Ex illis Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Rules Overview
• Turns
  • Basic Mechanics
  • Action Points
  • Initiative
• Moving
  • Rules for Moving
  • Movement Types
  • Moving and Terrain Features
• Charging
  • Flank Attack
  • Rear Attack
  • Charge Reactions
  • Fight Direction
  • Flanking Situations
  • Fight Directions and Flanking Combined
• Melee
  • Tips and Tricks
  • Target Assignment
    • Aggressiveness
    • Other Target Selecting Modes
    • Maximum Number of Attacks per Miniature
  • Roll to Hit
    • Fatigue vs. Roll to Hit
  • Retaliation
  • Retreat
  • Cut Down
  • Weapons
• Range
  • Overview
  • Targeting
  • Roll to Hit
    • Accurate Shot
    • Visibility
    • Inaccurate Shot
  • Results
  • Ranged Weapons
    • Composite Bows
    • Long Bow
    • Crossbow
    • Throwing Weapon
• Damage
  • Melee Damage
    • Raw Damage
    • Final Damage
    • Blocking a Melee Attack
  • Ranged Damage
    • Blocking a Ranged Attack
  • Magical Damage
• Morale
  • Basic Morale
  • Morale States
  • Morale Modifiers
    • Dynamic Modifiers
    • Static Modifiers
    • Morale Sensitivity
  • Routing
• Fatigue and Veil
  • Gradual Effect on Efficiency
• Fate Screen
  • Close Combat Possible Results
  • Shooting Possible Results
  • Lightning Attacks Possible Results
  • Magic Attack Possible Results
  • Artillery Possible Results
• Luck
• Spell Casting
  • What Are Spells?
  • Elemental Resistances
  • Status Effects
  • Elemental Chains
• Musters
  • Assembling an Army
  • Game Type
  • Creating a New Muster
  • Inspecting an Army
    • Modify an Army
    • Fine-Tuning Points
    • Elite vs Mass
  • Calculating Points
  • Battle Points
• Levels
  • Player Level
• Combat Statistics
  • Initiative
  • Retaliate
  • Block
  • Evade
  • Deflect
  • Shield
  • Armour
    • Armour Types
  • Basic Morale
• Characters
  • Heroes
    • Heroic Powers
    • Factions
    • Leadership
  • Generals
  • Named Characters
• Factions
• Special Rules
  • Unit Special Rules
  • Heroic Powers
  • Faction Rules
• Companion Article: Movement (Official)
  • The Basics
  • Concentration
  • Speed
  • Charges
  • Flanks
  • Summary
• Companion Document: Stats, Core Algorithms and Symbols (Official)
  • Stats
    • Musters
    • Morale
    • Characteristics
    • Power
    • Accuracy
    • Defence
    • Charge
    • Weapon
    • Protection
    • Resistances
  • Algorithms
    • Asymptotic Ratio 2.5 (AR 2.5)

Rules Overview

Ex illis is a miniature wargame like no other. Instead of playing with dice, rulers, and thick rulebooks, you will use the software on your iPod touch, Mac, PC or laptop to resolve battles. This combination of miniatures and software enables Ex illis to provide a deep gameplay experience that is very easy to learn, yet a real challenge to master!

Turns

This article is only a summary. A cleaner, more detailed article will be posted later.

Basic Mechanics

• In Ex illis, units are activated in a specific order based on their own notion of speed.
• Between two turns, every active unit gains Action Points (AcP) based on its Initiative. As soon as one unit reaches 1000 AcP, it is ready to take a turn. This operation takes a fraction of a second and is thus not visible to the players.
• If a Hero is present, both the Hero and the Retinue must reach 1000 AcP before the group can take a turn.
• The Turn Bar at the top of the screen shows the anticipated turn order for every active unit in the game.
• Compulsory actions, like routing, bypass the normal turn sequence and take place immediately.

Action Points

• Most actions cost 1000 AcP (a full turn) to perform. Some actions can be considered "Swift", consuming only 750 AcP or less, while others can be "Long", taking 1250 AcP or more.
• The deployment order defines each unit's initial amount of AcP. Units deployed first have more AcP and will thus be activated first.
• The AcP cost of some actions can vary depending on the context. For example, moving generally costs 1000 AcP, but moving diagonally will incur an approximate 40% penalty.
• Reflex-based actions, like counter-attacks or charge reactions, do not cost any AcP.

Initiative

Units	INI
Arbalestiers	100
Billmen	100
Franc Chevalers	100
Hobelars	120
Longbowmen	100
Mangonel	100
Serjants	100
Mendicum	100
Soffrances	80
Vileins	100
Ympes	100
Evocati	100

Heroes	INI
William Wallace	100
Decurion/Centurion	100
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	100
Knight Baneret/Baron	100
Lucifer	200
Marrenne/Maistresse	100

• Most units start with an Initiative value of 100, but fast units like the Hobelars have a basic Initiative of 120. A slow unit like the Soffrances has an Initiative of only 80.
• Each Fatigue or Veil threshold accumulated lowers Initiative by 10%, making the unit take turns less and less frequently.
• The turn bar shows, from left to right, the order in which units will be activated.

Moving

This article is only a summary. A cleaner, more detailed article will be posted later.

Rules for Moving

• Every unit can move one zone away; fast units can move a distance of 2 zones.
• Each zone can contain up to 3 units from each side, but a forest zone limits this number to 2.
• Moving straight up to your unit's Movement always takes 1000 AcP.
• Moving less than your unit's Movement always takes 1000 AcP as well (even diagonally).
• Moving diagonally at your unit's maximum Movement takes more than 1000 AcP, based on the true distance from centre to centre of each zone:

Movement	Time to Perform
2 zones, including one diagonal	1118 AcP
2 zones, including two diagonals	1414 AcP

Movement Types

Infantry

Infantry units are the most common type of units in the game. They have a Movement of 1.

Units: Vileins, Billmen, Arbalestiers, Longbowmen, Soffrances, Marrenne, Dismounted Baneret/Baron, Mangonel, Serjants & Mendicum.

Cavalry

Cavalry units have a Movement of 2 and usually have a powerful charge if they can manage to perform it at units in the open.

Units: Franc Chevalers, Hobelars & Knight Baneret/Baron.

Flyer

When flying, this unit has a Movement of 2. Taking off and landing is a swift action (-75%) which simply changes the unit's state. While flying, this unit can fly over tiles where it could not normally go. A flying miniature cannot be targeted by melee attacks from grounded units, but enemy miniatures can still retaliate.

A flying unit adds 1 FtP (modified by its Fatigue Rate) for each turn it remains flying. If the Wait action is performed while flying, it does not allow the unit to restore Fatigue. The unit is forced to land if it reaches 12 FtP.

Units: Decurion & Evocati.

Teleporter

These units' Movement varies, but is, most of the time, set to a Movement of 1. The most important thing about teleporters is that they ignore all factors which impair Movement (including advantaging defending positions). Every time they move, teleporters are only delayed by 1000 AcP and accumulate Veil instead of Fatigue, proportionally to the distance travelled. Teleporting units always ignore charge reactions.

Units: Ympes, Nephilim, Lucifer.

Moving and Terrain Features

• A forest is a terrain feature which is slow to enter.
• A fence is a terrain feature which is slow to exit.
• Whenever a unit performs a move to enter a zone with a terrain feature which is slow to enter, it is penalised by 250 AcP.
• Whenever a unit performs a move to get out of a zone with a terrain feature which is slow to exit, it is penalised by 250 AcP.

Charging

This article is only a summary. A cleaner, more detailed article will be posted later.

• A charge is an action combining a move and a melee attack in the same turn.
• Charging is the only way to move into an enemy-occupied zone. A unit cannot move into such a zone without attacking.
• In order to charge, a unit must be unengaged first. It is not possible to bounce from melee to melee. To charge again, a unit must properly retreat from its current melee.
• Each charge creates a new fight direction depending on the angle it comes from. Each miniature in the zone should be flipped to represent this.
• Only engaged units have a directional facing. When a melee ends, i.e. every enemy is either dead or routed, the units in the zone no longer have any fight direction.

Flank Attack

• When a unit charges on the side of a melee, it is considered to be a Flank.
• Units attacked from the Flank have 50% less defences (Block, Evade, Deflect) against melee attacks.
• Units victim of a Flank attack receive a Morale penalty based on the comparison between the charging unit's Intimidation x2 and the flanked unit's Intimidation:

Intimidation Comparison	Morale Penalty
1 : 1 and lower	No penalty
1.5 : 1	-10
2 : 1	-20
2.5 : 1	-30
3 : 1	-40
3.5 : 1	-50
4 : 1 or more	-60

Rear Attack

• Units attacked from the Rear have 75% less defences (Block, Evade, Deflect) against melee attacks.
• If the unit charges from the Rear, the charging unit's Intimidation is tripled instead of doubled to calculate the morale penalty.

Charge Reactions

• The unit receiving the charge is not always passively waiting to be hit. It may perform a Charge Reaction.
• The charger has a value called Charge Priority; the defender has a Reaction Priority. This determines the Charging Sequence (the unit with the highest value acts first).
• The defender's chance to perform a Charge Reaction is based on the difference between his/her own Reaction Priority and the charger's Charge Priority:

Difference in priority	Chance to perform a Charge Reaction
+3 or more	100%
+2	83%
+1	67%
0	50%
-1	33%
-2	17%
-3 or less	0%

• Different actions and the presence of terrain features (obstacles, woods) can increase the defender's Reaction Priority.
• Charge Reactions are "reflex-based" actions: they do not cost any Action Points or Fatigue.
• When charging in a melee, every unit allied to the charger prevents one defender unit from performing its Charge Reaction. If more than one defender is present, the unit with the most Aggressiveness is denied its Charge Reaction privilege first.

Fight Direction

When a unit charges into a zone where there are unengaged enemies, it sets a fight direction in that zone, depending on the charging unit's zone of origin. (The wiki presents this as a zone diagram.)

If the fight direction is diagonal, resulting fight directions are dealt with slightly differently. (Diagram omitted.)

Flanking Situations

Once engaged in close combat and the fight direction is set, beware of flankers! Whenever a unit sets a new fight direction which is at least perpendicular to the current one, the charge is considered a Flank attack. If the resulting fight direction is the opposite one, it is considered a Rear attack. Determining Flank and Rear situations is different depending on whether the fight is oriented straight or diagonal.

• A frontal charge includes every situation ending up with the same fight direction, or neighbouring diagonals.
• Flank attacks are situations where the fight direction changes by 90 degrees or more.
• Rear attacks are situations where the fight direction is switched by a full 180 degrees.

Fight Directions and Flanking Combined

The wiki gives a combined diagram of fight directions and flanking situations (diagram omitted). Its explanation:

• If a charge comes from a purely diagonal direction, the resulting fight direction will be diagonal. If the fight direction is diagonal, it will become straight only if a unit charges from a straight direction (as if a purely straight charge would count as a diagonal one for a diagonal fight direction).
• The front area includes all zones where charges would result in the same fight direction or a 45 degree difference.
• The flank areas include all zones where charges would result in a fight direction of 90 or 135 degrees difference.
• The rear area includes all zones where charges would result in a fight direction opposite to the original one (180 degrees).

Melee

Melees are intense, complex and chaotic moments. Attacks come from all sides while warriors quickly fall one after the other. In these ruthless scuffles, only the fighters' agility, their armour's sturdiness, their weapons' lethality, and their mastery of certain techniques can make a difference between victory and defeat.

An attack is carried out in three steps: Target assignment, roll to hit and result calculation. This page explains the mechanisms behind Ex illis' melee system. It also explains how and when a unit can counter-attack, and what happens if it needs to disengage from the melee.

Tips and Tricks

Here is a little advice to keep in mind while playing your first melees in Ex illis:

• Troop combination: One of the keys to success in Ex illis is to combine your troops to prevent your opponent from dealing a decisive blow. By combining in one zone offensive and defensive units, or elite units with others used as cannon fodder, you make sure that you will never show a weakness that your opponent could use to your disadvantage. For example, even though Vileins are not great in combat, do not underestimate their importance in a melee. The fact that they can be used as a target by your opponent instead of risking your expensive troops is a real blessing.
• Troop concentration: The more troops you have in a zone, the harder these units will be to defeat in close combat. However, they will offer easy targets to enemy shots. Choose in which zone you want to be the strongest during melees by placing several units talented in close combat in that specific zone, and prevent your opponent from doing the same by positioning your shooters properly.
• The right attack at the right moment: Learn the strengths and weaknesses of your various combat techniques. Using a huge attack with a two-handed weapon is a waste of strength when a standard attack is enough to kill the enemy. All warriors have their strengths and weaknesses which you can leverage by using the diverse techniques at your disposal.
• Watch your Fatigue: It is not possible to rest and earn back Fatigue Points once you have started a close combat fight. As your warriors' Fatigue increases, they will be less precise, slower and more sensitive to morale changes. It is sometimes better to remain careful and choose less tiring actions in order to win a lasting fight.
• Aggressive or defensive: Ask yourself whether it is in your best interest to end the melee quickly or whether it might be better to make it last. The presence of reinforcements close by, the flank angles and the warriors' level of Fatigue will help you determine if a defensive attitude might be better suited.

Target Assignment

Melees are confused and chaotic moments and, therefore, warriors often attack who they can and not who they want. When the order of attacking is given, the first resolution phase consists in assigning a target for each dealt hit. This target assignment creates a kind of mini-duel between both protagonists, and it is these two warriors' respective abilities that will be taken into account to determine the result.

The miniatures on the board are represented in duels in the Rule Keeper software.

Units	Basic AGG
Arbalestiers	2
Billmen	3
Franc Chevalers	7
Hobelars	3
Longbowmen	2
Mangonel	1
Serjants	4
Mendicum	2
Soffrances	20
Vileins	3
Ympes	1
Evocati	6
Nephilim

Heroes	Basic AGG
William Wallace	6
Decurion/Centurion	6
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	4
Knight Baneret/Baron	7
Lucifer	8
Marrenne/Maistresse	2

Aggressiveness

See also: Stat: Aggressiveness.

One of the most important notions in Ex illis melees is Aggressiveness. Some units will be happy to rush headlong into a fight while others prefer to stay within a distance from it to participate as little as possible in the melee. Most combat techniques in the game follow the Aggressiveness model to determine the target of their attack. The more aggressive a unit is, the more chances it has to be targeted in close combat.

The exact calculation determining the target choice according to Aggressiveness is done using a Weighted Random Draw (WRD) of all targets available in the zone when the warrior attacks.

Tips:

• Aggressiveness is shown on the game screen through the distance between the unit and the enemy: the closer the unit is to the enemy, the higher its Aggressiveness will be. You can also click on the Help function and select the zone to see the Aggressiveness distribution at all times.
• Use the Aggressiveness to your advantage. Combining very aggressive units with less aggressive ones enables you to anticipate where most of the enemy hits will be dealt. You will then be able to specialise some of your units, turning them into bodyguards while others have the leisure of causing damage without being bothered.

Other Target Selecting Modes

Certain specialised techniques enable you to choose targets without going through the Aggressiveness system. For example, the Baneret has a special technique with which he can directly attack a Hero without taking the enemies' Aggressiveness into account. This way of selecting a target may be particularly deadly since it enables you to put constant pressure on an enemy of your choosing.

Unit	BU
Arbalestiers	2
Billmen	2
Francs Chevalers	4
Hobelars	4
Longbowmen	2
Mangonel	6
Serjants	2
Soffrances	6
Vileins	2
Ympes	1

Hero	BU
William Wallace	2
Decurion/Centurion	3
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	2
Knight Baneret/Baron	4
Marrenne/Maistress	2

Maximum Number of Attacks per Miniature

Each miniature has a characteristic named Bulk which corresponds to the space it physically occupies. In a melee, this value limits the number of attacks a miniature can receive during a round of fights. Thus, if seven Vileins attack a Decurion, only three of these Vileins will have the space required to deal a hit to an opponent.

Once a miniature reaches its attack quota for a round, it becomes unavailable as a target. If no other target is available during this round, the attacker will not be able to choose anyone as a target and thus loses his attack. A failure symbol illustrates this state in the Fate Screen.

Tip: A talented warrior such as the Decurion can survive longer than it seems thanks to the maximum number of attacks per miniature and to his exceptional combat abilities. Moreover, if he uses defensive techniques, he might become even more dangerous than if he simply attacks the enemy foolishly.

Roll to Hit

Once the target assignment is done, we determine whether the attack hits an enemy. To determine the chances of succeeding, we do a WRD between the aggressor's Melee Accuracy statistic (which gives the Attack value) and the defender's Block, Evade and Deflect statistics.

• If the value Attack is drawn, the defender will receive full damage.
• The value Block is available if the miniature has a shield or something with the same function (such as the Soffrance's arm). If Block is drawn, the damage dealt is considerably reduced.
• The value Evade is mainly available for miniatures on foot wearing little or no Armour. If the warrior manages to Evade, he does not suffer any damage.
• The value Deflect represents the warrior's capability of using his weapon to fend off the hit. Only warriors using weapons such as swords are able to Deflect a hit. A warrior deflecting a hit does not suffer any damage.

Tip: Every warrior has its own defence strategies. Choose combat techniques to counter your opponents' defences. For example:

• An Ympe evades a lot while the Decurion prefers deflecting. A cavalry charge cannot be deflected, but it is easy to evade. Send your Franc Chevalers against the latter while avoiding getting stuck by the first.
• The Hobelars can only block? Do not hesitate to choose powerful attacks with low precision against them: the enemy will inevitably take the hit, so you might as well use a heavy attack.

Fatigue vs. Roll to Hit

See also: Fatigue and Veil.

Fatigue affects both warriors' performance (the attacker and the defender) during the roll to hit.

FtP or VP	Efficiency	Message
0	100%
2	97%
4	90%	Unit Tired / Veiled
6	80%	Unit Tired / Veiled
8	66%	Unit Very Tired / Very Veiled
10	52%	Unit Very Tired / Very Veiled
12	38%	Unit Exhausted / Saturated
14	30%	Unit Exhausted / Saturated
16

A great difference in Fatigue between both warriors will decisively modify the probabilities of hitting. A much more tired opponent will be more vulnerable to audacious hits. On the other hand, if you are the one who is tired after a long-lasting fight and you face a rested enemy, think about staying more conservative, defensive even, in your choices.

Fatigue affects the chances to hit just as much as the chances to defend oneself. Thus, as long as both protagonists' Fatigue is on the same level, chances to hit will be stable.

Tip: Fatigue has an important impact on the warriors' performances. Tiring the enemy's elite troops can be a commendable mission for a cannon-fodder unit.

Retaliation

Units	RET
Arbalestiers	30%
Billmen	0%
Franc Chevalers	50%
Hobelars	30%
Longbowmen	40%
Mangonel	30%
Serjants (Sword)	50%
Serjants (Spear)	30%
Mendicum	30%
Soffrances	30%
Vileins	30%
Ympes	30%

Heroes	RET
William Wallace	50%
Decurion/Centurion	50%
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	50%
Knight Baneret/Baron	50%
Lucifer	100%
Marrenne/Maistresse	60%

• Victims are entitled to Retaliate when they manage to defend themselves against an attack (Evade, Deflect or Block). The chance to Retaliate is a fixed value for each unit. For example, a Franc Chevaler has a 50% chance to Retaliate if he blocked or deflected the hit.
• A retaliated action will be shown by a red sword in the Fate Screen. During the attack animation, a red exclamation mark will show the same Retaliation.
• Retaliations are free attacks. They do not cost any Action Points (they are instantaneous) or Fatigue Points, and the opponent cannot retaliate against them.
• Unless stated otherwise, a warrior is entitled to a single retaliation per round. Thus, even if the warrior is chosen as a target by three different miniatures, he will be able to retaliate only once.

Tip: Since retaliating does not cost any Action Points, adopting a defensive attitude might turn out to be an excellent long-term strategy if your troops have good aptitudes in this field. Defence does not cost any Fatigue and, after a few rounds, the difference between both protagonists' statistics will allow you to bring home the laurels of victory.

Retreat

Sometimes the most sensible option is simply to Retreat. There can be a few reasons for executing a tactical retreat: you may wish to make room in the melee for a more appropriate unit, or your unit may find itself facing a predator that is particularly dangerous, and the fight is lost before it even began. A unit can never retreat towards a zone where there are enemies. You must therefore disengage properly before joining another melee.

Tip: When you disengage, make sure your aggressors do not have a chance to Charge you again when their Turn comes. To do so, you can:

• Leave an ally in the zone to ensure the melee lasts;
• Flee towards a unit that will be able to protect you;
• Ensure, by looking at the Turn Bar, that an ally will be able to keep the enemy busy by charging in time.

Cut Down

When a unit disengages from a melee (retreating or fleeing), it risks being cut down by the enemy. Just like retaliations, cut down attacks are considered free attacks, i.e. they cost no Action Points and no Fatigue Points, and your opponent cannot retaliate to them. Furthermore, you cannot defend yourself (Block, Deflect, Evade) against a cut down attack. These are attacks granted to your opponent and which can end up being disastrous depending on the nature of the enemy troops you are facing.

Each allied unit in the zone will prevent an enemy unit from cutting you down. It can therefore be wise to send reinforcements into the fight, if only to allow other units to safely leave in order to rest or heal.

If a unit can cut down another, each warrior in the unit must take a Speed test to be entitled to his/her attack:

• If the runaway's Speed is greater than that of the pursuer's, the pursuer has a 33% chance to execute a free attack.
• If both Speeds are the same, the pursuer has a 66% chance to execute a free attack.
• If the pursuer is the fastest, he will execute an attack for sure.

Tips:

• Be careful when you leave behind an ally fighting in a melee. Your sudden retreat can change the balance of power in the melee, swinging your allies' Morale and causing them to flee. Before you disengage, make sure that the units left behind have a good enough morale to bear the enemy pressure.
• Certain specialised troops such as light cavalry or units which can teleport cannot be cut down. Use this advantage to disengage as often as you like, thus maximising your impact with flank and rear attacks.

Weapons

The weapon wielded by a unit influences its role on the battlefield. Learn to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of each one and use the right tool against the right enemy to make sure you have the advantage in the melee. Here is a short summary of the strengths and weaknesses of certain weapons in Ex illis.

Swords: The sword is the nobility's emblematic weapon. It is a balanced weapon allowing the person wielding it to easily parry the enemy's hits, to retaliate frequently and to hit with precision. Although they deal a respectable amount of damage, swords have little Armour Piercing and are particularly weak against coats of mail and heavy armours. Thus, swords reach their maximum efficiency against opponents wearing light armour or, even better, no armour at all. A talented swordsman has excellent chances of surviving in a dense melee, particularly if he is also protected by a shield. Unfortunately, the production cost of these weapons is quite high and they are therefore normally used by a more well-off class of warriors.

Axes: These weapons can pierce through Armours and have a high Weapon Damage potential, but they do not have the same defence and precision attributes as the sword. You must use the axe as an all-purpose offensive weapon. A unit using axes and executing a flank attack on an enemy can cause a real carnage! Axes were very popular a few hundred years ago, but they have lost much interest since. Scandinavians and a few Fleaudians still produce remarkable axemen.

Maces: The mace is a highly specialised weapon: it is perfect for smashing enemy units wearing heavy armours, but less efficient against other kinds of units. Wielding a heavy and impractical weapon, macemen tire rapidly during a battle since their weapons are poorly balanced and add an extra weight that is quite significant.

Spears: Made of only a shaft and a spearhead, the spear is cheap to produce and therefore much used everywhere. Even if it is often associated with peasant troops having little training, other warriors, notably in Antiquity, have proven that mastering the spear can be brought to a high level of martial art. When the spear is combined with a large shield, spearmen are great at receiving enemy charges and are often the spine of an army's defence.

Pikes: After being quite unpopular for about a thousand years, pikes are slowly returning to the battlefield, used by the Scots, the Flemish and especially by the Swiss, who produce exceptional pikemen. It is quite foolish to charge a phalanx of pikemen! Moreover, with the appropriate training and discipline, pikemen can be destructive when used offensively. However, pikes are very linear weapons. Thus, those who use them are particularly vulnerable to flank or rear attacks.

Polearms: This versatile weapon takes from both spears and battleaxes. It can be used to receive enemy charges or to cause a lot of damage when brandished from the top downwards. However, the polearm is a heavy weapon and, therefore, the warriors using it should not expect good results in long-lasting battles, particularly when they are not supported by allied units who can compensate for their weaknesses. Like other weapons requiring both hands, the polearm prevents those using it from carrying a shield, which makes them more vulnerable to enemy shooting. The English billmen and a few Italian mercenaries acquired considerable experience with polearms.

Two-handed swords: Mostly used in Scotland and Germany, this weapon reinforces the sword's power by offering the possibility to pierce armours while retaining most of the sword's defence and precision. Due to its high cost and the particular abilities required to create such a weapon, the two-handed sword is quite rare. Angels, both pontifical and fallen, made of this weapon the symbol of their strength and dexterity.

Battleaxes: Like smaller axes, battleaxes are powerful offensive weapons which lost the favour of warriors over a few centuries. However, the arrival on battlefields of supernatural enemies such as ogres or manticores gave them a new lease of life. Capable of causing extreme damage, these deadly but slow and impractical weapons are ideal to kill monsters. However, they are much less interesting against the rank and file, since a much more malleable weapon would do the trick better and faster. The Byzantine emperor's famous Varangian guard is made up of warriors feared for their ability to wield battleaxes.

Mauls: The maul is a weapon so specialised that it is extremely rare on battlefields. However, there is one thing it does better than any other weapon: it smashes the thickest Armour with such strength and weight that what is left after the hit must be scraped off the ground! However, it is extremely tiring to use and easy to Evade. Better make sure that your target is not moving before launching your attack!

Range

Having the possibility to kill an enemy from a distance without having to go through the trouble of a melee is an idea that seduced more than one general over the centuries.

Unless aimed at an opponent determined to remain still, a shot will rarely end up killing the enemy on the spot. The role of a sustained shower of arrows is to weaken and demoralise an enemy before the clash of the melee, in order to make the next step easier to take. Although it is usually linked to a defensive strategy, shooting may in fact be a formidable weapon when a general prepares an offence.

A shot's resolution is done as follows:

1. Selecting a zone and calculating the trajectory;
2. Determining the place where the projectiles fall;
3. Determining the impact's result for each projectile.

Overview

Before going into the details of the game mechanisms, here are a few pieces of useful advice to keep in mind during your first games:

• A shot's success is based on two main factors: the shooter's accuracy and the number of enemies in the targeted zone.
• Accuracy is affected by the visibility a shooter has from his/her target and by his/her level of Fatigue.
• It is possible to shoot in a melee, but you risk hitting your own troops if your Accuracy is low.
• Stationary units and those in open fields are the easiest targets.
• Avoid shooting at units wearing shields: they are particularly well-equipped to face enemy shooters.

Targeting

A general rarely takes the time to tell each one of his shooters which enemy to aim for. Instead, he indicates a zone on the battlefield where there are important enemies, and he lets his soldiers adjust their shots toward a specific target. In Ex illis, shooting is performed as follows: you choose a specific type of shot as well as the zone you want to target. Then your soldiers will execute your order as best they can. Here are a few examples of shots that can be performed by Level 1 Longbowmen:

Shot	Effect
Aim	Long action +25%. Range 1-2. Shooting attack with a drastic Accuracy bonus.
Swift Shot	Range 1-2. Each miniature shoots twice, but with a drastic Accuracy penalty. Very tiring.
Volley Fire	Range 1-2. A less accurate shot inflicting a morale penalty to every enemy unit in the target zone.

Most shots can reach two zones, including diagonals. The exact trajectory calculation is done from the centre of the zone where the shooters are to the centre of the zone in which the targets are. This trajectory is particularly important when calculating visibility.

Unless stated otherwise, a shooter cannot shoot in his own zone when he is stuck in close combat. He also cannot Move and shoot during the same turn, which is an action only skirmishers can perform.

As mentioned above, it is possible to shoot in a melee, but you risk hitting your own troops. This kind of spectacular shot should be executed only by your best shooters (at least if you care for your troops). Moreover, it will cause a Morale penalty of 5 for each ally hit.

Roll to Hit

The most complex shooting phase is determining the place where the projectile falls. This calculation is done by a Weighted Random Draw (WRD) between Accurate Shots and other possibilities. The second part is a physical representation of the zone, corresponding to the different places a projectile can fall if it is shot blindly: the space occupied by each soldier, the Cover in the zone and the free space.

Accurate Shot

If the result of the WRD is an "Accurate Shot", the shooter managed to hit his/her target. The projectile will inevitably hit an enemy in the zone. Having a great Accuracy is extremely important for a shooter, since it allows him/her to easily hit moving targets as well as the ones stuck in close combat or hidden behind obstacles.

The number of "Accurate Shots" in the WRD takes into account three main factors: the Ranged Accuracy (representing the shooter's talent), the shooter's level of Fatigue and Veil Fatigue, and the visibility he has from his target.

Fatigue, which is accumulated as demanding physical activities are performed, greatly affects the shooter's Accuracy. Like many other statistics in the game, Fatigue reduces Ranged Accuracy following a decreasing curve. When a unit reaches the first threshold (unit tired), it loses 10% of its Ranged Accuracy. At the second threshold (unit very tired), it loses 33% of its efficiency. This drop can go on until the unit loses more than 80% of its efficiency. Thus, units relying a lot on Ranged Accuracy (like Longbowmen) should learn to manage their Fatigue in order to remain efficient.

Due to stress and the imminent danger of melees, Ranged Accuracy is divided by 2 when shooting in the unit's own zone.

Visibility

The last factor affecting Ranged Accuracy is the visibility the shooter has of his target. To remain accurate, a shooter needs to have a clear view of his target. As mentioned above, every shot is calculated according to a trajectory starting at the centre of the zone where the shooter is and ending at the centre of the zone he aimed for. Accuracy is reduced if this trajectory crosses a zone occupied by miniatures (allied or enemy) or terrain features.

Terrain	BU
Fields	0
Fences	16
Forests	48
Hills	64
Swamp	0
Lake	0
Ruins	16
Obstacles	64*

Units	BU
Arbalestiers	2
Billmen	2
Franc Chevalers	4
Hobelars	4
Longbowmen	2
Mangonel	8
Serjants	2
Mendicum	2
Soffrances	8
Vileins	2
Ympes	1
Evocati	3
Nephilim

Heroes	BU
William Wallace	2
Decurion/Centurion	3
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	2
Knight Baneret/Baron	4
Lucifer	4
Marrenne/Maistresse	2

The exact calculation of visibility is quite simple:

Visibility = 1 - (Total Bulk / 64)

The more miniatures and/or obstacles there are in the zones crossed, the less visibility the shooter has. However, if only one part of the projectile trajectory crosses an obstructed zone, the shooter's visibility will be affected only by this portion.

Inaccurate Shot

Even if a shot does not get the roll "Accurate Shot", it can still be dangerous. An Inaccurate Shot is just as lethal when it hits a target randomly. The more a zone is packed with enemies, the less talent the shooter needs in order to hit something.

To represent this fact, the game models the zone for each shot. Each miniature, allied or enemy, takes up a space in it according to its Bulk. If Terrain Features provide Cover in the targeted zone, they are also taken into account.

The easiest space to calculate is that of the miniatures. Each miniature, allied or enemy, has a Bulk (see table above). For example, a Vileins has a Bulk of 2. Thus, a unit of 8 Vileins takes up 16 spaces in the zone. The only exception to the rule is units which moved during their last turn. Their Bulk is halved to represent the fact that they are harder to hit. Thus, moving targets are twice as hard to hit with an Inaccurate Shot compared to static ones.

Be careful: Charges do not benefit from a Bulk reduction bonus, since their impulsion is stopped at the beginning of a close combat.

The free space calculation is simply a subtraction done from the space occupied by the miniatures in the zone. In general, there are 80 free spaces in a zone (roughly 5 units). If 20 spaces are occupied by miniatures, 60 will be considered "free spaces". If an arrow falls into free space, it is discarded.

Cover is a notion peculiar to each zone. For example: an empty zone does not offer any cover, while a zone containing fences adds 16 "covered spaces" (the equivalent of one unit). Forest zones offer 48 "covered spaces" (the equivalent of 3 units). This covered space is added to the free space, which makes it a particularly efficient defence against Inaccurate Shots.

For example, here is how the space is calculated in a melee opposing 5 friendly Billmen to 8 Vileins and 2 Soffrances in a zone containing fences:

• Allied Space = Number x Bulk = 5 x 2 = 10
• Enemy Space = Number x Bulk = 8 x 2 + 2 x 6 = 28
• Free Space = 80 - Allied Space - Enemy Space = 80 - 10 - 28 = 42
• Cover = Zone type = fences = 16

If we combine this example with the Accuracy calculation illustrated above, we get the following chances to hit:

Eight "Very Tired" Longbowmen use an Aimed shot over two allied units of 8 Serjants each. The Longbowmen aim at a melee in which there are 5 allied Billmen, 8 Vileins and 2 Soffrances. The targeted zone is an obstacle zone.

• Accurate Shot: 28 (23%)
• Enemy space: 28 (23%)
• Allied space: 10 (8%)
• Free space: 42 (33%)
• Cover: 16 (13%)
• Total: 124 (100%)

Therefore, about 46% of the projectiles will hit the enemy, 8% will land on allied troops, and the rest will not hit anything.

Results

Units	MBlk
Arbalestiers	90%
Billmen	0%
Franc Chevalers	30%
Hobelars	20%
Longbowmen	0%
Mangonel	0%
Serjants	50%
Mendicum	0%
Soffrances	0%
Vileins	0%
Ympes	0%
Evocati	0%

Heroes	MBlk
William Wallace	0%
Decurion/Centurion	0%
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	50%
Knight Baneret/Baron	30%
Lucifer	0%
Marrenne/Maistresse	0%

The column heading MBlk is Missile Block, as defined in the Missile Block entry of the companion stats document below.

Once the place where the projectile will land is known, its effect on the target must be calculated. Shots landing in free space or on cover do not cause any damage.

If the projectile falls on a miniature carrying a shield, the miniature will roll to try to Block the shot. The bigger the shield, the more chances it has to be protected (see table). A blocked projectile does not inflict any damage. A fighter's chances to block are halved when in a melee.

The damage inflicted depends on the type of shot: physical (arrow) or magical (fire bolt). To calculate the damage caused by a physical shot, we execute the same process used for melee hits, but we replace the aggressor's Strength with the statistic called Shot. We then modulate the Weapon Damage by comparing the Shot to the victim's Toughness.

In the case of magical projectiles, the statistic "Magic" is compared to the victim's Resistance to the element corresponding to the spell used. Moreover, Armour does not protect against magical damage. Thus, spells are an effective way of overcoming heavy-armoured warriors.

Ranged Weapons

The choice of weapon has a major impact on the shooter's role on the battlefield. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each weapon enables players to better choose their targets or to parry enemy strategies well.

Composite Bows

These weapons, first used by Mongol warriors, spread on German battlefields and then through the whole of Europe after the wars of the Rückeroberung.

This weapon's main advantage is that it retains the power of a normal bow while significantly reducing its size. Thus, the bow is ideal for many skirmishers, such as units of mounted archers or those specialised in combat in limited zones (forests, urban zones, etc.). Mercenary units and a few fleaudian warriors of Celtic origin also use it.

However, this bow loses efficiency in humid temperatures, since the glue holding the layers together comes loose. Another important element: the production of composite bows is much longer and more complex than that of the ordinary bow, which increases its price.

Long Bow

Popularised by English archers, longbows are among the few weapons which defined their era by their domination of the battlefield. Being as powerful and precise as the crossbow, the longbow stands out by its shooting rate, which can sometimes reach six times that of the crossbow.

Although the use of the longbow in Europe comes initially from the Welsh, who used it for short-ranged shots during raids and ambushes, King Edward I of England's military policies contributed to the training of elite corps selected directly from the English population.

This weapon's main flaw is the great strength its handling requires. An archer must train for years before being efficient in a combat situation, which makes the availability of troops quite problematic.

Crossbow

This mechanical weapon enables its users to always shoot a powerful projectile without putting in a lot of effort. The result is that someone who does not have the required training or the necessary strength to use a longbow can get a comparable result in terms of strength and accuracy after only a few days of training. Thus, a lord never runs out of new crossbowmen for his armies. For this reason, the crossbow is an ideal weapon in the centuries when entire contingents of makeshift warriors must be raised from the population.

In Lombardia, where city-states wage incessant wars, the terrain is favourable to the use of these armies. In fact, some Genoese mercenaries make it their speciality.

Throwing Weapon

Hand-thrown weapons such as javelins and throwing axes are among the most primitive, but they are still deadly efficient. The capacity to use them while running makes them ideal weapons for skirmishers harassing enemy ranks before the clash of the melee. Although they do not have the same range as other fire weapons, they are heavy enough to cut through the thickest armour when thrown.

Aragonese almogavars are renowned javelin throwers, able to stop a heavy cavalry charge, while certain legions made up of demons show up for combat with throwing axes and use them as blow-inflicting weapons before running headlong into the melee.

Damage

When an attack hits, it inflicts damage. This damage is represented by the number of Hit Points that the victim loses. If a warrior's total Hit Points reach 0, he/she is removed as a casualty. The amount of damage dealt takes into account various parameters depending on the nature of the attack. Most attacks, however, can be broken down into three major components:

• A Basic damage caused by the weapon or the spell;
• A Power modifier based on the attacker's and victim's stats;
• A mitigation factor based on Armour or a similar resistance.

Melee Damage

When a target is hit, physical damage is dealt. The quantity of damage dealt depends on the attacker's Weapon Damage, his Strength and his weapon's Armour Piercing.

The damage can be reduced by the victim's Toughness and Armour.

Finally, the damage is modulated by plus or minus 20% to represent all the small things that can happen when a blow is dealt: a piece of metal lodging itself between two ribs, a blade getting caught in an enemy's armour strap, etc.

Raw Damage

The damage calculation's main value is the attacker's Weapon Damage. This value determines the whole damage basis, which is then multiplied by an Asymptotic Ratio (AR) 2.5 between the aggressor's Strength and the victim's Toughness. For example:

Raw damage = Weapon damage x AR 2.5 (Strength / Toughness)

Raw damage = 35 x AR 2.5 (21 / 22)

Raw damage = 35 x AR 2.5 (0.94)

Raw damage = 35 x 0.96

Raw damage = 33.6

Toughness is an excellent protection which, unlike Armour, is not affected by piercing weapons. In the best case, it enables the unit to absorb more than two thirds of the hit. As for Strength, it can cause up to 250% of standard damage against weak units. The Strength/Toughness aspect is decisive in the Raw damage result.

Final Damage

To calculate the precise damage, we take the Raw damage and reduce it by the victim's Armour. Armour does not help avoid hits, but it reduces the damage if the target is hit. Armour also follows a modified asymptotic ratio against the attacker's Armour Piercing value. In the example above, we would therefore calculate it as follows:

Final damage = Raw damage x AR(Armour Piercing value / Victim's Armour)

Final damage = 33.6 x AR 2.5 (28 / 40)

Final damage = 33.6 x AR 2.5 (0.7)

Final damage = 33.6 x 0.81

Final damage = 27.2

Here we can see that despite the Franc Chevaler's armour, the Billman could deal almost 80% of damage thanks to his weapon's weight. Please note that if the Armour Piercing value is higher than the Armour value, we simply use the Raw damage as Final damage, since the armour does not absorb anything and the victim's flesh is directly hit. By factoring in the +/- 20% variation, the blow dealt by the Billman against the Franc Chevaler will deal between 22 and 33 damage.

Tips:

• Heavily armoured warriors are rarely the most agile ones and tend to tire faster than others. However, they can take several hits before being killed in action. You will need heavy weapons to pierce these enemies' armours.
• By playing on the attacker's Strength against a victim's Resistance and Armour, the damage can vary between 10% and 250%! It is therefore worthwhile to turn certain troops into defensive units to hold back the opponent while others take care of dealing damage.

Units	Base SHD
Arbalestiers	1
Billmen	1
Franc Chevalers	3
Hobelars	2
Longbowmen	1
Mangonel	1
Serjants	3
Soffrances	2
Vileins	1
Ympes	1
Evocati	1
Nephilim	1
Emissarius

Heroes	Base SHD
William Wallace	1
Decurion/Centurion	1
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	3
Knight Baneret/Baron	3
Lucifer	1
Marrenne/Maistress	1

The column heading SHD is Shield, as defined in the Shield section below.

Blocking a Melee Attack

If the defender rolls a Block during a melee attack, he/she still takes damage, but part of it is absorbed by his/her shield. Be aware that since a little damage is still dealt, the warrior might die as he/she blocks. Nonetheless, the shield often offers a radical reduction of the damage inflicted, which is not affected by the opponent's Armour Piercing value, and it gives a chance to counter-attack.

The damage dealt when the defender manages to block a hit with his shield is calculated by taking the Final damage and dividing it by the Shield value. Considering a Shield value of 3 with our Franc Chevaler, if he had blocked the Billman's hit, the damage would have been the following:

Blocked damage = Final damage / Shield strength

Blocked damage = 27.2 / 3

Blocked damage = 9.1

Add to this the 20% damage randomisation and you get a hit ranging from 7 to 11. There are several types of shields. The size and agility of the character wielding it determines the chances to Block successfully, while the shield's solidity determines its strength.

Ranged Damage

Ranged damage follows the same mechanics as melee damage, but the attacker's statistics are different. Instead of Strength, the attacker uses Shooting against the victim's Toughness to represent the power of the projectile.

Units	MBlk
Arbalestiers	90%
Billmen	0%
Franc Chevalers	30%
Hobelars	20%
Longbowmen	0%
Mangonel	0%
Serjants	50%
Mendicum	0%
Soffrances	0%
Vileins	0%
Ympes	0%
Evocati	0%

Heroes	MBlk
William Wallace	0%
Decurion/Centurion	0%
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	50%
Knight Baneret/Baron	30%
Lucifer	0%
Marrenne/Maistresse	0%

Blocking a Ranged Attack

When targeted by a physical (arrow) or magical (Fire Bolt) projectile, each warrior wearing a shield has a chance to block the missile. If the missile is blocked, the defender does not take any damage.

The chances to block a missile are halved if the unit is in a melee.

Magical Damage

Magical damage follows the same principle as physical damage but also uses its own statistic line. Each spell has its own spell power instead of a Weapon Damage statistic. The attacker's Magic power is compared to the defender's Elemental Resistance in an AR 2.5. The damage calculation can be described as such:

Final damage = Spell power x AR 2.5 (Magic / Elemental Resistance)

Armour does not offer any protection against magical damage. Spells are thus very effective at taking down heavily armoured foes. It is worth noting, however, that since Veil reduces Elemental Resistances, highly veiled units will take more damage from spells than others. As such, one of the best ways to defeat a powerful enemy caster can be to use a caster of your own.

Morale

This article is still a stub. A cleaner, more detailed article will be developed.

• Morale represents the overall mental state of your troops during combat.
• Each unit has a bank of "Morale Points" which can be lost or healed based on a variety of factors.
• As a unit gains or loses Morale Points, it changes its Morale State. These Morale States give bonuses and penalties to the unit.
• When a unit drops below 0 Morale Points, it becomes Broken. Broken units will Rout the next time a friendly model dies in their zone.
• If a unit routs outside the board, it is removed from the game.
• Generals can perform a Rally to stop units from routing.

Basic Morale

Units	Basic Morale
Arbalestiers	70
Billmen	80
Franc Chevalers	90
Hobelars	80
Longbowmen	80
Mangonel	70
Serjants	80
Mendicum	80
Soffrances	70
Vileins	70
Ympes	80
Evocati	90

• Each unit has a starting morale value called Basic Morale. This value is similar to the starting HP, but for morale purposes.
• If you attach a Hero to a unit, their Leadership will modify the unit's Basic Morale.
• If a General is present, his/her Leadership is applied to the whole army.
• If a Hero or a General dies, their Leadership bonus is transformed into a penalty.
• If a unit receives Leadership from more than one Character (Hero and General), the final Leadership perceived is the total of all Leaderships available.

Morale States

See also: List of Morale States.

Each unit has a psychological model represented by a Morale Type. This model is represented in the form of a "Morale Bar" on which the unit travels as it gains or loses Morale Points. Most units use the "Standard Type", but some special units have alternative psychological models.

The Morale Bar is segmented into compartments called "Morale States" (the bar's different colours). For example, the Morale States of the Standard Type are:

• Overconfident when Morale value is between 180 and 240
• Confident when Morale value is between 120 and 179
• Neutral when Morale value is between 60 and 119
• Shaky when Morale value is between 0 and 59
• Broken when Morale value is between -1 and -60

Each Morale State has its own Stats modifier which gives bonuses or penalties to the unit.

Morale Modifiers

Two types of modifiers can have an effect on a unit's morale during the game: dynamic modifiers, which fluctuate throughout the game, and static modifiers, which, once applied, last for the whole game.

Intimidation result	Morale modifier
0.25	-60
0.33	-40
0.5	-20
0.66	-10
1	0
1.5	+10
2	+20
3	+40
4	+60

Dynamic Modifiers

• Each friendly casualty the unit witnesses causes a morale penalty. The exact calculation is:

Morale penalty = (Bulk of casualty / Total friendly bulk in the zone) x 80

• Intimidation represents how the unit perceives its own chance of coming out of the melee victorious. It can be either positive or negative. The calculation is done as follows: Total Intimidation of every friendly miniature in the melee / Total Intimidation of every enemy miniature in the melee. The result is then crossed in the table above.
• Leadership is considered to be a dynamic modifier, since the unit loses the bonus when the leader dies.

Static Modifiers

• Flanking and rearing units cause a permanent morale penalty on the victims. The calculation uses the same mechanics as the Intimidation (see table above), but is based on a per-unit basis rather than the Total Intimidation in the zone, where:
  • the Intimidation value of the charger is doubled in the case of a Flank;
  • the Intimidation value of the charger is tripled in the case of a Rear charge.
• Some specific skills, like the Franc Chevalers' Glorious Stand or Intimidating Attack, can boost or damage morale.
• A leader's death (either Hero or General) who was giving positive Leadership to a unit creates a permanent negative modifier equivalent to the previous Leadership bonus.
• Routing models who end their turn in a zone with friendly miniatures in them cause morale damage to their allies. The calculation is:

Morale penalty = Point value of the fleeing unit / Total point value of the army x 100

• The effects of a Rally are considered Static Modifiers.

Morale Sensitivity

Units	MrlS
Arbalestiers	100%
Billmen	100%
Franc Chevalers	80%
Hobelars	100%
Longbowmen	100%
Mangonel	100%
Serjants	100%
Mendicum	100%
Soffrances	80%
Vileins	133%
Ympes	100%
Evocati	80%

Heroes	MrlS
William Wallace	80%
Decurion/Centurion	80%
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	80%
Knight Baneret/Baron	80%
Lucifer	0%
Marrenne/Maistresse	100%

• Every time a new modifier is calculated, it is multiplied by the unit's Morale Sensitivity.
• Hardened warriors tend to have a lower Morale Sensitivity than those who have been less exposed to the brutality of melees.
• Morale Sensitivity increases by +20% for every threshold of Fatigue and/or Veil that the unit reaches.
• Leadership bonuses or penalties are not affected by Morale Sensitivity.

Routing

• If a unit becomes or was already Broken and witnesses a casualty in its zone, it will become Fleeing.
• If a unit is already Broken and suffers any static negative morale modifiers, it will become Fleeing.
• A unit that runs away from a melee still exits from a Fight Direction point of view.
• While fleeing, the unit will try to either run toward a Hero or the nearest battlefield edge. If it reaches the battlefield edge, it is removed from the game.
• If a fleeing unit reaches a Hero, it will gain this Hero's Leadership bonus (if positive).
• Generals can perform a Rally, which gives their Leadership to every Broken unit within range and stops them from routing.

Fatigue and Veil

The Health Gauge shows the current Fatigue in green and the current Veil in blue.

This article is only a summary. A cleaner, more detailed article will be developed.

• As a unit performs physical actions like moving or fighting, it accumulates Fatigue. If it casts spells, it accumulates Veil (a sort of mental fatigue).
• Some actions drain more energy than others. For example, the basic cost of a simple shot is only 1 Fatigue Point (FtP), while performing a Swift Shot requires 4 FtP.
• The final cost of an action depends on the unit's Fatigue Rate and Veil Rate. These statistics vary from unit to unit. For example, heavily armoured units tend to Fatigue faster than others.
• Every time a unit accumulates 4 points of Fatigue or 4 points of Veil, it reaches a threshold. For each threshold accumulated, the unit loses 20% of its Initiative and gains 20% in Morale Sensitivity.
• If a unit is too tired, it can Wait for a turn to reduce the accumulated Fatigue Points and Veil Points by 50%. This can only be done if it is not in a melee.

Gradual Effect on Efficiency

FtP or VP	Efficiency	Message
0	100%
2	97%
4	90%	Unit Tired / Veiled
6	80%	Unit Tired / Veiled
8	66%	Unit Very Tired / Very Veiled
10	52%	Unit Very Tired / Very Veiled
12	38%	Unit Exhausted / Saturated
14	30%	Unit Exhausted / Saturated
16

• On top of thresholds, accumulating Fatigue and Veil points has an impact on the unit's overall efficiency. This gradual effect is slower to kick in, but has a dramatic effect if you do not keep an eye on it.
• Every point of Fatigue reduces Melee Accuracy, Ranged Accuracy and the unit's melee Defences (Block, Evade, Deflect).
• Every point of Veil reduces Magic Accuracy and the unit's Elemental Resistances.

Fate Screen

The Fate Screen is what replaces dice rolls in Ex illis. The screen displays a number of "duels" which is usually equal to the number of miniatures performing the current action. The active player has to click each of the single duels to resolve the rolls, or click the resolve all button. At the side of each "shuffle" is a small icon representing the attacker (left) and the victim of the attack (right). The rate at which you can see each outcome is proportional to the percentage chance of getting that result out of the attack. So, by simply taking a quick glance at this screen, rookie players can tell roughly what their odds are.

If you are a player who is always looking for more details, the help function in the Fate Screen activates another view where you can see every percentage and how stats comparison, Fatigue, cover and such elements affect each attack, and can browse between each duel.

Close Combat Possible Results

• Attack: The blow strikes home, dealing its damage using melee damage algorithms.
• Deflected: The blow is deflected harmlessly by the opponent's weapon.
• Blocked: The blow is blocked by the opponent's shield, still dealing part of the damage depending on the shield value.
• Evaded: The blow is dodged completely and deals no damage at all.
• Luck: The blow strikes home very efficiently, dealing 1.5 times its damage on its target.
• Bad Luck: The blow does not happen and the performing miniature hurts itself in the attempt, losing 10% of its maximum HP.

Shooting Possible Results

• Accurate Hit: The projectile hits an enemy because of the shooter's Accuracy.
• Bulk Hit: The projectile hits an enemy because of the zone's density (Bulk).
• Friendly Fire: The projectile hits a friendly miniature in accordance with the rule of Bulk.
• Missed: The projectile fails to hit anything.
• Cover: The projectile hits cover in the targeted zone.
• Blocked: The projectile hits, but the target manages to shrug it off with its shield.
• Luck: The shot strikes an enemy miniature with increased damage, leaving the miniature no chance to block with its shield.
• Bad Luck: The attacker rolls a Bad Luck and is not only unable to shoot, but is also hurting himself/herself and losing 10% of its maximum HP.

Lightning Attacks Possible Results

• Bulk Hit: The projectile hits an enemy because of the zone's density (Bulk). Armour multiplies each miniature's Bulk.
• Friendly Fire: The projectile hits a friendly miniature in accordance with the rule of Bulk. Armour multiplies each miniature's Bulk.
• Cover: The projectile hits cover in the targeted zone. Lightning is drawn to cover and has twice the chances to hit cover.
• Resisted: The projectile strikes a miniature, but it resists all of its effects.
• Luck: The projectile strikes an enemy miniature with 50% increased damage, leaving the miniature no chance to resist.
• Bad Luck: The attacker rolls a Bad Luck and is not only unable to shoot, but is hurting himself/herself and losing 10% of its maximum HP.

Magic Attack Possible Results

• Magic Hit: The spell's effects are applied to its target.
• Resisted: The target manages to shrug off the effects of the spell and is not affected.

Artillery Possible Results

• Direct hit: The centre of the shot is a potent boulder and hits a very unlucky victim for massive damage.
• Partial Hit: The blast of the artillery attack hits an enemy.
• Friendly Fire: The blast of the artillery attack has hit an ally.
• Missed: The whole blast fails to hit anything.

Luck

The percentage of chances in the Roll to hit is modified by the presence of Luck and Bad Luck.

A vast number of events completely unforeseen by the strategist's rigorous planning can happen during the chaos of a melee. A hit can touch a vital organ while a clumsy movement can cause a sprain. These small events are tagged under "Luck" and "Bad Luck" and create opportunities or threats forcing the players to adapt their strategy.

The Luck system operates during the Roll to hit. It adds 5% Luck and Bad Luck to most rolls. With a Luck, the Final damage is increased by 150%, while a Bad Luck causes the warrior to inflict 10% damage to his maximum HP on himself/herself. A few techniques influence the Luck probabilities as well as their effects. For example, basic actions like Fight, Ranged Attack and Charge are not affected by Bad Lucks (although they can still roll a Luck). Some players will find the tools to build interesting strategies according to their own tolerance to risk.

Tip: It is essential for a good player to learn to recognise the techniques which kill a specific enemy in a single hit, in order to establish predator/prey relations on the tactical level. It can be wise to notice how Luck can also make an attack particularly deadly in one hit while it would normally have taken two.

Spell Casting

This article is only a summary. A cleaner, more detailed article will be posted later.

What Are Spells?

Spells are actions shown in a blue frame.

Spells are one of many kinds of actions in Ex illis. Their effects tend to be incredibly varied, but what all spells have in common is the concentration needed to perform them and the ability to speak strange and varied spell casting formulas.

So, if a unit is silenced or under an effect specifying that it cannot cast spells (such as the Marrenne's Tempest), it will not be able to perform any of its spells.

Elemental Resistances

Some spells simply take effect automatically, but most of the worst kinds of spells can be resisted. When this happens, you see the blue shield with a human shape in it as a symbol showing that the target resisted or that the spell simply failed. To calculate the chances a spell has of being resisted, the casting unit's Magic is compared to the enemy's appropriate Elemental Resistance using the AR 2.5.

Many spells have prolonged effects and add what we call a status effect. These effects are displayed just below the turn bar for the unit who is playing. When you open the unit view, the different status effects affecting the selected unit will be displayed in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Status Effects

• Status effects showing a white outer glow are Neutral statuses and cannot, most of the time, be cancelled.
• Status effects showing a blue outer glow are Buffs (positive effects) and can be Dispelled by some enemies' skills.
• Status effects showing a red outer glow are Debuffs (negative effects) and can be Cleansed by some friendly skills.

Elemental Chains

Every time an elemental ability damages a miniature, that miniature receives 10% increased damage from the following element for 1000 AcP. Whenever a new element is thrown at the miniature, its elemental chain is reset to that element, and if it chained, the damage increases exponentially by 10% for each successful chain.

Musters

Creating a muster is one of the most exciting aspects of miniature wargames. You prepare a strategy, you weigh the pros and cons and you carefully choose the miniatures you will include in your army.

In Ex illis, the technological side of the game does justice to the philosophy "easy to learn, difficult to master". Creating a muster can be done in ten minutes and a few mouse clicks, but you can also spend hours studying the different parameters in order to improve your strategy.

Assembling an Army

When you register a starter kit in your account, three musters are automatically added to your profile: the defenders of the Brec'Helean, the raiders of the Broken Wing, and a muster made up of your whole army. You can access them in the Muster tab of your ex-illis.com account. These first musters are a good starting point if you are a new player, but you can modify them as you please as you get more confident with the system.

The muster screen enables you to visualise all the musters you have created until now. It shows the muster's name, its Type, its number of points, its faction (represented by a coat of arms) as well as a shape which gives you an overview of its composition.

By moving your mouse over one of these shapes, different abbreviations appear. They show you in which categories you have the most points.

• Melee (Me): this category is for miniatures specialised in close combat.
• Shooting (Sh): this category represents miniatures who prefer staying away from the battle and weaken the enemy with projectiles.
• Magic (Mg): this category includes all spell-casting miniatures, offensive or defensive.
• Fast (Fs): this category relates to miniatures with special moving abilities.
• Hero (He): this category is for the special Characters accompanying your units.
• Elite (El): this category is for miniatures standing out from the lot when all miniatures are put on the same level.
• Monster (Mn): this category represents the huge monsters which can take more blows than an ordinary man.
• Special (Sp): this category groups all miniatures rarely appearing on the battlefield.

Units	Melee	Shooting	Magic	Fast	Hero	Elite	Monster	Special
Arbalestiers		X
Knight Baneret/Baron				X	X
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	X

• Every unit and Hero possesses one or more Muster Category.
• The Muster shape fills up gradually as you add new miniatures to the army, based on the amount of points paid.
• If a unit counts for more than one category, its full point value is added in every category.

Game Type

The army Type (common, grand, legendary, etc.) represents the minimum and maximum levels of the miniatures taking part in it. They are categorised by groups of 10 levels as follows:

• Common: level 1 to 10
• Grand: level 10 to 20
• Heroic: level 20 to 30
• Legendary: level 30 to 40
• Epic: level 40 to 50
• Homeric: level 50 to 60
• Cataclysmic: level 60 to 70
• Anything Goes*: level 1 to 77

*These games do not earn the player any BP.

Different scenarios are also under development to help you add a story element to your games and change the strategic approach to a battle.

Creating a New Muster

To create a new muster, click on the button "New" in the screen's top left corner. You should then specify the Type of army (min-max level) and name it.

The Type of army which you can create depends on your Player Level. It is impossible to lead a Homeric army if you are only a level 12 player. You will need to earn a few more stripes!

Inspecting an Army

If you click on an army or create a new one, you enter its edition screen. It is divided into three parts:

• general information in the top section;
• army composition in the middle section;
• the units left to add in the bottom section.

The general information shows the army's name, its General (if you selected one), its Type and the number of points it costs. This value represents the army's strength. Like most miniature wargames, Ex illis uses a system of points to make sure the battles are fun and balanced. A simple soldier can be worth 4 or 5 points, while a Hero might be worth 30, since this kind of Character is far more powerful than an ordinary warrior. The more miniatures you add to your army, the more points it will be worth and, therefore, the more powerful it will be.

When you plan a game with someone, you agree on the point scale both players will have to respect. To give a starting point to new players: half a starter kit is worth about 250 points at level 1, and a full starter kit is worth 500.

In the section showing the army's composition, you can see the army's graphic as described above, the army's faction (if you chose a Hero to serve as General) as well as all units included in this army. For each one of these units, you can see the number of miniatures in it, their Level and its cost in terms of points.

Finally, the last section shows the units and the Heroes you have at your disposal in your collection and which you have not yet added to your army.

Modify an Army

To add a new unit to your army, simply click on its image in the "units" section at the bottom of the page. It will be added to the army automatically at the highest Level it can aspire to, and the army's points will automatically be recalculated. To remove a unit, you can simply click on the "X" button in the top right corner of the unit box.

Adding or removing Heroes is done the same way. The only difference is that they must always be linked to a unit in the game. You must therefore click on the Hero's image first and then on the one of the chosen unit. Associating a Hero to a unit is a choice for advanced players, since it has impacts on the morale and because special rules called Heroic Powers will be applied to the unit.

Fine-Tuning Points

Once a unit is added to the army, there are two ways of modifying its cost: changing its Level or the Number of Miniatures in it.

A unit can never play a higher level than the one it has reached, but it can always be demoted if needed. This function is particularly useful if you play against a friend who has a lower Player Level than yours. It also enables you to adjust the number of points a unit is worth in your muster.

A unit's value in points doubles every ten levels, but most of its characteristics only increase by 33.3% for the same bracket. The gap is filled by the combined effect that some characteristics have, by the new skills the unit develops and by the specialisation points you benefit from. Generally speaking, high-level units hit their opponents more easily, defend themselves better and are more intimidating in combat for their enemies. They enable you to attempt more audacious attacks. Make sure, however, that they touch their target, since the opponent will be able to launch twice as many attacks for the same amount of points.

Is it better to field fewer high-level miniatures or many low-level ones? The answer depends on two main aspects: your mastery of the new skills acquired with the higher levels, and the importance of this unit in your global strategy. Do not spend points on levels from which you will not profit, but do not hesitate to invest to gain a skill close to your heart that will be hard to counter for your opponent.

The second way to modify the number of points a unit costs is to use a partial unit rather than a full one. You can remove miniatures by clicking on them, as long as you use the majority (50% + 1). Thus, a unit of 8 archers can use from 5 to 8 soldiers, while a unit of 4 knights can use 3 or 4 miniatures. However, miniatures cannot be removed from a unit of 2 Soffrances (the majority rule would not be respected).

A unit's cost decreases proportionally to the number of miniatures in it. Thus, if 8 Longbowmen cost 40 points, a unit of only 5 miniatures costs 25 points. Note: the number of points is always rounded off if needed.

However, partial units still take the same space in a zone (often limited to three units), which is a disadvantage in large melees. Moreover, Morale penalties linked to casualties are proportional to the unit's Bulk, and it is therefore worse to lose one miniature out of 5 than one out of 8. Players facing several partial units can use morale as a tremendous weapon to cause their enemies' failure.

Elite vs Mass

Playing elite or mass armies are two strategies which can be valid under the right circumstances. It is all a matter of style.

Elite armies have good Morale, cause great damage when they hit and can take tons of punishment. However, units play less often (simply because there are fewer of them) and thus adapt less easily to a shift in situation. Mass armies play often, can suffer many losses, and have the advantage of being able to attack the enemy's flank repetitively.

If you have difficulty overcoming an opponent using masses, you should lean towards an army specialised in shooting. The great density of enemy miniatures will make sure your arrows almost always hit a target. However, if your opponent insists on playing elite, make him face a strong close combat army. The enemy warriors might be better than yours, but sooner or later, Fatigue will affect the miniatures and your horde will be able to beat them black and blue.

Calculating Points

Units	Basic cost
Arbalestiers	32
Billmen	40
Franc Chevalers	56
Hobelars	36
Longbowmen	56
Mangonel	32
Serjants	40
Soffrances	56
Vileins	24
Ympes	40
Mendicum	32
Evocati	66

Heroes	Basic cost
William Wallace	42
Decurion/Centurion	36
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	24
Knight Baneret/Baron	39
Lucifer	150
Marrenne/Maistresse	30

In Ex illis, calculating points is done based on units. At first, we determine the unit's basic cost, then we add the Shortage penalty (based on the army's shape), and finally we take into account the Faction rules brought by Generals with their factions.

The unit's basic cost shows the relative strength of a unit compared to that of others of the same Level. For example, at level 1, most units cost about 30 to 40 points, while some "mass" units such as the Vileins are worth a meagre 24 points and the "elite" ones such as the Franc Chevalers are worth 56 points.

This basic cost doubles every ten levels and is multiplied by the number of miniatures present in the unit. Finally, the result is rounded up to the closest whole number. The exact calculation is:

Unit's Cost = Basic Cost x 2^(Level/10) x Number of miniatures

Thus, the cost for a unit of 6 Billmen at level 8 is calculated as follows:

Unit's Cost = 40 x 1.7411 x (6/8)

Unit's Cost = 52

This cost can then be affected by a Shortage penalty. This penalty represents the idea that the more you use the same kind of troops, the further you have to go to find them and thus the more expensive they are. You can graphically see the Shortage with the army's shape.

Each category in the shape has a first threshold which we use to consider a Shortage. If the army exceeds this threshold, the shape turns yellow and every additional point costs two. If the army exceeds a second threshold, the category turns red, indicating the state of Critical Shortage. In that case, every additional point costs three. If you pay penalty points for a unit, its cost will be shown in red.

Category	The cost doubles for each point exceeding ...	The cost triples for each point exceeding ...
Melee	50%	N/A
Shooting	50%	N/A
Magic	33%	66%
Fast	33%	66%
Hero	25%	50%
Elite	25%	50%
Monster	25%	50%
Special	10%	20%

The wiki notes that the cost of each category can be read by moving the cursor over the number to see where the Shortage costs come from.

Tip: The Shortage system is a flexible mechanism which allows you to create any army that comes to your mind, as long as you are ready to pay the price. Balanced armies will be more efficient, since they will not be paying penalty points for any miniature. However, if you have a particular strategy in mind and think it is worth a certain penalty, do not hesitate to let your imagination run wild and try it on the battlefield.

The last aspect of point calculation is the presence of faction rules. When a Hero becomes General, his/her faction is attributed to the whole army, and the faction rules can affect each unit's point calculation.

A few factions have access to great quantities of a certain type of units, thus paying a lower cost for them. For example, the French Crown pays less Shortage penalty for the Franc Chevalers and benefits from a discount on French or Generic units.

Other factions will, on the contrary, pay more for a certain type of units, but get a substantial bonus. It represents the additional practice a unit may receive when it comes from a particular region.

Battle Points

Number of units and Heroes in the army	BP earned
< 5	0
5-6	1
7-9	2
10-13	3
14-18	4
19+	5

After a game, both armies receive Battle Points (BP). These indicate that the miniatures participated directly or indirectly in a fight and that they will be better prepared for the next one.

Each army brings a certain amount of Battle Points to the game. The more imposing the battle is (i.e. the more units and Heroes participating), the higher the amount of Battle Points will be.

Once the game is over, both players earn the total amount of Battle Points the game is worth, whatever the outcome of the battle. For example, if Player A fields an army of 6 units and 2 Heroes (so 2 BP) and Player B fields an army of 8 units and 2 Heroes (so 3 BP), both players receive 5 BP at the end of the game.

No Battle Point will be given for a Practice game, if the battlefield is less than four zones by four, or if a difference of 15% separates both armies.

Levels

This article is still a stub. A more complete version of the article will be made shortly.

Levelling is one of the core concepts of the game. After each battle, Battle Points are earned by each unit owned by both players. Each time a certain amount of BP is reached by a unit, it levels up. That means it is considered more experienced and powerful, thus increasing the unit's Stats. Another interesting aspect of levelling is that every 5 levels, a unit is granted a Skill Point to spend on its Skill Tree to specialise the unit further.

The amount of BP needed to level up is equal to the unit's current level if it is below level 10. After that, a unit always needs 10 BP to gain a level. A unit stops receiving BP when it reaches its maximum level.

The unit's level indicates its power. A unit's Stats increase at a rate of x 1.33 per 10 levels. Increasing all of a unit's statistics in such a manner means the unit will be twice as powerful as it was 10 levels before, because of the combined effect of all statistics getting stronger at the same time.

Some Stats, such as Intimidation, scale up at the same rate as levelling instead of following the growth rate of other Stats, which means they double each time 10 levels are accumulated.

Unit	Maximum Level
Vileins	30
Billmen	30
Arbalestiers	30
Longbowmen	35
Franc Chevalers	35
Hobelars	30
Soffrances	30
Ympes	30
Marrenne	40
Decurion	40
Baneret	45
Mangonel	40

Here are the two detailed levelling formulas:

Stats Growth:

Basic Stat = Basic Stat x 1.029183^Level (gains 33% every 10 levels)

Level Growth:

Final Stat = Basic Stat x 1.0717735^Level (doubles every 10 levels)

The exponent marks in the source formulas are rendered as "^" here; the wiki text shows them flattened.

Player Level

The player level indicates the level a player has reached and the maximum level a unit can reach by means of Renown Points distribution. In addition, each battle played awards the player a number of Renown Points equal to his Player Level. This enables low-level units to keep up with the rest of the army, because the higher a Player Level is, the more Renown Points he/she will receive.

The maximum Player Level is actually set at 50.

Combat Statistics

The stat articles below are the wiki's per-stat pages. Each lists the unit values as printed on the page. Stat values for the other units appear in the sections above.

Initiative

Initiative (INI) represents the unit's speed and overall reactivity. Units with high Initiative take turns more often than others, since INI dictates the rate at which the unit gains Action Points (AcP). The unit's Initiative is lowered by accumulated Fatigue and Veil thresholds.

This value does not increase with Levelling.

The Initiative values for units and Heroes are listed under Turns above.

Retaliate

Units	RET
Arbalestiers	30%
Billmen	0%
Franc Chevalers	50%
Hobelars	30%
Longbowmen	40%
Mangonel	30%
Serjants (Sword)	50%
Serjants (Spear)	30%
Mendicum	30%
Soffrances	30%
Vileins	30%
Ympes	30%

Heroes	RET
William Wallace	50%
Decurion/Centurion	50%
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	50%
Knight Baneret/Baron	50%
Lucifer	100%
Marrenne/Maistresse	60%

Retaliate (RET) is a value which only appears in the main melee weapon category, indicating the warrior's chances of countering an attack if he/she defended himself/herself (Block, Evade, Deflect) against it. Cumbersome weapons are less likely to retaliate.

This value does not increase with Levelling.

Block

Units	Basic BLK
Arbalestiers	0
Billmen	0
Franc Chevalers	20
Hobelars	20
Longbowmen	0
Mangonel	0
Serjants (Sword)	15
Serjants (Spear)	32
Mendicum	0
Soffrances	20
Vileins	0
Ympes	0

Heroes	Basic BLK
William Wallace	0
Decurion/Centurion	0
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	30
Knight Baneret/Baron	25
Lucifer	0
Marrenne/Maistresse	0

Block (BLK) refers to the likelihood that a warrior will block with his shield. Like all defences, this value is used against the attacker's Melee Accuracy (ACC) in a Weighted Random Draw (WRD) to determine the outcome of an attack. If Block is drawn, the damage received is divided by the Shield value. Only characters with shields (or shield-like objects) can Block. The bigger the shield, the higher the Block value is.

Fatigue reduces this value.

This statistic increases with each level using this formula:

Final BLK = Basic BLK x 1.029183^Level (gains 33% every 10 levels)

Evade

Units	Basic EVA
Arbalestiers	10
Billmen	10
Franc Chevalers	0
Hobelars	0
Longbowmen	10
Mangonel	10
Serjants (Swords)	5
Serjants (Spears)	8
Mendicum	10
Soffrances	0
Vileins	10
Ympes	25

Heroes	Basic EVA
William Wallace	15
Decurion/Centurion	0
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	0
Knight Baneret/Baron	0
Lucifer	50
Marrenne/Maistresse	25

Evade (EVA) refers to the dodging skills of a warrior facing enemy attacks. This value is used in the WRD against Melee Accuracy to determine the outcome of the attack. If Evade is chosen, the warrior manages to step out of harm's way and does not receive any damage. Characters wearing light armour tend to have a higher Evade value.

Fatigue reduces this value.

This statistic increases with each level using this formula:

Final EVA = Basic EVA x 1.029183^Level (gains 33% every 10 levels)

Deflect

Units	Basic DFL
Arbalestiers	0
Billmen	0
Franc Chevalers	10
Hobelars	0
Longbowmen	0
Mangonel	0
Serjants (Sword)	10
Serjants (Spear)	0
Mendicum	0
Soffrances	0
Vileins	0
Ympes	0

Heroes	Basic DFL
William Wallace	35
Decurion/Centurion	40
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	20
Knight Baneret/Baron	15
Lucifer	50
Marrenne/Maistresse	0

Deflect (DFL) refers to a warrior's ability to parry an enemy attack with his/her weapon. It is used in a Weighted Random Draw with Block and Evade to determine the outcome of an attack. If the attack is deflected, the defender does not take any damage. Balanced weapons like swords deflect better than others.

Fatigue reduces this value.

This statistic increases with each level using this formula:

Final DFL = Basic DFL x 1.029183^Level (gains 33% every 10 levels)

Shield

Units	Base SHD
Arbalestiers	1
Billmen	1
Francs Chevalers	3
Hobelars	2
Longbowmen	1
Mangonel	1
Serjants	3
Soffrances	2
Vileins	1
Ympes	1
Evocati	1
Nephilim	1
Emissarius

Heroes	Base SHD
William Wallace	1
Decurion/Centurion	1
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	3
Knight Baneret/Baron	3
Lucifer	1
Marrenne/Maistress	1

Shield (SHD) is a value representing the sturdiness of the shield worn (if any) by the warrior. Mathematically, the Final damage is simply divided by the Shield value when the defender blocks. So, a warrior with a SHD of 2 absorbs 50% of the damage.

This value does not increase with Levelling.

Armour

Units	Basic AR
Arbalestiers	12
Billmen	24
Franc Chevalers	36
Hobelars	18
Longbowmen	12
Mangonel	12
Serjants	24
Mendicum	0
Soffrances	0
Vileins	12
Ympes	0
Evocati	36

Heroes	Basic AR
William Wallace	24
Decurion/Centurion	36
Dismounted Baneret/Baron	36
Knight Baneret/Baron	36
Lucifer	0
Marrenne/Maistresse	0

Armour (AR) is a value which represents the physical protection a warrior wears in combat. Armour dampens the damage taken when suffering a Hit or a Block. It is particularly effective against piercing weapons such as swords, and it can reduce the damage taken by up to 66%. However, heavily armoured warriors tend to tire faster and do not evade easily.

This value currently increases with Levelling, but this is expected to change with the integration of equipment. The formula the wiki gives for this is not present in the captured page (the formula line is blank in the capture).

Armour Types

Units also have an Armour type which defines their Fatigue Rate and how much they will draw Lightning to themselves.

Light Armour

• The unit wears no armour or a minimum of it.
• The Fatigue Rate is usually 100%.
• The Armour value at level 1 is usually around 12.

Medium Armour

• The unit wears solid armour such as chain mail or some armour plating.
• The Fatigue Rate is usually 125%, or 150% if mounted.
• The Armour value at level 1 is usually around 24.
• When Lightning attacks are performed in the same zone, the Bulk is multiplied by 2 for targeting.

Heavy Armour

• The unit wears the heaviest of armour, such as full chain mail with helmet or a lot of armour plating.
• The Fatigue Rate is usually 150%, or 200% if mounted.
• The Armour value at level 1 is usually around 36.
• The unit tends to be unable to Evade, which makes it a good target for cavalry.
• When Lightning attacks are thrown in the same zone, the Bulk is multiplied by 3 for targeting.

Basic Morale

Units	Basic Morale
Arbalestiers	70
Billmen	80
Franc Chevalers	90
Hobelars	80
Longbowmen	80
Mangonel	70
Serjants	80
Mendicum	80
Soffrances	70
Vileins	70
Ympes	80
Evocati	90

This is the unit's starting Morale value. High-spirited units start with a higher morale value and are thus less likely to rout in combat.

Heroes do not have a morale value: they use their Retinue's morale instead.

This value does not increase with Levelling.

Characters

The Baneret, one of the Heroes with over 20 regional Factions.

Heroes are powerful individuals, with more skills and prestige than regular soldiers, and who inspire their peers. The presence of special Characters can drastically change the way units act on the battlefield.

In Ex illis, Characters always accompany a unit (called Retinue) and are forced to move with it. Since the Hero and his/her Retinue have to move together, if the Hero performs any action not including a movement, his/her Retinue will not be able to move for that turn and will be limited to actions which do not include a movement component (shooting, defending or simply waiting).

Ex illis is a game in which units are supported by a Hero and not the other way around. A typical Hero has the power of 2 or 3 miniatures but is worth 4 or 5 of them in terms of points. The difference lies in the support brought by the Hero to the unit by his/her special rules and leadership. For a Hero to be worthy, you will need to make these two last aspects profitable.

Heroes

Heroic Powers

See also: complete list of Heroic Powers (see Special Rules below).

When a Hero joins an army, he gives it a special rule called Heroic Power. Every Hero has his/her own Heroic Power. For example, the Decurion's Avenger rule allows him to progressively increase his Weapon Damage as the Decurion loses Retinue members.

In a detailed Army View, you can see that a special rule affects the unit when the symbol of a shield appears on the army's page. You can move your cursor over this icon to see the rules applied to your army. However, if the Hero falls in combat, the Retinue stops benefiting from the Hero's Heroic Power.

Tip: Heroic Powers are an excellent way of increasing your units' abilities. Think about placing a Marrenne with Longbowmen so they can shoot without tiring, or placing a Dismounted Baneret with your Billmen unit to turn it into a Hero-killer squad.

Factions

See also: complete List of Factions (see Factions below).

Each character fights for a particular cause, whether it is for the re-establishment of the Inquisition, for his/her country's glory or even to fill the coffers of a mercenary company. This cause is represented by the Faction to which the Character belongs. The coat of arms shown on the Character's image corresponds to the Faction. The Faction of a character drives three major aspects of its gameplay:

• The Hero's Motives, granted as a Leadership bonus or penalty to the Retinue;
• The Faction rules applied if the Hero becomes General;
• The additional costs involved in promoting this Hero to the rank of General.

In the Hero view, a box explains the Faction's particularities. If the Character has several possible Factions, you can change the Faction by clicking on his/her coat of arms or on the button "Change Faction".

In the Faction view, you can see all the Factions to which the Character can belong. Changing the Faction is a long-term choice (just like the specialisation choice, for example) and can only be changed a limited number of times, so take your time before going into this aspect of the gameplay.

Leadership

Units can support the cause for which the Hero is fighting or not. This atmosphere of agreement (or disapproval) between the unit and its leader is called Leadership and ensues directly from the Hero's Faction.

Every Hero has Motives (reasons for fighting) and each unit has Affinities (feeling of belonging to a certain cause). The Leadership that comes out of it is the result of all of the Hero's Motives multiplied by all of his/her Retinue's Affinities. This Leadership is a bonus or a penalty which is directly applied to the unit's Morale.

All Heroes have a Basic Motive representing their natural charisma. Almost all units will benefit from this basic value. Thus, even if the Hero and the unit have nothing in common, a slight Leadership bonus will still be added.

In most cases, the Hero gives a morale bonus which will be used as a buffer to allow the unit to take more blows before fleeing. However, if the Hero and his/her unit are particularly incompatible, the unit can start with a morale penalty which will affect its performance. In some extreme cases, the disagreement can even push a unit to refuse to fight.

On the other hand, a unit that is very compatible with its Hero will start the fight Confident and will benefit from a bonus to hit its opponents. However, make sure your unit does not become Presumptuous and forget to take its opponent seriously. Many generals have made this mistake and have lost their lives for it.

Generals

You can also personalise your army even more by promoting one of your Heroes to the rank of General of your army. The army General is a more experienced leader and is harder to kill. To represent this, a General has a 25% HP bonus.

Note on the source: the wiki's Generals section gives the General a 25% HP bonus here, but the list of effects below says "The Hero gains a 50% HP bonus". Both are transcribed as printed; the source does not reconcile them.

When designating a specific Hero to lead your troops, the whole army takes his/her Faction. For example, your army will not simply be an army of mercenaries anymore, but an army of the English Crown! This advanced function is optional and recommended only after playing a few games of Ex illis beforehand. Make sure that you master the game's basics before going further.

To choose a General, click on your Hero's figure. A crown will appear on the screen to show his/her new status, and the Hero's coat of arms will be shown in the Faction's frame. Choosing a General has an impact on four of the game's aspects:

• This Hero's Leadership is applied to all units in the army;
• His/her Faction's Faction rules are applied;
• The Hero gains a 50% HP bonus;
• A promotion cost might have to be paid.

When a General is chosen, it is not the Retinue but all miniatures in the army that are affected by the Character's Leadership. Depending on the chosen Faction, a few units will be particularly motivated to follow your General, while others might refuse to fight. You can review each troop's morale by moving your cursor over the morale icon. If a unit receives a Hero's influence in addition to that of the General, the average of both is worked out.

Tip: If you wish to integrate a unit into an army with which it does not get along well, think of placing your unit with a Hero it trusts. The Hero's Leadership could convince the unit to join the army's ranks.

Faction rules are a second aspect brought by a General. These rules are different from Heroic Powers, which benefit only the Retinue. Faction rules are applied to the whole army, but only when the Hero becomes General. You can see them in the Faction box. Moreover, when you choose a General for your army, a coat-of-arms symbol appears under each unit affected by his/her rules.

In general, Faction rules can modify the cost of certain units or even turn them into special units. They can also modify certain units' statistics or add new effects during the battle. Certain Factions are easier to play than others due to their Leadership and special rules. A promotion cost might have to be paid when becoming General to counterbalance this fact.

The system of Generals is flexible and allows you to drastically change your style of play from game to game. If a Faction becomes too difficult to play, do not hesitate to nominate a different General for a certain period of time (the starter kit gives you two) or even to simply play mercenaries. Once you have better control over certain skills or have acquired new specialisations, it will always be possible to return to your first Factions by trying new strategies.

Named Characters

Certain Characters in the Ex illis universe, such as William Wallace, can also join your army's ranks. Their prestige and power can add to your strategies. Named Characters are set in time, i.e. they do not gain experience or specialisation as they fight. They are who they are. This is not a problem in itself, since their statistics and skills are often impressive to start with.

It is possible to play a Character in a low-level game. However, in order to respect the predominance that these Characters can have over their peers, they are always played to the maximum level allowed by the game (without exceeding their personal maximum level). Thus, William Wallace, a Character of level 40, will be played at level 10 in a Common game, level 20 in a Grand game, and so on.

Factions

The wiki's Factions page lists the factions by the Character they relate to. Faction rules themselves are under Special Rules below.

• Faction related to William Wallace: Sons of Scotland
• Faction related to Lucifer: Luciferi
• Factions related to the Decurion/Centurion: Ardenti; Broken Wing; Gesellschaft; Legio Sancti; Lux Dei
• Factions related to the Marrenne/Maistresse: Arth Byddin; Brec'Helean; Seelie; Tuatha dé Danann; Unseelie
• Factions related to the Baneret/Baron: Aquitània; Artois; Avignon; Bàideanach; Bourgogne; Breizh; Champagne; Cornwall; English Crown; French Crown; Gloucester; Hereford; Lancaster; Lengadòc; Lodainn; Normandie; Provence; Rheinpfalz; Savoie; Valois-Anjou

Special Rules

Most units have some special rules which the players have to know to fully grasp how each unit works. Most special rules are designed to be easy to remember and to ease the learning of intricate mechanisms.

The wiki's "Affected Unit(s)" and "Affected Hero(es)" / "Affected Faction(s)" lists are blank in the captured pages, so which units each rule applies to is not recorded here.

Unit Special Rules

Artillery: Must reload between each shot. Heroes are less likely to be hit. Each consecutive shot in the same zone scatters less.

Aura of Terror: Every unit within one tile receives a progressive morale penalty (-10 per turn).

Chant:

• Verses affect every allied unit within a range of 2 zones.
• Verses' effects are continuous, as long as the unit does not perform any action other than a Verse, or becomes engaged.
• The same Verse cast by 2 different units has a cumulative effect.
• A Finale's power is proportional to the number of Verses used by this unit, but ends all active Verses.

Common: 50% less penalty points are imposed on this unit when exceeding in any Muster Category.

Cowards: Unless acting as a Retinue, this unit cannot charge unengaged enemies.

Dark Presence: Drains 2% of every miniature's life in the same zone.

Enraged: This unit only has a neutral morale state when its morale is positive. If its morale falls negative, its morale state becomes Furious. While Furious, the Emissarius gains 20% Initiative and Strength, but loses 20% Accuracy and Toughness.

Exasperation: Lucifer is fearless and is affected by morale modifiers only when he kills. If the number of people Lucifer kills exceeds 2/3 of his point value, he leaves the battlefield, exasperated.

Fast Cavalry: Not subject to enemy cut down when leaving close combat.

For Glory: Charges compulsively enemy Heroes when Confident or Overconfident. This rule ignores units located in a zone containing a terrain feature.

Generic: Basic Leadership of allied Heroes increases by 50%.

Heavy Cavalry Charge: This unit's charge is impossible to deflect and inflicts a morale penalty (4 per knight) to attacked units if their miniatures have a Bulk of 3 or less.

Huge: This unit occupies 2 units' space in its zone.

Impetuous: Charges compulsively when Confident or Overconfident. This rule ignores units located in a zone containing a terrain feature.

Laborious Movements: Moving requires twice the usual time. The unit cannot charge or retreat. When it flees, it is considered destroyed.

Light Cavalry Charge: This unit's charge is impossible to deflect and inflicts a morale penalty (2 per knight) to attacked units if their miniatures have a Bulk of 3 or less.

Loner: Lucifer is a hero, but is still considered a unit on his own. He cannot join any unit and so has no Retinue.

Long Stride: This unit's movements are not slowed by terrain features.

Meditation: The action Wait gives back to this unit 75% of its accumulated Fatigue and Veil instead of 50%.

Pavises: Arbalestiers are almost immune to enemy shooting. Missile block 80%.

Polearm: Attacks are tiring and take an extra 500 AcP recovery time. Charge reaction attacks are done with their Secondary melee weapon.

Psychological Weapon: Inflicts a morale penalty (-10) to every unit in the target zone.

Reload: Crossbowmen need to reload between each shot.

Soulless: This unit does not receive the Basic Leadership value of allied Heroes. Only has a basic morale state. If its morale turns negative, the unit is disabled.

Teleport: Diagonal movements and terrain penalties do not slow down this unit when moving. It accumulates Veil instead of Fatigue for all movements.

Heroic Powers

Each Hero has one Heroic Power which affects the Hero himself/herself and his/her Retinue. As soon as the Hero is defeated, his/her Heroic Power stops functioning. If the Hero is resurrected, his/her Heroic Power's effects are restored.

Against the Odds: When outnumbered, the unit is given an Accuracy bonus which is proportional to the Intimidation modifier.

Negative Intimidation	Accuracy Bonus
1 : 1 and lower	No penalty
1.5 : 1	+17%
2 : 1	+33%
2.5 : 1	+50%
3 : 1	+67%
3.5 : 1	+83%
4 : 1 or more	+100%

Avenger: The damage dealt by the unit increases progressively as the unit loses Retinue members. The bonus damage is equal to the percentage of lost miniatures in the unit, not counting the Hero.

Disabused: Lucifer's Intimidation increases proportionally to his number of kills.

Hero Killer: Increases by 50% the damage dealt by the Baneret's unit in melee against enemy Heroes.

Refreshing Presence: Constantly restores her Retinue's Fatigue and Veil.

Faction Rules

These special rules are only applied if the Hero is elected to be the army's General.

• Anglo-Normans: French and English units gain 10% in Toughness.
• Arrière-ban: Lowborn units gain 10% in Hit Points.
• Celestial Army: Angelic units cost 15% less to field, but Fleaudian and Demonic units are considered special.
• Celtic Traditions: Celtic units cost 15% less to field, but Papal and Angelic units become special choices.
• Clos des Galées: Heroes gain 20% in Armour.
• Dean Miners: Lowborn units gain 50% in Earth Resistance.
• Discipline: Angelic and Generic units' Morale Sensitivity is lowered by 10%.
• Endless Blades: Nephilim units get 15% bonus to their HP, Accuracy and Defences, but their cost is increased by 20%.
• Esprit de corps: Noble units' Morale Sensitivity is lowered by 10%.
• Expurgation: Angelic and Generic units have a Fire damage bonus when they roll a Luck on their melee attacks.
• Fallen: Angelic and Demonic units cost 10% less points to field, but Papal units are considered special.
• Fallen Honour: Fallen angels have no muster penalties, but human units are special.

Companion Article: Movement (Official)

Official Bastion article "Movement" (2010), from the publisher's article series. The article states that its formulas "may yet be tweaked during the balancing phase"; the early values it lists are in graphics that the text extraction does not capture, so they are omitted here.

Over the course of the summer, a series of articles will detail a specific aspect of the gameplay. These give mid-level information about the mechanics of the game: enough to get a good grasp on the gameplay, but not hyper-detailed with all the formulas.

The first article in this series is about movement.

The Basics

The game is played via a series of "zones". A zone represents a large piece of terrain that takes time to cross. The standard gaming mat has 20 zones (5 x 4), but this can easily be modulated. For example, a game could use two mats placed side by side (which fits perfectly on a 6 feet by 4 feet table) for added space, or one could decide to play on a long 20 zones by 3 zones, should you wish to represent an army being attacked while marching Teutoberger-style.

The relationship between the board and the software is one of the main concepts to understand with Ex illis. The board gives you all of the macro information about the battlefield, like the type and amount of figurines present in each zone, the presence of heroes, the flanking directions, etc. It is your zoomed-out version of the game, used for all the tactical decisions.

By opposition, the software is like a zoomed-in version of a single zone. You cannot see what is going on around (if you are moving in the range of archers or exposing your flanks to a cavalry charge, for example), but you have much more detail on that one specific zone, such as hit points, status effects and morale states. So when you play, you always need to consider both aspects if you want to make a good decision.

Concentration

One of the golden rules in Ex illis is that you can never have more than three friendly units in the same zone. This means you must always consider how you will compose your zones with combined-arms techniques. Do you want to protect your precious longbowmen behind some pikemen, or would you rather make an all-cavalry zone for a maximum charge?

It is also a good idea to keep some room for additional units as reserve behind the main melee instead of systematically putting three units per zone. If the melee does not go your way, you may want to reinforce it with troops which fit well with the enemy at hand. In that case, it is usually a good idea to put your standard troops in the front, and keep your specialists in the back so they can reinforce melees where most needed.

The different types of terrain also play an important role in the concentration of units. For example, while open fields can support up to three units, densely wooded areas can only support one at a time. Therefore, you can use the various terrain features to cover your flanks. Should an enemy venture into the wood, he will know he can never be reinforced if the need arises.

As a rule of thumb, the more densely packed a zone is with units, the better it is in melee. However, it also becomes much more vulnerable to enemy arrows (or worse, catapults or similarly explosive artillery spells). It is a common trap to place all your best troops in a single, all-mighty zone, only to see them burnt to a crisp by Greek fire grenades. Balancing the field between thick melee zones and lighter ones is often crucial for victory.

The article gives a scenario it calls the "Hastings pattern". On one side is a combined force of cavalry (A) and missile troops (B); the enemy on the other side of the field is specialised in infantry (C). By putting your cavalry with your archers, you force your enemy into a difficult dilemma. On one hand, your opponent has to regroup in a single zone if he hopes to withstand the cavalry charge you are threatening to unleash; on the other hand, by doing so he offers you a perfect target for your archers. Furthermore, should one of the infantry decide to break the formation and advance closer to you, there is a good chance he will have to suffer the full might of your cavalry charge, alone. Or he could try to sit there and be shot at all day long.

Speed

There are different movement types in the game to represent how the different units move around:

• Infantry are the basic unit speed. They move and charge one zone away.
• Cavalry can move up to two zones away. However, when charging, a cavalry unit must move in a clear, straight line. Since "hook" charges (double-diagonals) are not possible, the placement of the cavalry on the field becomes a very important consideration.
• Flyers are very mobile units who can move up to two zones away, and do not need to worry about the same restrictions as cavalry. They can fly over units and charge anywhere in the range.

There are also other types of movement, like teleporters and hoverers, which the article leaves for another time. Another important aspect to consider when moving is that it generates fatigue. Some units, like a crossbowman carrying a pavise or a foot soldier in heavy armour, will fatigue quite quickly if they are constantly moving around needlessly. This is all the truer when moving through special terrain features like climbing a hill or crossing a forest.

Diagonal moves are permitted, but have an added cost in fatigue. Therefore, while the game allows flexibility of movement, a player will always have the upper hand if he is able to force his enemy onto his fighting axis rather than moving around in diagonals over and over.

Charges

Unless specified, any movement that ends in a zone occupied by the enemy is considered a charge. When a charge occurs, the chargers and the target compare their priority:

• If the charger has a higher priority than his target, the charger will perform his charge, and there is not much the victim can do.
• If the charger has a lower priority than his target, the target will first perform his charge reaction, and only after taking the hits can the charger perform his charge.
• If the charger and the target have the same value, they will both perform their actions at the same time, and only after are the casualties removed.

While charges and charge reactions usually consist of a simple attack, some units focus their gameplay around these concepts. For example, heavy cavalry usually has many different charge types it can use, some focusing on impact, others on breaking the enemy's morale.

Other units can set their charge reactions to different actions, like shielding themselves with a spell, or even trying to retreat before being charged. There is a wide array of possibilities, especially through upgrades and levelling.

Flanks

When a unit charges an enemy (already engaged or not), it sets the direction of the melee. You can easily remember its direction by leaving one figurine (or any other marker) on the edge of the zone. From that point on, charges coming from the side are considered flanking, and the ones coming from behind are considered rear attacks.

The flanking direction set by a player is of course mirrored for his opponent. This direction stays set as long as the melee lasts, or until a new unit joins it.

Flanking has many advantages and can be a real decisive factor. Firstly, the defence of every victim is reduced by a set percentage based on how able it is to react to side attacks. Secondly, flanking has a serious morale effect on the victims and significantly increases the chance they will rout. Thirdly, the victim has a 50% chance it will miss its charge reaction if it was entitled to one. A rear attack has similar penalties, but amplified.

A good general, able to play well with the tactical positioning of his troops and to get in a flank at the opportune moment, has a serious advantage over his enemies.

The article gives a bait example: you have a cheap unit of poor old peasants (A) and a more offensive unit (B) you wish to flank an enemy (C) with.

• First, you move your bait up in a "V" position between the prey and the predator.
• The target sees your bait as a quick and easy target to dispatch before the real melee starts. It charges into the bait, and sets the flanking direction doing so.
• While the peasants have suffered greatly from the attack, the target is now wide open for a flank from your offensive unit.

Summary

The software ensures you never make an "illegal" move, removes the need to use a measuring tape, and keeps the pacing of the game fast and fluid. On the other hand, there is a lot of consideration a player can put into the movement gameplay: unit density, reinforcement possibilities, various terrain, different movement types, charge priorities, special charge actions and reactions, and flank directions.

Easy to learn... hard to master!

Companion Document: Stats, Core Algorithms and Symbols (Official)

Official Bastion document "Stats, core algorithms and symbols" (Wayback capture 2015). It gives an overview of the statistics, the mechanisms behind the Asymptotic Ratio and the Weighted Random Draw, and the common symbols of the game's visual language. The example-value sidebars printed beside each stat are omitted: the extracted text does not reliably pair them with their stats. The wiki values above are the reference for unit stats.

Stats

Musters

• Number of miniatures: Indicates the maximum number of miniatures allowed in the unit. In the mustering phase, you can reduce the size of your units to 50% + 1. For example, a unit with a Number of miniatures of 8 can field between 5 and 8 miniatures. Units with fewer miniatures cost less but are more sensitive to morale penalties caused by casualties, since this calculation is always based on the current Number of miniatures (2 casualties out of 8 miniatures is 25% of the unit, while 2 casualties out of 5 miniatures is 40%).
• Points for full unit: Indicates the basic cost for a unit using the maximum Number of miniatures. The cost is divided by the chosen number of miniatures and rounded if the unit is smaller than allowed.
• Affinities: Indicates the morale categories relevant to the unit. These are multiplied by the Hero's Motive value to get a final Leadership bonus or penalty. Most of the time, affinities are set to 100% unless stated otherwise, but can also go to 150% and even 200%. For example, the Longbowmen's "English" Affinity is set to 150% while the Broken Wing Hero has an "English" Motive of 10. A Longbowmen unit led by the Broken Wing Hero will receive a Leadership bonus of 15 (10 x 150%).
• Muster Categories: Indicates every category the unit falls into when creating a muster. When a category goes beyond a certain threshold, it turns yellow and every additional point costs a penalty point. The category can also pass a second threshold, in which case it turns red and every additional point invested in that category costs two penalty points.

Morale

• Basic Morale: The unit's starting morale value. High-spirited units start with a higher morale value.
• Morale Sensitivity: A value which represents the unit's reactivity to morale modifiers (casualties, Intimidation and special factors), both positive and negative. Veteran fighters tend to be less sensitive, while recruits often react more than they should. Every time a unit reaches a Fatigue or Veil threshold, its morale sensitivity is multiplied by 1.2.
• Morale Type: Determines the unit's psychological pattern (morale bar) and the various morale states it can find itself in. For example, the default setting shows the "Routing" state when morale is negative, the "Shaky" state between 0 and 59, the "Neutral" state between 60 and 119, the "Confident" state between 120 and 179, and the "Overconfident" state when morale points exceed 180. The Soffrances' Morale Type, Soulless, only has a "Neutral" state and a "Disabled" one. When a Hero is present, the unit always uses the Hero's Morale Type rather than its own.
• Intimidation: The value per miniature which determines how scary the unit is in close combat. Powerful and offensive units tend to score higher than units who do not perform well in melees. The sum of all Intimidation values in a zone is compared between both enemies, and the player with the highest Intimidation gains a bonus to morale while his/her opponent suffers a penalty.

Characteristics

• Hit Points (HP): The amount of life left in the character. When this number reaches 0, the warrior is defeated.
• Toughness (TGH): The unit's natural resistance to physical harm. This value is compared to the opponent's Strength value for a melee hit or Shooting value for a ranged hit to multiply the basic Weapon Damage. If the Toughness is higher, the damage received will be reduced, but if it is lower, the damage will be increased. The precise formula used to compare Toughness against the enemy's Strength or Shooting is an Asymptotic Ratio 2.5 (AR 2.5).
• Fatigue Rate (FR): The unit's ability to perform physical actions over a long period of time before becoming tired. This value, represented as a percentage, multiplies every action's basic Fatigue cost. Characters wearing little armour tend to have a low Fatigue Rate, while those wearing heavy armour tend to have a high one.
• Veil Rate (VR): The unit's ability to cast spells repetitively before feeling the effect of the Veil. Like the Fatigue Rate, this value is a percentage which modulates the basic Veil cost. For the moment, all units start with the same VR, but this value may vary during the game due to spell effects.
• Initiative (INI): The unit's speed and overall reactivity. Units with high Initiative take turns more often than others, since INI dictates the rate at which the unit gains Action Points (AcP). The unit's Initiative is lowered by accumulated Fatigue and Veil thresholds.
• Bulk (BU): The physical size of each warrior in the unit. This affects the likelihood of being hit by ranged attacks, the accuracy penalty someone suffers when trying to shoot over a unit, and the maximum number of attacks that can be launched against each miniature in a single round of combat. Moving, unlike charging or retreating, reduces Bulk, since moving enemies are more difficult to hit with ranged attacks or to target in a melee.
• Aggressiveness (AGG): The warrior's willingness to jump headlong into the thick of the melee. This is shown by the unit's position on the screen: the higher the Aggressiveness, the closer to the enemy it appears. Units with high Aggressiveness are more likely to be the target of enemy attacks. Also, ranged attackers shooting at close range (inside the same melee) can accidentally hit their allies if those allies have a higher Aggressiveness than theirs. Finally, highly aggressive units are the last ones to be denied their cut down and the first ones to be denied their charge reactions due to the presence of enemy units in the same zone.

Power

• Strength (STR): The warrior's ability to put weight behind its melee attacks. The attacker's Strength is compared to the defender's Toughness when the attack hits or when it is blocked. A higher Strength can boost the basic Weapon Damage up to 250%. The exact calculation follows an Asymptotic Ratio 2.5 (AR 2.5) curve.
• Shooting (SHT): The equivalent of Strength for shooting attacks. It is compared to the defender's Toughness when the shot hits to modulate the basic Weapon Damage.
• Magic (MAG): Similar to Strength but for spells. This value is compared to the Elemental Resistance corresponding to the spell cast to determine the basic Spell Potency.

Accuracy

• Melee Accuracy (ACC): The warrior's skill to hit his/her target in close combat. It is compared with every melee Defence option (Block, Evade, Deflect) in a Weighted Random Draw (WRD). Fatigued warriors can lose up to 80% of their Melee Accuracy.
• Ranged Accuracy (RAcc): How accurate the warrior is when using a ranged attack. Shooting Accuracy is used in a WRD against free space, Cover and every warrior's Bulk in that zone (friend and foe). If RAcc is picked by the WRD, a second draw containing only the enemies is made to determine which foe the shot will hit. RAcc is reduced by Fatigue the same way Melee Accuracy is.
• Magic Accuracy (MAcc): Acts as the Ranged Accuracy when using a ranged spell. It is also used to evaluate the chances a spell has to hit when it can be resisted. It is reduced by Veil instead of Fatigue.

Defence

• Block (BLK): The likelihood that a warrior will block with his shield. Like all defences, this value is used against the attacker's Melee Accuracy (ACC) in a WRD to determine the outcome of the attack. If Block is drawn, the damage received is divided by the Shield value. Only characters with shields (or shield-like objects) can Block. The bigger the shield, the higher the Block value. Fatigue reduces this value.
• Evade (EVA): The dodging skills of a warrior facing enemy attacks. This value is used in the WRD against ACC to determine the outcome of the attack. If Evade is chosen, the warrior manages to step out of harm's way and does not receive any damage. Characters wearing light armour tend to have a higher Evade value. Fatigue reduces this value.
• Deflect (DFL): A warrior's ability to parry an enemy attack with his/her weapon. It is used in a WRD with Block and Evade to determine the outcome of an attack. If the attack is deflected, the defender does not take any damage. Balanced weapons like swords are better at deflecting than others. Fatigue reduces this value.

Charge

• Charge Priority (CP): The warrior's ability to attack before the enemy when charging. This value is compared to the defender's Reaction Priority value to determine the charge order (higher values act first). Units with good reflexes, and especially long weapons like pikes or cavalry lances, tend to have higher values than others.
• Reaction Priority (RP): A warrior's ability to hold his/her ground and strike first when charged. It is compared to the attacker's Charge Priority to establish the charge order. The difference between the RP and the CP values determines the defender's chances of performing a Charge Reaction (either before or after being charged). Longer weapons like spears and pikes have the highest Reaction Priority. Certain Defensive Stances, or the Cover in a zone, can increase Reaction Priority.

Weapon

• Weapon Damage (WpD): The basic damage value for an attack. To determine the final damage, this value is first modulated by a comparison of Strength/Toughness, then by an Armour/Armour Piercing comparison and, finally, a 20% random factor is added.
• Armour Piercing (AP): The weapon's capacity to pierce through armour. AP is compared to the defender's Armour in an AR 2.5. However, if the Armour Piercing value is higher than the opponent's Armour value, the armour is considered to give no protection at all, and the victim suffers full damage.
• Retaliate (RET): A value which only appears in the main melee weapon category and indicates the warrior's chances of countering an attack if he/she defended himself/herself (Block, Evade, Deflect) against it. Cumbersome weapons are less likely to retaliate.

Protection

• Armour (AR): The physical protection a warrior wears in combat. Armour dampens the damage taken when suffering a Hit or a Block. It is particularly effective against slashing weapons such as swords, and it can reduce the damage taken by up to 66%. However, heavily armoured warriors tend to tire faster and do not evade easily.
• Shield (SHD): The sturdiness of the shield worn by the warrior (if any). Mathematically, the final damage is simply divided by the Shield value when the defender blocks. So a warrior with a SHD of 2 absorbs 50% of the damage.
• Missile Block (MBlk): Only present if the unit wears a shield, this value shows the chances to block an incoming ranged attack. When blocking an enemy arrow or bolt, the defender does not take any damage. Larger shields have a higher Missile Block.

Resistances

This group of values shows the elemental vulnerability to enemy spells for Fire, Lightning, Ice, Earth, Water, Wind, Light and Dark. This value acts in a way similar to Toughness, reducing the damage taken when a spell hits. High resistance also reduces the chances of enemy debuffs working. For spells using more than one element (Poison Wind) or all elemental values (prismatic spells), the average of all related Elemental Resistances is worked out and applied.

Algorithms

There are two common algorithms (or formulas) used in the game that may need more explanation, since their mathematical complexity usually makes them impractical for tabletop games.

Asymptotic Ratio 2.5 (AR 2.5)

An asymptotic ratio is a comparison of two opposite stats, like Strength and Toughness, used to modify a third value, like Weapon Damage. To solve an AR 2.5, we divide the first value by the second. The result, a "ratio", is then inserted into a double asymptotic curve (an "S" curve ranging between two values without ever truly reaching them).

When the two initial values are equivalent, the AR 2.5 results in a value of 1, meaning the third value is not modified at all. If the first value (Strength) is infinitely higher than the second one (Toughness), the third value (Weapon Damage) is multiplied by 2.5. On the other hand, if the first value is infinitely lower than the second one, the third value is reduced to 33% of its original value.

In a game like Ex illis, many parameters, large level gaps and status effects are used, and the AR 2.5 allows the numbers to be kept under control when facing extreme situations, while retaining all the expressiveness of the challenge when values are close.

Stats ratio	Multiplier
Infinitely small	Roughly 33%
1/2	Roughly 66%
3/4	Roughly 85%
1	100%
2	Roughly 150%
3.25	Roughly 200%
Infinitely big	Roughly 250%

The most important AR 2.5 uses in the game are:

• Strength vs. Toughness, multiplying Weapon Damage (melee attacks).
• Shooting vs. Toughness, multiplying Weapon Damage (ranged attacks).
• Magic vs. Elemental Resistance, multiplying Spell Power (spells).

Modified Asymptotic Ratio

In some cases, a calculation follows the same principles as the AR 2.5 algorithm but is slightly modified to suit the situation. For example, Armour Piercing vs. Armour is capped at 1, to show that once the armour is completely pierced, it no longer affects the damage value.

Another modified AR is the one used to calculate the effect of Fatigue on Accuracy and Defence, and of Veil on Magic Accuracy and Elemental Resistance. Here, the whole Fatigue is applied to an "S" curve ranging from 100% efficiency all the way down to 20%. The efficiency curve's key points are the same as the Gradual Effect on Efficiency table in the Fatigue and Veil section above (0 = 100%, 2 = 97%, 4 = 90%, 6 = 80%, 8 = 66%, 10 = 52%, 12 = 38%, 14 = 30%, 16 = 24%, 21+ = 20%).

Weighted Random Draw (WRD)

The Weighted Random Draw is the second most common algorithm in the game. It is used when there are many possible outcomes in a given situation and some of them should carry more weight because of stats or context.

The image used to understand the WRD is very simple: think of a bag of marbles. Each outcome is represented by a different marble, which is put in the bag. Once all the outcomes have been placed, the bag is shaken and one marble is drawn blindly to determine the final result.

The document gives a worked scenario of a WRD for an attack between a Billman and a Franc Chevaler (the marble diagram is omitted). Computers do not need a physical bag, but they can run several WRDs in a single second, each with a large number of different marbles, which allows subtlety in the gameplay without hampering its flow.

The most common WRDs in the game are:

• WRD of Aggressiveness to determine the target of attacks.
• WRD of Melee Accuracy and Defences to determine the outcome of a melee attack.
• WRD of Ranged Accuracy, Bulk, free space and Cover to determine where a ranged attack will fall.

Symbols

The game uses various visual cues to give players info about the gameplay. The common symbols and their meanings are below. (The document describes its icons without naming them. The bold labels below are descriptive names added for readability; the icon artwork itself is not reproduced.)

Action Frames

• Grey frame: An action which is generic and common to most units in the game.
• Yellow frame: An action which is specific to a unit.
• Purple frame: A spell. Harmful spells always have a chance to fail, based on the caster's Magic Power and the victim's Resistance. Some actions, like the Marrenne's Tempest, prevent other units from casting a spell. Some actions are "magic abilities" (elemental dot) which cost Veil Points and have elemental components, but are so natural to the unit that they are not affected by "silencing" effects.
• Shield frame: An action which sets a Defensive Stance. On top of their particular bonuses, Defensive Stances always increase the unit's Defences (Block, Evade and Deflect) and Retaliate values by 50%. Defensive Stances are kept active even if the unit waits or moves; any other action (charge, attack, etc.) breaks the Stance.
• Dented frame: An action which sets an Offensive Stance. These Stances usually grant a significant bonus to Melee Attacks but reduce Defences and Retaliate by 50%. They are kept active even if the unit moves, charges or fights; any other action (wait, special attacks, etc.) breaks the Stance.
• Octagonal frame: Not an action, but a passive bonus. These are always working and do not need to be activated.
• Numbers: A frame with a number in it refers to an action which has been upgraded with a specialisation. In the software, the help function (?) and the icon itself give a reminder of what the specialisation does.
• Elemental dots: Small spheres indicating that the action has an elemental component. Units defending against an elemental action use Elemental Resistance instead of Toughness. Elements can also form a chain: if a warrior is hit by the elements in a certain order, the Spell Potency is increased by 10%. Additional 10% bonuses are gained for each successful step in the chain. An action can be composed of multiple elements, in which case every element counts for the purpose of the elemental chain and towards resistances.

Symbols Inside the Frame

• Green arrow: The action has a movement component. It does not allow you to enter a zone containing enemies, and it reduces the unit's Bulk for one turn. Therefore, the unit will be harder to hit with ranged attacks, and the maximum number of attacks each miniature can receive will be reduced.
• Red arrow: A charge. It can only be performed towards a zone containing enemies and has an attack component on top of its movement. Charges can be countered in some circumstances, or they can become Flank or Rear charges depending on the fight direction in the destination tile.
• Hooked red arrow: The action is linked to a Flank or Rear charge.
• Inverted red arrow: The enemy charging. It is often used to show a Stance that modifies Reaction Priority, or the reaction itself.
• Inverted yellow arrow: A retreat, only available when the unit is engaged. It has a movement component which enables the unit to exit the melee, but it runs the risk of being cut down.
• Small clepsydra: When used in icons other than the Wait action, a long action, which will only be executed after a certain amount of Action Points have been accumulated. While preparing for the action, the unit's Defences (Block, Evade, Deflect) are reduced to 0, and the unit will be interrupted if it takes direct damage.

Status Icons

• Blue glow: Status effects with a blue outline are "buffs". They are positive effects that can be removed by the opponent's "dispel" abilities.
• White glow: Neutral status effects. They are not necessarily positive or negative, and cannot be removed by special abilities unless stated otherwise.
• Red glow: Status effects with a red outline are "debuffs" and are usually harmful. They can be removed by "cleanse" abilities.

Damage Colours

• White is for standard damage.
• Red is for critical damage (Luck).
• Green is for healing.
• Blue is for dampened (blocked/resisted) damage.
• A blue exclamation mark (!) is for when a positive status effect is added.
• A yellow exclamation mark (!) is for when a negative status effect is added.
• A red exclamation mark (!) is for a retaliation.
• A white exclamation mark (!) is for an elemental chain.

Fate Screen

The Fate Screen, which more or less represents the dice in the game, is a visual representation of the Weighted Random Draw. In each Fate Screen roll, every stat, parameter and modifier is taken into account to reflect the probability of an outcome. Each outcome shows the warrior involved in the roll. The left side always displays the miniature initiating the roll, while in some cases the right side shows the defender.

Melee Fate Screen outcomes

• Clean hit: The attacker dealt a clean hit. Full damage is taken.
• Blocked: The defender blocked the incoming attack. If used against a melee hit, the damage is reduced by the Shield value. If used against a ranged attack, the defender does not take any damage.
• Deflected: The defender deflected the attack with his/her weapon. No damage is taken.
• Evaded: The defender evaded the attack. No damage is taken.
• Miss: The attacker could not hit an enemy. This happens if there are more attacks than enemy Bulk available in the zone, or if all targets are already dead.
• Retaliation: The defender was able to retaliate against the attack.

Range Fate Screen outcomes

• Accurate hit: The attack dealt an accurate ranged hit against an enemy thanks to the attacker's Accuracy.
• Bulk hit: An attack has hit an enemy due to his/her Bulk, not to the shooter's Accuracy.
• Artillery fragment: Only for artillery attacks: an enemy has suffered a hit from a fragment rather than the actual boulder.
• Cover: The projectile hit Cover in the zone (a tree, an obstacle, etc.).
• Missed: The projectile fell harmlessly onto the ground.
• Friendly fire: The projectile accidentally fell on a friendly miniature.

Luck Fate Screen outcome

• Luck: The outcome ended in a Luck, usually translating into a direct hit at 150% damage.
• Bad Luck: The outcome ended in a Bad Luck, usually translating into a miss where the attacker damages himself/herself for 10% of his/her max health.

Spells Fate Screen outcome

• Spell hit: A spell hit an enemy.
• Resisted: A spell has been resisted.