status. dorian swordsman known as the Golden
Bull, is surprised by the Eighteenth Iron
Nothing changes during the actual battle, Phalanx (Battle Value: 900) while ran-
simply use the Battle Values of the two sacking Teralia, a helpless Faberterran
armies to calculate the number of Battle village. No compromise can be found and
Tokens the two armies have. the Phalanx General orders his men to
wipe the greedy mercenaries out.
It is easier than it seems, and the whole
process can be summarized in the follow- The Eighteenth Iron Phalanx has the
ing checklist: highest Battle Value so it receives 10

40
 Battle Value and Battle Tokens

Battle Tokens, while the Defenders of

Kenaton obtain (10 x 650)/900 = 7.22; Battle Example
rounded to the nearest integer this equals Value Army
7 Battle Tokens. The Hoplites seem to
Small Merchant
have a decisive advantage, but the mer- 50
Ship
cenaries could have a couple of tricks up
their sleeves to change the tide of battle. 100 Merchant Ship
The two armies are deployed opposite each Very Small Band,
other on the dusty plain in front of the Small Barbarian
village, when suddenly the horn blowers 200 Tribe, Large Mer-
of the Defenders sound the order to charge chant Ship, Pirate
at the Iron Phalanx’s lethal scythed char- Ship
iots… Syranthian warship,
300 Tricarnian War
Galley
Generic Battle Values Small Band, Bar-
barian Tribe, Large
of Armies and Ships 400
Pirate Ship, Ama-
Since Battle Value is an absolute number, zon Hawk Ship
the only tricky thing is how to estimate it; Small Valk Horde,
you can then use it for a clash of armies, 500 Tricarnian Priest
navies or whatever you want. You can even Prince’s Army
sum them to have a good idea of the forc- Average Band,
es on the field during mixed conflicts; for Large Barbarian
example, you can easily simulate the siege 600 Tribe, Iron Pha-
of a coastal city by a combined naval and lanx (modern era,
ground force. reduced ranks)
700 Syranthian Army
Bands have a starting Battle Value de- Large Band, Ky-
pending on their Size, which grows and 800 rosian Nobleman’s
shrinks according to the events of the Army
game. For other battle entities common in
Phoenix Guard
the Dominions, the table below suggests 900 (Gis’ Defensive
the Battle Value they should have. These Army)
are only average values, and any of them
Very Large Band,
can vary (from -30% to +30%) depend-
Iron Phalanx (mod-
ing on effective numbers of troops, fatigue 1000
ern era), Autarch’s
and so on. Army
1200 Valk Horde
Iron Phalanx (late
Empire, reduced
1500
ranks), Large Valk
Horde
Iron Phalanx
1800 (height of the
Empire)

41
 Additional Mass Battle Rules

Actual Size
Battle Benny
of Armies Pool
The system presented in this supplement
is intentionally generic and abstract to During a Mass Battle no character can
keep the game Fast, Furious and Fun. use his personal Bennies for Battle, Mo-
If you want to know more accurately rale or Battle Token Soaking (see below)
how many people are in an army you rolls. Instead, before a battle begins, the
can estimate the number by dividing Commander and any Wild Card acting as
the Battle Value by the Individual a Personality in the Band can decide to
Battle Value of the men composing it. put one or more of his Bennies in a com-
Add 20% to the number if the Band is
munal pool, called the Battle Benny Pool.
mainly composed of cavalry (mounts
must eat too).
The Personalities are limited to contribut-
ing a maximum of one Benny each, while
You can also reverse engineer the Battle the Commander can put in as many as he
Value; if you know the actual composi- wants.
tion of an army, you can calculate its
Battle Value by summing up the values
Any character leading the army in the
of the individual soldiers.
current round (i.e. making the Battle
Individual
roll) can only use Bennies from the Bat-
Troop Type Battle tle Benny Pool to reroll Battle or Morale
Value

Irregular 0.5
Light Infantry/Short
1
Range Missile Troop
Medium Infantry/
Long Range Missile 2
Troop
Heavy Infantry 3
Light Cavalry 5
Medium Cavalry 7
Chariot 10
Elephant 50
Monster 50+

Example: The Defenders of Kenaton

have a Battle Value of 650. This means
the Band could be comprised of the
following units: 130 Medium Infantry
(260 Battle Value), 50 Long Range
Missile Troops (100 Battle Value),
5 Chariots (50 Battle Value) and 80
Heavy Infantry (240 Battle Value).

42
 Battle Initiative and Battle Events

rolls. This includes Extras, Henchmen and Battle Events Table

Right Hands.
Card Effect
Low Discipline can reduce the Battle Suit
Benny Pool number below zero, mean-
Desertion! Part of the army
ing that, unless the players put some extra
either breaks off or is cut
Bennies in the pool, their Commander out from the center of the
could not use any Bennies during the bat- battle. The army immedi-
tle, while High Discipline grants extra ately loses a Battle Token
Bennies each battle. Clubs (this can end the battle). If
a King or an Ace is dealt,
At the end of the battle, unused Bennies in addition a random Per-
in the pool are lost, but, if the characters’ sonality is hit, as per the
side won the confrontation, each con- Battle Called Shot rule
tributing hero is automatically awarded a (see below).
Benny. Opening! A lucky break
happens! Perhaps an ene-
my bannerman is killed by
an arrow or a Commander
Battle Initiative Diamonds receives sudden insight
into an opening in the en-
and Battle emy defenses. During this
round the Commander
Events gains +2 to Battle rolls.

Reinforcements! Fresh
Any battle’s outcome is uncertain and troops arrive on the bat-
many conflicts which seem lost from the tlefield or perhaps units
beginning turn into unexpected victories that were deployed out of
for the losing side. The opposite is also Hearts range finally manage to
true. reach the proper position.
The army immediately
Before each battle round, the respective receives one additional
Commanders of the armies each draw a Battle Token.
card from the Action Deck. As happens
Complication! Something
in standard combat, the cards are used for hinders the army’s effec-
initiative. The Commanders must declare tiveness, such as a weather
their tactic when their card is dealt (stay- effect, like rain hindering
ing on Hold in a Mass Battle isn’t pos- the archers, a misunder-
sible). stood order or whatever
the Game Master decides.
Spades
In addition, if a face card or a Joker is During this round the
dealt, it means something unusual hap- Commander suffers -2 to
pened, depending on the suit. Red cards Battle rolls. If a King or an
usually mean a positive event while black Ace is dealt, in addition a
random Personality is hit,
ones represent a sudden worsening of the
as per the Battle Called
situation. The exact nature of the event is Shot rule.
left to the Game Master.

43
 Additional Mass Battle Rules

Card
Suit Effect Battle Token
Impetus! The army’s Mo-
rale is surges and increases
Soaking
the desire to win! In the Sword and Sorcery fiction often tells sto-
Red Joker current round the Com-
ries where small, outnumbered armies, led
mander receives +2 to any
roll, Battle and Morale by naked barbarian heroes, defeat great-
roll included. er forces through the strength of their
swords and determination.
Doom and Gloom! A bad
omen, a unique event or The following rule allows you to add a
maybe an inexplicable loss similar flavor to your battles.
of Morale strikes the army.
Black Joker
During the current round Whenever an army suffers the loss of one
the Commander receives
or more Battle Tokens, the Commander
-2 to any roll, Battle and
Morale rolls included. can make a Spirit (-2) roll to Soak them.
It works exactly like Soaking character
wounds, with two important differences:

No more than two Battle Tokens can be

Battle Called used per Soak Roll.

Shots Only Bennies from the Battle Benny Pool

can be used.
Veteran generals know that killing the
opposing’s army Commander or Person-
alities can quickly turn the tide of battle.
This can be done with a Called Shot (-4),
where the penalty is applied to the Battle
Many-Sided
roll. The penalty increases to -6 if the at-
tack is made against the Commander.
Battles
It can happen (for example, due the effects
On a success, normal casualties are inflict- of Outmaneuvering, see page 64) that in
ed and the target Personality is hit. a battle more than two sides are present.
In this case calculate the Battle Tokens of
If he is an NPC no further roll is neces- any side relative to the highest Battle Val-
sary; the Personality is killed or captured ue and deal Action Cards to Commanders
(attacker’s choice).If the Personality is a as normal.
player character, they instead suffer 3d6
damage. Each Commander when making his Bat-
tle roll can decide which opponent he at-
Soaking the damage (see Battle Token tacks.
Soaking below) negates the effect of a
Battle Called Shot.

44
 Fortifications

Fortifications
Guard towers, walls and similar de-
fenses can greatly change the outcome
of a battle. Fortifications are consid-
ered Terrain, inflicting penalties to the
attacker’s Battle rolls, as shown in the
table below.

Applying
Casualties
Casualties are handled as per the stand-
ard Savage Worlds rules: the army which
started with 10 Tokens loses 10% of his
force for each Token lost, while the other
army loses a proportionate percentage de-
pending on how many Tokens it had at
the beginning of the battle.

To know how much the casualties inflicted

in the battle weakened the Band, after the
Battle Aftermath phase (see SWD page
93) simply apply the percentage of casual-
ties to the Battle Value. If the new Battle
Value isn’t enough for the Band to main-
tain its current Size, reduce it accordingly.

Example: In the Battle of Teralia, the

Defenders of Kenaton started the battle troops are lost. So the new Battle Value
with the Eighteenth Phalanx with Battle of the Band is (650-228 =422). It also
Value 650. Surprisingly they manage to means that the Band is now reduced to
win the day, despite the serious starting Small Size. The Golden Bull must quickly
disadvantage, ending the battle with 5 find replacements otherwise another battle
Tokens. This means that 35% of the Band’s could be the end of the Defenders…

Fortification Example Battle Roll

Level Modifier
Light Wooden Wall, Sentry Tower, Moat -1
Medium Stone Wall, Stone Guard Tower -2
Heavy Fortress or Castle -3

45
 Managing Bands

Managing Bands
A compelling dimension of a game where A Band requires a minimum number of
a Band is involved consists of managing it. Support Tokens each month, depending
Seeing your own army grow and become on its Size, as detailed in the Bands Stats
more powerful every day can be as excit- Table (see page 21). Support Tokens in-
ing for the players as the personal growth clude the maintenance costs of mounts,
of their characters. But the wise Com- war machines and support personnel (such
mander must also know that the merce- as cooks, servants, harlots and so on).
nary and bandit life could mean being
ready to face sudden annihilation, because At the end of the month, if the minimum
even the most powerful mercenary com- number of Support Tokens is met the
pany can be wiped out by a strong enemy men are satisfied and nothing happens.
or undermined from within by pretenders
and envious interlopers… If the number of Support Tokens isn’t
met, the Band loses a Discipline level, be-
cause the men grumble.

Day to Day If the number of Support Tokens received

by the Band exceeds the minimum re-
Management: The quired, the Discipline of the Band increases
by one level per Token exceeding the mini-
Law of Loot mum (the maximum level is Very High).
Bands are spendthrifts, so Support Tokens
Bands fight and stay together not for love cannot be stashed for the next month.
or dedication, but for money and loot. If
their leader gives them enough food, gold Example: The Defenders of Kenaton are
and women to keep them happy, a Band a Medium Size mercenary company with
will follow him to Hell and back; if he Average Discipline. They require three Sup-
keeps them poor and with empty bellies, port Tokens each month to be kept well fed
they will likely rebel or desert. and happy. During the Campaign against
the rebels of Azagara and Sulapul, the first
So, the first thought of any Command- month the Defenders only manage to pillage
er when he wakes up should be to find a small village and to steal a herd of sheep
enough loot for his men. (2 Support Tokens). This is one less than
their requirement, so their Discipline drops
Loot is handled in an abstract way, via to Low; during these harsh days they become
Support Tokens, and the Game Master’s discontented and difficult to command, so the
Guide in this sourcebook contains guide- Golden Bull must order a few floggings to
lines for assigning it. maintain discipline.

46
 Recruitment and Replacement

During the second month, with a stroke of

luck, the Defenders discover a hidden tem-
ple of Etu filled with offerings and capture How much is a
twenty gorgeous priestesses to enliven their Support Token
nights (5 Support Tokens). In this case, the
number of Tokens exceeds the requirement
worth?
by two, so the Band gains two levels of Dis- It isn’t easy to answer this question,
and it isn’t necessary, either. The system
cipline, which increases from Low to High.
detailed in this book isn’t very precise,
During the following nights of feasting, the because accurate accounting isn’t part
mercenaries raise cups full of wine in honor of the Sword and Sorcery genre, and it
of their commander, the Golden Bull, past is better to leave these types of details
grudges forgotten. blurred. It is sufficient to state that the
heroes find “large coffins of gold” or “raid
an entire village”. In addition there
is another complication in that “loot”
Recruitment and doesn’t automatically mean “money”. It
includes food, beverages, women, tools,
Replacement weapons and so on. However, if you
want a more definitive reference for
more detailed accounting, consider each
Battles are hard, bloody affairs, easily dec- Support Token as worth 2000 Moons.
imating a Band if they are not lucky or
prepared. So what can a Commander do
to replenish his ranks? Do some recruit-
ing, of course!

If a Band is in a non-hostile territory (GM

discretion) and if in the current month it
Optional Rule:
received the minimum Support Tokens to Individual Loot
avoid loss of Discipline, its Commander Usually the heroes should receive re-
can look for some new recruits. wards independently from the Support
Tokens found by their Band, but, if the
GM wants to tie their rewards to the
To recruit, the Commander makes a Per-
exploits of the Band, he can decide that
suasion (-2) roll; on a success, the Band their share is 50 Moons/Support Token
is reinforced for 20% of the current Battle found by the Band. Personalities, unless
Value of the Band, 40% on a raise. stated otherwise in their descriptions,
receive double shares, and the Com-
The presence of a Recruiter Personality mander receives five shares.
either grants a bonus of +2 to the Com-
mander’s Persuasion roll or the Com-
mander can choose to use the Recruiter’s
Persuasion die instead of his own to make defeated and found no loot suffers a pen-
the roll. alty, while a powerful and rich one receives
a bonus).
The Game Master can apply a modifier
ranging from -4 to +4 depending on the When the Band’s Battle Value reaches the
Band’s exploits and reputation in the past threshold for a larger Size, it is promoted,
six months (a Band which was repeatedly accruing all the benefits and costs.

47
 Setting Rules

Setting Rules
In a Band-focused Campaign, the Band
After The is treated as if it was a character, so a card
is dealt to it and the effects are checked
Adventure Band on the After The Adventure Band Events
Table detailed below.
Events Many things, both positive and negative,
Like player characters, Bands in the can happen during these intervals and
Sword and Sorcery genre suffer the effects they can furnish the Game Master with
of fate during downtime. great hooks for future adventures.

After The Adventure Band Events Table

Card Effect
Pestilence. Pox hits the Band! This causes an immediate loss of
10% of Battle Value. At the beginning of each week, draw a card
from the Action Deck. If a face card is drawn, the pestilence ends;
otherwise, it continues and another 10% is lost. If the Band con-
tains Healer Personalities, they can be helpful and may make a co-
2 operative Healing (-4) roll. For each success and raise, an additional
card is drawn and only the best one is considered. There is also a
slim chance that the pestilence hits the player characters. They must
make a Vigor (+2) roll each week or be affected by an illness (a
Long Term Chronic, Major Debilitating malady as per the Savage
Worlds core rules).

Discontent/Happiness. If the card drawn is black, part of the Band

is unhappy for some reason, be it bad food, unfair loot distribution,
unpopular decisions or even a rabble-rouser of some type. The Dis-
3 cipline level of the Band goes down a level until the problem is
solved in some manner. If the card drawn is red, the Band is happy
for some reason; maybe they found good loot or something similar.
The Discipline level of the Band immediately goes up by one level.

48
 After The Adventure Band Events

Card Effect
Nothing in Particular. Life in the Band is normal, without any-
4-6 thing worthy of notice apart from the usual fist-fights among the
men and other assorted things.

Idle Period. The Band finds itself without anything to do for a

while. If the card drawn is black, it means that the men become fat
7 and lazy and the Band acquires a Minor Hindrance for the next
month (GM discretion). If a red card is drawn, the Band is under-
goes intense training exercises by the officers. For the next month
they gain an extra Band Edge (Commander’s choice).

Patron/Enemy. Bands can also be very popular or extremely de-

spised. If the card drawn is red, it means that the Band gained an
8 influential friend. This works exactly like the Connections Edge,
but is limited to three uses. If the card drawn is black, the Band in-
stead gains a new temporary Enemy, who can show his malevolence
at any time in the next year.

Reinforcements/Desertions. Mercenaries are fickle people. If the

card drawn is black, it means that some soldiers leave the Band
(20% Battle Value is lost). Conversely, if the card drawn is red, some
9 extra manpower reinforces the ranks of the Band (20% Battle Value
is gained). A Recruiter Personality is of great help in avoiding de-
sertions. If one is present, the Band loses only 10% Battle Value for
a black card and gains 30% Battle Value for a red one.

Songs and Mockery. Soldiers are noisy people. They love to quar-
rel, complain and, during long marches, to sing. Their ballads usu-
ally aren’t very polite and the subjects of their tales revolve around
their own Commanders and their deeds. When this card is drawn it
means that the Commander or one of the Personalities of the Band
10 is the subject of a song. If the subject takes it with good spirit, his
reputation in the Band is increased; if he gets angry the soldiers will
react accordingly. The chosen character must make a Spirit roll, at
-4 if he has the Mean or Bloodthirsty Hindrance. On a success, he
reacts well and permanently gains +2 Charisma towards the Band’s
members; on a failure, he suffers a permanent -2 Charisma towards
his comrades.

49
 Setting Rules

Card Effect
New Man in the Band. A new Personality asks to join the Band, up
to the maximum number. The exact nature of the character and his
stats are decided by the Game Master. The Commander must decide
J admission and can choose to demote an existing Personality to make
space for the new one. Then, the Game Master secretly draws another
card. If it is red, the Personality is a worthwhile and faithful addition to
the Band; if it is black, something bad comes with her (perhaps she has
a powerful enemy, an unknown Major Hindrance or even is a traitor!).

Bless/Curse. The Band has in some manner pleased or displeased

supernatural forces in the recent past. If the card drawn is red, the
Band received a blessing of some type, and the Battle Benny Pool of
Q the Band receives an extra Benny at the beginning of each battle. If
the card drawn is black, a curse was placed on the army and the Bat-
tle Benny Pool is reduced by one. Both effects last for the entire next
scenario or until a proper act of atonement is done (GM discretion).

Safe Haven/Theft. Pillaging is good, but finding a more stable

source of income is appealing. If the card drawn is red, it means the
Band found a Resource (as per the Band Edge on page 36). If the
card drawn is black, instead it means bad news; if the Band had a
Resource, for some reason it is exhausted (a village refuses to pay
K any more, a new bridge or pass is opened elsewhere and so on). If
no Resource is present, the situation is even worse as someone steals
part of the current month’s Support and escapes! If the card drawn
is a Spade, the thief managed to steal half of the Support Tokens
gained this month (rounded down); if the card drawn is a Club,
the sly devil stole all of it! Recovering it before the Band rebels can
develop into an interesting adventure.

Refuge/Escape. Even restless men such as mercenaries and bandits

dream of a calm place where they can rest their tired bones. If the card
drawn is red, it means that the Band has discovered a suitable refuge
which becomes its base or hideout; it gains the Base Edge or, if the Band
meets the requirements, the Improved Base or Mobile Base Edge.

A If the card drawn is black, and the Band already has the Base Edge,
it means that for some reason the refuge is lost; perhaps the bandits’
hideout is discovered, a fortress is captured by enemies, the Refuge
is destroyed by an earthquake or other similar disastrous event. The
Band loses the Base, Improved Base or Mobile Base Edges (players’
choice). If no Refuge is present, the situation is even worse as the
Band is forced to quickly move away from its current position. Dur-
ing the current month, no Recruitment can be done.

50
 After The Adventure Band Events

Card Effect
Relic. The Band has somehow managed to acquire a powerful Rel-
ic! If the card drawn is red, it is an item useful for the entire Band,
not only a single character. The exact nature of the Relic is decided
Joker by the Game Master but as a rule of thumb it grants +1 to Battle,
Morale or Recruitment rolls or bestows a useful Band Edge. If the
card drawn is black, the Relic is cursed and inflicts a Major Hin-
drance on the whole Band until they get rid of it.

51
Game Master’s
Guide
 Running the Game

Running the Game

This chapter gives some useful hints and On the other hand, by joining a Band
insights on how to introduce Bands to they acquire the capacity to really make
your Beasts and Barbarians game and how a difference in the Dominions! Will they
to manage them during a campaign. be freedom-bringers to oppressed people,
ruthless pillagers or merciless conquerors?
This is a question only they (and you, the
GM) can answer.
A Change of
Perspective Involve All the Party
The most important fact a GM must be The most important preparation you must
aware of when introducing a Band into make before introducing a Band to the
his game is that this will change the na- game is to accurately plan how to involve
ture of the play greatly. The characters, all the players in it.
which before were probably independent
adventurers and scoundrels ready to em- Consider the Band an additional shared
bark on great adventures and to squan- character in the party; the players should
der their enormous riches on women and think of themselves as an important part
wine, must change their attitude upon of the Band and each must have reason-
joining the Band. able control over it.

If they are simple soldiers (a rarity, but Ideally, one of the heroes should take the
possible), they now they have captains to role of the Commander, while the others
obey and respond to; if they are Personali- should be Personalities. Even if a character
ties, or even Commanders, they have a re- doesn’t perfectly fit in one of the Personal-
sponsibility to look after their men, which ity roles, try to find a place for her. For ex-
can rob even the most diehard barbarian ample, a Damsel in Distress heroine could
of sleep. be the general’s woman or a poet could be
the company’s chronicler and so on.
Yes, in taking the path of the Band, the
characters must learn the meaning of the Whatever accommodation you reach, each
word “responsibility”. player character should have a motivation
to stay in the Band and to care about it;

54
 Introducing a Band

otherwise, sooner or later someone will the group doesn’t reach an agreement on
become dissatisfied and leave the game. some point (such as army composition or
the Edges and Hindrances of the Band),
This doesn’t mean the characters must be the Commander has the last word; after
forced to cooperate; a certain internal all, he is the man in charge.
friction, such as characters competing for
a certain position or even the command, This process can be a lot of fun, and
can result in excellent role-play. watching it may give the GM insight into
the dynamics of the group during future
adventures.

Introducing
a Band
Having decided to involve a Band in the
Campaign, a way to introduce it must be
found. It is a trickier thing than adding a
new hero to the party. Several suggestions
on how to do it are listed below.

The Mechanical Way

The most straightforward approach con-
sists of one of the heroes taking the Band
Commander Edge. In role-playing terms
it means the character actively looks for
men to recruit, so he likely has a plan of
some type on how to use them. Ask him
to elaborate a bit, telling you (and the rest
of the players) what the goals of the Band
are and what he says to persuade soldiers
to join him (usually promises of loot and
similar). In this case the task of involving
all the party must fall partially on him;
if he wants the help of his comrades, he
must persuade them, by offering positions
as Personalities and similar things.

When the entire group is involved in the

Band, the creation process for the Band
must be done following the rules found
in the Player’s Guide in this book. This
should be a collective process, with all the
players throwing in their ideas; the role of
the GM is simply that of moderator. If

55
 Running the Game

The Narrative Way fight for their oppressors. Conscripted he-

roes usually want to escape from a Band of
As opposed to the Mechanical Way, the this type, but ambitious ones could try to
Narrative Way presumes you, the Game overthrow the actual leaders, free their fel-
Master, involve the party in a Band in low soldiers and then march toward glory
some manner. Before explaining precisely and fame at the head of their new army…
how it happens, discussion is needed as to
the role of the heroes in the Band. Unlike
the Mechanical Way, where one of the
No Other Choice
characters spends an Advance and earns In the middle ground between Volunteers
the Commander position, in the Narrative and Conscripts, sometimes the heroes are
Way the players should not begin as lead- forced by circumstances to join the Band.
ers. Bands are ruthless places to live in, Maybe they started the adventure as slaves
and respect must be won through deeds. imprisoned by a cruel lord then, freed by
The heroes will probably begin as com- partisans, banded together for revenge
mon grunts and only after showing some and survival. Or maybe, as happens in the
skill will they be awarded Personality po- Eyes of the Night scenario (contained in the
sitions, and possibly even become Com- Beasts of the Dominions supplement), the
manders themselves. party is forced to join pirates to avoid being
butchered by them. In this case, the start-
The following are some ideas on how to ing condition of the heroes will be slightly
involve the players in a Band using the better than in the Conscripts situation, but
Narrative Way. advancement within the Band is usually
tougher than if they were simply Volunteers.
Volunteers
The simplest way is that the heroes decide
to join the Band. The pay is so good or
the promise of loot so appealing that they
Adventure
renounce some personal freedom in or-
der to achieve it. In Beasts and Barbarians
Themes
#2: Citadel of the Winged Gods, the heroes So you have the heroes involved in some
joined the army of general Tunamos for a way with a Band; what to do now?
similar reason. Heroes that join a Band in
this manner usually have good motivation Adventures with a Band involved usually
to show their value and to rise through have a different scope and theme than
the ranks, achieving Personality positions standard party-based stories. You could try
(and better pay). sending them to explore forgotten tem-
ples full of monsters, but while this can
be challenging with a party of four heroes,
Conscripts it can be very boring (or weird) with an
Not all Bands are composed of willing army of three hundred cutthroats…
soldiers. In certain cases, ruthless recruit-
ers force a man to join the ranks in order On the other hand, Band adventures can
to have extra bodies to throw into a battle; be lot of fun and extremely varied. Below
in others, the bulk of the army is made up you’ll find some ideas and themes to facil-
of slaves who had no other choice than to itate the creation of adventures for a Band.

56
 Adventure Themes

In addition, in the next chapter a brand

new type of Campaign is detailed: Con-
quest Points Campaigns. GM’s Tip:
Always in the
Front Rank!
Military Adventures The greatest problem of military ad-
ventures is that they can become rather
The most straightforward way to use a
impersonal, especially if the heroes are
Band is to have it engage in battle. Mili- the men in charge. Commanders must
tary adventures move the focus from conceive the plan to capture the enemy’s
simple monster-bashing to the clash of castle, but they rely on their men to
armies! actually do the dirty work.
Although realistic, it is often not fun.
Transforming a standard adventure into a
Bands (and the Sword and Sorcery
military adventure is quite easy. Imagine genre, in general) often work in such
a fairly common party-based plot where a way that the Commanders and
the heroes are hired to wipe out a band Personalities always fight in the front
of bandits terrorizing a village. Usually ranks; they must take the same risks,
they’ll have to track down the bandits, or even greater ones, than the other
sneak inside the lair and dispose of them. members of the Band or risk losing the
respect of their comrades. Therefore, if
Now, with some slight modifications, you reconnaissance of an enemy territory
can transform the party-based plot into a must be done, it is the Scout Personal-
military-based Band adventure. The he- ity (a player character) who does it. In
the same manner, if a suicide charge to
roes’ mercenary Band is hired by the same
take the drawbridge before it is raised
village to repel a bandit baron who, with must be made, you can be sure that the
his men, pillages the fields of the village. Commander of the Band is in the thick
The plot is basically the same, but the of the action.
scope is much greater. The problems the
heroes will have to face will be different; In Mass Battles, you can make good
use of Battle Scenes (see below) to keep
they’ll likely know where the bandit baron
things personal.
stays (he is locked in his castle), but their
problem will be moving the Band to it Leading from the front is true for the
across enemy territory. First they’ll have player characters, but obviously not for
to find the most secure route; this requires many NPCs; the bad guys’ leaders often
the heroes to locate a strange hermit living will stay in the rear, well protected by
their men.
in the woods who knows the baron’s lands
perfectly. Second, thanks to the hermit’s
suggestions, the Band captures a vital ford
to enter the baron’s territory, surviving an Political Adventures
ambush by the baron’s troops. Finally, the
Band must assault the baron’s castle in an Heroes with a Band at their disposal are
epic battle. In this last climactic scene, the a force to be reckoned with and usually
mysterious hermit will reveal himself as a the simple threat of using force is a men-
powerful wizard and is the only one who ace good enough to make negotiations
can aid them against the dreaded powers start. Political adventures are built around
of the baron’s Lieutenant, an evil warlock. forces manipulating the Band and us-

57
 Running the Game

ing its strengths for their own ends. They Management Adventures
are usually full of intrigue and deceit,
and are always very personal because the Bands are made of men, and usually mer-
high ranking Band members (usually the cenaries and bandits aren’t saints. They
heroes) are involved in politics, not the not only need to be kept happy but also
grunts. disciplined enough to fight effectively. In
addition, there are many things that can
They can also be full of action. For ex- go astray if they are not watched; provi-
ample, imagine two warring rival cities sions can “mysteriously” disappear, priests
which are both trying to hire the heroes’ can try to convert the men and make them
mercenary Band. The player characters leave the Band and desertions, especially
must move from one city to the other as when a tough battle is incoming, can deci-
they try to obtain the best price. Then, mate your army more than a horde or rag-
when one of the two cities understands ing barbarians.
the other has made a deal, they’ll try to
capture the party, in a desperate attempt These types of problems can seem quite
to weaken or blackmail their Band. mundane and small with respect to battles
and political intrigues but can be a good
In the same way, the heroes could be the way to make the party gain the trust of
envoys from a Band of raiders to a Mer- their Commander and increase the ranks
chant House of Jalizar, extorting a huge of the Band.
sum as “protection money” to spare the
House’s caravans. Are the Merchants sin- In addition, never forget the greatest trope
cere or will they try to discover the secret of a management adventure: usurpers and
hideout of the Band and send an army to traitors (see sidebar).
wipe them out?

Putting it all
together…
GM’s Tip: The three types of scenarios descripted
Usurpers and above aren’t mutually exclusive. Mixing
Traitors the various ingredients, military action,
politics and management you can create
One of the clichés of a certain type of
fiction is that, wherever there is a great
a truly great and varied adventure where
leader, an envious, traitorous man is characters of different types can shine.
ready to backstab him and seize power.
For example, imagine a plot where the he-
In an organization like a Band there roes are given command of a riotous Band
are lots of ways for the heroes to gain an
of mercenaries hired by a lord to root out
enemy: they can overshadow a former
lieutenant, rob a Personality of his
mysterious rebels in an uprising against
place, or be forced to take an unpopular his fiefdom. First, they have to gain the
decision that sly demagogues can use trust of the soldiers so they accept their
to make the Band rebel against their leadership and increase their numbers (a
former leader. management step where a Recruiter can
be very useful). Second, they’ll have to
fight the enemies (excellent for battle-ori-

58
 Support Token Management

ented heroes). At this point, they discover

that the rebels are secretly paid by a jeal-
ous neighboring noble, who offers them GM’s Tip:
his help to overthrow the current patron In and Out of
of the party and put one of the heroes in
charge of the country (the political part).
a Band (GM’s
What will heroes’ choice be? perspective)
Getting the party involved in a Band
can be really entertaining, but some
players can envy the freedom they had
Support Token when they were simple adventurers
looting palaces and getting drunk in
Management sordid taverns. For this reason, the
GM should find a suitable plot device
to allow the characters to “take a break”
Bands can put real power in the hands of from command; maybe there is a trusted
the player characters, who can become the Lieutenant who can be put in charge
movers and shakers of the setting, but the while they go away adventuring again,
GM has a powerful way to control them: or maybe the troops get so angry with
through the Support Tokens! If a small the characters that going away for a bit
Band has enough of them, in a short time is the only way to stay safe!
they can become big and powerful, al- In the same manner, especially if the
lowing the heroes a wild charge towards party has invested many resources in
glory. In dire times, when money is lack- the Band, returning to command should
ing and bellies are empty, the same Band be possible (even if not necessarily easy).
can become riotous and disgruntled men
can desert or even rebel which can totally
change the mood of the Campaign. Sup-
port Tokens also have a particular impor- Typically a Patron hiring mercenaries for
tance if you are playing a Conquest Points self-defense (for example, a caravan mas-
Campaign. ter hiring men to protect his cargo) will
give mercenaries the minimum to keep
Support Tokens usually come from two them satisfied (in gaming terms, to avoid
sources: patrons and loot. Discipline loss). This pay is usually called
“the coin of the mercenary”.

Patrons If the Patron hires them to attack some-

one, they can offer only part (in certain
Patrons are the “customers” of a Band: cases even none) of the standard pay (less
they are the ones paying for its services. than the minimum number of Support
They can be princes, kings, villages and Tokens to avoid Discipline loss), luring
cities and even cults or temples. Generally the troops with the promise of good loot.
only mercenary Bands have Patrons; since This can be a dangerous game, because if
bandits aren’t usually hired by anyone, the promises of loot aren’t kept, the hired
they usually rely on loot. Patrons usually swords will likely rebel and plunder their
hire mercenaries for two reasons: prevent- former Patron’s possessions or they’ll pos-
ative self-defense or because they plan to sibly leave without warning.
attack someone.

59
 Running the Game

Mercenaries are costly and the costs of resents their skill in finding riches, ques-
maintaining a Band can quickly exhaust tioning and intimidating people to reveal
the resources of villages and cities. The where they hid their treasures and so on.
table below gives you an estimate of how
many Support Tokens Patrons can spend Draw a card from the Action Deck, plus
yearly to acquire Bands. When the Sup- one for each success and raise scored on
port furnished ends, the Patron will send the Notice roll, and check the table be-
the sell-swords away; having a group of low; sum up the numbers generated by the
angry warriors on his lands can turn ugly Action Cards and the total equates to the
very quickly… number of Support Tokens found.

Time Needed. Looting requires half a day

Support
Settlement for each size of the settlement the Band is
Example Tokens/
Size raiding; if the time required is greater than
Year
the time allotment the Band has, then the
Small Village - 4 row with the time actually spent is used.
For example, if the Defenders of Kenaton
Village - 12 are raiding a City (time required: 2 days)
but they have only one day to loot, they
Town Nal Sagath 25 would use the Village row for their cal-
culations.
City Felantium 50
During looting, the Battle Value of the
Large City Kenaton, 100 Band is reduced by 25% because the men
Syranthia are dispersed and concentrating on things
other than fighting.
Metropolis Faberterra, 200
Jalizar Free Looting. The Commander can, at
his discretion, declare a free loot day. This
means that every soldier can keep for
himself what he finds, without the need
Looting to put everything in common and share
No sell-swords become rich with the coin it. Draw an additional card for loot, but,
of the mercenary. What they really look for while looting, the army is largely dis-
is a rich city or other wealthy area to ran- persed so their Battle Value is reduced by
sack. This can give them money enough to 50%. In addition, if a Club card is dealt, it
be happy for some months, or possibly to means that a furious fight erupted among
retire, find a wife and buy a scrap of land the men, causing a permanent loss of 10%
somewhere (a rarity for most). of the Battle Value of the Band.

Because it is difficult sometimes to define Example: The Defenders of Kenaton man-

exactly what a group of bandits may find age to loot the Town of Nal Sagath. They’ll
during their raids, the following steps can need a day and half to do a complete job, but
be used to assist in this determination. they have only a day, so they check for loot
on the Village line. Their leader, the Golden
Have the Band make a group Notice roll Bull, pushed by his lieutenants, declares free
(usually Bands have Notice d6); this rep- loot! The Defenders at this point make a

60
 Blood and Fire!

Settlement Time
Size/Card Required 2 3-5 6-10 J-Q K-A Joker
(days)
Small Village/
0.5 0 0 1 2 3 Special
Small Farm fields
Village/Farm
1.0 0 1 2 3 4 Special
fields
Town 1.5 1 2 3 4 5 Special
City 2.0 2 3 4 5 6 Special
Large City 2.5 3 4 5 6 7 Special
Metropolis 3.0 4 5 6 7 8 Special

Special: This means the Band found something very unusual. It can be a Relic, an im-
portant prisoner, control of a key location (the Band gains the Resource Band Edge) or
anything else the Game Master’s decides is appropriate.

group Notice roll and generate one success.

This means they draw three cards (one for the
base draw plus one for the success and a third
one for the free loot). The cards drawn are:
Jack of Hearts (3 Tokens), Seven of Clubs (2 Role-Play
Tokens) and Four of Diamonds (1 Token), Low Discipline
for a total of 6 Support Tokens. Not bad for Discipline is the key of any Band.
a day’s work! Unfortunately, as the Golden While the soldiers are disciplined,
Bull declared free loot and a Club was dealt, you can be sure all is well, but when
some of the men quarreled and bloody fight discontent starts to manifest itself the
erupted, causing losses of 10% of the Band’s wise Commander must be alert.
Battle Value. Discipline influences the Band nega-
tively only during battles, limiting
the number of Bennies in the Battle
Benny Pool. In truth, an undisciplined
Blood and Fire! Band is far worse, and the Game Mas-
ter should role-play this factor; men
If you are using Bands, probably sooner or complain, orders are executed slowly or
later you’ll introduce a Mass Battle into in a bad way, and discipline is gener-
your adventures, pitting the Band under ally lax.
the heroes’ control against some opposing Heroes in charge of a Band should pay
army. The Mass Battle rules in the Savage attention to such events; if they don’t,
Worlds core rules, plus the optional rules the Game Master should feel free to let
presented earlier in this book, should be the soldiers rebel and overthrow them.
enough to handle them in an entertaining Bands are like wild horses and require
manner, but if you want to introduce some a firm hand to be controlled.
particular battle scenes, you’ll find some
examples on the following pages.

61
 Running the Game

Each scene described consists of a de- Ambushes

scription and the effects that the resolu-
tion of the scene has on the Mass Battle. Description: Surprising your opponents
Ideally these Battle Scenes should be an or being surprised by them can change the
alternative to the standard Character in outcome of a battle drastically.
Mass Battle rules. In a battle round where
a Battle Scene is used, no roll to influence Setting an ambush requires good knowl-
battle is made; instead, the results of the edge of the terrain and a certain grasp of
scene are applied. battle techniques. The heroes must first
find a good ambush site by making ei-
Some of these scenes also are well suited ther a cooperative Knowledge (Battle),
for use as small adventures. In this case, Survival (-2) or Stealth (-4) roll (player’s
only a general outline of the possible de- choice); each attempt requires at least
velopment of the adventure is given, plus one hour. On a success, a suitable place is
the eventual impact on the battle. found and the Game Master should de-
scribe it (for example, a wood, a hidden
valley, some ruins). At this point, the he-
roes must conceal part of their Band in
the ambush site. Prior to the start of the
battle, the players must make an opposed
group roll between the Band ambushers’
Stealth (usually Bands have Stealth d6),
and the opponents’ Notice. For each raise
the ambushers achieved on the roll to find
the location they receive +2 to this op-
posed roll.

The presence of a Scout Personality is vi-

tal for ambushes. If a Scot is present in a
Band or army, it can roll using the Scout’s
skills (Notice, Stealth or Survival) instead
of resorting to its soldiers’ group rolls. The
Woodsman Edge skill bonuses apply to all
Ambush rolls.

Effect: If the ambushers score a success in

the opposed Stealth roll, they receive +1 to
Battle rolls during the first round of bat-
tle, plus one for every raise (maximum +4);
this counts as a tactics bonus.

Assassinations
Description: Even the strongest army can
tear itself apart if its leader is removed. For
this reason an assassination attempt is al-

62
 Blood and Fire!

ways a very good way to get an edge be- Morale rolls. In certain cases the death of
fore a confrontation. However, this doesn’t a Commander can be kept secret (after all
mean it is an easy job to accomplish. a man in full armor and a helm can be eas-
ily impersonated); if the deception is suc-
Assassinations are an excellent opportuni- cessful the army suffers no penalty, but if
ties for creating a small adventure or side it is discovered the troops are even more
plot. The most difficult thing in an assas- shaken, suffering -6 to Morale rolls.
sination attempt is reaching the victim
(usually the opponent’s Commander).
There are basically two ways to achieve Champions’ Duels
this goal: deception and stealth.
Description: A habit of many armies is
Deception means that the party must find that before the real battle begins a cou-
a way to fool the security of the oppos- ple of champions fight in single combat in
ing army, using disguises, lies or a similar front of both armies. The outcome of the
stratagem. Stealth means the use of covert fight can seriously influence the Morale of
actions to accomplish the mission, often the troops involved.
best suited to killers, thieves and other
shady individuals. The two champions (ideally a PC and an
NPC) engage in standard combat, usually
Once they have located and reached the either on foot, mounted or in chariots;
target, the target should be eliminated in there are even stories of terrible duels of
the quietest way possible (the combat it- wizardry between dreaded sorcerers of the
self could be easy or difficult, but, if the past.
characters did their job well, they should
have the advantage of surprise on their To keep the duel fair, both opponents must
side). be of the same type (i.e., Extras, Hench-
men, Right Hands, or Wild Cards). Sim-
After dispatching the target, their mission ply promote the weaker opponent to the
isn’t over; unless it was a suicide mission stronger opponent’s type; for example, if
(which is best suited to NPCs), the he- an Extra duels against a Wild Card, he is
roes must get away safely, which can turn promoted to Wild Card status until the
out to be an even harder task than gaining end of the duel.
entry.
Usually champions are Personalities but
Note that an assassination scene could it is very rare that the Commander fills
also be played from the perspective of the this role, although not unheard of; it is too
party preventing someone on the heroes’ risky and no true leader will generally put
side (usually the Band’s Commander) be- his life at stake in this way.
ing the target of a murder attempt.
Champions’ duels are fought to the death.
Effect: An army which loses its Com-
mander, apart from the necessity of find- Effect: The loser’s side must immediately
ing a replacement, suffers -4 to any Morale give one of the Bennies from his Battle
rolls (the penalty decreases by one point Benny Pool to the opponent. In addition,
each day), and any opponent knowing of during the first round of battle only, the
the successful assassination receives +2 to

63
 Running the Game

winning side gains +2 to Battle and Mo- Outmaneuvering

rale rolls.
Description: Battles are won by strength
and blades, but also by cunning and wit;
Destroying Supplies even a small army, if it manages to split
and attack the enemy from two sides,
Description: Take away a man’s food and can destroy a stronger opponent. In these
he will lose any bellicosity. Destroying cases, a capable officer leading the second-
the supplies of an army can be a winning ary force is vital to the positive outcome of
move in any long term campaign. Usu- this tactic.
ally supplies are kept on carts or beasts of
burden, and being the slowest part of the Outmaneuvering is done in three steps.
army, they travel at the end of the column.
In certain cases, supplies travel days be- First, the players must describe in narra-
hind the army, especially if they are invad- tive terms what they plan to do. For exam-
ing enemy territory or if the army must ple, moving the cavalry around a hill and
move quickly to reach a location. then attacking the enemy on the flank is a
perfect case of outmaneuvering.
As a general rule, a supply wagon has
Toughness 10 and is pulled by four mules; Second, they must decide what part of the
a Band needs one of them for each Size army will maneuver, estimate the time to
category (so a Band of Medium Size re- complete the maneuver, and determine
quires three wagons). what part of the army will stay in its cur-
rent position to keep the enemy engaged.
If you want to run an attack on the supply Effectively, this means they decide how
train with the Mass Battle rules, consider many Battle Tokens of their army are
that a wise Commander usually protects temporarily “removed” from the battle-
them with a third of his army (so 30% of field (they are moving) and for how many
the Battle Value), which is commanded by battle rounds. Removed Battle Tokens
a Lieutenant Personality. Run the battle as don’t influence the battle in any manner.
normal; the supply wagons are destroyed The more time spent maneuvering, the
when all the opposition is defeated or more effective the maneuver.
with a Battle Called Shot (-2). On a suc-
cess, instead of inflicting the loss of a Bat- Up to three Battle Tokens can be removed
tle Token, a wagon can be destroyed. for a maximum of up to three rounds. At
least one Battle Token must stay on the
Effect: A Band with reduced supplies battlefield to keep the opponent engaged.
immediately loses one Support Token
for each cart destroyed (minimum zero). Finally, the secondary force must be as-
In addition, if the number of wagons signed a leader, usually a Personality.
remaining is less than half the starting
number, the Band loses a Discipline level. The leader of the secondary force must
In addition, for each full week passed in make a Knowledge (Battle) (+2) roll each
this condition, the Band loses 1d4x5% of round. On a failure, the maneuver is spot-
its Battle Value due to food shortages and ted and neutralized; the secondary force
desertions by soldiers. Both these condi- immediately rejoins the main army and
tions last until the supplies are restored. the battle proceeds on normally.

64
 Relics

Effect: If the secondary force’s leader and when that happens the Eighteenth’s In-
manages to succeed in all Battle rolls for signia isn’t waving anymore…
the duration of the maneuver, then he can
catch his opponent off-guard, gaining
a great advantage. The battle becomes a Hold Until Relieved
many-sided battle (see page 44) with the
secondary force entering the battlefield as Description: In certain cases, an army
a new, separate army. The Commander of doesn’t have to win; they must only en-
the secondary force gains a bonus to his dure, waiting for reinforcements to arrive.
Battle rolls equal to the numbers of Bat-
tle Tokens multiplied by the number of Effect: A Commander giving this order
rounds he stayed out of the battle. The bo- to his army makes Battle rolls as normal,
nus lasts for a number of rounds equal to but instead of causing damage to the op-
the duration of the maneuver, after which position, any damage inflicted on his
the two armies rejoin again. Band by the opponent is reduced by one
Battle Token for each success and raise on
Example: During the Battle of Teralia, the the roll.
Golden Bull decides that the only way to
survive the day is to disengage part of the
Defenders of Kenaton’s infantry, move them
through the nearby woods, and then attack
the Eighteenth Phalanx on the flank. He
Relics
assigns the command of the force to his best Beasts and Barbarians is a set-
man, a one-eyed Cairnlander veteran called ting where magic is dark
Gruss Two Axes (Knowledge (Battle) d6). and rare, but is im-
The outmaneuvering attempt mensely powerful.
uses two Battle Tokens and For this reason,
requires three rounds. some Relics are
strong enough
The Defenders’ Battle to change
Tokens are reduced by the out-
two for three rounds come of a
(from seven to five) doomed bat-
while Gruss deftly moves tle. A list of
his men. The grizzled pre-made Relics suitable
Cairlander manages to suc- for Mass Battles is listed
cessfully pass all his Battle below. Some of them are real
rolls for three rounds; at magical items, others beasts
the beginning of the fourth or tools, and finally even
round, he attacks the Pha- some very strange troops that
lanx from the flank! He leads a Band could have among its ranks.
a separate attack with three
Battle Tokens and Knowledge If the GM desires to randomly determine
(Battle) d6, but with a mighty the Relic, he can simply roll a d10 and
+6 bonus! His attack continues for check the table on next page.
three rounds before the two chunks
of the Defenders of Kenaton rejoin,

65
 Running the Game

Karovan Diggers. The Zandorian city of

d10 Relic Karova doesn’t exist any more; a massive
earthquake destroyed it in 2430 AF. The
1 Horn of Khetull Karovans, a stubborn people, have contin-
2 Karovan Diggers ued for years to tirelessly dig through the
3 The White Death ruins, trying to recover what they can of
4 The Manticore their past lives. Today only a few of them
haunt these ruins; the greater majority of
5 Gis Fire
them are often hired by mercenary com-
6 Cairnlander Spirit panies to do what they can do better than
7 Tricarnian Leeches anyone: digging. The Karovan Diggers
8 Syranthian Spyglass grant the Band the Sappers Edge; they
have Vigor d8 and gain +2 to any Vigor or
9 Lhoban Shadow-Walker
Smarts rolls relating to fortifications.
10 Eye of Battles
The White Death. This mighty beast is
Horn of Khetull. This massive war horn one of the few War Elephants of Kyros
was carved from the tusk of the forgot- still alive. Totally white, his skin is scarred
ten demon Khetull which was summoned by countless blows and his tusks are per-
into the Dominions by ancient Keronian manently stained with the blood of fallen
sorcerers. It can be sounded safely only by enemies. His Mahut (rider) is a skinny,
a sorcerer (i.e. someone with the Arcane gaunt man with dead eyes called Juzar; he
Background (Sorcery) Edge); if the user is the sole person the White Death obeys.
isn’t a sorcerer, he must immediately make A Band with the White Death acquires
a Vigor (-4) roll or suffer a level of Fatigue, the Creature and Frightening Band Edg-
which is recovered after one full lunar cy- es, plus 100 extra Battle Value. The White
cle. If properly sounded on a graveyard or Death and his Mahut are said to have
a battlefield, the Horn raises 5d4 undead been killed dozens of times in the past,
soldiers (use Zombie stats from the Sav- but they always reappear. Soldiers say they
age Worlds core rules; this roll can Ace), are servants of Death itself.
increasing the Battle Value of the Band by
3 points for each undead raised. The use The Manticore. The Manticore is the em-
of the Horn is very taxing for the user and blem of Jalizar and this massive ballista,
costs 1 Power Point per Zombie (up to shooting hundreds of tiny sharp darts,
his maximum number of Power Points), resembles the mythical monster from
which are recovered as usual. If the Horn which the City of Thieves takes her sym-
consumes all the remaining Power Points bol. The body is made of black polished
of the arcane user, he must make a Vigor wood, and the bow of a strange reddish
(-2) roll. On a failure, he permanently metal which howls when the Manticore
gains the Elderly Hindrance as the magics shoots. The Manticore grants the Artillery
unleashed prematurely age him. If a char- Edge to the Band which owns it and its
acter already has the Elderly Hindrance, metal bow can be reloaded very quickly; it
failing the roll means dying and coming can be used every round. As a drawback,
back to life as a powerful NPC undead the Manticore is known to be a vicious,
sorcerer (use the Lich stats from the Sav- almost living thing, which enjoys killing
age Worlds core rules). Zombies created by its users. The first time the Commander of
the Horn are permanent. the Band rolls 1 on a Battle roll it means

66
 Relics

that the Manticore caused an accident of nents, among them the pureed brains of
some sort, potentially wounding its users; past enemies. A soldier drinking Cairn-
they must make an Agility roll or suffer lander Spirit is affected by the Liquid
3d6 damage and it cannot be used again Courage and Berserk Edges for the dura-
for the remainder of the battle. tion of the battle, but must make a suc-
cessful Vigor roll at the end of the fight or
Gis Fire. This exotic Lotus concoction pass out for 1d6 hours. During Mass Bat-
is exclusively made by the Alchemists of tles, soldiers intoxicated with Cairnlander
Gis and is in the form of a viscous rock Spirit are considered immune to Fear and
oil which is ignited and launched by cata- receive +2 to Battle and Morale rolls. On
pults or fired as incendiary arrows. Un- the negative side, at the end of the battle,
like normal oil, Gis Fire is almost inex- during the Aftermath phase, they receive
tinguishable and burns even in water. On -1 to any roll to check for Battle Token
the battlefield it has devastating effects. recovery.
In tactical combat, any target hit by Gis
Fire rolls a d8 instead of a d6 to check if it Tricarnian Leeches. A barrel full of these
catches on fire. The Gis Fire if volatile and disgusting, hand sized, greyish leeches can
the target catches fire on any roll other be invaluable after any battle. Applied to
than a 1. On subsequent rounds, the fire is any wound, even the most serious, they
extinguished only on a roll of 1; any other suck away the bad blood and pus of in-
number results in the fire growing in in- fected wounds, saving the lives of many
tensity. During Mass Battles, Gis Fire is soldiers. A wounded character to whom
even more vicious. On the round it is used, one is applied receives +4 to natural heal-
attackers gain +1 to their Battle roll and, ing rolls for a week, while if they are used
in addition, they roll a d6 at the beginning en masse after a battle, they grant +2 to
of each subsequent battle round; on a re- Aftermath rolls to recover Battle Tokens.
sult of 1 the fire ends, with a 5-6 it spreads These leeches have a short life span and
among the enemy causing the loss of a usually die after one use. Each barrel con-
Battle Token, and with a 2-4 the terrible tains enough of these creatures to be used
effects of the Lotus concoction are con- for one battle.
tained by the defenders’ efforts. Gis Fire
is terrifying and, until it is extinguished, Syranthian Spyglass. This strange de-
the army suffering its effects receives -2 to vice made by a Syranthian Sage allows a
Morale rolls. Usually Gis Fire is stored in man to see far away. It gives +2 to Notice
sealed earthenware pots and must be kept rolls to spot distant details (the bonus also
away from fire. applies to detecting ambushes by the en-
emy’s armies) and it is invaluable in battle.
Cairnlander Spirit. Armies of all the A Commander standing on the top of a
Dominions distribute free booze to their hill with it can instantly see what his men
soldiers before attacks, because only a are doing on the battlefield and counter
madman or a drunk will willingly assault the opposing general’s maneuvers; he in-
a castle or face a cavalry charge. The infa- creases any positive Battle roll modifiers
mous wine known as Cairnlander Spirit is he receives due to battle plans by one and
far worse than average ale. Distilled from his enemy reduces his own Battle roll
the acrid grapes growing over the Cairns, modifier by one.
its recipe is a secret known only by sha-
mans and includes many strange compo-

67
 Running the Game

Lhoban Shadow-Walker. A member of in the form of simple wealth (comparable

an elusive sect of black-clad monk-assas- in value to a Support Token) or something
sins from the far mountains of Lhoban, strange and wicked. If he is paid, he goes
the Shadow-Walker will occasionally put away, never to be seen again; if he isn’t, the
himself at the service of a general. He has party gains a powerful Enemy.
the same stats as a Wild Card Master As-
sassin (see Beasts and Barbarians Golden Eye of Battles. A black, charred brazier
Edition) and counts as a Spy Personality, of unknown manufacture and decorated
too. In addition, before a battle, the Com- with strange engravings resembling liz-
mander can ask the Shadow-Walker to ards’ heads, this is an artifact of great pow-
assassinate the enemy general, which is a er. By burning special incense (costing 100
task that, for religious reasons, the Shad- Moons) and reciting a particular formula
ow-Walker cannot refuse and must do inscribed on it (a successful Knowledge
alone. If the victim is an Extra, a simple (Arcana) roll), the user can ask the Eye to
success on the Stealth roll is enough to show him a battle in which he will be in-
check the result of the mission; the roll is volved within the next lunar cycle. Draw a
made at -2 if he is a Henchman or Right card from the Action Deck. If a red card is
Hand, and at -4 if he is Wild Card. On a drawn, the omen is positive and once dur-
success, the assassin kills the general. On a ing that battle the user can decide to add
failure, he dies in the attempt. At GM dis- +4 to any Battle and Morale rolls made
cretion, the assassin may only manage to during that round. If the card drawn is
severely wound a Wild Card general (who black, the omen is negative and his oppo-
suffers three wounds); in this case, he nent gains the same advantage. The bonus
must compensate the character using the increases to +6 if a Joker is drawn. It is said
Shadow-Walker with a Benny. A Shad- that the Eye never lies, and it seems that
ow-Walker always asks for a payment af- there is no way, magical or mundane, to
ter accomplishing his mission. This can be cancel the effect of the Eye’s omen.

68
 Conquest Points Campaigns

Conquest Points
Campaigns

Conquest Points Campaigns represents lands. Both can be satisfying. When you
an evolution of the concept of Plot Point decide the scope of a Conquest Points
Campaigns and are focused on military Campaign, choose a size you feel com-
themes. They allow you to create and man- fortable with and that you are sure you
age a whole set of adventures all centered can manage without being overwhelmed.
around a Band (or an army) and its deeds,
precisely aimed at a greater objective. Keep in mind one fundamental thing:
Usually in this type of Campaign the he- the greater the scale, the smaller will be
roes and their Band are going to conquer, the level of detail that you must provide
raze or defend a particular territory or to the players. Less detail isn’t automatically
kill, capture or protect a specific NPC. a bad thing; it is simply a matter of the
relative importance of things. If you are
The Campaign is built as a series of Sav- playing the conquest of Kyros, the battle
age Tales, connected to each other by a to take a single bridge will only be a small
particular location and a particular time- footnote in the report of a minor officer,
line. Winning or losing within each of while if you are playing on a smaller scale
these Savage Tales has an impact on the it could be the focal point of your Cam-
Campaign’s outcome and can result in de- paign.
finitive victory or defeat.
Large and small scale and scope are both
The following chapter explains how to de- good.
sign this type of Campaign.

Scale and Scope Design and

A Conquest Points Campaign can have
a huge scope, such as overthrowing the
Preparation
Autarch of Kyros, or be very modest, such A Conquest Points Campaign requires
as concentrating on the struggle between a certain amount of preparation. In par-
two villages for the control of grazing ticular, you should decide the Idea, the

70
 Design and Preparation

Location, the Factions, the Goals, the ments, forts and other important places of
Roadmap, the Timeline, the Hook and the Location. You’ll need them later.
the Ending, all described below. This can
require some preparatory work, but after
this initial effort very little must be done The Factions
and you can freely improvise, following
the decisions of the heroes (or whoever is What part will the heroes and their Band
in charge of the Band). play in the region? Are they marauders
seeking to carve out a personal dominion?
Mercenaries under the orders of some no-
The Idea ble? This is a very important decision and
the Hook (see below) could help you a lot
The first point from which every Cam- in defining their role.
paign starts is obviously the Idea, the
main theme underlying the Campaign. If Identify the major Factions and forces of
you have absolutely no Ideas, the Adven- the region which will be the opponents,
ture Generator you find in Beasts and Bar- friends and allies of the Band in the Cam-
barians Golden Edition can give you some paign. We aren’t speaking of individuals,
hints. but of Factions and groups of powers, such
as villages, towns, guilds, cults and so on.
Keep It Simple. In a Conquest Points If possible, also define their strength (with
Campaign it is usually good to stick to a a Battle Value), their weaknesses and their
simple, linear base idea. For example, us- leader. You don’t need to fully detail all the
ing the heroes and their Band of bandits Commanders at this stage; you only need
in aiding a princess to recover her throne a general idea of them.
from an evil usurper is a very good idea for
such a Campaign.
The Goals
Don’t be worried if the base idea seems too
simple. A straightforward theme can be Conflicting Goals between the Factions
easily be understood and followed by the are what start and drive the Campaign.
players and you can add complexity in the Identifying the Goal of the player char-
various Savage Tales of which the Cam- acters should be quite easy (for example,
paign is composed. carving out a new realm or defeating a
particular Faction). Examining the Points
of Conquest (see below) can give you ex-
The Location tra ideas of what the goals of the heroes
could be.
Pulp narrative is greatly based on loca-
tions, and the Sword and Sorcery genre Among the other Factions, at least one
is no exception. Thus, you must decide on of them must have a goal opposing the
the area where the Conquest Points Cam- heroes, while the others can have various
paign occurs. Try to be as precise as you agendas, some of them in accord with the
can and choose a Location for its political, heroes (in this case they can become use-
geographical and economic value. Take ful allies) and others in opposition (where
some general notes on the various settle- they can become an extra nuisance).

71
 Conquest Points Campaigns

The Roadmap When you design your Campaign, you

should choose a maximum amount of
There are moments when maps and Conquest Points depending on the size
graphical representations are absolutely and the complexity of events you want to
necessary, and this is one of them! You depict and the length of your Campaign.
need at least a simple map of the region For longer duration Campaigns, simply
where the Campaign will take place. The increase the Maximum Conquest Points
Roadmap should include the Locations of and split the total as you see fit between
the main Factions, cities and villages, the Minor, Normal, and Major Conquests.
general geographical environment and it
must have a scale; it isn’t necessary to use See the table below for examples.
kilometers or miles on it, the average daily
march for a Band is enough. Conquest Points per Campaign

Conquests and Conquest Points Max

Campaign Examples Conquest
Apart from the above, the Roadmap must Scale of Scope Points
include Conquests. They are specific loca-
tions (but they can also be events or peo- Local A couple of 10
ple) that the heroes can “conquer” or with villages
which they can interact in some manner.
Focused Part of a 20
Remember that when the stakes are high, region
failure is also possible. For this reason,
Conquest Points can also be negative, Major A whole 40
taking the form of a penalty if the heroes state!
drastically fail a Savage Tale.
Example: A Local Campaign, such as
Conquests are divided into three general that detailed above, is usually made with
classes of importance: Minor, Normal and 10 Maximum Conquest Points. This
Major. Conquest Points (CP) designate the means that, when you design the Cam-
degree of the player characters’ victory in the paign, you could define a Major (4 CP),
Campaign and can be used in the Timeline two Normal (2 CP x 2 = 4 CP) and two
(see below) to trigger specific events. Minor (1 CP x2 =2 CP) Conquests, or
some other combination adding up to 10
Conquest Points are awarded according to Conquest Points.
the table below.

Conquest Points Table

Defining Conquests and
Rewards
Conquest Conquest Conquests should be the object of specific
Class Points (CP) Savage Tales in your Campaign whose
Minor 1 difficulty increases in line with their im-
Normal 2 portance. In practical terms consider them
Major 4 the “scenes” of your stories. Conquests are
the most likely events your players will

72
 Design and Preparation

deal with, so devote some attention to de- Another important factor to define when
signing them. designing Conquests is the rewards they
give when successfully completed. As hap-
Note that not all Conquests are made by pens in real life, events have consequences,
combat; they can require political acumen, and conquering a particular scrap of land
stealth, diplomacy or even magic. Try to or bringing an influential NPC to their
have a good mix of traditional tales where side should bring advantages of some type
the heroes are on their own and Mass to the heroes’ Band. In the same manner,
Battles where they lead their men. In this failing to make a Conquest should have
manner, all types of heroes will have their some consequences.
chance to shine in the Campaign.

Conquest Points Examples Table

Type Example Reward

Military
+1 Support Token or +25 Battle Value
Minor Conquering a small village
(conscripts)
Normal Conquering a fortress Free Base or Artillery Edge
Conquering a coastal Free Resource Edge or +100 Battle
Major
town Value
Economic
Taking an inn, a mill or a +1 Support Token or +2d6 Battle
Minor
bridge Value/Campaign Turn
Normal Taking a commercial road +1 Free Resource Edge
Free Resource Edge, Superior Equip-
Major Taking a mine
ment Edge
Political
Freeing a rural area from
Minor Free Local Aid Edge
bandits
Normal Favoring a particular cult Additional Priest Personality for free
Marrying a noble’s daugh- +75 Battle Value, Noble Edge, addi-
Major
ter tional Specialist Leader Personality

The best thing would be to custom-design Timeline

each Conquest Point according to your
Campaign’s needs, but if you are in hurry, A Conquest Points Campaign is very
you can use the following examples or free-form and is primarily driven by the
take them as guidelines. They are loosely heroes’ actions. However, you don’t have a
divided into three types: Military, Eco- fixed plot to railroad them, this can cause
nomic and Political. two problems.

73
 Conquest Points Campaigns

First, if your group doesn’t have enough

personal initiative (or they are used to
Strategic Movement playing plot-driven adventures), they’ll
stay idle and simply wait for events to oc-
System cur, resulting in a dull gaming experience.
Although we don’t want to transform a RPG
into a wargame, in a Conquest Points Cam- Second, a totally reactive world isn’t re-
paign keeping track of troop movements is very
alistic. The other Factions of the setting
important. For this, you can use the following
quick-and-dirty system.
have their own agenda and goals, and
they should take action on their own, re-
First, trace a grid of squares over the map gardless of the presence of the party. In
of the region. The scale of the map isn’t really the same manner, the world is full of un-
important: the only thing you must consider is predictable events which are out of man’s
that each square represents the average distance
control, such as climatic accidents, pesti-
an infantry battalion can march in a day.
lences and so on.
At this point, you can move the troops each game
day, using the distances in the following table. To help mitigate these issues, prepare a
brief timeline with events scheduled for
Troop Type / the time you plan your Campaign to last.
Movement It isn’t necessary to schedule with com-
Terrain Type
plete accuracy; indication of the Cam-
Wagon or Artillery ½ Square
paign Turn (see below) when it happens
Infantry 1 Square is usually enough.
Cavalry 2 Squares
Flying monster 5 Squares, ignores
(e.g. Shadow Bat) all terrain modifiers
Pacing the Events:
On a road +50% Campaign Turns
Very small group
+50% A Conquest Points Campaign has a dif-
(ten or fewer units)
Difficult terrain -50% (forbidden ferent pace compared to standard adven-
(mountains, woods, for cavalry and tures. In certain cases, weeks and even
etc…) carriages) months can pass between one event and
Ignore difficult another (for example, if you are playing a
Familiar Terrain large-scale war); in other cases, every sin-
ground in the
Band Edge gle day has tremendous importance (for
specialty terrain
Ignore difficult example, if you are playing the blitzkrieg
Scout Personality ground with a invasion of a country). When designing
Survival (-2) roll. the Campaign, decide the temporal scale
of Campaign Turns, which represents
Remember that each army moves at the rate how often events happen. Choose a value
of the slowest member (unless the Com- from daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
mander wants to separate the troops), and
modifiers are cumulative; for example, a very On your Timeline you can simply indi-
small group (+50%) of Cavalry (2 Squares)
cate events as follows: “Campaign Turn
on a road (+50%) can move up to 2x 100% =
4: volcano erupts” and knowing the Turn’s
4 Squares a day.
length you understand when this will
happen.

74
 Design and Preparation

Note that Campaign Turns are only a

useful Game Master abstraction; players Forced Marches
should not know of their existence or they In dire straits, a Commander can
may feel they are playing a war game in- order his troops to conduct a forced
stead of a RPG. If you want to add anoth- march. He must make a Spirit (-2)
er layer of obfuscation, don’t limit your- roll. On a success, the Band receives
self to a single event per Campaign Turn; +25% to movement each day for each
in some Turns, let two or more of them success and raise. Regardless of success
happen (see May You Live in Interesting or failure of the Commander’s Spirit
Times in the Joker Entry below). roll, the Band members must make a
group Vigor roll, at -1 per previous
day of forced marching. On a failure,
Random Timeline the troops suffer a level of Fatigue.
Exhausted troops cannot move any
If you want you can also go with a differ- further. Fatigue from a forced march
ent approach: instead of a “scripted” time- is recovered automatically after three
line, you can use the random table below. days of rest, as long as proper food and
At the beginning of each Campaign Turn, shelter from the weather are given to
draw a card from the Action Deck; if it is the troops.
a Club or a Heart, apply the results of the
table below. The results are intentionally
generic so that you can customize them drawn is black, it targets the heroes’ side;
to your needs. otherwise, the Accident happens in some
other Faction’s area.
Random Timeline Events
Four – Trade/Embargo. There is an eco-
Deuce – Natural Disaster. An unexpect- nomic issue on the heroes’ side. If the card
ed natural event happens in the area; it drawn is red, they experience a positive
can be an earthquake, a tornado, a flood, a outcome, such as confiscating a lucrative
pestilence or whatever. Roll a d6 for each cargo, making a good deal with some mer-
Resource or Base Edge the heroes’ side chants or finding a way to impose a tax
has; if a 1-2 is rolled it means that the on someone. If the heroes’ role-play the
Resource or Base is damaged and cannot situation well, for the current Campaign
be used again until the heroes spend 1d4 Round, each Conquest granting a bonus
Support Tokens to repair it. Also, during Support Token grants an additional +1
this Campaign Turn, any extra Support Token. If the card drawn is black, instead
Tokens granted by Conquests are negated. a negative outcome is experienced, such as
the merchants creating an embargo, taxes
Natural disasters are usually fair, and they are avoided and similar things. Conquests
strike all the region indiscriminately; the normally granting bonus Support Tokens
other Factions suffer a 15% reduction of give no bonus. This state of things contin-
their Battle Values. Natural Disasters are ues until the heroes find a way to end it.
an excellent background for highly dra-
matic adventures. Five – Truce. For some reason, perhaps
due to a religious festivity or some Fac-
Three – Accident. Accidents are treated tions asking for a truce of some type,
exactly like a Natural Disaster, but are battles and open confrontations are dis-
focused on a narrower scale. If the card couraged and not sanctioned during this

75
 Conquest Points Campaigns

Campaign Round. If the heroes accept the one of the Factions. If the card drawn is
truce and then break it, they lose a Benny black, it means that one of the Factions
and suffer -1 Charisma, as they are con- opposing the heroes’ side has discovered
sidered untrustworthy. this weakness and will soon try to exploit
it. If the card drawn is red, the heroes have
Six – Fog of War. Often in war, the the opportunity to discover the other Fac-
movements of the troops aren’t immedi- tion’s weakness and can make use of the
ately visible. If the card drawn is black, knowledge.
it means that one of the other Factions
managed to redeploy some of Eight – Reinforcements. Fresh
its troops in another place, troops are arriving! Maybe
unbeknownst to the heroes. some far-away ally finally
If the card drawn is red, it manages to enter the fray to
means that the heroes’ side support one of the Factions,
managed to achieve the effect there is a massive recruitment
instead. The Commander or a group of volunteers ar-
must make a Knowledge rives. If the card drawn
(Battle) roll; for each suc- is black, it means
cess and raise, he can the reinforce-
redeploy 20% of ments are for
his troops Bat- one of the Fac-
tle Value in an- tions opposing
other position the heroes. If the
on the map, as- card drawn is red, in-
suming there is a stead the new soldiers
suitable explanation are on the heroes’ side.
given as to how this occurs The exact quantity of
(for example he moves the reinforcements
them by night, finds some is left to the Game
barges and so on). Note Master to decide; as a
that this event doesn’t rule of thumb, consid-
allow breaking into er the percentage
clearly unreachable of Conquest
places (see Weakness Points the
Revealed for this). heroes have
managed to
Seven – Weakness accrue out of a
Revealed. There is total possible so
an unknown weakness in the defenses far in the Campaign and apply the same
of one of the Factions and this is going percentage to the battle value of the re-
to be exploited very soon. Note that the inforcements.
concept of weakness is very loose and can
be interpreted in various ways; it can be a Example: If a Band has 300 Battle
secret road leading past some enemy for- Value and managed to score 10 Conquest
tifications, the presence of a traitor among Points out of a possible to date 20 (50%),
the ranks or even a dangerous secret that, they receive 50% of their Battle Value of
if discovered, can be used to blackmail reinforcements (150 Battle Value).

76
 Design and Preparation

Nine – Alliance. There is the chance for the card drawn is black, the new Faction is
the heroes to ally with another Faction. opposed to the heroes’ goals.
They can be the promoters of the alliance
or perhaps it proposed by the other side. Queen – Embassy. The heroes’ side re-
When this Event happens, the Game ceives an ambassador from another Fac-
Master must draw a card and secretly tion. They bring a proposal such as a dy-
check it. If the card drawn is red, the alli- nastic marriage, a truce, an exchange of
ance proposal is sincere. If the card drawn favors or of hostages, a non-aggression
is black, there is treachery afoot, possibly pact or perhaps it is simply a courtesy call
even a trap. between good neighbors. If the card drawn
is black, it means that perhaps the proposal
Ten – Power Vacuum. There is a sud- is not all it seems and may be an insidious
den power vacuum in the area where the trap or even that the ambassador is only a
Campaign takes place. It could be caused way to introduce a spy or assassin into the
by an accident, such as the unexpected heroes’ confidence. If the card drawn is red,
death of a noble, or by the clash of two the ambassador has no ulterior motive.
forces within the same power, such as two
factions of a senate unable to reach any King – The Game of Crowns. There is a
decision. Whatever the reason, there is an very delicate moment in every political
opportunity, if the heroes are bold enough struggle where old alliances break down
to exploit it. and new ones are created. Check the ac-
tual number of Conquest Points the he-
Jack – Foreign Interference. A new Fac- roes have. If they have more than 50% of
tion joins the Campaign! It could be a the Maximum Conquest Points, they are
foreign power on the border of the Cam- winning; if they have less than 50%, they
paign area that is troubled by the turmoil are losing. After determining the heroes’
happening, or perhaps simply a force that status, check the table below. Note that
until now has been sitting idle watching the following are only general indications
the events and suddenly decides to join of what could happen. Last but not the
the game. If the card drawn is red, the new least, the Game of Crowns is a danger-
Faction is favorable to the heroes’ side. If ous one and not all the offerings are what
they seem. If the Game Master wants to

Black Card Red Card

Heroes The least powerful Faction

Two Factions gang up
among the opponents sur-
Winning against the heroes
renders to the heroes.
If the heroes are in league
Heroes A Faction allied to the he- with a Faction, one oppos-
Losing roes joins the opposition ing Faction offers to betray
their allies and change sides

77
 Conquest Points Campaigns

Ace – Hero. An important figure of some

Support Tokens in type suddenly appears in the Campaign:;
a Conquest Points perhaps it is an old wizard who decides to
emerge from his century-long seclusion or
Campaign maybe a folk hero at the head of a libera-
Support Tokens can be employed in various ad- tion movement. The folk hero (probably
ditional ways in a Conquest Points Campaign. a Wild Card) is quite powerful and his
Apart from being used monthly to maintain the favor can change the balance of the Fac-
Band and check for Morale, they can be used as tions. If the card drawn is black, the folk
“currency” to trigger various effects during the hero opposes the heroes’ goals. If the card
Campaign. drawn is red, he could reveal himself as a
worthy ally, assuming his loyalty is won.
Here are some examples:
• Mustering new Troops/ improving the Joker – May You Live in Interesting Ti-
equipment of a Band. One Support Token mes. Things tend to come thrice at a time.
can be spent to add +5 to Battle Value. Draw another three cards (ignoring Jok-
• Bribing important NPCs. Remember, a ers) and apply all the events determined
Support Token is worth approximately by the draws in the current round.
2000 Moons, so it can be used to buy
someone’s favor. A secondary character (for
example, a bannerman of a small noble
house) can be bribed for one Token, an
The Hook
important NPC (for example, a merchant
While this type of game is very open and
lord or the commander of a garrison) can be
requires some improvisation, it is always a
bought for two Tokens, while the general of
the opposing Faction requires three or even good idea to carefully plot the first tale of
four Tokens. the Campaign and the story leading the
party into the thick of the things. If pos-
• Building. Fortifications must be rebuilt sible, start with a blast, so that they un-
after being stormed, farm fields razed by an
derstand they are in charge of events. The
enemy must be plowed and sown again if
Hook adventure is also very important
you don’t want to starve the next winter,
and ships must be bought or rented if you because it defines the role of the heroes
want to move troops over the sea. in the Campaign, and should introduce
them to the main Factions and opponents.
• Rebuild a fortification: 2 Support Tokens On the other hand, it must not reveal too
per Fortification Level (Engineer Person-
much, but must work as an appetizer to
ality or Sappers Band Edge required)
grab the attention of the players. Think of
• Sow and plow the farm fields of a com- it as the pilot episode of your favorite TV
munity (2 Tokens per Size class of the series.
settlement)

The End
decide this randomly, draw another card
and secretly check it. If the card drawn is Compared to a standard Plot Point Cam-
black there is a trap hidden in the intent paign, a Conquest Points Campaign is
of the proposal. trickier to end.

78
 Design and Preparation

The reason is that, as it is based on poli- ample, you could decide that the heroes
tics and battles, it is more difficult to find lose when they drop below zero Conquest
point of closure; even if the heroes con- Points or win when they accumulate fif-
quer all the land, there can always be a teen Conquest Points.
new opponent, and this can lead to an al-
most endless series of stories. When this happens, the Campaign ends
with a climactic event. For example, if the
Even if this might appear nice, avoid the party loses, their own army and the land
trap. Stories and RPG Campaigns should they control rebel against them and they
have an end; otherwise, sooner or later, are forced to abandon the area.
they collapse under their own weight and
die, leaving everybody, GM and players, On the other hand, if they reach the win-
discontent. ning threshold, the King leading the op-
position commits suicide or he is over-
You should define the Campaign end- thrown by his own hirelings who then
point when you are defining the Goals of offer the power to the heroes.
the various Factions at the start of the de-
sign process described above. Whatever you decide, you should end the
story with a dramatic scene.
The Campaign ends easily when the he-
roes’ forces are clearly annihilated (per- Ending a Conquest Points Campaign
haps an opposing Faction achieves its doesn’t automatically mean the end of the
Goal in such a definitive way that it can- adventurers. Even if the heroes are defeat-
not be averted anymore) or when the he- ed and must escape, this can be the start of
roes’ side achieves its own Goal. a new, very different story, with a different
scope and goal.
You can use the Conquest Points as a
Campaign meter. Decide two thresholds In the same manner, if they are victori-
(one upper and one lower) at which the ous, they now have to rule their land and a
party wins or loses, respectively. For ex- crown can be a very heavy burden.

79
 Appendix: Bands of the Dominions

Appendix: Bands
of the Dominions

This chapter introduces some ready-to- Description: Nobody in Tricarnia speaks

use bands for your Campaign. the name of House Sulkar aloud. One of
the most influential families of the last
two centuries, they tried to win the throne
Black Army of the City of Princes by removing the
true rulers, but they failed. A week later,
Experience: 10 XP (Novice) a combined army comprised of their en-
emies attacked Nar Sulkar, with the bless-
Commander: Priest Prince Sulkar ing of the High Princes, totally destroying
(Knowledge (Battle) d8, Sorcery d10, the ancient citadel.
Spirit d8, Charisma +4)
Only Prince Sulkar, the family heir, and
Size: Average his twin sister, Salkaria, managed to es-
cape and start a life of exile, first as ad-
Discipline: Average venturers and then as leaders of one of the
most dreaded Bands of the Dominions:
Battle Value: 660 the Black Army. The Black Army is made
entirely of war slaves, kept under control
Support Tokens: 3 by the Lotus concoctions of Salkaria. The
Black Army, named thus for the color of
Personalities: Priest Princess Salkaria their banner, is totally ruthless and em-
(Lotusmaster) ploys dark Tricarnian sorcery and wicked
Lotusmastery to win battles. In particular,
Hindrances: Faceless Grunts (slave sol- Prince Sulkar brings terror to his enemies
diers) by swooping over the battlefield with his
impressive flying mount, a Shadow Bat as
Edges: Creature (Royal Shadow Bat), large as a house.
Drones, Frightening.

80
 Design and Preparation

The Black Army is infamous for the ex- Description: The first time the Forest
tent of their pillaging and for reinforcing Brotherhood struck was a year ago in a
their ranks with captured prisoners which sudden hail of arrows coming from the
are enslaved by the evil Lotus of Salkaria. thick of the woods, killing all the guards
of a small caravan headed to Jalizar. A
The twins are labeled as bandits in Tri- group of black-cloaked ghosts emerged
carnia. The Black Army never enters the from the trees, quickly emptied the wag-
boundaries of its old country, but secretly ons of all their goods, and disappeared
hopes to gather enough troops and power into the wild again.
to be able to one day return and take re-
venge on the destroyers of their House. Since then, no caravan going to or from
the City of Thieves is safe. The Forest
Banner: A bloody fist on black back- Brotherhood preys on merchants along
ground. the Iron Route with the greed of falcons,
and it grows bolder each day. Its attacks
Band Composition: Monster (Royal seem to target the caravans of House
Shadow Bat), 200 Ragged Swordsmen Talum of Jalizar, and there are whispers
(Light Infantry), 100 Spike-Collared of an old grudge between the leader of
Macemen (Medium Infantry), 50 Black- the Forest Brotherhood, the highway-
Hooded Archers (Long Range Missile), man Belaxo of Xorala, and the Jalizaran
30 Eunuch Axemen (Heavy Infantry). Merchant House. Lord Talum isn’t a man
to take these robberies lying down; mili-
tary escorts were augmented and parties
Forest Brotherhood of soldiers were sent to hunt down the
bandits. However, the Forest Brother-
Experience: 5 XP (Novice) hood is extremely cunning and after any
incursion they retreat into the Forest of
Commander: Belaxo of Xorala (Knowl- Xorala, a labyrinth of vines, trees and even
edge (Battle) d6, Spirit d6, Luck Woods- worse things where no civilized men dare
man) to enter.

Size: Very Small Deep inside the forest its members wait
patiently in a secret hideout, while their
Discipline: Average spies - farmers, woodcutters and assorted
yokels living in the surrounding areas -
Battle Value: 100 keep an eye on the road, ready to signal
them about good prey or patrol parties
Support Tokens: 1 in exchange for a share of the loot, which
Belaxo, being a generous man, never fails
Personalities: Brother Taverios of the to give them.
Divine Couple (Priest), Dexter (Scout),
Wild-Eyed Rikon (Champion). The leader of the Forest Brotherhood
is also known for his courage. Often he
Hindrances: Traitor, Wanted (Minor) wanders on the road, disguised as a farm-
er, a minstrel or even stranger disguises,
Edges: Local Aid, Skirmishers, Terrain looking for a good opportunity and oc-
Familiarity (Forest). casionally giving a hand to the locals or

81
 Appendix: Bands of the Dominions

recruiting some promising young men to pacifists, even if some of them are famous
the ranks of the Forest Brotherhood. So for their invectives against the Ivory Sa-
far he has always chosen reliable people, vannah Tribes, which have resulted in
but there are whispers that Lord Talum bloody wars.
promised five thousand Moons for the lo-
cation of the secret hideout of the Broth- Fagir Ramath was one of them, a peaceful
erhood, and that is a sum that will move and pleasant man, before being bitten by
even the most loyal man… a poisonous tarantula and experiencing a
religious vision. After a miraculously re-
Banner/Battle Cry: They wear brown covery from the poison, he was a differ-
cloaks. ent man. The kind Goddess Etu, Mother
of Everyone, had spoken him, announc-
Band Composition: 50 Bandits (Medi- ing that she was displeased that so many
um Infantry/Longbowmen). of her sons were starving while the lords
and rich merchants grew fat in their pal-
aces. She exhorted him to gather an army
Mouths of Etu among the poorest people and to drive
them wherever there was food, because
Experience: 15 XP (Novice) food is their right as sons of Etu.

Commander: The Voice of Etu (Knowl- And so he did. Ramath began preaching
edge (Battle) d4, Spirit d10, Charisma +3) and his words were flames on the savan-
nah. First dozens, then hundreds, of poor
Size: Large homeless people joined him, enchanted by
the eloquence of the Voice of Etu, as he
Discipline: Low was called. In the end, even other Fagiri,
despite the firm opposition of the official
Battle Value: 800 cult of Etu and of the Autarch himself,
joined the ranks of the Mouths of Etu, as
Support Tokens: 4 the rabble following Ramath is called.

Personalities: Voice of Etu (Priest), Jari- It is a true army now, kept together by
mas the Fagir (Priest), Xalanda the Meek the rebellious Fagiri and some chosen
(Priest/Recruiter), Captain Gurtaso, men, both mounted and infantry, acting
Guardian of the Voice (Knowledge (Bat- as a police force. Wherever they march,
tle) d6, Lieutenant). lords must open their granaries and feed
the masses and towns and villages must
Hindrances: Breaking Point, Inferior empty their markets to satiate the count-
Equipment, Strength in Numbers less mouths of the horde. If they don’t,
they are stormed, pillaged and destroyed,
Edges: Cult of Personality, Looters, Very because no one can keep a Hungry One
Popular. away from food.

Description: The Fagiri are a sort of Until now, the Autarch has more or less
agrarian wandering monk typical of Ky- tolerated the Mouths of Etu as he is busy
ros, responsible for deciding when it is with other internal problems, but sooner
time to plow, harvest and so on. They are or later the problem must be addressed

82
 Design and Preparation

because any village, hamlet or town visited that the Silver Phalanx is one of the fa-
by the Mouths of Etu grants Ramath new mous Lost Phalanxes, which travelled to a
recruits and if they deny the horde is left remote place during the first Faberterran-
destroyed and razed. Kyrosian war and never came back. This
may be a true story even if, after almost
Banner/Battle Cry: “Food! Food!” a thousand years, it cannot be confirmed.
What is certain is that the Silver Phalanx
Band Composition: 1000 Mouths of Etu fights and behaves exactly like one of the
(Irregular), 40 Heralds of the Voice (Light Phalanxes of the old times, employing the
Cavalry), 100 Chosen of the Voice (Me- same tactics and even boasting an Insig-
dium Infantry). nia, the Silver Eagle, which is said to be
the original one.

Silver Phalanx The Silver Phalanx is a very rigid organi-

zation; discipline is very harsh and sol-
Experience: 25 XP (Seasoned) diers must endure terrible trials before
being admitted into its ranks. Their ranks
Commander: Lord Commander Grego- are always composed of exactly three hun-
rious (Knowledge (Battle) d10, Spirit d8) dred men, not one more, not one less,
and they are an impressive sight, covered
Size: Large completely in their iron armor, so polished
that look as if made of silver (hence their
Discipline: High name).

Battle Value: 900 A particular training technique of the Sil-

ver Phalanx teaches the men to work in
Support Tokens: 6 couples called Wife and Husband. Dur-
ing battle, but also in day-to-day life, the
Personalities: Captain Publius (Lieuten- Husband is responsible for the Wife’s
ant), Row Leader Corr (Specialist Leader safety, and vice versa. These pairings are
(Heavy Infantry)), Insignia Bringer Lear- made for life and it isn’t strange to see a
co (Standard Bearer). battle-hardened veteran weep like a child
after the death of his companion. In the
Hindrances: Costly, Exclusive, Honor- past it was the custom for these “widows”
able. to commit suicide, but luckily this tradi-
tion is very rarely observed today.
Edges: Battle Hardened, Phalanx, Shoul-
der to Shoulder, Specialist Troops (Infan- This behavior, combined with the very low
try), Superior Equipment. number of women in the Silver Phalanx’s
camp, causes some rumors about their
Description: The Silver Phalanx is one of sexual orientation, but this is gossip that
the more famous mercenary companies of no sane man dares to repeat in front of a
the Dominions. Their base is in the Free Silver Hoplite.
City of Hilias, where they have a perma-
nent encampment outside the city walls, The Phalanx has a surprisingly low
but they are always ready to move any- number of officers, and, unlike regular
where in the Dominions. The legend says Phalanxes, they are elected directly from

83
 Appendix: Bands of the Dominions

the troops and they are in charge for life.

The Hoplites usually choose a battle-
hardened veteran for this role, ensuring
that the man in charge is always capable.

Given their standards, the Silver Phalanx

can be picky when choosing their patrons
and they are very costly too, however, their
loyalty is beyond reproach and if hired,
they’ll fight to the last man for their em-
ployer.

Banner/Battle Cry: A Phalanx Insignia

representing an eagle and made of silver.
Their battle cry is “Never retreat!”

Band Composition: 300 Silver Hoplites

(Heavy Infantry).

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