Inter Arma Appendix I - Fantasy

Inter Arma Appendix I - Fantasy
v 1.00
by Andrew J. McCory

0. Introduction

After executing minor changes in the main Inter Arma ruleset, there are two updates to come - one to include fantasy elements and one for campaigns. There are references to the campaign book for parties – see them later.
Also note that many of the skills provided are useful in a non-fantasy (Ancient/Medieval) setting as well, so this book could be useful for this sort of roleplaying and tabletop gaming, too.
((Further appendixes besides App. I and II contain rules for special combat [III] and for the gunpowder era [IV].))

What this particular appendix contains is:
Flying and underground units
Special skills and magic, including healing
Siege weapons and artillery

1. Flying and underground units

These special units commonly have no place outside fantasy campaigns. Both are to be taken on tabletop sessions only: for travelling underground or in air during campaigns see Appendix II.

Flying units: Non-clad flying units (everything smaller than a fully grown dragon, basically) have no fatigue rolls. Their movement measures to a standard cavalry movement (20cm / 8”). Heavily clad flying units move and roll fatigue as if they were armored cavalry (rolling 1 on 1d6 means their movement is halved next turn), but when moving less than 50% of their movement (9cm and below), they don’t have to.
All flying units have the secondary skill Impact (striking from air to ground and knocking back enemies, see later). Fully grown dragonkin and similar creatures can, on the other hand, adapt hoarding or something similar, third skill.

Underground units: small underground units have the movement of an unarmored infantryman without fatigue. Larger units have the movement of an armored infantryman and have no fatigue as well.
While underground and not attacking, rules for spotting them equal the sighting of crawling enemies, see the main book. In this state, they still have to be marked on the table and can only be damaged by spears or crossbows and add +1 to their saving rolls above the bonuses from classification.
Underground attacks do not do damage, but knock back attacked units by 2cm. However if the attacked unit is wounded, it has to roll a save again.
All underground units have the secondary skill Striking, to occasionally sacrifice their defenses for a more successful initiative.

Siege weapons: these can be used on buildings only, or can do collateral damage, but occasionally cannot kill opponents. Their range is a standard sighting range (30cm).
((Artillery vs. living units is further scripted under title 6 of Appendix IV, dealing with gunpowder artillery. These can deliberatley be used for artillery against manpower such as scorpions, ballistas etc.))

2. Special skills and magic

For an average dungeon hunting party or adventurers, it is necessary to have the men/women of right skills. Here are provided a variety of these, but, of course, more can be invented by players to suit their needs and style of playing. By leveling these skills ((of gaining experience, see Appendix II)), they can be more effective or can use them more or faster.
Each unit or character can have a primary and a secondary skill, active or passive. It is up to the players to match their characters’ skills to their personality, but it is unwise to choose skills not pairing up (for example, a crossbowmen with Quiver Draw, to shoot faster, and Mind’s Eye, to increase healing, or a priest with Healing and Striking, to increase its melee damage). It may seem obvious but who knows?

a) Primary skills

Basic skills:

Melee. Enhances melee stats, such as increasing intiative or defenses.
Sub-skills:
One-Man Army – increases saving roll by 2 one times each level per combat.
	Striking – increases intiative by 2 one times each level per combat, by 3 above level 5, but reduces saving roll in the turn the ability was used by 2/1.

Archery. Enhances handling of projectile weapons, such as bows, javelins, crossbows.
Sub-skills:
	Quiver Draw – the archer can shoot twice per turn, on one occasion each per level.
	Eagle Eye – the archer adds +1 to its hitting roll per level.

Magic. The bearer of this skill can perform acts of arcane and divine sources.
Sub-skills:
Offensive Magic. Each magician chooses an element of magic (be it any you want, but some creatures obviously resist one or more type). Different types of spells are available with different cooldowns:
Magic Lance: acts as melee damage, can be used in two consecutive turns but not in a third.
Magic Bolt: measures as crossbow damage, can be used in every second turn.
Magic Nova: Damages up to 5 enemies in a 8cm circle around the magician, can be used once per three turns.
Magic Shield: shares cooldown with Nova, saves the mage instantly from melee or ranged strikes for one turn (not enemy magic). Can be used on self only.

Levels of Offensive Magic either reduce cooldowns of spells or increase their chance to hit:

	Level	Effect
2	Bolt can be used in two consecutive turns, not in a third/ adds +1 to hit.
3	Lance can be used in every turn/ reduces enemy saving by 1.
4	Nova and Shield do not have the same cooldown/ Nova reduces enemy saving by 2.
5	Bolt can be used twice in each second turn, once in every turn/ adds +2 to hit.
6	Lance can be used twice in each second turn, once in every turn/ adds +2 to hit.
7	Nova and Shield can be used in every second turn/ Nova reduces enemy saving by 3.

Healing Magic. Healing has no element, and is usually beneficial. Healing spells and mechanisms are:
Defensive Shield: protects one friendly target in sight by adding +1 to its saving roll. Can be used in every second turn.
Heal: heals a friendly unit in sight while in combat so it does not have to save when loses initiative. Can be used in two consecutive turns, not in a third.
Greater Heal: heals a wounded friendly unit so it’s back in combat again and can move next turn, can defend itself immediately. Can be used once in three turns.

Enhancing their skills per level gives reduced cooldowns to healers:
	Level	Effect
2	Shield can be used in every turn.
3	Heal can be used in every turn, Greater Heal in every second turn.
4	Shield can be used in every turn, can target two units in every second.
5	Heal can be used twice in every second turn.
6	Shield can target two units every turn, three in every second.
7	Greater Heal can be used in every turn.

During massed combats, units with Healing magic automatically heal the unit in the most perilous situation.
One unit cannot receive more than three beneficial spells in one turn; of course, Healing Magic can be used on self as well.

b) Secondary skills

Secondary skills can be, essentially, everything a party needs. A unit can even choose two secondary skills (an assassin, for example, Stealth and Poisons) instead of one primary and one secondary. Secondary skills can be levelled as primaries, see in Appendix II.

Combat skills:
-Impact: a unit strikes at a foe, knocking it back and reducing its saving roll. Cannot result in death except it is a heavily clad flying unit. Levelling up increases targets during massed combat and saving roll reduction. ((This can be used as a special rule for heavy cavalry charging from a certain distance too.))
-Knockback: results only in driving back a unit 2cms or one base length, has no damage unless the attacked unit is already wounded, in this case it has to roll a save again.
-Hawk’s Eyes: increases sighting range by 3cm per level.
-Stealth: reduces chance to be spotted, reduces range/sighting roll per level.
-Poisons: adds special effect to wounds on a blade or arrow. Can poison enemy provisions during campaign.

Magic skills:
-Provisions: a magician can conjure food and drinks during a campaign.
-Blast: a magician performs all his offensive spells regardless their cooldowns in one turn, then cannot use any of them for five turns.
-Surge: same as above with Healing Magic abilities.
-Teleporting: a magician can teleport one standard infantry movement in every fourth turn above its standard movement during combat. Levelling up reduces cooldown and increases number of charges.
-Divine Efforts: in every three campaign turns, a unit with Healing Magic can save all the party’s wounded, but they cannot participate in the next battle and the unit cannot use Greater Heal.

„Practical” skills:
Lockpicking; Hoarding; Blacksmithing and Repairs; Foreign Languages; etc.

Players are, again, free to invent any sort of skill they find useful, freedom is given. A little summary of skills invented by the author will be published soon.

3. Special units

Paladins
Paladins are the exceptions. They can have two primary skills (one Melee and one Magic) with one level difference. This means the Paladin can be specialized in Healing Magic first, leveling up to Level 2, then choose the Melee ability One-man Army, Level 1. They can combine offensive and healing magic with the two main melee specs as they wish.
Of course, this does not exclude the possibility of armored paladins with Magic/Melee primary skills and other secondary skills such as Berserking or Leadership. Paladins are really versatile.

4. Notes

This appendix for the ruleset Inter Arma (current version: v0.99; http://pastebin.com/9cfdu9L2) was created on 6th September 2012.
Further modifications on this specific appendix to be noted below.

Version 0.91 (??/??/??): Modified the bonuses of Melee primary stats.
Ver. 1.00 on 26/12/12: Added cross-links to other appendixes, included special rules for Paladins, made heavy cavalry using Impact possible.

Created by Andrew J. McCory.
Critics on the rules are more than welcome on the 'Rules' page of my blog, http://randomncreative.blogspot.com.