Warfare: Difference between revisions

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| width="250" style="font-weight:bold" | Ability Score Used: || Choose One
| width="250" style="font-weight:bold" | Ability Score Used: || Choose One
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| width="250" style="font-weight:bold" | Usable Untrained? || No (Bailiwick)
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| width="250" style="font-weight:bold" | Armor Check Penalty Applies? || No
| width="250" style="font-weight:bold" | Armor Check Penalty Applies? || No

Revision as of 22:11, 18 January 2020

Description

Ability Score Used: Choose One
Armor Check Penalty Applies? No


Only Brawlers, Fighters, and Warlords may learn this bailiwick skill. No other class may place ranks in it unless they have an ability which specifically states they may put ranks into a bailiwick skill not normally offered by their class. A bailiwick skill is a skill that represents the core competency of a style of adventure, and has many useful applications.

The warfare skill is an expression of your practical knowledge of all things related to conflict. Warfare isn't a thing of book learning, it is that feeling you get in your gut, that solid certainty that 'this way' is right and 'that way' is wrong. For each rank a character places in warfare, the character receives a free rank in Knowledge (Engineering). Note that no character may ever have more ranks in a skill than his character level.

Each character class gains a single bailiwick skill at character creation, and this bailiwick skill is always a natural talent for your character. When you place your first rank in this skill, you must select one of your ability modifiers, and use that ability modifier as the key ability modifier for this skill. Once selected, this ability modifier may not be changed, except through the Reselection rules. Natural talent skills never suffer an armor check penalty, even if you associate that skill with your STR or DEX modifier.

If you gain a second bailiwick skill (usually through a racial trait), it is not automatically a natural talent (even though you typically get to choose which of your ability score modifiers is aligned to the second bailiwick skill). Armor check penalties do apply to the second bailiwick skill if you choose to associate it with your STR or DEX modifier, and you do not gain matching ranks in the linked skill for that bailiwick skill (in the case of warfare, Knowledge (Engineering)).

As with all skills, the uses below are merely suggestions, and by no means the full gamut of possible ways a skill can be used. Players and GM's are encouraged to find additional ways to use each skill.

Identify Extraordinary Ability

You can use warfare to identify an enemy monster's extraordinary ability as it is being used, but you must be able to clearly see the ability as it is being used. You use your knowledge of martial tactics and combat experience to determine what the monster is doing, and how it can be countered effectively.

This skill use may only be attempted during combat.

Action Required:

Immediate action

DC of Check:

10 + CR of creature or object being evaluated

Modifiers to Check
  • Partial Cover / Concealment: If the enemy creature has partial cover or partial concealment from you when you attempt the check, you add +5 to the DC.
  • Distance: For every 10 feet beyond the first 10 feet the creature is from you, the DC is increased by +1.
  • Large Target: checks against extremely large things can be done from longer distances. For every size category above Large, the range band increases by ten feet. For example, a size Huge creature in normal conditions is +1 to the DC per twenty feet, a Gargantuan creature is +1 to the DC per thirty feet, etc.
Take 10? / Take 20?

No, since this skill use may only be used during combat.

Allows Assists?

Yes (up to 5 allies). Assisting allies must have ranks in warfare.

Results of Success

You may read the description of the monster's extraordinary ability in its bestiary entry to know exactly what it does.

Consequences of Failure

You gain no useful information about the ability in question.

Retry Allowed?

Only if that maneuver or power is used again where you can sense it.

Provokes AOO?

No

Size Up Enemy

You can use the warfare skill to determine the CR of a monster you can perceive, by assessing how easily it moves, how readily it wears its armor or carries its weapon, the general wear and condition of the creature's equipment, and other telling signs of its general effectiveness in a fight. You may use this ability out of combat or in combat, though each take different amounts of time and have different target DC's.
Action Required:
  • Out of Combat: Full round action
  • In Combat: Standard action
DC of Check:
  • Out of Combat: 10 + the CR of the creature
  • In Combat: 15 + CR of the creature
Modifiers to Check
  • Partial Cover / Concealment: If the enemy creature has partial cover or partial concealment from you when you attempt the check, you add +5 to the DC.
  • Distance: For every 10 feet beyond the first 10 feet the creature is from you, the DC is increased by +1.
  • Large Target: checks against extremely large things can be done from longer distances. For every size category above Large, the range band increases by ten feet. For example, a size Huge creature in normal conditions is +1 to the DC per twenty feet, a Gargantuan creature is +1 to the DC per thirty feet, etc.
  • Rushed Assessment: You can reduce the time taken to size up an enemy in combat to a move action (from a standard action) by adding +5 to the DC. You can do it as a swift action by adding +10 to the DC.
Take 10? / Take 20?

You can take 10 out of combat, but not in-combat. You cannot take 20.

Allows Assists?

Yes (up to 5 allies). Assisting allies must have ranks in warfare.

Results of Success
  • Out of Combat: You learn the exact CR of the creature, and the name of that type of monster. This does not give you the personal name of the creature studied, obviously.
  • In Combat: You learn the exact CR of the creature, and the name of that type of monster. This does not give you the personal name of the creature studied, obviously. In addition, the GM should allow you to review the "Offense," "Defense," and "Combat Tactics" sections of that monster's bestiary entry. You may not read the any other portions of the monster's bestiary entry, including its description, special abilities or out of combat sections.
Consequences of Failure

You learn nothing.

Retry Allowed?

You may only attempt to size up enemy once per group of creatures examined per 24 hours. This means you cannot size up a group of enemies out of combat, fail, and then try again once you start fighting them.

Provokes AOO?

No

Identify Enemy Leader

You can determine the leader of the opposing side of an encounter, if there is such a thing. This may inform your attacks or other plan of action. This needn't be a leader monster role, but rather the alpha monster, captain, or general biggest dude among them. Mindless monsters, non-social monsters, or highly chaotic monsters may not have a leader, but most monsters have enough social structure to include a leader within a group, to keep the subordinates organized and acting efficiently.
Action Required:

Swift

DC of Check:

10 + the CR of the leader (or the CR of the encounter, if it is higher).

Modifiers to Check
  • Partial Cover / Concealment: If the enemy creature has partial cover or partial concealment from you when you attempt the check, you add +5 to the DC.
  • Distance: For every 10 feet beyond the first 10 feet the creature is from you, the DC is increased by +1.
  • Large Target: checks against extremely large things can be done from longer distances. For every size category above Large, the range band increases by ten feet. For example, a size Huge creature in normal conditions is +1 to the DC per twenty feet, a Gargantuan creature is +1 to the DC per thirty feet, etc.
Take 10? / Take 20?

No

Allows Assists?

No

Results of Success

You identify the leader and may take actions based upon that knowledge. If there is no leader in the GM's opinion, you gain that information as well and may act on it.

Consequences of Failure

You are unable to gain any information.

Retry Allowed?

No. You may only attempt this skill use once per encounter.

Provokes AOO?

No

Suggest Tactics

You may call upon your martial skill in combat to suggest tactics, strategies, and gambits. This can be used to determine which foes to attack first, whether to press the attack to the left or right, which ally to place in what location, and a myriad of other uses.

This skill is particularly helpful for players who may not be the best at deciding on appropriate tactics, even though their characters would be experts. In such a case, the GM (or other players) can make suggestions to the player (to the best of their ability) if the player makes this skill check.

Action Required:

Immediate action

DC of Check:

10 + double the CR of encounter

Modifiers to Check
  • Hostile Territory: If you are in a particularly dangerous environment (such as the caves inside an active volcano), it is more difficult to pick appropriate tactics. Add +2 to the DC.
  • Alien Territory: If you are on a plane or in an environment that doesn't behave the way you would expect a normal world to behave (odd gravity, etc.), add +5 to the DC.
  • Oddly Motivated: Some creatures are motivated by things which make no sense to humanoids, making them very hard to predict. Examples include fey and doppelgangers. Add +2 to the DC.
Take 10? / Take 20?

No

Allows Assists?

No

Results of Success

The GM will give you sincere advice on how to do well in an upcoming battle. If the GM doesn't have any solid advice to give, they should give players a chance to confer among themselves and decide on a good plan. This time doesn't really happen in-game; instead, the martial character simply comes to this plan instantly, drawing on their own experience.

Consequences of Failure

You gain no useful information.

Retry Allowed?

No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn't let you know something that you never learned in the first place.

Provokes AOO?

No

Craft Magic Item

When combined with the Creator feat, warfare can be used to create magic items.

In addition to the Creator feat, you must have the components listed in the magic item's 'creation' section on its description page. These items include a remnant, an item symbolic of the enchantment, and a gold cost equal to half the item's retail price. If the symbolic item being used has a monetary value, that value is subtracted from the gold required to craft the item.

The creator feat and the gold cost are mandatory, but the symbolic item and remnant are not. You may attempt to craft the magic item with a lesser-tier remnant, or a poorly-matched symbolic item, or you can skip these items altogether. However, doing any of this causes the target DC to increase (see 'modifiers' below).

You also need an appropriate place in which to work. The nature of such a place can vary wildly. A noisy pugilarium full of hard-training warriors might be ideal for a Brawler to work on his new amulet of natural armor, but it is probably not going to be a good place for a Sorcerer to get anything done.

For users of Spellcraft, any place suitable for preparing spells is suitable for making items. Warfare works best in forges and smithies and training halls; rough, rude places of strife. Spycraft works best in hidden spyholes full of small secretive nooks and hidden tools. Naturalism works great in grottoes and caves and glades, anywhere the Nascent Seed is strong and vital. Divinity works well in temples and crypts and ossuaries, anywhere the sense of the Divine is strong. Reason works best in libraries and meditation halls, dojos and saunas, places where quiet thought is enhanced.

If the workspace is considered a poor fit for the item being created, the base time required is doubled.

If the workspace is inconsistent, or the item is being moved around between creation days (such as attempting to create an item while journeying overland), the required time is doubled again.

Each day of crafting requires 8 hours of work, with no more than 1 hour of interruptions (not counting food and rest breaks). If you are unable to work 8 hours in a given day, the entire day's efforts are wasted, and not counted toward your progress.

The days spent creating a magic item need not be consecutive. Partially finished magic items stored in a safe fashion will keep indefinitely. Since magic items in progress keep indefinitely, you may schedule time to work on one as you wish.

Once you have determined the base number of days required to craft the magic item, you must craft the item for half this amount of time before you may make a skill check to determine the item's success or failure.

Action Required:

2 days, +1 day per creator level of the item being created.

You can never reduce the time to create a magic item below 3 days, no matter how well you roll.

DC of Check:

The base DC of a magic item is 10 + double the Creator Level of the item being created.

Modifiers to Check
  • Quality Workshop: Using a workshop with very high quality tools and equipment lowers the DC by between -1 and -5, at the GM's discretion.
  • Higher Creator Level: Attempting to create an item that has a Creator Level higher than your own level increases the DC by +2 per level of difference.
  • Lower Creator Level: Attempting to create an item that has a Creator Level lower than your own level grants no bonuses.
  • Lower Remnant Quality: Attempting to use a remnant of a lower quality than the remnant tier listed for the item increases the DC by +1 per tier difference.
  • Higher Remnant Quality: There is no bonus for using a higher-tier remnant.
  • No Remnant: Attempting to create the magic item without the remnant component increases the DC by +10.
  • Excellent Symbolic Item: Creating a magic item while using a symbolic item that is highly relevant to the enchantment being created can reduce the DC by between -1 and -10, at the GM's discretion.
  • Poor Symbolic Item: Attempting to create a magic item using a symbolic item that is a poor match to the enchantment being created increases the DC by between +1 and +10, at the GM's discretion.
  • No Symbolic Item: Attempting to create a magic item without including a symbolic item increases the DC by +10.
  • Rush Job: You may declare you are hurrying the work, reducing the base number of days required by 1 per +5 you add to the DC. You cannot reduce the creation time below 3 days, however.
  • Careful Work: You may also declare you are taking your time, reducing the target DC by -1 per 1 extra day you add to the base time.
Take 10? / Take 20?

No

Allows Assists?

No

Results of Success
  • A result that is between 1 and 5 points less than the adjusted DC is considered an easy success, which increases the base time required by either 1 day or 10%, whichever is worse.
  • A result that equals or exceeds the adjusted DC, by up to +4 above the DC, is considered an average success, and the base time to complete is unchanged.
  • A result that exceeds the adjusted DC by between +5 and +14 is considered a challenging success, and the base time is decreased by either 1 day or 10%, whichever is better, to a minimum of 3 days.
  • A result that exceeds the adjusted DC by 15 or more is considered an impossible success, and the base time is decreased by 3 days or 25%, whichever is better, to a minimum of 3 days.
Consequences of Failure
  • A result that is between 6 and 10 points less than the adjusted DC is considered a failure. A failure means that half of the material costs and the symbolic item (but no the remnant) are destroyed in the attempt, and half the base time (rounding up) required for the item is also wasted.
  • A natural "1" on the die, or a result of that is 11 or more below the adjusted DC is considered a critical failure. A critical failure means that all of the materials, the remnant, and the symbolic item are destroyed in the attempt, and half the base time (rounding up) required for the item is also wasted.
Retry Allowed?

Yes, though you must procure new components to replace the destroyed ones, and begin the process again. You gain a +5 circumstance bonus on each retry after a failure, as you incorporate your new knowledge of what not to do.

Provokes AOO?

Yes. Don't try this during combat.

Beseige

You can use Warfare to assess the defenses of a fixed place. This can be used on either the offense or the defense side of a siege. The GM is left to determine the exact effects of this ability, but it will generally lead to more or fewer sunders being inflicted in a day of siege-work. This does NOT work against vehicles or bogeys, even if they are involved in a siege action.
Action Required:

One day per level of the Settlement Size chart in the Merchants page.

DC of Check:

10 + twice the CR of the settlement + the size level of the settlement

Modifiers to Check

-

Take 10? / Take 20?

No

Allows Assists?

Yes (up to 5 allies). Assisting allies must have ranks in warfare.

Results of Success
  • Offensive Side: You add +1 sunders per day inflicted against the enemy's defenses. You gain an additional +1 sunder per day for every 5 by which you exceeded the target DC.
  • Defensive Side: You reduce the number of sunders per day inflicted by the enemy's siege by -1. You reduce it by a further -1 sunder per day for every 5 by which you exceeded the target DC.
Consequences of Failure

You gain no benefit.

Retry Allowed?

Yes, but you must spend an additional week working through the process again.

Provokes AOO?

No.

Generalship

Warfare can be used to improve how well you lead a combat unit of NPC's. You deliver a rousing speech to (or simply loom competently before) the troops, after which the check is made. You stiffen their resolve, pump up their confidence, calm down their jitters, shame their fears, and fire up their fighting spirit.
Action Required:

5 minutes. May only be done out of combat.

DC of Check:

10 + double the CR of the campaign, or average level of your troops, whichever is higher.

Modifiers to Check
  • Lawful Alignment: If your troops are of a lawful alignment, reduce the DC by -2.
  • Chaotic Alignment: If your troops are of a chaotic alignment, increase the DC by +2
  • Leadership: If you possess Leadership (Feat), reduce the DC by -2
  • Loyal: If your troops have a disposition above "Friendly" (see Diplomacy), decrease the DC by -5 per disposition category above "Friendly".
  • Mutinous: If your troops have a disposition below "Friendly" (see Diplomacy), increase the DC by +5 per disposition category below "Friendly".
Take 10? / Take 20?

No

Allows Assists?

No. You're up there by yourself, and no matter how good your staff may be, you are the one who is calling the shots.

Results of Success

If you succeed on this roll, NPC troops under your command can take twice as much damage/casualties before they are required to make any sort of rout/morale checks. At the GM's discretion, this may have other effects as well.

  • (Epic Only) If you have at least 21 ranks in warfare, your troops are instead immune to routs, poor morale, breaking in the face of the enemy, etc, for one day.
Consequences of Failure

If you fail this roll, you do not fire your troops, but mercifully, you also do not make their morale any worse.

Retry Allowed?

No, you cannot retry this check during this battle. Hopefully, there will be a next battle, when you can try again.

Provokes AOO?

no.

Identify Magic Item

You can use warfare to identify the properties and command words (if any) of a magic item you are holding. This is identical to the Divinity, Naturalism, Reason, Spellcraft, and Spycraft ability to identify magic items. It is also very similar to the Barter ability, except that it is faster.

Reason may also be used to assist another party member's attempt at determining the properties of a magic item, even if the other party member is using a different skill to make the check.

Action Required:

3 rounds per item you are attempting to identify

DC of Check:

10 + double the caster level of the item

Modifiers to Check
  • Martial Item: Identifying a martial item, such as weapons, armor, ammunition, damage-dealing alchemical item, etc., decreases the DC by -4
  • Non-Martial Item: Identifying non-martial item, such as Hat of Disguise or other out-of-combat items, increases the DC by +4
Take 10? / Take 20?

No

Allows Assists?

Yes (up to 5 allies).

Results of Success

Item is identified, including the command words (if any) needed to trigger its magical properties.

Consequences of Failure

Item is not identified

Retry Allowed?

You must wait 24 hours before retrying on the same item. Any attempts in the meantime always fail.

Provokes AOO?

Yes

Hardened Supply Lines (Epic)

All NPC and ally troops under your command who can see you may Hustle up to two hours per day without suffering damage or becoming fatigued. Any hustling after this period is resolved as described in the Overland Movement rules. The check is made at the end of any hour in which you have coaxed your troops to hustle, and you may only attempt harden supply lines for a maximum of 2 hours per day (though you may coax your troops to hustle for as many hours per day as you think you can get away with). You may only attempt this skill use up to twice per day, regardless of whether your check succeed or fail.

You must have at least twenty NPC's under your command to attempt this skill use.

While hardening supply lines, your attention is fully occupied, leaving you unable to perform any other tasks, such as making Perception checks to avoid surprise, etc.

This is an epic skill use, and requires at least 21 ranks in the skill before it may be attempted.

Action Required:

1 hour per hour of hustling.

DC of Check:

5 + double the highest CR of any creatures under your command

Modifiers to Check
  • Lawful Alignment: If your troops are of a lawful alignment, reduce the DC by -2.
  • Chaotic Alignment: If your troops are of a chaotic alignment, increase the DC by +2
  • Leadership: If you possess Leadership (Feat), reduce the DC by -2
  • Loyal: If your troops have a disposition above "Friendly" (see Diplomacy), decrease the DC by -5 per disposition category above "Friendly".
  • Mutinous: If your troops have a disposition below "Friendly" (see Diplomacy), increase the DC by +5 per disposition category below "Friendly".
Take 10? / Take 20?

You can take 10, but you cannot take 20.

Allows Assists?

Yes (up to 5 allies). Assisting allies must each have at least 21 ranks in warfare. Assisting allies are, like you, fully occupied for the entire duration of the skill use, and may not perform any other tasks while assisting, such as making Perception checks to avoid surprise, etc.

Results of Success

The affected troops may hustle up to two hours per day without taking any damage or becoming fatigued from it. Additional hours of hustling after this period are resolved as described in the Hustle rules, as though the troops had not already hustled today.

Consequences of Failure

Your troops hustle as instructed, but take damage and become Fatigued as described in the Hustle rules.

Retry Allowed?

You may attempt this skill use up to twice per day, regardless of whether the checks succeed or fail.

Provokes AOO?

Yes

Break Ambush (Epic)

You can use warfare to attempt to completely negate the effects of surprise in an encounter. This roll is made immediately following your Perception check to detect an ambush, before the GM begins the surprise round. If you wait until the surprise round starts, it is too late. Be quick, or be dead.

This is an epic skill use, and requires at least 21 ranks in the skill before it may be attempted.

Action Required:

Immediate

DC of Check:

15 + double the highest CR of any enemy creature participating in the encounter

Modifiers to Check
  • Surprised: If you failed your Perception check to detect the ambush, the DC increases by +5.
  • Vigilance: If you have the Vigilance fighter tactic, the DC decreases by -5.
Take 10? / Take 20?

No

Allows Assists?

No.

Results of Success

The surprise round is skipped for this encounter for all participants.

Consequences of Failure

The surprise round is resolved as normal.

Retry Allowed?

No, not for this combat.

Provokes AOO?

No.