Rules Index | GM Screen

Special Abilities

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 242
Part of the fun of playing out a war in a fantasy game is the fact that you aren’t limited to real-world troops. Though most recruited units are warriors or fighters, you may be able to recruit an army of paladins, clerics, or other characters with abilities useful in mass combat.

You might even be able to recruit monsters, whether humanoids such as goblins, trolls, and orcs, or exotic creatures such as centaurs and worgs. These creatures could have monster special abilities useful in mass combat. A typical kingdom doesn’t have access to monster armies unless it has formed alliances with such creatures, either through formal Diplomatic edicts or befriending them during adventures.

Modifiers for these abilities apply only if most of the units in an army have the listed ability. For a class ability, a parenthetical note after the ability name indicates the class and the level the units of the army must be to confer that ability. This listing doesn’t include class abilities acquired after 5th level, as it’s unlikely you’ll be able to recruit enough units of that class level to form an army. If a class ability listed here presents two alternative options, you must choose one of these options when the army is formed, and it can’t ever be changed.

You can use the following special abilities as inspiration to generate additional army abilities of your own. Unless otherwise stated, the effects of these special abilities (other than hp damage) end when a battle ends. Note that you count as your own ally for abilities that effect allied armies.

Ability Damage/Drain: This ability functions as bleed.

Alchemy (Alchemist 1): Once per battle, the army can heal itself as if it had the healing potions resource. This doesn’t cost BP.

Amphibious: The army can move in or across bodies of water and ignore Defense from water barriers.

Animal Companion (Druid 1, Ranger 4): The army’s animal companions increase the army’s OM by 1.

Aquatic: The army increases its OM and DV by 1 against armies in the water or on ships. The army decreases its OM by 2 against armies on land (unless the army also has the amphibious special ability, in which case it doesn’t have this OM penalty).

Aura of Courage (Paladin 3): The army is immune to fear effects and automatically succeeds at Morale checks to avoid a rout.

Armor Training (Fighter 3): This class feature adjusts the base speed of units in medium armor; adjust the army’s speed accordingly.

Bleed: When this army deals damage in melee, the target army takes an automatic 1d6 points of damage at the start of the next phase.

Blindsense: The army reduces its OM and DV penalties by half from darkness, invisibility, and weather.

Blindsight: The army takes no penalties to its OM and DV from darkness, invisibility, or weather.

Bomb (Alchemist 1): This ability functions as the breath weapon ability.

Bravery (Fighter 2): Apply the unit’s bravery bonus on Morale checks against fear and routs.

Breath Weapon: The army can make ranged attacks. In the Ranged and Melee phases, it deals +1d4 points of damage.

Brew Potion (Alchemist 1): The army can create healing potions for itself or another army without needing any of the building requirements described in the healing potion resource. You must pay the BP cost for these potions as normal.

Burn: This ability functions as bleed.

Burrow: The army can dig under one fortification (or City Walls) by spending a Ranged or Melee phase moving. In later phases, it ignores that fortification’s Defense. During the phase the army uses burrow, it can attack or be attacked only by armies using burrow or earth glide.

Cannibalize: Reduce Consumption by 1 (minimum 0) for any week in which the army wins a battle and is allowed to feed on fallen corpses.

Challenge (Cavalier 1): Once per battle, the army may increase its OM by 2 against a target army, but it also reduces its DV by 1 against attacks from any army that is not the target army. These effects last for the rest of the battle.

Channel Negative Energy (Cleric 1): In the Melee phase, the army deals +1d4 points of damage against a living target army. If the army with this ability is undead, instead of dealing extra damage to an enemy army, it can use this ability to heal itself; if it takes an OM penalty equal to half its ACR for one Ranged or Melee phase, it heals a number of hit points equal to its ACR.

Channel Positive Energy (Cleric 1, Paladin 4): In the Melee phase, the army deals +1d4 points of damage against an undead target army. Instead of dealing extra damage to an enemy army, the army can use this ability to heal itself; if it takes an OM penalty equal to half its ACR for one Ranged or Melee phase, it heals a number of hit points equal to its ACR.

Climb: The army treats the Defense of fortifications as 25% lower than normal. This benefit doesn’t apply if the fortification can’t reasonably be climbed (such as a moat or wall of force).

Combat Style (Ranger 2): Once per battle, increase the army’s OM for either ranged attacks or melee attacks by 1 for the rest of the battle.

Construct: The army is immune to disease, fear, paralysis, and poison.

Create Sandstorm: Once per battle, the army can affect the field of battle with the sandstorm battlefield condition. The sandstorm lasts for the rest of the battle.

Create Spawn: If the army destroys a living army of equal or greater size, it may immediately recover a number of hit points equal to twice its ACR or create a new army of its type but two sizes smaller than itself.

Damage Reduction: See the entry for significant defense.

Darkvision: The army takes no OM or DV penalties in dim light or darkness.

Discovery (Alchemist 2): This ability functions as bleed.

Disease: If the army damages an enemy, the enemy becomes diseased and takes a cumulative –1 penalty to its OM and DV each day after the battle. Curing the disease requires a successful Stability check modified by this penalty, and allows the army to reduce this penalty by 1 each day thereafter until the penalty is gone.

Divine Health (Paladin 3): The army is immune to disease.

Earth Glide: The army ignores fortifications made of earth or stone and can burrow under other fortifications as if using the burrow special ability.

Eidolon (Summoner 1): This ability functions as the animal companion ability.

Energy Drain: If the army damages an enemy, it reduces the enemy’s OM and DV by 1 for 24 hours.

Evasion (Monk 2, Rogue 2): An army that attacks this army halves its OM bonus from the spellcasting ability and halves the extra damage from the breath weapon ability.

Fast Healing: Each Ranged or Melee phase, this army regains a number of hit points equal to half its fast healing value. Outside of battle, each hour the army regains a number of hit points equal to its fast healing value.

Favored Enemy (Ranger 1): The army increases its OM by 1 against an army of a type of creature chosen from the ranger favored enemy list.

Favored Terrain (Ranger 3): Reduce an enemy’s bonuses from advantageous terrain and battlefield advantage by half.

Fear: If the army damages an enemy army, that army must attempt a Morale check (DC = 10 + your army’s ACR). Failure means the enemy army is afraid and can’t attempt an Offense check to attack during the next phase. If an army fails a Morale check during a phase in which it is already afraid, it routs.

Ferocity: The army continues to fight even if demoralized or nearly dead. If the army is defeated or routed, it may continue to act for one more Melee phase, and its OM and DV are reduced by 4 for that phase.

Flight: If the army doesn’t attack in the Melee phase, it can’t be attacked with melee attacks except by an army with flight. The army ignores Defense bonuses from City Walls, but not other fortifications.

Flurry of Blows (Monk 1): In the first Melee phase, increase the army’s OM by 1. In the second and subsequent Melee phases, increase it by 2 instead.

Grab: The army’s units latch onto their opponents, making it difficult to escape. The target army takes a –2 penalty on Morale checks to resist a rout or use the withdraw tactic.

Hex (Witch 1): When you create an army with this ability, choose either healing or cauldron.

Healing: Once per battle, the army can heal a number of hit points equal to half its ACR.

Cauldron: The army can create healing potions for itself or another army without needing any of the building requirements described in the healing potion resource. You must pay the BP cost for these potions as normal.

Hunter’s Bond (Ranger 4): When you create an army with this ability, choose either companions or animal.

Companions: Once per battle, the army may increase its OM or an allied army’s OM by 1 for the rest of the battle.

Animal: This ability functions as animal companion.

Immunity: If an army is immune to a particular special ability (such as poison), an enemy army with that ability doesn’t gain those benefits against this army. For an army with many immunities, also see significant defense.

Incorporeal: The army takes no damage from nonmagical attacks, and only half damage from magical attacks. It ignores enemy DV bonuses from armor resources. It automatically succeeds at checks to withdraw. It has a mobility advantage in all kinds of terrain.

Inspire Courage (Bard 1): The army increases its OM by 1 and gains a +2 bonus on Morale checks against fear and routs. Alternatively, the army may apply these bonuses to an allied army in the same battle.

Invisibility: Any army attacking this army takes a –2 penalty to its OM for that attack. Any army attacked by this army takes a –2 penalty to its DV against its attacks. Armies that can’t see invisible creatures can’t prevent this army from withdrawing.

Judgment (Inquisitor 1): Once each Ranged or Melee phase, the army may choose to increase its damage by 1, increase its DV by 1, heal a number of hit points equal to half its ACR, or treat its attacks as magic weapons. This ability is suspended for any phase in which the army is unable to attack because of fear, and ends immediately if the army routs.

Ki Pool (Monk 4): The army’s attacks count as magic weapons.

Lay on Hands (Paladin 2): This ability functions as channel positive energy.

Light Blindness: The army decreases its OM and RV by 2 in bright light.

Light Sensitivity: The army decreases its OM and RV by 1 in bright light.

Low-Light Vision: The army takes no penalties for dim light.

Mercy (Paladin 3): At the end of a battle, the army can cure a disease on one allied army.

Mindless: The army never fails Morale checks, but must always use standard tactics and strategy.

Mobility: If the units have a form of mobility that gives them an advantage in the battlefield’s terrain (such as boggards in a swamp), increase the army’s OM by 1 for that battle against armies without such mobility.

Mount (Cavalier 1): The army’s mounts increase the army’s OM and DV by 1.

Order (Cavalier 1): When using the challenge ability, increase the army’s DV by 1 against the challenged army.

Paralysis: Each time the army damages an enemy army, reduce the enemy army’s DV by 1.

Petrification: This ability functions as paralysis.

Plant: The army is immune to fear, paralysis, and poison.

Poison Resistance (Alchemist 2): If the army takes poison damage, reduce the damage by half of the unit’s poison resistance bonus.

Poison: This ability functions as bleed.

Pounce: The army increases its OM by 1.

Powerful Charge: The army increases its OM by 1.

Rage (Barbarian 1): Once per battle, the commander may order the army to rage. Increase the army’s OM by 2, decrease its DV by 1, and add a +1 bonus on its Morale checks against fear and routing. While this is in effect, the army can’t use the tactics cautious combat, defensive wall, expert flankers, hold the line, sniper support, or withdraw; nor can it use the defensive or cautious strategies. If using such a tactic or strategy, you immediately switch to the standard tactic or strategy.

Rake: The army increases the damage it deals by 1.

Regeneration: The army regains a number of hit points equal to half its regeneration value each Ranged or Melee phase. When an army with regeneration is reduced to 0 hp, it is defeated only if at least one enemy army survives at the end of that phase to finish off the regenerating creatures. Outside of battle, the army regains a number of hit points equal to half its regeneration value each hour.

Rend: The army increases the damage it deals by 1.

Resistance: See the entry for significant defense.

Rock Catching: The army increases its DV by 1 against ranged attacks. This increases by an additional 1 if the army is attacked with siege weapons or thrown rocks.

Rock Throwing: The army can make ranged attacks. In the Ranged phase, it deals +4 points of damage.

Rogue Talent (Rogue 2): The army gains the bleed ability.

Scent: The army reduces its OM and DV penalties from darkness, invisibility, and weather by half.

Shield Ally (Summoner 4): Increase the army’s DV by 1.

Significant Defense: The army has a significant defense such as powerful damage reduction or numerous immunities and/or resistances. Increase its DV by 10, but only against armies that can’t overcome those defenses. In some cases, the GM might rule that an army is simply undefeatable by an enemy army because of its defenses (though the GM should never pit the PCs against such an army unless the PCs initiate a foolish battle).

Smite Evil (Paladin 1): In one Melee phase per battle, the army may increase its OM by 2 against an evil army. If the target army is undead or evil outsiders, the OM increases by 4 instead.

Sneak Attack (Rogue 1): The army increases its OM by 1 when making an ambush, when using the expert flankers tactic, or on the phase after using the false retreat tactic.

Spell Resistance: The army increases its DV by 6 against armies with the spellcasting ability.

Spellcasting: If an army’s units can use magic (from either spell-like abilities or actual spellcasting), increase its OM and DV by the spell level of the highest-level spell the individual unit can cast. If any of the army’s offensive spells has a range greater than touch, the army can make ranged attacks.

Stunning Fist (Monk 1): This ability functions as paralysis.

Swarm: The army takes half damage from nonmagical attacks, but 1-1/2 times as much damage from magical attacks. It ignores DV bonuses from armor resources. It can’t harm an army with the incorporeal or significant defense ability. It automatically succeeds at checks to withdraw.

Tactician (Cavalier 1): The army automatically learns one tactic (usually the cavalry experts tactic); this doesn’t count toward an army’s maximum number of known tactics.

Teleportation: The army ignores the Defense of fortifications. It automatically succeeds at checks to withdraw. Ethereal travel and similar effects also grant this ability. An army with teleportation can travel to any hex on the same day (its speed is irrelevant and not hampered by difficult terrain).

Track (Inquisitor 2, Ranger 1): The army adds its ACR to Morale checks to prevent an army from using the withdraw tactic and to its DV to prevent ambushes. It reduces the damage it deals in fog by one quarter instead of one half.

Trample: The army increases its OM by 1.

Trap Sense (Rogue 3): When using the siegebreaker tactic, the army adds half its ACR to the Offense check to determine if a siege engine is destroyed.

Tremorsense: The army reduces its OM and DV penalties from darkness, invisibility, and weather by half.

Trip: Each Melee phase, the target enemy army reduces its DV by 1 until the end of the phase.

Undead: The army is immune to disease, fear, paralysis, and poison. Its DV increases by 2.

Unnatural Aura: This ability functions as fear, but applies only to animals (including animal mounts).

Vortex: This ability functions as paralysis, but only against targets on or in the water.

Weapon Specialization (Fighter 4): Once per battle, increase the army’s OM for either ranged or melee attacks by 2.

Whirlwind: This ability functions as paralysis.

Wild Shape (Druid 4): Once per battle, the army may gain the aquatic, amphibious, climb, darkvision, flight, low-light vision, or scent special abilities, but loses the spellcasting ability while this is in effect. The army can end this ability in any later phase.

Archives of Nethys

Rules Index | GM Screen

Special Abilities