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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sanglorian" data-source="post: 9255082" data-attributes="member: 83822"><p><h2>Background</h2><p>Sometimes fights in Orcus drag on, even when it's clear who has the upper hand. Morale rules add a new tactical dimension to the game as well as encouraging battles to wrap up when the odds become overwhelming.</p><h2>Morale saving throws</h2><p>Morale is a fear effect, so creatures with a bonus or penalty to saving throws against fear effects also apply that modifier to morale saving throws.</p><p></p><p>A creature makes a saving throw the first time in each combat that each of the following occurs:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>First blood:</strong> It is staggered.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Leader down:</strong> An ally of its level or higher with the leader tag is overcome (it surrenders, cowers, flees or is reduced to 0 HP or below.) This rule applies to enemy creatures only, not to the heroes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Force broken:</strong> Half or more of its side is overcome (by XP value, for enemy creatures.)</li> </ul><p>If a creature fails its morale saving throw, it surrenders, cowers (takes the Total Defense action and does nothing else) or flees (uses all of its actions to move away from enemies or hide), as the GM considers appropriate for the circumstance. If a monster cowers or flees, make a saving throw at the end of each of its turn. On a success, it regains morale and may act again as normal.</p><p></p><p>The GM may apply morale rules only to enemies and retainers, or to the heroes as well. Heroes get a +2 feat bonus to morale saving throws, and they only count heroes towards whether their side is overcome or not.</p><p></p><p>To calculate the XP value before a side is broken, divide the total XP for the encounter in half. This means that a boss will not test morale just because its mooks are slain.</p><h2>Monster morale bonuses</h2><p>Boss and elite monsters receive a +5 and +2 bonus to all saving throws, respectively, including morale saving throws. GMs may wish to give morale saving throw bonuses to monsters based on their psychology.</p></blockquote><p></p>

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