Lords of Ether (20th Anniversary Edition) Armies

Navigation
Return to the Index

1. Creating a Nation
2. Creating a Transtellar
3. Creating a Hero
4. Advancement
5. Armies
6. Air Forces
7. Navies
8. Fortifications
9. Weapons of Mass Destruction
10. Agents
11. Mages
12. Types of Magic
13. Production
14. Trade
15. Strategic Travel and Fuel
16. Reference Tables

Continue to Table of Contents:

3. Armies

Of all the three main military branches, Lords of Ether perhaps emphasizes the role of Armies the most. Armies defend your land, your cities, your means of production and your people, and are also the prime means of taking such things from your opponents. Aircraft and star-ships cannot take ground, and due to the ease of counter bombardment they cannot even easily dominate a battlefield. Orbital bombardment of sufficient magnitude can weaken a foe, but no matter what, in the end ground troops will have to go in and finish the job.

Complex Armies are made up of troops with a greater diversity of equipment and weapons than Simple Armies. Soldiers by default have powerful ranged weapons in the form of firearms, and usually are backed up by large contingents of vehicles, such as trucks, armoured carriers, and tanks. However in payment for this added power, Complex Military Units leave the easy Upkeep of Simple Military Units behind, and require a great deal of materiel support in the form of both IUU and Ether to function properly.

Army Types

The forces that make up an army are divided into subtypes based on role and function. Within each subtype a set number of individual men or pieces of equipment are gathered together as a Batch and given a Base Batch Cost. For example; in the Type “Unskilled Infantry” there are 100,000 Unskilled Infantry in a Batch, for a Batch Cost of 1 point. This is used in determining Upkeep costs and also in determining the Production Point cost and Production Time for building those units (see Section 11: Production for more details).

Security Forces

Security forces are a nebulous set of unit types that are used to keep track of the population, detect and arrest enemy spies, put down dissent and – in necessary – oppress the population into total subservience. Normal military units can often do these tasks under martial law; Security Forces just do it better.

Informers: 1 point per 100,000

Informers are a handy thing for any police state to have. They're nothing more than the local populace on the government payroll, ordered to keep an eye out for any suspicious persons. A state with a loyal and happy populace and no great paranoia has little need of informers, but in an Nation suffering from discontent they can be invaluable. Unfortunately, once discontent becomes open defiance, informers tend to lie low. In the right circumstances, Informers can also be bought in the populace of another Nation, but doing so takes times as much as ten times the cost and upkeep respectively, and is hardly as hassle free as it is when you control the local security apparatus. The employees of a trans-stellar are automatically informers for their organization. The Advancement modifier for Informers is the average Technology level of the organization on which they are informing, and they take no caps.

Secret Police: 1 point per 10,000

Secret police are para-military troops whose main task is to look after the internal affairs of the nation. They are more effective at putting down civil disorder and keep a close eye out for enemy infiltration. In a pinch they can serve as combat troops, though they're usually only half as effective as Skilled Infantry.

Infantry Types

Unskilled Infantry: 1 point per 100,000

Unskilled Infantry are second line troops that are often raised quickly to act as cannon fodder or to hastily fill gaps in the regular forces. Irregular militia, partisans, or raw conscripts with weapons perhaps a generation less advanced than the regular army fall into this category.

Skilled Infantry: 1 point per 10,000

Skilled infantry are the standard soldiers of most armies, armed with a spread of the standard infantry weapons. Along with personal weapons or small-arms, this includes light artillery like mortars and anti-tank missiles. Most regular modern soldiers would fall into this category.

Elite Infantry: 1 point per 1,000

Elite infantry are specially trained troops, usually armed with the best weapons available. These are still “line” combat forces, but they have special capabilities. They are best employed on specialized missions the standard soldiers are ill trained for. They will give a sterling account of themselves if used in the trenches with the other soldiers, but it is often a waste of their true abilities. Stormtroopers, Paratroops and Marines are good examples of Elite Infantry.

Special Forces: 1 point per 50

These are the very best of the very best. Handpicked men given equipment the rest of the army may not even know about yet, and trained to the absolute highest standards. Such troops are best saved for specific and exceptionally difficult or dangerous tasks. Special Forces are capable of operating discreetly, and can be used as Spies, though they may not conduct Espionage or Counter Intelligence Missions, they make excellent information gatherers and even better assassins. Organizations like the Navy SEALS, Spetznaz and SAS are in this category.

Artillery Types

Self-Propelled Artillery: 1 point per 200

Self Propelled Artillery is the modern army’s “big stick.” Light artillery like man portable mortars and anti-tank weapons are considered integral to the equipment of Infantry formations, but a gathering of larger guns is a necessity for any well-rounded army. In terms of raw firepower-to-cost artillery Types are the best in the game, but even though some pieces of self-propelled Artillery may look like tanks, they are not tanks, and will fare poorly when directly engaged.

Very Heavy Artillery: 1 point per 25

Very Heavy Artillery pieces are the larger weapons that are less common on the battlefield. By default such weapons have limited mobility, suffering effects similar to a -1 Reduced Capability in this area. Railroad cannon and fortress guns fall into this category, or even extremely large rocket batteries.

Super Artillery: 1 point per 1

These are artillery pieces that are just a little over the top. They suffer from effects equivalent to a -2 Reduced Capability in mobility, and so are by default immobile unless deconstructed, or given Additional Capabilities. The “Paris Gun” and the “Dora” fall into this category. In higher TLs, Super Artillery represent theater air defense systems like S-300 and AEGIS Ashore.

Grand Cannon: 10 points per 1

This is the kind of gun you use to justify renaming your planet the “Death Star III”, sweep fleets from your skies and carve your name into the moons of your world in glowing font a thousand kilometres high. Such guns are always immobile, huge, and have refire times limited to no more than one shot a day. They have incredible range and can shoot at targets as far away as the system terminus. Their size tends to limit their firing arcs and as a result such weapons usually only point out into space and have no ability to engage planetary targets.

Vehicle Types

Logistics Vehicles: 1 point per 1,000

These are things like 5 ton trucks or hover pallets. These are motorized vehicles that can be used to transport your troops and supplies on something other than their boots, or behind beasts of burden. Cargo Capacity is 10 for TL1, 25 for TL2, 50 for TL 3, 75 for TL 4, and 100 for TL 5. For more on Cargo Capacity see the Logistics heading of this section.

Reconnaissance Forces: 1 point per 1,000

These are your fast units; the eyes and ears of a well prepared army. Motorcycles with side-cars, Humvees, or BRDM scout cars are good examples of this Type. These units are almost never intended to do much fighting, and have little actual combat potential, so their armour and weapons are limited.

Utility Vehicles: 1 for 1,000

Not quite logistics vehicles or recon forces, utility vehicles are relatively light and cheap mobility systems able to somewhat defend themselves but also carry cargo or troops equal to half what logistics vehicle of their technology level would (5 for TL1, 12 for TL2, 25 for TL 3, 37 for TL 4, and 50 for TL 5, or half the number of troops as an APC. (5 For TL3, 7 at TL4, 10 at TL5). Vehicles like Humvees fall into this category, as do, (with additional armour caps) MRAPs and infantry mobility vehicles.

Infantry Carriers: 1 point per 500

These armoured vehicles become common in more mechanized eras where the infantry have to keep up with the advancing tanks. They can carry 10 infantry at TL 3 (CC 10), 15 at TL 4 (CC 15) and 20 at TL 5 (CC 20). If pressed into service as logistic vehicles they can carry five times this Cargo Capacity in supplies (the same as an equal tech Logistics Vehicle), though doing so makes them unable to carry any troops. Infantry Carriers can be simply battle taxies to ferry troops around and provide them some additional protection, or they can be armed up to the level of full fledged fighting vehicles capable of threatening even tanks.

Light Armour: 1 point per 500

Light Armor are smaller tanks, often used to back up reconnaissance forces, or for deployment with forward units such as paratroop formations. They do not have the armour or firepower of Armour, but are lighter and faster, and with a few additions to firepower can be a very dangerous threat to the larger vehicles.

Armour: 1 point per 100

Armour are the vehicles that one tends to think about most when envisaging modern war – Main Battle Tanks. Armour is well protected, usually quick and packs considerable firepower. Armour covers vehicles from the lumbering lozenge shaped trench crawlers of WWI, to the Panzers of WWII, to modern tanks and beyond.

Very Heavy Armour: 1 point per 50

These are extremely large tanks, or other vehicles from the minds of designers gone slightly mad. Historically few of these (like the inappropriately named German “Maus” – mouse) ever served, but you can change that. Huge tracked beasts often with coaxial guns other tanks would be proud to call main cannon, and main cannon warships would be delighted to own, they are lumbering and expensive and mighty impressive.

Super Vehicle Types

Mobile Gun Fortress: 1 point per 10

This is a rolling, crawling or hovering weapons platform bristling with the firepower of multiple gun and missile systems. One of these can take on a company of tanks. As expansive as Hyper Advanced Armour, they are more powerful, forgoing things like agility and mechanical gee-whizzery in favour of simple brute firepower.

Land Dreadnought: 1 point per 1

This is for those people who feel the need to create something even more devastating than a “mere” Mobile Fortress. These vehicles are veritable battleships with tracks, mounting entire decks of guns and multiple secondary weapons. Bolos fall into this category.

MegaDread: 5 points per 1

MegaDreads are for those who think Land Dreadnoughts don’t go far enough. These vehicles are huge monsters the size of small towns. You may have trouble finding parking spots. Humanoid Vehicle Types

Battlesuits: 1 point per 100

This is for those desiring to create really powerful personal armour rather than tanks; smaller things like ‘Gears or Mobile Infantry for instance. Battlesuits are substantially larger than a power-armoured soldier, but still smaller than a tank. Though they may not have quite the firepower and protection of Armour, their reduced size and greater mobility can more than compensate in the right situations.

Hyper Advanced Armour: 1 point per 10

Hyper Advanced Armour is for the heroically inclined; a massive mechanical warrior displaying abilities that normal vehicles would be hard pressed to match. Anime Mecha and Mobile Suits are in this category. HAA is usually humanoid in form, but sometimes takes the form of other legged animals or insects. It has the ability to mount a plethora of extra equipment, such as two externals rather than one, and to use booster packs. Indeed, if equipped with boosters HAA can make very credible space combatants and have a Flight Speed and Range of Slow and Medium respectively. HAA is truly multi-purpose, but it pays for this flexibility in a high cost, compared to more specialized war machines.

Modifications

Modifications are either positive modifiers called Added Capabilities that increase the power and abilities of a unit, but also increase its cost; or negative modifiers called Reduced Capabilities that reduce the power and abilities of a unit, but also reduce its cost.

Added Capabilities are represented by a “+”, such as “+1 Weapons,” or “+2 Shields.” Some Added Capabilities can be taken multiple times, up to the slot limit of the unit in question, while others can only be taken a limited number of times.

Most technological units, especially at the higher Advancement Levels, already come with a vast array of capabilities. It is not necessary to take “Machine Guns” as an Added Capability for at TL 3 tank, or “Shields” for a TL 5 Land Dreadnought as such devices are assumed to be standard equipment. Thus Added Capabilities are generally broad and sweeping. Each Added Capability takes up one “slot”. The Tech Level of a unit directly determines how many Added Capabilities it can take and how much extra they will cost. Thus a Tech Level 3 unit has three “slots” for Added Capabilities.

Units can exceed this limit by taking what are called “External Added Capabilities.” These are devices which are not integral to the unit, but instead are attached in some manner, such as hastily bolted on, or stuffed into the rucksack. All units can take one External Added Capability, except for Humanoid Vehicles which can take two. Thus a TL5 Hyper Advanced Armour unit could actually have seven Added Capabilities – 5 integral Added Capabilities, plus two extra External Added Capabilities.

However External Added Capabilities are not as efficient as normal Added Capabilities and always incur extra upkeep (usually Ether), even if the Added Capability they are based on would not normally incur extra Upkeep. Thus a +1 External would increase Upkeep by one, and a +2 External by two, and so on.

Taking more than a +1 in most Added Capabilities also incurs extra Upkeep. It should be noted that additional Upkeep costs do not cross over or accumulate between differing Added Capabilities. A +1 Armour Added Capability and a +1 Weapons Added Capability do not increase Upkeep for a unit. A unit can have many Added Capabilities without paying any additional Upkeep so long as they are dispersed across many areas. However, this does NOT mean that by being overly specific you can dodge these costs – more accurate missiles and extra missile warhead power are still both a Weapons Added Capabilities and will incur extra Upkeep costs if taken as a slot each.

It should be noted that a unit with +1 Weapons is not as powerful as two units of the same Type, or one with +1 Armour as tough as two other units. Added Capabilities make a unit significantly more capable, but they don’t fully compensate for the increased cost. However, the advantage is that smaller, more capable armies are easier to deploy and handle on the battlefield as they take up much less space and usually fewer supplies. For this reason a small, high-capped force can still defeat a much larger low-capped army.

Reduced Capabilities are modifiers that lower the capabilities of a unit, but also lower its cost. Each Reduced Capability cancels out the cost increase of one Added Capability. If there are no Added Capabilities left, or none have been taken, a Reduced Capability reduces the Basic Batch Cost of the unit by one half. Reduced capabilities are represented by a “-”. Reduced Capabilities are usually taken either as a -1 or a -2. A -1 is a serious (50% or more) reduction in Capability in the listed area. A -2 is a near total reduction in Capability in the listed area. As many different Reduced Capabilities as desired can be taken, though the Basic Batch Cost can never go below one half.

How Added and Reduced Capabilities affect the cost of units is discussed in detail in Section 13: Production.

Added Capabilities List

+X Armour: Extra armour is one of the most common additions taken for Army Types. It can be taken multiple times on all units. If Infantry take more than a +1 Armour they become particularly bulky and take up twice the usual Cargo Capacity. Such infantry are often called power armoured infantry. Every Armour Added Capability over the first incurs an extra +1 Ether Upkeep due to increased weight and fuel demands.

+X Shields/Point Defences: Shields become available at TL4 and are energy barriers and fields, however TL3 units can simulate their effects with Point Defences like the ARENA System. Shields or Point Defences are not as reliable as Armour, but when they do function can provide a unit with better protection. They can also disrupt spells that pass through them. Shields or Point Defences can be taken multiple times, but every Added Capability over the first incurs an extra +1 Ether Upkeep due to increased energy drain by the shield generators, or Point Defence power packs.

+X Weapons: This added cap increases the general offensive firepower of a unit, and is one of the more common and widely used Added Capabilities. While it can add a bit of flavor to list such Added Capabilities as “+1 Heavy Broadside Cannon,” or “+2 Smart Missiles,” the reasons for this increased firepower do not need to be specified. Weapons can be taken multiple times, but every Weapons Added Capability over the first incurs an extra +1 Ether or Industry Upkeep due to increased ammunition demands. It should be specified whether the Upkeep is paid in Ether or IUU, and this cannot be changed – a 200mm cannon cannot suddenly be loaded with fuel cells rather than tungsten cored solid shells.

+X Close Combat Weapons: Close Combat Weapons are added caps that augment the ability of the unit to fight the enemy in close combat. They are usually powerful but short ranged firearms, like pistols, shotguns, flamethrowers, or bands of claymores around the turret. Close Combat Weapons have extremely limited ranges that make them only useful on specialized units, or in special situations (like house to house fighting) but they have the advantage of never adding to the upkeep of a unit, no matter how many times this Added Capability is taken.

+X Extended Range: This Added Capability extends the range of the unit’s weapons and sensors. Of particular note, this Added Capability allows certain units to engage starships in orbit and beyond – an ability commonly called Ground-to-Orbit, or “GTO”. Artillery, Very Heavy Artillery and Mobile Gun Forts can engage orbital targets with a +1, while most Armour, Very Heavy Armour and Hyper Advanced Armour can do so with a +2. Super Artillery, Land Dreadnoughts, MegaDreads and of Course grand Cannon are naturally GTO platforms but this Added Capability can still extend their range further out into space. It can be taken multiple times, but every Extended Range Added Capability over the first incurs an extra +1 Ether or Industry Upkeep. It should be specified whether the Upkeep is paid in Ether or IUU, and this cannot be changed.

+1 Long Range Weapons: Rather than actually extending the range of the unit, these are weapons designed for optimum performance at longer ranges - sniper rifles and antishipping missiles are two examples. Instead of gaining the standard firepower bonus for engaging at Close range, they gain firepower at Long range. This Added Capability may only be taken once, and once taken modifies ALL the weapons on the unit – you may not have a mix of Long Ranged and normal weapons.

+2 Megacannon: This Added Capability is only available for Land Dreadnoughts and MegaDreads. It adds a BFG to a unit that can only be fired once per day, but provides a massive increase in firepower for that one shot. However, when a unit is using its normal weapons it provides no other bonus. A unit may only have a single Megacannon, and it incurs an extra +2 Upkeep, in either Industry or Ether.

+1 Anti-Tank Weapons: This Added Capability is available to all units, and augments their abilities against vehicles. This would typically involve giving infantry additional anti-tank missiles, or putting extra large guns on tanks. In the process the unit’s anti-infantry weapons are neglected, and so its capabilities against infantry are seriously reduced. This Added Capability may only be taken once, and once taken modifies ALL the weapons on the unit to be Anti-Tank. Anti-Tank has no effect on Super Vehicles, as these are just too large for specialized AT weaponry to be as effective. You may not take Anti-Infantry and Anti-Tank on the same unit.

+1 Anti-Infantry Weapons: This Added Capability is available to all units. It optimizes their weapons for use against infantry targets, but in doing so seriously reduces their anti-vehicle capabilities. This Added Capability may only be taken once, and once taken modifies ALL the weapons on the unit to be Anti-Infantry. You may not take Anti-Infantry and Anti-Tank on the same unit.

+1 Anti-Aircraft Weapons: This Added Capability is available to all units, but is most common on Artillery. It enhances a unit’s ability to engage aerial targets, though in the process removes its ability to effectively engage ground targets. Anti-Aircraft Weapons can only be taken once, and may be combined with either +1 Anti-Tank Weapons (which might create a weapon like the German 88, or the ADATS) or with +1 Anti-Infantry Weapons (which would create a weapon like the ZSU-23-4, or the Oerlikon). If combined with either Anti-Tank or Anti-Infantry, Anti-Aircraft regain the ability to engage ground targets of that type, and are in fact very deadly at it.

+1 Anti-Shipping Weapons: This Added Capability is available to all units, though it has limited applications for most. It enhances a unit’s ability to engage large vessels of all kinds, including all types of Naval Vessels, Airships, and even Super Vehicles (which for these purposes are considered ships), but due to the large nature of such weapons it severely limits their ability to attack infantry and any smaller vehicles and aircraft. Anti-Shipping Weapons can only be taken once, may be combined with either +1 Anti-Tank Weapons (which might create a land based cruise missile battery) or with +1 Anti-Aircraft Weapons (which might very large SAM battery), in which case it regains the ability to engage those types of targets.

+1 Fast Tracking Weapons: This Added Capability modifies the weapons of a unit to allow it to track and engage extremely rapidly. If the unit with fast-tracking wins initiative it can destroy the enemy before its opponent has a chance to return fire. Fast Tracking Weapons is best used by formations where it is possessed by all the main combat units, such as anti-tank teams or stormtroopers. If only a handful of Fast Tracking units are present in a larger formation they will tend to engage with the other units and so the advantage is lost. Fast Tracking Weapons can be taken once and does not add to Upkeep.

+X Sensors: Sensors tend to be limited on most land vehicles, restricted to targeting aids and immediate threat detection systems, however the larger and more advanced vehicles such as Hyper Advanced Armour, Gun Forts and Land Dreadnoughts also usually come with extensive long range detection systems to maximize their multitude of weapons, and anti-aircraft vehicles also often have powerful detection gear to allow them to pick up incoming aircraft. Typical sensor abilities and ranges are described in greater depth in Section 10: Sensors and Communications. A unit does not have to have Sensors itself to take advantage of them, as they can receive targeting data from another unit with Sensors. Specialized detection vehicles can be created by giving a vehicle multiple Sensor Added Caps and then removing other unneeded capabilities with Reduced Capabilities to offset the costs. As with other Added Capabilities, for every Sensor Added Capability that is taken after the first a unit gains +1 Ether Upkeep.

+X Communications: While all Complex Military Units are assumed to have some form of communications, from telegraph and wireless to subspace relays, some units have a need for more specialized and dedicated systems. Communications boosts the command rating of a force, and allows information to be passed faster and in greater detail. Communications is a good Added Capability for command units, which can use it to co-ordinate others, and for scouts and sensor units who can use it to relay their information to others. In automated armies it can even allow a command unit to remotely control other forces (detailed in Section 10: Sensors and Communications). Communications can be taken multiple times, but for every Communications Added Capability that is taken after the first a unit gains +1 Ether Upkeep.

+X Command Post Vehicle: Militaries often have mobile command posts from which generals can survey the battlefield, issue orders and make plans. The presence of such units on the battlefield can greatly assist other combat units. All armies are naturally assumed to have sufficient assets to command their forces, but Command Post Vehicle turns a unit into a specialized command vehicle. Usually CP Vehicles group together to form a functioning Headquarters, and in a conventional mechanized army (which players are by no means obligated to form) a Battalion or Brigade will usually have from 10-20, and a Division 50 or more. Often Command Post Vehicles are combined with other Added Capabilities such as Sensors and Communications. Command Post Vehicle can be taken multiple times, but for every Added Capability that is taken after the first a unit gains +1 Ether Upkeep.

+1 Engineers: Engineers play a critical role on battlefields, from preparing fortifications, to clearing enemy defence lines. The Engineers Added Capability is best given to heavier vehicles (such as an armoured plough or mine-clearing flail on a tank or APC) or to Elite Infantry. This Added Capability allows a unit to reinforce the protection offered by terrain (for itself and for other units) as well as to lay and clear mines, and to break enemy fortifications. It may only be taken once, and incurs no extra Upkeep.

+X Cargo Capacity: This Added Capability applies mostly to Logistics Vehicles and Infantry Carriers, though it can be added to any vehicle. For Logistics Vehicles and Infantry Carriers each +1 Cargo Capacity increases the total that can be carried by 50% of the base amount. That is, the percentage increases are not cumulative, so a TL3 truck (50 CC) with +2 Cargo Capacity as its Added Capabilities would have a total Cargo Capacity of 100 Cargo Points, not 113. Any vehicle that does not have intrinsic cargo carrying capability gains Cargo Capacity equal to its Tech Level multiplied by 1/100th the Cargo Points it takes up, for each time it takes Cargo Capacity. Thus TL3 Armour with +1 Cargo Capacity would have a CC of 6, while a TL5 Land Dreadnought with +2 Cargo Capacity would have a CC of 500. These Added Capabilities can be taken multiple times and do not increase Upkeep in any way.

+X Compact: Compact allows for smaller units that take up less space and present smaller targets to enemy fire. Each +1 of Compact reduces the CP a unit takes up by half. Thus Armour with +1 Compact would take up 100 CP rather than 200 CP, and Armour with +2 Compact would take up 50 CP, and with +3; 25 CP and so on. If a unit with Carrying Capacity takes Compact its Carrying Capacity is similarly reduced. Compact can be taken multiple times and does not incur any additional Upkeep no matter how many times it is taken.

+1 Airdroppable: Some units are specifically built out of lightweight alloys and clever designs to significantly reduce their weight; the primary intent of such expensive modifications is to allow them to be transported easily via tonnage-limited aircraft. This added cap may only be taken by vehicles and eliminates the CP penalty imposed by transporting a vehicle by air; it may also be situationally useful in terrain where weight is a noteworthy concern (e.g. deep snow). It does not incur any additional Upkeep.

+X ECM: ECM stands for Etheric Countermeasures. It is used to blind sensors, jam or decoy guided weapons and even counter magical effects. All advanced vehicles have some sort of ECM, but this Added Capability expands those capabilities. ECM affects the entire battlefield, and the more units that have ECM, the more effective it becomes, cutting down the ranges at which the enemy can see and engage at, and increasing the chance of spell failure. ECM can be taken multiple times, and for each Added Capability after the first incurs +1 Ether Upkeep.

+X Stealth: Stealth can be anything from a well-made Ghillie suit, to radar absorbent construction, to thermoptic or holographic camouflage, to full cloaking. Stealth of any sort is not easy to just slap on a vehicle or person; the more comprehensive the Stealth package the more design compromises in other areas that are required. +1 Stealth has no detrimental effects on a unit, but at +2 or higher it reduces the protection of the unit by 25% as defensive fields and armour are compromised by the Stealth architecture. Stealth is never totally absolute, even at the highest levels, and there is always a chance it can be penetrated, particularly after a unit opens fire on the enemy. Stealth can be taken multiple times, and for each Added Capability after the first incurs +1 Ether Upkeep.

+X Disguise: Purposeful effort meant not to hide a unit, but to make it look like something else to varying levels of scrutiny. This will not allow a unit to perfectly mirror a unit belonging to another power, only appear to an observer to be a different unit type of roughly the same size. At +1 this can allow for a unit to fool inspection at a distance such as ‘soldiers’ carrying fake guns. At +2 this can allow for a unit to appear convincing on close inspection, such as 3-piece kevlar suits and a matching briefcase gun.

+1 Automation: Automation is the replacing of people with machines. It speeds up routine processes, reduces error, increases efficiency and decreases Upkeep costs. An Automated vehicle will have a higher command rating and be more resilient to battle damage. As well, Wealth Upkeep and Draft requirements are both halved. Automation does not itself incur any additional Upkeep.

+1 Mind: Magical powers, or indeed magitech powers, can imbue an Artificed unit with some form of intelligence and awareness to eliminate human attendants or crew. Wealth upkeep and Draft requirements are eliminated entirely. For narrative purposes a unit with +1 Mind is ranges from half cognizant - while able to understand and follow simple instructions it is easily confused - at low MLs to a fully coherent human-level intelligence at higher levels.

+2 AI/Mind: Both magical and technological powers can not only eliminate the human factor entirely but exceed it, whether by binding a spirit to the machine or advanced computing. AI has an even better command rating and battle damage resilience than +1 Automation. Additionally it reduces Wealth Upkeep and Draft requirements to zero. AI does not itself incur any additional Upkeep. As an aside, a +2 Mind is a human-level intelligence straightaway but a technological AI may not be the best conversation partner until TL5 Psych.

+1 Clones: At a sufficient level of Psychology and Biology, a Power can produce flash Clones with the implanted training to function as soldiers as soon as they are decanted. Draft pool requirements are removed entirely. However, at TL4 Biology, these clones are deeply problematic, as such they both take a full Capability slot and they must take the effect of a Reduced Capability - pick from the list below. At TL5 Biology these flash Clones are fully stable, having no negative effect, and become Slotless.

+1 Low Maintenance: Units with Low Maintenance are either very efficient and reliable, or perhaps just possess crews who are very skilled at doing more with less. Low Maintenance halves the Industry Upkeep of a unit (round up). It may only be taken once and incurs no additional Upkeep.

+X Regenerating: This Added Capability is also called Self Sustaining. Regenerating units will slowly repair themselves after battle, as well as re-arm all their weapons and maintain their systems without Industry resupply. Regenerating converts all Industry Upkeep to Ether, makes repairs faster and cheaper, and increases damage control saves. Taking this Added Capability more than once increases the speed at which self-repair happens. Regenerating incurs no additional Upkeep no matter how many times it is taken.

+X Added Mobility (Vehicles): Added Mobility allows vehicles to move faster, either due to more powerful engines, better suspension, or perhaps just incredibly reckless drivers. This increased speed is strategically very useful as it allows forces to quickly manoeuvre through and past their foes, making this Added Capability invaluable for breakthrough forces. Added Mobility may be taken multiple times, but each Added Capability after the first incurs +1 Ether Upkeep.

+X Added Mobility (Infantry): Added Mobility functions differently for Infantry and Humanoid Vehicles than for all other vehicles. It does not allow them to travel faster from point to point, but instead makes them more mobile on the battlefield. This mobility makes them harder to kill, as they can quickly navigate difficult obstacles as well as dodge from cover to cover and thus increases their protection. This Added Capability functions best in areas with plenty of obstacles and cover. Only Infantry and Humanoid Vehicle Types may use this Added Capability, and they may not use Added Mobility (Vehicles). It may be taken multiple times, but for each Added Mobility (Infantry) Added Capability after the first incurs +1 Ether Upkeep.

+X Boosters: Boosters function the same for both Infantry/Humanoid Vehicles and all other Vehicles. Boosters are much more powerful engines than normal, and grant a greater speed increase than normal Added Mobility (Vehicles) Added Capabilities. At +1 Boosters allow very swift travel, as well as jumps of unusual height and distance. At +2 and higher units may actually conduct a form of low altitude flight and actually pass over intervening terrain. Units with boosters can also function in Space, though only Infantry and Humanoid Types will do so well. Boosters may be taken multiple times, but each Added Capability (including the first) incurs +1 Ether Upkeep, as boosters are real fuel hogs. When taken as an expendable external this Added Capability is sometimes called “Chutes,” and used to simulate troops jumping out of aircraft, either by parachute or by more snazzy devices like gravity chutes or retro boosters.

+1 Legs: The Legs Added Capability allows a normal Vehicle to shed its wheels or tracks and gain the mobility abilities of Humanoid Vehicle Types. Legged vehicles are usually slower than wheeled vehicles over open terrain, but are hindered less by difficult terrain, and are more agile in battle and so more likely to avoid incoming fire. Taking this Added Capability turns a vehicle into something similar to a Battlemech. Infantry, Battlesuits and Hyper Advanced Armour have no need to take this Added Capability as it functions exactly like Added Mobility (Infantry). Legs can be taken only once and incurs no additional Upkeep.

+X Arms: The Arms Added Capability gives a unit extra motivators with which to carry and manipulate things. Each +1 Arms allows a unit to carry one extra External Added Capability. This Added Capability also slightly enhances a units ability in Close Combat. Arms may be taken multiple times, and does not incur any extra Upkeep no matter how many times it is taken.

+1 Amphibious: Units with Amphibious are equally capable in water as they are on land. This Added Capability is often given to Elite Infantry and Special Forces acting as Frogmen, as well as to vehicles designed to be used on- and even under-water, such as submersible mobile suits. This Added Capability is not required for units that are just being used to wade through shallow rivers or off landing craft, but is intended for those that intend to make water their element. It converts a unit's equipment, including weapons, shields, boosters and so forth to function properly underwater as well as above. Amphibious Mobility can only be taken once, and has no effect outside of the water.

+1 Environmental Training (Mountains/Winter/Desert/Space/Jungle-Woodland/Urban): Planets are often covered in varying and difficult – even dangerous – environments. These environments can limit the combat ability of an army, unless soldiers are specially trained to deal with them. Units with Environmental Training may ignore some of the minuses for fighting in inclement environments. Environmental Training may only be taken once, incurs no extra Upkeep, and is normally a Slot Free Added Capability. If taken as an external this Added Capability is considered Environmental Equipment and is not Slot Free, taking up one external slot, and costing the usual External Upkeep. It otherwise functions exactly the same as Environmental Training.

+1 Loyalty Training: Thanks to a highly selective screening process and a steady diet of propaganda these troops are loyal to death. Units with this cap have a higher resistance to enemy subversion and will be the last troops to rebel, if ever. In addition, whether by suicidal fanaticism or rear of the Commissar’s wrath, these troops will undertake missions that any other sane solider would balk at. Loyalty Training can only be taken once, incurs no extra Upkeep, and counts as a Slot Free added capability. If taken as an external this Added Capability it is considered to be additional equipment (slave collars, or neural whips perhaps?) and is not Slot Free, taking up one external slot, and costing the usual External Upkeep. It otherwise functions exactly the same as Loyalty Training.

+1/+2 Space Based (Ortillery): This Added Capability is for Artillery Types only. A Power may have the need for dedicated orbital weapon systems without having to pay for all the other associated systems involved in making a Space Fortification. In those cases artillery can be modified to be Space Based, which allows them to be placed and function properly in orbit and deep space. Space Based Artillery has enough mobility to shift targets and make small positional changes, but it is otherwise effectively immobile, and must be carried to new locations by ships. Typically space-based Artillery (sometimes known as Ortillery) makes up constellations of orbital fire support beam cannons, rings of defensive missile pods and other systems of the sort. Space Based is a +1 Added Capability for all Artillery types save Grand Cannons, where it is a +2 Added Capability. Space Based Grand Cannon can fire at the planet below, though their firepower is partially diffused by the atmosphere. Whether a +1 or +2, Space Based incurs no additional Upkeep.

+1/2 Casting Chamber: A casting chamber is an area on a large unit purposefully designed to amplify the effects of spellcraft. It can be equipped on any unit with a base batch size of 1/10 or larger, providing a free level of AoE for spells cast by a mage within it and reducing the enchantment cost of the unit in question as if it were one ML lower (to a minimum of 1). Only one mage can be assigned to any particular casting chamber. Note that for batches with more than 1 unit, the free AoE still only applies to one mage.

+1 Multifusion (Tech/Magic): It is possible to build a military unit with more than one Technomagical or Magitech Fusion. For each Fusion after the first a batch must take a Multifusion Added Capability. Each Multifusion Added Capability applies only to a specific combination of Tech and Magic, so a unit with Engineering/Movement, Engineering/Material, and Engineering/Creation would still need two Multifusion Added Capabilities. Multifusion is Build Free and Slot Free, and does not increase Upkeep.

Reduced Capabilities

-1/-2 Reduced Armour: Reduced Armour reduces the physical protection of a unit by 50% if taken once, and utterly removes all physical protection if taken twice. A Type that would normally be un-armoured or lightly protected can only take this Reduced Capability once.

-1/-2 Reduced Shields: Like Reduced Armour, taking this once reduces shields to 50% strength, and twice removes them completely. It does not affect the Upkeep of a unit in any way. A Type that would normally be un-shielded obviously cannot take this, and one that would normally have very weak shields, like smaller but highly advanced vehicles such as high end tanks lose their shields entirely with the first minus.

-1 Reduced Cargo Capacity: In Logistics Vehicles or Infantry Carriers this halves the amount that the vehicle can carry. It can only be taken once, since a Truck unable to carry anything, or a Halftrack unable to load any troops is a pretty pointless vehicle.

-1/-2 Slow/Immobile: The unit in question is just slow. Taking this Reduced Capability once cuts speed in half, and twice makes the unit totally immobile. Obviously a Type that is already immobile by definition, such as a Grand Cannon, cannot take this Reduced Capability. Also a Type that already suffers from reduced mobility such as Very Heavy Artillery will become immobile upon taking this once.

-1 Reduced Weapons Range: This Reduced Capability cuts the maximum range of a vehicle’s weapon systems, and is common on specialized close combat vehicles like flamethrower tanks and such that have no need to engage targets at longer ranges.

-1 Sensors/Tracking: Units with this Reduced Capability have problems with finding and engaging targets, and unless attacking from ambush will generally be engaged before they can shoot back. It is best to group units with this Reduced Capability together since if placed with other units that are faster to engage they will rarely get a chance to shoot before their comrades deal with the enemy, or they are destroyed themselves.

-1 Command: Units with this Reduced Capability are uncoordinated and often unreliable. They will be slow to respond to orders, and have trouble reacting to unpredictable situations. Garrison and trench-bound forces can often get away with this Reduced Capability with little detriment (so long as the enemy doesn’t break through!), but it can severely hamper offensive operations.

-1 High Visibility: The units in question are extremely visible on sensors, more so than would be normal for their Type, and sensors and guided weapons have a very easy time locking onto and engaging them. This isn’t just a throwaway Reduced Capability; in an environment of modern war it can be an early death sentence. Even without advanced sensors it often manifests as other telltale giveaways, such as vast clouds of smoke or a noise that can be heard miles away.

-1 Increased Upkeep: The unit in question just is not efficient in one area or another. –1 Increased Upkeep doubles the upkeep costs in the selected area; either Wealth, Industry or Ether. It should be noted that Types with extra Wealth demands must now pay that Wealth Upkeep monthly when under War Upkeep.

-1 Export Model: Export Model units are built with a significantly lower number of Advancement points within an Advancement Level than the Power is capable of. If the unit is 50 Advancement points or more lower than what the Power is capable of building it gains a -1 Reduced Capability to build the unit, allowing cheaper and faster construction. This does not apply to Advancement levels but to Advancement points within those levels. For example: a TL 5 Power building a TL 3 tank is normally assumed to have built one with an Advancement of 3.99. However if such a Power were to build a vehicle at 3.5 Advancement points it would gain a -1 Reduced Capability for building a WWII panzer rather than a post modern MBT. However, if a TL 5 power were to build a TL 3 tank at 3.99, it does not gain this Reduced Capability, as it is building the tank at the maximum level 3 technology. This Reduced Capability only applies within Tech Levels.

-2 Single Use: This negative capability refers to units which are intended to be used exactly once, taking the form of expendable drones, pustulent exploding zombies, arms of very dubious manufacturing quality or in more macabre situations as kamikaze units. Regardless of the outcome, they shall only ever see battle once and be lost afterwards.

Army Upkeep

This is the part everyone hates, but like it or not, those massive militaries have to be maintained. Upkeep comes in three separate parts: the money you have to pay for your forces or Wealth; the goods you have to make to keep them going or Industry, and the fuel you have to use to run them or Ether. Upkeep is always based on the Base Batch Cost, and then modified by the effects of any additional Added Capabilities. It is paid once a year, except in specific circumstances detailed later.

Three Types of Upkeep

Wealth:

Your troops need to be paid, as do the mechanics who work on your war machines, and the service people who feed and clothe them, and more. This is Wealth Upkeep. All Types have to pay this regardless of tech level, and as with all Upkeep costs it is based on the Base Batch Cost of the Type, so 10,000 Skilled Infantry would have a Wealth Upkeep of 1, as would 50 Special Forces. A Grand Cannon on the other hand would have a Wealth Upkeep of 10. Wealth is almost never subject to increased Upkeep (unless you decide to pay the troops more for some reason) but it can be reduced or even removed by automating certain processes. Partially automated systems (a +1 Added Capability) pay half Wealth Upkeep while fully automated systems (a +2 Added Capability; essentially full Artificial Intelligence) pay no Wealth Upkeep at all.

Industry:

Your troops also need to be fed, clothed, and armed, and their vehicles need ammunition and parts. This is Industry Upkeep. Once war reaches the industrial age and becomes an exercise in materiel expenditure Industry becomes a vital necessity for all units. Like Wealth, Industry Upkeep is based on the Base Batch Cost, however it is more commonly subject to increases caused by Added Capabilities such as extra weapons. In such a case, additional Upkeep for the Added Capabilities is simply added to that of the basic Industrial Upkeep for the Type. Industrial Upkeep can be reduced by such Added Capabilities as Low Maintenance, which halves the Necessary Industrial Upkeep. The most advanced military forces can also pay the Industrial Upkeep instead as Ether Upkeep by using regeneration and replication technologies.

Ether:

As they are dependent on fuel to run, all Vehicles always have Ether Upkeep. For vehicles Ether Upkeep is based on their Base Batch Cost and any Added Capability costs they incur. Infantry do not have Ether upkeep, and only gain it if they take Added Capabilities that incur extra Ether Upkeep. There are no ways to reduce Ether Upkeep, and it must always be paid in full for a unit to function.

Upkeep in Wartime

Normally Upkeep is paid on a yearly basis, one payment being enough to last a Batch for a 12-month period. However war devours resources at an astonishing rate and the normal yearly payment assumes only peacetime expenditures. Units in combat thus must pay Upkeep on a monthly rather than yearly basis, at least for Industry and Ether. It is a rare army that pays its troops extra simply for doing their jobs, so Wealth Upkeep remains the same.

This war upkeep makes modern combat a very expensive proposition, and difficult to sustain without massive support infrastructure, extensive pre-war stockpiling, or both.

Limiting Upkeep Payments

Apart from buying expensive Added Capabilities to cut down on Upkeep there are a number of strategies a power can use to reduce the drain of its Armies on its economy and infrastructure.

Firstly you don’t have to pay your men. Your soldiers won’t instantly desert if you don’t pay the Wealth Upkeep. However, troops without pay still have to eat. While they may hang around out of patriotism, they may also begin looking for other ways to supplement their non-existent incomes, such as crime. Fail to pay them for long enough in peacetime and morale will plummet, training standards will fall, and effectiveness as a cohesive force drop. However, if you’re in the midst of a desperate war against an enemy who is already kicking your ass, not receiving their paychecks probably won’t affect troop morale much.

Similarly, you also don’t have to pay the Industrial and Ether Upkeep. Doing so however will enforce a level of idleness in the army that is bad for training standards and tends to lower morale. You can get away with this for a few years, or by only using selected units – a few units detailed to barracks duties each year on a rotating basis won’t harm overall capability much – but if you shut down the entire army, and especially if you do it for more than a year, the troops are going to begin losing their edge. Also, after five years of general inactivity, most of the equipment will be totally unserviceable. However, having units that only activate once every two or three years is a good way to simulate reserves.

During wartime there is also no requirement to have the entire army active at once. Indeed in many cases this may not be possible. Units can be rotated onto and off the battlefront, both to rest them up and to conserve supplies. Portions of a force can be placed on reduced activity or held in strategic reserve to concentrate supplies in critical sectors, or save up for general offensives.

Army Logistics

Logistics is the science of supply and transport. It’s all very well to have food, parts, ammunition and fuel, but it still has to find its way to the units that need it when they need it. It’s also great to have armoured hordes, but worthless if they can’t be moved to where they’re needed. Logistics plays a big part in Lords of Ether, though it is greatly simplified (in real life logistics is a fiendishly complex thing which would take more pages than this entire manual to detail). Nevertheless, the army that ignores logistics does so at its peril.

Supplies

In general all Batches carry one full Upkeep load of Industry and Ether – enough to last them either a year in peacetime, or a month in wartime. Once that runs out they need to restock. This can be done by either bringing them to the supplies (rolling them into a depot) or by bringing the supplies to them (sending out a convoy of trucks).

When anything of significance needs to be moved, the Cargo Points it takes up must be considered. Industry for military forces takes the form of finished goods, which take up 5,000 Cargo Points per 1 point of Industry.

Ether takes up a multitude of forms depending on the tech level of its storage devices:

Pure Ether/Etherite Coal/Ethernol: 5,000 CP per 1 point of Ether

This is the most common form of Ether, and is used by all Powers prior to the development of more efficient Etheric storage systems.

Ether Cell (Physics/Mathematics 4): 1,000 CP per 1 point of Ether

An Ether Cell is concentrated Ether in a battery-like apparatus. It can be recharged from lesser forms of Ether and is a very stable method of continued power, as well as less bulky.

Etheric Fusion Catalyst (Chemistry 4): 1,000 CP per 1 point of Ether

Etheric Fusion Catalysts store Ether in concentrated forms, and then break it down with various chemical reactions. Where an Ether Cell puts out a steady stream of power, Fusion Catalysts are great for sudden, whopping great expenditures.

ZPE Reactors/Geode Reactors: Most ground vehicles are too small to mount such devices as ZPE or Geode Reactors, however the larger craft (Base Batch Cost 1 point per 10 and higher) can squeeze such apparatus in. If they do so, they use the rules for ships, found in Section 6C. Navies. At the higher Advancement levels the space taken up by forms of Ether decreases, which allows Batches using those less bulky forms to carry proportionally greater amounts. A vehicle running on an Ether Cell has a fuel source taking up 1/5th the space compared to that of a vehicle running on Ethernol, and so could carry five Upkeep loads of Ether rather than just one. This is not the default however. Unless otherwise stated a Batch is always assumed to be carrying a single Upkeep payment – no more. Also if a vehicle carrying extra fuel is lost in battle, the extra fuel is unlikely to be recoverable and will be lost as well.

So, a Tank (Armour) formation of 500 vehicles (5 Batches of 100) with an Upkeep of 5 Industry and 5 Wealth and 5 Ether would, in wartime, require resupply in Industry and Ether every month. Assuming TL 3 the vehicles will be running off Ethernol. Thus to resupply them they will require 25,000 Cargo Points worth of Industry and 25,000 Cargo Points worth of Ether. A TL 3 Logistics Vehicle can carry 50 Cargo Points, so that’s 1,000 trips by a single Logistics vehicle, or one trip by 1,000. A great deal of how you structure your resupply depends on the military situation – distance from your supply bases, speed of advance, number of vehicles and security of your rear areas.

Logistics can be skimmed over in the defence where fighting takes place near sources of supply, but those contemplating offensive war should pay particular attention to ensuring they have sufficient transport to move all their supplies.

Travel

Troops take time to move across the countryside, with mounted and mechanized forces moving the swiftest. Travel is calculated by Terrain Regions, and the more difficult the regional terrain, the longer the journey takes.

Under their own power, Infantry can travel an open region in about a month, but can take two or three times as long to traverse Difficult or Very Difficult Terrain. Vehicles take about a week, though Difficult Terrain can slow this, and in some cases Very Difficult Terrain is totally impassable to them unless key routes are secured.

In war these movement rates can be dramatically slowed as enemies make the advancing forces pay for every step of ground. In peacetime with no immediate threats any TL3 or higher civilization is assumed to have a road and rail network that allows the transport of troops from any one Region to another within the space of a week, regardless of distance. However in wartime such networks can be subject to attack which can make traveling on them hazardous.

It should be noted that Armies do not pay extra Upkeep for traveling, and the fuel costs for road moves and long marches are considered part of their normal upkeep, both in war and peace.

Army units with Boosters may move in Space, though they may only use them to fly from point to nearby point (such as jetting from one starship over to the next in a boarding action). The exception is Humanoid Vehicles, which are considered Slow, Mid ranged Aircraft when equipped with boosters and deployed in space (on a planet they function as any other booster equipped ground unit). They may also use Aircraft Booster Packs, paying the same for them as Aircraft of a similar Batch Size (See Section 6B. Air Forces for more details).

Cargo Point Values for Transport

Armies don’t always remain on their home continent, or even home planet. Often they need to be moved vast distances over sea or stars. The most common method of doing this is with naval forces, primarily freighters (detailed in 7C. Navies) though air transport is also common (detailed in 6B. Air Forces). Like Logistics Vehicles, Freighters and air transport have a certain Cargo Capacity, described in Cargo Points that they can carry. All Army Types also have rough Cargo Point values that they take up. These Cargo Point, or “CP” values are detailed below:

Infantry CP Values: Infantry have two different Cargo Point “settings”. One is for brief transport; journeys lasting no more than a day or so. The other is for long trips of weeks or months where the men must live, eat and sleep on their particular transport. For brief journeys infantry take only 1 Cargo Point per man. For long journeys they take 10. This is the same for all Tech Levels, as the living space requirements remain roughly the same. It is possible to cram soldiers in tighter on long journeys however their combat effectiveness will suffer significantly when they arrive at their destination. Unlike vehicles, normal infantry do not take up extra space when carried by Air.

Power Armoured Infantry CP Values: An important point to note is that infantry equipped with power armour (+2 armour or more) take up twice as much CP (so 2 CP and 20 CP), as the armour and its assorted munitions and maintenance gear take extra space. Note that this applies to Infantry Carriers as well, so a normal TL3 Infantry Carrier can carry 10 infantry, or 5 infantry in power armour. Power armoured infantry also take up twice this value (so 4 CP) if carried by aircraft, which have problems with the extra weight.

Logistics Vehicle CP Values: Logistics Vehicles take their own Cargo Capacity in Cargo Points to move, +50%. So a Tech Level 3 truck (50 CP) would take 75 Cargo Points if it were being carried inside another vehicle. It could however still carry 50CP worth of cargo within itself at the same time. Thus Logistics Vehicles effectively only take up 50% of their Cargo Capacity in CP. Because of their weight of Vehicles, Logistics Vehicles double the CP they take up if carried by Aircraft or Aviation, however they take up no extra space if transported by ship.

Reconnaissance Forces/Battlesuits: These units are relatively small and lightweight and take up 50 CP per vehicle, or 100 CP if carried by air, however they take up no extra space if transported by ship.

Infantry Carriers/Light Armour: These vehicles are significantly heavier than Reconnaissance Forces or Battlesuits and take up 100 CP per vehicle, or 200 CP if carried by Air, however they take up no extra space if transported by ship. Unlike Logistics Vehicles, Infantry Carriers may not transport supplies or troops while loaded in another vehicle – that would be both unsafe and uncomfortable.

Armour/SP Artillery: These vehicles take up 200 CP per vehicle, or 400 CP if carried by air, however they take up no extra space if transported by ship.

Very Heavy Armour/Very Heavy Artillery/Hyper Advanced Armour: These vehicles take 500 CP a piece or 1,000 CP if transported by air. As with all other vehicles they take up no extra space when transported by ship. Hyper Advanced Armour can also use Deck Space like Aircraft, and take up 5 DP.

Mobile Gun Forts/Super Artillery: These vehicles are quite massive and take up 1,000 CP or 2,000 CP if transported by air. As with all other vehicles they take up no extra space it transported by ship.

Land Dreadnoughts: Land Dreadnoughts are huge machines and take up 10,000 CP, or (if you somehow find an aircraft large enough) 20,000 CP if moved by air.

MegaDreads: These monsters take 100,000 CP. They cannot be moved by Air.

Grand Cannon: Grand Cannon cannot be moved in the usual transport manner, however Space Based Grand Cannon can be towed according to the rules found in Section 7C. Navies.

Links

Return to the Index