Micro Rules - Morale that Matters: Steady, Retreating, Broken, Panicked

20 Apr, 2025

Combatants have varying capacity to resist fear and disorder, ranging from d8 (best) to d12 (worst). Noncombatants thrust into violence roll d20, and the drugged or inhuman may not need to roll.

In combat, check Morale when severe misfortune seems immanent and likely. Roll by individual or, as scale increases, by unit.

• S - Steady - Stand and fight or otherwise comply with orders
• R - Retreat - Retreat in a semblance of order, in their units, d6 rooms before reforming of their own accord. Retreating units are out of the control, but will fight rearguard actions if pressed. Fugitives will panic if they take casualties while encountering an obstacle, chokepoint, while cornered, or their formation is broken and they become intermixed with hostiles. Panicking combatants have a 50% chance to throw down their shields and weapons and flee or hide in any apparent manner, even if obviously futile or suicidal (eg. curling up in ball, leaping into raging river while armoured), 50% chance to fanatically attack any obstacle (including friendlies) or fight to the death as the case may be. Officers who can make themselves seen and heard (typically by being on horseback) may WIL tst to stop unpanicked fugitives early. Officers may WIL tst with Disadvantage to steady the panicked but only those retaining their weapons, or immediately able to acquire new ones, will reform.
• B - Break: Flee as individuals and keep on fleeing ultimately into the wilderness or, if the wilderness is inaccessible, hide. May be panicked and steadied as above. If able to enter the wilderness, each fugitive makes an additional Morale check: On S, they wander into camp hours or days later. On R or B they have been killed, captured, deserted, defected, are still hiding, are hopelessly lost &c.

Panicked troops have a base 3in6 chance of accepting an offer to surrender, adjust according to circumstance.