Let's Play Warlord Ascendant 2e! The 12th Infernal Legion Part 7
Welcome back, supporters of the fallen. Let’s see what the 12th is up to this time. Now that Mahalat is finally back, I have all my units available.
Management Phase
Management Phase Event
There is an abundance of potential recruits, eager to join your ranks. +5 to any rolls on the Recruitment table.
Awesome! Hoping I can find another Twisted Soldier.
Upkeep Payment
15 (units) + 2 (Stronghold constructions) - 5 (Mine) = 12 Supplies paid, down to 32.
Warband improvement
Durvael reached level 4.
Agility increased by 1 (31), Defense increased by 3 (63).
Combat Maneuver: Cleave. As a Standard Action, the character strikes against two different enemy characters within melee range with a single swing of their weapon. Perform a single Close Combat check, if successful, both targets are struck automatically without being able to make a Defense check.
Saving his DPs.
Vordana: Defense increased by 4 (44), Resolve increased by 2 (42).
Stronghold Management
I can increase the size of my Barracks, but I only have 6 units and it fits 8. Not necessary right now. I’ll save for a Warehouse.
Town Management: Winterbury
Town Event
Smugglers and Black Markets: An illicit economy is thriving. While disruptive, it brings in goods. The settlement produces an extra 2D6 Supplies, but Order decreases by -1.
Order down to 3. Not terrible, as we’ll at least get some Supplies.
Upkeep: Paid 10 Supplies, received 10 + 2d6 (4), plus 5 Materials.
I’m selling a pitchfork and couple of satchels I got last session for 61 Supplies total.
Buying a medium shield for Kano to return the large shield to Mahalat, and a medium armor for Absalom.
d6 Availability checks
Medium shield (5): 3, available. -10 Supplies.
Medium armor (4): 6, none found
Damn it. Supplies down to 87.
Ok, Vordana will attempt to recruit.
d20+5: 21, Veteran!
Great! They cost 10 Supplies to recruit, so down to 77. He’s Belerion, a Twisted Soldier sent to No Man’s Land to assassinate Absalom. However, when seeing how shitty this mortal coil feels and what an ungrateful task he was assigned, Belerion realizes he can’t survive here on his own and begrudgingly joins the 12th. He’ll wait for the right moment to act. Maybe we’ll slowly change his mind.
Belerion brings a spear and a hood.
Civic Project
Reinforce Order with Absalom
Presence check (70): 99, fail!
Well, at least it’s going to increase.
Exploration
Forward Post
Location: Town!
Town name: Northshire
Occupied by: Giant centipedes
Belerion
Sending him to my Monastery. +1 XP.
Durvael
Your character discovers a series of tracks. A successful Reason check reveals information about the enemies in the area. During your next fight, you surprise your opponents, automatically winning the Initiative.
Reason check (20): 51, fail
Mahalat
A network of caves where the wind creates unsettling whispers. The character must pass a Resolve check; if they fail, they miss the next battle due to a temporary madness or phobia. Success reveals that the place poses no threat, but the character feels accomplished, earning 1 XP.
Resolve check (40): 07, success! +1 XP.
Kano
A Location of interest.
Mage’s Tower: Capturing it allows characters in your Warband to learn the Arcane Talent Feat (page 62).
Location name: Schwarzwald’s Cliff
Occupied by: Soldiers
Cool, never had one before! But I’m leaning toward capturing another Town.
Oboro
A Location of interest.
Salvagers Camp: A group of expert salvagers, dismantling anything they can. Grants 5 Construction Materials every Campaign Turn. Additional Salvagers Camps grant +2 Construction Materials.
Location name: Chantemarais Storm Clear
Occupied by: Soldiers
Ohh, another great one!
Invasion Check
D10: 5, safe!
Let’s go for Northshire!
Combat Phase
I didn’t think this through. Their damage type is Poison, which inflicts Poisoned (1) on a hit. That’s cumulative, and makes the unit lose the amount in parenthesis of Vigor every turn. I’m bringing 5 units, so I’m facing 5 of these things.
Belerion is dual wielding. I have a spare shortsword and his spear, so that’s his loadout.
My Command Actions
Demonic Terror: The host howls and cackles, terrifying their opponents and forcing all enemy characters to make a Morale check.
Demonic Speed: During this round, Demonic Cohort characters increase their Speed by 3.
Relentless: You get a new turn this round, immediately after your first one.
Corrupted: Pick a friendly character. Their body is ravaged by corruption, causing all opponents to be Frightened of this character for the remainder of the battle.
Battle Event
Sickness. Choose a random creature from either side. That creature must make an Endurance check or become immediately Out of Action due to a bout of sudden sickness. They recover during the next Management Phase.
There are 10 units total on the battlefield, so I’m rolling a d10 (1-5 = enemies, 6-10 = my units).
d10: 4!
Giant Centipede D is out! Awesome.
The Strategic Point is unfortunately too far, but maybe I can dash toward it at some point using Demonic Speed.
Rounds 1 and 2
Positioning my units to funnel the enemies on the left side of the big house. Enemies dash, but can’t reach me yet.
Next, Absalom used Battlecry (+10 to attack checks), Ensure (MP 4/5), and Disable Armor to reduce centipede C’s Defense permanently by -20. As it had +5 from the scaling, it sits with -15. Still great.
Mahalat hit a critical with Target Weak Spot, dealing 8 total damage. Belerion used Battlercry and killed centipede C.
B and E were adjacent to it. E broke and fled the field, but B passed the Morale check. It attacked Absalom, but he defended! Centipede A charged Belerion, but he also defended.
B acted again, getting Fatigued, and fumbled!
This is probably the best round I’ve had in the game. All my checks hit in the 60s, dealing high damage and making it almost impossible for enemies to attack/defend (their Combat skill is 50, so they’d only succeed with a crit). Good stuff.
Round 3
I get the initiative. Centipede B defends Mahalat’s attack, but Belerion hits a Target Weak Spot with a 55! B also crit, but lower.
It activated its Defensive Trait, which heals any Condition, but it didn’t matter. Damage was 5, and the extra crit was a whopping 9, tearing it apart with a single hit.
Crazy, crazy rolls.
Centipede A broke and fled (rolled a 1 on the d20!). And just like that, the 12th prevails!
+1 XP to combatants.
Northshire captured, +1 Loyalty to everyone.
Loot
D10 Supplies: 3
D6 Construction Materials: 5Spoils of War
- Blackstone Shield (One Hand): A medium shield made of what appears to be solid stone, even though it’s too light and easy to wield to be the case. A character using this shield increases their Athletics by +10.
- Blackstone Shield (One Hand): A medium shield made of what appears to be solid stone, even though it’s too light and easy to wield to be the case. A character using this shield increases their Athletics by +10.
Yeah, I rolled the exact same thing twice in a row (Artifacts > Blackstone Shield). Don’t know what the odds are, but it’s something, isn’t it? I’m replacing Kano’s and Oboro’s medium shields with them.
Today’s session was deceptively easy. I got lucky on everything, starting with taking one of the centipedes out of action. Not complaining.
That’s it for now. Hope you enjoy Absalom’s journal.
And by the way, if you’d like to watch a video AP of Warlord Ascendant, Alone in the Dork has started one. Give him some love.
Absalom’s journal
Leadership is a curious affliction.
I once believed commanding the 12th meant little more than pointing toward enemies and letting steel and savagery do the rest. Now, I spend an alarming amount of time settling disputes, acquiring supplies, repairing walls, building roads, and persuading peasants not to stab each other over moldy bread. Not every time, as it makes for good entertainment.
In any case, administration and bureaucracy are different kinds of hell.
Winterbury continues to test my patience. I attempted to improve public order through an inspiring speech. The speech was excellent, yet the public was not.
Fortunately, commerce flows freely in the town. Smugglers flock to it, eager to profit, and I see no reason to discourage them. Sin has always been the foundation for prosperity.
Speaking of, we have welcomed another member into the Legion: Belerion the Bold. Angelic in exuberance, proudly demonic in ruthlessness.
Lilith, in her infinite wisdom and cuntiness, sent him to assassinate me. Upon discovering how degrading, uncomfortable, and frequently painful the mortal coil is, Belerion reconsidered. As giant centipedes closed in, he decided to fight alongside us.
I admire his practical thinking, and shall keep a close eye on the assassin. If he does decide to strike me down, I hope he dies with some dignity.
The repulsive, venomous centipedes fell quicker than I expected. Mahalat and Belerion tore them apart with precision. Durvael got in a bad mood as there was no creature left for him to play with. He somewhat improved after pranking Oboro with hot pliers.
Northshire belongs to the 12th.
Lilith’s punishment slowly becomes our kingdom.
If you want to use those character sheets, grab them here (File > Make a copy).
Warlord Ascendant 2e is available on Itch, DTRPG, Amazon as POD, and the Blackoath website.