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Appendix 3: Warfare / War Encounters

Player Characters in Battles

Source Kingmaker Adventure Path pg. 577
In a war encounter, the focus is on a clash between opposing armies on the field of battle. These rules don't work particularly well when an army attacks a single target—such encounters are better played out with the PCs facing the threat themselves.

But what if the PCs want to fight with their soldiers on the field of battle? For the most part, a PC who fights in an army won't noticeably affect that army's stats. Having a famous (or infamous) founder of the kingdom fighting at your side in battle can bolster an army's mindset, though, so if a PC chooses to fight in this way, they grant a +1 status bonus to that army's Morale checks.

A better way to incorporate PCs in battles is to have them confront specific singular enemies on the field of battle while the armies themselves fight it out all around them. In such a case, play out the war encounter to its completion to determine the degree of success achieved (see Victory or Defeat), then play out the battle between the PCs and their foe(s). If the PCs win this battle, the result of the war encounter is improved one degree, but if the PCs lose their battle or the enemy escapes, the result of the war encounter is worsened one degree.