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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
Appendix 3: Warfare / War Encounters

The Battlefield

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 577
Armies can move across the battlefield to engage enemies, to retreat and regroup, and seek terrain advantages during their war actions, but their relative positions on the battlefield remain abstract throughout the encounter. What does matter is relative position between armies. During a war encounter, armies can be in one of the following three relative positions. Two of these positions—engaged and distant—are also conditions.

Near: When war encounters begin, the armies involved are normally considered near—close enough to advance and engage with a foe, but far enough to avoid direct conflict. An army cannot attempt melee Strikes against an enemy that is near—only ranged Strikes. Indicate an army is near by placing its token on the grid in any square not adjacent to another army.

Engaged: An army that is engaged can attempt melee Strikes against other armies it is engaged with. Indicate armies that are engaged with each other by placing their tokens adjacent to one another. An army can be engaged with up to four armies at once.

Distant: An army that attempts to disengage or retreat can move to a distant point on the battlefield. Attacks on a distant army are possible via ranged Strikes, but at a –5 penalty for the range. Indicate a distant army's position by placing its token or miniature on the table just off the edge of the grid. (Armies that manage to flee the battle entirely are taken off the table.)

Battlefield Terrain Features

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 578
While some battles take place in open terrain, some battlefields contain additional terrain features. Relatively common battlefield terrain features are detailed below; some of the scripted war encounters in the Adventure Path feature other, specific terrain features.

Darkness or Heavy Fog: All armies become concealed, and distant armies become undetected. Armies in these conditions take a –4 circumstance penalty on Scouting checks. Armies with darkvision ignore the terrain effects of darkness.

Difficult Terrain: A war encounter that takes place in rugged mountains, swampland, or dense forests are examples of difficult battlefield terrain. Armies take a –2 circumstance penalty on Maneuver checks in difficult terrain.

Dim Light, Light Fog, or Rain: Armies in these conditions gain a +1 circumstance bonus on Maneuver checks and take a –2 circumstance penalty on Scouting checks. Distant armies become concealed. Armies with low-light vision or darkvision ignore the terrain effects of dim light.

Wind: Ranged Strikes take a –1 circumstance penalty in strong wind, or a –2 circumstance penalty in windstorms. The penalty for a ranged Strike on a distant army is doubled to –10 (this penalty stacks with the standard penalty to ranged Strikes in wind).

Fortifications

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 578
Some battlefields include a fortification (such as a keep, castle, wall, or trench) that can house one or more armies. An army can't seek defense in a fortification once a battle begins; it must prepare itself and its defenses in advance during a Kingdom turn via the Garrison Army activity. Once an army is successfully garrisoned, it gains the fortified condition as long as it avoids using Maneuver war actions.

It's possible to destroy a fortification, but only with the use of siege armies. If a fortification is destroyed, all armies that were fortified within lose that condition and increase their shaken condition value by 1. Typical AC and HP values for fortifications against siege army attacks are listed below, along with how many armies each can contain.

Fortification Statistics

Fortification TypeACHPMax. Armies
Castle3086
Keep2554
Tower2021
Trench1511
Wall, stone2032
Wall, wooden1522