Cortex System Mass Combat Rules
The Heart of the Matter…
The opposing forces of each army are broken down into specific types of units, which are typically, infantry, archers, and artillery. These units will range in size from 50 to 500 soldiers with the GM having final say. Each individual unit will have an abstracted value that represents the unit’s weapons, armor, training, and morale called a Unit Rating, while the sum of the individual units is called the End Strength. A commander leads each unit and can be either a PC or a NPC and the army also has a commander.
During the fight, the commanders roll an Opposed Roll of their
Intelligence + Perception / Strategy skills, as modified by Unit Rating and specific
strategic or tactical advantages. The results of the roll will resolve the
winner for that Combat Round and the difference becomes a running tally of an
ongoing Complex Action that will determine the victor of the battle and the
amount of casualties suffered by both sides. As an option for PCs, they can
roll against their individual Intelligence + Perception / Tactics skill find
out how each of them fared in the Combat Round as modified by the amount of Danger they expose themselves to.
Mass Combat Rounds
1. Establish the exact composition of each army based on
each unit’s type and Unit Rating
(
2. Each PC chooses the level of Danger they wish and rolls their Tactics.
3. Determine Commander’s Bonus based on strategic or tactical
advantages
4. Resolve results of Opposed Rolls with victor adding to
their Complex Action tally
5. PCs on the losing side will determine their Fate based
on the results of their own Tactics roll, level of Danger, and Commander’s
roll.
6. Assess casualties to each side and adjust ES for both
sides.
End Strength
An army is comprised of units, usually of different types
and capabilities to provide a balanced fighting force. The relative strengths
of each of these units will determine the army’s total strength or End Strength. The specific power of each
unit in an army is reflected by the Unit Rating of those formations.
Unit Rating (
Each type of unit has a basic rating and this rating is
modified by weaponry, experience, training, and morale. The result of multiplying
the basic rating by the modifiers and number of soldiers in the unit yields the
final
Unit Type and Equipment
Each formation has a designation: Infantry, Archer, or Artillery and based on their equipment can be light, medium, or heavy. A light unit has very limited armor beyond light shields and use slings, javelins, and short swords. Medium units wear reinforced leather armor with large shields and are armed with spears, swords, and axes. While their level of armor is the same, for a unit to be considered heavy, they have to be armed with pikes, swords, and axes.
Experience and
Training
The true strength of a unit is far more than numbers,
weapons, and armor. What turns a good unit into a great unit is the amount of
training they have with their weapons, how much experience in battle they have
had, and their level of esprit de corps. Soldiers that fight as individuals are
called Irregulars, while a group trained to fight as one are considered
regulars. There is an old adage that more you sweat in training, the less you
bleed in combat. Units have three levels of training: Green, Experienced, and
Veteran. These same ratings are used for their amount of actual combat
experience. Each of these modifiers affects the unit’s
Unit Rating Modifiers
Equipment
Light +3
Medium +4
Heavy +5
Irregulars -1/2
Ranged Weapons
Sling, javelin +1
Ordinary bow +2
Longbow, composite bow or crossbow +3
Pistol or other short firearms +3
Rifle or other long firearms +6
Small Ballistae +15
Large Ballistae, Small Siege Engines or Light Artillery
+25
Experience
Level Basic Rating Morale Check (Willpower
+ Morale
Rating
Modifier Discipline)
Green 1.0 d6 + d6 AVERAGE
(35)
Experienced 1.5 d8
+ d8 HARD (55)
Veteran 2.0 d10
+ d10 FORMIDABLE (75)
Training
Level Basic Rating Modifier
Green 0.5
Experienced 1.0
Veteran 1.5
Example: Lemurian Guards have a basic rating of UR3
with a +3 for light infantry, +2 for bows. They are Regular, Green troops, Experienced
with their weapons, yielding a final
Commanders
One of the most critical elements of a unit is the quality of the individual in command. If the unit knows their leader is good at what they do, they will be inspired and fight harder. For every two skill steps above d8 in Tactics of the commander, the unit gains a level in their Morale Rating, thus a Green unit with a commander with Tactics d12 would have their Morale Rating increase to HARD. However, an incompetent of inexperienced leader will drag even a veteran unit down. For each skill step below d8 in tactics, a unit’s Morale Rating drops a level. Example: a Veteran unit saddled with a raw lieutenant as a leader with only Perception d6, and thus no specialty in Tactics would reduce the unit’s Morale Rating to HARD.
Danger
The nature of melee combat is
deadly and surviving a fight so close to the enemy is largely a function of
skill and luck. How a PC fares from moment to moment is a large battle will
depend on the amount of Danger they
are will to endure. During each Combat Round, each PC in the fight must roll
their Fate, which is a test against Intelligence
+ Perception / Tactics. The normal risks that are part of close quarters
fighting do not affect this test. A PC taking extra precautions to reduce their
level of Danger will gain a one-step
bonus to their skill, whereas, a PC choosing to accept a High amount of Danger is a one-step penalty to skill
Fate
During each Combat Round, there
is a chance a PC may sustain some injury. Exactly how much injury a PC sustains
is based on the character’s fighting skills. Add the die rating in the PCs best
offensive skill (typically Melee Weapons Combat) and their best defensive skill
(usually Athletics / Dodge) to determine the PC’s Skirmish Rating by consulting
the following table.
|
Sum |
0 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
12 |
14 |
16 |
18 |
20 |
22 |
24 |
|
Skirmish
Rating |
0 |
0 |
d2 |
d2 |
d4 |
d4 |
d6 |
d6 |
d8 |
d8 |
d10 |
d10 |
d12 |
Each Combat Round, the PC must roll against a HARD Attribute (usually Agility) + Skirmish Rating test. How successful the character is in the roll determines if the PC sustains any damage. When the PC rolls for damage, they get their full armor rating and can use Plot Points or Things Go Smooth to reduce or re-roll damage. The amount of damage rolled is on the following table:
|
Fate Roll |
|
|
Result |
Injury |
|
Botch |
d12+d10
B |
|
Failure |
d12+d4
B |
|
Success |
d10
B |
|
Extraordinary Success |
d2
B |
Recognition
The benefit of accepting a
higher level of Danger in a fight is
that the PC has a chance to receive greater recognition for their bravery. Based
on the result of the Fate roll the character may get to make a second skill
test to impress their superiors. If the PC rolls a Success, they can roll their
best combat skill, if they Fail no roll is allowed, if they Botch, not only are
they not allowed a roll, that PC’s actions are clearly remembered by the leader
and results in a two-step penalty to all Influence based skills with that
leader
Fame Roll Result
Critical Success Gain
the Good Name (minor) Trait
Success Earn
a one-step bonus to all Influence based skills with
that leader
Failure Get
a one-step penalty to all Influence based skills with
that leader
Botch Receive
a two-step penalty to all Influence based skills with
that leader
Strategic Situation
Modifiers
During any given battle, certain circumstances, good and bad, influence the effectiveness of an army. Terrain, weather, the nature of the enemy are all factors that can help or hinder a fighting force. All the modifiers are cumulative and the first of these modifiers is overall End Strength. Divide the larger ES by the lower to determine the attack ratio and Tactics bonus to the commander of the larger force.
Attack Ratio Tactics
bonus
Even No bonus
1.5 to 1.9 Plus
one-step
2.0 to 2.9 Plus
two-steps
3.0 to 3.9 Plus
three-steps
4.0 to 4.9 Plus
four-steps
5.0 to 5.9 Plus
five-steps
6.0 to 6.9 Plus
six-steps
7.0 to 7.9 Plus
seven-steps
8.0 or more Plus
eight-steps
Defense
For a side that is on the defense, if any, they will receive modifiers to the commander’s Tactics skill based on the quality of the defenses.
Tactical Modifiers
Down slope Attack: Minus two-step penalty
Attacker has cover: Minus one-step penalty
Gradual up slope Attack: Plus one-step
Steep up slope Attack: Plus two-steps
Narrow approach Attacker (pass, ford, or bridge): Plus
two-steps to plus four-steps, based on how narrow is the passage.
Minor defensive works (abates, palisade, breastwork,
trenches, or dry moat): Plus three-steps
Major defensive works (unwalled city or fort): Plus
four-steps
Minor fortifications (walled city): Plus six-steps
Major fortifications (castle): Plus eight-steps
All defensive factors are additive. For instance, a walled city atop a gradual hill would count as plus five-steps.
Superiority
Most armies fight as part of a balanced force and if they are not balanced it puts them at a disadvantage. If one side has a large superiority in a specific unit type (Infantry, Archer, or Artillery) the commander of that force receives a plus one-step bonus to their Tactics skill for each type of superiority they possess. To receive this bonus, one side has to have at least twice as many as the other side. If one side is completely lacking in one of the unit types the advantage is considered to be five to one.
Commander’s Opposed
Roll
Once all modifiers to the two commander’s Tactics skills have been determined, the two sides roll to resolve the results of each Combat Round. The length of a Combat Round is deliberately vague with a timeframe of ten to thirty minutes as suits the GM. Whoever rolls higher wins that round and adds the difference between the results to that side’s Complex Action tally. How difference in how much the winner’s roll exceeds the loser’s roll also determines how the contestant’s forces are enduring the heat of battle.
Tactical Results
Battlefield
Exceeded by 0-2: Indecisive, battle continues unabated
Exceeded by 3-4:
Slight victory, battle continues
but winner gains an advantage over loser and a one-step bonus to Tactics skill
for next roll
Exceeded by 5-6: Minor
victory, battle continues but winner gains an advantage over loser and a two-step
bonus to Tactics skill for next roll
Exceeded by 7+: Major
victory, one side shaken and each unit of the losing side must succeed in an
AVERAGE Morale Check or withdraw in good order, if it fails the roll, it routs
Siege
Exceeded by 0-2: Indecisive,
defenders hold firmly even if they lost the roll.
Exceeded by 3-4:
Slight victory and if defenders won
the roll, they hold firm and gain a one-step bonus to Tactics skill for next
roll. If attacker wins, the defenders manages to hold, but the attacker gains a
one-step bonus to Tactics skill for next roll.
Exceeded by 5-6: Minor
victory and if defenders won the roll, they hold firm and gain a two-step bonus
to Tactics skill for next roll. If attacker wins, the defenders just barely
manages to hold, giving the attacker a two-step bonus to Tactics skill for next
roll.
Exceeded by 7+: Major
victory and if the defender won they will throw the attackers back unless more
than half its troops can make an AVERAGE Morale Check; if more than half fail,
every unit that fails withdraws. If attacker wins, the defenders they will hold
if more than half its troops can make an AVERAGE Morale Check; if more than
half fail, all the units that fail will yield position. If unable to fall back,
each unit will make a second AVERAGE Morale Check with a one-step bonus. The
units that succeed continue to fight, making a gallant last stand, those that
fail surrender.
Morale
As a battle progresses, the commanders add to their
Complex Action tally. When that tally reaches the Threshold number for a unit’s
Morale Rating that unit becomes demoralized and their fighting skills suffer as
a result. A demoralized unit loses ten percent of their
Modifiers to Morale
Fighting a hereditary enemy adds a level to the Morale Rating.
Defending home territory adds a level to the Morale Rating.
Defeating an enemy in the same year adds a level to the
Morale Rating, but losing to the enemy in the same year subtracts a level from
the Morale Rating.
Disorder
If enough goes wrong, an entire army
can become disordered by combat. If more than half the units of an army have
reached their Morale Rating threshold through the Complex Action tally
or if Complex Action tally ever reaches INCREDIBLE (115) that army becomes
Disordered. The results of Disorder are all remaining units withdraw, in good
order if they can succeed in a HARD Morale Check. Units that fail this roll or
have already reached their Morale Check level will rout, fleeing without thought
of anything but escape.
Casualties
During every Combat Round, each
side will sustain casualties. For each point of difference in the Opposed Roll,
the loser sustains d4% casualties, while the winner sustains 1% casualties per
point of difference. Units wearing heavier armor sustain fewer casualties with
Heavy units take 50% casualties, Medium 66%, and Light 75% with fractions
rounded up. Disordered units take triple casualties
Post
One quarter of all casualties
(rounded down) are killed and one quarter are permanently maimed. The rest are
wounded to a lesser extent with half recovering in 2d6 weeks and half in 2d6
months. Modern medical treatment can cut healing time in half, but there must
be one medic per ten wounded to get this advantage.
Artillery belongs to whoever
held the field. In an indecisive battle
where one side chooses to leave the field, half of lost artillery is recovered
while the rest are destroyed.
Additional Fate Roll
All PCs that were on the side
that lost the battle, make a second Fate
roll, using the highest Danger modifier
that PC used during the battle. If the PC’s side became Disordered, there is a
two-step penalty to skill for this roll.