HEROES AND COMMANDERS

Player characters and major non-player characters can be part of units, command units, or be Heroes acting alone on the battlefield.

PROCEDURE

During set-up, each player must identify the initial role that each PC/NPC individual will play in the battle. These roles are: member of unit, Unit/Brigade/Army Commander, or Hero. A character can also be designated as a Deputy Commander. A Deputy Commander can take over for a Commander during the battle. PC/NPC individuals can change roles during a battle. All changes of roles must be declared at the beginning of the Movement Phase of the current Game Round, and take effect immediately.

CASES

CHARACTERS AS MEMBERS OF UNITS

PC/NPC individuals who are declared to be Members of Units are assumed to be with their unit at all times. They participate in melee with the unit and flee if the unit routs. They share in all benefits and penalties that happen to the unit. Do not use a separate miniature figure for such characters, since they are considered to be part of one of the figures in the unit. A PC/NPC individual with better armor, weapons, or THACO than the other troops in the unit can improve the average fighting ability of a unit (see [3.1] ARMY ROSTER SHEET). Remember, however, that all members of a unit must have the same weapon in hand in order to fight as a unit.

Because a character fighting as a member of a unit is part of a 10:1, 5:1, or 2:1 figure (depending on HD), he does not receive the 1:1 ratio adjustment to THACO in determining AR (Table 9). Instead, he receives the ratio adjustment appropriate to the figure of which he is a part.

A PC/NPC individual is alive as long as at least one figure from the original unit remains on the board. If the unit routs and leaves the battlefield (see [6.4] IF THE UNIT DOES NOT RALLY), the PC/NPC individual cannot rejoin the battle, although he is still alive.

If the last figure of a unit is removed because of combat losses, the fate of the character is determined by the following table. Roll 1d10 and apply the appropriate result immediately.

Fate of PC/NPC in Eliminated Unit.

Die Result	Character's Fate
1	Character is killed and body is lost
2-3	Character is killed and body lies on the field
4-7	Character is badly wounded (1-6 hp remaining)
8-10	Character is unwounded but unconscious for 1-10 AD&D® or D&D® game turns.

A wounded or stunned character is automatically captured by the enemy if at the end of the battle the enemy's forces hold the area where the character fell. If the character's side is victorious, the character can return to his unit as soon as he recovers.

CHARACTERS AS COMMANDERS

A PC/NPC individual can be designated as a Unit, Brigade, or Army Commander. A character who commands is subject to all rules and procedures given in cases [4.7] to [4.10] COMMAND.

Place a separate figure (no base) with the unit to represent the Unit Commander. Brigade and Army Commanders are also represented by separate figures, but are not necessarily placed with a unit. Note the command status of each lone figure on the Heroes and Commanders Roster Sheet.

A commander with spell-casting abilities cannot cast a spell and command his unit in any part of the Game Round in which the spell is cast. If a spell is cast by a commander, his unit is out of command for the entire Game Round. However, a commander can use magic items or innate spell abilities and still command.

A commander fighting with his unit is considered to be alive as long as a single figure of his unit remains. If the last figure of a unit is removed by combat, roll on Table 11 above to determine the fate of the unit commander.

Under certain circumstances in the Advanced Game (an invisible assassin, magic, etc.) it is possible to remove, immobilize, charm, or kill a commander without necessarily harming the rest of the unit. Otherwise, a Unit Commander fighting with the unit cannot be killed without his unit being destroyed. Commanders who are physically separate from their units can be attacked and killed as if they were Heroes ([9.4]).

CHARACTERS AS DEPUTY COMMANDERS

Any PC/NPC individual can be designated as a Deputy Commander at the start of the game. Deputy Commander status must be recorded on the Heroes and Commanders Roster Sheet.

There are three types of Deputy Commanders: Deputy Unit Commanders, Deputy Brigade Commanders, and Deputy Army Commanders. A Unit Commander can be designated as a Deputy Brigade or Army Commander. A Brigade Commander can be designated as a Deputy Army Commander. Heroes and members of units can be designated as any type of Deputy Commander.

A character can only be a Deputy

Commander for one Commander. Each Commander can have only one Deputy appointed to him.

A Deputy Commander can take over for his designated commander if that commander dies, is disabled, is removed from combat, or is otherwise not in command of his forces. A Deputy Commander can only take over command of a unit that is currently out of command (i.e., command cannot be "passed over" by a Unit Commander who wishes to become a Hero, for example, unless that commander's unit goes out of command for at least the remainder of the current Game Round).

OPTIONAL RULE: If one or more of the armies in the battle are using a special command hierarchy (see [4.10] COMMAND HIERARCHY), the owning player(s) must prepare a Chain of Command chart showing which commanders move into which positions when commanders are lost. This is particularly useful in large-scale battles.

CHARACTERS AS HEROES

Any PC/NPC individual can be designated as a Hero. Heroes are represented by individual figures (no bases) on the battlefield. Heroes roam the battlefield, using their abilities wherever they are most needed. Heroes may fight other Heroes, enemy commanders, powerful monsters, or enemy units. Characters of any class or alignment may be designated as Heroes. Heroes may also be designated as Deputy Commanders.

Heroes can engage in character vs. figure combat and individual combat. Heroes in individual combat use individual initiative, rather than the initiative of their side (see [5.0] INITIATIVE PHASE). Individual combat takes place during the Melee Phase.

Character vs. Figure Combat

If a Hero is capable of affecting all the creatures represented by at least one single figure in an enemy unit (a magic-user with an area effect spell, or a high-level fighter vs. very low-level creatures, for example), resolve the attack using normal BATTLESYSTEM™ melee procedures.

If the Hero cannot affect all the creatures in a figure simultaneously (this is normally the case), use the following procedure:

FIGURE ATTACKING HERO: Only 1 figure can attack a size S or size M Hero at a time. Up to 3 figures can attack a size L Hero at a time. The figure attacks using normal BATTLESYSTEM™ melee procedures. Each hit die of damage caused by the figure causes 4 hit points of damage to the Hero.

HERO ATTACKING FIGURE: The Hero attacks using normal BATTLESYSTEM™ melee procedures. If the hit dice result is less than ½ the figure's hit dice, there is no effect. If the hit dice result is ½ or more of the figure's hit dice, the figure takes a wound. (SPECIAL NOTE: Even if the Hero's attack causes more hit dice of damage than the figure has, the figure still only takes a wound. This means that a Hero cannot kill a figure in less than two Game Rounds, regardless of hit dice results, unless the Hero is capable of affecting all the creatures represented by at least one single figure. In that case, the Hero can kill an enemy figure in only one Game Round.)

Individual Combat

Individual Combat is melee combat between figures with a 1:1 ratio. It is resolved using normal AD&D® or D&D® game melee and magic rules, rather than BATTLESYSTEM™ melee procedures. Individual combat can take place only during the Melee Phase, and only between figures with a 1:1 ratio who are in base-to-base contact.

Individual combat takes place at a rate of 3 AD&D® or D&D® game melee rounds to 1 BATTLESYSTEM™ Melee Phase.

Because of the speeded-up time scale of individual combat, no attack made while in individual combat can ever affect a figure of 2:1, 5:1, or 10:1 ratio, even if it is a ranged (i.e., missile) weapon or an area of effect spell.