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DESIGNERS ART DIRECTOR D&D DAVID NOONAN, WILL MCDERMOTT, DAWN MURIN STEPHEN SCHUBERT COVER ARTIST DEVELOPMENT TEAM DAVID HUDNUT ANDY COLLINS, ROB WATKINS INTERIOR ARTISTS EDITORS WAYNE ENGLAND, DOUG KOVACS, CHUCK LUKACS, ROBERTO MARCHESI, OHN ATELIFF ARY ARLI J D. R , G S MARK NELSON, ERIC POLAK, MANAGING EDITOR WAYNE REYNOLDS, FRANZ VOHWINKEL KIM MOHAN GRAPHIC DESIGNER DEE BARNETT DESIGN MANAGER CHRISTOPHER PERKINS CARTOGRAPHER TODD GAMBLE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALIST JESSE DECKER ERIN DORRIES SENIOR ART DIRECTOR RPG IMAGE TECHNICIAN STACY LONGSTREET JASON WILEY DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D PRODUCTION MANAGERS BILL SLAVICSEK JOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS

Special thanks: Cisco Lopez-Fresquet

Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by and and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.

This ® game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, please visit www. wizards.com/d20.

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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, , d20, d20 System, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, , Heroes of Battle, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.A. and other countries. All characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Distributed to the hobby, toy, and comic trade in the United States and Canada by regional distributors. Distributed in the United States to the book trade by Holtzbrinck Publishing. Distributed in Canada to the book trade by Fenn Ltd. Distributed worldwide by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and regional distributors. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. SampleVisit our website at www.wizards.com/dnd file Strategic Advantages ...... 70 Chapter 6: Magic of War ...... 121 Using Strategic Planning ...... 70 Spells on the Battlefi eld ...... 121 Contents Bardic Knowledge ...... 71 Communications ...... 121 Divination Spells ...... 71 Artillery ...... 121 Introduction ...... 4 Knowledge Skill ...... 71 Troop Enhancement ...... 121 What’s in This Book ...... 4 Leadership ...... 71 Terrain Alteration ...... 122 What You Need to Play ...... 4 Scouting ...... 71 Other Spell Uses ...... 123 Chapter 1: The War Campaign ...... 5 Terrain and Fortifi cations ...... 72 New Spells ...... 123 What Is a Battlefi eld Adventure? ...... 5 The Morale Check ...... 72 Spell Descriptions ...... 124 Think Big/Play Small ...... 6 When to Use the Morale Check ...... 72 Acid Rain ...... 124 Player Character Roles ...... 7 Making Morale Checks ...... 72 Aerial Alarm ...... 124 Pacing ...... 7 The Rally Check ...... 73 Animate Legion ...... 124 CONTENTS

Campaign Planning ...... 9 Commanders ...... 75 Animate Siege Weapon ...... 125 OF TABLE Dealing with Rank and Orders ...... 9 Commander Rating ...... 75 Battlefi eld Fortifi cation ...... 125 Treasure in a War Campaign ...... 10 Commander Auras ...... 75 Battlefi eld Illumination ...... 125 Strategic Downtime ...... 12 Victory Points ...... 78 Battlemagic Perception ...... 125 Adventuring off the Battlefi eld ...... 13 Assist Friendly Troops ...... 79 Blaze of Light ...... 125 Military Organization ...... 15 Attack Enemy Siege Engines ...... 79 Boiling Oil ...... 125 Defeat Enemy Units ...... 79 Consecrate Battlefi eld ...... 126 Chapter 2: Building Adventures ...... 17 Disrupt Enemy Command ...... 80 Crisis of Confi dence ...... 126 Hooking the PCs ...... 18 Disrupt Enemy Communications ...... 80 Desecrate Battlefi eld ...... 126 Designing the Battlefi eld ...... 18 Disrupt Enemy Supply ...... 80 Drums of War ...... 126 The Course of Events ...... 20 Protect Defensive Point ...... 81 Early Twilight ...... 126 The Adventure Flowchart ...... 21 Protect Intrinsic Point ...... 81 Hurtling Stone ...... 127 Making Memorable Encounters ...... 21 Protect Maneuver Point ...... 81 Leomund’s Billet ...... 127 Encounter Pacing ...... 22 Protect Offensive Point ...... 82 Molten Strike ...... 127 Filling in the Boxes ...... 24 Provide Intelligence ...... 82 Resounding Voice ...... 127 Designing a Fantasy Army ...... 24 Seize Defensive Point ...... 83 Shrieking Blast ...... 127 The 60-Minute Army ...... 24 Seize Intrinsic Point ...... 83 Spiritual Cavalry ...... 127 Building Battlefi eld Encounter Maps ...... 28 Seize Maneuver Point ...... 84 Spiritual Charger ...... 128 Terrain ...... 28 Seize Offensive Point ...... 84 Status, Greater ...... 128 Barriers and Obstacles ...... 32 Recognition Points ...... 84 Trip Vine ...... 128 Earthworks ...... 35 Earning Recognition Points ...... 84 Magic Items ...... 129 Other Hazards ...... 36 Other Ways to Earn Magic Armor Special Ability Ancient Battlefi elds ...... 38 Recognition Points ...... 88 Descriptions ...... 129 Rewards ...... 41 Spending Recognition Points ...... 88 Specifi c Armors and Shields ...... 129 The Victory Point Framework ...... 41 Promotions ...... 91 Heraldic Crests ...... 130 When Things Go Off the Chart ...... 42 Battlefi eld Award Summary ...... 92 Magic Weapon Special Ability Random Encounters ...... 43 Descriptions ...... 130 Chapter 5: The Military Character ...... 93 Chapter 3: Battlefield Encounters ...... 45 Rods ...... 131 Skills ...... 93 Sample Battlefi eld Encounters ...... 46 Wondrous Items ...... 131 Feats ...... 96 Cut Supply Line (4th) ...... 46 Standards ...... 132 Ballista Profi ciency ...... 96 Reinforcements (4th) ...... 46 Magic Siege Engines ...... 133 Block Arrow ...... 96 Destroy Artillery (6th) ...... 47 Magic Siege Engine Coordinated Shot ...... 96 Prisoner Exchange (6th) ...... 48 Special Ability Descriptions ...... 134 Courageous Rally ...... 97 Left Behind (8th) ...... 49 Specifi c Siege Engines Expanded Aura of Courage ...... 97 Take Out the Trebuchet (8th) ...... 50 and Ammunition ...... 134 Expert Siege Engineer ...... 97 Get ’em Out Alive! (10th) ...... 51 Appendix I: Sample Armies ...... 137 Extra Followers ...... 97 King of the Hill (10th) ...... 53 Human Large Kingdom ...... 137 Guerrilla Scout ...... 97 Specifi c Units ...... 53 Human Small Kingdom ...... 138 Guerrilla Warrior ...... 97 Army of Nature’s Wrath ...... 53 Human Clan Structure ...... 138 Improved Cohort ...... 98 Pelarch’s Unliving Legion ...... 55 ...... 139 Inspirational Leadership ...... 98 Tanar’ric Horde ...... 57 ...... 139 Mounted Mobility ...... 98 Baatezu Brigade ...... 58 Dwarf ...... 139 Natural Leader ...... 98 Army of the Alliance ...... 59 Gnome ...... 140 Plunging Shot ...... 99 ...... 61 ...... 140 Practiced Cohort ...... 99 Goblin Raiders ...... 61 Goblinoids ...... 140 Ready Shot ...... 99 XP on the Battlefi eld ...... 61 Lizardfolk ...... 141 Shield Wall ...... 99 Is it a Challenge? ...... 61 Giant Races ...... 141 Veteran Knowledge ...... 99 XP in Supported Encounters ...... 62 Appendix II: Sample Soldiers ...... 142 Prestige Classes ...... 99 Appendix III: Battlefi eld Steeds ...... 153 Chapter 4: Rules of War ...... 63 Combat Medic ...... 99 Brass Steed ...... 153 Siege Engines ...... 63 Dread Commando ...... 103 Luna Moth ...... 154 AerialSample Bombardment ...... 67 Legendary Leader ...... 107 file Rainbow Crow ...... 155 Volley of Arrows ...... 68 War Weaver ...... 112 Skeletal Warbeast ...... 156 Indirect Fire versus Direct Fire ...... 69 Teamwork Benefi ts ...... 115 Tusked Behemoth ...... 156 Concentrated Volley ...... 69 The Team Roster ...... 116 War Mastiff ...... 157 Defl ecting a Volley ...... 70 Teamwork Benefi t Descriptions ...... 117 3 The Military Character (Chapter 5): Most characters Introduction are ready for the battlefi eld. The feats and skills they pos- Heroes of Battle is a rules supplement for the DUNGEONS sess will be as useful on the battlefi eld as they are in the & DRAGONS® Roleplaying Game. It’s a player resource dungeon. But for characters who want to maximize their that gives players the tools they need to take their prowess on the battlefi eld or emphasize their military characters from the dungeon to the field of battle, background, Chapter 5 offers new feats and prestige classes where they’ll play pivotal roles in the clash of great designed for warfare. The chapter also has more detailed fantasy armies. DMs can use this book as a resource rules for character training and teamwork, and battlefi eld- for wartime adventures, whether building an entire inspired uses for existing skills. narrative around a military campaign or throwing the Magic of War (Chapter 6): Spells and magic items players onto the battlefield as a change of pace at the useful to (or against) the army in the fi eld are detailed in climax of an adventure. Chapter 6. Magical versions of the siege engines depicted in Chapter 4 also appear here. Sample Armies (Appendix I): For the DM in need of WHAT’S IN THIS BOOK a big army in a hurry, this appendix includes a wide range INTRODUCTION Heroes of Battle contains information for DMs and players of fantasy armies appropriate for any D&D battlefi eld alike. The book starts by showing what an adventure on the campaign, from teams of human soldiers to squadrons of battlefi eld is like, giving players an idea of what to expect orc savages. and handing the DM a construction kit to bring massive Sample Soldiers (Appendix II): You can’t have an army battles to life. Later chapters provide the nitty-gritty tools without soldiers, and this appendix presents full statistics that increase the chance of PCs and NPCs surviving and blocks for all the soldiers used in the various armies thriving on a fantasy battlefi eld. included elsewhere in the book. A Dungeon Master can The War Campaign (Chapter 1): D&D uses the word mix and match these NPCs to build just about any army “campaign” to refer to a series of linked adventures, but he or she needs. it borrowed the term from military parlance, where it Battlefield Steeds (Appendix III): This section refers to a series of battles fought to achieve a common details six exotic beasts of war suitable for serving as objective. Chapter 1 discusses issues you’ll face when battle-mounts. you make the battlefield a dominant part of your ongo- ing D&D game. WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY Building Adventures (Chapter 2): A major battle is Heroes of Battle makes use of the information in the three the functional equivalent of a traditional D&D adventure. D&D core rulebooks—Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Chapter 2 provides a step-by-step process for designing a Guide, and Monster Manual. In addition, it includes refer- battlefi eld adventure that offers opportunities for treasure, ences to material in , Complete Adventurer, victory, heroism—and plenty of danger and challenges. and Miniatures Handbook. Although possession of any or Chapter 2 also provides directions for designing interest- all of these supplements will enhance your enjoyment of ing maps of the battlefi eld as a whole and the specifi c areas this book, they are not strictly necessary. where pivotal encounters take place. Battlefi eld Encounters (Chapter 3): The basic build- Heroes of Battle and D&D Miniatures ing block of any D&D adventure is the encounter. Chapter As you read this book, you’ll see rules such as commander 3 lists staple encounters appropriate for a mass battle and auras and morale checks that echo rules found in the D&D provides tips on awarding XP for battlefi eld encounters. Miniatures skirmish game and the Miniatures Handbook. The chapter also includes some sample military units to That’s intentional. But while they have a common throw against your PCs on the battlefi eld. heritage, the two experiences have some important Rules of War (Chapter 4): Through their bravery and differences as well. Rather than focus on skirmishes clever tactics, PCs will often have a chance to infl uence the between two small forces, this book focuses on the role overall battle—especially as they reach higher levels. In PCs play in truly grand battles: ones featuring thousands Chapter 4, a simple victory point system helps adjudicate of soldiers on each side. Any miniatures you have will be how the PCs’ efforts have a ripple effect throughout the useful when you undertake a battlefi eld adventure, but rest of the battlefi eld. Chapter 4 also has a morale system realize that this game is the cooperative, player character- so the DM can easily determine whether the enemy fl ees centered D&D experience you’ve been enjoying for years. rather than facing the PCs directly, and a set of rules to The action has merely been moved from the dungeon help PCs earn promotions, decorations, and the other to the battlefi eld, and we’ve surrounded the PCs with a Sampleglories of war. cast of thousands. file

4 Illus. Lukacs by Lukacs by C. C.

ith any campaign in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS WHAT IS A BATTLEFIELD game, game sessions work best when the ADVENTURE? adventures match the character and player Playing D&D within the war genre is essentially about types present in the party. Just as a party of moving the action from the dungeons, castles, and druids and barbarians is less appropriate for a ruins of traditional D&D to the great battle scenes of game of urban espionage, so too would a group of sorcerers fantasy novels and movies, where tens of thousands and wizards be ill suited for a campaign that continually of men and monsters clash. Summarized as simply as places them in front of charging cavalry. possible, this is the book that brings the dungeon out War campaigns can be as varied as traditional D&D onto the battlefi eld. The two environments have a lot campaigns: Adventures can run the gamut from secret in common—most notably the presence of lethal foes infi ltrations of enemy camps to epic battles on the front who want to do in the characters—but major differ- line. Some players enjoy the opportunity to have their ences persist. Whether you’re a player or the DM, character lead a unit into battle, whereas others prefer you’ll adjust your game to account for the difference to play with small groups of PCs in a more traditional in scale, pacing, movement, and motivation. adventuring party. As the DM, you should make an effort The battles discussed in Heroes of Battle are no to know those tendencies and desires of your group, and mere skirmishes. Thousands of soldiers on a side tailor the campaign to suit. is the norm, and the characters probably see only With the “battlefield as dungeon” approach used in part of the larger battle unfold before them. But planning a war campaign, the DM needs new tools to the outcome of even the greatest battle often keep track of events on the battlefield and help players hinges on a smaller engagement. Can the player realize how their characters can interact with this new characters hold the bridge long enough for a relief environment. column to arrive? Can they disrupt the enemy’s Samplesupplies behind the lines, then escapefile across no-man’s-land before the entire enemy army hunts them down? While the player characters are only a small part of an army, the role they play in a battle can be pivotal and heroic. 5 To use military jargon, battlefields are a “target-rich even if the masses are sold lock, stock, and smoking barrel environment” for PCs. The monsters aren’t hiding on the reasons, wars are still political battles fought by behind locked doors and in mazelike corridors—they’re common folk for reasons too often known only to the marching right toward you with malice in their eyes. leaders of those countries. In traditional D&D, characters can generally rest when That’s not roleplaying either. It might make for a great they need to. But the battle rages on even if the belea- game of Diplomacy or Risk, or a great Tom Clancy novel, guered characters are low on spells, hit points, and other but unless your players love political intrigue, it doesn’t resources. Conversely, in a battlefield adventure you’re make for a great game of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. unlikely to run out of opponents. Brave and ambitious Think about those great war movies. They’re not about characters can almost always find a worthy enemy to huge battles fought over geopolitical ideologies. They’re fight on the battlefield. stories about small groups of well-trained people going The architecture of a site-based adventure slows the on dangerous missions. They might have been ordered pacing of a D&D game, and it also constrains the PCs’ to go, but each person in the group usually has his or her movement. If there’s a door to the north and another to the reasons for taking the mission, whether it’s for greed or THE WAR CAMPAIGN

CHAPTER 1 south, the characters will almost always take one of those glory, advancement or adventure. two choices. But on a battlefi eld, characters can go where Now, that’s roleplaying at its fi nest. they like, although the enemy might have something to say The war becomes backdrop to a full-fl edged adventure about it (not to mention the PCs’ superior offi cers). DMs with great feats of heroism, tangible goals that group must be prepared for PCs who decide on a whim to seize members can fully grasp, and one-on-one battles with a network of trenches to the east. But, by the same token, life itself (and the success of the mission) hanging in PCs must be prepared for threats that can come from any the balance. direction—everything from goblin sappers tunneling The war is there, ever-present in the lives of the char- beneath their feet to a barrage of fl aming catapult stones acters. It impacts where they go and what they have to from the sky. do when they get there. But the roleplaying experience There are as many reasons to go to war as there are wars becomes more about the mission—the adventure—than themselves. Some PCs will fi ght for king and country. about the war. The war becomes the world or setting. The Others will fi ght to protect their comrades. Some are missions become the dungeon. fulfi lling a lucrative military contract. On one hand, The trick to turning the battlefi eld into a dungeon is to battlefi eld adventures can start from very prosaic moti- think big but play small. The war can be ever-present in vations. The PCs attack the gnoll watchtower because the daily lives of the PCs. They can see the impact it has in the general ordered them to, not because the gnolls reports from the front lines, the sacrifi ces of the common are guarding treasure or have kidnapped the mayor’s people as supplies run short, and even the deaths of rela- daughter. But on the other hand, sustaining a character’s tives or friends. But you as DM have to be the generals motivation to stay in the army throughout a war means of both armies as well as the armies themselves. Never delving deeper into the DM’s bag of tricks than in a let a battle between the PCs and their army against an traditional D&D game. Treasure, experience, and plenty opposing army become nothing more than a two-day-long of action are still motivators, to be sure, but the PCs will melee between hundreds or thousands of NPCs as your also be bucking for promotions, earning decorations for PCs watch helplessly waiting for their turn to come back heroism, and eventually shaping the outcomes of the around. Instead, their general tells the characters that he larger war. needs them to “take that hill at all costs,” thus turning a huge battle between thousands into a small battle between two manageable forces—the PCs against the dozen or THINK BIG/PLAY SMALL two dozen foes who block their way to achieving their Roleplaying in a war setting sounds like a lot of fun. Who mission. The battle can rage on all around the PCs, but doesn’t enjoy watching great war movies such as Saving all you—and they—have to worry about is that one hill, Private Ryan, The Guns of Navarone, and The Dirty Dozen? that single goal. But turning the battlefi eld into a dungeon for your players Here’s another example of how to think big but play takes more work than you might think. small. In a real war, the supply line is a primary concern for By their very nature, wars are large affairs. Not even the generals. Whether soldiers are making incursions into counting support personnel behind the lines who supply enemy territory or are strewn out over a large area defend- food and munitions, or medical personnel who care for ing against multiple attacks, they need food and water. the wounded after a confl ict, a single battle can involve Plus, a large army needs other supplies, such as arrows, hundreds if not thousands or even tens of thousands spell components, fresh soldiers, and fresh horses. Sampleof soldiers. Feeding an army on the movefile is a logistical and bureau- That’s not roleplaying. That’s wargaming. cratic nightmare—and incredibly boring. Most PCs won’t And wars, by their nature, are political. They are fought want to spend game time poring over supply requisitions. over ideologies and resources; over religious beliefs and But that doesn’t mean you can’t make this important part 6 revenge; and, all too often, for economic expansion. But of war part of your campaign.