Contents

Introduction
1
Getting stated 2
Rules
Figures
Tiebreaker rule
Troop statistics 3
Types of units
The stat line
Zero rated stats
Armour
Weapons
Mounted troops
Front, flank & rear
Command stands
Light troops
Forming units
Columns & lines
Setting up
6
Deployment
Light troops deployment
Number of turns
Terrain placement
Rivers & roads
Restricted terrain
Compulsory terrain
Terrain attributes
Turn order
9
Initiative phase
Magic phase
Charge phase
Move & fire phase
Combat phase
End turn phase
Initiative
11
Movement
12
Normal movement
Wheeling
Doubling
Retire
Reform
Charge
Evade
Rough going
Obstacles

Impassable terrain
Shooting
16
Line of sight
Firing arc
Hills & LOS
Range
Roll to hit
Roll to wound
Splitting fire
Defensive fire
Casualties
Moving & firing
Shooting at characters
Characters & SSU firing
Declaring targets
Casualties
20
Multi stand units
Characters & SSU
Unsteady effects & recovery
Close combat
21
Contacting the enemy
Flank & rear contact
Number of stands in melee
Support attacks
Fighting on two fronts
Initiative
Roll to hit
Combat to hit modifiers
Roll to wound
Applying damage
Winner & loser
Break tests
Multiple opponents
Change face after melee
T&L tests

28
Character T&L effects
Terror T&L
Warband T&L
Magic T&L
Modifying T&L
Traits & weapons 29
Single stand units
33
SSU movement
SSU firing

SSU combat
SSU T&L & break tests
SSU & unsteady
SSU & characters
SSU base size
SSU light troops
Light troops
34
Movement
Rough going & obstacles
Passage of lines
Stat line
Evade
Characters
Support
Deployment
Figures
War machines 35
Indirect fire
Range
Characters
36
Movement
Firing at
In combat
Break tests
T&L tests
Unaffected by characters
Flying & aquatic 39
Flying movement
Flying combat
Flying missile fire
Ground movement
Aquatic
Special movement evade
Battle magic
40
Mages in battle
Planes of magic
Mage levels
Mana
Spells
Casting the spell
Dispelling spells
Mages & armour
Magic items
Spell lists
43

Spell descriptions
Magic missile spells
Lasting spell effects
Aura spells
The heavens
The earth
The underworld
The battlefield 47
Terrain features
Impassable terrain
Arcane terrain
Victory & defeat 48
Army points value
Casualties caused
Battlefield control
Victory level
Scenario specific rules
Points system 50
Statistic cost
Armour & shield cost
Missile weapons cost
Traits & Abilities cost
Magic & mana cost
Designing army lists
Mounted troops
Army building
Troop categories
Troop statistics
Army lists
Fantasy worlds
Figure scales
Magic items
54
Banners
Weapons
Armour & shield
Scrolls
Potions
Staffs
Arcane items
Designing items
Points cost
Fast play sheet 56
Counters
58

52

Introduction
Legions of Battle are a set of Fantasy wargame rules designed
to allow you to fight epic battles between a vast array of
fantastic creatures and races.
While a lot of the examples are designed around a generic
background the rules themselves can be tailored to suit any
fantasy setting. The game system is designed to allow you to
create and field any troops that you like, limited only by your
imagination and figures available.
The basic game mechanics themselves are simple to pick up
and play, this allows special units, characters, abilities and
magic to be added without slowing the game down to a crawl.
Alternate activation phases within a turn means that players on
both sides are kept involved and the game is perfectly suited to
large battles with multiple players per side.
The basing system has been designed so that fantasy armies
used for other rule systems can be fielded without any need to
rebase figures.
Throughout the rules youll find lots of examples that help to
explain and clarify the game mechanics. These examples play
an important part in showing how the rules work and if you are
planning on fighting a battle but do not have time to read the
entire book skimming the examples would be handy.
The design concept pits units against each other rather than
individual figures and this is reflected in the mass battle feel
that the rules have. After all 100 Goblins fighting against 80
Dwarfs is hardly an epic battle so using individual figures
and skirmish game mechanics as the basis for a mass battle
system makes little sense.

Having said that what is a Fantasy Game without an Elric,

Gandalf or Conan? Characters such as Heroes or Legends,
Magicians and Monsters all have their part to play. Some are
powerful enough to take on entire enemy units themselves,
others controlling the battle, using their magical ability or
directing units into combat.
The unit design and points system given at the end of the rules
allow you to create pretty much anything you fancy. It remains
consistent throughout all races and units so there are no
official lists, no figure restrictions, no must have super units or
characters.
The rules have been designed to allow you to customise rules
and create your own fantasy settings by using Legions of Battle
as a starting point. The game mechanics and troop design
system are very flexible - how you use them is up to you!
Mark Sims
Stone 2011

Throughout the rules you will find additional information in

boxes such as this.
Designers notes tend to explain why a specific rule has
been written in a certain way, how it can impact the game
and what options there are for amendments or variants.
Examples can sometimes be added here to expand on
those given in the main text. Youll also find background
fluff that I felt like adding or just things that come to mind
as I write the rules.

Introduction to the playtest copy

Over the last 12 months the Legions of Battle rules have been through more versions than I care to think about. This final version
has not been playtested as much as I would like so I have decided to make it available as a free PDF rather than sell it and have
to release version 2 (or possibly even 8) before it worked properly.
There are almost certainly going to be some contradictions, typos and mistakes throughout these rules, please let me know when
you find some!
There is a Legions of Battle section on the Crusader Publishing forum and I hope to use that to cover the changes and additions
that are needed.
www.crusaderpublishing.com
Finally, while this rule set has been made available as a free
PDF the exclusive copyright remains with Mark Sims, please do
not reproduce or redistribute in any way.

THANKS!
Thank you to Ronnie and Josh
at Mantic Games who kindly
sent me all of the figure images
used in these rules.
www.manticgames.com

Mark Sims 2011

Geting Started
Rules
There are three levels to the Legions of Battle rules. The first
is the basic rules, these apply in the vast majority of cases and
you could play a quite satisfactory game using just this section.
The basic rules cover movement, combat, firing and morale.
For your first game it may be a good idea to play through a
simple game using only the basic rules. Characters, magic,
monsters, special skills and abilities can be added later.
The second part is the advanced rules which add more detail to
the units plus characters, traits, monsters, magic and so on.
The final section is for special rules that apply to certain
specific creatures, heroic abilities or magic items. These are
generally unique items or skills that apply to an individual.
They are mainly used in army generation when creating
specific units, creatures or characters and can often be found
as rules for magical items.
The advanced rules take precedence over the basic rules and
the special rules take precedence over the advanced rules.
As an example the basic rules state that a break test is carried
out when one side has lost close combat. This test is modified
by the difference in the combat resolution.
The Stubborn ability states that the losing unit always uses its
unmodified T&L value when the opponent attempts to see if it
is broken. As this is an advanced rule it supersedes the basic
one.
The Banner of Despair description states that a unit carrying
it will automatically break any enemy that loses to it in melee
with no roll required. This is a special ability and would take
precedence over the basic and advanced rules regarding break
tests.

Figures
As well as this set of rules youll need some figures to play
with. Because of the stand based game mechanics it does not
matter the scale of these but all of the examples in this book
use 28mm figure bases sizes as that is what I happen to own!
The rules suit 15mm very well and 40mm frontage stand sizes
are pretty standard for this scale of ancient and fantasy armies.
Individual figures will make up stands, these stands will make
up units and these units will make up armies. A points system
lets you fight balanced games and is used to calculate the
relative worth of one stand, character or unit compared to
another.
There are starting guidelines in the army creation chapter on
page 52. To create a complete army you can easily use these
rules to design your own units, races & armies.

When playing Legions of Battle you can only use official

figures from the Legions of Battle Miniature Range...........
just kidding.
There have been a huge amount of excellent figures
produced by lots of different manufacturers over the last
25 years. It really would be a shame if someone designed
a set of rules where you couldnt use them because they
were out of date!
The design and points system at the back of this book
should allow you to use pretty much any of the figures you
happen to own.

Tiebreaker Rule
At some point in the rules there will be contradictions within the
Basic, Advance and Special categories. With so many abilities
as well as the possibility of home grown additions, items and
skills this is pretty much unavoidable.
To cope with these situations there is the Tiebreaker rule. A
Roll of 1-3 and situation A applies, a roll of 4-6 and situation
B applies.
In fact you can pretty much use this rule for any awkward
situation that crops up in a game. Whether it is a rules that is
not covered, a contradiction or just something that you cant
quite remember but dont want to stop the game to look up.
Dont forget that the advanced rules take precedence over
the basic rules, special rules take precedence over both the
advanced and basic rules but common sense should take
precedence over all!
Lets face it, we have all been involved in games that have
stopped dead because two players cant agree whether a
+1 should apply or not.
Some of the rules are bound to clash, some really
awkward situations are not going to be covered or youre
just not going to be able to find the damned rule that you
know is here somewhere!.
The tiebreaker rule is there to keep the game moving,
there will be plenty of time to devise house rules after the
figures are back in their boxes.

Troop Statistics
Types of Units
There are three distinct types of units in Legions of Battle Characters, Multi Stand Units and Single Stand Units. Each
of these will have its own specific rules but on the whole they
follow the standard game rules given here.

50mm by 50mm stands

showing a formed stand, a light
stand and a cavalry stand.

40mm by 40mm
stands showing a
monster stand and a
formed stand.

Assorted character stands of

various types and base sizes.

If a unit has no missile attack then both of these values will be

left blank. Sometimes a stand will have Special as its missile
weapon description, this is most often the case with War
Machines.
Mt - Might, the value used to determine if an attack that hits
is able to cause damage to the target. From a low value of 1
to a high of 12. This might is the value used in hand to hand
attacks and using some thrown weapons. Missile weapons will
have their own Might depending on the type of weapon used.
Pr - Protection is used to stop wounds being inflicted on your
troops. Most often compared to the Might of an attacker.
Lowest value of 1 up to a high of 12.
Wd - The number of wounds that each stand has with a low
value of 1 to a high of 6.
TL - The Training & Leadership value of the unit, used for
formation changes, break tests and various other situations
throughout the rules. From a low of 1 to a high of 12.
Notes - This is a line below the stats that will list the weapons,
armour and traits that the stand has.

60mm by 80mm stands showing

Chariot, Giant and War Machine.

The Stat Line

Unit Name - The name of the unit and the number of stands
that make up the unit, either 1, 4 or 6 for units or C for
character.
Dwarf Warriors (4 or 6)

Points per stand ***

MV

Cs (A)

Ms (A)

Mt

Pr

Wd

TL

5 (3)

- (-)

Hand Weapon, Medium Armour, Shield, Steadfast

Points per stand - This is the value per stand with just the stats,
equipment and abilities listed without any of the upgrades.
Mv - Movement Value in inches. Where there are two numbers
the first refers to the usual ground movement, the second in
brackets to any special movement. Flying (F), Aquatic (A) or
Underground (U).
Cs (A) - Combat Skill from the worst value of 1 up to the best
value of 12. The number in brackets is the amount of attacks
that each stand has in close combat from 1 to 6.
Ms (A) - Missile skill is the starting number on a D6 required to
hit a target. From the worst value of 6+ to the best of 1+. The
number in brackets is the amount of missile attacks that each
stand may make, from 1 to 3.

Upgrades will show what increases or options may be taken for

this troop type and will also show any additional points cost per
stand.
The total points cost of the unit and the number of wounds it
has will be determined by the size of the unit and any upgrades
it may have.

Most of the stats have a high value of 6 or 12. This handily

translates into a 1D6 or 2D6 roll which can be used in
some of the advanced or special rules. You may be
asked to roll equal to or less than a specific stat in order to
pass a test or resist the effects of a spell for example.

Zero rated Stats

In some cases a unit may have a zero rated statistic. In the
case of missile skill and attacks it simply means that unit does
no have any available. With other statistics a zero rating can
mean various things.
Zero rated movement means that the unit may not be moved
though it may reform. Other than that it follows all of the usual
rules that apply to its other stats and abilities.
Zero rated attacks means that the unit may not make any close
combat attacks. It can still be attacked in the same manner as
usual.

Zero rated combat skill means that the unit may not make any
attacks in close combat and in addition it will automatically be
hit by any enemy that attacks it - no die roll is required.
Zero rated Might means that the stand has no chance to wound
the enemy in close combat though special attacks can cause
effects other than wounds.
Zero rated Protection means that any hit applied against the
unit will automatically cause a wound with no die roll required.
Wounds may not be zero rated - without any wounds at all
a stand would not exist! Even inanimate objects such as
buildings, doors or walls will have a number of wounds.
Training and Leadership may be zero rated. Any T&L roll will
always fail and any break test roll against this units T&L will
always succeed. A T&L of zero does not stop the unit using the
T&L of nearby characters as usual.

The statistics for all units and characters are presented

in the same format. The physical stats are shown as well
as any special abilities and upgrades that the unit may
take at the army design stage. Throughout the rules this
information is referred to as the stat line.

Armour
Armour can be added to increase the protection of various
troop types. Effectively troops are starting with a basic
toughness and adding armour to increase their protection.
A Troll is tougher than a Goblin and they will have different
starting Protection values but if you give either of them a shield
it will simply add +1 to their PR stat.
As an example a Norse Dwarf warrior with no armour or shield
has a basic protection of 5. If we add a shield and medium
armour his protection increases by 3 points to 8 and this is the
value that the unit would have on its stat line.
Supposing he was a Dwarf Huscarl instead, his basic
protection or toughness without armour would be a 6 rather
than 5, this would give a final PR of 9 in medium armour and
shield.

Weapons
Like armour, weapons are added to the basic statistics of
troops, some weapons will add special abilities to a stand,
others simply allow it to make an attack in close combat. All
weapons are detailed on the stat line but not all of them will
add any special rules or abilities.
For example a human ranger has a bow and sword as his
weapons. The bow will have a specific range and effectiveness
but the sword is just listed as a hand weapon that has no
specific rule associated with it.
Unlike armour the weapon details and effects are not added
directly to the stats of the stand. Instead it is up to the players
to keep track of the various weapons and the bonuses or
penalties that may apply. For example Great Weapons add +1
to the wound roll but this is not indicated on the stat line, rather
it is shown by the Great Weapons entry in the notes section.

Mounted Troops
The stats given are for the entire stand. If it is a single figure or
character then they are obviously for just that figure but when
there are multiple figures on a base the stats still apply to the
stand - not each figure on it.
When it comes to mounted troops the basic stats may be
altered to reflect the extra ability that being mounted gives to
troops. The stat line still shows the details for the entire stand,
not the rider and the mount separately.
Depending on the type of mount they may add to Might,
Protection, Attacks, Movement and even Combat Skill. More
details are given in the army list and points chapters.
The values for the mount are added at the design stage and
the unit stat line, as well as its points cost, will show the total
values for the riders and mounts combined.

Dwarf Tuskers (4)

**** Points per stand

MV

Cs (A)

Ms (A)

Mt

Pr

Wd

TL

6 (4)

- (-)

Hand Weapon, Lance, Medium Armour, Shield, Trample (1)

Shock (2), Mounted.

Front, Flank & Rear

Armour
Light
Medium
Heavy
Shield
Light Barding (Mount)
Heavy Barding (Mount)

PR Bonus
+1
+2
+3
+1
+1
+2

Each unit will have a front, flank and rear, this applies to multi
stand units, single stand units and characters. The facing
is important to determine a units charge arc, whether it is
attacked in flank or rear, who it may choose to shoot at and so
on.
Some traits or weapons may not apply bonuses to all the
facings of a unit. It is up to players to make sure that any trait
applies when a unit is contacted in the flank or rear.

Command Stands

Single stand units (SSU) are, not surprisingly given the name,
made up of just one stand. This could represent a single
Dragon, a war Machine and crew or a host of ghosts.

FRONT
FLank

Flank
Rear

Units will always count as having some sort of command stand

but the statistics for them are exactly the same as for the rest
of the stands. A command stand is generally placed in the front
centre of the unit.
In a game sense every unit is always assumed to have a
command stand included and they have no special rules
applied to them. They do look nice though.

Each multi stand unit starts the battle with 4 stands or 6

stands. A mass or horde of troops is simply represented
by having lots of units!
Each unit has a number of wounds and when that number is
equalled it is removed from the table. Throughout the battle
units will slowly become weaker as they lose casualties
until they become unsteady and then break and flee or are
destroyed entirely. Stands are not physically removed from the
unit as casualties are taken.
Characters act independently and are not formed into units.

Light Troops

Columns and Lines

Some units may be Light Troops and they can be represented

by different numbers of figures per stand or simply designated
as such at the army and unit design stage.

The 4 or 6 stands that make up a unit may either be deployed

wide or deep, for game purposes this is referred to as either
line or column.

It is up to players whether they want to base light troops

differently or whether to keep them the same as other formed
troops. So long as the opposing player is made aware of the
status of the unit the owner can simply use what they have
available.

A column allows a unit to occupy a smaller frontage and the

rear ranks can support those in front. It also takes up less
space and so it is possible to mass more than one column
onto a line. A line allows the maximum amount of stands to
fight or fire but can occupy a lot of space and be awkward to
manoeuvre.

Individual figures can be used to represent light troops and

these should be spaced so that they take up the corresponding
amount of space that the stands would take.

Sod that, Im not rebasing!

Well, luckily you dont have to. While the game mechanics
in Legions of Battle use multiple figure stands to calculate
firing, casualties, attacks and wounds the actual sizes
of these stands fit perfectly with other popular fantasy
systems already in use.
A 40mm by 40mm stand with 4 goblins on it has exactly
the same footprint as 4 goblins on 20mm by 20mm bases.
Many people already use movement trays for their games
with individually based figures and it is simply a matter of
using them for these rules too.

4 stands
in line.
6 stands in line.

4 stands
in column
6 stands
in column

Where light troops are represented you just need to space

the figures out. So.....
NO REBASING REQUIRED!

Forming Units
Each multi stand unit is made up of four or six stands. The
army lists and design chapters determine whether a unit can
be created with 4 or 6 stands. It is mostly left to the players
to decide but some certain units may be restricted. It is these
units that form the blocks that you control on the battlefield.

Setting up
Deployment
Unless a specific scenario states otherwise the basic
deployment rules for the game are as follows.
Both sides will set up the battlefield terrain according to the
rules later in this chapter and then roll randomly to see on
which side of the table they deploy.
Both players then roll randomly to determine who places the
first unit or character. They then place one unit or character
anywhere in its deployment zone. The other player then does
the same by deploying any one of his units or characters in his
deployment zone. The first player then deploys another unit
and or character so on until both sides have deployed all of
their troops.
Each character, multi stand or single stand unit counts as one
piece for placement purposes.
In all of these cases there must be enough space to fully
deploy the unit or character. You are not allowed to change
the position, facing or formation of something once it has been
deployed unless a specific rule or trait states otherwise.
Some troops may not have to be deployed on table because of
special traits or abilities, in this case the owning player states
that they do not have to be placed on table but this will count
as a unit deployment.

Light Troops Deployment

Light troops can be set up anywhere within your deployment
area regardless of how close this is to the edge of the table

3"

edges or middle. They must still be deployed more than 12

away from any enemy unit.

Number of Turns
Rather than having a set number of turns there is a chance that
the battle will end after a certain number of turns have passed.
This has the advantage of ensuring that neither side can know
exactly when things will come to an end and avoid last turn
tactics.
At the end of the sixth turn roll 1D6, if the score is one then
the game ends immediately, if not it carries on into the seventh
turn. At the end of the seventh turn roll a D6, if the score is one
to five the game ends, if not then it carries on into an eighth
turn. The game will end at the end of the eighth turn, there is
no die roll required.

Terrain Placement

3"

12"

3"

The table shown here is 6 feet wide by

4 deep. Apart from light troops both
sides must deploy over 12 away from
the central line that splits the table in
two. This means that all main body
troops from both sides start 24 or more
away from each other.
Except for light troops nobody may
be set up within 3 of the side or rear
edges of the table. There is nothing to
stop them entering these positions after
the game has started but edge hogging
should be avoided at deployment.

12"

Side B Deployment

Basically you dont just have to settle for lining your troops
up and charging at each other every time you play.

3"

Side A Deployment

There are obvious ways that you can change these

deployment rules. A few simple suggestions include
hidden deployment using a screen, sketch maps, cards or
random unit arrival. There are plenty of scenario ideas you
can use, from fantasy films or literature to historical battles
or campaigns.

3"

There are lots of different ways that a game can be set up

- from a stand up fight to specific scenarios or simply using
all of the scenery and figures you have.

3"

Light troops may deploy anywhere in

their own half of the table so long as it
is more than 12 away from any enemy
troops - including enemy light troops.

Terrain (2D6)
2*

River or stream plus one bridge or ford per area. Roll 1D6 1-2 = impassable river, 3-6 = stream.

3*

Village of D3+1 houses plus a road from this village to a random board edge.

4*

Steep hill with 1D3 sides as impassable terrain. Roll 1D6 1 = small, 2-5 = medium, 6 = large

D3 Fields bounded by hedges, fences or walls.

Wood, roll 1D6 1 = small, 2-5 = medium, 6 = large

Gentle hill, roll 1D6 1 = small, 2-5 = medium, 6 = large

Rough ground, scrub, rocks. Roll 1D6 1-3 = blocks Line of Sight, 4-6 does not block LOS.

Marsh, bog, fen or swamp, roll 1D6 1 = small, 2-5 = medium, 6 = large

10*

Building and field bounded by hedges, fences, walls. Farm, Church, Witches House etc.

11*

Monument, standing stones, shrine. May have Arcane properties.

12*

Fort or tower plus road to random board edge. Roll 1D6, 1-4 on a Medium Hill, 5-6 a large hill.

* Each of these terrain features should only occur once on the battlefield. Re-roll if they come up twice.
Terrain is placed by both players before determining on which
side of the table they will deploy their forces.
These rules use a random terrain placement system. To
do this you will need to divide the table into sectors. For an
average 6 foot by 4 foot table this would be six 2 foot squares,
the size is not particularly important but it will determine the
maximum number of terrain pieces your table will have.
For each sector roll 1D6 - if the total is 1-4 then that area will
hold one piece of terrain - you should then roll on the terrain
table to see what is actually there.
Players should take it in turns to roll for sectors - the player
rolling the dice gets to place the terrain piece if there is one in

that area. Apart from rivers and roads the terrain piece must fit
entirely within its sector. There are no restrictions with regard
to proximity to the edge of the table or other terrain pieces.
It is only once all terrain has been rolled for and placed that the
players should roll to see which side they deploy their troops.
This restricts the ability to place bad terrain in your opponents
deployment area on purpose.
The terrain table should really just be used as a guideline.
If it brings up something that doesnt look right, you dont
have the scenery for or you just think will make a crap game
then feel free to ignore it completely!
Having said that a game with really awkward terrain can be
a nice change and present both sides with a challenge.

Rivers and roads

Rivers and roads can occupy the same area as other terrain
and they may pass through more than one area.
If the terrain table determines that there is a river or road in a
certain area then that is where it will start. It will enter and exit
from a table edge, the sector where the river or road will exit
the table is determined randomly. You can do this by simply
allocating a number to each terrain area or edge and rolling a
die - its not rocket science.
The road or river will then traverse the battlefield from its start
to its end position by passing through the least number of
terrain sectors. How it does this exactly is entirely up to the
player involved.
The road or river can pass through areas that already have
some other terrain feature and do not prohibit the placement of
terrain into areas that have not yet been rolled for. In addition
the initial starting area can also have a standard terrain feature
as well, effectively the stream or river is an extra.

If this is the case then the terrain piece will automatically be

placed in a certain location as determined by the scenario
or player agreement. There will be no roll to see if additional
terrain is placed in this area. Rivers and roads can still pass
through locations that have compulsory terrain placed in them.

Terrain Attributes

The table above has been broken down into 6 sections, each
2 foot by 2 foot. The first roll is made for location A and there
is a terrain feature which comes up as a 2 meaning there is a
river or stream, a further roll of 5 gives a stream.
The players then need to decide where the stream will flow
from and where to. Area A has 2 sides that it could enter
the board so simply roll a D6 with 1-3 one side, 4-6 the other.
In this case it enters from the top as we look at the diagram
above.
To decide where it will exit the board the players allocate the
numbers 1 to 5 to areas B to F respectively and simply roll a
D6. The result is a 4 so the stream will flow from A to E and
there is only one edge that it may exit from in area E.
The player that initially rolled the 2 for the stream may decide
which area it passes through on its way from A to E. This could
either be through section B or D but it must take the path with
the least number of areas so could not go a meandering route
via C and F for example.
In this case the stream plots its course through A, B and E as
shown in the diagram. Each section that the river or stream
passes through has a bridge or ford placed - again by the
player that initially rolled the 2.
This concludes the placement for the stream, there may be
no more river sections on this battlefield. The terrain rolls for
sections A, B and E are carried out as normal and they may
contain other terrain features as well as the stream.
It is worth noting that A has another roll made for it to see if it
contains terrain features in addition to the river.

Restricted terrain
On the terrain table some of the numbers are followed by an
asterisk. This means that there should only be one instance
of that terrain type on the battlefield and the number should be
re-rolled if it has already occurred.

Compulsory Terrain
Some scenarios may call for a compulsory terrain piece.
Rescuing a Princess from a tower generally means you need
some sort of tower.

All players should know the properties and location of the

terrain on the tabletop unless a scenario states otherwise. The
side of the table that the terrain is located or the player that
placed it has no impact on the knowledge that both sides have.
Umpire controlled games can have specific rules and features
that are not covered here but they would be dealt with on an
individual basis according to the scenario being played.
Specific terrain features and their attributes are dealt with on
page 47.

Turn Order
The game mechanics of Legions of Battle generally involve
one player being active while the other reacts. Both sides will
carry out the same phase before moving on to the next. For
example, both sides have their magic phase, then both will
carry out charges and so on.
Some phases of the turn are carried out at the same time and
others are carried out in sequence with one side finishing all of
their actions before the other side takes their turn. Each phase
should be completed in its entirety before moving onto the next.

The turn order for Legions of Battle allows the players to

carry out actions at roughly the same time. Some phases
are simultaneous while others require one side to act
while the other reacts. This results in a minimum amount
of time spent hanging about waiting for other people to do
stuff.

Magic Phase

Full details of these phases will be given in the relevant

chapters of the rules.

The side that won the initiative may cast spells with any eligible
Mage. They may also use their Mana in an attempt to dispel
certain spell effects currently in play.

The Legions of Battle rules try to avoid having to record too

much information about units, their status and what they
have done in previous phases. Some things will need to be
remembered such as a unit that has moved will suffer firing
penalties and it is up to players to decide how they do this.

Once the initiative winner has used all of his Mages then the
other side gets to cast their spells and attempt to dispel magic
effects currently in play.

In many ways the methods that you use will depend on the
number of units each player has to control. If you only have
a few units it is no problem to remember who has done what,
if you happen to be controlling a huge army it may be worth
marking units in some way. Counters are provided on page
58 and are also available to download from the Crusader
Publishing web site.

Initiative Phase
Both sides will have a number of initiative cards numbered
from one to eight that they play randomly each turn. The
numbers are compared and the side with the highest will gain
the initiative this turn, in case of ties both sides roll D6 with
the highest winning. As cards are used they are discarded,
meaning that there is a certain degree of balance to the
chances of either side gaining the initiative each turn.

As spells are cast or dispelled Mages use up their available

supply of Mana. There are various types, realms and levels
of power for spells, items, Mages and innate magical abilities.
These are dealt with starting on page 40.

Charge Phase
The side that won the initiative declares all units that are
charging and what their targets are. Some troops must
declare charges because of traits or abilities, apart from being
compulsory these charges are carried out in exactly the same
manner as usual.
These charges are then carried out in full in the order that the
charging player wishes. The reactions of the targets are noted
with options to stand and shoot, evade, hold or counter charge.
Those units that are trying to evade will roll now and any
evade movement is carried out at this point. Targets that elect
to stand and shoot will actually fire in their own move & Fire
phase of the turn.

Turn Order
Initiative Phase
Magic Phase
Charge Phase
Move & Fire Phase

Determine initiative, both sides draw initiative cards. D6 roll off for ties.
Initiative winner casts spells and makes dispell attempts.
Initiative loser casts spells and makes dispell attempts.
Initiative winner declares charges, targets declare reactions. Carry out charge & reaction.
Initiative loser declares charges, targets declare reactions. Carry out charge & reaction.
Initiative winner compulsory movement, then normal movement, then firing.
Initiative loser compulsory movement, then normal movement, then firing.

Combat Phase

Both sides, simultaneous. Initiative winner chooses order in which melee is fought, apply
results and reforms one by one.

End Turn Phase

Both sides, simultaneous. Roll for game end from turn 6 onwards.

The side that lost the initiative now declares charges with any
of their units that have not just reacted to a charge. Some
troops must declare compulsory charges but these are carried
out in exactly the same way as normal charges.
These charges and the reactions of their targets are then
carried out in the same way as they were for the initiative
winner.
Reactions can include Hold, Defensive Fire, Evade or Counter
Charge. Certain troop types will have more options than
others, for example not all troops can choose to evade from a
charge and defensive fire is only available to those with missile
weapons.

Move & Fire Phase

The Move and Fire phase has the initiative winner moving all of
their troops and then firing with those that are able. After that
is complete the initiative loser will move all of their troops and
then fire with those that are able.
Some units or characters may be forced to move in a certain
way according to their type or traits. A player is free to choose
the order in which they move units that are under compulsory
movement restrictions. However, those troops that have any
compulsory movement must carry it out before troops that can
move normally. Compulsory charges will already have been
carried out during the charge phase.
Once the side that has the initiative has completed compulsory
moves they may move all of their units that have not carried out
compulsory moves, charged or made a charge reaction.
Once the first side has moved all of their eligible units they
may fire with those that are armed with missile weapons. If
the firing unit moved they will suffer penalties to their firing and
some types of movement, or the weapons that the troops have,
may not allow any fire at all.
Once the initiative winner has completed all of their moving and
firing it is the initiative losers turn to do the same. Once both
sides have moved and fired the phase ends.
Defensive fire against chargers is carried out at the same time
as all other firing. The target of the charge can shoot at their
attackers and this is deemed to have happened as they charge
in but the actual die rolls are made at the same time as all the
players other firing.
Wound effects are applied at this point, this means that a
charger could be destroyed by defensive fire and no melee
would occur or they could be reduced to unsteady before
combat begins.

The Move and Fire phase is effectively broken down into

3 sub phases for each player. The first is compulsory
movement , the second is all other normal movement
and the third is firing.
The initiative winner carries out these three sub phases
first and then the initiative loser will carry them out.

10

Combat Phase
All of the charge movement, evade reactions and defensive
fire will have been carried out by now and both sides will know
which units are in contact and must fight a melee.
Once enemy units or characters are in close combat they may
not break off, split up or change formation in any way. During
the combat phase all troops that are in melee will attempt to hit,
wound and kill their opponents.
Units that have been destroyed will be removed as the combat
is carried out. All of the results of the various combats are
applied in this phase, combats that are drawn or do not end
in one side or the other being destroyed will continue into the
combat rounds of subsequent turns.
In some cases the order in which the melee combats are
carried out may be important. If this is the case the player who
won the initiative will decide the order in which to do them.

End Turn Phase

If you have reached the end of turn six or later you will need
to roll to see if the battle ends. If not you may roll for reenforcement, flank march arrival and so on. If you are playing
a campaign this is the best time to make sure everyone has
made a note of units that they have removed from the table
and what their final status is with regard to casualties.
If a scenario has fixed victory conditions they should be
checked at this stage. If the final turn of the battle has been
reached both sides should calculate their victory points to see
who has won or lost. See page 48 for details of victory and
defeat.

Initiative
Initiative is important in Legions of Battle because it determines
which side casts spells, moves, declares charges and fires
first in any given phase. There are both advantages and
disadvantages to winning the initiative. The side that wins
the initiative on any given turn may not pass this over to
their opponent, they must act as the initiative winner for the
remainder of the turn whether they want to or not!

does the Human player. As this is a tie both sides roll 1D6, the
Orc player gets 4 and the Human 2 which means the Orcs will
go first. The cards are discarded leaving both players with 6
cards remaining in their hand for the next turn.

Each side will have a set of initiative cards numbered from one
through to eight. Each turn they randomly choose one of these
cards as their sides initiative score. When both sides have
drawn a card the numbers are compared and the highest gains
the initiative for that turn. In case of a tie both sides will roll D6
and the highest has the initiative, there are no modifiers to this
roll.

If a scenario or battle is going to last more than 8 turns youll

need to either add some more cards or use an alternative to
the cards - numbered counters drawn from a cup work just as
well.

The initiative winner must act first during the turn, they do not
have the option to decline and force the other player to act first.

Each card may only be used once per battle and once drawn
it is discarded. Both sides will still have the same chance of

winning initiative throughout the course of the battle but this

gives more balance to the initiative than a simple die roll.
There are two sets of 8 cards provided on page 58 but you
may not need all of them if the game does not last for the full 8
turns. Cards are also available to download from the Crusader
Publishing web site or you can simply use playing cards
numbered from ace through to eight.

There are other options for determining the initiative

throughout the game. An obvious one is to roll dice at the
start of each turn. This has the advantage of being simple
but there is always the chance that one side or the other
will have terrible luck and be at a disadvantage for the
whole game.

On turn 1 of an Orc vs Humans battle the Orc player randomly

draws a 3 card while the Human player draws his 5 card.
The Humans win the initiative for this turn and both of these
cards are discarded.

Another method is to allow players to choose the initiative

cards that are used rather than drawing them randomly.
This allows some tactical considerations to come into
play, when to use your high or low cards depending on the
circumstances or your plan.

On turn two the players will draw again but will only have 7
cards remaining to pick from. The Orc players draws a 4 as

Unless all players agree otherwise the standard rules

apply but you are welcome to try other systems.

11

Movement
The movement statistic shows how far in inches a unit or
character can move. Different situations, terrain or the
proximity of the enemy may increase or decrease this amount.

Movement distances
Normal

MV

Double (outside 6)

MV x 2

Charge

MV x 2

Evade

MV x 2

Rough Going

MV x 1 *

Crossing Obstacle
MV x 1 *
Retire
1/2 MV **
* No doubling allowed unless light troops.
** Directly backwards along flank lines only.

Normal Movement
Normal movement includes any forward movement and
wheels. A unit may spend any amount of its movement on
wheeling any number of times.
Troops may not move forwards and backwards in the same
move, they must choose to do either one or the other. All
stands within a unit must remain in base to base contact and
retain their formation throughout the move. If there is not
enough space for a unit to pass through a gap it must go round
or reform first.

Wheeling
A multi stand unit, single stand unit or character may wheel as
many times as they like during their movement except when
retiring (see later).
A wheel is performed by keeping either the front left or the front
right corner of the unit in place while the remainder of the unit
pivots on that point.
The amount of movement distance used during a wheel is
calculated from the stand that has moved the furthest.

Movement speeds have been kept fairly generous so that

troops do not spend their entire game plodding towards
each other.
Using Doubling Movement allows flanking moves,
reserves to be kept and sent to important parts of the
battle or just getting stuck in that much earlier.

12

A unit of cavalry has an MV of 10 and is doubling giving

it a total movement allowance of 20 so long as it remains
more than 6 away from any enemy troops.
They start at A and wheel forward 4 to B, from there
they move 6 to C and then wheel again another 4 to D.
Finally they use their last 6 to move to their final position
E

Doubling
Double Movement is for troops that are over 6 away from any
enemy including single stand units and characters. So long as
the moving unit starts, ends and remains more than 6 away
from the enemy it may move at double its listed MV.
A doubling unit may not fire missile weapons later in this phase,
even if they did not double their entire movement allowance.
A doubling unit may retire, they will double their MV for
doubling and then halve it again for retiring - effectively being
left with their MV as the distance they may retire. They must
still follow all of the standard rules for doubling and retiring.
Doubling is not allowed through rough going or over obstacles
unless the unit is classed as light troops. This applies to single
or multi stand units as well as characters.

Retire
A multi stand, single stand unit or character may move directly
backwards at half speed though they may not wheel or incline
while doing so. You may not combine a retire move with any
type of forward movement.
A unit that is retiring may use double movement. All movement
rates and effects are cumulative, this includes doubling,
retiring, crossing obstacles and moving through rough terrain.
You could retire across a hedge but could not retire across
it using double movement (unless you were light troops, see
page 34).

A unit of Lesser
Lizardmen have a MV of
6. If they choose to retire
they can move directly
backwards upto 3. They
may not combine this retire
movement with any kind of
forward movement.

A reform is carried out on the centre front of the unit. A change

of facing is carried out on the centre point of the unit. This is
important as there must be space to accommodate the new
formation, this is not an order to shift the position of units.

Note that retire restrictions are quite strict. Allowing some

troops to retire at all is quite generous and restricting a
retire to directly backwards ensures a minimum of dicking
about with units shuffling around in their positions.

A Reform allows changing formation and/or changing facing

as well. These are two separate actions but they may both be
carried out during any reform action. A unit that wants to do
both can change facing first and then reform or it can reform
first and then change facing.

A 4 stand unit changing

formation from line to
column. B & C remain in
place while stands A & D
move to the back rank.
Changing from column to
line would simply reverse
the process. B stays still
and A is moved alongside it,
the same applies to C & D.

OR

Reform
If a unit wants to change formation or facing then it must
Reform. A unit that reforms may not move other than the
movement that is required to change to the new facing or
formation. Effectively this means that troops use all of their
movement allowance to reform unless it is a free reform (see
later) or they have the Drilled ability (page 29).

Examples of units that have changed facing. Each stand

remains in place while the facing of that stand is changed.
A unit may not use a reform to come into contact with the
enemy, if the reform movement itself would result in melee
combat then it may not be carried out.
Troops that have reformed may fire but will count as having
moved. Characters and light troops get to freely reform at the
start and end of their movement, this does not stop them from
firing but they still suffer the movement penalty for firing, see
page 19 for further details.
Characters may carry out a free reform at the start and end of
their movement. If they reform but do not move any further
they will still count as having moved for purposes of missile fire
modifiers and restrictions. As a character is only a single stand
a reform obviously only applies to change of facing rather than
formation.
Light troops have their own rules with regard to reforming and
movement, see page 34 for full details.

Charge

A charge is declared by a unit that wants to close to engage

an enemy in hand to hand combat. It must have a valid target
to declare a charge - this means there must be an enemy in
range, Line of Sight and valid charge arc.

A 6 stand line changes to a column by three of its stand

remaining in place and the other three moving to the back
rank. Which three stands remain in place is up to the
player.
Changing from column to line reverses this process with a
player deciding which side the back stand will deploy to.

Charge arcs are 45 degrees either side of straight ahead,

exactly the same as the firing arcs. The charger must be able
to see some portion of the target otherwise it is not a valid
charge target.

13

The target of a charge has the option to Hold, Stand and Fire,
Counter Charge or in some cases Evade.
The charging player must declare all units that are attempting
to charge and then may carry them out one by one in any order
they like. This means that they could declare a charge with
a unit that is currently blocked but could do so once another
charge has been carried out. This is generally the case when
one friendly unit is in front of another and the owning player
wants them both to charge.
No matter what the order that the chargers are being moved
in a unit must have some part of the target within line of sight
when a charge is declared.

It is the Red players

charge phase. The
character may not
declare a charge
because it does not
have a valid LOS to
any target.

A unit of Elf Rangers (T&L 9, MV 8) are charged from 9 away

by a unit of Orc Boar Riders (MV 9). The Elf player makes a
T&L test, if they pass they may immediately face away from the
charge and evade their full 16 away, if they fail they must hold
in their current position.
If the evade fails then the chargers are moved into contact
immediately, the evading unit gets no chance to move, fire
defensively, counter charge or reform.
If the target unit managed to evade then the charger now has 2
options open to it.
Halt on the spot. It can halt its charge on the spot where the
evading troops fled from. If this is the case the unit counts as
having conducted a failed charge, it may not move any further
during this charge and may not move or fire in the next phase.
Continue its charge. It can continue to charge against another
target to the full extent of its charge movement if there are valid
targets still within its charge reach and arc. It can also continue
its charge movement even if there are no other valid targets
within reach.
It is possible for the charging troops to contact other enemy
units or even the original target of their charge if that targets
evade movement was not enough to outdistance the chargers
movement.

B
C

Red units 1 and 2 may both declare charges even though

unit 2s charge is currently blocked by unit 1. As the Red
player can move his chargers in any order he simply
declares that 1 will charge against enemy unit A, this
charge movement is carried out and then that leaves unit
2 open to charge against unit B.
Should it subsequently be discovered that unit 2 cannot
contact its target B because A is still blocking it for
example (as would almost certainly be the case here),
then it would count as a failed charge. The unit would be
moved as far as possible and then halted, it would not
be able to move or fire in the next phase as it counts as
having charged.
If a charge fails for any reason and cannot reach its target then
the charging unit is moved as far as possible towards its target
and then halted. It may not move or fire in the next phase.

Evade
A unit that has been charged may have the option to evade.
Light Troops, troops with the Feigned Flight ability and all
characters may opt to evade as a reaction to a charge.
The chance of the unit being able to evade before it is
contacted by the chargers depends on its T&L. It must pass a
T&L test if it decides to attempt to evade from a charge.
If the test is passed the unit may immediately face away and
move its full evade speed directly away from the charging
enemy unit.

14

A unit of Goblin Wolf

Riders (MV 10) are
charging against a Unit
of Human Slingers with
10 the Feigned Flight
ability (T&L 6, MV 5)
from 3 away. The
Humans decide to
evade and attempt a
T&L test. They require
3 a 6 or less on 2D6 and
score 4 so they manage
to evade the initial
charge.
The Human Slingers get to evade away 10 and are
moved to their final position facing away from the
Goblins. Unfortunately this only puts them 13 away
from the Wolf Riders who have a massive 20 charge
movement. The Wolf Riders can either move 3 forward
and halt at the point where the slingers evaded from or
continue their charge into the rear of the sling unit.

Rough Going
Rough going counts as any terrain that could slow movement
such as woods, swamps, rocky ground, building areas etc. Any
rough ground stops troops from using double movement.
Certain types of rough ground may also have special effects,
such as woods making mounted troops unsteady or swamps
not affecting troops that have the Aquatic movement ability,

specific details can be found in The Battlefield chapter of the

rules on page 47.
Units may reform, wheel, charge, evade or retire through rough
going. While any part of a stand occupies or passes through
rough ground the unit, single stand unit or character may not
use double movement. Some special traits and abilities may
override these rules, see pages 29-32 for details.

A unit of human archers has an MV of 6. To advance

they need to cross a hedge so they are not allowed to use
double movement.
With the example on the left the unit is simply moved
forward its 6 movement distance, as it has not doubled it
may still fire if it would be able to do so normally.

While double movement is not allowed over obstacles charge

and evade movement speed is not affected.

0.5

3.5
1

A
A unit of 4 stands of Dwarfs has a MV of 5 and advances
directly ahead and this takes part of the unit through woods
which count as rough going. This means that it cannot use
double movement.
The unit moves forward 1 to the edge of the wood and then
travels 3.5 through woodland and has 1/2 of movement
left at the other side. This is not enough to clear the woods
completely, the back of the left most stand is still within the
woods. This means that the dwarf unit will not be able to
use double movement next turn either, even though it only
has a small part of the rough ground to pass through.

In the example on the right the archers would not be able to

use double movement this turn because they are crossing
a hedge. They would also not be able to use it next turn
as they begin on the hedge and still have their movement
restricted by the obstacle.

Impassable Terrain
No troops may enter terrain that is impassable to them under
any circumstances. They may still cross if they have a specific
movement trait such as flying or aquatic movement.
Where compulsory movement would force a unit to move over
impassable terrain they are simply blocked by it in the same
manner as they are for friendly units.

Obstacles
A unit that has to pass over an obstacle may not use double
movement, other than this it is free to move as usual though
some obstacles may cause further effects to certain troops
types. For further details see The Battlefield chapter (page 47).
Units can reform, wheel, charge, evade or retire over obstacles.
A unit may reform while it is over, in or on top of rough going or
an obstacle but may never enter impassable terrain.
While any part of a stand straddles or rests on an obstacle
the unit, single stand unit or character may not use double
movement. Some special traits and abilities may override
these rules, see page 29 for details.
While double movement is not allowed over obstacles charge
and evade movement speed is not affected.
When measuring the charge distance to a target that is behind
an obstacle the actual target must be within reach, not just the
terrain feature that they happen to be behind.

15

Shooting
Shooting takes place after a player has moved all of his troops
in the Move and Fire phase. The initiative winner moves all of
their troops and then they will fire with any of their troops that
have missile weapons and a valid target.
Once all of the initiative winners movement and firing is
complete it is the initiative losers turn to move their troops.
Once this movement is complete they can fire with troops that
are armed with missile weapons and have a valid target.

Scenery, friendly or enemy units, magical effects or visibility

restrictions can all block line of sight to a target. Some rules,
such as indirect fire war machines do not count enemy or
friendly troops as an obstacle for LOS. These cases are dealt
with in the relevant parts of the rules on page 35.

This means that firing is not simultaneous, casualties caused

are applied immediately.
Missile armed troops may shoot at targets so long as they are
within both range and line of sight (LOS). Each stand will have
a number of missile attacks listed on its stat line, this can be
from one to three. If there is no number listed then that stand
may not make any missile attacks.
War Machines fire in this phase at the same time as other
troops though they may use slightly different rules for
calculating hits and wounds caused. See page 35 for details.

Firing Arc
Arc of fire calculations are made per stand rather than by the
whole unit. This could mean that a unit can only fire with some
of its stands. Each stand has a 45 degree firing arc to its front
no matter what the type of troops or the base size.
Unless stated otherwise in
special rules, traits or abilities
the fire arc is always 45 degrees
either side of straight ahead no
matter what type of stand or unit.

To be able to fire at a
target a stand must
be able to hit at least
part of the target unit.
In this case only 3 of
the 4 stands in unit B
would be able to shoot
at unit A.

Hills and LOS

Troops on hills may have the ability to fire over friends,
enemies or obstructions. There will be an amount of dead
ground where the target cannot be shot at.
If there is at least 4 space between the obstruction and the
target then it may be fired at, otherwise that target is blocked
for LOS purposes.

Range
The range to the target is calculated per stand, this may result
in some of the stands being in different range brackets or some
within range while others are out. If this is the case split the fire
into two groups of to hit rolls with different modifiers.
A stand needs to be in range of at least part of the target unit to
be able to fire at it.

Roll to Hit
To hit their target the firing troops roll a D6 for each attack and
need to score equal to or greater than the missile skill value
shown on their stat line. Modifiers may apply to these rolls and
this will affect the chances hitting.

Line of Sight
To fire at a target there must be a valid line of sight (LOS). This
is calculated per stand firing, to be able to fire the stand must
be able to trace a LOS to any point of the target.

16

The firing unit or stand, the target, the number of missile

attacks and any appropriate modifiers or abilities should all be
declared before any die rolls are made.
All modifiers are cumulative unless stated otherwise.

Roll to Wound

Firing To Hit Modifiers

Firer
Has moved

-1

Is unsteady

-1

When it has been determined whether the shot hits or not the
player will roll to see if the hits cause wounds on the target.
To do this the firing weapons Might is compared to the targets
Protection.

Target
Is at long range

The Might of the firing troops themselves is only taken into

account when using some thrown weapons. Otherwise the
Might of the missile weapon itself will determine the chance of
a hit causing a wound. See the Missile weapon Table on the
following page.

-1

Is a medium / small target *

-1 / -2

Has light / heavy cover *

-1 / -2

* Only one or the other can apply.

If the unit has moved before firing it will suffer a -1 to hit

modifier to the die roll. Troops armed with some types of
weapons may not fire at all if they have moved.

If the firing unit is currently unsteady for any reason they

will suffer -1 to hit.

If the target is at long range a -1 modifier is applied.

Range is measured per stand so some may have this
modifier while others do not.

To Wound (MT VS PR)

MT is double or more PR
MT is greater than PR
MT is equal to PR
MT is less than PR
MT is half or less PR

2+
3+
4+
5+
6+

If your Might is double or more the opponents Protection

you need to roll a 2+ on a D6 to wound.

If the target is small a -2 modifier applies or if medium a

-1 modifier applies instead. A small or medium target only
applies to certain character types and never to multi or
single stand units, see pages 31 and 36 for full details.

If you have greater than your opponents value but not

double then you need to roll 3+ on a D6.

If the values are equal then you need 4+ on a D6.

If the target is in light cover the to hit roll is modified by

-1 point. Should the target be in heavy cover the cover
modifier increases to a -2 to the die roll instead of -1.

If you have less than your opponents value but more than
half then you need 5+ on a D6.

If you have half or less your opponents value then you

need to roll a 6+ on a D6 to wound your opponent.

No matter what the starting skill or the modifiers that are

applied a roll of 1 will always miss and a roll of 6 will always hit
unless advanced or special rules state otherwise. There may
be some instances where an attack automatically hits and in
that case there is no die roll made. These cases will be clearly
stated in the item or trait description.

The amount of wounds that are caused are then marked off
against the target unit. There are no saving rolls for the target
though some special traits, such as regeneration, may allow
troops to ignore some wounds.
Any wound effects, such as causing the target to become
unsteady, are applied immediately.

Unit B is 4 stands of
Goblins with short bows,
a missile skill of 5+ and
2 attacks per stand.
It has not moved and
shoots at unit A.
Its starting to hit number
is 5+ but as it is firing
at long range it suffers
a -1 modifier to the die
roll meaning it needs 6
to hit.

The Might of a short

bow is 4, the Elves
have Medium Armour
and Shields which gives
them a Protection Value
of 7.

14

The Goblins will roll 8D6 and any result of 6 will be a hit
on the Elf unit A. The actual die rolls result in 3 hits on
the target.

The MT of 4 is less than

the PR of 7 but it is not
half or less. This means
that the Goblin player
will need rolls of 5+ on a
D6 to wound the Elves.

14
B

The Goblin player rolls 3D6 (one D6 for each hit) and
the results are 3,5,6 for 2 wounds on the Elf unit. These
wounds are applied immediately.

17

Splitting fire

Defensive Fire

A missile armed unit may split its fire at up to 2 targets if they

are within range and line of sight. It always has this option,
even if it has one unit entirely within its arc of fire and range.

This is carried out when a unit armed with missile weapons is

charged and chooses the Stand and Shoot reaction.

It may not split fire at more than 2 enemy units, even if this
means that some stands may not fire at any target.
An individual stand, whether part of a unit or not, may never
split its fire, this means that a single stand unit or character
must always fire at a single target.
The player owning the unit must declare where all of its missile
attacks are being directed before any dice are rolled by that
firing unit. The targets must be valid at this stage of the firing
phase, you cannot declare fire at a target that you think will
become valid, due to destroying another unit blocking your line
of sight for example.

The Vermin archer unit can

split its fire against 2 of the
three targets so long as they
have the range and LOS.

Vermin

The character can fire at any

of the targets regardless of
what the unit does.

A
B

No matter which target it picks the Vermin could only

fire at unit C with 2 of their 3 stands. All targets and the
stands that are firing at them must be declared before any
dice are rolled.

The fire is carried out during the move & fire phase at the same
time as all of the other firing from this player. If the chargers
are destroyed by this fire then they are removed before
initiating close combat.
The angle of the charge may well mean that not all of the
defending stands can get to fire. The defenders will be able
to fire if they could shoot at the chargers at any point during
the charge movement when they were in range, arc and line
of sight. Players should be sure to make a mental note of who
can fire while carrying out charges.
A unit in combat may not fire missile weapons, even if there are
stands that have clear line of sight to targets other than the one
they are fighting against. For firing purposes the entire unit is
deemed to be in close combat if any part of it is in contact with
the enemy.

Casualties
Each stand in Legions of Battle has a number of wounds,
multiplying this by the number of stands within the unit will
determine how many wounds the entire unit has.
As units accumulate wounds they will become less effective.
When a multi stand or single stand unit has taken half or more
of its total wounds it will count as Unsteady and will suffer
penalties for melee and missile fire. Any wounds taken can
be marked by the use of wound counters or noted on the army
roster sheet.
Characters do not become unsteady when they are reduced
to half or less of their starting number of wounds. See the
character rules starting on page 36.
Any unit that is unsteady must be marked as such so that both
sides know which units are affected. Counters are supplied
on page 58 and also available to download from the Crusader
Publishing web site www.crusaderpublishing.com.

Weapon
Close
Long
Light Crossbow
12
24
Heavy Crossbow*
15
30
Handgun*
9
18
Sling
9
18
Bow
12
24
Short Bow
9
18
Longbow
15
30
Elf Bow
18
36
Javelins
6
Darts
9
Thrown Axes
6
* Heavy Crossbow and Handguns may not move and fire.

18

Might
5
6
6
4
4
4
6
5
4
3
5

PTS
19
26
23
13
14
13
26
22
11
9
16

Full rules for applying casualties, making targets unsteady or

destroying them entirely are given in the next chapter. These
same game mechanics will apply to melee, missile fire and
magic.

Where more than one unit, single stand unit or character is

firing these are activated one unit at a time and the effects of
that units fire is calculated before moving on to the next unit,
single stand unit or character.

Moving and Firing

This means that fire from a unit could destroy a target, reveal
another target that was previously screened, kill a character
and so on and these effects are applied before any other unit
begins its firing.

Even the slightest movement counts when considering the

move and fire modifiers, this includes the free reform that light
troops and characters are entitled to. Some weapons do not
allow a unit to fire after they have moved, these are Heavy
Crossbows and Handguns which are marked * on the missile
weapons table.

Crossbows A

Crossbows B

Some movement options stop any firing from a unit no matter

what weapons they are armed with, others will simply impart
the -1 to hit penalty for having moved prior to firing.

If a unit uses doubling movement it may not fire, even if it

does not use its full double allowance.

If a unit evades a charge it may not fire, regardless of

whether the evade was successful or not.

A unit that has declared a charge, whether it results in

contact with the enemy or not, may not fire.

If a unit reforms it may fire. They will suffer the -1 penalty

for having moved and fired and if armed with heavy
crossbow or handgun would still not be able to fire as they
have moved.

The free reform that characters or light troops are allowed

at the start and end of their movement will not stop them
from firing. It does still count as movement so will result in
the -1 moving and firing penalty or, if they are armed with
heavy crossbow or handgun, would mean they could not
fire as they have moved.

Shooting at Characters
Characters have additional to hit target modifiers according to
their base size but line of sight, firing arc and range restrictions
apply as usual. Full details of shooting at characters is given
on page 36.

Wolf Riders

Goblins
In the example above it is the blue players section of
the move and fire phase. Both of the crossbow units
remained stationary during the movement part of the
phase so they may fire.
Both the Wolf Rider and the Goblin foot units are within
range but the Wold Riders block line of sight to the
Goblins behind them. The blue player does not have
to declare that both units A and B are firing at the Wolf
Riders, he can fire with one unit, apply the effects and
then decide what he wants to fire at with the second unit.
In this example the fire from unit A destroys the Wolf
Riders who are immediately removed. This then gives
unit B LOS to the Goblins who may now be declared as
the target of fire.

Characters & SSU firing

Characters and single stand units follow all of the usual rules
for firing, they must have a valid line of sight and range to their
target. No one stand can split its missile attacks no matter how
many missile attacks it has listed on its stat line.
This means that a character or war machine will only ever be
able to target a single enemy unit or character.

Declaring targets
As has already been mentioned in the splitting fire section all
stands from the same unit must declare their targets before
any dice are rolled. This does not mean that all units have to
declare their targets before any missile fire is carried out.

19

Casualties
Each stand in Legions of Battle has a number of wounds,
multiplying this by the number of stands within the unit will
determine how many wounds the entire unit has.
As wounds are caused on a unit it will lose effectiveness during
combat and with missile fire. This lowering of combat ability
can represent not only the actual loss of troops from the unit
but also a disordering and/or morale effect as well.
As such there are no Morale Tests for units when they lose
troops to missile fire, in melee or to magic. The number
of wounds that a unit has and the loses that it can absorb
effectively represents the combat value of that unit as a whole,
not simply a representation of the number of troops that it
happens to contain.
A Norse Dwarf Warrior stand is represented by 4 figures
on a 40mm by 40mm base and it has 4 wounds. A Norse
Dwarf Huscarl stand has the same number of figures and
base size but it has 5 wounds per stand.
This is not just because the Huscarls are tougher (that
is included in their higher starting Protection value) but
that the unit can take more punishment before becoming
Unsteady or breaking.

of wounds. See the character rules on page 36 and the single

stand unit (SSU) rules on page 33.

Unsteady effects & recovery

Unsteady units suffer a -1 to hit in combat and with missile fire.
The usual way in which a unit can recover from being Unsteady
is to increase the amount of wounds that it has remaining. If a
spell, item or effect can increase the multi stand units wounds
to above half then that unit can remove its Unsteady status.
Should it be reduced to half or less wounds again later on it
will, once again, become Unsteady.
Some magic may cancel the Unsteady effects while the spell
or item is effective. Details will be given with the specific item,
spell or ability.
Unsteady counters are supplied on page 58 and also available
to download from the Crusader Publishing web site www.
crusaderpublishing.com.

Crossbows
Sp

ea

rm

en

Multi stand units

As multi stand units accumulate wounds they will become less
effective. When a multi stand unit has taken half or more of its
total wounds it will count as Unsteady and will suffer penalties
during melee and missile fire. Any wounds taken can be
marked by the use of wound counters placed next to the unit or
noted on the army roster sheet.
Any unit that is unsteady must be marked as such so that
both sides know which units are affected. As wounds are
taken stands are not removed from the unit, it will keep its full
amount of stands until it is routed.
A Dwarf Huscarl unit has 4 stands, each of which has 5
wounds, therefore the unit has 20 wounds in total. When
it has been reduced to only 10 wounds or less remaining it
will be counted as Unsteady.
If the unit were to somehow have wounds healed so that it
recovered to having 11 or more wounds remaining it would
lose its Unsteady status.

Characters & SSU

Characters and single stand units do not become unsteady
when they are reduced to half or less of their starting number

20

Goblin Archers

The blue player has the initiative and fires at the Goblin
Archer unit. These Goblins have 3 wounds per stand and
so the unit has a total of 12 wounds.
The crossbow fire is particularly effective and the Goblins
lose a total of 7 wounds, they are now counted as
Unsteady.
During the Goblin players move and fire phase these
Goblins will still shoot with their usual number of attacks
per stand, still apply all of the standard firing rules but
will suffer an additional -1 on their to hit roll for being
Unsteady.

Close Combat
In close combat enemy units, single stand units and characters
that are in base to base contact will attack each other. Each
stand will have a number of attacks and the relative sizes,
formations and positions of the units will determine how these
stands fight. Each side will roll to hit and then convert these
hits into wounds, as wounds are taken they are marked against
the enemy and may cause the target to become Unsteady.
The side that wins the combat will then roll to see if they can
break the enemy by rolling against the losers T&L, this is called
a Break Test.
In some cases it may be important the order in which you carry
out melees. If this is the case the player who won the initiative
this turn will decide the order in which to do them.
A unit in combat may never choose not to attack the enemy,
the player must roll in an attempt to hit and kill.

Contacting the enemy

Charging is dealt with in the movement chapter on page 13.
When the attacker contacts the enemy they should conform to
the target if this is possible.
If it is not possible to conform then the units should be moved
into contact as much as possible, stands may count as
overlaps and rear ranks may fight in support.

FRONT

Unit A is charging against the front of the

target. Unit B and C are charging the flank
and unit D is charging the rear.

Flank

C
B
Rear
Flank

Flank and Rear Contact

To count as a charge into the flank or rear at least one whole
stand of the front rank of the charging unit must start its charge
in the flank or rear zone of the target.

Number of Stands in Melee

When two units engage in combat the actual bases that contact
each other determines who fights. In Legions of Battle stands
fight against each other rather than figures.

Wheeling in to conform to the enemy after a charge can

bring up lots of awkward situations, this is especially the
case with long line formations.

Both sides will fight with any stands that are physically in
contact, including corner to corner. In addition one stand
on either flank may be added as an overlap that can fight in
combat the same as those that are physically in contact.

The Legions of Battle game mechanics try to pit units

against each other rather than individual figures or stands.
As such you may need to assume troops are in contact
if the physical representation of your stands or scenery
does not let the bases actually touch.

A unit that is fighting to flank or rear uses the number of stands

that are facing the enemy to determine who may fight, their
opponent will use this amount plus the usual overlap of one or
two stands if applicable.
For example a 4 stand line could fight to the front or rear with 4
stands, however, if it was fighting to its flank it would only fight
with the one stand.
Where a unit is fighting multiple opponents the overlap stands
are calculated on a unit by unit basis, this may mean that a
multi stand unit could fight with overlaps against more than one
opponent.

Adding an overlap stand on either flank represents

the troops lapping around to join in the combat. While
the bases are not physically moved the extra attacks
represent the advantage given to a unit that overlaps its
opponent. This is one reason why, with some exceptions,
units would fight wide rather than deep.

21

A
B

In the top example the column

contacts three of the enemy
stands. The column will fight
with two stands, its entire
front rank, while the line fights
with four stands, the three in
contact plus an overlap.
In the middle example the
column contacts two enemy
stands and would fight with
both. The line would fight with
the two stands in contact plus
one more as an overlap.

In the bottom example only

one of the column stands is
in contact with the line. The
column would fight with two
stands, the one in contact plus
an overlap while the line would
also fight with two stands.
In each of the 3 cases the rear
rank of the columns would get
support attacks.

B
A

While the bottom situation is

obviously better for the column
charges should still be directed
at the centre of a target to
contact as many stands as
possible.
There can be an advantage to
clipping a target but players
should avoid doing this on
purpose.

Support Attacks
A unit in column has two ranks and may add extra attacks to
each stand that is engaged in close combat to its front whether
the stand is in contact or acting as an overlap. Each second
rank stand can add half of its listed attacks (round down).
These support attacks must be against the same target that the
front stand is attacking.
Support attacks are calculated per stand and then added
together and not the other way around.
For example a column has 4 stands, each with 3 attacks. The
rear rank will be able to use their attacks in support of those
in front. Each support stand will get half of its 3 attacks so 1.5
rounded down to 1 each giving 2 support attacks in total. You
would not add up the attacks and then half them, this would
result in 3+3=6 halved to 3 extra attacks.
Light troops do not get to benefit from the support rule. If any
unit is being attacked in flank or rear, is attacking or occupying
buildings or is attacking obstacles then it cannot gain support
attacks.

22

Unit A is fighting to front and

flank. Stand C can attack blue
unit B or C, the choice is up to
the owning player. Stand D
must fight unit C and stand A
must fight unit B.

B
A

C D
C

Unit A gets no support attacks

because it is attacked in the
flank so stand B has no effect.
Unit B would fight with 3
stands, unit C would fight with
2 stands which would both
benefit from support attacks.

Fighting on two fronts

If a stand is in a position where it can fight against two or more
enemy units then it must choose which one to fight against. A
stand may not split its attacks in any way, any one stand may
only fight in one direction. The choice of where to attack must
be made before any dice are rolled.

Initiative
Unless a trait or special rule states otherwise all attacks occur
at the same time. For the sake of simplicity one player should
complete all of their attacks and make a note of the results
before the other player calculates theirs.
With simultaneous attacks it is possible that two units could
destroy each other in combat. This represents the destruction
of the unit as a fighting force rather than every single fighter on
both sides being killed at exactly the same time!
In multi unit combats where players have a choice and need
to declare the target that a stand is attacking it is always the
initiative winner that must declare first.

Roll To Hit
Units and characters will roll a D6 for each attack to see if they
hit the enemy. This is done by comparing the Combat Skill of
the attacker and that of the defender to find a starting to hit
number and then applying any combat modifiers that either
side may have.

Among its other traits The Terrible Swift Sword adds +4 CS to

the wielder. If they started with a CS of 6 it would be increased
to 10 but if they started with a CS of 10 it could only be
increased to a maximum CS of 12.

Combat To HIT Modifiers

For each attack the player needs to roll a D6 and get equal
to or greater than their modified to hit number. A roll of 6 will
always hit and a roll of 1 will always miss no matter what
modifiers are applied.

The combat modifiers table shows the modifiers that can be

applied to the basic to hit chance. Modifiers will increase or
decrease the chance of a hit being scored. A roll of 6 will
always hit and a roll of 1 will always miss no matter what the
final modified to hit number happens to be.

The starting to hit numbers depend on the relative Combat

Skills of the combatants and the to hit table shows how you will
calculate this. These rules follow the same basic mechanics as
for wounding targets with shooting so they should be fairly easy
to get the hang of.

Each plus from the combat modifier table will increase the
chance of hitting while each minus will decrease the chance.
Where the modifier has *, ** or *** next to it there are additional
effects applied to the combat.

If you have double or more your opponents value you

need to roll a 2+ on a D6 to score a hit.

Combat modifiers

Effect

If you have greater than your opponents value but not

double then you need to roll 3+ on a D6 to hit.

Opponent is Unsteady
Opponent is Uphill
Opponent is Defending Obstacle *

+1
-1
-1

If the values are equal then you need 4+ on a D6 to hit.

Opponent is Defending Building *

-2

If you have less than your opponents value but more than
half then you need 5+ on a D6 to hit.

You are Unsteady

-1

If you have half or less your opponents value then you

need to roll a 6+ on a D6 to hit your opponent.

You Charged into Combat **

You are Attacking in Flank ***
You are Attacking in Rear ***

+1
+1
+2

D6 To Hit (CS vs CS)

CS is double or more enemy CS
CS is greater than enemy CS
CS is equal to enemy CS
CS is less than enemy CS
CS is half or less enemy CS

2+
3+
4+
5+
6+

A unit of Skeletons with CS of 3 are fighting against Lizardfolk

Elite Warriors with CS of 6. The Skeleton CS is half or less
that of the Lizardfolk so their starting to hit number is a 6+. The
Lizardfolk CS is double or more that of the Skeletons so their
starting to hit number is a 2+.

* Against opponents defending obstacles or buildings you

cannot get supporting attacks from your rear ranks.
** The charge bonus does not apply if the charge is directed
against units behind obstacles or in buildings.
*** If you are attacking an enemy in the flank or rear then they
cannot get any supporting attacks against any opponent.
Some spells, items or traits may give positive or negative
combat advantages and these are dealt with in the relevant
chapters. Unless stated otherwise all modifiers are cumulative.

The starting to hit chances for one side will also tell you
what the chances are for your opponent. Suppose you
have double or more your opponents CS it follows that
they must have half or less of yours. This means you can
immediately tell that your chance is going to be 2+ to hit
while theirs is going to be 6 to hit. Think of it as a set of
scales, as one side gets lower the other gets higher.

If the Combat Skill is modified in any way it may never be

greater than 12 or less than 1. For stands with zero rated stats
see page 3.

23

Great Weapons or units with Lances that have charged will be

able to add a +1 modifier to their roll to wound. For full details
see the relevant entries in the traits and weapons chapter on
page 32.

Dark Elves

Humans

Dark Elves

A unit of CS 5 Dark Elves (blue) armed with great

weapons and defending a hill are charged by a unit of CS
4 Human Spearmen (red).

Continuing the example from above, both sides fight with

3 stands each. The Humans managed to get 5 hits while
the Dark Elves did 6. Both units have a Might of 4 but the
Humans have a Protection of 6 while the Dark Elves are
unarmoured and only have a PR of 4.

Calculating the Human to hit chance first. Their opponents

are uphill giving a -1 to hit modifier but charging into
combat adds a +1 modifier. The chance to score a hit is
thus 5 (starting chance) -1 (opponent uphill) +1 (charged
into combat) for a final to hit number of 5 or more on a D6.

The 5 hits that the Humans caused will be converted to

wounds on a D6 roll of 4 or more, this is because their
Might (4) is equal to the Dark Elf Protection value (4). The
actual rolls are 2,4,4,5,6 for 4 wounds.

The Dark Elf to hit number has no modifiers, being uphill

makes it harder for the opponent to hit rather than making
it easier for the Dark Elves to hit. This means that the final
to hit number for the Dark Elf unit is 3 or more on a D6.

The Combat system uses the same mechanics to calculate

the chance to wound a target as the shooting system.
Relative might and protection are compared with each other
and the starting score needed on 1D6 is shown.

roll To Wound
Once you have determined the number of hits you will need
to see whether these wound the target. This is done using
the same method as for missile fire wounds. There may be
modifiers to the roll for various weapons or abilities but you
are comparing Might against Protection for the basic wound
chance.
The protection value is a combination of the starting
toughness of troops plus any bonus they may have from
armour or shields. This is generally already calculated on the
stat line but things like magic or traits can sometimes modify
the PR of the target. The Might of the attacker may also
possibly be modified by special traits or magic.

To Wound (MT VS PR)

MT is double or more PR
MT is greater than PR
MT is equal to PR
MT is less than PR
MT is half or less PR

24

Humans

The starting to hit number for the Humans is calculated as

5+, this is because their CS is lower that of the Dark Elves
but not half or less. The starting to hit number for the Dark
Elves is 3+ because their CS is greater than that of the
Humans but not double or more.

2+
3+
4+
5+
6+

The 6 hits caused by the Dark Elves will have a starting

to wound chance of 5 or more, this is because their Might
of 4 is less than the Human Protection of 6 but not half or
less.
However, the Dark Elves are armed with great weapons
which adds +1 to the wound roll so they will need D6 rolls
of 4+ to wound the Human spearmen. Their rolls are
1,3,3,4,6,6 for 3 wounds in total.

If the Might or Protection is modified in any way it may never be

greater than 12 or less than 1. For stands with zero rated stats
see page 3.
The Headsmans Axe is a magical great axe that adds +2 to
the Might of the wielder. As it is a great weapon it will also add
a +1 modifier to the to kill roll.

Applying damage
Each stand in Legions of Battle has a number of wounds,
multiplying the number of stands in the unit by the amount of
wounds it has will determine the number of wounds that a unit
has. Any wounds that are taken are marked by the use of
wound counters or noted on the army roster sheet according to
a players preference. Stands are not removed until the whole
unit, character or single stand unit is destroyed.
As units accumulate wounds they will come to a point where
they become unsteady and are less effective in combat.
When a unit reaches half strength or less in wounds it becomes
unsteady. It will suffer a modifier of -1 to hit in melee and
missile fire and opponents will gain a +1 to hit them in melee.
Only multi stand units become unsteady at half wounds, single
stand units and characters are not affected by this rule.
Once a unit has lost all of its wounds it is destroyed, wiped out,
routed or broken. No matter how you describe it the unit is no
longer an effective fighting force and is removed from the table.
A unit that is broken in melee is also destroyed, it may be that

all of the troops are killed, run down or captured but just as
likely that many are broken, routed and fleeing. Either way,
regardless of the number of wounds it has remaining, the
troops cease to be an effective combat unit and are simply
removed from the table.
If a unit loses its last wound in melee it is removed before any
break tests are rolled but as attacks are simultaneous it will still
have a chance to fight.

Goblins

Dwarfs

14

This die roll is modified by the amount that the combat was
won by, the greater the victory the more chance the enemy will
have of being broken.
In some cases there may be no roll required - this could be
because the enemy is unbreakable or has been completely
destroyed by the wounds inflicted. Likewise an advanced or
special rule may state that a break test ignores some modifiers,
adds others or has a set chance of succeeding. These cases
are all dealt with in the advanced or special rules which means
that they would supersede the basic rules given here.
Units that have a character within 1 may choose to use the
T&L stat of their character for the Break Test instead of that of
the unit itself. For details see the character rules on page 36.

Wood Elves

A unit of Goblins have charged a unit of Dwarfs, they are

both in column and so far in the battle the Goblins have
taken 4 wounds out of their total of 12 while the Dwarfs
have taken 14 out of their 16. The Dwarf unit is therefore
unsteady.
During the combat the Dwarfs inflict 4 wounds while
the Goblins only manage to inflict 2. However, these 2
wounds are enough to destroy the Dwarf unit as it has lost
all 16 of its wounds. The Goblins lose 4 wounds taking
them to a total of 8, the Goblins are now unsteady.
Even though the Goblins lost this melee by 2 wounds
to 4 they have destroyed their opponent. As the melee
casualties are applied before any Break Tests are rolled
the Goblins cannot now be broken by this Dwarf unit
because the Dwarfs are no longer there. Instead the
Goblins count as the victor and may carry out their free
change of facing as would any unit that has won a melee
combat and destroyed or broken all of its opponents.

Winner & loser

Once the casualties have been determined it is time to see
which side has won and which has lost. This is simply a
comparison of the number of casualties that each side has
caused.
Wounds that have been saved by traits such as regeneration
do not count towards the total caused. Wounds over and
above the number needed to completely destroy a multi stand
unit, a single stand unit or kill a character do apply to the
combat resolution.
If the result is the same then neither side has won, the melee is
drawn and will continue next round.
If one side has scored more in combat resolution than the other
then it has won that melee round. It must now try to break the
enemy by rolling 2D6 and scoring greater than their opponents
T&L stat.
It is not enough to break the bones of your enemy - you
must also break his spirit. - Gesar Khan

4
Goblin A

goblin B

A unit of Elite Wood Elf spears are fighting 2 units of Goblin

Dregs. The Goblins have 2 wounds per stand which gives
them 8 per unit. Goblin unit A has already taken 4 wounds
so far in the battle while B has taken 6.
During the melee round the Goblins manage to inflict one
wound while the Elves do two wounds to unit A but five to
unit B. Unit B only has two wounds left so it is completely
destroyed and is removed from the table.
However, all five wounds apply to the combat resolution
not just two, this means that the Elves have caused seven
wounds in total compared to the Goblins one. The Elves
win the melee and will add six to their 2D6 Break Test
against unit A only as B has already been destroyed.
As an aside the Wood Elf stand that is not in contact with
either Goblin unit has the option to fight against either unit
A or B because it is not in contact with them but is in a
position to count as an overlap against either.

Break Tests
A Break Test is rolled by the winner against each losing enemy
unit in melee. The winner is trying to beat the T&L of the losing
unit in order to destroy it.
No matter what the modifiers or T&L stat an unmodified roll
of 2 will always fail to break the enemy unless advanced or
special rules state otherwise.
If the break test roll is an unmodified roll of 12 it will break the
losers no matter what the T&L of the losing unit or the modifiers
from the combat.

25

If the modified roll is equal to or less than the losers T&L then
the combat will continue next round. The enemy has not been
broken and may continue to fight on.
If the modified roll is greater than the T&L of the enemy then
the loser is broken and immediately removed from the table.
The unit has been destroyed as an effective fighting force and
the remaining troops are run through, captured or scattered.
It is worth noting that troops with the Unbreakable trait do not
have a Break Test die roll made against them so there is no
chance of a 12 being rolled.

The winner rolls a separate Break Test against each losing unit
using the usual Break Test rules. One roll is made per losing
unit no matter how many units or characters may have been
on the winning side. The winner will get to choose which unit
is making the Break Test roll if it is going to make a difference,
because of an item, ability or trait for example.
Unit A has lost the combat by 2 points. The
player controlling units B and C can decide
which he would like to use to apply the
Break Test. The die roll will be modified by 2
points whichever unit he uses and only one
roll will be made even though the winning
side has 2 units.

Dark Elves

Humans

Unless there are any special effects, traits or abilities

that modify the Break Test it does not usually matter
which unit is used.

The Dark Elves have a T&L of 8 so if the modified total

is 8 or less the combat will be continued next turn, a
modified result of 9 or more will break the unit and the
Dark Elves will immediately be removed from the table.

If unit C happened to have a trait or ability that increased

the chance of breaking an opponent then it would make
sense for the Blue player to say that they are using unit
C to apply the test rather than unit B.

The actual roll is a 7 which is modified by +1 to 8, not

enough to exceed the T&L of the losing unit. The Melee
will continue in the combat round of the next turn.

As an aside, if unit A had won the melee by 2 points

then it would apply break tests against B and C, each
separate roll would have a +2 modifier applied to it.

Multiple Opponents
Units fighting multiple opponents should split the attacks of
their stands according to the enemy stands that they are in
contact with. In cases where a stand is in contact with more
than one enemy it may choose where to allocate its attacks.
No individual stand may split its attacks, all of the attacks from
any one stand must be carried out against one target.
Supporting attacks from rear rank stands must be made
against the same target as the front rank stand that it is
supporting.
Stands that are not in contact with any enemy but could be
counted as an overlap against multiple enemy units can be
allocated to attack which ever enemy the player chooses.
They cannot split their attacks and any supporting stand must
have its attacks allocated to the same target as the front rank
stand as usual.
If there are multiple units on one side or the other then the total
number of wounds caused is used to determine which side has
won. This combat results modifier applies to all of the losing
units in that melee. There can be cases where large multi unit
combats can get quite complicated but no matter how many
stands, character or units are involved there will only be one
winning side.

26

In the Dark Elf vs Human example we have been using

the Humans caused 4 wounds and the Dark Elves only
3. This means that the Humans have won this round of
the combat by 1 point and will attempt to break the Dark
Elves, they roll 2D6 and add one to the result.

Special abilities, traits, magical items or spell effects should

only be applied to the specific units that benefit or suffer those
effects. Having one unbreakable unit on your side does not
make any other units in the same combat unbreakable for
example.
The winner can decide in which order to apply Break Tests.

Change Facing after melee

A unit that has won a melee and beaten all of its opponents
gets a free change of facing. This must be carried out
immediately before moving on to any other melee.
This free change of facing may not bring the unit into contact
with any enemy troops.

High Elves

Vermin A

Vermin B

High Elves

Vermin C

A unit of High Elves is attacked by a mass of Vermin

Packrats. The High Elves will be able to fight with all 4
stands but they must fight against the enemy that they are
in contact wit so the three leftmost stands have no choice
who they attack. The right most stand is in contact with
2 units and so it is up to the Elf player which one of these
two they allocate their attacks against. The player must
declare where they are attacking before any rolls are made
by either side, as the Elf player has the initiative they must
declare their targets first.
For their part the Vermin in unit A would fight with 2 stands
plus two in support, unit B would have 2 stands with 2 in
support and unit C would have 2 stands attacking, the one
in contact and another as the overlap.
Each Elf stand has 4 attacks while each Vermin stand has
3. This means that the Elves total 16 attacks while the 3
Vermin units combine to get 22. This is calculated as 18
from the front 6 stands plus 1 more support attack from
the back 4 stands in the columns (3 attacks halved rounds
down to 1 support attack each).
Despite the advantage in numbers the Vermin manage to
lose the combat causing only 5 wounds as opposed to the
6 caused by the Elves. This means that the Elves have
won the combat by 1 point and the Elves will make a Break
Test against each of the three Vermin units modifying
those tests by +1.

Vermin A

Vermin C

All three Vermin units have a T&L of 6 while that of the

nearby character is 9. However, the Vermin Packrats (not
the character) have the Horde trait (see page 30) which
will increase their T&L for Break Tests when they have
friends nearby.
Vermin A have one friendly horde and so their T&L would
count as 7 for Break Tests, B has 2 units and would have 8
while C has one unit and would have 7.
The Elves won the combat and so they can decide in
which order to apply their Break Tests. They choose to
start with A but the actual modified result is 6 against unit
A, which remains in the fight.
Next against unit B, the roll is 9 modified to 10, unit B is
therefore broken and immediately removed. Now that it is
no longer present B will not add +1 to the T&L of unit C.
Unit C would normally only have a T&L of 6 for its Break
Test but as there is a character within 1 it may use the
T&L of that character instead. This gives it an effective
T&L of 9 to oppose the Elf Break Test.
The actual die roll is an 8, modified to 9 this is enough to
equal but not exceed the Vermin T&L so it is not broken
and will continue to fight next combat round.
With unit B removed next turn the two central High Elf
stands will be free to act as overlaps against units A and C.

27

T&L TESTS
The Training and Leadership (T&L) of a unit or character will
determine what they will do when the situation around them
starts to turn bad. Morale due to casualties within a unit is
factored into the wounds that it has suffered. Other situations
may call for T&L tests using the T&L value of units and
characters.
Morale results are factored into the losses that a unit takes
from combat, magic or missile fire. Our stands and units
represent more than just the few figures that happen to be on
the bases. When a unit takes losses this can represent dead,
stunned, wounded, stragglers, shirkers, cowards, confusion,
disorder or panic!
In Close Combat a Break Test is carried out using the T&L of
the unit and is covered fully in the Close Combat rules. While
this uses the same stat (T&L) as T&L Tests a Break Test is
different.
A Break Test is rolled against you by your opponent when they
beat you in combat, a T&L Test is rolled by you to avoid certain
bad effects or pass certain tests.
Some troops are immune to morale, they have no feelings or
emotion and they have no resolve to break or sense of self
preservation. Other troops will come to a point in the battle
where they value their own lives over the will to win, this is
when they can become affected by poor morale.

If a Character is within 1 of a unit that is in combat then

that unit may use the T&L of the character for its Break Test
calculations. It does not matter whether the character is itself
in combat or not.
If a character is within 1 of a friendly unit then that unit may
use the characters stats for T&L tests whether the character is
in combat or not.

Terror T&L
The opponent is forced to take morale tests when charging
troops that cause terror. For full details see the Terror trait on
page 31.

Warband T&L
The T&L test that a Warband has to take to reform or change
face (see page 13) uses all of the standard modifiers and rules.
A character will be able to assist this T&L test when they are
within 1 of the unit.

Magic T&L
Some spells use the T&L of their target as the basis for
calculating the effects. If this is the case then the standard
rules apply with regard to any T&L bonuses, penalties or the
ability to use a characters T&L as the basis for the test.
The spell description will state how the targets T&L is used and
whether any test counts as a T&L test or a Break Test.

Modifying T&L
The T&L of a unit may be modified by certain items, spells or
events. If this is the case then the T&L of the unit changes and
this will affect both T&L tests and Break Tests.
If a trait, item or spell specifies that it affects just the T&L Tests
of a unit then it would have no effect against a Break Test.
Likewise if the trait or ability states that it only affects Break
Tests then it would not modify a T&L test.
Items, traits, abilities and spells should specify when a bonus
applies and who it affects. Bonuses from various items and
abilities will stack unless stated otherwise.

Character T&L effects

Characters that are within 1 of a multi stand or single stand
unit may use their T&L to influence the unit. This includes
break tests and T&L tests for terror, reform or other effects.
A character may never influence another character in this way.

28

For example. A unit of Elves with a basic T&L of 8 also has a

banner that states This banner adds +1 to the T&L value of the
unit. All T&L and Break Tests would be taken as though their
T&L were 9. However, if they were to take a T&L test using
a nearby characters T&L of 10 then the +1 would not apply.
The character does not have the banner and so his T&L is not
increased by +1, the elves would test needing 10 or less to
pass, not 11 or less.

Traits & Weapons

Various units or characters may have special skills and
abilities, some of which can give advantages or disadvantages
throughout the battle. Traits are advanced rules and this
means that they will supersede the basic rules given earlier.

when they are fired upon, this means that missile fire against
them suffers a -1 to hit modifier.
The crew are an integral part of the stand and may not move or
act independently of the item that they are crewing.

The effects of traits are cumulative and if multiple bonuses

apply then they should be stacked, if two traits allow extra
wound rolls for instance then both extra rolls should be taken.

Drilled (+10)

Some traits have variable values, these are marked with a ?

after the trait name. Shock can be +1 or +2 for example and
these will cost different points for different levels.

A drilled unit is allowed a free change of facing action at the

start of its movement. This follows all of the standard rules
and if used it will count as movement for firing purposes.

Where a trait has ? as its value the points costs will change
according to how powerful that trait is. A poisoned attack that
does extra wounds on a D6 roll of 3+ is going to cost more than
one that does extra wounds on a roll of 5+.

Note that unlike the free change of face for characters and light
troops the drilled unit may only change face for free once per
movement phase and it must be at the start of its movement.

Traits cost
Trait Value 6+

10 pts

Trait Value 5+

15 pts

Trait Value 4+

20 pts

Trait Value 3+

25 pts

Trait Value 2+

30 pts

Aquatic (+5)
See the swimming and flying rules on page 39.

Bloodlust (0)
The troops must declare a charge if there is any valid enemy
target within charge reach at the start of the charge phase.
They do not have to charge the closest enemy target but they
must declare a valid charge if possible.

Ethereal (+10)
Ethereal creatures can move through or over terrain features
as though they were not there. They may double through
rough going or when crossing linear obstacles because they
effectively ignore these obstacles for movement.
They may cross over terrain that would otherwise be
impassable such as a river, lake, crevasse and so on. Specific
terrain features may need special rules and these should be
dealt with on a case by case basis.
For example temple grounds may be counted as impassable
terrain for a stand of ghosts while normal troops can enter or
cross without penalty.
At the start of the battle all players should be made aware of
any restrictions that are placed on Ethereal creatures and their
movement.

Cowardly (0)
The unit must pass a T&L test before they can charge against
the front of any enemy. It does not have to make a test if it is
charging an enemy in the flank or rear.
If the test is failed the unit may not charge against this or
any other target this phase but is free to act as normal in the
subsequent move and fire phase.
The T&L of a friendly character within 1 may still be used for
T&L or Break Tests as per usual.

Crew (0)
Crew of a war machine or weapon will count as light troops

29

Fanatic (+10)

the riders values.

A Fanatic unit does not suffer the unsteady effect when it

is reduced to half wounds or less. This unit will fight at full
effectiveness until it has been destroyed or broken.

Phalanx (+15)

As characters and single stand units do not suffer the unsteady

effects at half wounds then they would gain no benefit from
having this trait.

Fearless (+5)
Fearless units and characters may ignore all of the effects of
Terror.

Feigned Flight (+10)

The unit may elect to try to evade a charge in the same manner
as characters and light troops. The evade rules are given in
full in the movement chapter on page 14.

Flying (+15)
See the swimming and flying rules on page 39.

Hatred (0)
The unit must declare a charge against any hated enemy that
is within charge range at the start of the charge phase. They
do not have to charge the closest hated enemy but they must
charge a hated enemy in preference to one that they do not
hate.
If there is no charge declared the unit is free to move and fire
as usual in the upcoming move and fire phase.

Horde
The units within a horde gain courage and inspiration from
the friends around them. Each friendly unit within 1 that also
has the Horde trait will add +1 to the T&L of the unit for Break
Tests. However, this bonus does not apply to T&L tests, they
are carried out in the usual manner without any bonus applied
for nearby friendly hordes.
This bonus is only applied while the friendly horde is within 1
and may stack with other abilities or bonuses. The multiple unit
example on page 27 includes details of how the Horde trait can
affect a Break Test.

Light Troops (0)

Light units have a variety of different abilities and restrictions,
full details for this troop type are given on page 34.

Mounted Troops (Varies)

Troops that are mounted will have the stats for the mount
added to that of the rider, this also means that the points cost
of the mounts will be determined by how much they increase

30

When in column the rear ranks support attacks are increased

by +1 each. If rear rank support cannot be given for any
reason then there are no extra attacks added.
For example a unit of 4 stands of Kingdom Pikemen are in
column and have the Phalanx ability. Each stand has 4
attacks listed and this would usually give the back ranks 2
support attacks per stand. Because of the Phalanx ability they
would each give 3 support attacks per stand instead.
See page 22 for the full support attacks rules.
In addition while in column any enemy charge directed at the
front of the Phalanx does not apply any charging bonuses,
this includes the +1 from charging and special traits such as
Trample and Shock.
To be given the Phalanx trait the unit must be armed with Pikes
or Spears. See the Weapon entries on page 32. The Phalanx
bonuses only apply while the unit is in column, not line.

Poisoned attacks (?)

When the number of wounds have been calculated roll those
D6 that have wounded again to see if there are any additional
wound effects from the poison.
The chance that there is another wound caused depends on
the potency of the poison. Where this trait is given to a unit or
stand it will be shown as Poisoned Attacks #+ where # is the
chance on a D6 that an additional wound will be applied to the
target.
For each subsequent roll that comes up equal to or greater
than this number an additional wounds has been caused.
A Giant Spider has the Poisoned Attacks 5+ trait. For each
wound that it causes a further D6 is rolled and on a score of 5
or more an additional wound will be applied to the target.

Regeneration (?)
Any wounds caused on the target may not be permanent.
Once the number of wounds have been calculated the player
with regeneration rolls 1D6 for each wound that has been
caused.
Where this trait is given it will be shown as Regeneration
#+ where # is the chance on a D6 that a wound will be
regenerated.
The regeneration roll is made after the total number of wounds
have been calculate but before any wounds are applied, any
units are removed or any combat resolution is calculated.
A unit of Trolls have the Regeneration 3+ trait. For each
wound they take they should roll a D6, on a result of 3 or more
the wound is immediately regenerated and has no effect.

A wound that is not saved is not rolled for again on

subsequent turns, once it has been determined that the wound
has not been regenerated its effects remain.

Shock 1 or 2 (+15 or +30)

The turn that they charge into melee the unit will gain an
additional +# combat modifier to its to hit die roll. This trait has
variable levels of effectiveness where # is the combat modifier
that is applied during a charge.
A unit of Dwarf Tusk Riders has the Shock +2 trait. This
means that when they charge into combat they will gain an
additional +2 to hit combat modifier.

Stakes (+10)
The unit places sharpened stakes in front of its position at
deployment. The unit will count as defending an obstacle
against any attack from its front. This bonus applies throughout
the combat regardless of whether the unit wins or loses a
particular round.
If the unit moves at all, including facing changes, compulsory
moves or reforming the stakes are removed and cannot be
replaced during the course of the battle.
Charges against this units flank or rear and all other rules,
traits, combat modifiers and bonuses apply as normal.

Steadfast (+10)
So long as the unit elects to Hold when it is charged from
the front the opponent will not gain the +1 combat modifier for
charging into combat.
Any other attacker bonuses such as Shock or Trample will
apply as usual. This trait has no effect on charges directed
against the steadfast units flank or rear.

Stubborn (+15)
When the enemy rolls to break the unit they must roll greater
than the unmodified T&L of the target. The amount that the
melee was won by has no impact on the Break Test. A natural
roll of 12 will still automatically break the losing unit.
The unit may use either the T&L of nearby characters within 1
for Break Tests or their own T&L, they may not combine both.

Swarm (0)
A swarm of creatures, insects, rats and so on. Characters
may not influence a swarm unless their description specifically
states that they may do so. This means that a swarm may not
use the characters T&L for its Break tests or T&L tests.
A swarm is subject to the Warband rule with regard to
reforming and also has the Fearless and Stubborn traits.

Target Size Large/Medium/

Small (0)
This trait only applies to characters. When a character is fired
upon there will be a modifier to the to hit roll depending on
the size of the character. Any character based on less than
a 40mm base width frontage is counted as being small. Any
character based on a base frontage of greater than 50mm
counts as a large target. Anything in between is a medium
target. For firing at characters rules see page 36.

Terror (+20)
Any troops wanting to charge against a unit that causes Terror
must first pass a T&L test. The charging unit may elect to use
the T&L of a friendly character within 1.
If the test is failed the unit may not charge against this or
any other target this phase but is free to act as normal in the
subsequent move and fire phase.

Trample 1 or 2 (+15 or +30)

The unit will get +# attacks per stand on the first turn when
it charges into combat. This trait has different levels where
# is the number of additional attacks each stand gets when
charging into combat.
An Orc chariot stand has the Trample +2 trait. This means
that on the turn that it charges into combat it will gain 2 more
attacks than normally shown on its stat line. These extra
attacks will benefit from or suffer the same combat modifiers
and have all the same rules and restrictions as their other
attacks.

Unbreakable (+30)
This unit or character cannot be broken in melee. When an
Unbreakable unit is beaten in combat the winner does not get
to roll the 2D6 break test, there is no chance of breaking the
unit.

Undead (+35)
Undead have the Fearless and Unbreakable traits. This makes
them very hard to get rid of, luckily the vast majority of undead
have terrible combat stats. Being dead will do that to you.

Warband (0)
When a Warband wants to reform there is a chance that they
will not be able to carry out the manoeuvre. Any unit must first
pass a T&L test to be able to reform. If the T&L test is failed
the unit may not choose to do any other movement this phase
though they will still count as having moved for firing purposes.
The Warband rule has been made harsh on purpose.
These troops are not trained to manoeuvre and easily get
disorganised when asked to perform difficult formation
changes. Their best tactic is to form up facing the enemy
and charge!

31

The Warband may use the T&L of a friendly character within 1

as usual.
Note that this only applies to reform attempts, changes of face
may be carried out without the T&L test.

War machine (0)

A war machine may not move and fire, this includes facing
changes or reforms. A war machine may never be given the
Light Troops trait.

Weapon - Breath Weapon (0)

Breath weapons can be used both as missile fire and while in
base to base combat with the enemy. When used as missile
fire it follows all of the usual rules for War Machines. This
means that there will be no rolls to hit, instead the number
of hits are calculated randomly and then these are rolled to
convert into wounds.
The range, number of hits and strength of breath weapons may
vary and these values are determined at the unit design stage.
As with war machines the points cost is determined by these
statistics and the type and effects of breath weapons can vary
greatly.
So long as the stand is not already engaged in combat Breath
Weapons may be used to fire defensively at a charger.

Weapon - Dual weapons (+10)

When using multiple weapons the stand will gain +1 extra
attack. For troops that only have 2 arms this trait may not be
used with Great Weapons or with a shield.
If you have a creature that has lots of arms then it is possible
to use this trait with Great Weapons or weapons and a shield.
No matter the number of weapons they happen to be wielding
the bonus will not increase the attack stat by more than +1.
It is possible to have multiple missile weapons as well, whether
this applies really will depend on the creature!

Weapon - Great Weapon (+10)

Great Weapons will add +1 to the to wound roll of successful
hits. The troops may not use shields and Great Weapons
together. There are no additional modifiers for large weapons,
an Ogre wielding a Great Weapon will gain +1 to wound in the
same manner as a Goblin. The Might of the relevant creature
already has an effect on the chance of wounding and this is all
part of weapon size.

Weapon -Handgun (+5)

A unit or character armed with Handguns may not move and
fire in the same phase. Any movement at all will prohibit firing,
this includes facing changes (whether free or not) and failed
attempts to Reform.

32

Weapon - Hand Weapon (0)

Hand weapons impart no particular ability or trait to troops, they
simply allow a unit to make standard hand to hand attacks.
Hand weapons are still listed on the stat line of the unit or
character, they take just one hand to use allowing the other
hand (hands?) free for second weapons, shields and so on.

Weapon - hvy Crossbow (+5)

A unit or character armed with Heavy Crossbows may not
move and fire in the same phase. Any movement at all will
prohibit firing, this includes facing changes (whether free or
not) and failed attempts to Reform.
Note that this penalty only applies to Heavy, not Light,
Crossbows

Weapon - Lance (+5)

Lance adds +1 to the to wound roll when the unit charges, this
applies to all of the attacks that a unit makes, including support
or Trample attacks.

Weapon - PIKE (+5)

So long as the unit is charged from the front and its response
is to Hold the enemy +1 combat modifier for charging does not
apply. All other bonuses and penalties apply as usual.
A unit must be armed with pikes or spears in order to have the
Phalanx ability.

Weapon - Spear (+5)

So long as the unit is charged from the front and its response
is to Hold the enemy +1 combat modifier for charging does not
apply. All other bonuses and penalties apply as usual.
A unit must be armed with spears or pikes to be given the
Phalanx ability.

Single Stand Units

Single stand units (SSU) is the game term given to a unit that
is only made up of one stand. This may be a single figure such
as a giant, multiple figures such as a host of spirits or a war
machine and its crew. An SSU should not be confused with a
character, while they share some of the same rules and game
mechanics they are different types of units.

T&L of a character within 1 in the same way as a multi stand

unit.

Single stand units have some of their own specific rules but on
the whole they will follow the same rules as multi stand units
and characters. Unless stated otherwise here a Single Stand
Unit (SSU) will follow all of the standard rules.

SSU movement
The same movement rules apply to single stand units as they
do to multi stand units. They do not count as characters so will
not get to benefit from the free facing chance at the start and
end of movement. This means that they must still wheel, about
face and so on as part of their movement. Their charge arcs,
march restrictions, evade options all remain the same as for
other multi stand units.
This is an important rule as it stops SSU from being overly
flexible, players will still need to take account of charge arcs,
facings, wheel distances and so on.
Single stand units can benefit from the Light Troops trait and,
as with any other unit, this would allow them the usual free
facing change at the start and end of movement, evade options
and so on. A single stand unit that has the light troops ability
will be very manoeuvrable.

SSU firing
A single stand unit has the same firing restrictions as all other
troops. They must be within range, LOS and have the target in
their forward firing arc. They may reform and fire and, as the
rules state that you cannot split attacks from a single stand,
they must direct all of their attacks against one target.

SSU combat
An SSU will follow all of the usual combat rules. No matter its
size the SSU will count as one stand in combat, it can apply its
attacks only against one target but may choose which target if
it is in contact with more than one enemy.
An SSU has flanks and rear, must charge into combat and so
on. The physical size of the stand will determine which enemy it
is in contact with and also how many of the enemy may attack
back, the usual overlap rules apply.

SSU T&L and Break tests

An SSU will take T&L and Break Tests in just the same way as
any multi stand unit or character. They can benefit from the

SSU and Unsteady

Unlike multi stand units an SSU does not become unsteady
when it is reduced to half or less its starting number of wounds.
This means that an SSU does not need to be marked as
unsteady and will fight at full effect until it is destroyed or
broken.
Any other instances of unsteady can still apply to an SSU (from
a spell for example) and all of the standard rules would apply in
that case.

Character within 1
A character that is within 1 of a single stand unit may influence
it in the same manner as it would a multi stand unit.

SSU Base Size

An SSU has to have a minimum bases size, if it is smaller than
40mm wide then it has to be designed as a character instead.

SSU Light Troops

SSU can be given any of the appropriate special abilities and
traits in the same way that characters and multi stand units
can. This means that an SSU can be allocated the Light
Troops trait and it would gain all of the associated abilities.
This could be useful to represent an SSU that you think should
be flexible enough to freely change face at the start and end
of its movement and also evade chargers without having to
introduce any special rules.
Basically for movement, T&L, traits, attacks, wounds,
combat, overlaps, unsteady and pretty much most other
things you should treat a single stand unit as you would a
multi stand unit, except that its smaller - obviously!

33

Light Troops
Some units have their troops deployed in loose formations
that allow greater flexibility and movement. They are unlikely
to be able to stand up to a formed unit in close combat and
they generally try to use missile fire or flank and rear attacks to
weaken and destroy enemy troops.
Light troops use many of the same rules as formed troops but
there are also some additional abilities and restrictions.
The stands in the unit must remain in base to base contact.
Their stat line will reflect the lesser number of troops and more
open formation but other than that they may still engage in
melee as would any other unit. The fewer attacks and wounds
per stand will put these units at a disadvantage in combat.
Light units may be foot or mounted and can be characters,
multi stand or single stand units.
Light Troops have flanks and rears just like other units and their
firing is restricted to the same 45 degree frontal arc unless any
special rules state otherwise. Light troops must still remain in
either line or column.

Light troops Movement

Light troops may freely change their facing at the start and end
of their own movement so long as they do not charge.
This only applies to a change of facing, not to reform, if a unit
wants to change from line to column it must use a reform order
as would any other unit.

Rough Going & Obstacles

Light troops are not penalised by rough going or obstacles.
They may freely double through rough going or over obstacles
and do not suffer movement penalties for this. They are still
stopped from entering impassable terrain.

Passage of Lines
Light troops may freely pass through other friendly units during
their movement. They may not charge through friendly troops
and they may not end their movement on top of friends or
astride them. If they are going to perform a passage of lines
they must be able to completely clear the unit they are passing
through. Light troops may double through friendly units.
Likewise formed units (as opposed to light units) may freely
pass through light troops without any movement penalty. They
may not charge through and must be able to completely clear
the troops that are being moved through.

Light Troops Stat Line

The stat line of Light troops reflects their more open formation

34

and fewer actual troops. For example, whereas a normal stand

could start with 4 wounds, 4 combat attacks and 2 missile
attacks a light stand could have just 2 wounds, 2 combat
attacks and 1 missile attack.

Light Troops Evade

Light troops may always opt to evade a charging enemy. Full
evade rules are given on page 14. They may always attempt
to evade from a charge.

Light Troops and

Characters
Characters may influence light troops in just the same way as
they can any other unit. There are no special rules with regard
to light troops and characters.

Light Troops Support

Light troops may not benefit from rear rank support no matter
what formation they happen to be in.

Light troops deployment

Light troops may have more options open to them at
deployment and a scenario can show areas where only Light
Troops may deploy. Light troops can always set up in the main
army deployment area and if there are no extra deployment
areas shown then they are restricted to the normal deployment
the same as all other units and characters.

Light troops figures

Stands made up of light troops may have less figures per base
or the same as normal. If the latter then the opponent should
be informed that a unit is light troops.

Light troops are far more flexible than standard close order
units. They are particularly effective at denying enemy
double moves, grabbing terrain features, harrying enemy
flanks and rears or screening your more valuable troops.
It is worth remembering that these are still units of
hundreds of troops that have to be commanded and
controlled. With this in mind light troops must still abide by
many of the standard rules that apply to formed units.

War Machines
War machines can be bolt throwers, cannons, catapults or
other bizarre contraptions. They do not follow the same rules
as other missile weapons with regard to hitting their target but
other than that they use many of the same game mechanics.
War machines will often be single stand units. The machine
and its crew count as a single stand for all game purposes.
Most, but not all, war machines will have the trait Crew and
War Machine, for details see the Traits & Weapons chapter.
As with normal missile fire most war machines will need to
have the target within range and line of sight. Some weapons
do not have to worry about a clear line of sight to their targets
but they are dealt with later in this chapter.
When it has been determined that the war machine can target
a specific unit or character there is no roll to hit. Instead the
firing player will simply roll to see how many attacks are carried
out on the target. There is a catch however, the number of
attacks can be zero, in which case you can assume that the
shot missed its target.
There are 2 range bands for War Machines, Close and Long,
some may only have a long and no close range.
War machines can cause multiple casualties to their targets.
The number is determined by the range band that the weapon
is firing at. Each range band will show what dice are rolled for
the number of hits, this can be D3-1, D6-1, D6-2 or 2D6-2. As
you can see there is always a chance that the score will be
zero and so no attacks are made.

Indirect Fire
Some weapons have the ability to shoot over the heads of
intervening troops and obstacles. These are noted on the war
Machines table as (I) for indirect firing weapons.
These weapons do not need a clear line of sight to the target,
instead they can fire even if they cannot see what they are
shooting at. The target must still be within the 45 degree
forward arc of the firing stand.

Minimum range
Some weapons have a minimum as well as a maximum range
that they can fire. To be a valid target the enemy must be
between the minimum and maximum range listed.
A Goblin Light catapult has 2 Dwarf units to its front, one is 25
away, the other only 5. The catapult would not be able to fire
at the unit that is 5 away as it is closer than the minimum 9
range for this weapon.

A Light cannon has a close range of 20 and a long range of

40. If the target is within 20 the cannon will roll 1D6-1 for the
number of Might 8 attacks that hit the target, if the unit is at
long range the cannon will roll 1D3-1 to see how many attacks
hit the target.

Weapon

The Orc unit is 23 away

and means it is within close
range. The Heavy Bolt
Thrower rolls a D6 and gets
6, this results in 5 Might 7
hits. All 5 of these 5 hits are
allocated to the orc unit.

Orcs

23

The character could not be targeted,

because line of sight is blocked by the orc
unit.
Supposing the range to the target was 36
this would put it at long range from the bolt
thrower. Instead of D6-1 hits on the target
the player would roll D3-1 hits.

Close

Long

MIGHT

PTS

Light Bolt Thrower

15

D6-1

30

D3-1

91

Heavy Bolt Thrower

24

D6-1

48

D3-1

130

Light Cannon

20

D6-1

40

D3-1

147

Heavy Cannon

30

D6-1

60

D3-1

196

Organ Gun

10

2D6-2

20

D6-1

135

15

D6-1

10

135

Light Catapult (I)

9-18

D6-1

36

D6-2

10

266

Heavy Catapult (I)

12-24

D6-1

48

D6-2

12

288

Rockets (I)

10-20

2D6-2

40

2D6-2

180

Flame Cannon

35

Characters
Characters are individual stands that can move about the
battlefield independently of units. The base size of characters
can be as small as 20mm by 20mm upto large 60mm by 80mm
behemoths. Characters should not be confused with single
stand units who have their own separate rules (page 33).
Characters within 1 of friendly single stand or multi stand
units can influence those units by allowing them to use the
characters T&L statistic value for Break and T&L tests instead
of the units own listed T&L.
It does not matter whether the character has moved, doubled,
evaded, its type or base size. A unit can use the T&L of one
friendly character so long as they are within 1 of each other.

Character movement
Characters mostly move according to the same basic rules
as other units. The exception is that they are allowed a free
facing change at the start and end of their movement. This
is simply an ability that a character is given to reflect their
increased flexibility. This free facing change does still count as
movement with regard to firing penalties and missile weapon
restrictions.
A character that is charged may always opt to evade as though
it has the Feigned Flight ability. All of the usual rules apply to
the charge and the evade - see page 14.

There can be only one

No matter how many characters are in proximity to a unit only
one of them will be able to apply their T&L and any special
traits or bonuses to any single test. The player will need to
choose which character they are using to augment the T&L of a
unit if there is more than one within 1.

During an expedition to subdue the Goblin tribes of

Northesk Baron Gruber and Baron Heller both joined
the Knights of The Holy Order of Light to lead the charge
against the Goblin horde.
Unfortunately neither Baron would bow to the authority
of the other. After the subsequent discussion, argument,
duel and removal of the losers body it was discovered that
the Knights had given up waiting, charged the enemy and
already had the Goblin Chieftains head as a trophy.

Firing at Characters
All arc, range and line of sight restrictions apply as usual.

36

Firing at a character modifies the to hit number depending on

the size of the target. See page 31 for details of large, medium
or small targets.
If the character is small there is a - 2 to hit modifier, medium
-1 to hit modifier and for large characters there is no additional
effect.
Targeting an individual is far more difficult than a unit.
Firstly you have to be able to pick out who you want to fire
at in the chaotic mess of battle and then point that target
out to an entire unit of missile troops.
While someone riding on a huge dragon may well be
an easy target to spot the flexibility of movement that
a character enjoys must also be taken into account.
Where your figure actually ends its movement is simply a
snapshot of time.
The modifiers imposed for firing at characters take into
account the time taken to be able to spot and direct
the fire of a unit or war machine as well as the size and
manoeuvrability of the target.

Characters in Combat
When a character is engaged in combat they may be attacked
in just the same manner as single stand units and multi stand
units. They will count as a separate unit for purposes of
determining the number of enemy stands that engage them in
combat and the stands that can apply as an overlap.
The wounds that a character takes will count towards combat
resolution in just the same way as any normal unit. Wounds
over and above the number required to kill a character will
count towards the combat resolution. Likewise wounds over
and above those needed to destroy a unit count as well.

A unit of 4 stands of Trolls are in

combat with a column of 4 stands
of Dwarfs and a Dwarf character
on a Boar. All of the Troll stands
have enemy in contact so this will
determine who their stands must
attack. 3 Troll stands fight against
the Dwarf unit while the other
fights against the character.

A
B
C
D

In this case stand A must fight

against the Dwarf unit while stand
B has the option to fight the unit or
the character. Stand C must fight
against the character because it
is in contact, it could not act as an
overlap against the unit. Stand
D acts as an overlap against the
character.

Characters & Break Tests

If a unit loses a melee and has a friendly character within 1 it
may use that characters T&L value to calculate the Break Test
requirements after combat.
The character does not have to be fighting with the unit
in question or even in melee itself. So long as part of the
characters base is within 1 of any part of any stand of the unit
then the T&L of the character may be used instead of that of
the unit.

A
B
C
D

It is worth reiterating that a T&L test is different to a Break Test

even though they both use the same statistic. More details can
be found on page 28.

B
A

Vermin

Goblins

The Vermin unit has

just lost a combat
against the Goblin unit
while character A has
just drawn combat with
the other Goblin unit.
Both of the Vermin
characters are within 1
of the Vermin unit.

The Vermin unit has a T&L of 7 and the characters are

both within 1 of the losing unit so the Vermin player may
use either characters T&L rather than that of the unit to
resolve the Break Test.
Character A has a T&L of 9 while character B has a T&L of
8 but also holds the Taskmasters Lash, a special Vermin
artifact that means any Vermin unit that uses this leaders
T&L for Breat Tests alos counts as Stubborn (see page
28). The Vermin unit must choose one or the other of the
characters to aid their Break Test, they may not combine
the abilities and T&L from both. This means they can
either use a T&L of 9 from character A or they can use a
T&L of 8 from character B and be treated as Stubborn.

Our Dwarf Lord on Boar has

only one wound remaining when
he enters the combat with the
Trolls. Unfortunately for him
the Troll player is very lucky
and turns the Dwarf into paste
with five wounds scored against
him. During combat resolution
the Trolls will count as having
inflicted five wounds rather than
just the one.

Excess wounds are applied to the combat resolution to

stop single, low level characters joining in a fight just to
distract the enemy from attacking your units. If these
characters die in a particularly horrible and gruesome
manner their deaths are bound to affect the troops that are
fighting alongside them.

characters unaffected
Characters and T&L tests
When a unit has to carry out a T&L test it may use the T&L
value of a friendly character within 1 rather than its own. This
test can be to reform, pass a Terror test, as a reaction to Spells,
use abilities or any other reason that a T&L test is required.

Characters may never influence other characters, only multi

stand units and single stand units. It does not matter if the
T&L is higher, the other character is a superior or has far better
traits or abilities. A character may not influence the Break Tests
or T&L tests of another character in any way.

37

Goblins

Three Goblin units with T&L 6 and the Warband trait want
to change facing so that they are all facing towards the
left. Because they are warbands they must pass a T&L
test before they can do so. The mounted character has
a T&L of 8 and is currently in combat with an enemy unit
while the foot character has a T&L of 7.
Goblin unit A has no character within 1 so must use its
own base T&L of 6 to perform the change of facing.
Goblin unit B has the foot character within 1 and so may
use his T&L of 7 to perform the test.
Goblin unit C has both the foot and mounted characters
within 1 but the mounted character is engaged in combat
so it may not affect friendly T&L tests (though it could
affect a friendly Break Test). This means that unit C would
have to use the foot characters T&L of 7 for its test.

You may find that it is fairly easy to target characters with

missile fire, the question is whether you want to or not.
Legions of Battle is designed with massed units as the
primary building blocks of an army. While some characters
can be very powerful in combat you may find that the
additional modifiers to hit them and their (often) higher
protection value means you are better off shooting at
enemy units instead.

Vermin

A B C D
A B
C D
A Goblins B

In the situation opposite two Goblin units and a mounted character are fighting against a
Vermin unit and a character on foot.
The Vermin character (on foot) is only in contact with Goblin unit A and he must use
all of his attacks against this unit. The vermin unit has its stands in contact with three
opponents and must allocate who its stands are to fight against. The Vermin player
currently has the initiative and so it is they who must allocate where their stands will
attack first.

Vermin stand A is in contact with both the Goblin character and Goblin unit A, this means it may attack either. It is perfectly
OK for this stand attack the Goblin character and ignore the unit even though more of its base frontage is actually in
contact with the unit, the amount of contact is unimportant. Stand B is only in contact with the character and so must
attack him while stands C and D are only in contact with Goblin unit B and so that is who they must attack.
Goblin unit A is in contact with 2 opponents, the Vermin character and the unit. The attacks from stand A and the
supporting attacks from stand C must all be made against the Vermin character. Stand B of this unit is in contact with both
the Vermin unit and character and so may choose which to attack, whatever its choice the supporting attacks from stand D
must be made against the same target. The Goblin character and Goblin unit B must make all of their attacks against the
Vermin unit.

38

FlyIng & Aquatic

Flying Movement

Flying Missile Fire

The ability to fly over the battlefield allows units and characters
to bypass impassable terrain, enemy and friendly units. There
are a number of ways that creatures can fly and a variety of
methods used - from wings to magic.

All missile fire is carried out in the same manner as usual

whether it is firing at the flying creatures as targets or fire from
the flyers themselves.

Rather than design a set of fantasy airborne combat rules the

flying trait has been kept simply as a means of moving around
the battlefield. The uses it can be put to should confer their
own advantages, being able to fly over the enemy and then
attack them in the rear is a pretty good ability in itself!
All flying creatures , no matter their size or type, have a flying
MV of 12. This can be used in the same way as normal MV
- to charge, evade, double and so on. Simply use the usual
moving game mechanics unless the rules on this page state
otherwise.
Flying troops effectively take off from the point where they start
their flying and land where they end it. This means that they
can pass over any enemy or friendly stands and impassable
terrain but cannot land on them. While flying they are not
reduced to half speed for crossing obstacles and do not halve
their speed through rough going.
If the unit is doubling they do still need to keep more than 6
away from all enemy stands. In this case height does not
count so you cant simply say you are flying 7 above a unit and
double over it!
Flying characters are still allowed their usual free change of
face at the start and end of their movement. Light troops will
be able to perform their free reform at the start and end of their
movement. All other flying creatures will need to keep to the
usual facing and reforming rules.

Flying Combat
The flying trait itself does not impart any special combat
abilities. All of the standard combat rules, including break
tests, apply as normal.
There is one rule that is implemented slightly differently - a
flying unit does not need line of sight to its target at the start
of its charge - it can effectively fly over intervening units as
part of its charge. It must still keep to all of the other charge
restrictions with regard to facing, charge arc and distance.
In game terms a flying unit is able to gain an advantageous
position far more easily than one on foot. Light flying stands
and characters can simply fly over a target and use their free
reform or about face at the end of their movement and be in a
position to charge into the rear next turn.

As the firing comes after movement and the flyers land at the
end of their move there are no additional modifiers or rules
required for firing at flying creatures.

Ground movement
Flying creatures will have a ground movement speed as well
as a flight speed. The MV listed on the stat line is used for
the ground movement of the unit or character. All of the usual
ground movement rules apply.
Where a unit has the choice of either ground movement or
flying movement the player must declare which they are using
before the unit is moved.
It may seem that flying movement will always be better than
ground but magical items, spells, special terrain, specific
scenario rules and so on can all stop flyers from actually taking
off.

Aquatic movement
When troops are listed with the aquatic movement trait it
means that they may cross water obstacles. No matter how
they actually cross they will follow the same game mechanics,
it does not matter if they swim, float or walk.
Aquatic troops do not suffer the rough ground effect for water
based obstacles such as streams, swamps or marsh. They
may double through this type of terrain so long as they are
further away than 6 from any enemy as usual.
Aquatic troops may cross impassable water obstacles. When
moving through impassable water terrain they have an MV of
6 and use this value to charge, evade, double and so on. If
combining water and ground movement in the same turn they
will use the slowest of the two.
Other than these exceptions troops will move, charge, double
and evade as usual with regard to movement.

Special Movement Evade

Flying or aquatic creatures can evade using their special
movement type so long as they would normally be allowed an
evade attempt. This means that they would still need to be
characters, light troops or have the Feigned Flight trait.

39

Battle Magic
Mages in battle
A Mage is a character figure that can cast spells. They may
also have other traits, do not need to be humanoid, may ride
magical beasts or even be magical beasts. Where the rules
refer to a Mage they simply mean a character that has the
ability to cast spells.
Battle Magic is a special art that involves spell and counter
spell with Mages attempting to bend magical energy Mana to
their will. This requires massive amounts of concentration, the
more powerful the spell the more Mana required and only the
greatest Mages can attempt the hardest spells.
In game terms a Mage will have levels from one through to five.
The higher the level the more knowledge the Mage has, this
allows them to attempt more powerful spells. The maximum
amount of Mana that a Mage may have is directly related to
their level but it is perfectly possible for a low level Mage to
have more Mana than a high one.
The magic phase is split into two sections, in the first the side
with the initiative has their Mages cast spells or attempt to
dispel effects currently in play. Once the initiative winner has
used all of their Mages the roles are reversed with the initiative
loser becoming active and casting their spells or dispelling
effects in play.
A Mage may either attempt to cast a spell or attempt to dispel
an enemy spell effect that is already in play. They may not do
both, a Mage can only carry out one action in his portion of the
magic phase.

Magical power is all around us but only a very few have

the knowledge to tap into these forces. As they are
commonly referred to as Streams of Magic we can explain
magical ability by using and expanding upon this handy
water metaphor.
If Magic forms streams then Mages are... buckets. We
collect and carry the magical power Mana until it is time to
empty the bucket by casting a spell or enchantment.
This Magical energy can be present in the air itself - like
raindrops. It can concentrate in places of power - like
wells. It can make up the Streams of Magic themselves like...er... streams I suppose.
The ability to collect and store this magical energy depends
on the skill of the Mage in question - effectively how big
their bucket is. Even if faced by a vast ocean you can only
carry as much water as you can hold in your bucket.
Extract from the unedited (and as yet unreleased) version
of Magic for Dummies by Alcibiades the Fat Bastard.

40

Other actions, abilities, multiple casting attempts and so on can

only be carried out if a specific trait, spell or items says so in its
description.

Planes of Magic
Magic is split into three Planes. The Heavens, The Earth and
The Underworld. Each plane has its own unique properties as
far as magic is concerned, scholars have broken these down
into various Realms of magical power.
The Heavens - Spirit, Air, Light, Life
The Earth - Water, Earth, Fire, Order
The Underworld - Beast, Chaos, Darkness, Death.
These are simply names that has been given to the Realms but
they do give some indication as to the properties and abilities
that each of the realms manifests.
All Mages must select a Plane that they study - this is generally
decided by the race or nation that they belong to and may be
part of army lists or racial traits.
Few wizards are able to master the intricacies of more than
one or two Realms and none posses the knowledge required to
access more than one Plane of magic.
Within that Plane of Magic the Mage may choose to specialise
in two of the four Realms - attempting to master more than that
has proved impossible for even the most gifted Mages.

Mage levels
A mage can be one of five levels from 1 being the weakest
up to 5 the most powerful. These levels will determine the
maximum Mana that can be used when casting or dispelling.
The maximum Mana that a mage can use in the casting of a
spell or a dispel attempt is his Level +1.

Mana
Mana is the amount of magical power that a Mage possesses
and may use to cast spells or dispel spell effects throughout
the battle.
There is a limit to the amount of Mana that any one Mage can
have and in game terms youll find that there are limits to the
amount that can actually be used throughout a battle. It is
also worth considering the points value invested in a hugely
powerful Mage that could become a casualty early on and
leave you at a disadvantage.
Each point of Mana allows the Mage to use 1D6 to either put

towards casting a spell of their own or towards dispelling spell

effects that are currently in play.
As this Mana is used it is lost for the remainder of the battle.
Mages have limited amounts of power, though some spells,
items or traits can grant, increase or renew Mana throughout
the battle.

dispelling an enemy spell effect directly relates to the number

of D6 that they will be able to roll in the attempt. Each point of
Mana gives one D6 although some traits, abilities or items may
alter this amount or adjust the scores and rolls.

The maximum amount of Mana that a Mage has available is

restricted by their level but other than that the amount of Mana
a Mage has is chosen by the players themselves. A low level
Mage may have trouble casting higher level spells but it is
perfectly possible for them to have more Mana than a higher
level Mage.
Maximum Mana = (Mage level +1) x 8
This value means that a Mage could use their maximum Mana
every turn of an 8 turn game. In effect this rarely happens
but Mana may sometimes be used for things other than spell
casting.
In any single situation a Mage may only use Mana equal to
their level plus one unless a specific trait, item or ability dictates
otherwise. This rule applies to casting as well as dispelling
attempts.
Mages have a finite amount of Mana to expend throughout
the battle. Part of the Art of Magic is deciding whether to
use this early on or save for the end game, to attack with
offensive spells or boost your own troops abilities, to cast
spells or dispel the enemies magical effects.
Unless one side has a massive advantage in Mages and
Mana youll find that magic has an important role to play
but is not enough to win you the battle on its own.
The Demon Keshin is a level 2 Mage and the player has
designed this character with 20 points of Mana. His maximum
Mana would be (Level 2 + 1) x 8 = 24. Without any additional
traits or abilities the most he would be able to use in any one
casting or dispel attempt would be 3 points (his level +1).

Spells
There are 5 levels of spells and any Mage may attempt
to cast any level of spell no matter what their own level of
knowledge, a second level mage may attempt to cast a 4th or
5th level spell for example. Their chance of casting the spell
successfully will depend on the amount of Mana that they
expend on it. This amount of Mana is limited by their Mage
level, in this way it is easier for higher level Mages to cast more
powerful spells but they must expend more Mana to do so.
Mages do not need to pre-select the spells that they will be
able to cast throughout the battle, they have access to all of
the spells from both of their chosen Realms. The same spell
may be cast more than once but only one spell can be cast per
Mage per Magic Phase unless a trait, item or ability dictates
otherwise.
The amount of Mana that a Mage expends on casting a spell or

Casting the Spell

There are set chances to cast specific levels of spell, the higher
the level the harder the spell is to cast. This difficulty level is
the score that you must equal or exceed with your casting dice
roll.
1st Level Spell 4+
2nd Level Spell 8+
3rd Level Spell 12+
4th Level Spell 16+
5th Level Spell 20+

A Mage will roll a number of Mana Dice (D6) equal to the
amount of Mana that they expend attempting to cast a
particular spell. The maximum Mana that can be used is the
level of the Mage casting the spell plus one.
Pai Lung is a powerful 4th Level Chin Mage with 38 points of
Mana available and he wishes to cast a second level spell.
He can choose to use from 1 to 5 Mana and will roll the
corresponding number of D6 in an attempt to equal or exceed
the difficulty level (8+) of the spell.
There is no lower limit to the number of Mana points that can
be used to attempt to cast a spell. It is perfectly OK to only
use 3 Mana and so roll 3D6 to attempt to cast a 4th level spell
for example. Obviously this drastically reduces the chances of
these spells being cast successfully.
Keshin, a 2nd Level Mage attempts to cast a 4th Level spell.
He could use up to 3 Mana (his level + 1) and would need to
score 16+ on 3D6. The level of the Mage does not restrict the
level of the spells that they may attempt to cast.
While there is an upper limit to the amount of Mana to be used
there is no lower limit. While it may look impossible to cast a
second level spell by using only one Mana (youd need 8+ on

41

1D6) some traits, items or abilities can modify or add to the

casting die rolls.
If the amount rolled is less than the difficulty level then the spell
has failed. If the roll is equal to or greater than the casting cost
then the spell has been cast successfully. Either way the Mana
is used and is removed from the amount that the Mage has
available.

than the basic difficulty level of the spell. The score that the
original casting wizard achieved or where the spell came from
has no impact on the score needed to dispel it.

A Mage may only use his own Mana to cast spells. There may
be cases where special skills, spells and traits allow pooling of
dice but the basic rules are that a Mage can only use his own
Mana to cast his own spells.
A player must declare the Mage that is casting the spell, the
amount of mana that they are using and the target of that spell
before any rolls are made.
The Level 5 Mage Lailoken is attempting to cast Noble Resolve
(a 2nd Level spell) on a unit of Round Table Knights who are
engaged in combat. The player declares the spell, the target,
the Mage casting the spell and the amount of Mana that he is
going to use - in this case 3 points.
Lailoken marks off the use of 3 Mana on the army roster sheet
and rolls 3D6, one D6 for each point of Mana expended. The
scores are 2,5,5 for a total of 12 points, more than the 8 that he
needed so the spell will succeed.
A Mage that is in combat may not attempt to cast a spell
or dispel a spell effect. Some specific spell descriptions or
magical items may allow casting at these times, if that is the
case it will be clearly stated in the item description.

Dispelling Spells
Instead of casting a spell as his action in the Magic Phase
a Mage may attempt to dispel an enemy spell effect that is
currently in play. This can be a spell that has been cast in
previous turns or even one that an enemy Mage has just cast
earlier on in this Magic Phase.
During a dispel attempt a Mage must use Mana and will roll
1D6 for each point of Mana that they expend. Their target is to
get equal to or greater than the difficulty level of the spell they
are attempting to dispel.
As with casting spells the maximum Mana that they can use is
their level plus one. A Mage may either attempt to cast a spell
or attempt to dispel a spell, they may not do both in their Magic
Phase.
During his section of the Magic Phase a 3rd Level Orc Shaman
Ong-ni-Bak wants to dispel the Noble Resolve spell that has
just been cast on the Round Table Knights. As it is a second
level spell he decides to use 2 Mana for the dispel attempt but
he could have used up to 4 points (his Level+1). Rolling 2D6
he scores 9, this is greater than the 8+ (the casting cost of a
2nd level spell) so the Noble Resolve is dispelled. The actual
casting roll of the spell (12 in this case) does not affect the
chance that it is going to be dispelled so there is no need to
keep track of how well a spell was cast.
The dispelling Mage is attempting to get equal to or greater

42

Mages and armour

Mages have their ability to cast spells restricted when they
carry encumbering equipment and armour. They tend to need
to have their hands free and to be able to concentrate on what
they are doing otherwise the spell is more difficult to cast.
Some Warrior Mages use magic to enhance their combat
ability. They still wield weapons, shields and armour but this
takes exceptional training.
Normal Mages are restricted to the use of hand weapons and a
staff but they may be mounted. They cannot be equipped with
great weapons, lances, shields, missile weapons or any type of
armour.
Some magical items may ignore this rule, they can be used by
Mages if it specifically says so in the item description.
For example Salamander Armour counts as light armour,
imparts the Regeneration 5+ trait and may be used by Mages.

Magic items
Some magic items may allow the casting of spells without
requiring the caster to be a Mage or using any Mana points. If
this is the case the item description will give full details.
Scrolls and potions may be used to cast spells throughout the
battle. These are always one use items and once the spell is
cast, whether it fails or succeeds, it has been used.
Mages may not use their own Mana to enhance or increase
the chances of casting from an item, potion or scroll unless the
description states otherwise.
Some items may add Mana to the Mage, add to the chance of
spells being cast, give re-rolls to casting attempts and so on.
Unless specifically stated otherwise casting or dispelling by use
of a magic item still counts as the single action that a Mage
may take in their portion of the Magic Phase.

Spell Lists
Spell Descriptions

Lasting Spell Effects

Each spell will have its level listed, the casting cost, its type, its
name and then a description of how the spell works.

Some spells will remain in play until a certain event happens,

the enemy dispel them or the owning player cancels the spell.

Range is measured from any part of the base of the casting

Mage to any part of the base of the target stand or unit or
the central point of an area effect spell. Range may be listed
as unlimited in which case it can be cast anywhere on the
battlefield.

Enemy spell effects that remain in play must be dispelled as

described in the rules earlier in the magic chapter. Friendly
spell effects do not need to be dispelled and can simply be
cancelled by the owning player. The Mage that cast these
spells does not need to act, be on the table or even still be
alive!

Magic does not have arcs of fire, any spell can be cast in any
direction so long as other restrictions about range and LOS are
adhered to. Some spells will require an unobstructed line of
sight to the target, others will not.

Cancelling a friendly spell takes no time, costs no Mana and

does not count as an action for the Mage. However it can
only be cancelled during the owning players part of the Magic
Phase - when they would be casting their own or dispelling
enemy spells. This is the only time that friendly spells can be
cancelled, to do so the owning player simply declares which
spell is ending and its effects cease immediately.
Remains in play effects are not cumulative though different
spells may affect a unit at the same time. Where that spell
affects the same stat as another only the highest bonus is
used.

AuRA spells
The highest level spells in each Realm are called Auras.
These are magical effects that remain in place and can affect
the whole battlefield. In addition to the effects described in its
description an Aura has other specific rules.
An army may only have one Aura in place at any time, if it is
dispelled or cancelled then it may be cast again or another
may be cast in its place. Other than this specific rule all other
properties, rules and game mechanics apply to casting, use of,
dispelling and disrupting Aura spells.

Magic Missile Spells

A Magic Missile targets a unit or a character in the same
manner as mundane missile fire.
Where a Mage is specifically targeting a character the Mage
must still be within range and LOS of the character model. As
with normal missile fire a Magic Missile may only be cast at a
unit or character that is not currently in combat.

43

The Heavens
Spirit
Lvl 1 (4+ Magic Missile) Blast Range 24, Might 4, D6 attacks.
Lvl 2 (8+) Noble resolve - Unit or character gains Steadfast trait. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 3 (12+) Bless - unit or character gains a +1 melee modifier to hit. Remains in play until dispelled
Lvl 4 (16+) Ray of Hope - All friendly units within 12 of the Mage may re-roll all T&L and Break Tests. This turn only.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Legendary Aspect - All characters may increase their T&L to 11. Remains in play.

Air
Lvl 1 (4+ Magic Missile) Blast 18 Might 6, D3 attacks.
Lvl 2 (8+) Fly - one character gains the fly ability, this turn only.
Lvl 3 (12+) Storm - Target one enemy unit or character in LOS of Mage and not in combat. Missile fire at -2 to hit,
remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 4 (16+) Tornado - Cast on one unit (not character) that is not in combat. Target immediately suffers D3 MT 8
Attacks May not fire any missile weapons, half MV value. This turn only
Lvl 5 (20+) Aura. Gale - target entire battlefield - all missile fire at -2 to hit modifier for all troops, both enemy and
friendly.

Light
Lvl 1 (4+) Fearless - unit gains the fearless trait. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 2 (8+ Magic Missile) Blast range 36, Might 8, D3 Attacks.
Lvl 3 (12+) Illusion - anyone wishing to fire at this target takes a -1 to hit modifier. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 4 (16+) Blinding light target unit or character. Missile fire -1, -1 combat modifier. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Beacon of Light - All friendly units (not characters) gain +1 to their T&L stat (max 12) Remains in
play. Because this affects the T&L stat it will help both T&L tests as well as Break Tests.

Life
Lvl 1 (4+) Heal wounds - Heals a single wound on unit or character - cannot bring back from the dead or increase
beyond starting wounds.
Lvl 2 (8+ Magic Missile) Blast 24, Might 6, D6 attacks.
Lvl 3 (12+) Regeneration - causes unit or character to gain the Regeneration 6+ trait. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 4 (16+) Vigour - The hand to hand and missile attack stat increases by 1 point each. This may increase the
number of support attacks a stand will get. This spell may increase the attacks to more than the usual 6 hand to
hand or 3 missile. This turn only.
Lvl 5 - (20+ Aura) Wave of Life. Heals 1D3 wounds amongst the army. Maximum of 1 wound per unit or per
character each turn. Cannot bring back from the dead or increase beyond starting wounds. Unused healing is lost.

44

The Earth
Fire
Lvl 1 (4+ Magic Missile) Fireball 18 Might 6, D3 attacks.
Lvl 2 (8+) Flaming arrows - Missile fire Extra wound 6+ Flame - roll for extra wounds as for traits. Remains in play
until dispelled.
Lvl 3 (12+) Shield - protects Character, counts as having PR of 12. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 4 (16+) Weapon - Character counts as having CS of 12. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Phoenix - All friendly characters gain the Regeneration 6+ trait.

Earth
Lvl 1 (4+) Unit or character gains Stubborn trait. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 2 (8+ Magic Missile) Blast 24, Might 6, D6 attacks.
Lvl 3 (12+) Units in combat gain +1 attack per stand, +1 to hit and +1 to kill - this turn only.
Lvl 4 (16+) Tremors - Unit has half MV, Missile fire at -1 and -1 combat modifier. May be cast at a unit or character
that is currently in combat. This turn only.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Here I stand - All units gain the steadfast trait.

Water
Lvl 1 (4+) Rot & Rust - Enemy unit or character suffer a -1 penalty to their to kill rolls. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 2 (8+ Magic Missile) Blast range 36, Might 8, D3 Attacks
Lvl 3 (12+) Quagmire - giggidy. Unit has its movement allowance halved (round down) Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 4 (16+) Mist and Fog - cast on a unit or character causes -3 to their shooting to hit roll but also imparts a -3 to hit
modifier when shooting at this unit.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Invigorate. All units (not characters) gain the shock trait.

Order
Lvl 1 (4+ Magic Missile) Blast Range 24, Might 4, D6 attacks.
Lvl 2 (8+) Units T&L becomes 12 this turn only
Lvl 3 (12+) Character T&L becomes 12. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 4 (16+) Balance - In melee only - may add a +1 or +2 modifier to the to hit roll but must then take a -1 or -2
modifier to the to kill roll, or the other way round. Modifier must be chosen before any dice are rolled.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Banish Magic - all enemy spells have a further +1 modifier to their difficulty level to be cast and a -1
modifier for the value needed to dispel them.

45

The underworld
Chaos
Lvl 1 (4+ Magic Missile) Blast Range 24, Might 4, D6 attacks.
Lvl 2 (8+) Confusion - Enemy unit or character is subject to Warband rule. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 3 (12+) Warp - Lose 1D6 wounds but that units attacks will hit on a roll of 4+ regardless of modifiers. This turn
only.
Lvl 4 (16+) Gift of Chaos, this turn only. Roll 1D6 for the unit or character that is firing or fighting in melee. 1= -1 to
hit, 2 = -1 to kill, 3 = no effect, 4= +1 to hit, 5 = +1 to kill, 6 = +1 to hit and to kill.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Touch of Chaos - each mage on your side roll D6-2 and add this amount to the Mages Mana, this
may increase the amount that they started the battle with.

Beast
Lvl 1 (4+) Alacrity - increase MV by D6. Remains in play until dispelled. Roll each turn just before moving the unit.
Lvl 2 (8+ Magic Missile) Blast range 36, Might 8, D3 Attacks
Lvl 3 (12+) Frenzy - gives the unit the frenzy trait. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 4 (16+) Protection - Increase PR by 1.5 (round fractions down) Max of 12. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Shock & Awe - causes units (not character) to gain the shock +1 & trample + 1 traits. Remains in
play until dispelled. Does not stack if unit already has these traits.

Death
Lvl 1 (4+ Magic Missile) Range 18 Might 6, D3 attacks.
Lvl 2 (8+) It Lives! Can only be cast on a unit or character with the Undead trait - gains 1 wound. May not bring
back from the dead or increase above starting stats.
Lvl 3 (12+) Immortal - one character or unit gains the undead trait this turn.
Lvl 4 (16+) Life Leech - can take wounds from friendly or enemy unit or character and add to their own, does not
have to be an enemy unit. 24 range. Causes D3 wound on the target and adds those wounds to the Mage or a
friendly character within 1 of the Mage. Can take the character over their starting and maximum number of wounds.
Unit may take a T&L to resist - if pass then there is no effect.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Wave of Death - like healing only causes wounds instead. D3

Darkness
Lvl 1 (4+) Shadow. Target is harder to hit -1 to all missile attacks against this unit or character. Remains in play until
dispelled.
Lvl 2 (8+ Magic Missile) Blast 24, Might 6, D6 attacks.
Lvl 3 (12+) Cowardly - causes target to gain the cowardly trait. 24 range. Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 4 (16+) Curse - make a unit or character take a -1 to hit in melee and missile fire cancels bless and vice - versa.
Remains in play until dispelled.
Lvl 5 (20+ Aura) Despair - All enemy units take a -1 modifier to their T&L Stat

46

The battlefield
Hills
When attacking uphill troops will suffer a -1 to hit combat
modifier. To count this benefit more than half of the target unit
must be uphill of its opponent.

Streams & Rivers

These count as difficult terrain and will mean that no one,
except light troops and those with special movement traits, may
double through a stream or river.
Some streams or rivers can be declared impassable and only
crossed at fords or bridges. Units that have the Aquatic (A) trait
may cross impassable water obstacles at their aquatic speed
(see page 39) and may double through rivers or streams.

Rough Ground
This can be marsh, swamp, rocky ground, soft sand or anything
that will slow the movement of the troops passing through it.
Rough ground stops any multi stand, single stand unit or
character from doubling. If any part of any stand has to move
through rough ground then the troops may not double in that
movement phase.
If a special movement trait negates the rough ground penalties
(aquatic in swamps for example) then the troops may double
as usual.
Light troops may also double through rough ground following
all of the standard movement restrictions.

Walls, Hedges & Fences

These are obstacles to troops movement and like rough
ground above they will prohibit doubling movement if any part
of any stand has to cross or occupies and obstacle during its
movement.
Light troops may double over obstacles so long as they follow
the other restriction of remaining more than 6 away from any
enemy troops.
In combat neither side gains any support attacks when fighting
across an obstacle and chargers will not gain any bonus that is
imparted as part of a charge.

Buildings
Each building area can hold a maximum of 1 multi stand unit
plus one single stand unit or character or any combination of 2
single stand units and characters.

Neither side gains any support attacks in combat, the chargers

will not get to apply their charge bonus and in addition all
attackers get a -1 to hit combat modifier.
The unit or units occupying the building have no formation.
Contact with the building will determine who fights in melee.
Troops occupying buildings have no flanks or rears. Only half
of the stands within the building may fire at targets outside but
they can fire from any facing.

Woods
Woods count as rough going when passed through by
movement. Visibility into, out of and inside woods is limited,
into or out of a wood is 2 from the edge, inside a wood it is 4.

Impassable Terrain
Some terrain may not be moved through or over. This should
be determined at the start of the battle with some obvious
features such as cliffs, bottomless ravines, stone monoliths or
lakes counting as impassable.
Some terrain types may count as impassable unless a specific
movement type is used - the lake mentioned above may be
impassable to most troops but aquatic troops could swim it,
flying units could pass over it and so on.

While some battles have been fought on featureless plains

there is usually some sort of terrain on the battlefield.
The actual properties of terrain features can depend a lot
on the scenery you have available. A hedge can be low
and thin or a huge imposing thicket 6 feet high. How you
decide what effect this has on the game itself has to be up
to both players involved.
At the start of any battle it is worth pointing out various
terrain features and making sure that all players know
exactly what their properties are. Having said that some
terrain can be kept secret as part of a specific scenario.

Arcane Terrain
There is no reason why your terrain should not have interesting
magical properties. Stone circles, portals to other dimensions,
spider infested woods, streams that cause you to fall asleep,
lakes with ladies handing out swords and so on.
A piece of Arcane terrain can be a good focal point for a
battle or scenario and you are free to add or design whatever
properties you like for terrain features.

47

Victory & Defeat

There are two ways that a battle can be won, by destroying the
enemy army or by capturing objectives on the battlefield. In
game terms the first method simply compares the points that
each side has lost while the second requires rules for control
over the battlefield.

A character, multi stand unit or single stand unit that is reduced

to half or less its starting number of wounds is worth 1/2 its
points value.

Army Points Value

The points value of the army will determine the values of the
battlefield objectives as well as the chances of victory and
defeat with a comparison of troops lost.
Where the two sides have different points values the smaller
gains a bonus equal to half the difference between the two.
When the victory points are totalled up at the end of the battle
add this value to the smaller sides total.
A Dwarf army is worth 3000 points and is fighting against
an Orc army of 4000. At the end of the battle both sides
will calculate the points value of the enemy that they have
destroyed and then the Dwarfs will add 500 - half the difference
between the two armies.

Points for battlefield

control
Having sole control of the battlefield can also grant victory.
There is little point in having your whole army intact if you have
all of your troops bunched up into a single corner while the
enemy roams around you at will.

Points for casualties

caused
The difference between the losses of the opposing armies will
help determine who has won or lost and to what degree. Both
sides work out the value of the troops that they have lost.
A character, multi stand unit or single stand unit that is
destroyed is worth its full points value.

The battlefield is broken up into 4 quarters, each of which will

be allocated a number of points. The player that controls a
particular quarter at the end of the battle gains those points, if
the area is contested then neither side gains points for it.
The points value of the terrain is determined by the value

The table shown here is six feet

wide by 4 deep. The battlefield
is split into 4 quarters marked A,
B, C and D.

Table Quarter A

Table Quarter C

Table Quarter B

Table Quarter D

Both players will determine the

points values to these quarters
before the battle begins.
Larger battlefields may have
more victory point areas
or specific scenarios can
determine victory on the basis
of terrain objectives, casualties
or the amount of the enemy
destroyed.
The battlefield victory point
objective rules shown here are
entirely optional.

48

of the armies that are fighting the battle. Simply add the
points values of both armies together and then half it. Each
player then allocates this amount of points amongst the table
quarters.
Players can allocate points values to each quarter but each
must have at least 10% of the points and not more than 40% of
the points.
Continuing the Dwarf and Orc example and looking at the table
quarter diagram below. The Dwarf army is worth 3000 points
and deploys in quarters A and B while the Orc army is worth
4000 points and deploys in the opposite half of the table.
The combined total of the two armies is 7000 points, each
player can now allocate 3500 points amongst the table
quarters, their own half of the table and the enemy half.
In this example the players must allocate at least 350 points
(10%) to each quarter and not more than 1400 points (40%).
The amount of points that a player allocates to a quarter is kept
secret until the end of the battle, only then are the points values
revealed.
Determining who has control of an area at the end of the battle
is important as neither side gains any points for a contested
area.
To assume control over a battlefield quarter a player must have
one of their single stand units, multi stand units or characters
entirely within that quarter at the end of the battle. If the enemy
can also claim the same then neither side has control, the
quarter is contested and neither will gain any points for it.

levels of victory or defeat can have an impact on your army if

you are using any campaign rules.
The level of victory or defeat can have an impact on your
troops if you are playing campaign rules. An army may well
find it more difficult to recover from a Crushing Defeat, morale
can be affected and troops lose confidence in their leadership.
On the other hand a victory can have the opposite effect.

Victory Results
Double opponents points
More than opponents points
Equal points to opponent
Less than opponent
Half or less than opponent

Smashing Victory
Victory
Draw
Defeat
Crushing Defeat

Specific Scenario Rules

Some scenarios may call for a completely different way of
calculating victory. It may be that an artifact has to be taken to
the place from whence it came and thrown into a volcano for
example. In this case regardless of troop losses or battlefield
control the victor is decided by whether the artifact is destroyed
or not.
Some scenarios can ignore the table quarters points, the
casualties points or the army balance points. The possibilities
are endless, so long as both players know the rules before a
battle starts.

If only one side has troops within that quarter at the end of
the battle then they will be able to add the points value of that
quarter to their total.
A unit may not control more than one quarter at the end of the
battle and if straddling two quarters will actually not control or
contest either of them.
Specific victory conditions, scenarios or objectives can be used
instead. If the control of the battlefield has nothing to do with
who has won, killing an enemy character for example, then
the table quarter points can be ignored. Likewise a scenario
may call for control of a specific area, capturing a stronghold
for example, so the battlefield victory points would take into
account the importance of that objective in preference to table
quarters.

Calculating Victory Level

Deciding who has won the battle and by how much is
calculated by adding together the value of the enemy that you
have killed or wounded, the areas of the battlefield that you
control and any balance included for having a smaller force.
Once these totals are added together both sides compare their
values, the ratio will show how well, or badly, your army has
fared in the encounter.
The victory results table above is pretty self explanatory. The

49

Points System
Every character, single stand and multi stand unit in Legions
of Battle will have a points value. These are determined by
calculating the cost of the statistics plus any special abilities or
equipment.
The points costs remain consistent throughout the game
system, rather than design troops with arbitrary points costs the
system allows you do create your own units as well as choose
options to upgrade or downgrade their abilities.
Lists and costs are already calculated for the stands, weapons,
magic items and traits listed in the rules. This chapter allows
you to create your own troops, units and stands while keeping
within the current points system. If you are not interested in
designing your own troops you can quite happily skip these
rules.

Statistic costs
To find the points cost for a statistic simply cross reference its
type with its value. Some numbers are in brackets but this is
simply to keep them consistent with the way that the stats are
displayed on the stat line.
A Dwarf Huscarl has a Combat Skill of 6. Finding the stat value
6 and the CS column shows that this is going to cost 36 points
per stand.
The missile skill (MS) deserves a quick mention. The points
listed are for the starting to hit number from 6+ (the lowest
points cost) to 1+ (the highest points cost).
For example a Goblin archer has a missile skill of 4+, this
means that it has a points cost of 18.
Some stats have limits and if this is the case there is no points
value given. The stats have been restricted for play balance

Stat
1/6+
2/5+
3/4+
4/3+
5/2+
6/1+
7
8
9
10
11
12

50

The points system is specifically designed so that you

dont have to rely on any official army lists for your
games. You can use the rules to create pretty much
anything you like.
If you want to go to the extent of making up new special
abilities or skills then there is some guesswork involved
in deciding what points that skill should cost. If in doubt
base it on the closest example you can find in this book
and you shouldnt go too far wrong.
Yes - if you want to design your own troop types you
are going to need a calculator! Luckily all of this work
is already done for the army lists given in this book so if
you are going to use the units as is there isnt anything
you need this chapter for.
and while the rules are designed to be flexible increasing these
is not recommended. If you must then the points values have
a logical progression and are based on the 1-144 column which
is the square of numbers 1 through to 12. If youve read this
far Im sure you can work it out.

armour & shield costs

Once you have worked out the value of the stat line youll need
to add costs for anything else that is not already accounted
for. This means that you will not need to add points for
Armour or Shield for example as these are already included
in the PR value. This means that to add armour or shield to a
stand costs more points the higher the starting value of the Pr
statistic.
For example a Goblin with a basic Pr of 3 costs 9 points,
adding a shield would increase its Pr to 4 which would cost

MV

CS

(A)

MS

(A)

MT

PR

WD

TL

(2)

(8)

(8)

(18)

(18)

18

(32)

18

16

(32)

32

16

16

32

13

25

(50)

50

25

25

50

13

18

36

(72)

72

36

36

72

18

25

49

49

49

25

32

64

64

64

32

41

81

81

81

41

50

100

100

100

50

61

121

121

121

61

72

144

144

144

72

16 points, an increase of 7 points. A Troll with a basic Pr of 8

would cost 64 points, if you add a shield its Pr increases to 9
which costs 81 points instead which is an increased cost of 17
points.
You will need to add such things as Spears, Lances, Missile
Weapons, Traits and Abilities. Each of these will have a set
points cost that is added to the value of each stand and unlike
armour and shields its cost will not vary. These costs can be
found starting on page 29.
The points cost is calculated per stand no matter how many
figures there are on a stand or how many stands in a unit.
Once you have the points cost per stand simply multiply this by
the number of stands within the unit, either 1, 4 or 6.

To maintain play balance there have been some

restrictions placed on the stats that a stand may have. You
can increase these if you must but bear in mind that I have
tried to avoid a power game system.
On that same note if you are designing new units or traits
its best to avoid making up completely new rules. You may
have a unit of flying baboons that can shoot fireballs out
of their arses but to save the game getting bogged down
in endless details and special rules you are best off using
some of the current game mechanics to represent their
unique abilities.

Missile weapons Cost

When designing your own troops you will notice that some
traits and abilities as well as some stats are more cost
effective than others. It is worth bearing in mind that you
should try to justify the abilities you are given your troops.

Missile weapons cost should be added to the basic cost of the

stand. The missile weapon tables in their respective chapters
show the costs for all missile weapons on page 18 and War
Machines on page 35.

For example, the Trample +1 trait adds one more attack

per stand during a charge and could be considered a
bargain at 10 points but should you really be giving it to
your Halfling Pony Riders?

If you are adding your own weapons the cost is based on the
close range of the weapon plus the points value of its Might,
add these together and then divide by 2 rounded up. Where
the weapon can cause multiple hits this total is then multiplied
by the average of the close and long range maximum number
of hits. Dont worry - there is an example below and youll only
need to do this where you want to design your own weapons or
alter the statistics of those already given.

Just because the points system says you can do

something it doesnt mean that you should.

A longbow has a close range of 15 inches and a Might of 6.

The points cost for this is 15 (long range) plus 36 (the cost of 6
Might from the points cost table) for a total of 51. Divided by 2
gives a final cost of 26 for a longbow.
A light bolt thrower has a close range of 15 and a Might of 6.
The points cost is (15 + 36) divided by 2 = 26. The bolt thrower
rolls D6-1 attacks at close range (maximum 5) and D3-1 at long
range (max 2) so this total is multiplied by 3.5 (the average of 5
plus 2). The final cost is worked out as 91 points for a light bolt
thrower.

Magic items Cost

The costs of Magical Items are included with the item
description. Some may have various levels of ability or be
more effective when used by certain troops or races. If this
is the case they may have different points costs - all of these
details will be given in the item description.

Mana cost
As has already been mentioned in the Battle Magic chapter
each point of Mana available will cost 10 points and this should
be added directly to the cost of the Mage stand.

If a weapon does not have a close range listed then use half
of its maximum range instead to calculate this part of the points
cost.
As with the points cost for the stands these calculations are
already worked out on the weapon tables, you do not need to
go through this every time you want to work out an army list!
What this system does is to ensure that when you design or
add your own weapons they will have a consistent points cost
throughout the game.

Traits and abilities cost

Some traits only have negative effects and no benefit, these
are generally compulsory. Even so they do not credit you
points, they simply do not cost anything to add to a stand.

51

DEsigning Army Lists

Legions of Battle can be used for any fantasy army, setting or
figure range that you like. There are some basic guidelines for
the statistics that different races will start with. While this is not
set in stone it does help to keep the quality of troops relative
to each other. These numbers should be used as guidelines
for an average troop of that race - obviously better or worse
troops may have higher or lower starting statistics than those
given here. This is not an exhaustive list, there are an endless
amount of variations that you can use.

Mounts
The mounts do not have points values of their own. Instead
they add to the statistics of their riders and so the total value of
the rider and its mount is calculated per stand.

Army Building
Each army will have limits to the amount of characters or
special units as well as minimum requirements for the most
common troop types. These limits are dealt with by imposing
percentages of the points values that must be used for various
categories of troops.

52

Each army will be broken down into Common, Uncommon,

Rare, and Heroes & Legends (H&L) categories.

Common
Uncommon
Rare
H&L

Min 25% Max 100%

Max 50%
Max 25%
Max 25%

For example an army of 2000 points must have at least 500

points worth of common troops, may not have more than 1000
points worth of uncommon troops, no more than 500 points
worth of rare troops and no more than 500 points worth of
characters.

Armour
Light
Medium
Heavy
Shield
Light Barding
Heavy Barding

PR Bonus
+1
+2
+3
+1
+1
+2

Race
Human
Dwarf
Orc
Goblin
Elf
Skeleton
Zombie
Lizardman
Vermin
Beastman
Troll
Ogre
Giant

MV
6
5
6
5
6
6
5
6
6
6
8
8
8

CS (A)
4 (3)
5 (3)
4 (3)
3 (3)
5 (3)
3 (3)
2 (3)
5 (3)
4 (3)
4 (3)
4 (4)
5 (4)
5 (4)

MS (A)
4+ (2)
4+ (2)
4+ (2)
5+ (2)
3+ (2)
5+ (2)
6+ (2)
4+ (2)
4+ (2)
4+ (2)
6+ (2)
5+ (2)
5+ (2)

MT
4
4
5
3
4
3
4
5
4
5
8
7
10

PR
4
5
5
3
4
3
5
5
4
5
9
8
10

WD
4
4
4
3
4
3
3
4
3
4
4
4
5

TL
7
8
7
6
8
5
3
8
7
6
6
7
6

Mount
Horse
Warhorse
Wolf
Boar
Giant Rat
Giant Spider
Great Lizard

MV
10
10
12
8
12
10
8

CS (A)
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1

MS (A)
-

MT
+1
+1
+2
+1
+1
+2

PR
+1
+1

WD
-

TL
-

Choosing troop categories

The category that a troop type is placed into will obviously
determine the amount of those units that you will be able to
have. When designing the army list the common, uncommon
or rare categories should be tailored to the specific race or
nation that you are representing.
For example, an Orc army from the Northern Wildlands may
have access to various war machines but they would be
counted as Rare choices. In contrast a Gnome army that
is designed to represent the Gnomish Guild of Artificers and
Engineers could count war engines as common choices.

Choosing troop statistics

the Rings setting but also in previous Ages of Middle Earth.

Large amounts of detailed information also available through
the Rolemaster supplements from Iron Crown Enterprises.
Also - plenty of nice figures.
George RR Martin. Song of Ice and Fire series, most recently
adapted to the screen with the Game of Thrones series.
Robert Adams. The Horseclans set in the future after a nuclear
war has pushed civilisation to the brink and is at a Medieval
level of technology.
Harry Turtledove. The Videssos Novels pitch a magically
transported Roman Legion into a fantasy world fighting for a
Byzantine type empire. Not as bad as it sounds.
Raymond E. Feist. Midkemia and Kelewan are the basis for
the Riftwar series, standard fantasy fare but a good read non
the less.

Each unit, single stand unit or character must have a set

of statistics plus any mounts, armour and weapons as their
starting value. They can then have options given to them
in the notes section of the troop description. This allows
everyone to see what the basic building block of that unit is and
then account for any increase or decrease in stats or optional
traits or equipment.

Robert E Howard. Conan the Barbarian set in the Hyborean

Age after Atlantis has fallen but before recorded history has
begun. Tony Baths Hyborea Campaign (look it up on the
internet) does a lot of the work for you.

For example, the Dwarf Tusker unit should have a stat line
like that shown below, this is the basic, unmodified stat line,
equipment, abilities and points cost of a Dwarf Tusker. After
this has been designed you can add options for different stats,
traits, abilities or equipment.

Michael Moorcock. Elric of Melnibon is the main character

for this part of the Eternal Champion series set in the Young
Kingdoms. Plenty of scope for campaigns and battles and a
lot of material available through the Stormbringer role playing
series.

Dwarf Tuskers (4)

**** Points per stand

MV

Cs (A)

Ms (A)

Mt

Pr

Wd

TL

6 (4)

- (-)

Hand Weapon, Lance, Medium Armour, Shield, Trample (1)

Shock (2), Mounted.

Army Lists
As you can see by the fact that there are not 10 pages of army
lists I have not designed any specific armies to go with the
Legions of Battle rules. These rules were designed to allow
you to fight using any troops that you like, in any setting and
with any races. While I may want to use them for a generic
fantasy world with Orcs, Goblins and Dwarfs those lists
wouldnt help with designing a campaign set in the worlds of
Conan or Elric.
There are a huge number of settings that can be chosen for
any fantasy battle or campaign, all that you need are the
figures and the imagination. Whether you base your battles
on another game setting, works of fiction or simply something
of your own it will take some effort to design the army lists that
youll need. So, while I can write a set of game mechanics that
give you the chance to game in these worlds you are going to
have to supply the imagination yourselves!

Fantasy Worlds
JRR Tolkien. A wealth of possibilities, not just in the Lord of

David Gemmel. The Drenai series charts the lives and battles
of characters such as Druss the Legend and Waylander the
Slayer. I like these books.
There are also several game worlds that have been devised
and have a lot of scope for designing your own armies to be
able to fight mass battles. Some systems already have rules
and figures available for this level but others, such as D&D,
concentrate more on individuals and skirmishes rather than
epic battles.
Finally, there is history. The game system works without
magic, without strange special traits and abilities. After all the
shock trait can represent the charge of a fully armoured knight
on a warhorse just as well as it can a dwarf riding a boar. The
basing system used in Legions of Battle is pretty standard
and you shouldnt have too much trouble organising an army
without much effort.

Figure Scale
The game mechanics use the unit as the basis for combat,
within that unit the stand is the smallest element (apart from
characters obviously) so really it does not matter what size the
figures are on that stand.
20mm, 15mm or 10mm figures can be a much cheaper option
than 28mm, even when you take into account the extra figures
that you need to fill a base. The visual effect of a mass of
troops in a unit is also a bonus with smaller scale figures and
makes it easier to visualise a unit as 3-400 troops as opposed
to just a dozen or so.

53

Magic Items
Magical items are mainly used by characters but there are also
items that can be used by single stand or multi stand units,
each item category will let you know who can use them.
An items uses and effects will be set out in its description, the
amount of time that an effect lasts, the level of a spell that
is to be cast, the phases in which it takes effect can all vary.
Magical items are the most likely to cause contradictions and
exceptions to the basic, advanced and special rules so the tie
breaker rule should be used where problems do crop up.

Banners
A unit may only have one banner, they may not be given to
single stand units, war machines or characters unless the
description of either the banner or the troops states otherwise.
Banner of Despair. The unit will use 3D6 when rolling Break
Tests against an opponent and may choose any 2 dice.
Banner of Command. The unit will use 3D6 when rolling for its
T&L Tests and may choose any 2 dice.
Banner of Valour. The unit does not suffer the effects of
becoming unsteady due to being at half wounds or less. Other
instances of unsteady will still apply as usual.

Weapons
Weapons may only be given to characters, not single or multi
stand units. A character may have any number of magical
weapons but they can only use one at any one time. If they
have a choice they must declare which weapon they are using
at the same time as they declare where their attacks are going
to be targeted.
Elf Bane - When used to attack Elves any hit from this weapon
will gain a +3 to kill modifier in addition to any others that it
would normally. Also this weapon grants a +2 bonus to the
wielders Combat Skill at all times which increases to +4 when
attacking elves.
Sharpshooters Bow Add +2 to any to hit roll
Caliburn Add +1 to hit and +1 to kill with this sword.
Stormbringer - Each wound caused with this sword increases
the wielders wounds by 1. This may increase them above their
starting amount. Has other abilities - best not to ask.

Armour & Shields

Armour and Shields may only be given to characters, not single
or multi stand units. Only one set of armour and one shield
may be used by a character at any one time. Unless they have
multiple appendages they may not use a shield and a great
weapon at the same time.
Mage Bane - Any spell that directly attacks the character
wearing this armour has a difficulty of +8 more than it would
normally. Area effect spells do not suffer this penalty.
Winged - Grants the fly ability to the character.
Protection - Increases the wearers Pr score by 3 points.
Patriot Shield - missile attacks directly targeting this character
have a -4 to hit modifier. Does not effect war machines.

Scrolls
Scrolls may only be used by Mages, they are one use items
and do not use any of the Mages Mana when they are used. A
scroll may never have more power put into its effects, the level
of the spell or event is determined when the scroll is created
and it may not be changed.
Using a scroll replaces the casting or dispelling action that a
Mage can carry out during their part of the magic phase unless
the description states otherwise.
Any level of mage may cast any level of spell scroll. The
chance of success is determined by the level of the spell that is

54

inscribed on the scroll and the difficulty level of that spell.

Scrolls have spells imbedded into them, they will always
mimic the effects of a certain type of spell. The spell level
is determined as usual and this is the number of D6 that are
rolled to see if the difficulty level is reached.
For example a scroll of Frenzy mimics the effects of the 3rd
level earth Spell of the same name. The caster would roll 3D6
and need to get greater than or equal to the standard 3rd Level
spell difficulty of 12.

Potions
Potions may be used by any character but not single or multi
stand units. Potions generally increase stats, heal wounds
or impart some sort of trait or ability to the user. The use of a
potion does not count as the casting or dispelling action that a
Mage can take during their part of the magic phase.
Once a potion has been consumed it is used up, its effects
may not be altered or increased, they are determined when the
potion is created.
A potion will always work - there is no casting roll required, it
can only affect the person that drinks it. The effects of a potion
should never remain in play after the end of the turn, they may
not be dispelled by enemy Mages. A character does not have
to be a Mage to take a potion.
Effects such as increase stats, heal wounds, gain traits and so
on.

Staffs
Staffs may only be used by Mages. Staffs count as double
handed weapons and this means that a Mage could not wield a
staff and a greatsword for example!
A Mage may only have one staff. Casting a spell from a staff
counts as the casting or dispelling actions for that Mages part
of the magic phase. Any special ability or trait will have further
details in the item description.

Arcane items can mimic or enhance all of the standard rules,

traits and attributes as well as adding new ones.
Goblin War Drums. These are taken with the tribes when they
go to war, inspiring the Goblins in battle. Each Goblin unit or
character gains a bonus to their T&L when near to the war
Drums. Within 12 +3, within 24 +2, within 36 +1. This T&L
increase is cumulative with any other bonuses but may not
increase a T&L to more than 12.

Designing Magic Items

Goblin War Drums

Points per stand ***

MV

Cs (A)

Ms (A)

Mt

Pr

Wd

TL

6 (4)

- (-)

Hand Weapon, Lance, Medium Armour, Shield, Trample (1)

Shock (2), Mounted.
Upgrades: Heavy Armour + 10 pts
It is worth considering the abilities that a magic item contains
before you design it, this not only applies to play balance but
also to the game mechanics themselves. For example if you
have a sword that says all attacks always hit except on a one
and a shield that says all attacks always miss except on a six
you are going to have a conflict in the rules that can only be
sorted by the tie breaker rule.
On the other hand if you give the sword a +6 modifier to hit
and a shield a -6 modifier to the enemy attack chance you get
pretty much the same result throughout most of the battle and
if these items do come into contact they will cancel each other
out. You also have the advantage of being able to make some
weapons better than others. A +10 to hit sword is going to
be better than a +5 to hit sword even though they may not
actually use their full bonus very often.

Points cost for Magic Items

The points cost should be worked out according to what
the item can achieve, how often it is used, under what
circumstances it can actually be effective and also whether it
imparts an ability outside of those usually available.

Staff of Magus Increases the level of the Mage by 1, this may

make a 5th level mage into a 6th Level. This level increase
effects the amount of Mana the Mage may have, the amount
they may use to cast spells, how effective they are at disrupting
enemy spells and so on.
Staff of Life - At the start of their magic phase the Mage may
recover 1 wound. This may not bring them back from the dead
or exceed their starting wounds.
Flame Lance 4th level spell (4D6, requires 16+). 48 range,
one Str 12 attack, magic missile.

Arcane Items
These are magical items that do not easily fit into any other
category. Most Arcane items will have specific rules and
limitations and may be more specialised than the other magic
items already listed so far.

55

Turn Order
Initiative Phase
Magic Phase
Charge Phase
Move & Fire
Phase

Determine initiative, both sides draw initiative cards. D6 roll off for ties.
Initiative winner casts spells and makes dispell attempts.
Initiative loser casts spells and makes dispell attempts.
Initiative winner declares charges, targets declare reactions.
Initiative loser declares charges, targets declare reactions.
Initiative winner compulsory movement, then normal movement, then firing.
Initiative loser compulsory movement, then normal movement, then firing.

Combat Phase

Both sides, simultaneous. Initiative winner chooses order in which melee is fought,
apply results and reforms one by one.

End Turn Phase

Both sides, simultaneous. Roll for game end from turn 6 onwards.
Notes

Movement distances
Normal

MV

Double (outside 6)

MV x 2

Charge or Evade

MV x 2

Rough Going or Cross Obstacle

MV x 1 *

Retire
1/2 MV **
* No doubling allowed unless light troops.
** Directly backwards along flank lines only.
Firing To Hit Modifiers
Firer
Has moved

-1

Is unsteady

-1

Target
Is at long range

-1

Is a medium / small target *

-1 / -2

Has light / heavy cover *

-1 / -2

Melee To Hit (CS vs CS)

CS is double or more enemy CS
CS is greater than enemy CS
CS is equal to enemy CS
CS is less than enemy CS
CS is half or less enemy CS

2+
3+
4+
5+
6+

To Wound (MT VS PR)

MT is double or more PR
MT is greater than PR
MT is equal to PR
MT is less than PR
MT is half or less PR

2+
3+
4+
5+
6+

* Only one or the other can apply.

Combat to hit modifiers
Opponent is Unsteady
Opponent is Uphill
Opponent is Defending Obstacle *

+1
-1
-1

Opponent is Defending Building *

-2

You are Unsteady

-1

You Charged into Combat **

You are Attacking in Flank ***
You are Attacking in Rear ***

+1
+1
+2

* Against opponents defending obstacles or buildings you

cannot get supporting attacks from your rear ranks.

To wound chart applies to both missile fire and hand to hand

combat attacks.

** The charge bonus does not apply if the charge is directed

against units behind obstacles or in buildings.

With all missile and hand to hand attacks 6 always hits and 1
always misses no matter what the actual modifiers.

*** If you are attacking an enemy in the flank or rear then they
cannot get any supporting attacks against any opponent.
Legions of Battle fast play sheet. Mark Sims. Permission granted to copy for personal use only.

Weapon
Close
Long
Light Crossbow
12
24
Heavy Crossbow*
15
30
Handgun*
9
18
Sling
9
18
Bow
12
24
Short Bow
9
18
Longbow
15
30
Elf Bow
18
36
Javelins
6
Darts
9
Thrown Axes
6
* Heavy Crossbow and Handguns may not move and fire.
Weapon

Close

Might
5
6
6
4
4
4
6
5
4
3
5

Long

PTS
19
26
23
13
14
13
26
22
11
9
16

MIGHT

PTS

Light Bolt Thrower

15

D6-1

30

D3-1

91

Heavy Bolt Thrower

24

D6-1

48

D3-1

130

Light Cannon

20

D6-1

40

D3-1

147

Heavy Cannon

30

D6-1

60

D3-1

196

Organ Gun

10

2D6-2

20

D6-1

135

15

D6-1

10

135

Light Catapult (I)

9-18

D6-1

36

D6-2

10

266

Heavy Catapult (I)

12-24

D6-1

48

D6-2

12

288

Rockets (I)

10-20

2D6-2

40

2D6-2

180

Flame Cannon

Handy Stuff to know

Legions of Battle fast play sheet. Mark Sims. Permission granted to copy for personal use only.

Page

1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8

58

STAND &
FIRE

EVADE

STAND &
FIRE

EVADE

STAND &
FIRE

EVADE

STAND &
FIRE

EVADE

STAND &
FIRE

EVADE

STAND &
FIRE

EVADE

COUNTER
CHARGE

HOLD

COUNTER
CHARGE

HOLD

COUNTER
CHARGE

HOLD

COUNTER
CHARGE

HOLD

COUNTER
CHARGE

HOLD

COUNTER
CHARGE

HOLD

UNSTEADY UNSTEADY

UNSTEADY UNSTEADY

UNSTEADY UNSTEADY

UNSTEADY UNSTEADY

UNSTEADY UNSTEADY

UNSTEADY UNSTEADY

Legions of Battle counter sheet. Mark Sims. Permission granted to copy for personal use only.