Lords of Men Chapter Eight: Massed Combat
See Also
- The Ars Magica Reference Document
- The Lords of Men Open Content page.
- The Lords of Men product page on this wiki
Chapter Eight: Massed Combat
The focus of Ars Magica is on telling stories, and the field of battle is no exception to this. This chapter provides rules for raising armies and running battles with the player characters at the heart of the action, with their resolve and fighting spirit deciding the outcome of the day.
Medieval Armies
Across Mythic Europe, all armies contain troops that fall into the same broad categories. Knights are the best-armored and often the best-trained troops on the battlefield. Serjeants are lighter cavalry. They are professional soldiers retained by a noble or wealthy master.
Infantry are the foundation on which formations are built, while archers give pause to even the quickest and heaviest of troops. Levies are the lowest and most meager soldiers, usually quickly drafted and poorly equipped. They also provide the labor force for siege operations. The baggage train contains cooks, clerks, wives, children, priests, surgeons, and armorers — everything the army needs to support it on campaign.
Characters suffer a –1 Living Conditions modifier for each year during which they spend at least one season in a campaigning army. After a whole year spent in a campaigning army, characters must make a Disease Avoidance Roll as per Art & Academe, page 46.
It is important for a captain to bring a mixture of units to the field. Among every ten units, a captain typically looks to field two units of of cavalry, three of archers, three of infantry, and two of levies.
For every ten units in an army (rounded up) the army also needs one unit of baggage. For every unit of baggage less than the quantity required (such as if, for example, baggage units are lost in battle), the characters leading the army suffer a –1 penalty to any totals based on their Leadership Ability.
The total number of combat groups (see later) in the army is important and should be recorded for later use.
Raising an Army
Armies are drawn from three main sources. The core of a noble's army comes from his household and vassals. This is supplemented with mercenaries. Lords who are the masters of a region may also gain additional forces from their allies.
Vassals
The size and composition of the forces a lord can raise varies across Mythic Europe, but the table below shows the average number of standard combat groups (each consisting of five fully equipped men) that can be raised in strongly feudal areas.
| Title | Knights | Serjeants | Infantry & Archers | Levies (when on home ground) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor/Average Landed Noble | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Wealthy Landed Noble | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Greater Baron | 4 | 4 | 40 | 40 |
| Earl or Count | 10 | 10 | 100 | 100 |
| Duke | 25 | 25 | 150 | 150 |
Note that the cavalry element of these forces can be renewed during the course of a war. For example if a lord has six household knights and five of them die in a cavalry charge gone wrong, then it's possible for the lord to simply appoint replacements, which doesn't cost the lord any money. Peasant levies can also be renewed in a similar way, if the lord can recruit additional peasants from outside his lands.
The command of vassal armies is hindered by traditions, such as how long the force is to remain in the field, or how far from home it can travel. Many lords allow their vassals to pay a fee, called scutage, instead of mustering. This allows the lord to hire mercenaries who are more expensive but allow greater strategic flexibility.
Allies
A character who has an ally or agent due to a Virtue or story event may claim the forces of that ally or agent, with the approval of the troupe.
Affinity
A character who acts as the leader of a region may use his personal authority and charisma to draw lesser nobles into his force. These allies expect to be treated well after victory, and their political demands may then become story hooks. The character's success in drawing other nobles to his banner is represented by multiplying his core vassal forces (before scutage or mercenaries are considered) by some proportion. The result generally provides additional troops to support his own.
A character wishing to call on his allies for support makes a Presence + Leadership + Affinity score simple roll and looks up the result — which corresponds to the proportion by which his core force is multiplied — on the Allied Troops Table.
The Articles of War
The Church has issued two proclamations directly concerning the waging of war. The Peace of God (Pax Dei) attempts to protect certain classes of people who are to be exempt from violence. These are principally the poor, Churchmen, and merchants. The Truce of God (Treuga Dei) restricts the days on which war can be waged. This means that Fridays, Sundays, holy days, and Lent are exempt from fighting.
Breaking either the Pax Dei or the Treuga Dei is considered an unchristian act, as is the execution of prisoners. Captains fearful for their souls, and those who ask for the blessings of saints, do well to obey these articles of war, but easier paths are often more attractive.
Chevauchee
The chevauchee is a tactic used to weaken the resolve of a population and to provoke an army into confrontation. Enemy territory is ravaged, crops are burned, and the people are driven from their land to the relative safety of towns and castles. The chevauchee not only secures territory and supplies for the ravaging army but also denies them to the enemy. Even defending armies may leave destruction in their wake as they spoil crops and poison wells in order to deny the enemy. This tactic is used across Mythic Europe and the Levant.
Land put to chevauchee is subject to disease and famine, with farmland spoiled and livestock and population alike slaughtered. Those returning to such an area suffer a –2 Living Conditions modifier (in addition to any existing modifiers) to their next Aging roll. In extreme cases some areas may develop a Malevolent Infernal aura (see Realms of Power: The Infernal, pages 11 and 15).
Mercenary Budget
Living on the very edge of solvency is an expectation of the noble lifestyle. Fortunately, nobles see hiring mercenaries as an appropriate way to express wealth, and so mercenaries can be hired from the money usually spent on the luxuries of life like fine meals and entertainment. This does not lower the living standard of the lord, although it may concern dependent characters in the lord's household. In times of peace a lord who spends all of his money on soldiers is considered a brute. In times of war, a man who spends too much of his money on anything but soldiers is seen as an adolescent.
The table below shows the average amount of money in Mythic Pounds that a noble may spend on mercenary troops based on his wealth.
Allied Troops Table
The proportion in the table below is applied as a modifier to the size of the noble's own vassal army. To be clear, a character must roll better than 12 to raise additional allied forces past his own core force.
Total Proportion 6 Half 12 Equal 18 Double 24 Treble The following table suggests modifiers to this roll.
Situation Modifier Raising an army in winter –3 Raising an army around harvest –1 The same lord raised an army the previous season –3 The same lord raised an army earlier in the same year
(not cumulative with previous season, above)–1 Raising an army during an active crusade –3 The lord has the Wealthy Virtue +1 The lord has the Poor Flaw –1 The lord has the Inspirational Virtue +3 The lord has the Difficult Underlings Flaw –2 The lands of the affinity are under threat +1 The lord is in revolt against his own liege –2 The lord has a Major social Virtue +3 The lord has a Minor social Virtue +1 The lord has a Minor social Flaw –1 The lord has a Major social Flaw –3 The promise of wealth and/or title (the spoils from a
city, for instance)+3
| Title | Poor | Average | Wealthy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landed Noble | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Baron | 0 | 40 | 100 |
| Earl (Count) | 0 | 100 | 250 |
| Duke | 0 | 250 | 500+ |
Characters lacking sufficient surplus money sometimes take out loans against their source of income. A character who is Poor may not do this. A character who is average may become Poor and in exchange borrow five times the average mercenary budget of someone of his class in coin. This loan may be paid off with the spoils of war or through stories.
Mercenary Units
The table below lists the costs of typical mercenary combat groups.
Type Mythic Pounds Value Knights 15 Exp. Serjeants 5 Exp. Infantry 2 Std. Archers 2 Std. Levies 1 Inexp.
Covenants
Chapter Five of Covenants provides guidelines for the cost of maintaining an armed force. The prices of units listed here are only used when the covenant recruits additional mercenary forces. In this case, the covenant is restricted only in the amount of money it can raise or conjure.
A character who is Wealthy may become average and gain five times the difference between the Wealthy and average mercenary budgets for his class, or may become Poor and borrow five times the budget for a Wealthy person of his class.
Note that these transactions depend on the availability of a banker with enough money to loan the character, or enough credit to pay those the character would like to pay, as well as (in either case) the power to collect the character's lands if he defaults on his loan. Some kings and banks have this much power, as do the bankers for the Church. Transactions of this magnitude may take many weeks to complete, and so are not suited to lightning war.
In most areas lords cannot easily sell their land to raise extra funds. In those areas where the sales of lands is possible, the king's share of any transaction is often so large as to make the value of any such transaction questionable.
Winning the Battle from Afar
These rules assume that player characters take an active and pivotal role in the fighting. Where this is not the case, the storyguide should simply decide the outcome of the battle, basing his decision on two factors. First, the demands of the wider story in which the battle figures, and second, the actions taken by player characters to influence the battle.
Crusaders
The Church may also attempt to raise an army to crusade. It draws its funding from its own holy orders, the vassals on its own lands, and the obedience of those living under the protection of the Church. A character with the Senior Clergy Virtue (see Realms of Power: The Divine, page 93) is treated as having an affinity equal to the most prominent noble within his diocese or see. He makes a Holy Influence roll (see Realms of Power: The Divine, page 38) and compares his total to the Army Size Table.
Heroic Endeavors
Battles are played as a series of vignettes, each with a player character as the decisive force. The success of that character reflects the success of the wider army.
These rules use either the standard combat rules from ArM5, Chapter 11, or the optional combat rules in Chapter Nine of this book. Unless otherwise stated, each participating player character is the leader or vanguard of a combat group of similarly skilled combatants. An overall army commander must also be nominated, who can be either a player or a storyguide character.
Territorial Advantage
Before the battle, both armies vie for territorial advantage by generating a Deployment Total as they deploy their force.
Deployment Total: Intelligence + Area Lore + Stress Die
If he wishes, an army commander may assign a lieutenant to determine the best ground. If the commander does this, the lieutenant generates the Deployment Total. If the commander is unhappy with his lieutenant's advice, he may then generate his own Deployment Total. However, if he does generate his own Deployment Total, the commander must use it, even if it is lower than his lieutenant's.
Territorial advantage is calculated at the beginning of the battle based on each side's
The Flow of Battle
Battles are carried out by following these steps:
- Commanders determine Territorial Advantage.
- The Weight of Numbers modifier is determined and assigned.
- The storyguide assigns and plays out as a combat encounter a battlefield event for each participating player character in turn. After each battlefield event, the losses are counted on both sides and the Weight of Numbers modifier is optionally recalculated.
- Victory is decided and the outcome of the battle is described.
Knights Banneret and Mercenary Captains
Characters with certain status or Virtues, such as a Knight Banneret or a Mercenary Captain, always treat their company as a single combat group regardless of any Weight of Numbers modifiers.
Deployment Totals, and does not change until one side surrenders the field.
Territorial Advantage: Deployment Total – Enemy Deployment Total
Storyguides should designate specific features on the battlefield (a chapel, a series of hills, a bridge, etc.). These provide the settings for battlefield events. The supernatural auras present should also be considered. Infernal auras, for instance, have damaging and insidious effects that cause wounds to open more easily or promote maltreatment of prisoners (see Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 10).
Using Magic to Seize Advantage
Magic aids in seizing territorial advantage, such as by misdirecting enemy troops in a fog, redirecting a stream to make a forced march easier, or even altering the rise and fall of the battlefield itself. Add the highest magnitude of any spell used to affect the terrain, or the deployment of troops, to the friendly side's Deployment Total.
Weight of Numbers
The size of an army is measured in standard combat groups of five individuals. If the troupe's army outnumbers the enemy army, then the troupe gains a bonus to the event totals generated during this battle. If the enemy has the advantage, the troupe suffers a penalty. The magnitude of these bonuses and penalties are determined using the table beginning at the top of the next column.
| Ratio of Army Sizes (rounded down) | Bonus/Penalty |
|---|---|
| 1:1 | none |
| 3:2 | ±1 |
| 2:1 | ±2 |
| 3:1 | ±3 |
| 4:1 | ±4 |
This bonus is calculated at the beginning of the battle but should be recalculated during the battle to account for losses on either side.
Battlefield Events
Battlefield events represent the pivotal action points during the battle. They are the heroic moments that veterans and chroniclers will recount when the battle is over.
The storyguide decides how these battlefield events are spaced. Different events may take place a few minutes apart or on consecutive days. Events do not even have to take place on the same battlefield. You could play one event describing how enemy reinforcements are delayed from reaching the battle, and others to describe the overrunning of the smaller, and now unsupported, main force.
Wherever and whenever they are set, each stage of the battle has a target ease factor that increases as the battle wears on. While three events are typical, storyguides should feel free to vary this.
| Description | Battle Ease Factor |
|---|---|
| Engaged | 9 |
| Advantage or Setback | 12 |
| Imminent Victory or Defeat | 15 |
The troupe selects a focal player character for each stage of the battle, upon whose efforts the story is focused at that moment. That character attempts to win the event by calculating an Event Total at least equal to the Battle Ease Factor as below.
The Event Total is based substantially on an Event Bonus, which the character generates by freely choosing and summing a Maneuver, an Enemy, and a Size. These chosen factors in turn define the specifics of the event that the character must overcome or endure in order to win the event.
A character may choose a combination of Maneuver, Enemy, and Size that are not sufficient to exceed the Battle Ease Factor, if he wishes. The event is still played out, but the players have no hope of winning the event overall in this case.
Event Total: Stamina + Leadership + Territorial Advantage + Weight of Numbers Bonus + Event Bonus
Event Bonus: Maneuver + Enemy + Size
For example, during the "Engaged" stage of a battle, a character with Stamina +2 and Leadership 4 with a Territorial Advantage of 1 and no Weight of Numbers bonus needs an Event Bonus of at least 2 in order to reach the Battle Ease Factor of 9.
The troupe is assumed to have the initiative (replacing the initiative roll) on starting a battlefield event, but may surrender the initiative for that event to gain a +1 bonus to the Event Total. Unless otherwise stated, each battlefield event lasts five combat rounds.
Maneuver
The Maneuver describes the kind of action the characters must undertake during the battlefield event.
Defend (+0): The characters receive an enemy assault or must defend a place, item, or person under attack. Success is decided by defeating the attackers or by defending for a number of turns decided by the storyguide. If the characters withdraw or are killed, the defended location, item, or character is taken by the enemy and the event is lost. Defending characters typically have some defenses, such as stakes, walls, or even complete buildings which provide combat bonuses.
Attack (+1): The characters attack the enemy line or location. Success is decided by defeating or routing the opponents.
Run the Gauntlet (+2): This maneuver is a catch-all for events that include activities other than direct combat, such as climbing a tower while under attack to light a beacon, swimming across a river, or reaching a hill to safely load and launch a trebuchet.
Take (+3): The characters must attack the enemy line or location as a precursor to defeating or taking a given place, item, or character, which must then be defended against counter-attack. The target of the attack may be also defended by an additional group of opponents. Expect these events to last longer than five rounds.
Heroic Gesture (+4): This is a daring feat of foolhardy bravery. If the leading character dies during a Heroic Gesture, the event is won and the player should describe how that death secures victory. The event is lost if any other player character is killed. The storyguide should set additional win conditions to ensure the leading character has a chance to make it out alive.
Size
The Size of a battlefield event describes the number of combat groups the characters must defeat before they can win the event.
The Weight of Numbers modifier modifies the size of the combat groups involved in the battlefield event. If the troupe has the advantage, each of their combat groups has five combatants plus bonus individuals equal to the Weight of Numbers modifier. If the troupe is outnumbered, the enemy combat groups consist of five + bonus individuals.
Lesser (+0): The characters face a standard combat group about half the size of their own.
Even (+1): The characters face a single combat group.
Outnumbered (+2): The characters face two combat groups.
Overwhelmed (+3): The characters face three combat groups.
I Stand Alone (+4): A single character steps forward to meet the enemy, or undertakes the challenge singlehandedly, against overwhelming odds, typically a full-strength combat group.
Enemy
The Enemy of a battlefield event describes the kind of opponents the characters must face.
Inexpensive (+0): The characters' opponents are inexpensive troops in the form of levies.
Standard (+1): The characters face standard-cost troops such as infantry or archers.
Expensive (+2): The characters face expensive individuals or groups such as knights or serjeants.
Special (+3): The characters must face leading enemy characters (who will likely be defended), supernatural troops, or other dangerous phenomena such as fire, a collapsing building, etc.
Baggage (+4): Attacking the baggage may swing the battle either way. It can stave off defeat by drawing troops or can seal victory by crushing morale. Characters choosing this Enemy option gain 1 experience point towards a bad Reputation. The baggage is normally guarded by inexpensive troops.
Wounds and Attrition
At the end of each battlefield event, the defeated side loses a number of combat groups equal to the event's Size characteristic multiplied by the winning side's Weight of Numbers bonus (if positive), representing the efforts of the winning side elsewhere on the battlefield. The type of the units lost should match the event’s Enemy characteristic. (These losses are in addition to any losses sustained in the course of the event itself.)
In addition, the commander of the losing side must make a Morale roll (see Chapter Nine: Optional Combat Rules) against Ease Factor 6. On a failure, the commander can attempt to rally his forces (Ease Factor 9) at the beginning of the next event. If this fails, apply the behaviors of Disordered or Routed groups to the losing army.
Player characters may attempt to rally a failing army. An additional story event (with no target Ease Factor) may be played in which one or more characters take command. Alternatively, a simple roll to assume leadership in combat may be made.
The Morale rules in Chapter Nine: Optional Combat Rules can also be applied during battlefield events as the combatant groups take damage. Rolls made during the event affect only the group or groups involved.
Example Battlefield Events
Skirmish
Event Bonus +0
Maneuver: Defend, Size: Lesser, Enemy: Inexpensive The character must defend against an ambush of enemy scouts, attempt to disengage, and get back to his troop. Enemy reinforcements will arrive in five rounds at which point the weight of their troops becomes overwhelming. If the character(s) defend and disengage within five rounds, or the overwhelming troops are defeated, the event is won. The event is lost if the lead character dies.
(+0 Defend, +0 Lesser, +0 Inexpensive)
Hold the Line
Event Bonus +2
Maneuver: Defend, Size: Even, Enemy: Standard
The character must receive the enemy charge and hold the line. The enemy group exerts itself on the attack. The event is lost if the character is pushed backwards, forced to disengage, or dies under the onslaught.
(+0 Defend, +1 Even, +1 Standard)
Rescue
Event Bonus +5
Maneuver: Run the Gauntlet, Size: Lesser, Enemy: Special
One of the character's knights is thrown from his horse and rolls into the river. The character must rescue the knight before he drowns. Storyguides may require Athletics rolls to reach the river, Swim rolls to find the sinking knight, and further Athletics rolls to drag him to the side. Once the knight has been brought to the bank, there are be enemy troops to fight off. All rolls during this event are made with stress dice and have two botch dice. The event is lost if the knight drowns or the character is swept away in the rescue attempt. Use the deprivation rules on ArM5, page 180 to provide the maximum duration for this event.
(+2 Run the Gauntlet, +0 Lesser, +3 Special)
Loose
Event Bonus +5
Maneuver: Attack, Size: Outnumbered, Enemy: Expensive
The enemy cavalry round for a charge. The character's archer group must loose arrows into them to slow their advance. The cavalry start thirty paces away. Each round in which a light wound is inflicted on them prevents them advancing, otherwise they advance 15 paces each round. The event is won if the cavalry are held at bay, unable to attack. If they reach the character's line, their attack may form part of the next event.
(+1 Attack, +2 Outnumbered, +2 Expensive)
On All Sides
Event Bonus +5
Maneuver: Defend, Size: Overwhelmed, Enemy: Expensive
The character and his combat group become separated from their unit and the enemy bears down. The group must defend themselves from an overwhelming enemy force for five combat rounds while help arrives. If the enemy groups are killed or driven off, or the character survives until the reinforcements arrive, the event is won. The event is lost if the character dies.
(+0 Defend, +3 Overwhelmed, +2 Expensive)
Ransom
Event Bonus +6
Maneuver: Take, Size: Lesser, Enemy: Special
The enemy captain is separated from his own formation. A single Expensive enemy combat group stands between the character and the stray captain. The character must rush through the defending group and engage the captain, forcing his surrender.
(+3 Take, +0 Lesser, +3 Special)
Feint
Event Bonus +7
Maneuver: Run the Gauntlet, Size: Overwhelmed, Enemy: Expensive
The character must take a small force and offer the enemy flank a target. He must engage them however he can in the first round, then disengage and draw them away from the main army. The disengaging rules can be found in ArM5, page 173. Each enemy combat group attempts to attack each round. Once disengaged, the enemy pursues. If the lead character disengages and survives for five rounds, the enemy has been drawn away and the flank opened up. If the character is unable to disengage or is killed in the action, the event fails.
(+2 Run the Gauntlet, +3 Overwhelmed, +2 Expensive)
Seize the Colors
Event Bonus +8
Maneuver: Take, Size: Outnumbered, Enemy: Special
The enemy continually rally to their standard. If that can be taken, morale will falter. The character must engage the mounted enemy standard bearer and his man-at-arms defenders. The standard contains a supernatural artifact that seems to urge the defenders on and redoubles their efforts despite their wounds. The event only succeeds if the standard is captured.
(+3 Take, +2 Outnumbered, +3 Special)
A "Heroic" Maneuver
Event Bonus +9
Maneuver: Run the Gauntlet, Size: Overwhelmed, Enemy: Baggage
The character must take his unit through the woods covering his left flank, dispatching enemy scouts before they can raise the alarm. Once in position, he must break cover and attack the enemy baggage.
The lead character must first take the three sentries in turn without alerting the others. He must then lead an attack on the enemy baggage area. There is no time limit against this part of the event. Destroying
make a Discipline roll (Ease Factor 9) to prevent their flank from being pulled into disarray as they return to protect the baggage.
(+2 Run the Gauntlet, +3 Overwhelmed, +4 Baggage)
Alone Against the Many
Event Bonus +11
Maneuver: Heroic Gesture, Size: I Stand Alone, Enemy: Special
The character, alone, must defend the burning gatehouse for five rounds, prevent the enemy (standard troops) from surging through, and cover his men as they retreat. The character is considered to be defending the way through the gatehouse so cannot be passed by the attacking troops. If the character dies before the five rounds are up, or manages to hold the enemy at bay, the gatehouse collapses, sealing the way.
(+4 Heroic Gesture, +4 I Stand Alone, +3 Special)
The Aftermath of Battle
Each battle is fought over an objective such as to defend the town, take the bridge, or destroy the enemy siege engines. If the enemy concedes or loses outright, the objective is achieved. A successful battle earns the victorious characters one Confidence Point for each successful battlefield event whether they took part in that event or not. The leader of the army also gains 1 experience point towards an appropriate Reputation.
After a battle, the wounded are tended by the many chirurgeons amid the camp followers. It is safe to assume that a chirurgeon with skill equal to a character's primary weapon skill is on hand to tend him. Art & Academe, page 43 provides more information on the treatment of injuries. After treatment, those with total wound penalties of –6 or greater cannot travel while those with –3 or greater can travel but cannot maintain pace with the army.
Prisoners taken on the battlefield face two very different fates depending on their class. Men of rank are usually ransomed, being stripped of arms and armor and released on assurance of payment. Soldiers of no standing are either executed (as Richard Lionheart did to 3,000 men at Acre) or mutilated. The kings of eastern Europe particularly use the blinding of captives as an example to others.
Standard Combat Groups
Groups of knights, serjeants, and infantry are treated as trained groups, while archer, levy, and baggage units are untrained, However, a group that serves together for a season is treated as trained thereafter. Each group is assumed to be five individuals.
Unit Weapon Init Atk Def Dam Soak Group Bonus Knight Lance, Heater Shield (M) +1 +17 +16 +6 +10 +15 Long sword, Heater Shield (M) +2 +16 +16 +7 +10 +15 Serjeant Spear, Round Shield (M) +2 +12 +9 +8 +7 +12 Long sword, Round Shield (M) +1 +10 +8 +7 +7 +12 Infantry Poleaxe +1 +13 +7 +13 +5 +9 Mace, Round Shield +1 +11 +9 +10 +5 +9 Archer Bow +0 +10 +6 +8 +1 +0 Bow, Long –1 +11 +6 +10 +1 +0 Crossbow +6 +12 +11 +8 +1 +0 Hatchet, Buckler +1 +9 +6 +6 +1 +0 Levy Spear, Round Shield +3 +6 +6 +7 +2 +0 Knife +1 +5 +6 +4 +2 +0 Baggage Bludgeon –2 +5 +1 +5 +3 +0
Mercenary Troops
The table above lists the statistics for standard units of each type, but throughout the Ars Magica period there are also specialist troops from Welsh longbowmen to Flemish pikemen to Genoese crossbowmen. Their combat statistics may vary from those above and these soldiers are highly sought after as mercenaries. And of course, as this is Mythic Europe, there is always the potential for strange and supernatural units to be deployed by the ambitious or the unwary.
Most armies rely on mercenary forces for a large proportion of their skilled contingent. As can be expected of men paid to fight and kill, the conduct of many mercenary troops leaves much to be desired. Nearly thirty years ago, Richard Lionheart sought to create a paid standing army by employing professional soldiers for what was to be his final clash with the forces of Philip II of France. His army included Welsh men-at-arms, Brabantine mercenaries, and even Saracen fighters. Richard's knights received one shilling per day while his mounted serjeants received four pence per day, double the two pence per day earned by the infantry.
Characters with some social standing may claim the ransoms that they capture on the battlefield, though lesser characters must usually forego such rights. Although magi are not protected by class etiquette, their power and influence is such that any magus captured in battle is likely to be ransomed to his covenant rather than killed or maimed.
\#Story Seed: A Wizard’s Ransom
A young magus, stripped of his talisman, arrives at the covenant. He admits to having been caught up in a conflict through his own naivety and also confesses, to his shame, that he was captured and has been ransomed. His captor has promised the return of his talisman on receipt of something the magus simply cannot provide. He asks the covenant for help in securing both his talisman and his good name.
Battles are almost always fought during daylight hours, and forces usually retreat from the field as evening approaches. If the day is neither won nor lost, a temporary truce holds and the dead and wounded are collected from the field.
Siegecraft
It is the attempt to capture castles that usually determines the paths of military campaigns, because castles left in enemy hands may be used to stage counter-attacks, and as rallying points for enemy troops. This section describe how military might can take or defend castles, walled towns, or other fortified places. It does not, however, cover negotiations or diplomacy, which should be roleplayed.
It is for the troupe to determine when a castle finally becomes indefensible. Player characters should always have the chance to turn things around, through story events. A castle may fall only to be retaken by a relief force or through player character subterfuge.
Magic on the Battlefield
The battlefield is a loud and confusing place. The potential targets of a magus's spells clash and intermix with his allies, constantly obscuring his view. A magus engaged in a battle must make a Concentration roll against an. Ease Factor of12 to cast spells. A magus who is not yet engaged or is standing off observing the melee must make an a Concentration roll against an Ease Factor of 9 in order to cast spells. A battle is always a stressful situation.
Target: Group
The Hermetic Group target represents a continuous recognizable group of up to ten individuals. This target is rarely useful in a battle. Although these rules describe combat groups as being of a set size, they are never so simply arranged on the battlefield, almost always instead presenting as a united mass with other troops. However, if a unit of any kind can be separated from the army then a spell using the Group target, with one magnitude spent to increase the size of of the target (to 100 individuals), then a spell can be cast to affect all combat groups within that unit.
Target: Boundary
The standard Boundary target covers an area roughly circular with a diameter of 100 paces. It must also be marked out by a well-defined natural or man-made boundary. This is rarely enough to encompass a complete battlefield and nor is the battlefield likely to conveniently marked out. Boosting the spell level by one magnitude increases the diameter to around 300 paces.
Example Battle
The forces of Milan are amassed against the troupe's larger Veronese army. Neither side gained Territorial Advantage in deploying their troops. The battle opens with an Ease Factor 9 battlefield event. The lead character for this event has a Stamina + Leadership (battle) of 5 and a +2 Weight of Numbers modifier. He needs an Event Bonus of +2 to reach the Ease Factor. The storyguide describes the enemy charge; the character must Hold the Line (+0 Defend, +1 Even, +1 Standard). As vanguard of his combat group the character engages in a combat encounter with a single enemy combat group that is smaller than his own (since his army outnumbers the enemy). Luck is on his side and the enemy group is quickly routed. The enemy is pushed back and takes losses.
Some time later, the fighting has intensified. The second character to lead an event has a Stamina + Leadership (battle) of 5 as well, and the Weight of Numbers modifier is still +2. But the Ease Factor is now 12, so an Event Bonus of at least +5 is required. The storyguide describes how the character's commander has become surrounded and is thrown from his horse. The Rescue event is used and provides the necessary +5 bonus. The character is successful at resolving the event and the army rallies to its commander.
Almost immediately, the enemy knights round for a charge on the left flank. The last character to lead an event, an experienced knight, has a Stamina + Leadership (battle) of 7, with the same +2 Weight of Numbers modifier. As the Ease Factor is now 15 he must have an Event Bonus worth +6. The enemy charge has left the enemy commander exposed. Seizing the opportunity, the character attempts to capture and Ransom (+3 Take, +0 Lesser, +3 Special) the enemy commander. While the character's combat group takes on the commander's bodyguards, the character engages in single combat with the commander. Despite taking wounds, the character knocks his opponent from his horse and forces surrender. With the fall of their commander the enemy troops either rout or submit to ransom and the day is won.
Castles
Castles are described in detail in Covenants. A limited version of that material is repeated here.
Every Castle Sends a Message
Castles serve three functions. A castle acts as a refuge from military forces, so it defends territory. A castle acts as a staging ground for armies, so it threatens its neighbors. A castle costs a fortune to create and maintain, and in many places requires the permission of the king to build, so it communicates the status of its owner. A castle, then, is a claim to political power, backed with the threat of force.
A brigade of knights, supported by a castle, can travel about twenty miles in a day. This means they have the ability to raid targets up to ten miles away and return to their barracks before nightfall. All people who live within that radius, or have interests there, rapidly become aware of the existence of the castle. The temporal and spiritual authorities of an area cannot ignore any castle.
Free Choices
A character with the Landed Noble or Great Noble Virtue may select any of these options to describe his stronghold without spending extra money annually.
Island: The manor is surrounded on all sides by water so the lord has no defensive buildings. The water is shallow enough to be forded in places, but these are easily protected by missile troops.
Manor House: This is detailed in the paragraphs concerning manorial halls in Chapter Six: Manorial Fiefs.
Ringwork: This is the most primitive sort of castle. It begins with the excavation of a vast ditch, in some cases twenty feet deep and wide. The soil from this excavation is piled and packed down to create a rampart as much as 15 feet high. A thin, stone wall without a walkway is placed upon the rampart.
Wooden buildings, including a short tower of little defensive value, lie within the ring. Some ringworks partition the defended space into two wards. The inner ward houses the ruler of the ringwork and his attendants, the outer their servants and supporters.
A ringwork cannot resist a determined military assault for long, as it lacks the elevation that aids the defenders of other sorts of castles, but it can act as a staging area for a force of knights, so it cannot be bypassed by invaders.
Small Tower: The manor house is a small tower, four stories high, with one or two rooms per story. The tower is attached to a fortified courtyard, into which stock are driven in troubled times. Larger manors surround this tower with outbuildings, which are wooden and lack defensive value. A stone wall, six feet high and without a walkway, surrounds these buildings.
Towers allow their inhabitants to see approaching forces from a greater distance, and increase the field of fire of magi and archers, but are far less comfortable to live in than manor houses. The lord may have a hall in the courtyard and use the tower as a storehouse, retreating to it only in times of immediate threat.
A small tower cannot act as a staging area for large military groups, and alarms minor landholders only.
Minor Castles
Minor castles may be selected by characters who are Landed or Great Nobles. Characters who maintain these castles must pay two pounds per year, out of the money that they are described as being able to spend frivolously in Chapter Two: Politics, to maintain their fortifications. They may also wish to hire extra guards, at the rate of one pound per man per year for mediocre servants.
Shell Keep
The shell keep is a modification of the motte-and-bailey castle. A motte is an artificial mound of earth, between ten and one hundred feet tall, on which a wooden tower is built. This tower overlooks and defends a courtyard that is surrounded by a ditch, embankment, and wooden palisade. This courtyard is called the bailey. Some noblemen still build motte-and-bailey castles in 1220.
Most motte-and-bailey castles have been strengthened with stonework since their creation. A problem for a nobleman planning improvements is that the motte dominates the bailey, and so cannot be ignored, but is not strong enough to hold a stone tower keep of the style found in more modern castles. Such noblemen usually build a shell keep.
A shell keep is a stone wall, usually two stories high, that replaces the wooden palisade atop the motte. The wall is thin compared to other fortifications, between eight and fifteen feet, and has a crenelated walkway. Some structures like this are so large that it is not clear if they are a shell keep or a small inner bailey: Restormel in Cornwall is 40 yards across. Within its ring, buildings are constructed. These are usually wooden, or thin stone, and lack defensive use, but are far more spacious, airy, and comfortable to live in than those of a conventional keep. The center of the ring of buildings is usually a courtyard.
The wooden palisade around the bailey is also replaced, by a thick stone wall about ten feet high. This has a crenelated walk. Entry to the castle now lies through the lowest story of a square tower, two stories high.
Tower Keep
Most tower keeps were built during the 12th century and are, generally, four stories high and square or rectangular. Entry is via an external stairway to the second floor. The keep is usually topped with crenelated battlements. Newer keeps may be polygonal or, most recently, round, in profile.
As an example of size, the two largest keeps of each type in Britain are Pembroke and Colchester. Pembroke is 80 feet high, 53 feet in diameter, and has walls 16 feet thick at the base. Colchester's keep is 151 feet long, 111 feet wide, and over three stories high. Castles that have works on this scale awe the local nobility.
The great tower of the castle is surrounded by a courtyard, which contains wooden or stone buildings of no tactical value. The courtyard's wall is made of thick stone, and is about ten feet high. It is topped with a crenellated walk. A small tower, two stories high, defends the gate.
Curtain Walls and Mural Towers
Great castles are only held by Great Nobles or their officers. Players who select these castles must pay additional expenses to maintain their fortifications. A castle costs five pounds a year to maintain, and the character must also to hire additional infantry as guards. Many castles have land attached to them to help defray this enormous cost.
A curtain wall is a crenelated wall around a bailey. The wall is around thirty feet high and between eight and twenty feet thick. It has an exterior of dressed stones and is filled with a rubble core. Mural towers protect a curtain wall.
Most mural towers built before 1200 are square in cross-section. Round and semicircular towers are the preferred types for contemporary building. Most towers are enclosed buildings, but some — particularly semicircular towers — have no masonry on the inside face, so that if they are captured, they do not provide the enemy with cover. Others are closed until they reach the level of the parapet, and are then open.
A castle may have as many mural towers as suits the troupe. Framlingham has 13 towers, including two for its gate, while others built at the same time are rectangular baileys with a fat tower at each corner and two at the gate. There are two disadvantages to having a dozen towers: they are expensive to build, maintain, and garrison, and they declare to all nearby nobles that their owner intends to rule the county someday. Every extra tower makes a castle more difficult to ignore.
Keep Alternatives for Castles with Curtain Walls
The defenses of curtain walls are so formidable that the role of the keep changes in response to them. The keep is still able to assist in the defense of the walls, and can act as a place of refuge if the walls are lost, but many castle builders diminish these roles, and find alternatives to the tower or shell keep for fortifications that have curtain walls.
A hall keep is a long, low building made of stone that is, structurally, an evolved form of the manorial hall. It is usually two stories high and has a limited number of entry points to minimize the number of defenders required to hold it. A hall keep, lacking a fortuitous hillock, is not as tall as the curtain walls, which limits its usefulness to archers. The hall keep's great advantage is that it is the most spacious and comfortable form of keep.
A courtyard castle focuses on the defense of the bailey, forgoing a keep entirely. Players designing courtyard castles may take another large structure, like a gatehouse or moat, in lieu of a keep. Most masters of a courtyard castle plan, in the worst case, fall back to their strongest tower, which is usually the gatehouse.
A gatehouse keep is a large building, usually three stories high, that serves as gatehouse and keep for the castle. Its lowest level is given over to storage and the entry to the bailey. The middle level is used for living space, equipment for the drawbridge and portcullis, and murder holes. The lord and his family dwell on the uppermost level.
Barbican and Moat
A barbican, for game purposes, is a series of works that limit the access to the gatehouse by an invader. This includes barbican walls and yards, which channel an invader into a narrow space overlooked by archers. It includes barriers like portcullises, drawbridges, fall-away causeways, murder holes, pit traps, and whatever other fiendish devices the player characters can come up with to kill invaders.
A moat is a body of water at least twenty feet wide and six feet deep that surrounds the castle. The key function of a moat is to prevent enemies from mining under the castle's walls. The walls can rise either directly from the moat, or from a berm, which is a small circuit of land that separates the moat and the castle. If the moat flows swiftly into a natural body of water, like a stream or lake, then its water is fresh. Otherwise, a moat is a stagnant ditch that is probably an open sewer. Many castles do not have moats, and instead use ditches. A moat has no upkeep fee; it's a free choice for characters with castles that have curtain walls.
Moats are often used to augment gate defenses. Some castles have a barbican on a small island that is separated from the gatehouse by the moat. Others have causeways across the moat that approach the gatehouse indirectly, exposing attackers to crossbow fire from the walls.
A barbican and moat are included in the cost of a castle with curtain walls. A small castle lacking these features, but which has a barbican and moat, costs two pounds more than a normal small castle to maintain.
Describing Castles
A castle is described by three main characteristics: Garrison, Defenses, and Supplies. Each characteristic has a measure of quality and an interval. Intervals vary from "day" to "year," and the lowest interval pertaining to a given castle determines how often key siege events are played out when the castle is besieged.
Garrison
The castle Garrison is measured in combat groups, usually a combination of infantry and levies, though larger castles also include knights, serjeants, and archers.
| Units | Interval | Weight of Numbers | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 or less | Day | +1 | motte and bailey castle |
| 11 to 20 | Week | +2 | small castle |
| 21 to 40 | Month | +3 | large castle or walled town |
| 41 or more | Season | +4 | city |
The garrison units should be described as for field warfare. The defending garrison may also include siege engines (see Siege Engines).
Defenses
Defenses describes both castle walls and other specific defensive engineering, earthworks, or moats. Their quality is measured using the grades presented in City & Guild, page 67. In this case quality represents the age, upkeep, and extent of the defenses as well as their inherent construction quality.
Permanent defensive enchantments also add +1 to the overall Defense Bonus.
| Defense Quality | Interval | Defense Bonus | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoddy | Day | +1 | Makeshift defenses |
| Standard | Week | +2 | Any free castle choice |
| Superior | Month | +3 | Any minor castle choice |
| Excellent | Season | +4 | Any great castle choice |
Regardless of the castle's actual shape and construction, each castle is considered to have four sides or walls, corresponding to the cardinal compass points.
The castle's size, along with its Defense Bonus, determines how many damage levels each wall has, according to the following table.
| Size | Example | Damage Level Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| +5 to +8 | A house, watch tower, barbican, or shell keep | 3 |
| +9 and larger | A fortified castle, town, or city | 4 |
The castle's Defense Bonus is multiplied by the damage level modifier from the above table to determine the castle's damage levels. The walls of a fortified city (taking the curtain walls great castle choice) each have 4 x 4 = 16 damage levels, while the walls of a tower keep have 3 x 3 = 9 damage levels.
Supplies
Supplies include the food, water, and raw materials stored inside the castle, and the ability of the castle to resupply itself. Castles are almost never completely cut off as a besieging army is rarely large enough to encircle what is often difficult and porous terrain.
| Supply Quality | Interval | Siege Conditions Bonus | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoddy | Week | +1 | Easily surrounded |
| Standard | Month | +3 | Large reserves |
| Superior | Season | +5 | Situated on a river |
| Excellent | Year | +7 | Situated on the sea |
It is worth noting that a castle with excellent supplies is able to hold out against a siege for years. Stories providing the opportunity to improve or reduce the Supply Quality may be run, such as organizing a blockade to prevent resupply from the sea.
Life Under Siege
A siege begins with the arrival of the attacking army in the area of the castle. This gives the defenders time to pull supplies and the garrison back inside the defenses. A castle keeps only those resources that support it during the siege; children, the sick, and the elderly are frequently sent from castles awaiting siege. Cities, being harder to stockade, have better supplies and rarely send their populations away. But this often means that they are more sensitive to deprivation than a garrison of soldiers, and may look to sue for terms with a besieging force.
Characters under siege suffer from a –2 Living Conditions modifier each year in which at least one season is spent under siege.
Stockade
Well-defended castles can rarely be taken without heavy losses. In those cases, it is preferable to starve the garrison into surrender. And with so many people and so little space, even if getting enough food isn't a problem then getting rid of the waste often is.
To stockade a castle, the besieging army must assign units to at least three of its walls. This is enough to restrict movement in and out of the castle and limit effective resupply. Castles that cannot be surrounded in this way cannot be subject to stockade.
A castle subject to stockade at the end of a check interval, as determined by its supplies characteristics, make a supplies roll.
Supplies Roll: Siege Conditions Bonus + stress die
Ease Factor: 3 + Garrison Weight of Numbers Modifiers + Number of Years Under Siege
A failed roll reduces the castle's supplies characteristic by one level, which in turn increases the frequency that checks against supplies need to be made. On a botched supplies roll some form of disease breaks out within the castle. Botch dice are equal to 1 plus the number of full seasons spent under siege.
Unless a story event intervenes, the castle surrenders after failing a supplies roll while having shoddy supplies. Otherwise, all player characters in the besieged castle make deprivation checks as per ArM5, page 180.
Making Supply Rolls
If it's not important to track a given siege with great precision, instead of making individual rolls, consider rolling in batches. For example, for roll involving castle with shoddy supplies, roll four dice to quickly resolve the passing of a month. Or, if the castle has standard supplies, roll three dice each season.
Story Seed: Refugees
A nearby town is besieged and the some of the elderly, the young, and the infirm flee to the covenant for sanctuary. After granting them access, the covenfolk seem drawn to the town's plight. How do the magi contend with calls from the covenfolk to resupply the besieged town?
Siege Engines
Siege engines are used both to coney forces inside a castle and to bring down its walls. A ballista is a large arbalest mounted on a frame. Providing power and accuracy, it is often employed as a sniper weapon and to launch ropes over castle walls. A mangonel is a tension-powered catapult that shoots stones on a low trajectory and at high velocity from a bowl-shaped bucket on the end of a single arm. They are primarily used to bombard walls and gates but can also be turned against armies on the ground. A trebuchet uses a huge counterweight on one end of a long arm to lob stones from a sling on the other end in a high, arcing trajectory.
Laying Siege
A siege is represented in play through a series of decisive events. The first is played when the siege is first invested, with subsequent events at intervals determined by the lowest of the castle's characteristics.
The besieging army is proactive and chooses how it will attack the castle. There are three options: undermining the walls, launching an artillery assault, or scaling the defenses. For its part, the castle garrison is rarely passive, and can respond to these tactics by sallying out, counter-mining, or even launching an artillery assault of their own. Attempts to gain entry through subterfuge and trickery are best left as roleplaying opportunities.
Unlike battles where victory can easily be decided, sieges have a natural lifespan and the castle garrison can not remain unsupported indefinitely. The rules for stockade as described above run alongside any military efforts.
Siege Engines
Engine Init Atk Def Dam Crew Range Mythic Pounds Cost Ballista +5 +5 6* +15** 3 50 5 Exp. Mangonel –3 +3 6* +20** 5 20–150 10 Exp. Trebuchet –4 +1 6* +25** 5 50–200 15 Exp. \* As these engines are essentially static, the Defense is not rolled but is instead an Ease Factor.
\** Treated as non-combat damage (see ArM5, page 181).
Notes
Ballista: Reloading a ballista is a two-round Extended Action (as per the combat actions in Chapter Eight, Optional Combat Rules) that takes the full crew.
Mangonel and Trebuchet: When used against castle walls, a mangonel or trebuchet use the rules described in the Artillery section. In standard combat, both of these weapons target combat groups rather than individuals. Reloading these weapons takes two minutes and requires the whole crew.
The cost of these weapons in Mythic Pounds represents either the cost of building of them on-site or transporting them from a central armory. It also represents the cost of provisioning sufficient ammunition, which for the catapult devices, involves teams of quarrymen and an army of carts to transport stone to the engines.
Troop Deployment
In a siege, each army may nominate any number of its units as miners, artillery, or soldiers. Artillery units and soldiers are as standard but miners are generally drawn from the levies. It is important to track these units as certain attacks can only be made if the army has units of the appropriate type.
Starting with the besieging army, followed by the castle garrison, both sides assign their units among the four castle walls. For simplicity it is suggested that these deployments remain unchanged throughout the siege, but some troupes may wish to redeploy ahead of each event. Any wall that is undefended by the garrison may, if the besieging army deploys men to that wall, provoke an undefended escalade (see Escalade, below).
Undermining
If the besieging army has at least one unit of miners, an attempt can be made to undermine the castle walls. A single wall is targeted in each undermining attempt.
Starting at a safe distance from the walls, the mine, supported by wooden posts, is dug towards the castle. Once beneath the walls the tunnel is filled with dry wood and kindling and then set alight. When the supports burn through the tunnel collapses, bringing a section of wall down with it.
Mine Attack Total: Intelligence + Profession Sapper + Stress Die
Castle Defense: Intelligence + Profession Sapper + Defense Bonus + Stress Die
If the castle has a moat treat the Defense Quality as one step higher for the purpose of determine the Defense Bonus. If the Mine Attack Total exceeds the Castle Defense, the mine attack is successful.
Story Seed: Construction
A powerful noble begins taking trees from a nearby magical forest to construct siege engines. If challenged, he agrees to stop, but at a price; he wants the magi to work their magic and breach the castle.
New Abilities
Profession Sapper
The planning and execution of tunneling operations to undermine castle walls is governed by the Ability Profession Sapper. It includes the siting of mines, the coordination of laborers, and the eventual firing of the tunnels. It also covers counter-mining activities, which are used to defend against the sapper's art. This Ability may not be used untrained, though characters with Profession Miner may conduct mining operations with three botch dice.
Specialities: specific types of wall. (General)
Profession Siege Engineer
The Ability Profession Siege Engineer describes the ability to design and construct siege engines, as well as the understanding of defensive engineering. Most siege engineers oversee construction rather than construct the devices themselves. Siege engineers are in high demand from wealthy clients needing defenses against siege, and from armies needing to breach those defenses.
Specialities: ballistae, mangonels, trebuchets, siege towers, castle walls. (Academic)
Siege Weapon
The Siege Weapon ability governs the operation of siege weapons, either individually for small engines, or as the leader of a crew for larger engines.
Specialities: ballistae, mangonels, trebuchets. (Martial)
A successful mine attack reduces the castle's Defense Quality by one step. A botched defense roll reduces the Defense Quality an additional step while a botched attack kills the sapper's unit (or requires a rescue story event to save them).
Storyguides may wish to develop these events further. It is common for the castle to counter-mine the enemy miners and collapse the tunnels themselves, before their enemies have chance to affect the castle walls. And on occasion, miners from both sides end up fighting for control over tunnels.
Artillery
Artillery can be employed against the castle walls if the besieging army includes at least one mangonel or trebuchet. These attacks are based on the damaged goods rules found in City & Guild, page 77. Siege engines attack in groups of up to five engines and a successful hit inflicts a number of damage levels equal to the size of the group. Each group makes a single attack roll during each artillery event. Multiple walls may be targeted in a given artillery event, provided the attacking force has enough engines to do so.
Artillery Attack: Intelligence + Siege Weapon Ability + Engine Attack Bonus + Stress Die
Castle Defense: Intelligence + Profession Siege Engineer + Defense Bonus + Stress Die
An attack is successful if the Artillery Attack exceeds the Castle Defense.
When a wall has been reduced to zero damage levels, the castle no longer benefits from its Defense Bonus at that wall.
Escalade
The most direct way of assaulting a castle is the escalade, in which the attacking army scales the castle walls using wooden towers, ladders, and ropes.
The besieging commander may either use an escalade to probe for weaknesses and thin the garrison, in which case a single battlefield event is played out in the current check interval. Alternatively, the attacker can attempt to take the castle in one battle, in which case the standard battle rules apply using the castle walls as a backdrop.
In the case of an event where the attacker simply tries to win the castle in a single battle, the defending garrison gains some advantages. The garrison characteristic's Weight of Numbers modifier is used in place of a Weight of Numbers modifier based on the defending side's quantity of units, and the castle's Defense Bonus is used in place of Territorial Advantage. In some cases, it is advisable for the attacking army to break down the defenses with undermining and artillery before attempting such an assault.
The battlefield events rules presented earlier in this chapter should be used to determine the outcome of an escalade assault, with the following modifications:
- The escalade involves only those troops assigned to the nominated wall.
- Each victory by the attacking side reduces the castle's garrison characteristic by one step (beginning with the next siege event).
- The attacking army must use a tower or ladders to scale any standing walls.
- Baggage troops cannot be targeted by the attacking army.
If the attacking army wins a battle against a shoddy wall they breach the castle, which then becomes the backdrop for a standard battle using the battle rules presented earlier in this chapter.
Option: External Defenses
Some castles have key defenses outside of their main structures that the attacking force must take before the castle itself can be assaulted. The Accursed Tower at the siege of Acre in 1191 is one such example. A separately purchased, additional minor castle can effectively be used to defend a larger partner. In these cases, the besieging army must first take the lesser defending structure before moving onto the main castle itself. Such features have their own Defense Bonus but rely on the larger castle's supplies and garrison.
Escalade Weapons and Defenses
Siege towers are built on wheeled bases that can be moved up against the castle walls. These allow troops to gain a foothold on the walls while protected from archers. A more direct route is to use ladders and ropes to scale the walls. This is much more dangerous but can be more quickly, and more troops advanced. A cat is a covered mobile shelter used to defend attacking troops from a castle garrison as they move into position at the base of the castle walls. Battering rams are treated as bludgeons. Using a ram against a castle door forces a stress check (see City & Guild, page 77) against the vanguard's Brawl attack total.
Incendiaries are used primarily by the defenders to dissuade attackers from scaling the walls. Boiling water, oil, and hot sand are all commonly used. Treat each of these as a bludgeon for the purposes of Initiative and Attack totals, but use the heat and corrosion table for damage (see ArM5, page 181). Of course, anything could conceivably be pitched over the walls in defense against an escalade, and troupes should feel free to explore their creativity.
Counterattack
As a response to any besieging action, or as an action during stockade, the garrison may send out troops to attack the enemy directly. These actions have a Battle Ease Factor of 9. Neither Territorial Advantage nor Weight of Numbers apply The sallying force must leave the castle, reach their target, and return to the safety of the walls. The intention is to attack and eliminate certain troops (visible mining operations, siege artillery, etc ) A successful event removes those units from the enemy armty. The besieging baggage units are normally defended and so may not be targeted.
The garrison may also use any siege engines it has to target the attacker's siege engines. Engines are targeted individually. Each hit forces a damage check against the attack total with damage levels lost according to the size of the attacking group. If not using the damage rules from City & Guild, assume that a single hit from a mangonel or trebuchet is enough to destroy a siege engine.
Example Siege Events
Scale the ladders
Event Bonus +7
Man: Run the Gauntlet, Size: Overwhelmed, Enemy: Standard
The character must scale the ladders while the defenders assault him with archery and boiling oil The character is third on the ladder, gaining partial cover from the two soldiers ahead of him It takes three rounds to reach the top of the ladder, each of which requires a Dexterity + Climb stress roll against Ease Factor 6 Once at the top, the character must stand his ground against a combat group of standard troops for two more rounds while the rest of his men arrive.
(+2 Run the Gauntlet, +3 Overwhelmed, +2 Standard)
(+2 Run the Gauntlet, +3 Overwhelmed, +2 Standard)
open the gates
Event Bonus +8
Man: Run the Gauntlet, Size: I Stand Alone, Enemy: Expensive
Inside the castle (such as in the wake of the Scale the Ladders event described previously), the character spots a group of defenders shoring up the gates, which are under pressure from the attacking force on the outside. The character must tip boiling water onto them before the men-at-arms defending them scale the stairs and attack the character. Tipping the water takes a Strength + Athletics stress roll against Ease Factor 9. There are three botch dice. On a botch the character douses himself with the boiling water. The attacking force will arrive in three rounds. If the defenders are scattered by then, the attackers will be able to breach the gate.
(+2 Run the Gauntlet, +4 I Stand Alone, +2 Expensive)
Take the Marshal
Event Bonus +9
Man: Take, Size: Overwhelmed, Enemy: Special
The knight marshal controlling the castle rides at the head of three groups of knights attempting to charge down the character and his group. The character must bring the marshal down and either kill him or force his surrender To complicate matters, the character's escape route is blocked.
(+3 Take, +3 Overwhelmed, +3 Special)
Aftermath
With the castle taken and the siege over, the castle's new masters decide on its fate. The behavior of the victor is something to be roleplayed, but castles and cities generally suffer more the longer they hold out. Those responsible for holding out against the siege risk being taken and killed. Other men of value are likely to be ransomed, either bring imprisoned locally or forced out of the castle as a hostage of the attacker. Civilians are likely to be robbed, and worse, by the victorious army. Unless they escape, the defending garrison is frequently hanged as an example to others.
Depending on its location, its importance, and the needs of the wider campaign, it is is usual for the attacking force to appoint a governor and leave behind a force in the castle to secure it.
Siege Magic
On finding themselves besieged by a determined Milanese force, the magi of Castro Selvaggio worked together to create a number of spells and rituals to help them outlast their attackers. The following laboratory texts survived the sacking of the castle. It is not known precisely how the castle fell, but suspicion quickly fell upon the covenant's Milanese rivals.
Conjuration of Bread
CrHe 35
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Group, Ritual
This ritual creates enough bread to support a moderately sized covenant for a season. The bread is a long-lived ciabatta which lasts if stored well. The ritual is enough to provide a +7 bonus to all Supply rolls made by a besieged castle in that season.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Group, +5 size)
Raise the Veronese Flag
CrIm 30
R: Voice, D: Sun, T: Group
This spell creates the illusion of ten Veronese men-at-arms manning the castle walls. Each soldier moves and speaks (though they seem to have Veronese accents, they form no intelligible words) but never strays from its post. Using this spell, the Veronese magi fooled the Milanese force into thinking that all of the castle walls were protected.
(Base 2, +2 Voice, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +2 movement and complexity)
Raise the Siege
ReMe 30
R: Arc, D: Sun, T: Ind
Given an arcane connection to the besieging commander, this spell suggests a pessimistic view of any siege assessment. The effect is not sudden, but rather, is reinforced through the day as the commander reviews the siege. On an Intelligence + Leadership simple roll against Ease Factor 12 the commander resists the suggestions made by the spell.
(Base 5, +4 Arc, +1 Sun)
Seal the Breach
CrTe 20
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind, Ritual
This ritual conjures a section of wall in a shape marked out during the casting of the spell. It is designed to knit together with adjoining sections of existing fortifications to repair already standing walls. The spell is enough to repair a single section of wall collapsed through mining or artillery assault (restoring up to five damage levels).
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 size, +1 finesse, ritual minimum level 20)
Attribution Based on the material for Ars Magica, ©1993-2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0"). Ars Magica Open License Logo ©2024 Trident, Inc. The Ars Magica Open License Logo, Ars Magica, and Mythic Europe are trademarks of Trident, Inc., and are used with permission. Order of Hermes, Tremere, Doissetep, and Grimgroth are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB and are used with permission.
Open License Markdown version by applejuice1965 & OriginalMadman, https://github.com/OriginalMadman/Ars-Magica-Open-License