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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! / Skirmish Units

Shared Space and Movement

Source Battlecry! pg. 159
A leader and their troop combine into one unit as they battle together. Movement and space are abstracted a bit more than in a typical combat encounter to make the battle flow more smoothly.

Shared Space

Source Battlecry! pg. 159
A troop’s leader occupies every square of their troop’s space for the purpose of making attacks, determining range, and the like. A leader can attack a creature on one side of their troop, then attack on the far end. (Remember that a troop is only as tall as its component creatures, so determine vertical reach accordingly!) The leader has to choose which space they’re in each time they use an ability. For example, if a Medium leader uses an ability with a 5-foot emanation, they then need to choose one square to be in for that use of the ability.

A creature who makes use of an effect that can target only a single creature, such as a weapon Strike, chooses whether to attack the leader or the troop when they make the attack. The leader is in the reach, range, or area of the effect if any square of the troop is within an appropriate reach, range, or area.

Cover: A leader and troop use their full space for determining cover. Therefore, they don’t grant each other cover, nor do they block each other’s attacks when determining an enemy’s cover.

Flanking: Regardless of their positioning, a leader and their troop can’t flank with each other. However, if two allied troops are flanking an enemy (or a segment of an enemy troop), their leaders can benefit from this flanking.

Minions: If the leader has a minion, such as an animal companion or summoned creature, that minion typically occupies the troop’s space the same way the leader does. This can be dangerous for a weaker companion like a familiar, but the Troop Mascot skirmish bond can help.

Mounts: Sharing space with a mount or a troop works in a similar fashion, and you can ride a mount while sharing space with a troop. The mount’s movement is combined just like yours is, and it counts as being in any square of the troop’s space just like you do. You can use your mounted reach when attacking. You take the penalty to Reflex saves while mounted as normal, but you don’t gain lesser cover from your mount; this alteration falls under the cover rules for sharing space with a troop.

Combined Movement

Source Battlecry! pg. 159
Any move action a troop or leader takes moves the whole unit. For example, if the leader uses a Stride action, they move the troop. Use the acting creature’s Speed to determine how far the group moves. The GM determines whether the group can move together using a Speed they don’t both possess (such as if the leader has a fly Speed and the troop doesn’t).

Movement Limit: To prevent the combined unit from rocketing across the battlefield in the space of a single turn, the leader and troop combined can take no more than 3 actions worth of move actions and activities that include move actions in a turn. Any of these actions that include more than one move action or increase movement still apply, though. For instance, if an elf PC has the Elf Step feat, which lets them Step twice for 1 action, they can use it three times to let their troop Step a total of six times.

If an ability lets the troop and its leader move outside their turn, the unit can move only once. For example, if a commander tactic lets multiple squadmates Stride as a reaction, and the troop and leader are both squadmates, they can only collectively move one time. Only the leader or troop would need to spend a reaction, and the other could save their reaction for another purpose.