Darklands Muster RulesIt is the year 650, as the Christians note it, and the darkness that has engulfed

the world since the Romanii betrayed the lands of the north and west onlyintensifies with each passing year. Established kingdoms and ruthless overlords war

with each other even as they are raided by murderous pirates, once-slaves andnorthmen, and the brooding threat of the ice devils of the sea is matched only by

the malevolent power of the inheritors of the ancient realms. In these lands ofdarkness only the strongest prevail in a never-ending struggle for survival againstthe bestial horrors man both brings to war and creates for it, and yet the greatest

threat of all is perhaps the nature of man himself...

Darklands is a tabletop skirmish wargame in which YOU command the hosts of man and beastthat your ancestors once did for glory, power or simple survival. Fight breathtaking battles on your

tabletop with some of the most stunning resin miniatures ever released!

What if dragons really flew, in those ancient times, and giants really walked the earth? What ifberserkers actually were bear-men, man and bear joined together? What if all of the myths and

legends we take for granted were real and our ancestors fought against - and with - creatures andbeings and realms we thought were nothing more than the fantasies of our uncivilised selves?

Darklands answers all of those questions for you and more, so take a deep breath and re-create thetrue history of our world...

Darklands Muster Rules v 2·3Last updated 19th February 2014

Created by Rob Lane

Written by Rob Lane

Cover Art by Stefan Kopinski

Illustrations by Danny Cruz, Des Hanley, Stefan Kopinski and Christophe Madura

Playtested by Rob Lane, Tim Fisher and the Miercna Warriors

Mierce Miniatures, the Mierce Miniatures logo, Darklands, the Darklands logoare either ®, TM and/or © Mierce Miniatures Ltd., 2012-2014

· 1 ·DARKLANDS

MUSTER RULESTo play a game of Darklands, a player must choose a kindred or realm they like and a general fromits muster. Then an opponent with a host must be found and a battle size agreed upon. Both playersthen spend their gold wisely to muster their host and ultimately meet upon the battlefield!

1 · 1KINDREDS AND

REALMSThe various kindreds of Darklands comprise one ormore realms that may or may not work together forthe good of their kindred. For example, theAngelcynn kindred is a tribal grouping of Anglesfrom many realms, of which Mierce is but one; butfew other Angelcynn realms wish to ally with theMiercna and some are even their enemies, especiallythe Christian Angles of Northumbraland. Thus, theAngelcynn may be kin, but religion and historycombine to ensure they become enemies.

It is worth noting the difference between kindredsand realms, given the example above, for many hostsare mustered according to realms and not kindreds,such as the Miercna. In a nutshell, his kindredrepresents the race or grouping or bloodline of aparticular warrior, whereas his realm represents hisparticular allegiance within that race.

1 · 2MUSTERS

A muster is a compilation of all the warrior profilesavailable to field from a particular kindred or realmand thus contains all a player needs to create a host.

Some musters contain warriors that are more viciousand swift than others, some are more suited todefensive warfare, but all have their ownmotivations, advantages and disadvantages. Somemusters allow allies, and sell-swords can usually beadded to any host, depending on their personalallegiances.

Regardless of any other factor, players should chooseto create a host for a kindred or realm that intereststhem, for any other choice will ultimately proveunsatisfying to play with!

1 · 2 · 1MULTIPLE REALMS

Certain warriors list more than one realm on theirprofile. These warriors may be mustered within ahost from any of the realms listed on his profile,although of course this is taken care of in themusters.

1 · 3BATTLE SIZE

Broadly, the battle size (and thus the battlefield size)should be determined by the amount of time bothplayers have to play a game of Darklands, althoughof course the miniatures the players have in theirpossession is the largest limiting factor.

As long as both players have a good grasp of how toplay Darklands, an Encounter will take around anhour to play and a Skirmish will take around twohours to play, whereas a Battle could take up to fouror five hours, depending on the hosts chosen and thesize of the hosts. It is advised that players chooseWar only if they have a full day to play a battle -and a table that is big enough!

Battle SizeBattle Size Gold Field Size

Encounter 0 to 499 4' x 4' field

Skirmish 500 to 999 4' x 4' field

Battle1,000 to2,499

6' x 4' field

War2,500 to4,999

8' x 4' field

1 · 4GOLD

The battle size thus informs the players how muchgold they have to muster their host with. Gold is themeasure of a warrior's cost, for ultimately all fightingmen and beasts cost gold to bring to battle;professional warriors require payment in coin, letalone food and drink, which is of course what everywarrior - including beasts and monsters - need to beable to fight. Thus, if a Skirmish is played, bothplayers have 1,000 gold to spend on their hosts.

For game purposes we assume each method ofpayment - which varied wildly from the ByzantineSolidus to the bartering of cattle in Wales to thepractice of ring-giving amongst the Norse - is ofroughly the same worth.

DOWNLOADSAll of the musters avaiable will be downloadable from the Mierce Miniatures website in time and will be kept updated should any warrior profiles change. Eventually, individual musters will be produced in book form as well as warrior profiles in card form.

· 2 ·HOSTS

Darklands is a wargame for two or more players who each control an army - called a host - ofunits containing warriors with varying capabilities and functions. Each host is commanded by ageneral, who represents the players upon the battlefield, and each unit is commanded either by thegeneral himself or by the general's commanders.

The structure of a host in Darklands is quite different to many other wargames for whilst thegeneral can command some units by himself, once a host becomes quite large it proves to be verydifficult for him to control all of them. Thus, generals can call upon commanders - individualwarriors, perhaps nobles, princes or other champions of stature - to command more units for him incommands of their own. By issuing orders to those commanders as he does his own command, thegeneral can control much larger hosts than he would be able to on his own.

2 · 1COMMANDS

A command is a grouping of one or more units ledby a commander or even the general himself. Theremust be at least one command within a host and atleast one unit within that command. No general orcommander may lead more than one commandwithin a host.

2 · 2UNITS

Units are the basic building blocks of hosts withinDarklands. A unit can be a group of warriors that acttogether as a single entity upon the battlefield oreven a single warrior acting independently.

2 · 2 · 1LEADER

Some rules reference leaders, which is always eithera noble or a champion. Nobles, if present in a unit,will always be the unit's leader, and if there is morethan one noble within a unit, the noble with thehighest AUTHORITY is the unit's leader. In theabsence of any nobles, a champion is always theunit's leader. Note that a unit led by a noble willalso have a champion.

If a warrior is solitary - i.e., he forms a unit of hisown which has no other warriors - he is consideredto be his own leader.

2 · 2 · 2UNIT COMMAND WARRIORS

Many units can muster unit command warriors, alsocalled unit commanders, usually in the form of achampion, banner bearer or herald. Such options, ifmustered, bolster their unit in certain ways and areoften desirable to include in a host.

2 · 2 · 2 · 1CHAMPIONS

Units always contain a champion. A champion, as thename implies, is usually the best warrior in the unitand usually leads it. As such, champions cannot leavetheir unit. Many units have the option to include amustered champion before the battle, which isdesirable for they are usually more powerful than anormal warrior; but if a mustered champion is notincluded in a unit simply choose any warrior fromthe unit - called a unit warrior - to be the championbefore the battle begins.

Similarly, if the mustered champion or champion ofa unit dies, a unit warrior becomes the unit'schampion. Simply replace the unit warrior miniaturewith the champion miniature that has been removed,to mark him from the rest. Other unit commandwarriors - banner bearers and heralds - may only bechampions if there are no unit warriors left. A noblecan never become the champion of a unit, even if heis the leader.

2 · 2 · 2 · 2BANNER BEARERS

Many units can muster a warrior that carries itsstandard or icon, known as a mustered banner bearer,who bolsters the unit's attributes for some tests.Banner bearers, like champions, may never leavetheir unit.

If the mustered banner bearer of a unit dies, he maybe replaced by a unit warrior who then becomes theunit's banner bearer. Simply replace the unit warriorminiature with the banner bearer miniature that hasbeen removed. This represents warriors retrievingtheir banner as it falls and effectively means a unitwill always have a banner bearer until the majorityof its warriors are dead. Other unit commandwarriors cannot become a banner bearer. A noblecannot become the banner bearer of a unit, even ifhe is a host banner bearer.

2 · 2 · 2 · 3HERALDS

Many units can muster a warrior who acts as itsmustered herald. This warrior can help the championto command his unit effectively and may even provethe difference between a unit carrying out orders orignoring them completely. Heralds may never leavetheir unit.

If the mustered herald of a unit dies, he may bereplaced by a unit warrior who then becomes itsherald. Simply replace the unit warrior miniaturewith the herald miniature that has been removed.This represents warriors retrieving the herald'sinstrument as it falls or taking over the herald'sduties and effectively means a unit will always have aherald until the majority of its warriors are dead.Other unit command warriors cannot become aherald. A noble cannot become the herald of a unit,even if he is a host herald.

2 · 2 · 3UNIT WARRIORS

Most members of a unit are individual warriorsarmed and armoured in roughly the same fashionwho are otherwise unremarkable. Unit warriors maynever leave their unit and can become champions,banner bearers and heralds if those unit commandwarriors die. A unit warrior's attributes or rules donot change to that of a mustered unit commandwarrior if he becomes a unit command warrior.

2 · 3WARRIORS

Each unit in a Darklands host comprises one ormore warriors. A warrior can be anything from ahumble human, the mount for a mighty general or amonstrous beast twenty feet tall and almost as broad.In short, a warrior is any individual miniature uponthe Darklands battlefield, regardless of their abilitiesor what they look like.

Whilst every single warrior within a Darklands hostrepresents an individual, the mechanics of warfarerequire all warriors to be categorised somewhat. InDarklands, warriors are categorised according totheir freedom to act independently, the kind ofwarrior they are as well as their ability to understandtheir role upon the battlefield. These threecategories are privilege, class and acuity and arelisted on every warrior's profile.

Some warriors also have physical or mentalcharacteristics that can prove the difference betweenvictory and defeat. These abilities are called traitsand it is usually the larger and more bestial warriorsthat have them.

2 · 3 · 1WARRIOR PRIVILEGE

A warrior's privilege is the measure of a howindependently a warrior acts in the midst of a battle,whether he can move freely and give or take ordersor whether he is more suited to working alongsideothers in a unit. In many ways, a warrior's privilegeis simply dependent upon the manner of his birth.

2 · 3 · 1 · 1NOBLES

There are three types of warrior who are, to allintents and purposes, nobles and thus independent ofany other warrior upon the battlefield - generals,commanders and individuals. It is important to note,however, that nobles are still warriors.

GeneralsThe general is the leader of a host of Darklands andhe wields absolute power within his host, just as heusually does outside of war; for most generals arekings or princes, the highest born of all.

Generals represent the player upon the battlefieldand there must always be one general in a DarklandsHost. A general may lead any non-allied unit in hishost, even those under a commander. All orders comefrom the general and only the general may issue neworders. Warlords are often the general of a host butsometimes smaller hosts use Warchiefs as theirgenerals.

CommandersCommanders are lesser nobles, perhaps princes orlandlords, or even just the most forceful warrior in aparticular group. Even so, they enjoy a great deal offreedom and are second only to the general in termsof their authority within a host.

A commander leads a command of one or more unitson behalf of the general, either as part of a unit or asa solitary warrior. He interprets the orders given tohim by the general and ensures his command actsupon them as the general wishes. Most Warchiefsare commanders.

IndividualsIndividuals can be wandering sell-swords or famouswarriors of great renown, perhaps even roguishnobles that prefer their own company to that of theirpeers. Whatever they are and whatever their status,such warriors come and go as they please and arerarely subject to the whims of kings and princes.

Individual warriors usually fight alone, althoughsome may Join or Bind to units if they wish to do soand their rules allow it. Unlike generals orcommanders, individuals may never act ascommanders of other warriors. Individuals may movefreely around the battlefield alone, should they wishto do so, and do not have to be mustered as a unit

within a command. Some Warchiefs, a few WarEngines and most sell-swords are individuals.

2 · 3 · 1 · 2VASSALS

Vassals are obliged to nobles in some way, mostoften for their service in battle, in exchange forcertain privileges which are usually the right towork their lord's land and to gain their lord'sprotection of their families. Whilst many vassals arefree men, they could also be low born beasts andanimals or even slaves.

Warrior vassals can only act upon the orders theircommanders are given, although some monstrousbeasts are so uncontrollable it is almost impossiblefor them to do so effectively. Such is their might,however, they are persuaded to join battle regardless.

Infantry, Monstrous Infantry, Cavalry, MonstrousCavalry, Beasts, Monstrous Beasts and some WarEngines are vassals.

2 · 3 · 2WARRIOR CLASS

A warrior's class, put very simply, describes the rolehe performs upon the battlefield and furtherdistinguishes how warriors fight compared to others.Infantry, for example, are a very different type ofwarrior to a Monstrous Beast. Some warriors mayeven comprise two or more classes, such as mountedWarlords and Warchiefs.

· Warlord: a Warlord is a powerful warrior in hisown right and in most circumstances commands ahost of Darklands as a general.

· Warchief: Warchiefs may also command hosts butmay never command one if a Warlord is present inthe same host.

· Infantry: Infantry are roughly human-sizedwarriors that fight on foot who work together inunits. Infantry come in many forms such asspecialists in close-combat, those that use rangedattacks or simple soldiers.

· Monstrous Infantry: Monstrous Infantry are thosewarriors that fight on foot in units but are muchlarger than humans.

· Cavalry: roughly human-sized warriors that fightin a unit whilst mounted - or are even a hybrid ofmount and human - are called Cavalry. Themounts themselves may vary but are usually horse-sized.

· Monstrous Cavalry: Monstrous Cavalry may beany size of warrior in a unit mounted upon a beastthat is larger than a horse, or even a hybrid ofmount and monstrous creature such as aCawrdraig.

· Beast: a Beast is usually a wild creature, such as ahorse or a wolf, that has little intelligence but can stillheed the commands of higher beings.

· Monstrous Beast: a Monstrous Beast is just that;a huge, powerful creature that is much larger than

a human and roams about the battlefield virtuallyunmolested.

· War Engine: a War Engine can be a machinewith crew or a construct created by artificialmeans.

Infantry, Monstrous Infantry, Cavalry, MonstrousCavalry, Beasts, Monstrous Beasts and some WarEngines are vassals.

2 · 3 · 2 · 1WARRIOR SUBCLASS

Some specialised warriors are further categorised bytheir subclass which simply means that, whilst theymay be of a particular class, there are somedifferences between warriors within that class.Subclasses are shown on a warrior's profileunderneath their class, in italics.

An obvious example of a subclass would be that of amount (such as a horse), which is a Beast but canalso be a mount or an ardent mount.

· Individual: an individual is a type of noble thatoperates independently upon the battlefield.

· Mount: a mount is a creature that can be riddenby another to bring certain benefits to the rider,usually speed.

· Ardent Mount: an ardent mount is also a creaturethat can be ridden, but will not flee the battlefieldshould its rider die.

· Solitary: solitary warriors may never Join anotherunit nor allow another warrior to Join them.

2 · 3 · 3WARRIOR ACUITY

A warrior's acuity reflects his ability to understandand reason, to interpret what is happening upon thebattlefield, as well as his training or discipline and ameasure of how he reacts to the fear and violencearound him.

· Elite: elite warriors are highly skilled and highlymotivated individuals who fight willingly for acause they believe in. Their skills do, however,come at a price, for few elite warriors live outtheir years in peace.

· Veteran: veterans are, thanks to living throughmany battles, highly experienced warriors whoknow how to stand against a ferocious enemy andstay alive. Veterans are the backbone of manyhosts and serve to ground those around them whoare new to battle.

· Drilled: drilled warriors have been highly trainedin the arts of war and are used to the sights andsounds upon the battlefield. They are very usefulwarriors and often find themselves in the thick ofbattle.

· Trained: a trained warrior has been taught how tohold a weapon and how to use it, but very littleelse. Trained warriors are the very basic warriorsin a host that can truly be said to be useful.

· Fanatical: fanatics believe in their cause sostrongly they are willing to die for it and are verydangerous warriors, for not only do they possessthe intelligence of those around them they alsocare little for their own fate.

· Levy: levy are peasants and farmers, sometimesslaves, but certainly not warriors for they are moreused to wielding a hoe than a sword. Levy areusually brought to war by their lords to fill outthe bulk of a host in times of emergency. They arenot expected to fight well, but they are expectedto take their toll of the enemy before moreexperienced or better trained warriors can join thefray.

· Wild: in the Darklands many beasts or beast-menunderstand the need to fight and make use ofweapons and armour. Instinct rather than trainingdominates the way such beings behave but thatmakes them no less deadly than the most highlytrained warrior, for wild creatures are often brutaland savage and extremely cunning.

· Feral: there are some creatures in the Darklandsthat are almost impossible to control upon thebattlefield but they are so powerful and soferocious that many generals bring them to battleregardless, for they know that such warriors,when carefully used in the right place, can makethe difference between victory and defeat. Feralunits may never be given MOVE or HOLD orders.They must always be given ATTACK orders.

· Mindless: many warriors fight without knowingthey are even upon the battlefield, either becausethey are too stupid to understand what they aredoing or because they are merely animals. Suchwarriors simply react to the threats around themin an animalistic way and move and fightaccordingly.

2 · 3 · 4WARRIOR TRAITS

Traits reflect the variations in form and capability ofwarriors upon the battlefield. Some warriors arehuge and powerful and thus extremely frightening;some fight in a serene calm that can be almost asunnerving as an unbelievably foul beast that offendsthe eye and the nose.

· Loathsome: Loathsome warriors are foul,unnatural creatures that most right-thinking folkabhor. Whatever the form of their repugnance,perhaps through physical appearance or a revoltingsmell, so disgusting are loathsome warriors thattheir foes are debilitated by it.

· Fearsome: fearsome warriors are usually huge andpowerful, many times larger than a man and oftenjust as broad, but some warriors are feared becauseof their reputation or perhaps because of theweapons they wield. Most find that facing suchwarriors requires the steeling of their nerves and aquick prayer to their gods.

· Terrifying: in the lands of darkness there are manyhuge and terrible creatures brought to battle, notleast because they test the courage of those sent

against them. These monsters can sometimes breakan enemy host on their own.

· Fearless: there are many who hold no fear inbattle, maybe because of their training, theirexposure to so many terrible sights or simplybecause they have few peers on the battlefield.

· Forester: many warriors are naturally attuned tomoving and fighting within woods or forests. AForester treats a wood as open ground for thepurposes of Movement.

· Amphibious: some warriors live their lives withinwater as well as on land. An amphibious warriortreats water terrain as area terrain and roughground for the purposes of Movement, and mayclaim cover whilst within it.

2 · 3 · 5JOINED WARRIORS

Most vassals in a host are mustered in units and thuseach individual warrior within those units is joined toanother warrior from the same unit. Such warriorswithin units are called joined warriors, and any noblethat Joins a unit also becomes a joined warrior of thatunit.

2 · 3 · 5 · 1JOIN DISTANCE

Units of joined warriors usually move, act and fightas one body and the individual warriors within itmay never act independently or leave it, unless theyare a noble. Joined warriors must remain within acertain distance of at least one other warrior in thesame unit (called a joining warrior), known as thejoin distance, which is always 2” unless otherwisespecified on a warrior's profile.

2 · 3 · 6MOUNTED WARRIORS

Some warriors may be mounted upon steeds, beastsor even large monsters, and both the rider and hismount are collectively known as a mounted warrior.Mounted warriors are considered to be a singlewarrior whilst the rider remains mounted, eventhough both rider and mount have differing profiles.

2 · 3 · 6 · 1MOUNT WHEN MUSTERED

Mounted warriors may only be mustered as suchbefore the battle if their profile states that they aremounted warriors. Any mount options and mountarmour options a warrior has are also listed on theirprofile. Some warriors may only be mustered asmounted, such as Cavalry. Note that some Cavalryand Monstrous Cavalry warriors are not necessarilymounted warriors, such as a Cawrdraig.

Although this is specifically restricted by warriorprofiles, and thus players do not really need toaddress this when mustering a host, it should benoted that riders must always have a higherAUTHORITY than the mount they wish to ride.

Although this is specifically restricted by warriorprofiles, and thus players do not really need toaddress this when mustering a host, it should benoted that riders must always have a higherAUTHORITY than the mount they wish to ride.

· 3 ·WARRIOR PROFILES

Every warrior in a host has a profile that lists his details and his attributes (a numericalrepresentation of his ability to fight, to endure, to perform sorcery and much more besides) as wellas listing his weapons and armour and any options he has when he is mustered. There is a greatdeal of information contained within a warrior's profile and players should get to know themintimately.

3 · 1DETAILS

A warrior's details are important for many rulesdepend upon them, both in game and when hosts aremustered.

· Kindred: the kindred the warrior belongs to,perhaps a tribe or a grouping of peoples, such asthe Angles - the Angelcynn.

· Realm: the realm the warrior belongs to, asubdivision of a kindred. For example, within theAngelcynn kindred, there are three major realms -Mierce, Northumbraland and the Eofingas.

· Kin: the warrior's race, which can be more thanone. Many rules affect particular races and so thisdefinition can be important.

· Privilege: the warrior's privilege, explained indetail in the 2·3·1: Privilege section.

· Class: the warrior's class, explained in detail inthe 2·3·2: Class section.

· Subclass: the warrior's subclass, if it has one,explained in detail in the 2·3·2·1: Subclass section.

· Acuity: the warrior's acuity, explained in detail inthe 2·3·3: Acuity section.

· Ubiquity: The amount of units of this warriorthat can be mustered in a host. This is explainedin the Muster Rules.

· Hands: the amount of hands (or equivalent) thewarrior has. This governs how many weapons orarmour elements he may wield at once.

· Unit Size: The minimum and maximum amountof warriors that may be included in a single unit.

· Base: the size of the Darklands base that thiswarrior must be based upon.

· Cost: The cost of this warrior in gold. Note thatall costs listed on a profile are for an individualwarrior.

3 · 2ATTRIBUTES

Attributes represent the worth of an individualwarrior's particular physical or mental characteristicsduring a battle and are usually listed as a valuebetween 1 and 100. These attributes may increase ordecrease as the battle continues so a keen recordmust be kept of any changes at all times.

Attributes influence almost everything that happenswithin a battle and thus they are very important.They can be altered during a battle, both to awarrior's benefit and detriment, and so must not betaken at simple face value. That being said, it isquite obvious that a huge and powerful creaturewould have higher attributes in some areas than asingle human warrior, but the human warriorcounters that deficiency by being nimbler andwielding powerful weapons, armour and, of course,bringing his companions to bear.

· P, PACE or FL, FLIGHT: this attribute representsa warrior's movement upon the battlefield. Awarrior may usually Move up to its PACE

attribute in inches, or FLIGHT attribute in inchesif the warrior can Fly.

· S, SKILL: SKILL represents a warrior's prowessin battle. This attribute is sometimes modified by awarrior wielding a weapon he is most suited to.

· M, MIGHT: the innate strength of a warrior.MIGHT represents the power within his body andthe force he can apply against his enemies.

· C, CONSTITUTION: CONSTITUTION representstoughness, the amount of punishment a warriorcan take before his body is broken and his spiritdeparts to the otherworld. CONSTITUTION is thedifference between life and death, for if it drops to0, a warrior is dead.

· F, FORTITUDE: there are many terrifying sightsand sounds upon the battlefield; FORTITUDE isthe measure of a warrior's ability to withstand themurderous horror of battle and the monstrositiesthey are confronted with.

· A, AUTHORITY: AUTHORITY is therepresentation of a warrior's leadership anddiscipline, whether they are able to commandother warriors to do their bidding and whetherthose warriors will respond to those commands.AUTHORITY can increase and decrease during abattle.

· T, TEMPER: the measure of a warrior's ability toperform sorcery or to withstand a sorcerousattack, as well as measuring the fury within them.

3 · 2 · 1BASIC AND CURRENT

ATTRIBUTESA warrior's basic attributes are those represented onhis profile as he is mustered. A warrior's current

attributes are those at any given time during thebattle and include anything that affects them, such asweapons, sorcerous effects or other benefits ordetriments. A warrior's attributes can fluctuatewildly during battle and thus a record must be keptof its current attributes at all times, usually on hisprofile.

3 · 3TRAITS

A warrior's traits are shown on his profileunderneath his name, next to his attribute values.

3 · 4EQUIPMENT

A warrior's equipment is a very important aspect ofhis profile for they a great deal of what the warriordoes on the battlefield. Almost every single warriorwill have at least one combat weapon listed on theirprofile - what is called a weapon line - and some willalso have a shot weapon (and thus a shot weaponline). Many warriors wear armour or bear artefactsand sorcerers almost always know invocations.

Some warriors also have options when they aremustered, giving their general a lot of flexibility asto how they are equipped for battle.

3 · 4 · 1COMBAT WEAPONS

Combat weapons, as their name suggests, are onlyused within hand-to-hand combat, during an Attackaction or similar (although certain aspects of acombat weapon, such as its attack range, are usedthroughout a battle), and are defined on a warrior'sprofile in terms of their attack dice, their MIGHT

and damage bonuses and their attack range, as wellas many other values and rules as explained below.

3 · 4 · 1 · 1COMBAT WEAPON TYPE

All combat weapons have a combat weapon type -such as “Sword” or “Axe” - which is generallyused to refer to that weapon either on a warrior'sprofile or within the rules, displayed under theweapon's name. If a certain rule affects Swordweapons, for example, weapons of the type“Sword” are affected by that rule.

3 · 4 · 1 · 2COMBAT WEAPON CLASS

Combat weapons are also bound by the rules of theircombat weapon class which can be natural or borne,as indicated on their weapon lines.

· Natural: Natural weapons are usually physicalparts of a warrior, such as the bite of a krokod orthe claws of a werwulf. This class of weapon cannever be destroyed or negated.

· Borne: manufactured weapons such as swords oraxes or spears are borne into combat, wielded by awarrior rather than being part of him.

3 · 4 · 1 · 3ATTACK DICE

Attack dice are mostly used during Attack actions andeach weapon line shows a certain number of them. Ifa weapon has no attack dice, usually thanks to itswielder losing CONSTITUTION, it cannot be usedto Attack an enemy.

3 · 4 · 1 · 4WEAPON+

Almost all weapons have a weapon+ value, whichsignifies the extra power such a weapon lends to thewarrior wielding it, perhaps because of its balance orkeen edge. It is mostly used in an Attack action,added to a warrior's MIGHT to find his COMBINED

MIGHT, which is calculated for players as “M+W”on a weapon line.

CONSTITUTION CHART AND DICE MARKERSA warrior's Constitution Chart on his profile is very important, for it tracks his wounds; but it also shows how much weaker his attacks have become, for both attack dice and shoot dice are modified by the amount of damage a warrior has taken. Thus, dice markers are shown on every warrior profile's Constitution Chart in yellow. Every time a yellow dice marker box has been filled in, a warrior's attack dice or shoot dice for one weapon are reduced by 1 after the action that caused the damage is resolved. Simply blank out one attack die or shoot die marker on the warrior's profile. Thus, a heavily wounded warrior will roll less attack dice or shoot dice than an unwounded one.

The minimum amount of attack or shoot dice a warrior has is 1, which effectively means at the last of his strength, a warrior may still attack, albeit ineffectually!

Note that attack dice and shoot dice are completely separate - i.e., if an attack dice is removed, a shoot dice is not.

Multiple WeaponsIf a warrior has multiple weapons, attack and shoot dice are reduced as above but the player chooses from which combat or shot weapon. The minimum attack or shoot dice any warrior may have is still 1, but the attack or shoot dice of a particular weapon can reduce to 0. If the attack or shoot dice of a weapon reduces to 0, that weapon may no longer be used in an action (although it is not destroyed). The player may choose which weapons lose attack or shoot dice in whichever order they wish.

Switch HandsIf a warrior has the ability to use a weapon in more than one hand thanks to the Switch Hands rule, the attack or shoot dice for that weapon are reduced for both hands at the same time. Thus, if a sword has four attack dice when used in one hand and three attack dice when used in two hands, the loss of an attack dice for that weapon would result in the sword having three attack dice when used in one hand and two attack dice when used in two hands.

Bulk ChargesAttack dice for weapons with the name “Bulk Charge” are never reduced. Weapons of a different name that have the weapon rule “Impact Strike” can still have their attack dice reduced, however.

3 · 4 · 1 · 5ATTACK RANGES

The attack range of a combat weapon is a measureof how far away an enemy can be struck with thatweapon. Long weapons such as spears or pikes canstrike quite far around a warrior, whereas very shortweapons such as daggers or even fists can only beused close to. Thus, attack ranges can varydepending on the warrior and the weapons he isusing.

The attack ranges of a warrior's weapons are shownon his profile, which can vary from 0” to 6” in thecase of very large creatures, but all warriors have anattack range of at least 0” with every weapon theypossess. An attack range of 0” is called attackcontact, and this means the warrior needs to be inbase contact with an enemy warrior to use thatweapon.

Weapons without an attack range at all (i.e.,declared as “-”) may not be used during an Attackaction.

3 · 4 · 1 · 6CHARGE+

Some combat weapons are more effective whencombined with momentum behind it, such as amounted warrior using a spear or a mighty creaturecharging into combat and using its bulk to inflictinjury upon its puny foes. Such weapons have acharge+ or mounted charge+ value, which is added toa warrior's weapon+ and MIGHT to find hisCOMBINED MIGHT if the warrior is a swift charger(see the 7·7·4·1: Swift Chargers section for details).This is calculated for players as “M+W+Ch” on aweapon line.

3 · 4 · 1 · 7WOUND+

If a weapon has a wound+ value it causes extradamage to an enemy when he is struck, perhapsbecause the weapon is very heavy or simply becauseit is of a horrific kind that inflicts terrible injury.Wound+ is added to the combat damage caused by aweapon at the end of an Attack action.

3 · 4 · 1 · 8HANDS

Almost all weapons (and some armour elements,such as shields) require at least one hand in order tobe wielded in combat, and many require more. Somecan even be wielded in one hand or two hands. Theamount of hands a combat weapon or armourelement requires in order to be used in combat islisted on its line as a hands value.

Regardless of how many hands are required to use aweapon, a warrior cannot wield weapons and armourin the same Attack action such that the total amountof hands those weapons and armour require exceedhis own hands value.

EXAMPLEPenda the Bloody-Handed is wielding Næglingand the Shield of the Wulf. Both have a hands

value of 1, and as Penda has 2 hands, he can wieldboth in the same Attack action.

If a weapon or armour element's hands value is 0, itdoes not require the use of a warrior's hands in orderto be wielded and so can always be wielded in any ofthat warrior's Attack actions.

3 · 4 · 2SHOT WEAPONS

Used during Shoot actions, shot weapons projectmissiles to an enemy that is out of combat range.Shot weapons are defined on a warrior's profile interms of their shoot dice, their MIGHT and damagebonuses and their ranges (which are minimum,lethal, effective and maximum), as well as manyother rules. Some shot weapons may be used incombat, but most only for ranged attacks.

3 · 4 · 2 · 1SHOT WEAPON TYPE

All shot weapons have a shot weapon type - such as“bow” or “longbow” - which is generally used torefer to that weapon either on a warrior's profile orwithin the rules, displayed under the weapon's name.If a certain rule affects bow weapons, for example,shot weapons of the type “bow” are affected bythat rule.

3 · 4 · 2 · 2SHOT WEAPON CLASS

Shot weapons are bound by the rules of their shotweapon class which can be natural or borne, asindicated on their weapon lines.

· Natural: Natural shot weapons are usuallyphysical parts of a warrior, such as the breath of adyndraig. This class of shot weapon can never bedestroyed or negated..

· Borne: manufactured shot weapons such as bowsor slings are borne by a warrior rather than beingpart of him.

3 · 4 · 2 · 3SHOOT DICE

Shoot dice are mostly used during Shoot actions andeach weapon line shows a certain number of them. Ifa weapon has no shoot dice, usually thanks to itswielder losing CONSTITUTION, it cannot be usedto Shoot an enemy.

3 · 4 · 2 · 4WEAPON+

Shot weapons have a weapon+ value which signifiesthe extra power such a weapon lends to the warriorusing it, perhaps because of its strength or themissiles being shot. It is mostly used in a Shoot action,added to a warrior's MIGHT to find his COMBINED

MIGHT, which is calculated for players as “M+W”on a weapon line.

3 · 4 · 2 · 5SHOT WEAPON RANGES

The minimum range, lethal range, effective range andmaximum range of a shot weapon is a measure ofhow effective a weapon is at certain range or,indeed, whether an enemy can be shot at all, and areshown on a warrior's profile in inches. Some shotweapons, such as bows, can shoot missiles for quite along distance, whereas some are only used closer to.

· Minimum Range: the minimum range of a shotweapon indicates how close a Target can bebefore it cannot be shot. Weapons such as stonethrowers have a minimum range.

· Lethal Range: some shot weapons are moreeffective the closer they are to the Shooter. If aTarget is within a shot weapon's lethal range, theeffectiveness of the shot is increased.

· Effective Range: many shot weapons are moreeffective at certain ranges. If a Target is furtherfrom a Shooter than his shot weapon's effectiverange, the effectiveness of the shot is reduced.

· Maximum Range: the maximum range of a shotweapon indicates how far a warrior can be tobecome a Target. If a Target is further from aShooter than his shot weapon's maximum range,that Target cannot be shot at.

Shot weapons without an effective range (i.e.,declared as “-”) may not be used during a Shootaction.

3 · 4 · 2 · 6WOUND+

If a shot weapon has a wound+ value it causes extradamage to an enemy when he is shot, perhapsbecause the weapon is very heavy or simply becauseit is of a horrific kind that inflicts terrible injury.Wound+ is added to the shoot damage caused by ashot weapon at the end of a Shoot action.

3 · 4 · 2 · 7HANDS

Just like combat weapons, shot weapons require atleast one hand (and usually two!) in order to be usedto shoot an enemy. The amount of hands a shotweapon requires in order to be used in a Shoot actionis listed on its line as a hands value.

Regardless of how many hands are required to use ashot weapon, a warrior cannot wield weapons andarmour in the same Shoot action such that the totalamount of hands those weapons and armour elementsrequire exceeds his own hands value.

If a shot weapon's hands value is 0, it does notrequire the use of a warrior's hands in order to bewielded and so can always be wielded in any of thatwarrior's Shoot actions (and sometimes Attackactions).

3 · 4 · 3ARMOUR

Armour can take many forms, from full plate armourto light leather jerkins to tower shields almost theheight of the warriors bearing them, but all armouris designed to protect against or deflect an enemy'sattacks from wherever they may come from.

Many warriors have armour listed on their profileupon an armour line. As armour is an uncountablenoun, sometimes we refer to individual armour linesas armour elements. Some warriors also have armouroptions when they are mustered, giving their generala lot of flexibility. Armour is defined on a warrior'sprofile in terms of their CONSTITUTION bonuses,their type and many other rules.

3 · 4 · 3 · 1ARMOUR TYPE

All armour elements have an armour type - such as“light armour” or “shield” - which is generallyused to refer to that armour element either on awarrior's profile or within the rules, displayed underthe armour element's name. If a certain rule affectsshields, for example, armour of the type “shield”are affected by that rule.

3 · 4 · 3 · 2ARMOUR CLASS

Armour elements are also bound by the rules of theirarmour class which can be natural, worn or borne, asindicated on their armour lines.

· Natural: Natural armour is an innate part of awarrior, perhaps through scaled or tough skin oreven bony ridges or spikes. This class of armourcan never be destroyed or negated, and sucharmour is usually found on beasts or monsters.

· Worn: Many warriors wear armour of manydifferent materials, sizes and shapes, such as platearmour, chainmail, leather shirts, helmets, greaves- almost anything that can be placed on a body andworn effectively for protection. Worn armour cannever be negated.

· Borne: the obvious example being a shield, somearmour is borne and wielded in a similar way to aweapon and requires one hand or more to use.

3 · 4 · 3 · 3ARMOUR+

Almost all armour elements have an armour+ value,which indicates the protection such armour gives tothe warrior wearing it. Armour+ is mostly used in anAttack action, added to a warrior's CONSTITUTION

to find his COMBINED CONSTITUTION, which iscalculated for players as “C+A” on an armour line.

3 · 4 · 3 · 4WOUND-

If a weapon has a wound- value it reduces damagecaused by an enemy when a warrior is struck,perhaps because the armour is extremely dense.Wound- is deducted from the damage caused by a

weapon at the end of an Attack action, Shoot action orInvoke action.

3 · 4 · 3 · 5HANDS

Just like weapons, some armour elements require atleast one hand in order to be wielded in combat,such as a shield. The amount of hands an armourelement requires in order to be used in combat islisted on its armour line as a hands value.

3 · 4 · 4ARTEFACTS

Many warriors bear artefacts that help them during abattle, perhaps a potion to recover their strength, asorcerous staff or a sacred talisman that they believeprotects them against mighty beasts. Whatever itsform, an artefact gives its bearer certain advantagesover others, and these are listed in its rules.

3 · 4 · 5INVOCATIONS

Sorcerers or sorcerous units always know one ormore invocations and these are listed on their profileupon an invocation line. Some warriors also haveinvocation options when they are mustered, givingtheir general a lot of flexibility. Invocations varygreatly from sorcerer to sorcerer, from the throwingof magic missiles to spells of healing to trickery orillusion, but almost all invocations draw their powerdirectly from the sorcerer himself.

Invocations are defined on a warrior's profile interms of their invoke dice, power and price and,depending on their type the invocation's range,damage or effects.

3 · 4 · 5 · 1INVOCATION TYPE

All invocations have an invocation type - either“sight” or “focus” - which is used to refer to thatinvocation either on a warrior's profile or within therules, and displayed under the invocation's name. If acertain rule affects sight invocations, for example,invocations of the type “sight” are affected by thatrule.

Sight InvocationsSight invocations are those that the sorcerer uses toproject physical manifestations or divert naturalobjects in order to directly harm or affect an enemyunit physically. As such, the sorcerer must be able tosee the enemy unit in question and their SKILL - aswell as other battlefield factors - can determinewhether the enemy is actually hit.

Focus InvocationsSorcerers can affect friends and enemies alike withfocus invocations but, unlike sight invocations, thesorcerer does not need to see the enemy to affectthem. However, focus invocations require a

concentration of mind that ensures their range islimited, and so in many ways they are moredangerous to the sorcerer. With their effects oftenmuch greater than sight invocations, even if notdirectly harming the enemy, sorcerers are usuallywilling to take the risks that focus invocations bring.

3 · 4 · 5 · 2INVOKE DICE

Used only to Invoke, invoke dice are, like attack andshoot dice, listed on the invocation line of a warrior'sprofile. If an invocation has no invoke dice, perhapsbecause of some effect, it cannot be Invoked.

3 · 4 · 5 · 3POWER+

Most sight invocations and some focus invocationshave a power+ value which signifies the extra powersuch an invocation produces. It is always used in anInvoke action, added to an invocation's total price tofind its Combined Power, which is calculated forplayers as “P+P” on a weapon line.

3 · 4 · 5 · 4INVOCATION RANGES

The minimum range, lethal range, effective range andmaximum range of an invocation is a measure of howeffective it is at a certain range or, indeed, whetheran enemy can be be the Mark of that invocation atall, and are shown on a warrior's profile in inches.Some invocations can be used at a great distance,usually sight invocations, whereas some can only beused close to.

· Minimum Range: the minimum range of aninvocation indicates how close a Mark can bebefore it cannot be the Mark of an invocation.

· Lethal Range: some invocations are moreeffective the closer they are to the Invoker. If aMark is within an invocation's lethal range, theeffectiveness of the invocation is increased.

· Effective Range: many invocations are moreeffective at certain ranges. If a Mark is furtherfrom an Invoker than his invocation's effectiverange, the effectiveness of the invocation isreduced.

· Maximum Range: the maximum range of aninvocation indicates how far a warrior can be tobecome a Mark. If a Mark is further from anInvoker than an invocation's maximum range, thatMark cannot be affected by that invocation.

3 · 4 · 5 · 5WOUND+

If an invocation has a wound+ value it causes extradamage to an enemy when he is the Mark of aninvocation, perhaps because the invocation inflictsterrible injury. Wound+ is added to the invokedamage caused by an invocation at the end of anInvoke action.

3 · 4 · 5 · 6INVOCATION RULES

Many invocations, especially focus invocations,contain unique rules that govern how its effects areapplied. These rules have their own name and areexplained in full on a warrior's profile.

3 · 4 · 5 · 7INITIAL PRICE

The initial price of an invocation is the amount ofCONSTITUTION a sorcerer must pay in order tocreate the invocation. If the sorcerer does not haveenough CONSTITUTION to do so, the invocationmay not be created!

If the initial price value has a “+” suffix, the pricemay also be increased by increasing the amount ofCONSTITUTION the sorcerer pays to create thatinvocation.

3 · 5MOUNTED WARRIORS

Mounted warriors essentially combine two warriorprofiles, that of the rider and the mount, into onewarrior profile. However, there are majordifferences between how riders and mounts arecombined and how riders and ardent mounts arecombined.

3 · 5 · 1MOUNTS

When riding a mount (rather than an ardent mount)the rider gains protection from the mount's bulk andits armour, and this is reflected by the rules below.

3 · 5 · 1 · 1MOUNT CONSTITUTION

Whilst ridden, a mount's CONSTITUTION iseffectively added to that of its rider. A rider, whensuffering wounds from attack damage, shoot damageor invoke damage, may transfer any of those woundssuffered to his mount's CONSTITUTION, which ofcourse affects the mount's combat abilities.

SorcerersSorcerers may not pay the price of their invocationswith their mount's CONSTITUTION, and similarlymay not Recover CONSTITUTION to their mount.

3 · 5 · 1 · 2MOUNT ARMOUR

Some mounts include armour elements on theirprofile, and some riders have the option to purchasearmour elements when mustering upon a mount.Regardless of how a mount gains its armour, thearmour+ value of a mount's armour elements aresimply added to the rider's armour+ value, even ifthe rider doesn't have any armour himself.

3 · 5 · 1ARDENT MOUNTS

Riders still gain protection from riding an ardentmount, but this takes a different form.

3 · 5 · 1 · 1ARDENT MOUNT CONSTITUTION

Ardent mounts, as they can be singled out in Attackactions, Shoot actions and much else besides, do notcombine their CONSTITUTION with that of therider.

3 · 5 · 1 · 2ARDENT MOUNT ARMOUR

The armour elements of ardent mounts do notincrease the armour+ value of the rider. However,the rider still gains some protection from riding suchbeasts, and this is reflected upon his profile undermount options as a mount+ value. Mount+ values areadded to the rider's armour+ value, even if the riderdoesn't have any armour himself.

3 · 6EQUIPMENT RULES

Some equipment has extra rules associated with itand these are listed under the rules sections of theirlines.

3 · 6 · 1STANDARD EQUIPMENT

RULESStandard equipment rules are used by a lot ofdifferent equipment and are included in these rulesrather than listed in full on a warrior's profile.

3 · 6 · 1 · 1SWITCH

It is often the case that some weapons or armour ona warrior's profile must be switched with anotherweapon so that it can be used. For example, a swordmay have the rule “Switch (spear)”. In this case,the sword may not be used in the same Combataction as that of the spear, and vice versa.

Sometimes more than one weapon or armourelement must be switched; for example, a two-handed sword may have the rule “Switch (sword,shield)”. In this case, the two-handed sword mustbe switched with both the sword and the shield inorder to be used.

If a weapon or armour element can be switchedwith more than one other weapon or armourelement, it would have a similar rule to “Switch(weapon or spear)”. This rule means the weapon inquestion can be switched with either a sword or aspear.

Switching HandsA weapon or armour element can be used in eitherone hand or two hands if it has a rule similar to“Switch Hands (sword)”. This means that awarrior can use his sword in either one hand duringan Attack action or two hands. Such a weapon willhave two weapon lines for its different hand usage.

3 · 6 · 1 · 2MOUNTED CHARGE+

If a weapon has the rule “Mounted charge+”,charge+ bonuses only apply if the warrior is the riderof a mount as well as a swift charger.

3 · 6 · 1 · 3FOOT ONLY

If a weapon has the rule “Foot only”, it may onlybe used if the warrior is not the rider of a mount.

3 · 6 · 1 · 4MOUNTED ONLY

If a weapon has the rule “Mounted only”, it mayonly be used if the warrior is the rider of a mount.

3 · 6 · 1 · 5IMPACT STRIKE

Weapons that have the weapon rule “Impact strike”may be used in the Impact Strike step of the AttackSequence if:

· the warrior using that weapon is a Swift Charger

· the warrior's head mark is touching an enemy'sbase

3 · 6 · 1 · 6PARRY

Some weapons and armour can be used effectively toparry an enemy's strike, such as a shield or even asword in the hands of a skilled wielder. Weapons orarmour elements with the rule “Parry” gain abeneficial parry modifier in combat, although onlyarmour elements with the rule “Parry” gain evadeand avoid modifiers against shooting and sightinvocations.

3 · 6 · 1 · 7SPRAY WEAPONS

Some weapons are also “Spray weapons” which aregenerally used as part of a Shoot action, perhapsthanks to a natural ability such as a dragon's fierybreath. Spray weapons are very accurate as they usetemplates to determine how many warriors are hitand, whilst they can be indiscriminate, are often usedin combat.

3 · 6 · 1 · 8CRUSH WEAPONS

Many powerful war machines or monstrous beastshave the ability to use “Crush weapons” as part of aShoot action, perhaps by throwing a huge stone or ablock of ice. A template is used to determine howmany warriors are hit, but the accuracy of crush

weapons is poor and - whilst the effects can bedevastating - it can prove difficult for the thrower tohit exactly what he wants every time he uses one.

3 · 6 · 1 · 9ONE USE ONLY

Equipment marked “One use only” may only be usedonce per battle.

3 · 6 · 2UNIQUE EQUIPMENT RULES

Unique equipment rules have their own name andare explained in full on a warrior's profile.

3 · 6 · 3MUSTER EQUIPMENT RULES

Only used when mustering a host, muster equipmentrules are listed under a warrior's weapon or armouroptions. These are explained in the Muster Rules.

· 4 ·MUSTERING A HOST

Once a muster has been chosen and a battle size agreed, players must refer to that muster to seewhich warriors can be included in its host. Every warrior's profile, including the general, lists arealm, his cost in gold, his unit size and his ubiquity, which together ensure that players do notfield more warriors than would be available.

Mustering a host is quite a complex process at first, especially because there are a few rules tofollow. These are listed below.

4 · 1BATTLE COSTS

All hosts are mustered according to the gold cost ofthe battle size, called the battle cost. In other words,both players must spend as much gold as possible ontheir hosts without spending more than the battlesize allows.

4 · 1 · 1PAYING FOR A WARRIOR

When mustering a unit, take note of its gold cost.This unit cost must be paid in order to muster it,and so if a unit is mustered, that cost is added to thehost cost, which starts at 0 of course.

4 · 1 · 2PAYING FOR A UNIT

Every warrior profile, it must be noted, lists anindividual warrior's cost. Thus, if a unit of more thanone warrior is purchased, that cost is multiplied bythe amount of warriors in the unit.

4 · 1 · 3PAYING FOR OPTIONS

Many warriors have options that boost their prowessin battle, give them different weapons or allow themto ride a mount. Whatever option is chosen, thatoption must be paid for and the option cost of eachoption is listed on the option's line.

Some options have a negative cost, and thus if thoseoptions are selected they decrease the cost of anindividual warrior by that amount. Such negativecosts are usually the result of swapping a weapon fora less powerful weapon, but could be almost anyoption.

4 · 2MUSTER A GENERAL

Every host of Darklands must contain a general tocommand it and at least one command of his own.This command must contain at least one unit ofwarriors from the same realm as the general.

The general must be the warrior with the highestAUTHORITY attribute in a host (although not

necessarily the muster), and while he may be anyclass of warrior he is almost always a noble and thusa Warlord or a Warchief.

EXAMPLEA War-Drune has been chosen as the general of a

host of Ker-Ys, and he is both a noble and aWarlord. His cost in gold is 115, but he has 999

gold in his coffers.

Whilst “general” might not be the warrior's actualtitle it is what the warrior with the highestAUTHORITY in the host is called for game purposes.

Vassal GeneralsIn very small skirmishes, a vassal unit leader - oftena champion - could be the general of a host, thuscalled a vassal general. Vassal generals are musteredwith their unit.

Beasts, Monstrous Beasts and War Engines cannotbe a vassal general.

If two or more warriors have the sameAUTHORITY value in the host, their player maychoose which warrior is the general, except that unitleaders must be chosen before unit warriors.

EXAMPLEIn an encounter of 499 Gold, the Ysian playermay not wish to use any Warlords or Warchiefs.However, he must choose a general, and thus

chooses an Ax-Drune champion to be the vassalgeneral.

4 · 3MUSTER A COMMAND

The general may muster a command of his own -that he directly commands and must join on thebattlefield, thus called the general's command - or hemay muster one or more commanders from the samerealm as he. Commanders act upon the general'sorders and have their own commands, but anycommander mustered must have an AUTHORITY

that is lower than the general's own AUTHORITY.

EXAMPLEThe War-Drune decides to muster a commander,a Battle-Drune, whose AUTHORITY is less than

his own. Thus, he can be a commander within theWar-Drune's host.

The Battle-Drune's gold cost is 74, thus makingthe host's gold cost 189 so far. This leaves 810

gold yet to be spent on the host.

If the general musters a command of his own, he isthus its commander and follows any rules that bindother commanders and do not conflict with being ageneral.

It is worth re-iterating that a host of Darklandsmust include the general and at least one command,whether his own or a commanders'.

Vassal CommandersIn very small skirmishes, a unit's leader - often achampion - could be a commander, thus called avassal commander. Vassal commanders are musteredwith their unit.

Beasts, Monstrous Beasts and War Engines cannotbe a vassal commander.

4 · 4MUSTER A UNIT

Every command must include at least one unit fromthe same realm as its commander but may include asmany units as the commander wishes, as allowed byUbiquity rules, other rules and his command'sCOMMAND AUTHORITY.

COMMAND AUTHORITY is simply the sum of theAUTHORITY of every unit's leader within thatcommand. The COMMAND AUTHORITY of acommand cannot be greater than its commander'sAUTHORITY.

EXAMPLEThe War-Drune wishes to muster a command of

his own that includes a unit of Ax-DruneWarriors (AUTHORITY 22), a unit of Bow-

Drunes (13) and a Bone-Aberrant (42). Thus,the COMMAND AUTHORITY of the War-Drune'scommand stands at 77, and as his AUTHORITY is83 he can muster all three units in his command.The War-Drune could muster another unit in his

command, but that unit must have anAUTHORITY of 6 or less!

Units, unless they are individuals or sell-swords, maynever be mustered outside of a command.

The AUTHORITY of a Bound unit for musteringpurposes is always that of the Binding unit's leader.

4 · 4 · 1UNIT SIZE

Many warriors can only be mustered within a unitof more than one warrior, and such a warrior has aminimum size listed on his profile. This is always thefirst number listed under the Unit Size box.

EXAMPLEThe Ax-Drune unit has a minimum unit size of 5,signified by the first number listed under the UnitSize box on their profile. Thus, the War-Drunehas to muster at least five Ax-Drunes within aunit. As each Ax-Drune warrior costs 22 gold,

the unit of five Ax-Drune warriors costs 110 goldin total.

If this number is suffixed by a “+” sign, the unitmay muster more warriors than the minimum size.

EXAMPLEThe first number listed under the Unit Size boxon the Ax-Drunes profile has the suffix “+”, andthus the War-Drune could muster more than 5

warriors in the unit if he wanted to.

If the first number does not have the “+” suffix, theunit may not muster more than that first number.

EXAMPLEThe Bone-Aberrant's Unit Size is simply “1”,

which does not have a suffix. Thus, Bone-Aberrants may only be mustered in units of a

single warrior.

Many units cannot muster more than a certainnumber of warriors within them, called themaximum size. This is listed after the unit'sminimum size.

EXAMPLEThe Bow-Drune unit has a minimum size of 5

and a maximum size of 20, signified by the UnitSize listing “5+/20”, which means the unit's

minimum size is 5 warriors, but up to 20 warriorscan be mustered within it. The War-Drune

decides to muster 10 Bow-Drunes in the unit,which costs 140 gold.

After adding the unit cost of the Ax-Drunes (110gold), Bow-Drunes (140) and the Bone-Aberrant (206), the host cost is now 645.

Nobles that can Join a unit at the start of the battledo not count towards either the minimum ormaximum number of warriors allowed within a unit.

4 · 4 · 2UBIQUITY

A warrior's ubiquity is the measure of how commonthat particular warrior is in a host from his realm.Some warriors are a realm's mainstay and at leastone unit of them must always be present upon thefield of battle, whereas others are extremely rare andonly a few units of them may be mustered. Somewarriors are unique and only one of them can everbe fielded in a host.

· Mainstay: warriors of this type are almost alwaysmustered within a host, for they form the bulk ofa particular realm's standing army and are oftenprofessional warriors. Some battle sizes mustinclude a Mainstay unit.

· Common: common warriors are often found in ahost and generals are almost unlimited in howmany units of this ubiquity they can muster. Inlarger battles, they must be included as they are soreadily available.

· Uncommon: some warriors are perhaps not asavailable as others at short notice, or live in thewilds where contact is infrequent. Thus, suchwarriors are often called upon only in times ofneed.

· Rare: these warriors are rarely found in a realm'shosts, perhaps because they are difficult to cajoleinto fighting but often simply because there arenot many of them.

· Unique: these warriors are completely unique, forthey represent famous individuals or units thathave no equal.

Players must include the minimum number of unitsof a particular ubiquity (for a particular battle size)in their hosts, as per the Ubiquity Limits tablebelow. If there is no minimum number of units,players do not have to muster a unit of that ubiquityin a battle of that size.

Players may not include more than the maximumnumber of units of a particular ubiquity in their hoststhat their battle size allows. If there is no maximumnumber of units, players may muster as many unitsof that ubiquity as they wish, as long as they do notexceed the battle cost, of course.

Ubiquity Limits

encounter skirmish battle war

ubiquity min/max min/max min/max min/max

Mainstay 0/- 0/- 1/- 2/-

Common 0/4 0/6 0/8 1/10

Uncommon 0/2 0/4 0/6 0/8

Rare 0/1 0/2 0/3 0/4

Unique 0/0 0/0 0/1 0/2

Note that these ubiquity limits apply to all of thecommon or rare units within a host; one particulartype of common unit could be included six times in askirmish, or the general could muster six differentcommon units instead.

EXAMPLEThe battle is a skirmish of 999 gold and thus noMainstay unit has to be mustered, but the War-Drune's warrior rules state that if he is the host'sgeneral, Ax-Drunes become a Mainstay unit - and

he must include an Ax-Drune unit in his owncommand. He has done so and thus has fulfilled his

warrior rules.

The Bow-Drunes are Common and the Bone-Aberrant is Rare, and so the War-Drune has notexceeded the maximum number of units of their

ubiquity in a skirmish.

Unique MeetingsKings and queens, celebrated heroes or infamousvillains are often found upon the Darklandsbattlefield and whilst they represent a uniquecharacter, perhaps even a real character from ourhistory, it can be imagined that two players maychoose hosts that have mustered the same uniquewarrior. Should this occur, the victor can be assuredthat his unique warrior is the real one and hisopponent's unique warrior is merely a pretender!

Mount UbiquityAs mounts can only be mustered as such, theirubiquity is always that of the rider himself. Thus, ifan Uncommon noble rides a Rare beast, themounted warrior formed is Uncommon.

Bound UnitsMany units can Bind to another unit whenmustering and thus become a mustered Bound unit.A Bound unit's ubiquity is counted as that of theBinding unit's leader, i.e., the unit that Binds toanother unit.

EXAMPLEThe War-Drune musters three Goad-Drunes toBind to the Bone-Aberrant, costing 75 gold and

bringing the host's gold cost to 720. As theGoad-Drune unit is the Binding unit, the ubiquityof the Bound unit as a whole is Uncommon, thusmeaning the Bone-Aberrant does not count as a

Rare muster.

4 · 4 · 3WARRIOR OPTIONS

Many profiles have options listed that can bolster theunit's prowess in battle. Most warrior options willhave an associated cost, the option cost, that eachwarrior from the unit must pay in order to use them.

All of the various weapon, armour, artefact andmount options can only be purchased once by awarrior when mustering.

4 · 4 · 3 · 1WEAPON OPTIONS

Many warrior profiles list weapon options, whichcould replace their standard weapon entirely or addto it somehow.

All of the warriors within a unit must purchase thesame weapon options. If a unit decides to replacetheir sword with a spear, for example, all of thewarriors within the unit must swap their swords forspears.

In other words, every unit warrior within a unitmust wield the same weapons when mustered.

Standard WeaponsAny weapon that is not additional or replacement is astandard weapon. Whenever a warrior is mustered,he is mustered with his standard weapons.

Additional WeaponsAdditional weapons are mustered in addition to otherweapons. The warrior in question would be able touse both its standard weapons and its additionalweapons in battle, as long as they have enoughHands to do so.

There is no limit to the amount of additionalweapons a warrior may muster except the limitinherent in its profile or its weapon rules. It shouldbe noted that the Hands rule only limits how muchequipment a warrior can wield at once - it does notrestrict how much equipment a warrior can muster.

Replacement WeaponsReplacement weapons are mustered in exchange forthe weapon listed within the optional weapon's rules.For example, an optional sword with the ruleReplacement (spear) means that the warrior's spearmust be exchanged for the sword.

EXAMPLEThe Battle-Drune decides to replace his Battle-Ax with a Battle-Chain, and pays 4 gold for theprivilege, increasing his cost to 78. This increases

the hosts' gold cost to 724.

A warrior's standard weapon may not be replacedmore than once. If there are multiple replacementweapon options for the same standard weapon, onlyone can be chosen.

EXAMPLEThe War-Drune has two weapon options thatcould replace his War-Ax, the War-Chain and

Two War-Axes options. He may only choose oneof these optional weapons to replace the War-Ax.

An optional replacement weapon may list more thanone weapon that could be replaced by it. Suchoptions would be separated by a comma. Thereplacement weapon may only replace one of theweapons listed, not both.

Mounted OnlyWeapons with the rule “Mounted only” may onlybe mustered - and used - when the warrior is a rider.

4 · 4 · 3 · 2ARMOUR OPTIONS

Many warrior profiles list armour options, whichcould replace their standard armour entirely or addto it somehow.

All of the warriors within a unit must purchase thesame armour options. If a unit decides to replacetheir light armour with heavy armour, for example,

all of the warriors within the unit must swap theirlight armour for heavy armour.

In other words, every unit warrior within a unitmust wear the same armour when mustered.

Standard ArmourAny armour that is not additional or replacement isstandard armour. Whenever a warrior is mustered, heis mustered with his standard armour.

Additional ArmourAdditional armour is mustered in addition to otherarmour. The warrior in question would be able touse both its standard armour and its additionalarmour in battle, unless otherwise restricted.

There is no limit to the amount of additional armoura warrior may wield except the limit inherent in itsprofile or its armour rules. It should be noted thatthe Hands rule only limits how much equipment awarrior can wield at once - it does not restrict howmuch equipment a warrior can muster.

Replacement ArmourReplacement armour is mustered in exchange for thearmour listed within the optional armour's rules. Forexample, an optional shield with the rule Replacement(buckler) means that the warrior's buckler must beexchanged for the shield.

A warrior's standard armour may not be replacedmore than once. If there are multiple replacementarmour options for the same standard armour, onlyone can be chosen.

Optional replacement armour may list more thanone piece of armour that could be replaced by it.Such options would be separated by a comma. Thereplacement armour may only replace one of thearmours listed, not both.

Mounted OnlyArmour with the rule “Mounted only” may only bemustered - and used - when the warrior is a rider.

4 · 4 · 3 · 3ARTEFACT OPTIONS

Some warrior profiles list artefact options, whichallow the warrior to bear a particular artefact. Awarrior may choose any artefact from this list whenmustering.

4 · 4 · 3 · 4MOUNT OPTIONS

Many warrior profiles list mount options, whichallow the warrior to ride a particular mount. Awarrior may only choose one mount to ride from thislist when mustering.

All of the warriors within a unit must purchase thesame mount option when mustering. If a unit wishes

to ride horses, for example, all of the warriors withinthe unit must ride a horse.

Mount Equipment OptionsMany mounts include mount equipment options, forweapons, armour or artefacts, which could replacethe mount's equipment entirely or add to it.

These mount equipment options follow the exactsame option rules as other warriors' option rules.

4 · 4 · 3 · 5UNIT OPTIONS

Many warrior profiles list unit options, which allowthem to pay for various enhancements to their unit.This could enable them to purchase unit commandwarriors, but if they do so, only one of each typemay be mustered. Note that units do not have topurchase all of the different unit command warriorswhen mustering.

EXAMPLEThe War-Drune decides to bolster the Ax-Drune

unit with unit commanders, and purchases achampion, banner bearer and herald. This costs anextra 16 gold, 8 for the champion and 4 each forthe banner bearer and herald, thus increasing theAx-Drunes' unit cost to 126 and the host cost to

740.

4 · 4 · 4BEASTS AND MOUNTS

Warriors that have a Mount Only subclass - usuallyBeasts or Monstrous Beasts - may only be musteredas a mount. They cannot be mustered within a unitwithout having a rider and thus becoming part of amounted warrior.

4 · 5MUSTER MORE

COMMANDS ANDUNITS

If the general finds that he cannot select any moreunits for his own command in order to muster moreunits for his host, he can introduce commanders tomuster other commands and thus units for him.

A general may muster as many commanders in hishost as he wishes, as allowed by his available goldand the commanders' AUTHORITY values, but eachcommander must have a command that contains atleast one unit that is not himself.

EXAMPLEThe War-Drune decides that he wishes to mustera further unit in his host, a unit of four Brutes,which have an AUTHORITY of 22 and a cost of54 each, so 216 gold in total. This increases thehost cost to 956, leaving him 44 gold to spend.

He cannot muster this unit in his own commandas doing so would exceed its COMMAND

AUTHORITY, so the Brutes can only be musteredin another command. As he had purchased a

Battle-Drune commander, and the Battle-Drune'sAUTHORITY exceeds that of the Brutes, theBrutes can be placed within his command.

4 · 6MUSTERINGINDIVIDUALS

Individuals can be mustered either within acommand (as any other unit) or outside of acommand.

If mustered within a command, an individual'sAUTHORITY is never added to that command'sCOMMAND AUTHORITY; but the individual'sAUTHORITY must be less than their commander'sAUTHORITY.

When mustered outside of a command they form acommand of their own (of which they arecommander), but no other units can be musteredwithin it. The only restriction to mustering anindividual outside of a command is that anindividual's AUTHORITY must be lower than theirgeneral's AUTHORITY.

4 · 7MUSTERING

CONTINGENTSSome realms may muster contingents of sell-swordsand allies, maybe even both in the same host, butgenerals who are entitled to such luxuries are onlyallowed to spend some of their gold on these units.No general may spend more than 30% of the goldallowed for their battle size (rounding any fractionsdown) upon sell-swords or allies. This is called thecontingent limit.

EXAMPLEInstead of mustering another unit of Ysian

warriors, the War-Drune could possibly muster anallied command or a sell-sword. If he did so, hecould not exceed the contingent limit of 999

gold, which is 299 gold.

4 · 7 · 1MUSTERING SELL-SWORDS

There are some within the lands of darkness thatfight for just about anyone that pays them enough,and these notorious warriors are known as sell-swords. A player may muster any sell-sword in theirhost if he has enough gold and as long as the sell-sword's profile allows it, for many such mercenarieswill only fight for certain kindreds or realms.

EXAMPLEThe War-Drune decides to call upon Beowa's

help in the battle head. Beowa's gold cost is 114,far less than the contingent limit, but would mean

the host cost would be 1,070 which is more thanthe battle size allows.

The War-Drune removes the unit commandersfrom the Ax-Drune unit, thus reducing the host

cost by 16 to 1,054, and one Brute, reducing thehost cost by 54 to 1,000. This is still not quiteenough, of course, so he removes the Battle-Drune's Battle-Chain replacement weapon,

reducing the host cost by 4 to 996. This meanshis host is perfect for a 999 gold game of

Darklands.

Sell-swords are mustered in exactly the same way asan individual within a host, with the exception thatthey can only ever be mustered outside of acommand.

EXAMPLEThe mustering of Beowa means that the War-Drune now has three commands - the general's

command, his own; the Battle-Drune's command;and Beowa's command.

To spread his workload, the War-Drune decidesto muster the Bone-Aberrant in the Battle-

Drune's command as well as the Brutes. He couldnot have included the Bone-Aberrant within

Beowa's command, however, because sell-swordscannot include any units in their own command.

4 · 7 · 2MUSTERING ALLIES

Most hosts are formed from warriors of the samerealm, for alliances are forged as often as oaths arebroken and few realms, let alone kindreds, trust eachother. Even so, some realms and kindreds have heldstrong bonds with others for many years and - atleast most of the time - allow their own warriors tofight in their allies' hosts when required.

Allies are mustered as a command in exactly thesame way as other commands within a host, exceptthat the allied commander and the allied units canonly be mustered from within their own muster.Additionally, only one allied command may bemustered within a host.

Sell-swords may not be mustered within an alliedcommand.

Allied RealmsPlayers may muster one allied command in their hostaccording to the table below.

realm may ally with...

Albainn any Brythoniaid realm

Angelcynn(Mierce)

Brythoniaid (Gwynedd), Angelcynn (Beornica, Déra,Eofora)

Atalantes any Atalantes realm

Brythoniaid any Brythoniaid realm, any Albainn realm, Angelcynn (Mierce)

Byzantii any Byzantii realm, Infernii(Dis)

Fomoraic any Fomoraic realm

Khthones any Khthones realm

Norse any Norse realm

Ysians (Ker-Ys) any Ysian realm, Vras (Three-Claw)

Kindreds are shown in bold. Realms are shown inbrackets. If no brackets are shown, all realms within that

kindred may ally with the realms shown