Elder_Basilisk
2022-04-05, 12:48 AM
Morale
Why morale? Some GMs prefer to decide when monsters will flee or retreat based on their judgment of the situation. However, there is also a benefit to using rules to determine how NPCs and monsters react to the stress of combat. First and most importantly, taking the decision out of the GMs hands changes the dynamic of the game. Consider this scenario: the player characters are all bloodied and down to their last spells, but the ranger kills the orc warchief with a lucky critical hit and the orcs flee for their lives. If the DM is making the decisions directly, players are likely to interpret this as DM intervention to save the party from a TPK. On the other hand, if the DM rolls a morale check due to the orcs leader dying and the orcs fail, the players are likely to see that the same way that their characters do: the orcs morale broke and they ran away. Sometimes the best stories emerge naturally from random rolls using the ruleset.
Other benefits of using a morale system include shorter combats and additional strategic depth since battles can be won by breaking an enemys morale rather than reducing them to 0 hp.
Why this Morale System?
There have been a number of iterations of morale rules in D&D and its derivative games, all of which have strengths and weaknesses.
1e Morale is individual and clunky, requiring lots of percentile checks all of which have different modifiers. But it offers degrees of success
2e Morale is simplified and applies to groups making it much quicker than 1e morale, however it only offers a binary fight/flee result
3.x Morale is a bolt-on system from Heroes of Battle which I've only heard described second hand or is ported from the D&D minis game (which is very similar to how the HOB system is described). It is individual like 1e and binary like 2e but is better integrated into the game system and is the only system to give numerical significance to leadership.
My goal is to combine the system integration of the D&D minis system and the significance of leadership with the varying degrees of success possible in 1e and to combine the individual and group systems to make it feel different fighting a military unit like the Red Hand of Doom hobgoblins than it does fighting a pack of wolves or an angry mob in the village square. I also wanted to deliberately decouple the morale system from the Will save. A herd of elk may have more HD than a group of warriors, but that doesn't mean they're more likely to stand their ground when injured in battle. Likewise any battles between nations are likely to be between individuals that are largely similar in level, classes, etc but that shouldn't mean that their morale is all the same. 2e and retroclones like Adventurer Conqueror King made Morale a separate statistic and I think that is both merited and does not need to overburden the statblock.
How to check Morale
A morale save is a d20 + Discipline + Leadership bonus + any bonus to saves against fear and any general saving throw modifiers such as prayer or the shaken condition +/- situational modifiers. The normal DC is 15.
In theory, it is easy to add bonuses and penalties to morale rolls. In practice, however, it can be challenging to determine whether a they apply to a group morale check. If the cleric cast prayer but only some of the monsters were in the area of effect, do you apply the -1 penalty to the group morale check when the leader is killed? A good rule of thumb is to apply the penalty to a group when it affects half or more monsters in the group.
Failure by 5 or more
Retreat-Monsters will use the withdraw action on their next turn and will attempt to get as far away from the conflict as they can as quickly as possible
Failure
Fighting Withdrawal-Monsters will attempt to disengage but will ready actions to attack characters who follow them or will use magic to cover their retreat.
Success
Fight On-Monsters will continue the battle without retreating but will not pursue if their opponents flee
Success by 5 or more
Advance and Pursue-Monsters will not only continue fighting but will go on the offensive where possible and will pursue the characters if they attempt to retreat.
Circumstance Bonuses
Circumstances apply to the Morale Save at the GMs discretion but generally should not exceed +/- 6
Morale check is triggered in a surprise round or while monsters are flatfooted -2
Each previous morale check -2
Conditions for two morale checks are satisfied at once -4
Monsters appear to be losing decisively -2
Monsters appear to be winning the battle (against a hated foe) +2 (+4)
Monster is fighting a hated foe +2
Monster is fighting to immediately defend home or nest +2 to +6
When to Check Morale
The circumstances that trigger a morale check will vary depending upon how monsters are organized.
Disorganized
A disorganized groupa lynch mob, a pack of ghouls, or a group of pirates surprised while carousing in a tavernwill make morale saves individually when each member is bloodied. They will also make morale saves as a group when the first member of the group is killed, the leader is incapacitated, or half of the group is killed or incapacitated.
Organized
An organized groupa squadron of cavalry soldiers, an orcish warband, or the same pirates when attacking a merchant shipwill only make morale saves as a group. They make morale saves when the first member of the group is killed, if the leader is incapacitated, or if half the group is killed or incapacitated.
Special Morale Saves
At the GMs discretion, monsters might make morale checks in other situations as well. Some common situations that could merit morale checks include fighting an enemy that their weapons cannot hurt or when offered a chance to surrender after having already passed another morale check.
Discipline
This is the base bonus that a group of monsters add to Morale saves. Unlike most saving throw bonuses, this is not based upon HD, level, or statistics but instead is based upon story factors including organization, training, and motivation.
How to Determine Discipline Bonus
In game, groups of monsters or NPCs acquire Discipline bonuses through training, organization, experience, and in some cases natural tenacity and fearlessness. In practice a discipline bonus is assigned by the GM based on an assessment of the group of monsters. Are they experienced and disciplined soldiers, fearless fanatics, or a herd of frightened cattle? Does their culture value order and military discipline like the Spartans or does it honor people who survive by running away? However, in addition to the standard state of the groups discipline, the GM should also consider circumstances and modify the base value accordingly. Is the group fatigued and short on rations? Did they just suffer a major defeat and manage to regroup after running away? Even beserkers may be likely to run away if they just lost a battle, are tired and out of supplies
Typical Discipline Bonuses
-5 Unreliable
Skittish animals
-2 Unsteady
Angry mob, typical kobolds
+0 Average
Many animals, militia, tribal goblins, untrained levy
+1 Steady
Trained but green light infantry, ghouls
+2 Disciplined
Trained but green heavy infantry, light cavalry
+3 Stubborn
Veteran heavy infantry, heavy cavalry, ogres, bugbears, dragons
+7 Elite
Beserkers, old dragons, elite soldiers, trolls
+10 Fanatic
Aurumvorax, Fanatical cultists, Wolverines
Leadership
Often a strong leader is the difference between monsters running for their lives or standing their ground. Most organized groups of monsters will have one or more leaders, even a disorganized mob will often have a leader. Some military units may have a leader and a chain of command that designates a replacement leader if the leader is incapacitated. In addition to their Discipline bonus, a group of monsters may add their leaders charisma modifier to Morale saves.
Training based leadership (Teamwork Benefit)
A group of monsters or NPCs who work together regularly can follow a leader based on the authority delegated to them by their tribe, city, or state rather than simply based on their force of personality.
Leader prerequisite: Profession Guard/Mercenary/Soldier 1 rank
Team member prerequisite: membership in the organization
Benefit: The leader may grant a +2 Leadership bonus rather than using his Charisma bonus. When acting as a group (as opposed to when hanging out in a tavern for example), the group counts as Organized and only needs to make group Morale checks
Why morale? Some GMs prefer to decide when monsters will flee or retreat based on their judgment of the situation. However, there is also a benefit to using rules to determine how NPCs and monsters react to the stress of combat. First and most importantly, taking the decision out of the GMs hands changes the dynamic of the game. Consider this scenario: the player characters are all bloodied and down to their last spells, but the ranger kills the orc warchief with a lucky critical hit and the orcs flee for their lives. If the DM is making the decisions directly, players are likely to interpret this as DM intervention to save the party from a TPK. On the other hand, if the DM rolls a morale check due to the orcs leader dying and the orcs fail, the players are likely to see that the same way that their characters do: the orcs morale broke and they ran away. Sometimes the best stories emerge naturally from random rolls using the ruleset.
Other benefits of using a morale system include shorter combats and additional strategic depth since battles can be won by breaking an enemys morale rather than reducing them to 0 hp.
Why this Morale System?
There have been a number of iterations of morale rules in D&D and its derivative games, all of which have strengths and weaknesses.
1e Morale is individual and clunky, requiring lots of percentile checks all of which have different modifiers. But it offers degrees of success
2e Morale is simplified and applies to groups making it much quicker than 1e morale, however it only offers a binary fight/flee result
3.x Morale is a bolt-on system from Heroes of Battle which I've only heard described second hand or is ported from the D&D minis game (which is very similar to how the HOB system is described). It is individual like 1e and binary like 2e but is better integrated into the game system and is the only system to give numerical significance to leadership.
My goal is to combine the system integration of the D&D minis system and the significance of leadership with the varying degrees of success possible in 1e and to combine the individual and group systems to make it feel different fighting a military unit like the Red Hand of Doom hobgoblins than it does fighting a pack of wolves or an angry mob in the village square. I also wanted to deliberately decouple the morale system from the Will save. A herd of elk may have more HD than a group of warriors, but that doesn't mean they're more likely to stand their ground when injured in battle. Likewise any battles between nations are likely to be between individuals that are largely similar in level, classes, etc but that shouldn't mean that their morale is all the same. 2e and retroclones like Adventurer Conqueror King made Morale a separate statistic and I think that is both merited and does not need to overburden the statblock.
How to check Morale
A morale save is a d20 + Discipline + Leadership bonus + any bonus to saves against fear and any general saving throw modifiers such as prayer or the shaken condition +/- situational modifiers. The normal DC is 15.
In theory, it is easy to add bonuses and penalties to morale rolls. In practice, however, it can be challenging to determine whether a they apply to a group morale check. If the cleric cast prayer but only some of the monsters were in the area of effect, do you apply the -1 penalty to the group morale check when the leader is killed? A good rule of thumb is to apply the penalty to a group when it affects half or more monsters in the group.
Failure by 5 or more
Retreat-Monsters will use the withdraw action on their next turn and will attempt to get as far away from the conflict as they can as quickly as possible
Failure
Fighting Withdrawal-Monsters will attempt to disengage but will ready actions to attack characters who follow them or will use magic to cover their retreat.
Success
Fight On-Monsters will continue the battle without retreating but will not pursue if their opponents flee
Success by 5 or more
Advance and Pursue-Monsters will not only continue fighting but will go on the offensive where possible and will pursue the characters if they attempt to retreat.
Circumstance Bonuses
Circumstances apply to the Morale Save at the GMs discretion but generally should not exceed +/- 6
Morale check is triggered in a surprise round or while monsters are flatfooted -2
Each previous morale check -2
Conditions for two morale checks are satisfied at once -4
Monsters appear to be losing decisively -2
Monsters appear to be winning the battle (against a hated foe) +2 (+4)
Monster is fighting a hated foe +2
Monster is fighting to immediately defend home or nest +2 to +6
When to Check Morale
The circumstances that trigger a morale check will vary depending upon how monsters are organized.
Disorganized
A disorganized groupa lynch mob, a pack of ghouls, or a group of pirates surprised while carousing in a tavernwill make morale saves individually when each member is bloodied. They will also make morale saves as a group when the first member of the group is killed, the leader is incapacitated, or half of the group is killed or incapacitated.
Organized
An organized groupa squadron of cavalry soldiers, an orcish warband, or the same pirates when attacking a merchant shipwill only make morale saves as a group. They make morale saves when the first member of the group is killed, if the leader is incapacitated, or if half the group is killed or incapacitated.
Special Morale Saves
At the GMs discretion, monsters might make morale checks in other situations as well. Some common situations that could merit morale checks include fighting an enemy that their weapons cannot hurt or when offered a chance to surrender after having already passed another morale check.
Discipline
This is the base bonus that a group of monsters add to Morale saves. Unlike most saving throw bonuses, this is not based upon HD, level, or statistics but instead is based upon story factors including organization, training, and motivation.
How to Determine Discipline Bonus
In game, groups of monsters or NPCs acquire Discipline bonuses through training, organization, experience, and in some cases natural tenacity and fearlessness. In practice a discipline bonus is assigned by the GM based on an assessment of the group of monsters. Are they experienced and disciplined soldiers, fearless fanatics, or a herd of frightened cattle? Does their culture value order and military discipline like the Spartans or does it honor people who survive by running away? However, in addition to the standard state of the groups discipline, the GM should also consider circumstances and modify the base value accordingly. Is the group fatigued and short on rations? Did they just suffer a major defeat and manage to regroup after running away? Even beserkers may be likely to run away if they just lost a battle, are tired and out of supplies
Typical Discipline Bonuses
-5 Unreliable
Skittish animals
-2 Unsteady
Angry mob, typical kobolds
+0 Average
Many animals, militia, tribal goblins, untrained levy
+1 Steady
Trained but green light infantry, ghouls
+2 Disciplined
Trained but green heavy infantry, light cavalry
+3 Stubborn
Veteran heavy infantry, heavy cavalry, ogres, bugbears, dragons
+7 Elite
Beserkers, old dragons, elite soldiers, trolls
+10 Fanatic
Aurumvorax, Fanatical cultists, Wolverines
Leadership
Often a strong leader is the difference between monsters running for their lives or standing their ground. Most organized groups of monsters will have one or more leaders, even a disorganized mob will often have a leader. Some military units may have a leader and a chain of command that designates a replacement leader if the leader is incapacitated. In addition to their Discipline bonus, a group of monsters may add their leaders charisma modifier to Morale saves.
Training based leadership (Teamwork Benefit)
A group of monsters or NPCs who work together regularly can follow a leader based on the authority delegated to them by their tribe, city, or state rather than simply based on their force of personality.
Leader prerequisite: Profession Guard/Mercenary/Soldier 1 rank
Team member prerequisite: membership in the organization
Benefit: The leader may grant a +2 Leadership bonus rather than using his Charisma bonus. When acting as a group (as opposed to when hanging out in a tavern for example), the group counts as Organized and only needs to make group Morale checks