Experience for Units (again :)

[DKEvermore]

As a DM, I'm a bit shy about giving permanent bonuses to elite units, what
with evil spells like Bless and Iron Skinned Unit flying about, it quickly
knocks things off kilter for the poor beleaguered bad guys. However, I do
think it would be nice (and realistic) to give _some_ kind of bonus to these
heros. I thought of the following rule:

After each battle the regent has won, he may give a bonus to *one* unit. Each
battle this or other units not only survive, but win, another bonus can be
given to the unit. These bonuses *are* cumulative but can be "spent" in a
battle, reflecting their experience in battle. Everyone has limits, though,
and even the most experienced units may fall apart under continued battle
fatigue.

1st through 3rd bonuses: Ignore one fallback result in the next battle.
-or-
One automatic rally.

4th to 6th bonus: Treat one R result as an H result.

7th to 8th bonus: Treat one H result as an F result.
9th to 10th bonus: Treat one D reult as an H result.

Note however that in order to get a "Treat one R result as an H result" you
must already have three "Ignore one F result" or "Automatic Rally" bonuses.

Also, if the new elite units (of rand 1 through 10!) is involved in a battle
on the loosing side, all elite bonuses are lost as the troops loose confidence
in themselves and their commanders.

- -DKEvermore

[James Ruhland]

>
> As a DM, I'm a bit shy about giving permanent bonuses to elite units,
what
> with evil spells like Bless and Iron Skinned Unit flying about, it
quickly
> knocks things off kilter for the poor beleaguered bad guys. However, I
do
> think it would be nice (and realistic) to give _some_ kind of bonus to
these
> heros. I thought of the following rule:
>
Remember, spells can be used by NPC realms as well as by the PCs. Thus
expensive, highly developed units often seem rather delicate on the
battlefield.
Anyhow, right now I'm experiencing some of the stuff that highly evolved
modern militarys experience:
I created several very powerful, but very expensive units (both to Muster
& to Maintain). Since they were expensive & time consuming to build, I am
more than reluctant to just send them unsupported onto the battlefield the
way you can with regular Knights (an errant Cloudkill cast by the opponent
and *poof*, there goes my elite unit).
So I can only really afford to deploy them supported by "force modifiers":
their own personal Priest (for Dispel Battle Magic & the like), their own
personal Wizard (for Stoneskinned Army & Aura of Invulnerability & the
like), etc. Which means recruiting lots of Lts. Well, not "lots" but you
get the point.
When effectively supported, these units will dominate any battlefield they
are on, much as the US Army dominated Iraq's. But, like the US Army, they
are very a very costly, very delicate machine. Not one properly deployed
feeding starving Aftanians or anything. Which makes them inefficient in
many respects. (that's where the 11th Ballista Fodder Guards come in. Much
like Bangladeshi troops, these guys can be deployed anywhere on
"peacekeeping" missions with little concern for their welfare.)