Marshaling an Army

Readying an army for battle is a complex process that begins long before the troops arrive on the battlefield. If players wish to create their own army, gathering allies to the cause and deploying resources to assemble a fighting force, they should use the rules for marshaling an army in this section. The narrative process of fully assembling an army can be the subject of numerous sessions on its own, as the PCs undertake diplomatic missions to gather support from other lords, skirmish against enemies who oppose their plans, and roleplay the logistics of organizing and training a fighting force. However, a character can begin the process and assemble a baseline fighting force with a single check.

The Marshaling Check

To raise an army, a character must have access to their holdings and retainers (or community, for commoners), and must make a TN 3 Command check as a downtime activity. If the character succeeds, they form an army that consists of their retainers. The army’s maximum strength is set by the character’s status (see Table

3–1: Determining Army Strength), although a character can always choose to form a smaller army (to a minimum of 5) if they desire, as smaller armies are easier to maintain.

The army’s discipline is set by the character’s bonus successes and their honor (see Table 3–2: Determining Army Discipline).

A character can spend from the check to marshal their army in a number of ways described in Table 3–3: Spending Opportunity while Marshaling an Army (see page 111).

The check to marshal an army not only gathers the troops to the field, but also the support staff required and the supplies needed (food, gear, travel equipment) to keep them fighting for one month. At the start of each subsequent month, a character must make another check to keep their army functional and loyal (see Maintaining an Army on Campaign on page 115). Generally, a marshaling check can only be attempted once per month for a given set of holdings, though the GM may alter that restriction as the narrative dictates.

Table 3–1: Determining Army Strength

STATUS | MAXIMUM STRENGTH

100 | 150

90–99 | 120

80–89 | 100

70–79 | 80

60–69 | 65

50–59 | 60

40–49 | 55

30–39 | 35

24–29 | 20

20–24 | 15

0–19 | 5

Supplemental Forces

A character can expand their army once it has been marshaled in a number of ways, described in this section.

Raising Additional Forces

If a character gains access to substantial new resources or a new source of potential soldiers, the GM might allow them to make a new marshaling check, treating their status as increased by an appropriate amount for the check. For instance, if a character captures a rich city on campaign, they might be able to use the resources from that city to attempt to build an even bigger army for their next target. If the new check’s result would not create a preferable army, the character can choose to simply maintain their prior army.

Mercenary Forces

A character might get the chance to hire mercenaries while on campaign, should they encounter such individuals. Mercenaries must be paid a fixed amount each month when a character makes the check to maintain their army. See Table 3–4: Mercenary Forces for various types of mercenaries a character might be able to hire. If a mercenary force is operating as an army

Table 3–2: Determining Army Discipline

BONUS SUCCESSES | DISCIPLINE

4 or more | 60 + ranks in Government + glory rank

3 | 40 + ranks in Government + glory rank

2 | 25 + ranks in Government

1 | 15 + ranks in Government

0 | 10 + ranks in Government on its own, it uses the Base Army Stats; otherwise, apply its Modifiers to the army it is joining. If the force lists a rule, it applies to the entire army if it is operating independently, or to one cohort if it has joined another army.

Allied Forces

A character might be able to persuade another lord to commit resources to their cause. This should generally require an Intrigue or a number of significant roleplaying scenes, and a character might have to make significant offers to that lord, such as agreeing in advance to certain concessions of territory taken in battle, making pacts for favorable marriages, or promising to defeat the other lord’s enemies in addition to one’s own. If this effort is successful, an allied lord can offer an amount of support based on their status (see Table 3–5: Allied Forces), which are added to the character’s army. If an allied force is operating as an army on its own, it uses the Base Army Stats; otherwise, apply its Modifiers to the army it is joining. If the force lists one or more rules, each rule applies to the entire army if it is operating independently, or to one cohort if it has joined another army.

Parting of Ways

If a force splits from an army, divide the casualties and panic as evenly as possible between the splitting forces, with the larger forces receiving the additional casualties or panic if it cannot be divided evenly. If any force cannot function with the number of casualties or panic it receives, it disperses and its members split up.

Table 3–3: Spending Opportunity while Marshaling an Army

RESULT | EFFECT

Any + | Reduce the TN of your first army maintenance check (see page 115) by 1 per spent this way.

Earth | In addition to the army, you are given use of a fortification near your lands for the war effort. This fortification counts as an outpost (reduce attrition suffered by 2, difficulty value 6).

Earth | Increase the army’s discipline by 5.

Water +

In addition to the army, you raise 100 koku per spent this way. You must forfeit 10 honor to spend this money on anything but equipment upgrades (see page 114), mercenary forces (see page 110), or other expenses that the GM deems to benefit the army or the cause.

Water | The army gains one of the following equipment upgrades (see page 114): Baggage Train, Battlefield Medical Supplies.

Fire | For the first mass battle in which the army participates, reduce the TN of each of its leaders first Assault actions by 1 (to a minimum of 1).

Fire | Increase the army’s strength by 5.

Air | The army assembles without attracting the attention of any local powers not currently at war with you.

Air | One cohort gains one of the following doctrines (see page 112): Out of Nowhere, Sappers.

Void

The army assembles at a place of your choosing (that a large numbers of soldiers could plausibly reach) in up to one month in the future rather than assembling immediately at your current location.

Void | Increase the army’s strength and discipline by 3.

Table 3–4: Mercenary Forces

KOKU PER MONTH

BASE ARMY STATS | MODIFIERS | RULES

NAME

Ashigaru Veterans

Strength 20, Discipline 40

Strength +10, Discipline +5

Rank Formation (see page 280 of the core rulebook) | 200 koku

Foreign Sellswords

Strength 25, Discipline 25

Strength +15, Discipline –10

Elite Training: Infantry (see page 280 of the core rulebook) | 400 koku

Mantis Privateers

Strength 30, Discipline 30

Strength +20, Discipline –5

Strike as the Storm (see page 114) | 475 koku

Ujik Outriders

Strength 35, Discipline 30

Strength +25 Discipline –5

Thunderous Charge (see page 114) | 500 koku

Bandits | Strength 20, Discipline 20

Strength +10, Discipline –15

Out of Nowhere (see page 113) | 100 koku

Table 3–5: Allied Forces

STATUS | BASE ARMY STATS MODIFIERS | RULES

100 | Strength 150, Discipline 80

Strength +135, Discipline +20

Elite Training (one per cohort): Cavalry, Siege Specialists, Infantry, Archers, and Mystics (see page 280 of the core rulebook), Siege Defenders (see page 114)

90–99 | Strength 120, Discipline 75

Strength +95, Discipline +15

Elite Training (one per cohort): Cavalry, Siege Specialists, Infantry, Archers, and Mystics (see page 280 of the core rulebook), Siege Defenders (see page 114)

80–89 | Strength 100, Discipline 70

Strength +75, Discipline +10

Clan Doctrine (see page 113), Elite Training (one per cohort): Cavalry, Siege Specialists, Infantry, Archers, and Mystics (see page 280 of the core rulebook)

70–79 | Strength 80, Discipline 65

Strength +55, Discipline +5

Clan Doctrine (see page 113), Elite Training (one per cohort): Cavalry, Siege Specialists, Infantry, and Archers (see page 280 of the core rulebook)

60–69 | Strength 65, Discipline 60

Strength +35, Discipline +0

Clan Doctrine (see page 113), Elite Training (one per cohort): Cavalry, Infantry, and Archers (see p. 280 of the core rulebook)

50–59 | Strength 60, Discipline 50

Strength +30, Discipline +0

Clan Doctrine (see page 113), Rank Formation (see p. 280 of the core rulebook)

40–49 | Strength 55, Discipline 40

Strength +25, Discipline +0

Rank Formation (see page 280 of the core rulebook)

30–39 | Strength 35, Discipline 20

Strength +15, Discipline –5

Conscripted (see page 280 of the core rulebook)

24–29 | Strength 20, Discipline 15

Strength +10, Discipline –5

Conscripted (see page 280 of the core rulebook)

20–24 | Strength 15, Discipline 15

Strength +5, Discipline –5

Conscripted (see page 280 of the core rulebook)

0–19 | – | – | –