Warlords

Warlords

While it is easier to some, especially in the Throne, to think of war as a knightly, glorious campaign for righteous cause of king and country, but there are those who would attest that the world has never been so pretty as that.  In the lands these virtuous knights come to conquer, the role of the Warlord reigns supreme, and these warmasters of the old world have no such compunctions about virtue and sovereignty to cloud their aims.

Warlords fulfill a similar role to Knights, but for cultures that do not have a concept of Knighthood.  The Branded men of Njordr, the Amir of the Shariqyn desert, the Highlanders of Dunland are all common examples of Warlords who raid the others for resources, for freedom, or for their masters.  Warlords can also be found in the Warriors of Kuarl, Necromancers, Orc Chieftains, and even condottieri and other dogs of war who sell their swords throughout the Throne.

The tribal or clan societies to which Warlords often belong do not have an organizing government to draft farmers and millers into battle.  Instead, word arrives that some mighty hero is gathering a force to throw out the invaders, or to claim great glory, or to vanquish a hated foe, and those who hear the call make their way to join them.  These armies tend to be ferocious and vigorous, yet lack the staying power and cohesion of professional or levied armies.  Their power comes in their belief of victory – the belief in the exceptionalism and greatness of their Warlord – and their ability to raid supplies from the enemy that they themselves cannot produce without baggage trains, supply lines, and all the other strategic logistics that mark the armies of kingdoms.  Warlords go to war for many reasons, but they do so on the back and merit of their own reputations – their Claim –  which is their most precious asset.

The Claim

Unlike Knights, Warlords do not have Sovereigns that they serve as champions for.  They invest in themselves and their own reputation to convince others to follow them.  The deeds they have done and the Boasts they have made form the basis of their Claim – their overall greatness of title, prestige and legend, that makes others believe enough in their prowess to commit to fight, which earns the Warlord yet more victories, which in turn gathers more support.  The power of the Warlord’s great Claim gives them the momentum to continue to conquer.  Warlords of each culture have their own names for these Claims, and their own ceremonies for claiming a greater legend, though the concept is the same.  
 
Warlord status is usually granted by some cultural acknowledgement that the Warlord is not just anyone.  In some cultures this is through a ceremony, such as the Njordic Branding, or the Shariqyn’s proclamation by a Magus’tariq of the status of Amir.   Regardless of their culture, Warlords gain the following abilities:

Declaration of Claim

Once per Scene the Warlord may introduce themselves with their full name and titles, accompanied by some kind of threat, such as “I am Rangvald Bloodaxe, the Conqueror of Ice Hawk, and the Breaker of Shields.  You’ve come before me to die.”  Doing so makes the Warlord Inspired.

Declaration of Triumph

The Warlord may boast of an upcoming major accomplishment, and if they fulfill the terms of their boast before witnesses, further the prestige and renown of their Claim.
 
In order to qualify as a Triumph, the Warlord must publicly boast their intent to accomplish some great feat, which must be life-threatening or dangerous in some way.  If the act is to be performed fairly immediately, such as within the same hour, such as “Hear me, for today I declare that I shall destroy my hated foe, Thulgra One-Eye, in single combat in the trial pit!” then the Warlord may simply make the declaration before a sizable crowd.  If it is something that will take longer, the Warlord must do so at an official assembly of their people, such as a Feast, Party or other Function.  These can be longer term, such as “Hear me! I declare that I shall gather my warriors and take to sea! I shall make war upon the invaders, raid their fishing villages, and return with treasure enough to fill this chest!”
 
Once the deed is done, a public boast must be made of the success, at some kind of Function, with the Warlord given the sole credit.  For Warlords this is often the victory celebration of their own conquests, provided by themselves for their elites and loyalists, though it can also be in the form of a rumor spread by Streetwise or a ballad written and sung publicly as a Dedicated Performance.  A Warlord also earns a triumphs when they use the Wage War Downtime action and defeat a foe in Warfare.
 
The triumphant Warlord earns a Warlord Achievement.  A Warlord Achievement may be spent on any Boast, and Mighty Boasts cost two Warlord Achievements.

Warmongering

The Warlords gain Warriors, their greater Units, whenever they gain or would gain a Warlord achievement, a Warlord may only have Warriors in their force equal to their Warlord Rank plus two.  They gain Minions, their lesser Units, by swearing a unique boast that allows them to acquire these units through special means.  These new additions arrive after the Chapter ends

Warriors come with three trait slots and no starting traits, and gain one every time you gain a warlord Rank to a maximum of seven, certain boasts allow you to add Traits to Warriors by consuming Trait slots, once a Trait has been added to a Warrior it cannot be removed.  Warriors are vicious, brutal men and women and their presence in a settlement causes many disturbances, each Warrior adds a vice of the storyteller’s choosing to the local theater every chapter.

Warlords do not need supplies.  Their warriors bring supplies with them, and refresh themselves through their attacks and raids.

Warlords increase their Claim by making Boasts and defeating their nemesis, a Warlord becomes eligible to increase their claim when they make one more than their new Claim in Boasts, for example a Warlord seeking to obtain the third Claim would need to make four Boasts, in addition to the 3 they would need to swear to reach the second Claim.  When a Warlord becomes eligible to increase their Claim they may announce themselves (sending a ticket to staff) and summon their nemesis, who will appear in the coming Chapter and challenge them.  A nemesis is a unique enemy that seeks you downfall that you must defeat in order to increase your Claim, the nemesis will usually seek to kill a Warlord that they face.

The Hordes of War

Each kind of Warlord uses Warriors and Minions, specific to their style of warfare.  Warriors are all identical at base and can be modified according to their Warlord’s decisions, but Minions are all unique and cannot usually be modified. A Warlord always earns their specific type when performing the actions described under Warmongering. All Warriors are considered Heavy Infantry and all Minions are considered Light Infantry.  While Warriors provide for themselves, Minions require Food every Chapter.

Branded Men

WARRIORS
Minions

Karls 

Strength: 2  Fortitude: 5  Speed: 4

Thralls 

Strength: 1  Fortitude: 4  Speed: 4
Traits: Lock-Up, When part of a Force, one unit of Karls in the same Force gains the Stalwart trait

Highlander

WARRIORS
Minions

Freedom Fighters

Strength: 2 Fortitude: 5  Speed: 4

Radicals

Strength: 1  Fortitude: 4 Speed: 4
Traits: Opportunist: Ranged Units, When part of a Force, one unit of Freedom Fighters in the same Force gains the Rally trait

Amir

WARRIORS
Minions

Altariq

Strength: 2 Fortitude: 5 Speed: 4

Jharad

(Infantry, Light)
Strength: 1  Fortitude: 3 Speed: 4
Traits: Ghost, When part of a Force, one unit of Altariq in the same Force gains the Flanking trait

Mercenary

WARRIORS
Minions

Dogs of War

Strength: 2 Fortitude: 5 Speed: 4

Press gang

(Infantry, Light)
Strength: 1  Fortitude: 4 Speed: 4
Traits: Rally, When part of a Force, one unit of Dogs of War in the same Force gains the Armor trait


Boasts

Warlords make Boasts in order to increase their legend.  Each Boast that the Warlord takes adds a Belief to their character, as indicated in bold for each Boast.  So long as they do not violate that Belief, the Warlord gains the listed benefit of the Oath.  Boasts can be taken in any order, but a Warlord can only perform a Boast that matches their current Claim or below.  The Boasts must be performed in public at some kind of Function, such as a Feast.

First Claim

Boast of the Duelist

The Warlord boasts that they shall never lose an official duel of single combat.
During a declared duel, the Warlord may ignore negative conditions they enter with such as Trauma, Misery, Despair or Battered, though not Injuries and they may still be Downed. 

Boast of the Avenger

The Warlord boasts that coin for coin, tooth for tooth, life for life, they shall always take revenge or repayment for those who have wronged them.
Whenever a Warlord takes vengeance on someone, they may loudly declare the slight that they were dealt and what they will do in return.  For the rest of the Scene, the Warlord may take the Devoted condition to take their revenge.

Boast of Irongut

The Warlord boasts that there isn’t any man or woman alive that can outdrink them, boasting that they shall never lose a drinking contest.
During an official drinking contest, the Warlord may Exert to call Toughness against Blackout.

Boast of Freedom

The Warlord boasts that they shall never kneel before another or swear any kind of fealty.

In addition to this Belief, the Warlord gains one Nerve against Obey per person per Conversation.

Boast of Mettle
The Warlord boasts that they need no armor to protect them, that they are no coward to hide behind walls – that they shall never wear Armor or use a Shield.

The Warlord gains one use of Toughness per Rest. 

Boast of Brotherhood

The Warlord boasts that they shall never betray any of their Followers.

Any Followers the Warlord has through the Morale Skill also become Inspired whenever the Warlord performs the Declaration of Claim.

Boast of the Scourge

The Warlord boasts that they shall never allow a defeated foe to live.
 

When the Warlord performs a Death Blow, they may call Fear on all around them.

THE Red Boast

Mighty Boast
The Warlord boasts that they shall never succumb to Fear.

In addition to the above Belief, the Warlord may cut their own chest with their weapon, taking Bleed.  If they do this, they may immediately gain a Discipline vs Fear.  This can be done immediately as a response to a Fear call.  The Discipline fades if not used by the end of the Combat Scene.

Boast of the Weapon

The Warlord boasts they shall only ever do battle with their named, personal signature weapon.
 

When using their weapon, the Warlord may Exert to call Power on their next Hit.

Boast of Pride

The Warlord boasts that they shall never permit someone to insult them to their face.

Whenever someone insults the Warlord or laughs at them derisively, the Warlord may immediately verbally threaten them and call Fear.  If the Warlord fails to do so, they have failed their Boast.

Boast of the Thunder King

The Warlord boasts they will always christen a battle with gunfire, firing a shot above their heads to signal the start of combat
 

Those on the Warlord’s Morale Team no longer suffer Stagger from Bang calls.

Boast of the Valiant

The Warlord boasts that they shall never refuse battle because they are outnumbered.
 

The Warlord gains the effects of the Daredevil perk when beginning a battle against a force that outnumbers them.  If they already have the Daredevil perk, their Faith is treated as one higher for the purposes of that perk when under these circumstances.

Boast of the Raven

The Warlord boasts that wisdom is worth any price, and they shall never refuse a chance to gain knowledge
 

The Warlord gains Discipline vs Insanity once per Rest.

Boast of the Cruel

The Warlord boasts that they shall never allow an inferior to question them.
 

The Warlord may satisfy the requirements of Intimidation 2 by assaulting his own subordinates or even innocent bystanders.

Boast of the Reckless

The Warlord boasts that they will always act quickly and decisively and shall never wait for Intel before choosing an engagement.
 

The Warlord may add Fast to a unit of Warriors in their force a number of times equal to twice their Claim, consuming a trait slot.  Fast may not be added to the same unit more than once.

Boast of the Battle-Scarred

The Warlord Boasts that no would will halt their fury and they shall be blooded in every battle they fight.
 

The Warlord may add Stalwart to a unit of Warriors in their force a number of times equal to twice their Claim,  consuming a trait slot.

Boast of the Hunter

The Warlord Boasts they shall always hunt down and slaughter those that flee them.
 

The Warlord may add Ranged and -1 Strength or Opportunist: Fleeing units to unit of Warriors in their force a number of times equal to twice their claim, consuming a trait slot.

 

Second Claim

Boast of the Wary

The Warlord boasts that they are cleverer than those who hunt them and shall never be taken unawares.

Whenever the Warlord bellows aloud a challenge for any who hear to come out and face them in the open, they may become Alert.

This Boast is broken if the Warlord suffers a successful Hit or Condition with the Stealth Quality.

Boast of Conquest

Mighty Boast

The Warlord leads from the front and accepts the Risk, swearing they shall always ride into war with their personal honor guard.

The Warlord adds the half (rounded up) of their highest Weapons Skill to a single unit’s Strength and Fortitude. This Boast may only affect a single unit of Warriors in the Warlords force, and is permanently broken if that unit is slain in battle, needing to be sworn and purchased again to use its effects, as well as subjecting the Warlord to severe Risk.

Boast of the Slayer

The Warlord boasts that they are unrivaled with the blade, that they shall never be Downed in a battle.

The Warlord may add Driving or Armor and -1 Speed to a unit of Warriors in their force a number of times equal to twice their claim, consuming a trait slot

Boast of the Bestial

The Warlord Boasts they shall not weaken their body by consuming plants, and will only feed themselves with the flesh of beasts.
 
The Warlord may not consume drugs made from herbs or food tags other than meat without breaking this Boast.
The Warlord may add Intimidating or Flanking to a unit of Warriors in their force a number of times equal to twice their claim, consuming a trait slot.
 

Boast of the Enforcer

The Warlord swears to serve under the guidance and direction of another Warlord, of at least as high of a Claim, boasting that they shall never fail their new master.
 
Once per Chapter, for as long as they are in that master’s service they may add one trait that their master could (chosen by the master) to a unit of Warriors in their force, consuming a trait slot. If they are with their Master during Events, they are treated as their Master’s Follower per Morale.
 

Boast of the Usurper

The Warlord Boasts openly that they shall betray the Warlord to whom they have sworn their loyalty.  This must be done at least one Chapter before the betrayal.
 
If the Warlord kills their old master, they gain half of their masters rank (rounded up) of Warriors from their former master’s force,  adding them to their own force, keeping their traits; these Warriors cannot take you above your cap, but may replace your existing Warriors. If the Warlord fails to kill their master within three Chapters, the Boast is failed.
 

Boast of the Pillager (Branded Only)

The Branded Man boasts they shall make Thralls of all those that challenge them
 
When a Warrior in the Branded Man’s Force destroys a unit that is fleeing they may use this Boast as a Tactic. If they do, remove that unit from the field and add a unit of Thralls to the Branded’s force next Chapter. This counts as Deadly Vanity.
 

Boast of the Slaver (Amir Only)

The Amir boasts they shall never allow a Jharad to escape them
 
When a Warrior in the Amir’s Force destroys a unit that is fleeing they may use this Boast as a Tactic. If they do, remove that unit from the field and add a unit of Jharad to the Branded’s force next Chapter. This counts as Deadly Vanity.
 

Boast of the Liberator (Moorsword Only)

The Moorsword wielder Boasts that they shall fight the oppression of their people wherever they see it.
 
Once per Chapter the Warlord may convert a number of Dunnick population in the theater up to twice their Claim in Radicals, having them join the Moorsword wielder’s force next chapter.

Boast of the Shepherd (Moorsword only)

The Warlord Boasts openly that they shall never be responsible for the deaths of their people
 
Radicals in the Warlord’s command gain the Ghost trait.  The Warlord may add Ghost to a unit of Warriors in their force a number of times equal to twice their claim, consuming a trait slot.
 

Boast of Conscription (Mercenary Captain only)

The Warlord Boasts they shall only fight for profit- either demanding payment equal to their Claim in Influence, or claiming spoils from each engagement.
 
The Warlord gains the ability to spend 2 Influence to convert one unemployed population (including Scum) into a Press Gang next Chapter.  They may do this as many times as they can afford.  This counts as Deadly Vanity.
 

Boast of the Tormentor

The Warlord Boasts that they shall be a scourge upon the land, that they shall never allow travel through their land without their say so.
 
The Warlord may release a unit of Minions to affect Travel throughout a region. This increases travel Risk for 1 Chapter. For as long as the Warlord’s Minions pillage the countryside Warriors in the Warlords force gain +2 Fortitude as they glut themselves on the spoils.  Specific people, such as those bearing the Warlord’s mark, can be excluded from the additional Risk.
 

Boast of the Merry

The Warlord boasts they shall never succumb to the grips of sorrow, vowing never to end a Chapter with despair.
 
The Warlord may add Rally to a unit of Warriors in their force a number of times equal to twice their claim, consuming a trait slot.

Third Claim

The Boast of the Blood Price

The Warlord boasts that they shall never pay for any good or service. 

The Warlord gains 5 extra Supply Units when they raid a City.  

Wealth may be given away to Followers, but the Warlord may not request they purchase things on their behalf.

Boast of the Titan

The Warlord boasts that they shall always loudly announce themselves in battle.
 
The Warlord may call Obey: Fight me! once per opponent per Combat Scene.   This may be used to initiate a battle.
 

Boast of the Bloodied

Mighty Boast
The Warlord boasts that they take pride in their old maims, proof of a warrior’s life well-lived.  The Warlord must have at least one severe Maim.
 
The Warlord does not suffer the Battered Condition.
 

Boast of the Mad

Mighty Boast
The Warlord boasts that their madness has only made them stronger, cleverer, and more dangerous.  The Warlord must have at least one Severe Insanity.
 
The Warlord does not suffer the Trauma Condition.
 

Boast of the Fiend

Mighty Boast
The Warlord boasts that there is no act depraved enough to be taboo, that they are above the morals of lesser men and women, as a human is above a beast.  The Warlord must have at least 7 Depravity.
 
The Warlord does not suffer from Despair.
 

Boast of the Trophy Taker

The Warlord boasts that they shall always take a trophy from anyone who they threaten using Declaration of Claim.
 
The trophy taken, which can be a body part or a precious and noteworthy belonging, is added to the Warlord’s armor, clothes, or otherwise becomes a decoration in their garments.  For each of these that the Warlord is wearing, they may declare them formally during the Declaration of Claim, gaining a Discipline or Fear call for each that they may use before the end of the Scene.
 

Boast of Unleashing

The Warlord boasts that they shall never admonish one of their Followers from taking what they please.
 
The Warlord  releases a number of Warriors and Minions from their army into local Cities and Villages to take up residence and exploit the population for support.  Unleashed units do not leave when there is no Warmongering, but increase the Reich Corruption of the area where they reside by 1 every Chapter for each Warrior or Minion they hold.
 

Boast of the Overlord

The Warlord boasts that they shall never turn away another Warlord who wishes to swear their loyalty.  
 
The Warlord may demand that their follower claim all of their Boasts before them.  From each Warlord Follower who shows service and calls them Master, the Warlord may take the upside of one Boast until they learn that their servant has broken them. 

Boast of the Iron Fist

The Warlord boasts that none shall defy them and they shall never permit a direct public challenge to go unanswered.
 
Whenever someone publicly submits to the Warlord’s authority after a threat, challenge, or Declaration of Claim, the Warlord gains Power on Obey calls for the rest of the scene.
 

Boast of Avarice

The Warlord boasts that they and their followers shall never pay for goods and services, taking what they please.
 
As a Tactic in battle when they destroy a fleeing unit the Warlord may add one trait from the destroyed unit to the unit that destroyed it for the duration of the battle.  If the unit has a trait slot available, the Warlord may choose to keep that trait on the unit.
 

Fourth Claim

 

 

Boast of Supremacy 

The Warlord boasts that they shall always make slaves of foes that they let live, and use their power against the Warlord’s enemies.
 
The Warlord can willingly give up an Edge in battle in order to capture an enemy Unit instead of kill them.  If the battle is successful, whatever unit would be lost is instead enslaved and joins the Warlord.  If they capture a unit with Valor, such as a Knight’s Special Forces, the captured unit confers the Valor’s Combat Doctrine to the Force that they are in.

Fifth Claim

Boast of the Tyrant

The Warlord boasts that they shall always Raid any city in the Theater that their army is in that does not pay them tribute within one Season.
 
The Warlord’s Army does not lose Warriors or Minions for any Chapter in which they have received tribute in the form of Supplies or wealth of at least 1 Gold per Unit preserved.
 

Boast of the Warmaster

The Warlord boasts that they shall always be at war until all the world is theirs.
 
The Warlord may spend 10 Warriors and 10 Minions from their Army to create a Great Army, suitable to influence events in the Global Theater.
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