Welcome, to the Advanced Roleplaying Military-Industry Establishment System, or A.R.M.I.E.S.
Also known as; What to Do When Your Campaign Setting Goes to War?
Introduction:
The Golarion campaign setting is, according to many, a mishmash of various cultures and civilizations living side-by-side. In my quest to modify sections of Golarion for my home game(s) to make things more…in tune with each other, I came to the off-topic realization that there is no information of NPC military units (when it comes to statistic blocks, national variants/ archetypes) for any nations, save few (Umbral Court Agent, Nirmathan Ranger, Hidden/Razmiran Priest, etc.).
Knowing that the average city guard is a CR1/2 level 1 Warrior, and referencing the excellent NPC Codex, I have (with the valued assistance of my players) designed A.R.M.I.E.S.
Designing this has filled a need I found when I was contemplating the following issue:
What would units Cheliax utilize in a theoretical war against Andoran? Diabolists, definitely. Hellknights, very likely—but what else? How would Andoran respond?
The system itself is quite simple, and it reinforces the existing mass-combat army rules with enough complexity and customization to make each country's military forces feel (if not simply become) distinct and original, while staying in the same time quite simplistic and easy to apply.
Summary:
1- In a nutshell, each nation has six attributes, Combat, Support, Spy, Magic, Transport, and Armament, which run parallel to character attributes (Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intellect, Wisdom and Charisma).
2- In each attribute, called an ARMIES attribute, is a line of three units, corresponding to three tiers. For the Combat Line, there are three Combat units, divided into one tier for each unit. This allows for three tiers of units divided on five attributes (as the final, Armament, does not possess units. More detail below).
3- Each nation starts with six points, and can distribute them as it wishes into the attributes. Each attribute has a maximum value of 3, and a minimum of 0, with 0 representing untrained, untalented soldiers, and 3 representing world-class corps of specialized training.
4- There exists modifiers to increase the allotment to attributes, depending on national power/stability/resources. The more the nation has, the more points it earns, and in turn, the better its overall army is.
5- Investing points upgrades the units in each line (save for armament, which gives overall bonuses), allowing for better representation of a ‘stronger’ nation.
In this system, each country has an A.R.M.I.E.S. sheet, spread as so:
A.R.M.I.E.S. Sheet
Nation Name: (?)
ARMIES Attributes:
Combat: 0/3
Support: 0/3
Spy: 0/3
Magic: 0/3
Transport: 0/3
Armament: 0/3
Starting Points: (?)
Modifiers:
Age
Resource
Stability
Blessing/Curse
Size
Morale
Military Point Investiture Table:
Military Attribute Investiture Table:
0 point: Tier 1 HD2, NPC class. Tier 2 HD4, NPC class. Tier 3 HD6, ½ NPC, ½ PC class.
1 point: Tier 1 HD3, NPC class. Tier 2 HD5, ½ NPC, ½ PC class. Tier 3 HD7, PC class.
2 points: Tier 1 HD4, ½ NPC, ½ PC class. Tier 2 HD6, PC class. Tier 3 HD8, PC class.
3 points: Tier 1 HD5, PC class. Tier 2 HD7 PC class. Tier 3 HD 9 PC class.
Example: The Combat line for a nation like Molthune would have tiers arranged as so.
1 point; Combat Line (Molthune)
Tier 1: Private, a CR 2, HD3 human warrior2/Expert1
Most common unit in this tier, and the average footman in the Molthunese armed forces.
Tier 2: Captain, a CR 4, HD5 human warrior2/bard (Skald) 3
These higher-ranking individuals can form unit blocks on their own, or lead lower ones.
Tier 3: Battle Commander, a CR 6, HD7 human fighter3/Bard (Skald) 3
Highest-ranking unit in the combat line. This unit is more valuable and rare than the above two, because of their specialized training.
With three points in Combat, the outlook looks like so:
3 point; Combat Line (Molthune):
Tier 1: Private, a CR 4, HD5 human Fighter (Tactician) 2/Bard (Skald)* 3.
Tier 2: Soldier, a CR 6, HD7 human Fighter (Tactician) 4/Bard (Skald) 3.
Tier 3: Commander, a CR 8, HD9 human Fighter (Tactician) 5/Bard (Skald) 4.
No Points: Without a point in Combat, it will be like so:
0 point; Combat Line (Molthune):
Tier 1: Private, a CR 1, HD2 human Warrior2/Expert1.
Tier 2: Soldier, a CR 3, HD4 human Warrior2/Expert 3.
Tier 3: Commander, a CR 5, HD6 human Warrior3/ Fighter (Tactician) 3.
System Terms:
Military: An all-compassing term to troop strength, intelligence gathering abilities, and support services directly or indirectly related to the art of war.
Starting Points: By default, each nation starts with 6 attribute points, to be distributed as one wishes to accurately reflect that nation’s potential military strength. Additional modifiers are detailed below.
A.R.M.I.E.S. Points (AP): Points that can be added to relevant Military Attributes to increase strength. See below for details.
Military Attributes: Each nation has six attributes, as any normal PC/NPC character. The six attributes are Combat, Support, Spy, Magic, Transport, and Armament. These attributes have a maximum of 3 each, starting with 0 each. More details below.
AP Modifiers: Modifiers come in positive and negative modifiers, as detailed below. Each of the below modifiers can add to the base AP points of (6), depending on the individual nation’s existing abilities.
Attribute Modifiers: Corresponding to the six military attributes are six national attributes that either positively or negatively influence existing AP. They are Age, Resources, Stability, Blessing/Curse, Size, and Morale.
A.R.M.I.E.S. Attributes:
1- Combat: Combat translates to boots-on-the-ground troops. Most units come in melee or range variants. A country with max points in Combat would be Molthune/Cheliax. An AP point in combat would increase the HD of all tiered units in that line by 1, and allow for further customization.
A nation with a higher Combat attribute enjoys better-trained soldiers, reflected with earlier access to PC classes (rather than NPC Warrior/Expert/Commoner) classes (refer to the table below), and an increased HD for every point invested.
Example: The Osirion Risen Guard is a good example of a Tier 3 Combat unit.
Adding a point to Combat follows the same rules for Military Attribute Investiture above. HD increase and earlier PC class access represents aptly how better this nation is at what it does.
2- Support: Support translates to siege/non-magical healing/ finance units. A country with max points in Support would be Druma/Five Kings.
A nation with a higher Support attribute enjoys well-supplied armies, financing, and good siege capabilities. Supply wagons to Summoning and Gating supplies and reinforcements goes under Support.
Example: The Druman Merchant can both finance and reinforce the army by summoning CR-appropriate mercenaries or paying a NPC-equivalent amount of money, or even negotiate a ceasefire or serve in a diplomatic crisis.
Adding a point to Support follows the same rules for Military Attribute Investiture above. HD increase and earlier PC class access represents aptly how better this nation is at what it does.
3- Spy: Spy translates to clandestine operations capabilities and general intelligence/counterintelligence and organizational discipline, with asymmetric warfare strength. A country with max Spy would be Galt/Nidal.
A nation with strong Spy would have better-than-average information about the numbers of its enemies and enemy leadership, their capabilities, secrets, and weaknesses. Units in Spy also double as capable assassination units, and can serve as undercover agents in various situations. They can instead be stationed in an area to detect other Spy units or give advance warning of enemy sighting.
Example: A thematic Spy unit would be the Shackles’ Scurvy Knave (Spy Tier 1), who press-gangs unwilling people to join his Pirate Lord’s (Air/Sea Tier3) ship.
Adding a point to Spy follows the same rules for Military Attribute Investiture above. HD increase and earlier PC class access represents aptly how better this nation is at what it does.
4- Magic: Magic translates to arcane/divine spellcasting abilities, with focus on powerful magical tradition and/or resources. Nex/Geb would be good examples of maxed Magic.
A nation with strong Magic would have good academies and solid educational tradition when it comes to the arcane/divine arts. A point in Magic is not type-exclusive. Having three ranks in Magic does not mean the nation is wholly focused on either the Arcane or Divine; the only restriction is the country’s actual tradition. Taldor’s 2 points in magic could represent solid Bardic tradition, and Mendev’s points could lean more towards the divine than the arcane (despite the Riftwarden presence).
Example: A thematic Magic unit for Varasia would be the Harrow Reader (Tier 2, Arcane).
Adding a point to Magic follows the same rules for Military Attribute Investiture above. HD increase and earlier PC class access represents aptly how better this nation is at what it does.
5- Transportation: Translates to earthbound, navel and aerial strength. Countries that are landlocked are prone to leaving little points in this. Higher points in Transportation allows better command of the lands, seas and skies. An example of maxed out nation would be the Shackles. Bigger, better ships/airships/roads reflects increased points in Transportation.
Example: The Nidalese Horse-master (Transport Tier1), who carries with him 3 CR 4 Advanced horses, so to replace ones lost in combat, replace fatigued ones tired from harrying, and to carry messages across the battlefield.
Adding a point to Magic follows the same rules for Military Attribute Investiture above. HD increase and earlier PC class access represents aptly how better this nation is at what it does.
6- Armament: Armament translates to outfitting and specialized training. Rich nations typically have more points in Armament. More points allows for military units to be potentially outfitted with PC-equivalent gear. This could also reflect better military leadership chains, as there are many items that can be chosen that provide army-wide bonuses.
As Armament has no associated units, this attribute acts like a ‘buffing’ attribute.
0 point: All weapons/tools used by soldiers are of average make.
1 point: All weapons and tools used by soldiers are Masterwork.
2 points: All NPCs to have WPL* equal to a PC ½ their HD.
3 points: All NPCs to have WPL* equal to a PC ¾ their HD.
* Or if using Kirthfinder, Numen.
Starting AP Modifiers:
As all nations start with 6 points, one could not accurately reflect the military majesty of Taldor at the height of the Age of Exploration, which covered most of Avistan. Nations would all have equal military power, which is simply not reflected on the ground, nor in history generally (as every system, though it has abstract concepts, tries to follow a system reflected in the real world).
So here is the question one must as of A.R.M.I.E.S., and of the Golarion campaign setting as a whole:
What makes the military (Combat Line) of Taldor or Cheliax better than Galt or Razmiran?
Clearly, better training, military discipline, resources and many other intertwining elements.
Seeing as all nations start with six points, it is entirely possible that Razmiran and Galt may have armies of equal strength to Taldor and Cheliax—if not for the starting modifiers.
Modifiers are simple, and they come in easy-to-apply categories.
Age: (Bonus/Penalty maxes at +1/-1). Counterpart: Combat
This represents how old the country is, and how ingrained and deep-rooted it is culturally, historically and ethnically. A new nation takes a penalty, while an ancient one enjoys a bonus of +1. Accepted age can range from 100 years (modern times), to 500 years (Golarion).
Example: Nations like Osirion and Nidal are ancient, with the latter going as far as 7,000 years, which allows them to enjoy a +1 Age bonus to their AP. Nations like Varasia are relatively new, and take a penalty instead.
1 point in Combat nullifies the 1 penalty to Age, representing a strong core for the new nation.
Resources: (Bonus/Penalty maxes at +2/-2). Counterpart: Support
This reflects access to precious resources such as fresh water, food, and/or metallic ore, and favorable terrain such as open seas, good farming lands, and/or forests. Each type of resource grants a +1 bonus, maxing at +3. Having average amounts of resources does not grant a bonus. Lacking resources inflicts a penalty to the nation’s starting points, maxing at -2 for being a blasted wasteland with shoddy-quality minerals, dry/cracked land, and no farming land.
Example: If a nation like Brevoy has access to a generous supply of fresh water (rivers and the Lake of Mists and Veils), good grasslands, and excellent-quality ore, they gain a +2 Resource bonus to AP.
Example 2: Numeria suffers from blasted lands and few water supplies (-2), but benefits from Starmetal (+1), and thus takes a -1 Resource penalty.
1 point in Support nullifies -1 penalty to Resources, so long as there is active trade.
Special: If having a penalty to Resources and no point in Armament, all weapons/armor used are [Broken] or [Fragile].
Stability: (Bonus/Penalty maxes at +1/-1). Counterpart: Spy
This reflects the nation’s core discipline, and susceptibility to infighting and civil war. A nation with many ethnic groups and a nationalist or racially-centric outlook suffers a penalty, and a homogenous culture (or one backed with strong enforced laws) enjoys a bonus.
Example: Rahadoum and Molthune both have a strong lawful outlook, and thus enjoy a +1 Stability bonus to AP.
1 point in Spy nullifies a -1 penalty to Stability, so long as the government is still able to perform regular duties. I.E. Galt does not negate its Stability penalty with points in Spy.
Blessings/Curses: (Bonus/Penalty maxes at +1/-1). Counterpart: Magic
This reflects the nation’s collective piety and/or divine favor. Countries that are deeply religious or have a patron deity enjoy a +1 Blessing bonus. A nation that is frowned upon by the gods takes a -1 Curse penalty to its AP.
Example: Rahadoum openly antitheist Laws of Man brought upon itself a series of plagues and droughts. Its lack of piety and reverence to any divine entity has earned it a -1 Curse penalty to its starting AP. Nidal, a theocratic nation of Zon-Kuthon enjoys the opposite, a +1 Blessing bonus to AP.
2 points in Magic nullifies a -1 penalty to Blessing/Curse. Despite the fact that the gods of Golarion are somewhat more subtle than their divine counterparts in other campaign settings, a divine curse is harder to negate.
Size: (Bonus/ Penalty maxes at +2/-2). Counterpart: Transport
Size reflects how big the nation is. Having a large nation could be detrimental, especially with bad communication (which is somewhat the case in Golarion, though it is negated somewhat by magic and flight. Settlements far from the motherland may inflict a penalty on Size, though the potential bonus from Resources may be worth it. A nation of average size (DM’s discretion) does not gain a size bonus, and large ones gain a +1. A good reference point to size is the below example.
Example: A nation as Taldor gains +1 size bonus to AP. Before the Even-Tongued Conquest, the Size bonus was +2. +2 Size modifiers are exceedingly rare, and can only be applied to huge nations. A nation with many far-flung and unconnected cities, such as Varasia, suffers a -1 Size penalty, which is negated by the Size bonus it previously earned.
1 point in Transport nullifies a -1 Size penalty from negative Size.
Morale: (Bonus/Penalty maxes at +1/-1). Counterpart: Armament
Morale represents the nation’s moral center and ideals they hold. As opposed to Stability, which is whether or not the government is stable, Morale represents if the people are happy.
Example: Andoran, with it being a beacon of freedom sandwiched between a despotic decedent oligarchy and a Hell-sworn absolute monarchy, has the unique position in all Avistan (if not Golarion) of being the Andoranian Dream. The citizens of Andoran are patriotic and loyal because the government is them, and their system of government is a righteous one. They enjoy a +1 Morale bonus to AP. In contrast, the Irrisen, with it being a land under the tyrannical Winter Witches and an eternal winter, has people living in fear, giving it a -1 Morale penalty to AP.
2 points in Armament nullifies a -1 Morale penalty. A nation can give heart to a broken people by distracting them from their fearful existence with training regiments and good outfitting.
ARMIES in Action:
With the core concepts explained, we can begin. I will emulate the Taldan A.R.M.I.E.S. sheet to put these concepts into practice.
Nation Name: (Taldor)
ARMIES Attributes:
Combat: 3/3
Support: 1/3
Spy: 3/3
Magic: 2/3
Transport: 2/3
Armament: 1/3
Starting Points: (6) (+6 Bonus Points) = 12.
+1: Age (Taldor is an ancient Regime; +1 Age bonus)
+2: Resources, (expansive farmlands, access to good minerals; +2 Resource Bonus.)
+1: Stability (Taldor has too many ethnicities and the northern regions are particularly susceptible to revolution and is quite decedent and corrupt, but it has a strong intelligence network and a strong military/civil tradition; +1 Stability, -1 Stability (Negated by Spy); +0 Stability.)
+1: Blessing/Curse (Taldor was the torch-carrier for many faiths, but has shunned Sarcenrae; +1 Blessing, -1 Curse (Negated by 2 Magic); +0)
+1: Size (Despite losing a lot of land after the Even-Tongued Conquest, Taldor remains one of the greatest superpowers of Golarion.)
+0: Morale (Taldor is just another decedent monarchy, and gains no particular morale bonuses).
In the end, Taldor has a powerful and world-class Combat (Taldan Footmen to Knights) and Spy line (Informant to Lionblades), average Support, above-average Magic (Traditionally Bardic), a powerful navy/air force, and its armament is averagely-equipped.
On the other side of the spectrum, there is Razmiran.
Nation Name: Razmiran
ARMIES Attributes:
Combat: 1/3
Support: 1/3
Spy: 2/3
Magic: 1/3
Transport: 1/3
Armament: 0/3
Starting Points: (6) + 0 Penalty = 6.
0: Age (Razmiran is a relatively new nation. It takes a -1 Age penalty to AP; 1 Point in Combat negates Age penalty.)
+1: Resources (With access to fresh water, forests and grasslands, it gains a +1 Resource Bonus to AP)
+0: Stability (With the clerical corruption from within Razmiran and the neighboring Galtan Revolution from without, it finds itself quite unstable; -1 Stability penalty. (Penalty negated by 2 points in Spy)
+0: Blessing/Curse (Not struck down by the gods for being a pretender, Razmiran stays uncursed).
+0: Size (Being one of the smaller nations, Razmiran takes a -1 Size penalty to AP. (1 point in Transport negates Size penalty, representing Faith Barges)
-1: Morale (Oppression always finds a way to hurt a nation. -1 Morale penalty to AP.)
Razmiran is a failed nation when it comes to military armament and general capabilities. Two points in Spy shows how it must focus inward to control its people, while it suffers heavily from morale, size and stability (though negated by points in Transport and Spy).
Nation construction tips.
The idea at hand is for each nation to not only have its statistics (which translates quite freely into existing Kingdom-building rules), but for it to have its special flavor as well. Since each nation has six attributes (Five if you count the unit-granting ones), and each attribute has three units associated with it, it means that each country has a military made of 15 units.
Country-Specific Suggestions for A.R.M.I.E.S. Lines: Combat Line (Realm of the Mammoth Lords): Tribesman Hunter (Tier 1); Giant Slaver (Tier 2); Mammoth Rider (Tier 3).
Barbarian/Ranger
Support Line (Druma): Initiate of Kalistrade (Tier 1); Fair Merchant (Tier 2); Resplendent Bureaucrat (Tier 3).
Bard/Beguiler Bloodline
Spy Line (River Kingdoms): Brutal Rake (Tier 1); Guild Poisoner (Tier 2); Dagger Master (Tier 3)
Rogue / Alchemist
Magic Line (Geb): Necromancer (Tier 1); Tainted Puppeteer (Tier 2); Blood Lord (Tier 3)
Necromancer / Undead Bloodline
Transport* (Shackles): Stowaway/Dhow (Tier 1); Double-Privateer/Galley (Tier 2); Pirate Lord/Galleon (Tier 3)
*CR-Appropriate vehicles for each tier.
Rogue/Fighter
Please post your suggestions towards improving this system.
I will submit variants/additions in the following posts.
For additional complexity (which we roleplayers seem to seek in every system), there are a few variants I have devised.
System Variants:
Warfare Process Variant:
When representing the process of warfare, AP points go up or down depending on the circumstances. Though Cheliax may have an Armament Score of 2/3 in a theoretical war against the Shackles, isolated bands cut off from supplies (or in a quagmire-like warzone) act as if they had a lower Armament Score. Magic units denied supplies, reagents, spellbooks, holy symbols could lose a point in the middle of a mission (this, and more, are to a GM’s discretion).
Varasian (Karvosa) Combat Line units in the far north-east can suffer a point in their Combat Score if they are trained in militia camps, and not properly trained in a war college.
Banditry, Lawlessness, Terrorism, and Other Unscrupulous Things:
Banditry and lawlessness is not a passive force in the A.R.M.I.E.S. system. Rampant banditry and bad law enforcement take points out of AP, as illustrated before. However, since AP can go up and down with normal events, this makes countries particularly susceptible to acts of terrorism and sabotage. Spreading the plague in grain silos, the burning of crops and salting of fields, and impaling enemies on pikes/burning down a city in lockdown all damage attributes like Resource and Morale. Calling down a curse on Taldor when the Taldan army burns down a Qadaran Shrine could inflict a Curse penalty on the country (think the Seven Plagues of Egypt). This makes third party acts of terrorism a very valid tactic to provoke two countries to war.
This variant takes an active and flexible stance towards penalties/bonuses in various AP situations. Keep in mind, however, that not all seemingly-traumatizing events break a nation. Hitler’s bombing of London has in many ways hardened the British, just as Pearl Harbor hardened the Americans in WWII.
Colonial Variant:
Colonies work well into this system. Having enough Transport and Combat enables you to protect colonies, which in turn increase your Size and Resources scores, though at a possible detriment to Stability. With this variant, there is a clearer mechanical reason for Cheliax to want Stargava back; as it is fabulously wealthy.
In this variant, Resources could go above the +2 hard limit. A nation could only have +2 from the homeland, however, with a cumulative +1 for every solid colony. This in turn requires points in Transport and Stability the country may not afford, however. That is something Taldor learned; expanding too much leaves you open (see above).
Civil Unrest Variant:
When the Attribute Modifiers form a bonus of at least +1, the nation is stable. +5, and it is solid.
When it is 0, the nation is unstable, which could lead to economic and civil strife. At a negative, it is on its way to anarchy; independent movements and successions may begin to surface. When the penalty goes lower than -3, the nation is ripe for civil war/revolution.
In this variant, not only is the above optional course existent, but Morale and Stability have negative modifier caps of -3 each (from -1). Brutal public oppression and callous disregard for life and possession, as well as ignorant and foolish state decrees and laws bring Stability and Morale down faster than you could say ‘What happened to Galt, dad?’
On the other side, public displays of lawfulness and righteousness could set a nation straight, which opens the need for good PR.
Cults/Organizations/Guilds:
One other benefit from this system is that it can be used for organizations, religions, and guilds in addition to nations, with proper modification.
With this variant, religions, civil organizations (Children of Westcrown, etc.), and Thieves’ Guilds can be designed.
These orders’ A.R.M.I.E.S. Sheets begin with 6 starting AP. It could go down or up considering fluff or logical necessity. Civil institutions and local guilds could start with a 3-point AP setting, while huge churches and the Pathfinder Society can start with the international average of 6.
Religion Name: Cult of the Dawnflower
ARMIES Attributes:
Combat: 2/3. Night Hunter, Dervishes, and Champions of the Sun
Support: 2/3. Street Preacher, Pamphlet Publisher, Dawn Summoner
Spy: 3/3. Agent of Forgiveness, Dawnflower Dissident, Blade of Dawn
Magic: 3/3. Cultist (Divine), Priest (Divine), Knight of Redemption (Paladin)
Transport: 1/3, Sailor/Dhow, Faithful Privateer/Faith Barge, Captain/Freedom Galley
Armament: 1/3
Starting Points: 6 + 6 = 12
+1 Age: The cult is one of the oldest religions and organizations in Golarion.
+2 Resource: With a patron nation and adherents far and wide, it gains Resources from donations/businesses belonging or owing the Church.
+0 Stability: With an internal schism, the Dawnflower cult is not as stable and single-minded as other religions. It suffers when the opposing churches must cooperate. With 3 points in Spy, it negates the penalty, but it is not exceptionally stable. End result +0.
+1 Blessing/Curse: Of course, this is for granted.
+1 Size: Expansive and everywhere, the Cult earns a +1 size bonus to AP. It is countered, however, by being banned in one of the greatest nations of Avistan: Taldor; -1. The +1 Transport allows it to be in more areas, and it cancels out the -1.
+1 Morale: Empowered with the Dawnflower's love and grace, there is nothing they believe can stop them.
1- This system aims to standardize existing national military levels. With some work (15 minutes) a nation could be built and given full flavor under these rules.
2- These rules make use of (or provide) additional stat blocks to be used in current or future campaigns. A nation with high Spy and Combat can and will use its Spy and Combat units in peacetime as well. Police/City guards, intelligence agents, militiamen and rebels can all use the nation’s approved units. In Nidal, for example, the first tier Spy unit is the Silent Enforcer, and the second is the Umbral Court Agent (low ranking). Having stat blocks like these consolidated could make for less looking up for reference.
3- This system works perfectly with mass combat rules, and allows for each nation to have its own flavor carried abroad in invasions/raids/conquests. Making the Cheliaxian Magic Line Tier 2 units be Diabolists is an existing national aspect already, and having a mass-combat block of these devious spellcasters is already campaign friendly.
4- This provides more fluff when it comes to national forces. Not all units in the Linnorm Kings nation are simply barbarians. Units like the defensive Housecarls (Combat Tier3), and the versatile Viking (Combat Tier 1) + Raider/Longship (Transport Tier 2) combination is a unique cultural military combination.
5- This system provides the GM/players with more information of the country, which allows for better backstory/campaign creation. If Galt, for example, has so little points in Transport, any project that adopts the creation or privatization of transportation can see nationwide use and governmental support. Of course, there is the issue with principled revolutionaries who may see this as a threat! Few details, and you have an adventure on your hands.
6- Provides more of an international reason to crack down on intercontinental banditry and thievery. Nations that suffer from poor Resources (Thruva) and needs trade to negate its Resource Penalty will pursue piracy and banditry actively, so to not deny itself its precious AP points (which it invests in Support and Transportation anyway).
7- We have for too long decided fate of the world in encounters within dank dungeons and high towers. Taking the focus away from the typical dungeon-crawling and into field combat may inspire the creation a new system that combines the two systems of both Mass and Tactical Combat*.
8- Having masses of weak enemies beginning to band together, with proper military command and tactics can provide a dangerous threat to even high-level characters. Since we previously established Golarion is not Faerun, there has to be some way for nations to cancel out exceptional heroes.
Sending several lightning-fast raids, sabotage, poison, and military feints/false retreats can is a way for many lower-level military units to exhaust any exceptionally high-level fighter or wizard, before making them more susceptible to assassinations or straight out to-the-death combat.
*I, personally, run Mass Combat rules in areas where PCs are unavailable, and run it on Tactical Combat when they are in the fray. Shifting between the systems is tiring, but that is what we have so far.
Closing Comments:
With so many variables, this system easily proves to be adjustable and flexible. It is internally consistent because keeping front-line common soldiers in the HD2-HD5 range, and commanders in the HD7-HD9 range is already a standard in (most) existing modules. Though this concept has not been fully explored, this may prove to be a decent house-system when determining a nation’s existing power.
General Entry:
Military commanders can are generated by having a higher-tiered unit leading a lower-tiered unit, as having a Commander (Combat Tier 2) lead a platoon of Soldiers (Combat Tier 1). Following the principles of the Circles of Iomedae, a gathering of Commanders follow the leadership of a single General (Combat Tier 3). Of course, under principles of Mass Combat, that does not change the overall ACR, though it can be useful once the action turns Tactical.[/spoiler]
I shall address two areas in this post:
1- Mass Combat Adaption
2- Updates to Core System
Mass Combat:
Mass Combat:
When unleashing your army unto the world under the system of mass combat, you may notice that the current Pathfinder Mass Combat system is quite an equalizer. When forming an army out of a stat block, many bonuses and PC-specific abilities are condensed, and some aspects of combat (like a bonus to Armament/equipment quality) gets watered down.
To be fair, the system provides accommodation to Resources, like Improved Magic Weapons/Armor, and Healing Potions, with a good chance on overall victory of if one has better training/arms.
Mass Combat and Spellcasting:
Under this variant, it may prove prudent to have all armies made of a single class/unit in a tier. Spellcasting provides a huge percentage to victory (which is understandable), which means it may have to follow a unified rule for army creation. See Chain of Command below.
Chain of Command:
As can be noticed above, I prefer smaller focused armies, rather than fields upon fields of troops. The reason is that it is easier to convert a specialized strike force (or a small army) for the PCs purposes rather than rule abstractly who wins or loses in a turn.
Approach A: Modern Armies as a Reference Point:
The base rule in Chain of Command is by having groups of units be ranked in multiplications of 8.
A Squad is of 8 Tier 1 units, commander by a Tier 1 unit.
A Platoon is of 3 Squads (24 units), commanded by 3 Tier 1 units, with a Tier 2 unit presiding over them*.
A Company is of 3 Platoons (79 units), commanded by a Tier 2 unit (total 80 units). *
A Battalion is of 3 Companies (240 units), commanded by 3 Tier 2 units, with a Tier 3 unit presiding over them.
A Division is of 3 Battalions, (720 units), commanded by a Tier 3 unit.
After this point, the chain of command goes higher, as every Corps is formed of 10 Divisions, etc.
A Corps is of 10 Divisions (7,200 units), commanded by a Tier 3 unit.
And a Field Army is formed of 10 Corps (72,000 units), commanded by 3 Tier 3 units.
Going any higher may prove to be taxing, but it follows the same principle, except that there may be a need for a Tier 4 unit in each Attribute Line, or it is enough to provide internal justification why some Tier 3 units have internal competence-based ranking to justify leaving the same units command a Theater**.
Note: It is true that real-life Generals do not preside directly over Battalions, but a Tier 3 unit is an elite unit, and is not just a General in the true sense of the word.
*I have rounded down the Platoon into 24 units, ignoring the Tier 2 unit, and the Company into 80, instead of 84 for the sake of convenience and staying uniform with the Armies Are Divisions of 8 Principle.
**When it comes to the rank of Field Marshal and Commander-in-Chief, it may be appropriate to provide civilization-specific ‘hero units’ for these high ranks.
Approach B: Pathfinder Mass Combat as a Reference Point (Preferred)
For Mass Combat purposes, I prefer to use the Platoon or Company as a standard unit, having several Small or Medium armies standing together in line rather than have a larger army hanging around. Not only are flanking bonuses possible and large columns upon columns of soldiers messy, but I prefer for this to be the standard, by breaking down existing armies into smaller units, recalculated according to the above Principle of 8.
Under this approach, the chain of command still exists, with the following rules instead:
Fine = Single, 1 unit (Tier 1).
Diminutive = Squad, 8 units (7 Tier 1, 1 Tier 2).
Tiny = Platoon, 24 units (21 Tier 1, 3 Tier 2).
Small = Company, 80 units (69 Tier 1, 10 Tier 2, 1 Tier 3); Approx. 3 Platoons, or 10 Squads.
Large = 3 Companies, 160 units (207 Tier 1, 30 Tier 2, 3 Tier 3).
Huge = 6 Companies, 480 units (414 Tier 1, 60 Tier 2, 6 Tier 3).
Gargantuan = 12 Companies, 960 units (828 Tier 1, 120 Tier 2, 12 Tier 3).
Colossal = 24 Companies, 1,920 units (1,656 Tier 1, 240 Tier 2, 24 Tier 3).
With this ranking, a Company is easy to divide into 3 Squads (8 units) for tactical combat with PCs should they want in on the action.
If the PCs do enter a Mass Combat battle, I prefer to have the units fighting them temporarily removed from battle, and count the army as if they lost the bonuses from that particular Platoon/Company, until the PCs so return. Mass Combat is not very PC friendly, as I previously established. Not only is it incompatible with many PC abilities, but the time and movement scale is also askew.
With smaller armies, it is easier to have several Companies act like PCs, when it comes to flanking, movement, and backing one other up.
Army Actions
I would suggest that armies act like characters do, and have a mix of Standard, Move, and Swift actions, following an initiative roll. Being able to make Tactical-only actions previously reserved for PCs like Attacks of Opportunity (pursuit of a fleeing opponent), Full Withdrawal, and Flanking*, which clears up the room for more tactics in Mass Combat.
Alternatively, the core rules feature armies acting as Swarms, but that unduly penalizes range-based attackers.
*With Flanking, I adopt the Kirthfinder variant, in which an enemy subject to Aid Other counts as being flanked, and Aid Other being considered an Attack of Opportunity.
Mass Combat BP vs. Armament and Military Housing Buildings:
At first glance, there seems to be a conflict. Why use both, if they both fulfill the same purpose?
In a way, BP is a way to calculate Armament. Since the latter is a very abstract way to measure a nation’s overall economic and military strength, one could compare and contrast BP points with Armament Score. If a nation has a per-round amount of BP points, it can afford to increase its Armament Score, as seen below.
Military Housing Buildings
With regards to existing military buildings and recruitment, here is a simple base rule:
Barracks: A Barracks of average size can host a Platoon each, or Approx. 3 Squads.
Note: A city with no Platoon in the Barracks does not benefit mechanically from having a Barracks.
Castle: A Castle of average size can host a Company, or Approx. 3 Platoons, or 10 Squads.
Note: Like the Barracks, a Castle emptied of troops (for war purposes) does not provide a mechanical benefit to the city.
Garrison: A Garrison of average size can host 3 Companies, what is equal to a Large Army.
Note: As above, a Garrison emptied provides no mechanical or defensive benefits to a city bereft of troops.
Under this system, merging and re-merging of damaged Companies and dividing them up into Squads, and then Platoons to redistribute them among the Barracks is a small aspect of logistics management.
Keeping track of the number of national Squads or Platoons allows for easy redeployment of existing units.
Training:
With one Kingdoms turn, a Squad (8 Tier 1 unit of any line) can be trained with a successful Loyalty check from the relevant presiding authority over armies.
This new Squad is fully-trained as appropriate for the country, and is able to be stationed along with three others to form a Platoon, or to join up with a weak Company to complete its strength.
For every new Squad trained, treat it as a similarly-sized army; Squad is a Diminutive unit, requiring BP equal to its Consumption Score for training.
Strictly, a Squad, as a Diminutive unit has no Consumption Score. The ruling could be one of two:
Approach A:
The Squad’s training is free, but having any points in Armament provides them with upgraded equipment, hence +1 Consumption, as per normal Mass Combat Upgrade Rules.
Approach B:
When training, one can only train units with a Consumption Score, therefore one cannot train a Squad, and instead goes on directly to training a Company (10 Squads), which has a score of 1.
Long-term Variant[b]
One can alternatively, when given the choice whether or not to man more soldiers or intensify training, can spend one Kingdoms turn training their soldiers. If the Combat Score allows it, the new Squad of recruits jump onto the next category of strength (following the Military Expenditure Table).
A nation can only level up their soldiers up to the maximum bonus they have with regards to their relevant ARMIES Attribute.
Example: In its continuous efforts to reclaim the Nirmathi forests, Molthune spends a Kingdom turn recruiting new blood. After the turn is over, it has one green Squad. Although Molthune itself has a Combat Score of 3/3, the soldiers act as if they were 0/3. A turn in training ups them to 1/3, and so on.
Alternative: This could duly penalize the hurried training of races with very long lives, such as Kyonin and Five Kings.
[b]Kingdom Buildings and You
The training rules reward having multiple military buildings, so that several Squads may be generated at the same Kingdoms turn if the trainer has multiple training buildings.
Combat Line:
Watchtowers (Squad), Barracks (Platoon), and Garrisons (Companies) are the housing units for the soldiers, just like in the original rules. Support Line:
Shop (Squad), Trade Shop (Platoon), Black Market (Companies) are the housing units for soldiers in the Support Line.
Alternatively, since the Support Line also compasses Siege Units, one can theoretically utilize them for making armies. Having a Squad of Molthune Catapults or Arkenstar Cannons will free up the Army Resources branch of the current Pathfinder Mass Combat rules.
Rams (Squad), Catapults (Platoon), Cannons (Companies)
To tell the truth, no one can imagine a platoon of catapults mowing down the fields to break a city’s resistance. The gross number of units could be mixed in with other supply units (such as merchants, diplomats, or medics to form the ‘Support Platoon’.
Alternatively, siege units can be rolled into Armament, and kept as a Resource-purchase with other units.
Spy Line:
Jail (Squad), Bureau (Platoon), Guild Hall (Companies) are the housing units for soldiers in the Spy Line.
Magic Line:
Library (Squad), Academy (Platoon), and University (Company) are the housing units for soldiers in the Magic Line.
Alternatively, if the nation is more focused on divine magic:
Shrine (Squad), Temple (Platoon), and Cathedral (Company)
Transport Line:
Pier (Squad), Shipyard (Platoon), Waterfront (Company) are the housing units for the Transport Line.
Alternatively, if the nation is more focused on aerial potential:
Launch Pad (Squad), Airstrip (Platoon), and Military Airport (Company)
Armament Buildings:
Normally, Armament is represented by the equipment the army wields. There are yet appropriate buildings that could ease BP investiture in military efforts. If one wishes to move away from the abstract rules of Armament and standardize it more with the same format above, please consider a rate of BP per Month that is adequate for the soldiers to be equipped in the above-average sense. One way to go about it is this:
If all the units in an army possess an average Army Resource bonus of their Consumption Score*2, they are considered to have an Armament Score of 1/3. Consumption Score*3 equals 2/3, Consumption Score*5 equals 3/3. This requires heavy military investiture, of course.
This is a different document than other regular ones, but, it doesn't mean that some players want this.
You see, this is a complex system and there are some people who want complexity, but, There are not many campaigns that are going to greet this system with open arms. I like this system, don't get me wrong, but, I have this feeling that many players are just going to scroll around the posts, ignoring this.
My point is, that this system is good, REALLY good for hardcore players, and good players alike, but it seems I am in not in a position to judge the system, since I still don't have anything to contribute with, yet.
So, I am sorry for the long post, Arrius, but I have a way with complex complements, if you catch my drift :)
Training
With one Kingdoms turn, a Squad (8 Tier 1 unit of any line) can be trained with a successful Loyalty check from the relevant presiding authority over armies. Alternatively, if not using the Kingdoms System (as I), the relevant authority figure must succeed on a Diplomacy/ Intimidate check to call to arms (Base DC 15, can be modified ad hoc as appropriate for unpopular wars/low chances). Once per month can the call to arms be sounded (again, not counting Kingdoms turns), with the following rules to recruitment. One squad can be created per month, more if there are enough training grounds available.
Population
The maximum number of soldiers that can be trained from one settlement/city is equal to 8% of the total population, rounded down to the number of Squads. This number replenishes with new settlers/refugees/births, when the influx of able-bodied people can fill up the missing 8%. As a general rule, it requires a settlement one year to replenish 8% of its population, if depending solely on birth rates. It can require from half to one-third if new settlers or refugees join in military training programs.
Example
Vigil has a total population of 9,780 people. The total number of able-bodied soldiers is 8%, or 782 soldiers. With one turn (or Month) and three training buildings (Barracks, Training Ground, etc.), they can produce 3 Squads with a successful Loyalty (or Diplomacy/ Intimidate) check. Since 3 Squads amount to 24 soldiers, Vigil can spend its next turn (or month) doing the same process for recruitment, creating 24 soldiers each month until the 782 soldiers are all assimilated into the army.
Very cool, i was always interested in seeing new mass combat rules, i especially wanted to join in a mass combat thing after seeing the lord of the rings movies >:D
Btw really cool name for armies, i mean A.r.m.i.e.s
To have a special monster army with special abilities. You can have a hamlet, city, metropolis etc. filled with at least one creature type OTHER than humanoids and this idea promotes the concept of Geb's citizens and rulers. The soldiers can have the normal stat block of the creature but with a few exceptions:
1- It's Combat Rating can not go above the normal point/tier progression (example: Geb can have Skeleton trolls (which naturally belong to the combat attribute). They are normally Combat Rating 6, but because they belong to the combat attribute, they have limits. lets say that Gib has
1 point in the Combat Line and it current tier is also one; thus the troll skeleton MUST follow the basics below:
Tier 1: Private (change to troll skeleton), a CR 2, HD3 undead warrior2/Expert1.
So, if you really want a troll skeleton to guard your kingdom, you must change the troll skeleton's stat block accordingly, which may take vast amounts of time.
And also, since trolls naturally have regeneration, we can simply keep the special ability but at a cost. and unfortunately, I still don't have the basics for the 'cost'. Suggestions would be of great assistance. How I imagine this, is like an Eidolin's point buy Evolution which utilities points to make the creature stronger in different respects.
TO DMs, they can add special classes or prestige classes to the skeletons for extra fluff or for specific powers, according to the monster's creature type (which is undead).
To have a special monster army with special abilities. You can have a hamlet, city, metropolis etc. filled with at least one creature type OTHER than humanoids and this idea promotes the concept of Geb's citizens and rulers. The soldiers can have the normal stat block of the creature but with a few exceptions:
1- It's Combat Rating can not go above the normal point/tier progression (example: Geb can have Skeleton trolls (which naturally belong to the combat attribute). They are normally Combat Rating 6, but because they belong to the combat attribute, they have limits. lets say that Gib has
1 point in the Combat Line and it current tier is also one; thus the troll skeleton MUST follow the basics below:
Tier 1: Private (change to troll skeleton), a CR 2, HD3 undead warrior2/Expert1.
So, if you really want a troll skeleton to guard your kingdom, you must change the troll skeleton's stat block accordingly, which may take vast amounts of time.
And also, since trolls naturally have regeneration, we can simply keep the special ability but at a cost. and unfortunately, I still don't have the basics for the 'cost'. Suggestions would be of great assistance. How I imagine this, is like an Eidolin's point buy Evolution which utilities points to make the creature stronger in different respects.
TO DMs, they can add special classes or prestige classes to the skeletons for extra fluff or for specific powers, according to the monster's creature type (which is undead).
I hope this helps with the process.
This can always be achieved by adding racial HD to reach the appropriate CR. The CR itself is the most critical aspect when it comes to adding new units; virtual increases to CR (as like with special items) can be waived if the Armament Score is high enough.
But you're pretty much on the spot; the only difficulty is lowering racial HD, especially for races without racial HD (I.E. Trolls). There are other ways of lowering CR, like adding the Young Template, which can also help.
Although the only army so far in my A.R.M.I.E.S. Golarion Sheet is Irrisen, who use Battle Trolls as the third in their Combat line.
This can always be achieved by adding racial HD to reach the appropriate CR. The CR itself is the most critical aspect when it comes to adding new units; virtual increases to CR (as like with special items) can be waived if the Armament Score is high enough.
But you're pretty much on the spot; the only difficulty is lowering racial HD, especially for races without racial HD (I.E. Trolls). There are other ways of lowering CR, like adding the Young Template, which can also help.
Although the only army so far in my A.R.M.I.E.S. Golarion Sheet is Irrisen, who use Battle Trolls as the third in their Combat line.
But it would not solve the main problem. You see, the reason that I brought the suggestion is that I wanted to have like an 'archetype' to the creature type of a given army for one reason... Special attacks, qualities and defenses; sort of like a Bodak's death gaze and vulnerability to sunlight. But perhaps I'm asking too much, to say the truth; since it will take an eternity to properly make a rule for each and single one of EVERY single monster in EVERY single monster manual. But, I digress.
for what it's worth. you have already used ability scores as an analogy, and established a base nation creation value at 6 points before modifiers.
looking at the heroic array, 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8, ability modifiers add up to +2 +2 +1 +1 +0 -1 = 5.
What not extend the analogy further and rate combat, support, spy, magic, transport, armament as 3-18 for ability scores, allowing nations to either take the heroic array, or, roll 4d6 for their base attributes?
(in which case other traits could affect the point buy?)
