Tide of Battle

When combat breaks out between teams of creatures, the morale, terrain, and momentum of each team has a subtle effect on actions of the individuals of each side. This phenomenon is called the Tide of Battle (often called Tide). Usually Tide of Battle is between PCs and Monsters, but it can support any two-sided combat (PCs vs Monsters, PCs vs Villains, Townsfolk vs Monsters, Town Guard vs Rioters, etc).

Tide of Battle is either Neutral, or favors a side during combat. When the Tide is Neutral, neither side has the upper hand in the battle. When the Tide favors a side, it grants a bonus to the attack rolls and defenses of all creatures on that side. The bonus is equal to the amount that the Tide favors that side. For example, if the Tide of Battle favors the PCs by 2 steps, then the PCs each gain a +2 bonus to Defenses and Attack rolls. Likewise if the Tide of Battle favors the Monsters by 1 step, then the Monsters gain a +1 bonus to defenses and +1 bonus to attacks against the PCs.

There is no maximum that the Tide can swing in either direction, however powers and abilities that change the Tide of Battle are usually limited in the effect they can provide.

Determining the Tide of Battle

At the start of Battle, compare the highest Morale present on each side of the conflict. The Tide of Battle favors the side with the highest Morale (or is Neutral in case of a tie). The amount the Tide favors is the difference between each score. For example, if the highest morale on the PC’s side is 2 and the highest morale on the monster’s side is 0, then the Tide of Battle is 2 steps in favor of the PCs. Certain conditions also affect the starting Tide, (see Conditions that Affect the Tide of Battle, below).

Shifting the Tide of Battle

The Tide of Battle can shift during combat. Whenever the tide changes it specifies which side of the battle the shift favors. Each time it shifts the degree of favor either increases, decreases, or changes to favor the other side. For example, the Tide favors the Monsters over the PCs by 2 steps at the beginning of Battle. During the Battle, the PCs use a power that shifts the tide three steps in their favor. The first step lowers the favor given to the monsters by 1 step to a +1, the second step further reduces the favor by 1 to +0 (Creating a Neutral Tide), the last and final step moves the tide to +1 in favor of the PCs.

Team A 5--4--3--2--1--0--1--2--3--4--5 Team B

Conditions that affect the Tide of Battle

Tide of Battle is affected by a variety of conditions:

Home Ground

Creatures encountered in their homes (or other very familiar location) shift the Tide in their favor 1 step at the start of combat.

Surprise

If either party is Surprised at the beginning of the encounter, shift the Tide 1 step in their opponents favor (i.e. the Unsurprised party) at the start of combat.

Superior Numbers

At the start of battle check the number of combatants on each side. If one side has a significantly larger number of opponents, the Tide of Battle shifts in their favor based on the ratio of combatants. At 2 to 1 shift the tide one degree. At 3 to 1, shift the tide two degrees and so forth, until one side is considered surrounded at five to one or more (granting a total +4 shift). Complex monsters count as 2 creatures for purposes of Tide of Battle. Legendary monsters are powerful and count as a number of creatures equal to the number of opponents it faces (typically causing numbers be tied).

Example: The PCs (4 characters) encounter 11 Goblin Squatters and 1 Goblin Flayer (Counting as 2 creatures). Since the Goblins' side has a total of 13 creatures and the PCs only have 4, the PCs are outnumbered 3 to 1. The Tide of Battle is shifted 2 points in the Goblins' favor.

As creatures are killed or retreat (or reinforced), bonuses from Superior Numbers shift accordingly. Check the number of combatants at the beginning of every round (segment 0). If the ratio of combatants has changed, shift the Tide of Battle accordingly, with every ratio change equating to a 1 degree shift. Note that as one side defeats opponents (without losing allies), the easier it becomes to attack and defend against the remaining opponents.

Example: In the previous round the 11 Goblin Squatters and 1 Goblin Flayer outnumbered the 4 PCs 3 to 1 (granting a +2 shift in the goblin's favor). At the start of the round (in segment 0) the GM observers that many of the goblins have died or fled the battle. There are only 4 remaining with their Flayer leader (for a total of 6 creatures). Since the ratio has dropped from 3 to 1, to 1 to 1 (roughly equal numbers), the Tide of Battle is shifted 2 points in the PC's favor.

Demoralization

Whenever a creature (or PC) is reduced below zero morale, the tide of battle shifts one in the opposing side’s favor. If the creature’s morale is restored, the tide of battle shifts back by one. This means that a demoralized creature can be more detrimental than a dead creature.

Powers and Abilities

The powers Swing the Tide and Dishearten the Enemy are Mental Methods that can be used by anyone that allow a creature (or PC) to use social skills to attempt to Swing the Tide in their favor.

Many other powers and abilities allow a creature to change the Tide of Battle as well.

Combats With More Than Two Sides

For a 3-or-more-sided battle, things get a bit more complicated. It is suggested that two sides with a common goal be lumped together into a single side. If this just doesn't make sense, and the Battle is truly 3-sided, then the easiest way to handle multiple sides is to allow only one of the sides to be favored at any given time.