Below then are the details of the system. If anything does not work as described here, please report it as a bug.
Victory The goal of your campaign is to attack and destroy your opponents' headquarters. Before you can launch such an attack however, you must first disable their outposts. Both headquarters and outposts generate Influence Points as a measure of your progress. DMs can use this value in their events to represent how much NPC support a faction is getting. There are other territories for you to concentrate on, but while they provide you with useful benefits they're not directly relevant to victory or defeat.
Areas There are 25 areas for you to war over, of 9 different types. Factions start out with a headquarters, three outposts, two training facilities and two gathering stations. In addition there are three strategy centres, two war rooms, there is a hospital, an honour circle and an information centre, as well as an extra training facility all on neutral ground. More on areas below.
Launching an Attack You can launch an attack from your faction's headquarters at any time. Every faction member who is standing near you when you do so will be part of the attack. The first thing you need are Action Points. Your headquarters generate 2 every day, while a War Room generates one. Each attack costs one Action Point, and you can save up to 5 of them. You will be presented with a list of targets. Simply select one, and then choose any special stratagems if they are available. More on those below. A call will then go out amongst members of the opposing faction to gather at their headquarters. When they choose to respond, all nearby team members will be part of the defence. Both sides are then moved to the battle zone.
Magic Before a battle starts you will receive the benefits of a full rest. This means you will not be able to buff before the fight starts. However, defenders usually start 20 seconds before attackers and can use this time to buff, take up position or direct NPC placement. In addition, Greater Sanctuary is disabled in the battle zone as you are not there to avoid PvP nor to make a successful Assault impossible.
Capturing Territories There will be three types of attack available to you depending on the area's status. If the area belongs to the enemy you can begin a Raid to disable the area's benefit. A Raid mission objective depends on the area you're attacking, but the main goal is not killing the other team. You will want to complete your objective and get out with minimal casualties. If an area has been disabled you can try to Assault it. You will have to kill all defending PCs in order to win this mission. A successful Assault makes an area neutral ground. Neutral ground can be captured through a Supply mission where you try to bring a supply train to the area. The defending team will try to destroy the convoy to prevent your triumph. You can also use a Supply mission to repair one of your own Raided territories. It only takes one mission to capture and repair neutral ground, not two. Raids and Supply Missions last 5 minutes. An Assault lasts 10 minutes. If you fail to meet your objective on time, your faction will lose the battle.
Death When you die, you are automatically restored to life at the end of the mission. Your XP loss will depend on the mission in question. Death will cost attackers 500 xp in a Supply mission, 2000 xp in a Raid, 4000 in an Assault and 5000 in a Duel. Defenders lose 1000 in a Supply mission, 1000 in a Raid, 2000 in an Assault and 2500 xp in a Duel. There are a few ways to lower the cost through the Defensive Strategy Centre, the Hospital and a Barbarian Honour Circle.
Flags, Doors and Portals In a battle zone you will often find these three placeables. Flags mark the owner of the area. If that owner is the opposing faction, you can destroy them for 50 xp each. Doors are generally locked to attackers. A good lockpick can open them without much fuss. Failing that they can be destroyed by brawn or magic. Defenders however can always open them without any trouble at all. Portals are the only way out of the area during an attack and will bring you back to your faction's headquarters. However, before you step through you will be immobile for 3 rounds, making you an easy target. There is also no way back into the battle zone.
NPCs You will be given a number of NPCs to help you in your fight. Talk to them and they will follow you around like henchmen. The number of NPCs depends primarily on the amount of attackers. Gathering Stations and Training Facilities also play a part in the amount you receive.
Stratagems There are ten special stratagems for you to choose from. Each type of attack (Raid, Assault, Supply) offers three options (Defensive, Offensive, Stealth). In addition the Duel stratagem can be applied by the atacker in a Supply mission. Defenders have the option of choosing a Duel instead of anything the attacker had planned for a Raid or an Assault. To make use of a stratagem you need to control the proper area, being a Strategy centre or the Honour Circle. An Information Centre can prevent the use of Stealth and Duel tactics. In addition, Strategy Centre stratagems are dependant on class. If one of the attackers does not have the required class as their first class, the stratagem will fail.
Raid Stratagems Defensive - Extraction Route: Requires Ranger When one of the attackers says AWAY! on talk or party channel, all living attackers will be returned to their headquarters instantly. Offensive - Barrage: Requires Wizard or Sorcerer Defenders will only have half the number of NPCs available to them. Stealth - Infiltration: Requires Rogue All attackers start out with Invisibility.
Assault Stratagems Defensive - Slow Advance: Requires Cleric The xp loss for dying is reduced from 4000 to 2000 xp for your side. Offensive - Frontal Assault: Requires Fighter You will have double the amount of NPC attackers available to you. Stealth - Diversion: Requires Monk Only half the defending PCs arrive on time. The others arrive 2 minutes late.
Assault Stratagems Defensive - Light Transports: Requires Druid The mission only lasts 2.5 minutes. Offensive - Heavy Escort: Requires Paladin You will have double the amount of NPC defenders available to you. Stealth - False Caravan: Requires Bard Only half the defending PCs arrive on time. The others arrive 2 minutes late.
Duel A duel is a 1-on-1 fight to the death. Factions choose their champion to do battle in the arena. If there is a Barbarian on the team of the faction in command of the Honour Circle, their champion will lose only half the usual amount of XP on death.
Areas: Headquarters (2) Headquarters cannot be Raided or Supplied. An Assault is only possible after all of the faction's Outposts have been disabled or captured. Headquarters generate 2 Action Points and 2 Influence Points.
Areas: Outposts (6) Outposts protect your Headquarters from attack. They also generate 1 Influence Point. Raid Goal: Attacker PCs must occupy one of the three Control Zones for one uninterrupted minute.
Areas: Gathering Stations (4) Gathering Stations are where your troops assemble before an attack. For every station you own, you get 0.5 NPC attackers for every attacking PC, whenever you attack. Raid Goal: From 2 supply cabinets, attackers must steal 1 set of combat equipment for every attacker, and throw it down a well. Defenders are not allowed to handle the equipment themselves. There will be 2 sets of equipment for every attacker present, but they can not be recovered from dead PCs.
Areas: Training Facilities (5) Training Facilities are where your troops are trained for defence. For every facility you own, you get 1 NPC defender for every attacking PC, whenever you are being attacked. Raid Goal: The NPC commander in charge of training must be assassinated.
Areas: Hospital (1) The hospital reduces the XP loss on death by 500 points. This is subtracted after any benefits from a Barbarian in the Honour Circle or a Cleric's Slow Advance, not before. Raid Goal: Attackers must destroy 5 hospital beds to disable the area.
Areas: Honour Circle (1) The arena allows you to use the Duel stratagem. Instead of defending against a Raid or Assault, or protecting your Supply Train, you can fight a 1v1 duel of champions. Raid Goal: Attackers must win a duel.
Areas: Strategy Centre (3) There is a Defensive, an Offensive and a Stealth Strategy Centre. Each allows you to choose different Stratagems to give you a special advantage during your attacks. Raid Goal: Attackers must pick up an explosive device and plant it anywhere on the ground. They cannot handle the item after that. It has a 2 minute timer. If it goes off before the mission ends the attackers win. If it is picked up by a defender before it goes off, the defenders win.
Areas: Information Centre (1) The Information Centre blocks the use of the Honour Circle and the Stealth Strategy Centre. Your opponent will be unable to use these stratagems while your centre is operational. Raid Goal: Attackers must find the one right document amidst all the paperwork scattered across desks. When it is found, an attacker must carry it away to their headquarters through their portal before the mission ends.
Areas: War Room (2) A War Room generates one extra Action Point per day. Raid Goal: Attackers must kill five of the NPC strategists who help plot the enemy's campaign.
_________________ What the king dreams, the Hand builds.
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