armies and build points

[jimibones83]

I've never used mass combat rules but I'm running Wrath of the Righteous, so apparently its time I learn them.

The rules state that an army consumes BP equal to half its ACR weekly, but the army that Queen Galfrey hands over to the players doesn't have any BP listed in the statistic block. Furthermore, I haven't read how to replenish BP. What am I missing?

[Sarrah]

You have to figure out what the army size and type is, then calculate the average CR of the army, then refer to the chart to figure out their ACR. Once you have the ACR, you can figure out the BP.

[jimibones83]

The ACR is listed in that stat block as 3 so that's not a problem. The problem is that I don't know how to figure out how many BP the army has or how to gain additional BP

[jimibones83]

Is a unit of food equal to 1 BP? Because they have found food units and started with 50 of them. I just found it strange because under Consumption in Mass Combat it stated that an army uses half its ACR in build points per week, but I have no idea where to get these BP from

[Chemlak]

Wrath of the Righteous explicitly does not use the full Kingdom rules for armies. (In fact, it tries pretty hard to use the Downtime rules, instead.)

The food unit mechanic presented in the adventure completely replaces the consumption mechanic from Ultimate Campaign.

Not sure if you've read further, but in a later adventure, some NPCs effectively take on Leadership roles (and the PCs don't), so all the Kingdom stuff happens in the background (you could track it, I guess, but the adventure assumes GM handwaving).

In other words, don't concern yourself with army consumption: the adventure includes a mechanic to replace it, and it doesn't stay relevant for all that long.

[nobu_the_bard]

BP is a Kingdom mechanic, it's Build Points. You generally don't have to worry about it unless you're using the Kingdom building rules from Ultimate Campaign. In those rules it's mainly gaining from monthly Economy checks (tax collecting - it represents the spending power of the Kindgom).

Based on what Chemlak said I'd just disregard the maintenance cost and have some NPC nobles or whatever provide the support.

[Chemlak]

I wouldn't go quite that far:

WotR Spoiler:

At the start of part 2, the PCs are given command of an army of paladins by Queen Galfrey, with the aim of retaking the city of Drezen inside the Worldwound. For the duration of the period in which the PCs have this army (most of that part of the adventure), the rules in the adventure require the daily consumption of "food units" by the army. They start with enough to get them to Drezen with maybe a couple of delays, and take the city in a week or so. There are also opportunities (not many) to obtain more food units to replenish the army's supply.

This mechanic was created with two aims: applying time pressure on retaking Drezen, and as a means to have rules allowing you to maintain an army without using the full UCam Mass combat rules (which require you to either have a kingdom to pay consumption in BP, or hand-wave it, somehow).

So, for the period that the PCs are leading the charge of the Fifth Crusade (them plus NPCs plus the army of paladins), nobody else is paying for the army's upkeep. However as soon as the army's job is done (Drezen is freed, and Queen Galfrey nominates a new (NPC) ruler for the city), the PCs' responsibility ends, and they no longer need to worry about supplying the army.

[jimibones83]

Thanx Chemlak, that tells me I'm doing it the right way by just using food units for consumption. You'd think the AP would explain that to you instead of leave you scratching your head about where to get BP