WARRIOR-CAVALIER KIT Field Marshal Description: Field Marshals are trained in the command and leadership of military forces of all types, ranging from open-field skirmishing to drawn-out starvation sieges (though all Field Marshals, deep in their bones, are lovers of the blue-blooded cavalry charge). Their knowledge of the art of strategy and tactics is considered more important than his or her individual skill in physical combat. Field Marshals are commanders of the armies of their liege lords and may eventually become lords themselves, wielding incredible military might. They are the exemplars of the notions of duty and service to nation and lord, clearing the unsettled wilderness and making them safe for civilized folk. It is they who best understand how to array their forces in order to protect an expedition traveling through the wilds and who must endure the bloody and violent campaigns against the enemies of the state. Field Marshals are rigorously trained in the strategy and tactics of war and know very well how to command and deploy their troops in a variety of situations. They understand how to coordinate attacks as well as mount an effective defense, and they are comfortable using magical and other unusual resources as tools in warfare and evaluating it in terms of usefulness for their tasks. Requirements: Field Marshals can be of any alignment, but they must have Wisdom and Charisma of at least 13 and Strength, Intelligence, and Constitution of at least 10. Field Marshals can be of any race except for half-orcs and half- ogres. Weapons & Armor: Field Marshals can wear armor of most types (ring mail or heavier) and any type of shield. They can become proficient in weapons of all types (including missile weapons), and must choose proficiency in at least one polearm and one missile weapon at 1st level. Special Benefits: Field Marshals are far more oriented toward mass combat and battlefield action at the head of a body of troops than the personal confrontations favored by other Cavaliers. Nonetheless, they retain most standard Cavalier abilities in addition to several unique kit abilities. Aura of Bravery: As a standard Cavalier. Banner of Renown: As a standard Cavalier, save that the radius of effect is 10 yards per level of experience. Horsemanship: As a standard Cavalier. Leadership: Field Marshals have the ability to command large bodies of soldiers on the field of battle, including military terminology, the use of messengers and signals (including magical or psionic communication, if such is available), and so on.. In game terms, a Field Marshal has mastered the skills and techniques to take charge of a body of troops no larger than the size given below: Level Size of Command 1-4 10 soldiers per level (e.g., 40 at 4th) 5-8 100 soldiers per level (e.g., 700 at 7th) 9+ 1,000 soldiers per level (e.g., 10,000 at 10th) Thus, lower-level Field Marshals specialize in squad or platoon actions, median level knighted Field Marshals in company and battalion actions, and high-level Banneret Field Marshals in whole-army actions. In addition to being able to manage the ordering and supply of large forces of soldiers, a Field Marshal can coordinate the attacks of soldiers under their direct local command in such a way that they are more effective in combat. A Field Marshal has a radius of Leadership that extends in a 10 yard radius for every level of experience. Any NPC soldiers under a Field Marshal's command within this radius gain a +1 bonus to their attack rolls and Armor Class. Military Science: Field Marshals are experts at all facets of warfare and battle planning, gaining a +1 bonus to their Strategy proficiency for every three levels of experience. In addition, at 3rd level and every three levels thereafter a Field Marshal can choose to gain one of the following proficiencies at no cost in non-weapon proficiency slots: Artillerist, Engineer-Artillerist, Fortification, Monster Lore, Navigation, Siegecraft, Signaling, Tactics. Instead of selecting a new proficiency, a Field Marshal can instead choose to add a bonus of 1d4-1 to one of these proficiencies (or to his or her Strategy proficiency) if it is already known. Noble Lineage: As a standard Cavalier. Recruitment: In addition to acquiring Retainers as they advance in level and attracting men-at-arms to guard their Stronghold, should they choose to build one, a Field Marshal's reputation as a war-captain is such that he or she attracts a significant cadre of soldiers seeking to serve under his or her command, beginning when he or she is knighted at 5th level. This Recruitment often attracts to service warriors who have witnessed the Field Marshals prowess and accomplishments and have decided that he or she would make a worthy commander. Often, the soldiers drawn to a Field Marshal are drawn from whichever source of warriors has been impressed most recently by the actions of the Field Marshal. Men-at-arms attracted to follow a Field Marshal arrive in numbers based on his or her level: Level Number of Soldiers 5 1d6 6 3d6 7 6d6 8 10d6 Note that the numbers given above are not cumulative. Thus, each time a Field Marshal advances a level, he or she should reroll the number of followers that have been drawn by Recruitment. If the number rolled is equal to or less than the number already in service, then no new followers are gained. On the other hand, if the number is higher (which might well happen if the Field Marshal's followers have suffered significant casualties), the difference represents the number of new soldiers that arrive. Although these initial followers may or may not share identical equipment, they can all be considered a single 'unit' for military purposes (and for Training). Once a Field Marshal achieves full Banneret status at 9th level, he or she should roll for soldier followers (and leaders) as a fighter would, but the Field Marshal makes this roll not only at 9th, but again every time he or she gains a level. Thus, each time a Field Marshal gains a level he or she attracts a new unit of troops. In addition, there is a 5% chance per level of the Field Marshal beyond 10th that he or she will attract an unusual or special unit of troops (e.g., soldiers of a different race, leveled Fighters or Cavaliers (usually 1st-4th level), a powerful monster or NPC of the Field Marshal's alignment). It is important to note that followers drawn by Recruitment crave the action implicit in the battlefield skill of the Field Marshal. They will loyally serve and obey the Field Marshal as long as they are not mistreated, but they are eager to fight for the same causes espoused by the Field Marshal. If they are left alone without useful work to do, there is a small chance (usually a noncumulative 5% chance per week, checked for each unit of followers) will tire of waiting and decide to seek a new champion; factors such as their loyalty rating will obviously affect the chance of this occurring. In addition, soldiers can be lent out to other nobles, sent on independent missions, brought along with the Field Marshal to battles of importance, hired out as mercenaries to earn money for their liege (though of course they will expect some remuneration as well), or even put to work performing construction tasks (e.g., expanding the Field Marshal's Stronghold). Followers are able to perform physical tasks along these lines, but extended labor that is not directly related to battle may hurt morale and loyalty. A Field Marshal's soldiers are reasonably adept at preparing temporary and semipermanent battlefield fortifications, but more complex work requires close supervision by engineers, artisans, and other overseers. Retainers: As a standard Cavalier. A Field Marshal's Retainers generally serve as advisors, standard-bearers, junior officers, and a personal bodyguard. Stronghold: As a standard Cavalier. Training: A Field Marshal can teach weapon and non-weapon proficiencies to any other character beginning at 1st level, and he or she is such an effective (though demanding) instructor that characters training for weapon proficiency using the normal rules gain a +1 (+5%) bonus to their chance of success, doubled to +2 (+10%) if a student is also a Cavalier. In addition to this general facility with principles of Training, a knighted Field Marshal of 5th level or above can train up to one student per level of experience (at any one time) in a special program of instruction in the use of any weapon in which the Field Marshal is proficient. This special Training requires eight hours of study each day for a full month, and at the end of this time the Field Marshal must make a Charisma check with a +1 bonus for every three levels of experience (rounding up). If this roll fails, the students can gain proficiency normally in the weapon being taught at the normal cost in terms of proficiency slots. If it succeeds, however, every student is entitled to make an Intelligence check; if it succeeds, that student has gained proficiency in the weapon being taught without needing to spend a weapon proficiency slot. A student may be trained only once, regardless of success, in the use of a particular weapon, but a given student can learn any number of new proficiencies in this manner, regardless of the number of weapon proficiency slots to which he or she would normally be allowed. A knighted Field Marshal can attempt similar Training for any Warrior non-weapon proficiency he or she knows, but Charisma and Intelligence checks in this case are halved if the students are not themselves Warriors. Field Marshals of 9th level and above can attempt to train the a 'unit' of soldiers up to Elite status. The unit cannot comprise more than 10 soldiers per level of the Field Marshal (mounts and the like do not count), and the Field Marshal and the entire unit must spend a full month drilling and practicing, at the end of which time the Field Marshal must succeed in a Charisma check with a +1 bonus for every three levels of experience (rounding up). If it fails, the Training has no effect and that particular unit cannot be trained up to Elite status until the Field Marshal advances a level and tries again. If the roll succeeds, the unit gains Elite status, and when fighting as a unit all members of the unit gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls and Armor Class, their morale is increased by 4, and their effective hit points are doubled. Individual members of the group, should they be forced to fight separately from their unit, gain a +2 bonus to morale but no other benefits from their Elite status; the group benefits reflect the group's tremendous tactical flexibility and cohesiveness and the ability of its members to work together and support one another in mass combat situations. A Field Marshal can train as many units up to Elite status as desired, limited only by the amount of time he or she wishes to spend. Note that if a group suffers casualties and new members are added, those new members will not gain these Elite bonuses; if at least 50% of a group must be replaced (either gradually or all at once), the unit effectively loses its Elite status, as its combat efficiency is degraded by the dilution of their specialized training together. Special Hindrances: Field Marshals share the normal restrictions of other Cavaliers, with the notable exceptions that they do not shun missile weapons (though they do prefer close combat when possible) and they lack the compulsion to immediately charge or to select their targets based on some arbitrary 'glory value', as other Cavaliers do. Hence, a Field Marshal can attack the targets they wish and can choose the means they wish to use without fear of besmirching or impugning their own honor. They are great tacticians and strategic thinkers, and they are expected to act like it and not risk their valuable expertise by immediately charging to the forefront of every battle. It is certainly not unheard of for a Field Marshal to go through an entire battle without baring steel, but the most common place to find a Field Marshal in battle is in the midst of their forces, bellowing out orders and sending runners, surrounded by their Retainers as their guards and bannermen and coordinating the various elements of their armies to an unending string of victories (based on the boasting heard from Field Marshals after the fact). Field Marshals do suffer a lack of individual combat prowess compared to other Cavaliers due to their focus on preparing, leading, and directing the hands of others in battle. Thus, Field Marshals do not learn the use of Weapons of Choice, nor do they have the ability to issue a Knight's Challenge (though they may direct other Cavaliers under their command to do so, if it suits their strategic mission and aim) or undertake a Knightly Onslaught. Bonus Proficiencies: Riding (Land-based), Strategy Required Proficiencies: Etiquette, Heraldry Preferred Proficiencies: Alertness, Ambush, Ancient History, Armorer, Artillerist, Awareness, Blacksmithing, Bowyer/Fletcher, Debate, Display Weapon Prowess, Engineer-Artillerist, Fortification, Healing, Leadership, Local History, Navigation, Observation, Reading/Writing, Siegecraft, Signaling, Tactics, Weaponsmithing Forbidden Proficiencies: Any Psionicist, Rogue, or Wizard proficiencies