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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
Battlecry! / How to Have a War

What Do the Heroes Do?

Source Battlecry! pg. 201
All this theory is well and good, but what does it look like in practice? Below are lists of possible situations that player characters might find themselves in, subdivided by the protagonists’ place in the war. They’re numbered so you can roll them for inspiration, but remember to always give yourself time to adapt it to the situation and tone.

Although the tables are split, feel free to poach from other tables, with whatever adjustment seems appropriate. If the tactical-level problem is that the heroes are lost, then the operational-level problem is that some of the protagonists’ soldiers have gotten themselves lost. On the other hand, tactical heroes wouldn’t be asked to solve a strategic problem, hearing about it in rumors that underline the changing tides of war.

Similarly, the protagonists aren’t the only ones who run into difficulties. What on one side is a daring raid can be the other side’s cat and mouse game to hold off stealthy attackers.

Strategic

d10 Situation
1The enemy has begun to tame new beasts of war, whether flying or simply more dangerous animals.
2 You have news that your army is about to be pinched between two individually smaller forces. Can you reach them with news and reinforcements quickly enough to break the encirclement?
3 The river is an important natural boundary during this fight, but also the home of naiads and other aquatic fey. What can you offer to win their assistance?
4 The latest skirmish was a feint by the enemy command! But where's the real attack going to come from?
5 Stories are spreading of atrocities committed by your troops. Although they might be exaggerated for political effect, there's likely some kernel of truth.
6 The enemy general seems prepared for your every move. Is it luck, spies in your ranks, or some form of divination you must counteract?
7 If your spies are correct, an enemy dignitary is moving through the area incognito. This is an opportunity you won't get again.
8 An enemy soldier is spoken of in whispers, claiming that they're invincible. Can you put the lie to their claim before the morale of your forces is chipped away further?
9 An enemy soldier surrendered, claiming they wish to provide information. Even if their desire is genuine, can we be certain they were not deceived themselves?
10 The fighting, or locals tired of being caught in the middle of it, has awakened something moldering in an ancient barrow. Its power is beyond anything the soldiers on either side can handle.

Operational

d10 Situation
1Your mounts are deeply unhappy about something. You don't know why, and you don't have time to deal with this right now, but you might not have a choice.
2 Defending against raids is bad enough. Defending against raiders on hippogriffs, wyverns, or other flying creatures? Far worse
3 Turns out there's an old smuggler's tunnel near the front lines. The possibilities for sabotage are limitless, though there's the question of why the tunnel was abandoned in the first place.
4 The prisoner transfer could be a trap. Everyone expects it to be a trap. But it might provide your only opportunity to get your people back.
5 An old soothsayer claims that to fight tomorrow is to invite tragedy. Even if they have no special insight, their words are shaking the soldiers’ morale.
6 Soldiers keep disappearing in the night, but it's up to you to determine if they're deserters or being dragged off.
7 You have these lovingly prepared false documents to lead the enemy raiders into an ambush. Now how do you get it to them without them suspecting anything?
8 You don’t know what was in the water, but half the army is out of the fight. Someone needs to fool or stall the enemy until your troops are back in fighting shape.
9 The new engineer that the general hired knows his stuff, but the list of components he needs is positively morbid. What kind of siege engine needs corpse hair?
10 The wizards can turn the tide of battle, provided your forces can hold this place of power until the ritual is complete.

Tactical

d10 Situation
1Speed is of the essence when sneaking through enemy lines. You have minutes or even less to bypass the guards before there’s an unpleasant reckoning.
2It's a good plan. One unit keeps the guards busy, the other nips around and hits the supply depot. Hammer and anvil. Only problem is, you're the anvil.
3Enemies have taken a strategic location, like a high point or the ford in a river. You don't have any orders, but waiting for them will give the enemy time to dig in.
4Your maps can’t change quickly enough to reflect the tides of war or they’d tell you that where you’ve been traveling is now behind enemy lines.
5Everything is on fire and it's not your fault this time. It's literally raining fire down upon you. You need to find out how the enemy is doing this and stop them, fast.
6Whether because of a spy in your ranks or sheer bad luck, your group is at the forefront of an ambush.
7Most raiders can be stymied by a stout palisade. The spirits lurking in the dark beyond your campfires, unfortunately, are not most raiders.
8The general has commanded you to hold the line, but the unit closest to yours has already broken.
9The first ones over the fortification’s wall stand to win great glory and even wealth.
10The general has a cunning plan. It actually seems more likely to lead you into the jaws of death, but you’re asked to make it seem cunning or die trying.