House Rules: Mass Combat - Visibility

In warfare, simply identifying friend from foe is not always easy, and this is especially true when some creatures have perceptual abilities far beyond those available in the real world. Creatures able to see in the dark have a great advantage in battles at night, while those sensitive to bright light avoid fighting by day if they can. The table below describes the effect of various illumination levels on general combat effectiveness on offense and defense, as well as the ability of armies to spot one another or even to move effectively. Creatures able to see normally in darkness take no penalties for fighting in it, while those sensitive to bright light take penalties in such conditions. Otherwise, all creatures present in a battle take the same penalties from poor visibility unless they have some special means of negating them.The Speed modifier below can never reduce an army’s movement below 10 feet.

Fog of War: Whenever an army takes a penalty to its OM due to poor visibility, its chance of shooting awry increases. When making a Range attack against an enemy unit engaged with an ally, the chance of dealing friendly fire damage (see Ranged Attack) is increased to 50%. In addition, even Melee attacks against an enemy unit engaged with an ally have a 25% of dealing damage as friendly fire to your allied unit. If you attack a unit that is not engaged with any other unit (including yours) using one of the following tactics, the attacking army has a 25% chance of inflicting friendly fire damage on itself due to the fog of war: Cavalry Sweep, False Retreat, Furious Charge, Feint, Overwhelming Onslaught, Pincer Maneuver, Pursuit, Skirmishers.

Table: Visibility

Visibility Melee Ranged DV Scout Speed
Bright Light +2
Normal Light
Dim Light -1 -2 -2 -10 ft.
Darkness -2 -4 -1 -4 -20 ft.
Smoke, light1 -1 -2 -2
Smoke, thick2 -2 -4 -4 -10 ft.
1An army that has attacked with firearms or cannon during the current Battle phase is covered in light smoke, as is an army that has been attacked with a Magical Barrage, Special Bombardment, or similar attack using fire. Light smoke can also be created by intentionally setting fires or (at the GM’s option) by repeated casting of spells like control weather, fog cloud, obscuring mist, and pyrotechnics. If spells are used, they should generally apply their effects to both sides; for specifically targeted tactical battlefield use of obscuring magic, a commander within the army should use the Magical Trickery command boon.
2An army that has attacked with multiple fire attacks (such as those described in the above footnote) may at the GM’s option be shrouded in thick smoke. A settlement with an uncontrolled fire may also be covered in thick smoke.
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