Mass combat: do Fine-size armies not normally gain class abilities?

[Alzrius]

Under the mass combat rules, a Fine-size army is an army that consists of a single individual. Insofar as I recall, this plays by the same rules as any other sort of army in terms of statistics.

My question is, while I was reading over my copy of Rogue Genius Games' Ultimate Charisma (an excellent book, by the way), I noticed this Leadership Perk:

Quote:

Power of One (Army, Loner)

You are able to put your abilities to good use when facing off against numerous opponents alone.
Prerequisites: One-Man Army, character level 8th.
Benefit: While acting as a commander of a Fine army (an army consisting only of yourself), your army gains all army special abilities that share a name with any class features that you possess.
For example, if you are a paladin with the smite evil class feature, your Fine army gains the smite evil special ability.

This confused me, because the implication is that a Fine-size army doesn't normally gain army special abilities based on class features that character possesses. But reading over the text, I can't see where it says that. Did I overlook something, or is this perk granting a benefit that Fine-size armies should already receive?

[Alzrius]

So...no ideas about this?

[blahpers]

Sound like a mistake on the part of Rogue Genius Games. An army possesses any class ability that most of its units possess. Flagging for move to the 3pp forum; maybe they'll pop in and enlighten us.

[Chemlak]

Agreed that this needs to be in the Third Party subforum, but you’re correct with one exception.

Since an army normally can’t get special abilities a class gets above 5th level, this perk allows that rule to be broken, so (for example) a 20th level monk fine army will have significant defence (because of damage reduction) against everything not doing chaotic damage. That’s an extreme example, but it holds true for all class abilities gained above 5th level.

[Saethori]

...Except for the fact that the feat, as written, only grants army special abilities that share a name with one of your class features. As there is no army special ability named Perfect Self (or most of the other high-level-only abilities), taking this feat doesn't grant your army of you any more abilities than you would have had simply by being an army that is 100% monk.

[blahpers]

Chemlak wrote:

Agreed that this needs to be in the Third Party subforum, but you’re correct with one exception.

Since an army normally can’t get special abilities a class gets above 5th level, this perk allows that rule to be broken, so (for example) a 20th level monk fine army will have significant defence (because of damage reduction) against everything not doing chaotic damage. That’s an extreme example, but it holds true for all class abilities gained above 5th level.

You can get abilities above 5th level; it just doesn't bother listing them since it's unlikely you can find enough units with the ability to field such an army.