Post by Father on Nov 25, 2020 22:00:59 GMT 1
While a natural chokepoint, the Valley is too wide to offer any great defensive advantage, just narrow enough to allow one army to block the passage of the other, banners fly in the wind, marshals with their long white rods directs the men to form up the proper battlelines, some of them casting annoyed glances at groups of knights intent on charging their way to death or glory. Knights of Summer is uttered by both Fireball and Ironhand with equal contempt on each side of the field. The ground is firm and reasonably dry, with the occasional tufts of tall grasses that the sheep for some reason have ignored, one knight quips that won't be an issue since all of them must now have ended up in the bellies of one army or the other.
It is not the first time Lord Bracken has watched from the rear of his host and tried to assuage the strength of his host in comparison to the eternal enemies of his house, he would have much preferred the scales to be tilted more to his own advantage, with The Warrior's Seat taken, their retreat would be precarious, perhaps he should have forbidden Ser Otho to come to Highgarden, but would that even have worked? Bittersteel just had to dangle the presence of that Harroway knight to bring out the monster. With the previous Lord Blackwood, he might have been able to negotiate a settlement with to avoid a bloody battle that by the whims of faith could turn out to be catastrophe , but the young beardless boy taking his place would accept no such thing. Certainly not after the continued provocations orchestrated by Bittersteel. If he did not fall in this battle, he will surely face the Blackwoods again, that is how it is, but Lord Bracken wonders if he is being dragged into it for Bittersteel's personal grudges and ambitions of being named Hand of the King, even if the young man himself was thoroughly and utterly convinced in the righteousness of Blackfyre's cause that he would die for it like the most zelous martyr of the seven of legends.
On the other side of the field, standing in the front line against the urging of all his kin and senior knights, Lord Blackwood harbors no such doubts about his chances, "The seven will bring justice of the ones whose cause is righteous!" he declares, and surely they are not on the side of the blackguards who murdered his beloved and their unborn child! Or his honorable lord father. Bloodraven by his right hand is much more sanguine, his red eyes and ominous silence giving even his young cousin pause. On his left stands his fearsome uncle, returned from exile to wreak a just vengeance upon the dishonorable scum forming up to march against them. In the evening, he will have Ser Balon's head on a pike, and in a week, they will be preparing to secure the river fords to march upon Stone Hedge to have that of Otho, too. Perhaps even finally put an end to this feud for good. Such are the thoughts of a young man whose only prior experience in battle was to carry the Blackwood standard in the rearguard as his own father preferred to lead from behind, much like old Lord Bracken it seems. But surely, the men will be twice inspired by seeing their lord and commander standing where the fighting will be thickest, risking just as much as he asks of them to do?
Participation:
The following characters will feature in this part of the event, since only one PC is involved, it can all be resolved in the same thread. The NPC vs NPC tests will be done last so as to make heroes go in "blind" in terms of where their impact will make the greatest difference.
Blackwood:
Lord Blackwood (main command), Ser Brynden Rivers (center), Ser Davos Dayne (right), Ser Morgarth Blackwood (left).
Bracken:
Lord Bracken (main commmand), Ser Aegor Rivers (center), Lord Walgrave Oakheart (left), Ser Quentyn Ball (right).
Army Statistics
Each battle order (right, center, left) has the following statistics:
CD: 9
AR: 2
Attack: 4D
Damage/DoS: 3
Morale: 3D
Health: 300/319 on flanks, 400/426 in center, the Bracken host have increased health due to advantage gained across previous events.
Battlefield characteristics
-An "army" refers to one of the three parts of the full host.
-Blackwood troops gains +1 to all morale tests.
-All damage (after AR) is multiplied by 25.
-Each army acts as if they were single combatants, unless otherwise noted, though they may not take any movement once engaged.
-Unless fled, withdrawn or boon points are used to take other actions that round, an army will aim, then attack.
-On the first round, the default for Bracken armies is to move+attack, Blackwoods have taken the counterattack action on "round 0" and will then take their regular actions on round one after the Brackens. Brackens may charge, but that seems highly unlikely.
-Brackens take their actions first in a round, then Blackwood takes their actions. Morale is tested for both at the end of a round.
Army Conditions:
-Whenever the health of an army is reduced to 0 or below, it takes morale damage to restore health to above 0, a point of morale damage restores 75 health on the flanks and 100 health in the center.
-An army becomes tested once it has taken damage equal to half it's health, this has no immediate effects.
-An army becomes bloodied once it has taken a point of morale damage damage, this has no immediate effects.
-At the end of each turn, an army tests morale vs a TN of 3 per point of morale damage taken.
-On a failure, it takes an additional point of morale damage for which no health is restored.
-On a critical failure, the condition of the army worsens by one step and half the points of morale damage is removed (round up).
-Upon becoming disorganized, an army takes -3 CD.
-Unless pushed to fight on or successfully ordered to retreat, a routed army will break and flee.
-A routed army suffers an additional -2 CD.
-A routed army may be pushed to fight on with a TN 9 Warfare (Command) Test.
-A pushed army makes a morale test against the same TN, on a success it will fight as many phases as the highest DoS on the command or morale test.
-Each attempt to push an army increases the TN of further warfare tests with +3.
-Instead of making the start of round warfare tests,a commander may order his army to retreat, this is a warfare (Command) test with a TN of 3 per step it's condition has worsened from unscathed, on a success it's condition improves by one step as it withdraws in good order.
-On any single failure on a push/withdraw attempt, the army will break and flee or withdraw, on a critical failure it's condition will additionally worsen by one step.
-Because House Blackwood have taken Warrior's Seat, any Bracken army that ends the battle in the routed condition becomes annihilated.
Leaders of men.
-At the beginning of the battle, the main commanders makes the following tests assisted by the commander of their center:
-Cunning (Logic) TN 9
-Warfare (Command) TN 9
-Warfare (Tactics) TN 9
In each case, the TN is only applicable for triggering critical failure (which counts as +3 DoS to opposing commander).
-The lowest result between them on each test is treated as the TN for the other to score DoS against (Both get 0 DoS on a tie).
-Each DoS scored grants +10% Health to the armies of that side (Round up).
-At the beginning of each round, the commanders of each army make the following tests:
-Warfare (Command) TN 9
-Warfare (Tactics) TN 9
-Success on both tests: +2 DoS
-A Critical failure counts as -3 DoS and inflicts -1D on these tests for the next round.
-Each DoS grants a boon point.
Boon points can be spent to boost a test the army makes (only one of the below options per test):
1 point: +1
3 points: +1b
6 points: +1D
The default actions taken by an army in a round is aim+attack, by spending 2 boon points, the army may take some other combat action(s) that is legal given the average fighting man in the respective units involved (spearmen) and/or use cautious/aggressive techniques for one round.
-Some actions have little meaning in the context of a mass of individuals, thus things like disarm, maneuver, grapple and knockdown will have limited or no effect.
Hero Action:
-Heroes influence the battle through separate event mechanics.
-For each 25 damage inflicted on an army through hero actions, the morale tests triggered by hero actions are at +1 TN
-For each 25 damage prevented on an army through hero actions, the morale tests triggered by hero actions gains +1 (Each full +4 converts into +1D, any leftover full +2 converts into +1b)
-If the health of an army after the effects of sword and shield have been added up is negative, it must take morale damage as usual. If enough damage is prevented, it may instead remove a point of morale damage for every 75 health it also can remove.
-Any leftover boon points may be used to modify the morale tests.
-If an army takes additional damage because of hero actions, this forces a final morale test against a TN of 9+morale damage, on a critical failure, it's condition worsens by one step. There is no worse condition than annihilated.
-If an army gets reduced damage because of hero actions, it makes final morale test against a TN 9+morale damage, on a success, it's condition improves by one step, there is no consequence of critical failure. Condition cannot improve above tested.
-If an army both takes and gets reduced damage because of hero action, both morale tests are made against the total damage when all effects are tallied up, this could potentially give both attacking and shielding heroes rewards and recognition.
The whims of fate:
Each battle phase, roll 3d6, with special effects if the sum is any of the following numbers:
3-4: A Reacher Knight on your side charges without orders to a "glorious" death: The army takes 6*1d6 damage (ignoring AR).
5-6: Confusion in the ranks: The army's AR is reduced by 1 for the phase.
7-8 (knight on your side) or 13-14 (knight on their side): A knight is defeated, he tests chance TN 10
-On a success he fought heroically to his presumed death, inflicting 4*1d6 damage to the enemy and his side takes 2*1d6 damage (ignoring AR).
-On a simple failure he yielded honorably after fighting well, both sides takes 2*1d6 damage (ignoring AR).
-On a critical failure he was ignobly felled by some filthy peasant scum with a crossbow, his side takes 2*1d6 damage (ignoring AR).
15-16: A Reacher knight (Secondary Knight of Quality) wins glory by taking the sword heroic action against the opposing army.
17-18: A Riverlands knight (Secondary Warrior Knight) proves himself by taking the shield heroic action for your army.
Players are invited to come up with names and stories for what is happening, the effects remain the same, but the causes described above can be altered to fit any narrative which could have the same impact.
A touch of destiny:
A destiny point spent normally to affect one of your tests applies in same fashion to all subsequent non-chance tests which you make during this event.
A destiny point may alternatively be spent to gain the effects of a burnt destiny point on any single test you or your army makes or that of the opposing commander or army.
A destiny point spent to affect the tests of one's army applies in same fashion to all subsequent tests which it makes in the same phase.
Final resolution:
Local Effects:
-A number of VP (Victory Points) is won based on how well an army does, the base amount is multiplied by 3 for the flanks and 4 for the center.
-Victory against the other army: 5 VP
-Each step the condition of the opposing army was worsened: 3 VP
Global Effects:
-Aggregate total VP across all armies.
-If neither side gained more than 25% more VP than the other, the battle was inconclusive.
-If one side gained more than 25% more VP than the other, that side won, granting faction points as follows:
--The Lord of the victorious House: +3 Faction Points.
--Each special character (this includes PC's) participating for the winning side as hero or commander: +1 Faction Point.
--Each commander winning against their rival army: +1 additional faction point.
-If House Blackwood wins, their possession of Warrior's Seat worsens the condition of the Bracken armies by one step (to at most annihilated), increasing final VP accordingly.
-For each multiplicative 25% more VP the winning side gained more than the other side (So 1.25, 1.56, 1.95 etc), they gain +20% additional VP (This is 1.2, 1.4 etc).
-The final VP scored is added to the respective total for the campaign.
Rewards:
+2 Glory for appointment to command the flank.
+3 glory if defeating the rival army.
Doubled rewards if one's side wins the battle.
Consideration for qualities:
Inspiring: An army under your command gains +1b to morale tests.
Leader of Men: Once during the event, you may re-roll any one test made by you or your army and take the best result.
Nemesis (Walgrave Oakheart): If the army under Davos' command is defeated/withdraws in the battle and ends in the routed condition, a contingent of Lord Walgrave's retinue will carve their way to him for a special combat scene.
It is not the first time Lord Bracken has watched from the rear of his host and tried to assuage the strength of his host in comparison to the eternal enemies of his house, he would have much preferred the scales to be tilted more to his own advantage, with The Warrior's Seat taken, their retreat would be precarious, perhaps he should have forbidden Ser Otho to come to Highgarden, but would that even have worked? Bittersteel just had to dangle the presence of that Harroway knight to bring out the monster. With the previous Lord Blackwood, he might have been able to negotiate a settlement with to avoid a bloody battle that by the whims of faith could turn out to be catastrophe , but the young beardless boy taking his place would accept no such thing. Certainly not after the continued provocations orchestrated by Bittersteel. If he did not fall in this battle, he will surely face the Blackwoods again, that is how it is, but Lord Bracken wonders if he is being dragged into it for Bittersteel's personal grudges and ambitions of being named Hand of the King, even if the young man himself was thoroughly and utterly convinced in the righteousness of Blackfyre's cause that he would die for it like the most zelous martyr of the seven of legends.
On the other side of the field, standing in the front line against the urging of all his kin and senior knights, Lord Blackwood harbors no such doubts about his chances, "The seven will bring justice of the ones whose cause is righteous!" he declares, and surely they are not on the side of the blackguards who murdered his beloved and their unborn child! Or his honorable lord father. Bloodraven by his right hand is much more sanguine, his red eyes and ominous silence giving even his young cousin pause. On his left stands his fearsome uncle, returned from exile to wreak a just vengeance upon the dishonorable scum forming up to march against them. In the evening, he will have Ser Balon's head on a pike, and in a week, they will be preparing to secure the river fords to march upon Stone Hedge to have that of Otho, too. Perhaps even finally put an end to this feud for good. Such are the thoughts of a young man whose only prior experience in battle was to carry the Blackwood standard in the rearguard as his own father preferred to lead from behind, much like old Lord Bracken it seems. But surely, the men will be twice inspired by seeing their lord and commander standing where the fighting will be thickest, risking just as much as he asks of them to do?
Participation:
The following characters will feature in this part of the event, since only one PC is involved, it can all be resolved in the same thread. The NPC vs NPC tests will be done last so as to make heroes go in "blind" in terms of where their impact will make the greatest difference.
Blackwood:
Lord Blackwood (main command), Ser Brynden Rivers (center), Ser Davos Dayne (right), Ser Morgarth Blackwood (left).
Bracken:
Lord Bracken (main commmand), Ser Aegor Rivers (center), Lord Walgrave Oakheart (left), Ser Quentyn Ball (right).
Army Statistics
Each battle order (right, center, left) has the following statistics:
CD: 9
AR: 2
Attack: 4D
Damage/DoS: 3
Morale: 3D
Health: 300/319 on flanks, 400/426 in center, the Bracken host have increased health due to advantage gained across previous events.
Battlefield characteristics
-An "army" refers to one of the three parts of the full host.
-Blackwood troops gains +1 to all morale tests.
-All damage (after AR) is multiplied by 25.
-Each army acts as if they were single combatants, unless otherwise noted, though they may not take any movement once engaged.
-Unless fled, withdrawn or boon points are used to take other actions that round, an army will aim, then attack.
-On the first round, the default for Bracken armies is to move+attack, Blackwoods have taken the counterattack action on "round 0" and will then take their regular actions on round one after the Brackens. Brackens may charge, but that seems highly unlikely.
-Brackens take their actions first in a round, then Blackwood takes their actions. Morale is tested for both at the end of a round.
Army Conditions:
-Whenever the health of an army is reduced to 0 or below, it takes morale damage to restore health to above 0, a point of morale damage restores 75 health on the flanks and 100 health in the center.
-An army becomes tested once it has taken damage equal to half it's health, this has no immediate effects.
-An army becomes bloodied once it has taken a point of morale damage damage, this has no immediate effects.
-At the end of each turn, an army tests morale vs a TN of 3 per point of morale damage taken.
-On a failure, it takes an additional point of morale damage for which no health is restored.
-On a critical failure, the condition of the army worsens by one step and half the points of morale damage is removed (round up).
-Upon becoming disorganized, an army takes -3 CD.
-Unless pushed to fight on or successfully ordered to retreat, a routed army will break and flee.
-A routed army suffers an additional -2 CD.
-A routed army may be pushed to fight on with a TN 9 Warfare (Command) Test.
-A pushed army makes a morale test against the same TN, on a success it will fight as many phases as the highest DoS on the command or morale test.
-Each attempt to push an army increases the TN of further warfare tests with +3.
-Instead of making the start of round warfare tests,a commander may order his army to retreat, this is a warfare (Command) test with a TN of 3 per step it's condition has worsened from unscathed, on a success it's condition improves by one step as it withdraws in good order.
-On any single failure on a push/withdraw attempt, the army will break and flee or withdraw, on a critical failure it's condition will additionally worsen by one step.
-Because House Blackwood have taken Warrior's Seat, any Bracken army that ends the battle in the routed condition becomes annihilated.
Leaders of men.
-At the beginning of the battle, the main commanders makes the following tests assisted by the commander of their center:
-Cunning (Logic) TN 9
-Warfare (Command) TN 9
-Warfare (Tactics) TN 9
In each case, the TN is only applicable for triggering critical failure (which counts as +3 DoS to opposing commander).
-The lowest result between them on each test is treated as the TN for the other to score DoS against (Both get 0 DoS on a tie).
-Each DoS scored grants +10% Health to the armies of that side (Round up).
-At the beginning of each round, the commanders of each army make the following tests:
-Warfare (Command) TN 9
-Warfare (Tactics) TN 9
-Success on both tests: +2 DoS
-A Critical failure counts as -3 DoS and inflicts -1D on these tests for the next round.
-Each DoS grants a boon point.
Boon points can be spent to boost a test the army makes (only one of the below options per test):
1 point: +1
3 points: +1b
6 points: +1D
The default actions taken by an army in a round is aim+attack, by spending 2 boon points, the army may take some other combat action(s) that is legal given the average fighting man in the respective units involved (spearmen) and/or use cautious/aggressive techniques for one round.
-Some actions have little meaning in the context of a mass of individuals, thus things like disarm, maneuver, grapple and knockdown will have limited or no effect.
Hero Action:
-Heroes influence the battle through separate event mechanics.
-For each 25 damage inflicted on an army through hero actions, the morale tests triggered by hero actions are at +1 TN
-For each 25 damage prevented on an army through hero actions, the morale tests triggered by hero actions gains +1 (Each full +4 converts into +1D, any leftover full +2 converts into +1b)
-If the health of an army after the effects of sword and shield have been added up is negative, it must take morale damage as usual. If enough damage is prevented, it may instead remove a point of morale damage for every 75 health it also can remove.
-Any leftover boon points may be used to modify the morale tests.
-If an army takes additional damage because of hero actions, this forces a final morale test against a TN of 9+morale damage, on a critical failure, it's condition worsens by one step. There is no worse condition than annihilated.
-If an army gets reduced damage because of hero actions, it makes final morale test against a TN 9+morale damage, on a success, it's condition improves by one step, there is no consequence of critical failure. Condition cannot improve above tested.
-If an army both takes and gets reduced damage because of hero action, both morale tests are made against the total damage when all effects are tallied up, this could potentially give both attacking and shielding heroes rewards and recognition.
The whims of fate:
Each battle phase, roll 3d6, with special effects if the sum is any of the following numbers:
3-4: A Reacher Knight on your side charges without orders to a "glorious" death: The army takes 6*1d6 damage (ignoring AR).
5-6: Confusion in the ranks: The army's AR is reduced by 1 for the phase.
7-8 (knight on your side) or 13-14 (knight on their side): A knight is defeated, he tests chance TN 10
-On a success he fought heroically to his presumed death, inflicting 4*1d6 damage to the enemy and his side takes 2*1d6 damage (ignoring AR).
-On a simple failure he yielded honorably after fighting well, both sides takes 2*1d6 damage (ignoring AR).
-On a critical failure he was ignobly felled by some filthy peasant scum with a crossbow, his side takes 2*1d6 damage (ignoring AR).
15-16: A Reacher knight (Secondary Knight of Quality) wins glory by taking the sword heroic action against the opposing army.
17-18: A Riverlands knight (Secondary Warrior Knight) proves himself by taking the shield heroic action for your army.
Players are invited to come up with names and stories for what is happening, the effects remain the same, but the causes described above can be altered to fit any narrative which could have the same impact.
A touch of destiny:
A destiny point spent normally to affect one of your tests applies in same fashion to all subsequent non-chance tests which you make during this event.
A destiny point may alternatively be spent to gain the effects of a burnt destiny point on any single test you or your army makes or that of the opposing commander or army.
A destiny point spent to affect the tests of one's army applies in same fashion to all subsequent tests which it makes in the same phase.
Final resolution:
Local Effects:
-A number of VP (Victory Points) is won based on how well an army does, the base amount is multiplied by 3 for the flanks and 4 for the center.
-Victory against the other army: 5 VP
-Each step the condition of the opposing army was worsened: 3 VP
Global Effects:
-Aggregate total VP across all armies.
-If neither side gained more than 25% more VP than the other, the battle was inconclusive.
-If one side gained more than 25% more VP than the other, that side won, granting faction points as follows:
--The Lord of the victorious House: +3 Faction Points.
--Each special character (this includes PC's) participating for the winning side as hero or commander: +1 Faction Point.
--Each commander winning against their rival army: +1 additional faction point.
-If House Blackwood wins, their possession of Warrior's Seat worsens the condition of the Bracken armies by one step (to at most annihilated), increasing final VP accordingly.
-For each multiplicative 25% more VP the winning side gained more than the other side (So 1.25, 1.56, 1.95 etc), they gain +20% additional VP (This is 1.2, 1.4 etc).
-The final VP scored is added to the respective total for the campaign.
Rewards:
+2 Glory for appointment to command the flank.
+3 glory if defeating the rival army.
Doubled rewards if one's side wins the battle.
Consideration for qualities:
Inspiring: An army under your command gains +1b to morale tests.
Leader of Men: Once during the event, you may re-roll any one test made by you or your army and take the best result.
Nemesis (Walgrave Oakheart): If the army under Davos' command is defeated/withdraws in the battle and ends in the routed condition, a contingent of Lord Walgrave's retinue will carve their way to him for a special combat scene.
