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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 / Building Skirmish Encounters

4. Add the Right Enemies

Source Battlecry! pg. 165
Now you have your encounter budget, but you need to pick the troops and other adversaries. The normal encounter-building guidelines still apply in a skirmish encounter! Most of the budget should be for troops and opposing leaders within 1 or 2 levels of the party. Of course, choosing enemies for a skirmish is about more than just the numbers. Consider the following factors in the structure of your battle to pick the best options.

Troop Variety

Source Battlecry! pg. 165
A skirmish encounter is large enough that some variety between troops is essential for keeping the encounter interesting. Try to include mostly melee-focused troops with a few ranged or spellcasting ones. You can include multiples of the same troop, and often should, just like how you might use multiples of the same individual monster. This lets the players learn how best to battle those specific enemies.

Leaders

Source Battlecry! pg. 166
A variety in leaders can be just as important as a variety of troops. Even two of the same troop can play differently if they have two different leaders or one has a leader and the other doesn’t. Usually, you’ll want to choose leaders out of the base XP budget before adjusting for troops. If you want to focus the narrative on one significant leader, spend much of your budget on one NPC who’s 2 levels higher than the PCs. If you want a more even battle, choose leaders of the PCs’ level or 1 lower.

Including troops with no leaders lets you bring the full set of skirmish rules into play. Troops who can be routed can simplify the battlefield quickly and make the PCs feel powerful. Usually, you’ll want at least one or two leaderless troops in a skirmish encounter.

Wild Cards

Source Battlecry! pg. 166
Despite all the focus on troops versus troops, non-troop monsters still work in skirmish encounters, so you might throw in a manticore, dragon, or other creature for more variety. They can add surprise tactics and shake up the expected style of the encounter, and they don’t have the same weaknesses to troops’ offensive abilities that other troops do. Creatures that can Fly, Burrow, or use other movement modes are especially useful. Individual humanoids, especially Medium or smaller creatures, are usually a poor addition to the encounter unless they’re leading a troop.