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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

War Encounter Structure

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 578
A war encounter takes place over the course of several rounds, with each round representing an hour of battle. The battle continues until all armies on one side are defeated (reduced to 0 HP) or routed.

Step 1: Roll Initiative

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 578
Each army in the battle makes a Scouting check to determine its initiative. On the first round of a war encounter, armies are usually near. (Armies that have the Ambush tactic may be able to begin a war encounter engaged; armies that have the Opening Salvo tactic may be able to begin a war encounter distant.)

Step 2: Play a Round

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 578
Each army takes three war actions on its turn, chosen from Basic War Actions or from any other war actions the army may have access to.

Step 3: Check for Routs

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 578
At the end of the round, after every army has acted, there's a chance that armies might rout. An army whose HP is at or below its Rout Threshold must attempt a Morale check; the DC is equal to the highest Morale DC among the remaining enemy armies. On a critical success, that army no longer has to check for routs at this step for the remainder of the encounter (but it can still become routed from other effects). On a failure, the army increases the value of its shaken condition by 1. On a critical failure, the army becomes routed.

Step 4: Begin the Next Round

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 578
After checking for routs, the round is over and the next one begins.

Step 5: End the Encounter

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 578
Once all armies on a side are routed or destroyed, the encounter ends; see Victory or Defeat to determine the final results of the encounter.