Stock Human fighter feats

[Kalendraf]

OK, but what is the recommended number of encounters now for a PC to go up a level? If I am not mistaken, it is 3 or 4 encounters per level, but I am not a full time DM and still have not played a full 3E campaign yet due to marriage, job changing & childbirth. So, I am not 100% sure.

For a party, it works out to something like 13 encounters of your EL before you will probably gain a level. I was using this in my assumption as you'll see...

I don't think training with & practice against fellow soldiers is counted as an encounter, though I know back in 1E days you had to train to go up in level. But, that was in addition to getting the next level's XP.

What I envisioned by training wasn't training against each other or even drills. Instead, since the whole D&D fantasy-world way of improving is based on gaining EXP, I assumed that they might use other options to train. These could include sending the recruits against actual foes (captured monsters, enemies, etc) in a controlled environment where they still face some risk of being injured and learn to fight against them. It's also possible that animated constructs or summoned creatures could be used to train against. My assumption was that within a full year of soldier duty, a typical 1st level recruit would overcome about 1 of these challenges per month (12 in a year) which combined with other spare exp should be enough for them to gain a level. So that's where my 1 level per year of service number comes from.

In actual battle situations, I expected a campaign could last anywhere from days to months. A short fast-paced campaign (capture a small outpost) would likely involve rapid hit'n'run attacks with injured soldiers retreating to get healing. A longer campaign could involve much overland movement with several smaller skirmishes along the way. During each of those, I suspect that a soldier would likely be involved in a dozen or so individual combats in which they gain experience. This is where my 1 level per campaign comes from.

Related to all of this information is of course the casualty rate. 30% losses or more equates to being routed badly. I was envisioning an maximum acceptable rate of losses to be around 4% per minor skirmish. The odds of a level 1 recruit surviving 12 skirmishes during an entire campaign is .96 ^ 12 = 61%. Anything much worse than that quickly leads to a badly demoralized army and population. Higher level soldiers will have a better survival rate, but their numbers begin to become impacted by other factors such as retirement.

Also, post Fall of the Roman Empire, standing armies were often fairly small. They would swell their ranks by levying local peasants & farmers & the like.

In this case, the "new" peasants and farmers are 1st level experts, commoners and perhaps a few warriors, and any returning ones who have fought in prior battles will be levels 2+. The standing army soldiers would be comprised mostly even higher level soldiers, though a few lower level ones may have recently joined to replace any retiring soldiers. The overall ranks would still be somewhat similar to what I suggested above, unless there have never been any large battles in the last 30+ years, in which case all the peasants and farmers could be level 1.

This goes back to my earlier reply - you can write the history to allow for a lot of level 1's in the army, but it requires a lengthy time of peace leading up it. However, that doesn't seem to be the intention if you are looking for cookie cuttie soldiers that all have the same feats and so forth. That type of soldier would exist in a world ravaged by continual war. The peace-broken-by-war army of mostly level 1's is going to be a ragtag outfit which has lots of random and useless feats like Skill focus - Knowledge(Potatoes) & Craft(Wagon).

 

[andargor]

If you want to compare to Earth medieval history, the largest portion of any army was militia. And militia were peasants.

The core of the army were the nobles and the landowners who owed fealty to their superiors. To get an idea of size, during the Edward III campaign in 1359 the Black Prince fielded 7 bannerets, 136 knights, 143 esquires, 900 mounted archers, and a couple of thousand militia. That's one big army for that time...

The knights could be Ftr3-5, the esquires Ftr1-2, the archers War1 and the militia Com or Exp.

I guess it depends on your campaign world.

Andargor

 

[rangerjohn]

What your failing to realize, with these commoner/Warrior 1 armies, isthe following. One in 3.0+ even commoners can be 20th level, rare but possible. Two a world of 99% commoner 1's would be wiped out by the typical campaign worlds, raiding humanoids, legendary predators, such as manticores, dragons, and giants. This is before magic is brought into the picture.

 

[NewJeffCT]

What your failing to realize, with these commoner/Warrior 1 armies, isthe following. One in 3.0+ even commoners can be 20th level, rare but possible. Two a world of 99% commoner 1's would be wiped out by the typical campaign worlds, raiding humanoids, legendary predators, such as manticores, dragons, and giants. This is before magic is brought into the picture.

Yes, you have raiding humanoids, predators, dragons & giants, but you also have powerful good (& evil) adventurers and good dragons & giants, elves & dwarves (usually good). The most powerful dragons & giants are good. So, they all balance out, or else we'd be harping on every gaming world as being terribly unrealistic for not being controlled by various hordes of humanoids.

How would a raiding horde of 400 disorganized orcs armed with greataxes(typically Warrior 1s as well with 4 HP apiece) do against an organized army of 300 humans that used ranged weapons & proper military tactics (also Warrior 1s with 4 HP apiece)?

 

[Kalendraf]

What your failing to realize, with these commoner/Warrior 1 armies, isthe following. One in 3.0+ even commoners can be 20th level, rare but possible.

Good point. I suspect a lot of those drafted farmers and villagers are more likely to include may Commoner2's and Commoner3's at the very least. Adepts & Aristocrats would probably be able to avoid service, but some Experts would likely get drafted for specific duties as well. "You, cook, yes you! You're drafted. Get ready to cook for 1000 soldiers daily lunch & dinner."

Two a world of 99% commoner 1's would be wiped out by the typical campaign worlds, raiding humanoids, legendary predators, such as manticores, dragons, and giants. This is before magic is brought into the picture.

Most "intro" fantasy villages suffer this weakness. But a fantasy world needs a few of them at least, just to let the low-level adventurers come in and save the day.

 

[niastri]

Am I the only one who thinks that the "common soldiers should be commoners or 1st level warriors" thing makes for incredibly weak armies, utterly dependent on heroes to save them at every turn?

I prefer to make soldiers 3rd level fighters, veterans around 5th, knights around 6th, and veteran knights any level they like.

That way, a kingdom can actually protect itself with its army every once in a while.

No kidding, I agree completely.

Think of modern fighting forces, and then draw parallels to professional armies in D and D, and all low level fighters doesn't make sense.

First, even new, fresh out of boot camp soldiers have had a rigorous training schedule designed to toughen them up and train them into fighting machines. Even before their first fight, they ought to be at least second if not higher level, simply by beating on each other and from the psychological demands from the training.

Then look at veterans who have been in a few firefights, the training has kicked in, and they can keep a cool head on their shoulders during combat, and would whoop an untrained group in a second.

Then think about a guy who has made it through Ranger school or SEAL training, or sniper school or (gasp!) more than one. This guy is a highly specialized killer way beyond a normal commoner, and the US graduates thousands from each of these schools every year. No reason to believe that the training and experience needed to get to 6th level isn't possible for members of an elite unit.

So the professional army would be composed of 2nd and 3rd level fighters with 6th level+ elites. Only in emergencies, when a draft is imposed, would you have green troops who are first level commoners/warriors.