House Rules: Mass Combat - Army Engineering

A unit with with Engineering Training can build temporary hex improvements to benefit their army. The hex must either be claimed by your nation and liberated, or a foreign hex occupied or exploited by your nation. Army engineering improvements are designed to be built fast and temporary, and will disappear after a week unless maintained. Maintaining an army improvement requires spending only half of the improvement's cost and time, and renews the improvement's time limit. The time spent on building these engineering works count as hours of activity.

Improvement costs and construction times are multiplied by the Terrain Cost Mulitplier as listed on Table: Terrain and Terrain Improvements. The construction time is reduced by the engineering unit's size; after applying the terrain multiplier to the construction time, divide it by the unit's size modifier, to a minimum of 1 hour (solo units are not able to build engineering works). Multiple units with Engineering Training can work together in the same zone or hex to count as a larger size unit when calculating how long it takes to construct the improvement. If the total number of troops from all units do not fit a specific unit size, use the next closest unit under the troop total as their effective unit size.

Bridge
This hastily constructed bridge allows units to cross bodies of water or crevices. When not maintained, these bridges quickly collapse under the duress of the elements. On the overland map, you normally construct a bridge in a hex with a river running through it. You can build a bridge in a hex with a coastline, but only to an adjacent hex with a coastline of the same body of water, and this counts as 2 bridges.
Effect: Army units are able to traverse the obstacle. Units gain Advantage on ranged attacks against units on a bridge.
Cost: 1 BP
Construction Time: 8 hours per hex or zone.

Fortifications
Fortifications include temporary palisades, trenches, bunkers, and other constructed obstacles or defenses. Fortifications can be built for each battle zone. Your unit gains the fortification defense bonus by being in the same battle zone with them, and using the Hold action during the Ranged Phase to occupy them. The unit loses the DV bonus when it moves to another zone. Units from an allied unit can also occupy your fortifications if you allow it. Opposing units can occupy your fortifications if they are not occupied by your or your allies' units. When not maintained, these fortifications are swept away or fall apart by the elements.

Fortifications can also be created with large-area spells such as move earth or wall of stone without requiring an engineering unit, and at half the normal cost. For these spells to have any effect, they must last at least 1 hour and affect at least a 500-foot square. The army must have at least one unit with one of the Spellcasting special abilities. Likewise, magic items such as an instant fortress can also create fortifications for an army to use in a battle for free.
Effect: +4 bonus to DV of all units occupying the fortifications.
Cost: 2 BP per zone.
Construction Time: 8 hours per zone.

Obstacles
Obstacles are designed to slow the enemy's advance. These may involve barbed wire, ditches, stakes, or traps.
Effect: Reduces the speed of units in this zone by 10 ft. The Cavalry Sweep and Furious Charge tactics cannot be used by units in this zone.
Cost: 2 BP per zone.
Construction Time: 8 hours per zone.

Roads
This hastily dug-out road allows armies to more easily traverse a hex. When not maintained, these roads are easily washed away or become unusable by the elements.
Effect: Travel time through this hex is halved.
Cost: 1 BP
Construction Time: 8 hours per hex.

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