World Systems

The League of Legends was founded to save Valoran from total destruction through war. Although the League will intervene to prevent conflicts from escalating to catastrophic levels, often this takes the form of containing and restricting the fighting rather than completely halting it — the League will cordon off certain areas, hold tournaments to award key strategic locations to one side or the other, and rule on allies’ petitions to enter the fray. The fiercest fighting often occurs early in the conflict, before the League can respond, as each side throws all their might into making their position appear as formidable as possible by the time the initial truce is ordered.

In short, despite the League’s presence, the armies of Valoran are not just for show.

To keep things exciting and genuinely unpredictable, as well as to generate some flavorful detail, we have put together a system for describing these fighting forces and resolving clashes between them. It interacts with the research system, which can give factions special bonuses and add new units.

The following is mostly just geeky detail for people who like a little bit of tabletop mixed in with their Factions. There’s no need to learn how it works behind the scenes unless you enjoy doing so.

Revised Military System

The following is an in-progress draft.

The Military system is used to resolve armed conflicts between factions, or with NPC forces. The basic idea: each side has a number of units. Each unit has a Strength defined as a set of dice. Combats typically cover three rounds. Each round, each side rolls Strength for each of its units, then totals them up. The side with the greater Strength wins that round. Each side may then end up losing some units as casualties.

Here is a quick summary of the new system’s revisions.

Unit Strength

We’ve standardized the basic rules for unit Strength. We’ve also generally taken randomness out of the “d6 army mod” roll and just made unit Strength more random (by giving them fewer, larger dice), because that’s a more interesting and flavorful place for randomness than a bland “Freljord +33% this round” general mod.

• Champions: d9 + 5 (average 10)
  • Special rule: On a natural 9, roll another d9 and add that value to Strength. If the bonus d9 is also a 9, roll a third d9 as well. (It stops there, though. And that Champion is getting a badass lore update.)
  • MIA’d if lost as a casualty. (They don’t get a casualty check.)
  • Champions each have two special traits.
  • NPC armies can have “Champions”, too.
• Rabble: d5 (average 3)
  • Includes scouts, small bands of thugs, and other miscellaneous units.
• Infantry: d11 (average 6)
• Creatures: d5+5 (average 8)
  • Count as “monstrous” units for system purposes.
• Ranged: d19 (average 10)
  • Includes archers, rifle troops, and so on.
• Heavy Infantry: d11+5 (average 11)
• Knights/Heavy Cavalry: d27+4 (average 18)
• Epic Creatures: d25+10 (average 23)
  • Count as “monstrous” units for system purposes.
  • Giant Death Robots, dragons, and the like.

Each unit may have at most two “stacks”: e.g., an infantry unit might at most be 2d11. We may toss in a few mods (e.g. +1) here and there, to take care of stray points of Strength.

We’re also going to abandon the “NPC Horde” special rule, and treat NPC armies the same as faction armies, to see how that goes. (It should work better with the new standardized unit rules.)

Casualties

If a unit is lost as a casualty, whether as instant casualties or “forfeited” at the end of a round of battle, roll a die to determine what specifically happens to them.

• On a roll of 1, the unit is lost.
• On a roll of 2 or 3, the unit is lost, but with lighter losses: it can be reinforced for half-price.
• On a roll of 4 or 5, the unit retreats from the battle, but will be available again after the battle.
• On a roll of 6 or above, the unit breaks, but will rally in time for the last round of the combat. (Unless, of course, this is already the third round.)

With this system, different units can have different casualty dice. Bigger dice mean a better chance of surviving; smaller dice reduce those odds.

• Mercenaries: “d1” (they split when things turn south)
• Champions: n/a (MIA’d if lost as casualties; no roll)
• Undead/Void: d3 (this means that, absent some bonus from somewhere, undead units can’t do better than “reinforce at half-price later”).
• Rabble: d3
• Infantry: d4
• Ranged: d4
• Heavy infantry: d6
• Cavalry: d8
• Monsters: d10

Army Modifiers

Each round, each army rolls a d6. On a 1, their Strength is reduced by 10%. On a 2, it is reduced by 5%. There is no change on a 3 or 4. On a 5 or 6, it is increased by 5 or 10%, respectively.

Battle Modifiers

Each round gets a special rule, rolled at random from the following list.

• Bloodbath. The two sides fall into a chaotic melee. Both sides take +50% casualties this round.

• Heroic Duel. If both sides have at least one Champion in the battle, pick one from each side at random. (Otherwise, reroll the army mod.) These two Champions fight a heroic duel. Whichever rolls higher instantly injures the other. The defeated Champion contributes no Strength to the battle. The victorious Champion’s side gains an overall +25% morale bonus.

• Ambush. As a great Marai war-leader once said, “It’s a trap!” The defending side ambushes the attackers. After both sides roll unit Strength, the defenders inflict 10% of their Strength in instant casualties on the attackers, removing them before the final totals are drawn up.

• Valorous Charge. All cavalry units have double Strength this round and are immune to casualties.

• Steel Rain. All ranged units have double Strength this round. Each side inflicts extra casualties equal to 10% of their total ranged unit Strength.

• Hold the Line. All infantry (melee) units have double Strength this round. Each side reduces their casualties by 10% of their total infantry melee unit Strength.

• Rampage. All monstrous units have double Strength this round. Each side inflicts instant casualties equal to 10% of their total monster unit Strength.

• Rout. Whichever side loses this round takes double casualties, but gains +2 on their casualty checks this round. (This represents the losing side being forced to fall back.)

• Foothold. The two sides are fighting over a critical strategic position. Whichever side wins this round gains a +20% Strength buff for the rest of the combat.

Champion Traits

Each Champion has two traits. (Current leaders get the “Leader” trait as a third bonus trait.) A list follows:

• Insight. This Champion increases odds of success in Research challenges.
  • Grants +10 on Research checks. (Increases to +15 with two Research Champions and +20 with three.)
  • Associated with magey/scholarly Champions.
• Stealth. This Champion will personally see to Espionage challenges, significantly increasing odds of success (at greater risk to the Champion).
  • Before the faction rolls on an Espionage task, roll each Stealth Champion’s attempt. These Champions roll against the task’s difficulty. Their Espionage stat is their faction’s stat plus 20. For each Champion who succeeds, the faction gets a +20 bonus on its own roll. If a Champion misses the target by more than 20 points, they are MIA’d.
  • Associated with stealthy/sneaky Champions.
• Bulwark. This Champion shields their allies from incoming damage, reducing casualties.
  • Champion reduces the casualties their side takes by their rolled Strength.
  • Associated with tanky Champions.
• Healing. This Champion possesses mastery of the healing arts, increasing the odds of a speedy recovery for injured units.
  • Champion gives their units +d3 on their casualty checks. (Roll each time for each unit.)
• Assassin. This Champion specializes in assassinating enemy Champions.
  • Compare the assassin’s rolled Strength to the Strength of Champions on the other side. The weakest Champion on the enemy side will be lost as a casualty at the end of the round, if their Strength is lower than the assassin’s.
• Tactician. The Champion observes the first round of battle and devises strategems to amplify their forces’ strength and weaken the enemy.
  • The Champion does not participate in the first round of a battle. Instead, in the second round, all allied non-Champion units roll twice and use the higher result.
  • The Champion fights normally in the second round. May involve morphing into a giant bird and eating people.
  • Does not stack. Each Tactician after the first instead adds +5 Strength in the second and third rounds.
• Titan. This Champion is a hulking terror who rampages across the battlefield, fighting at greater than usual Strength.
  • The Champion has base Strength of 2d9+5. Both d9 dice can “crit”, but only once each.
  • Cannot be combined with Deadly Aim.
• Diehard. This Champion is extraordinarily resilient.
  • Whereas most Champions have an independent 10% chance of going MIA for one reason or another, this Champion has only a 5% chance.
  • Most Champions are injured if lost as casualties, with no casualty check. This Champion gets a d8 casualty check.
• Devastator. This Champion deals additional damage in the first round of combat, potentially eliminating enemy forces before they reach the battle lines.
  • In the first round of combat, inflict the Champion’s rolled Strength in instant casualties.
• Vicious. This bloodthirsty Champion mercilessly slaughters defeated enemies.
  • Each round, the enemy takes additional casualties equal to half the Champion’s rolled Strength, rounded up.
• Terror. This Champion terrifies weaker adversaries. Especially effective against disorganized units.
  • Any unit with Strength lower than this Champion’s contributes 0 Strength to combat resolution this round.
• Deadly Aim. This Champion is a crack shot with their weapon of choice, capable of putting out tremendous firepower on a critical success.
  • Crits on 8’s or 9’s, and their Strength is doubled on a crit.
• Lockdown. This Champion can lock down enemies, reducing their ability to fight.
  • Enemy Champions whose rolled Strength is lower than this Champion’s Strength contribute 0 Strength to the battle. (Their Strength is only zeroed out for final Strength computations.)
• Relentless. This Champion grows stronger as the battle continues.
  • The Champion gains an extra d9 Strength in the second round and an extra 2d9 Strength in the third round. These d9s cannot crit.
• Frenzy. This Champion charges recklessly into the fray, putting them at higher risk but inflicting greater damage.
  • This Champion’s Strength is doubled when computing their side’s total Strength, though not for any other purpose (such as duels).
  • This Champion’s Strength is cut in half (round down) for casualty purposes.
• Swarm. This Champion summons minions to fight for them.
  • Champion generates a swarm unit to join them in combat. The swarm unit has Strength d3 in the first round. If it survives into the second round, its Strength increases to 2d3. If it survives into the third round, its Strength increases to 3d3. The Champion is sorted normally for casualty assignment, but the swarm will always soak casualties first. The swarm joins for duels, but not for assassination attempts. If the Champion is lost, so is the swarm.
    • Example: Elise rolls Strength 2. Her swarm rolls Strength 5. Elise herself (Strength 2) is the lowest Strength unit in the army; the next lowest are skeletons with Strength 4. The Isles take 4 points of casualties. Normally, Elise would be lost; however, the swarm soaks first, and since its Strength (5) exceeds the number of casualties (4), Elise is immune. The GM would then move on to the skeletons (Strength 4), which would be lost. If the number of casualties had been 5, the swarm would have been lost, satisfying the Isles’ casualties (and keeping Elise in the fight).
• Leader. This Champion is the faction’s current leader. Their presence inspires allies.
  • Given to the current leader of each faction as a free bonus trait.
  • Increases total Strength by 20%.
  • If the Champion is MIA’d by battle, however, their side loses this morale bonus and instead fights at -10% Strength for the rest of the battle.

After each lore event, randomly select a Champion to “level-up” and gain a unique additional trait. (This will start after the Aeaea/Argyre/Korag round of events.)

Nyroth Units

Factions do not have all of their units available for Nyroth. Unit lists for each faction are available in this GDoc.

Note: As noted above, we are currently revising the Military system considerably. The information below is pre-revision, kept here for historical reference.

Military Strength by Faction

These are the Strength values of each faction. Also listed are each faction’s individual military units.

Most factions have one unit marked (Immobile). These units are permanent garrison units that guard the faction’s territory while the armies are away.

War is dangerous and unpredictable. When two factions meet in battle, their effective Strength can vary up or down based upon random dice rolls and the outcomes of special Featured Matches. In the military unit descriptions, we provide both that unit’s average Strength value (in parentheses) and the actual die roll used to determine its base Strength in a given battle [in brackets]. For example, a unit of Demacian Men-at-Arms might have a Strength of 2d5, or two 5-sided dice, which comes out to an average of 6. To represent the uncertainty of battle that can arise from clever tactical decisions or plain old luck, each side has a chance of its effective Strength being increased or decreased by up to one-third. Finally, important battles are marked by special Featured Matches; the victor of these matches can gain a bonus of up to +50% Strength. In short, battles are inherently risky.

Units can be lost as casualties. Low-strength units are the most likely to be lost. Units lost in combat can be regained later, but will generally be gone for the arc in which they are lost and the next arc.

Factions also have distinctive special abilities which reflect their lore and the events of the storyline.

Demacia — 75 (121)

Demacia once commanded the mightiest army in Valoran. However, it took massive losses in the Battle of Shurima, and its fighting strength has been drastically reduced.

Units

Demacia’s vast armies are drawn from its noble houses. Men-at-arms absorb the brunt of the enemy’s assault, pinning them down long enough for a flanking maneuver by the legendary Demacian cavalry.

• The Dawnbringers (Strength 20) [1d19 + 10]
  • Special rule: Gain +10 Strength (flat) when fighting the Void or the undead.
  • Special rule: Dawnbringers deal instant casualties to creatures of the Void equal to their fighting Strength. (Example: Dawnbringers roll Strength 18. They add 18 to their army’s Strength, as normal, but they also get to delete up to 18 points of Strength of Void monsters. This effectively up to doubles their Strength, because those Void monsters are removed before they can apply their Strength to the battle resolution.) If no Void monsters are present, but undead are, they deal instant casualties to the undead units equal to half of their fighting Strength.
• Knights of House Crownguard (Strength 12) [1d19 + 2]
• Men-at-Arms of House Buvelle (Strength 6) [2d5]
• Men-at-Arms of House Laurent (Strength 10) [2d9]
• Men-at-Arms of House Vayne (Strength 6) [2d5]
• Men-at-Arms of House Spiritmight (Strength 6) [2d5]
• Men-at-Arms of House Lightshield (Strength 9) [3d5]
• (Immobile) Men-at-Arms of House Crownguard (Strength 6) [2d5]

Lost Units

These are casualties from the Battle of Shurima. They’ll return to fighting strength by the seventh arc.

• Knights of House Lightshield (Strength 25) [2d19 + 5]
• Longbowmen of House Lightshield (Strength 10) [2d9]
• Longbowmen of House Laurent (Strength 5) [1d9]
• Longbowmen of House Spiritmight (Strength 6) [1d9]

Special

Grand Levy: Once per arc, Demacia can replenish its men-at-arms units. They rally within Demacia’s home territory, and are immobile until the end of the arc.

Ceruleana: Ceruleana’s favor protects the Demacian navy and speeds it around the globe on swift winds. Demacia can rapidly deploy troops across the ocean. Noxus suffered terrible losses when it attempted to deploy its troops across the sea to Shon-Xan.

Cosmic Purity: Before a battle, Demacia obliterates d10 Strength of Void or undead units with holy light.

Zaun — 90 (100)

Zaun was once only a minor ally of Noxus. Now, it has harnessed the pyrikhos to build a mechanized army to rival Demacia.

Units

Viktor and Singed have created a fearsome army of techmaturgical terrors.

• Giant Death Robots (Strength 26) [2d15 + 10]
• Zeppelin Skyfleet (Strength 22) [2d19 + 2]
• HexKorps Armored Division I (Strength 10) [2d7 + 2]
• HexKorps Armored Division II (Strength 10) [2d7 + 2]
• HexKorps Armored Division III (Strength 10) [2d7 + 2]
• Mutant Academy (Strength 9) [1d9 + 4]
• (Immobile) SecuriTek Contractors (Strength 3) [1d5]

Lost Units

The Zeppelins were destroyed in the Battle of Shurima.

• War Zeppelins (Strength 10) [1d19]

Special

Techmaturgical Weaponry: Zaun inflicts extra casualties equal to 15% of the enemy’s Strength.

Zeppelin Skyfleet: When Zaun’s jet-powered zeppelin skyfleet is in battle, its techmaturgical weaponry’s impact is increased to 25% of the enemy’s Strength.

HexKorps: Whence come the Giant Death Robots and such.

Void Energy: Zaun gains +20% Strength when fighting against the Void.

Extradimensional Theory: Zaun gains extra protection against Void demons and celestial beings. (They’re somewhat smite-proof.) This primarily comes into play when some supernatural catastrophe would strike.

Mutant Academy: Zac’s students are not soldiers, but can be convinced to lend their superpowered talents in important battles.

Warpgate: Zaun can rapidly move its forces from battle to battle using a hidden network of warpgates. This allows it to defend much more territory at once.

Noxus — 110

The Noxian military is still in shambles after the Void War and the failed invasion of Shon-Xan. Much of its regular military drowned en route to Shon-Xan when the goddess Ceruleana struck them down, and its elite legions were destroyed by Ionia in the closing days of the war in an effort to protect Valoran from further Noxian aggression.

Units

Armor spikes and great axes: Noxian soldiers are rightly feared for their savagery.

• Legion I (Strength 15 [3d7 + 3]
• Legion II (Strength 9) [2d7 + 1]
• Legion III (Strength 9) [2d7 + 1]
• Legion IV (Strength 9) [2d7 + 1]
• Legion V (Strength 15) [3d7 + 3]
• Legion VI (Strength 9) [2d7 + 1]
• Nightmare Cavalry (Strength 12) [1d19 + 2]
• Ballistae (Strength 15) [1d29]
• Executioners (Strength 12) [2d9 + 2]
• (Immobile) Praetorian Legion (Strength 4) [1d7]

Special

Ruthless: Noxian forces inflict 20% of their total Strength in extra casualties.

Ionia — 60

Ionia wields powerful magic, but maintains only a defensive military force. Its clans can nonetheless field formidable armies when their borders are threatened.

Units

Arcane energy suffuses the warriors of Ionia, lending them superhuman strength and resilience.

• Galrini Cavalry (Strength 14) [1d15 + 6]
• Blademasters of Hirana (Strength 14) [2d9+4]
• Chrysanthemum Guard (Strength 12) [3d5 + 3]
• Daisen Halberdiers (Strength 7) [1d5 + 4]
• Navorian Spearmen (Strength 5) [1d5 + 2]
• (Immobile) Shojin Monks (Strength 8) [2d5 + 2]

Special

Astral Blessing: Ionia takes 30% fewer casualties than normal when fighting on their sacred isle.

Piltover — 45

Piltover maintains a small militia, and has been developing new military technologies to counter the rise of Zaun.

Units

• Piltovian First Rifles (Strength 7) [1d9 + 2]
• Piltovian Second Rifles (Strength 7) [1d9 + 2]
• Special Shuriman Expeditioneers (Strength 8) [1d11 + 2]
• Piltovian Artillery (Strength 10) [1d19]
• The Lost Legion (Strength 10) [2d7+2]
• (Immobile) City Watch (Strength 3) [1d5]

Special

The Whites of Their Eyes: Piltover’s rifle units (riflemen, expeditioneers) roll twice and use the higher result.

People of Tomorrow: Certain units gain Strength bonuses. These are already noted in the statlines. This makes them more resilient than usual.

Strategic Hexplosives: When attacking a fortified unit in its home territory, Piltover deals d10 additional casualties. Also creates the Piltovian Artillery unit.

Airship Armada: Piltover’s airships make a strafing run with its ultravelocity aircannons before a battle begins. Roll 2d15 (average 16). It inflicts this amount of casualties immediately after units roll Strength, up to a maximum cap of 30 points of average Strength. The airships can also airdrop one unit of infantry (such as a rifle company) into a battle.

The Lost Legion: Piltover has developed methods of treating Void sickness and other thaumatoxicity. Zaun’s biochemical weapons work at half strength against Piltover (or allies fighting alongside it).

Ultraceramic Armor: Pyrikhosian ceramic armor plates save many Piltovian soldiers from what would otherwise be a fatal wound. Piltovian units use the following modified casualty table: Lost until after the next arc on 1, lost for the rest of this arc on 2 or 3, returns after this battle on a 4 or 5, goes right back into action in this same battle on a 6.

Bandle City — 17 (33)

Yordles are not much given to warfare, but they do have a few notable elite units, such as the Screaming Yipsnakes and the Megling Commandos.

Units

Yordle units are fragile, but can do significant damage if they get lucky.

• Megling Commandos (Strength 15) [1d29]
• (Immobile) Bandle City Police (Strength 2) [1d3]

Lost Units

Many brave Yordles perished in the battle for Bandle City against Lich Queen Nefara’s army. They lost about half of their military strength in this ordeal. They will return for the seventh arc.

• Scouts of the Mothership (Strength 3) [1d7]
• Bandle Musketeers (Strength 5) [1d9]
• Sunflower Patrol (Strength 3) [1d7]
• Screaming Yipsnakes (Strength 5) [1d9]

Special

For the Mothership: Yordles fight at triple, rather than merely double, their usual Strength when defending their homeland.

Strategic Hexplosives: When attacking a fortified unit in its home territory, Bandle City deals d10 additional casualties. Also upgrades the Megling Commandos to a Strength 15 unit.

the Freljord — 110

The Freljord is deeply fragmented, but could be a mighty force if it were to unify.

the Winter’s Claw — 53

Sejuani’s warlike tribes are fierce enough to threaten not only the Avarosan but also Demacian outposts on the border with the Freljord. They fight with weapons and armor enchanted with Mirrorwater.

Units

• Boar Riders (Strength 15) [5d5]
• Ice Giants (Strength 10) [2d9]
• Marauders (Strength 6) [3d3]
• Ursine Warriors (Strength 20) [6d5 + 2]
• (Immobile) Tribal Warriors (Strength 2) [1d3]

Special

Mirrorwater: Sejuani distributed her share of the Mirrorwater to the mightiest warriors of her tribes, which significantly increased their fighting strength.

the Avarosan — 29

Ashe’s realm is small but well-fortified, with a disciplined army to repel raids from the Winter’s Claw.

Units

• Avarosan Warriors (Strength 9) [3d5]
• Rangers (Strength 10) [1d19]
• Frost Archers (Strength 8) [2d7]
• (Immobile) Palace Guard (Strength 2) [1d3]

Special

Mirrorwater: The Avarosan used the Mirrorwater to create a mighty citadel of ice, which triples rather than doubles their strength when defending against an invasion.

the Troll Tribes — 28

The troll tribes are disorganized but dangerous.

Units

It is said that the troll tribes are made up of trolls and trolls, which support their trolls in battle and leave the enemy vulnerable to attacks by trolls. But foremost among them are the trolls, each of whom is said to fight with the strength of many trolls.

• Trolls (Strength 6) [3d3]
• Boss Trolls (Strength 7) [3d3 + 1]
• Big Trolls (Strength 15) [5d5]

Special

Regeneration: Trolls take 50% fewer casualties than normal.

Bilgewater — 15

Bilgewater has no formal military, nor even much of a militia: it’s simply a port town that represents various maritime interests. That said, were anyone to attack Bilgewater, they would likely face the wrath of many maritime powers that rely upon the port.

Units

Yar har har!

• (Immobile) Scoundrels (Strength 6) [2d5]
• (Immobile) Ruffians (Strength 5) [2d3 + 1]
• (Immobile) Scurvy Dogs (Strength 4) [1d7]

Icathia — ???

The forces of Chaos are hard to predict. Icathia’s strength is randomly determined as needed. Let’s just say that if anyone thought destroying the demon hordes of Icathia would be easy, Demacia would have already done it.

the Shadow Isles — 90

The legions of the restless dead, together with the demons of the Void, nearly conquered Valoran not long ago. Many were destroyed, but some say the Isles will soon march on Valoran again.

Units

• Ghouls (Strength 10) [2d9]
• Spectral Riders (Strength 25) [2d19 + 5]
• Skeletal Legion (Strength 15) [3d9]
• Zombies (Strength 15) [5d5]
• Bone Dragon (Strength 25) [5d9]

How Battles Work

Here are the details about how the battles are worked out. There’s not really any reason for anyone not on staff to need to know this, but if you’re curious, here you are.

Steps

1. If the battle is significant, we’ll organize some Featured Matches between the two sides. The winning side will get a bonus.
2. Roll Strength for each unit on each side.
3. Add up each side’s Strength. (Strength is doubled if they’re defending their home territory.)
4. Apply an army-wide modifier to reflect the uncertainty of battle. Roll a d6 for each side. On a 1, Strength is reduced by 33%. On a 2, Strength is reduced by 10%. On a 3 or 4, no adjust is applied. On a 5, Strength is increased by 10%. On a 6, Strength is increased by 33%.
5. Apply the Featured Match buff. If the winner went 2-1, their Strength is increased by 25%. If the winner went 3-0, their Strength is increased by 50%.
6. Compare Strength. The side with the higher Strength wins. (Use unrounded Strength for this determination: e.g., 20.8 beats 20.6. In case of a true decimal tie, flip a coin.) This usually means they seize the objective or otherwise prevail plotwise. We might set a minimum margin of victory for certain outcomes.
7. Determine casualties. The winning side inflicts casualties equal to 25% of their Strength plus half of the margin of victory. The losing side inflicts casualties equal to 20% of their Strength. Casualty amounts are rounded normally.
8. Sacrifice units (starting with the lowest-rolling units and moving up) to satisfy casualties. (If more than one unit has the same rolled Strength, randomly determine the order in which they are lost.) If the remaining amount of casualties is less than a unit’s rolled Strength, that unit is immune. For casualty purposes, neither Featured Match bonuses nor the d6-determined army bonus apply. However, the homeland defense modifier (double Strength when defending one’s home territory from invasion) does apply for counting casualties.
9. Depending on the scenario, we might roll additional rounds, using the same Featured Match bonuses but rerolling the army bonuses each time.
10. For each unit lost as casualties, roll a d6. On a 1 or 2, the unit is “lost”, and won’t be back until after the next arc (barring some special event). On a 3 or 4, the unit takes heavy losses, and is out of action for the rest of this arc. On a 5 or 6, the unit retreats, but will return after this battle. (Undead and Voidlings don’t retreat: they’re always lost.)

Key Points

Each faction has a total military strength value.

• Example: Bandle City has a total Strength of 12.

This is actually the sum of the Strength values of specific units (like the Screaming Yipsnakes) within that faction.

• Example: Bandle City’s total Strength of 12 is the sum of the Megling Commandos (Strength 5), the Screaming Yipsnakes (Strength 5), and the Bandle City Police (Strength 2).

The strength values given above are average Strength. Actually, each unit’s Strength is described as a dice roll, and thus will vary from battle to battle.

• Example: the Megling Commandos have a Strength of 1d9, or a single nine-sided die. Their Strength can vary from 1 to 9.

There is an overall army Strength randomization factor, as well. This can increase or decrease either side’s Strength by up to 33%.

• Example: Noxus and Ionia meet in battle. Their units roll their Strength, and the results are added up. Noxus ends up with Strength 100 and Ionia ends up with Strength 60. Each side rolls its army-wide modifier. Noxus rolls a 1, reducing Strength by 33% (to 67). Ionia rolls a 6, increasing its Strength by 33% (to 80).

We organize special Featured Matches to give each side a chance to boost their fighting strength. In a best-of-three set, the winning side gains +25% Strength for going 2-1, and +50% for going 3-0.

• Example: Bandle City’s Megling Commandos [1d9] face off against some skeleton warriors [1d5] from the Shadow Isles. The Meglings roll a 5, and the skeletons roll a 4. Normally, this would mean that Bandle City had won. However, in the featured Matches, the Shadow Isles goes 3-0, earning it a bonus of +50%. This increases SI’s Strength from 4 to 6, and the spooky undead win the battle by 1.

In a battle, the side with the highest strength wins. Winning by a bigger margin inflicts more casualties on the losing side and reduces the winner’s casualties. The winner inflicts 25% of their Strength plus half of the margin of victory in casualties. The loser inflicts 20% of their Strength in casualties.

• Example: Demacia’s final Strength in a battle is 100. Piltover’s is 80. Demacia inflicts 25 (i.e. 25% of their Strength) plus 5 (i.e. 25% of the margin of victory) Strength in casualties, for a total of 30. Piltover in turn inflicts 16 (i.e. 20% of their Strength). Piltover suffers 30 Strength in casualties, while Demacia suffers 16.

Weaker units soak damage first. To assign casualties, order the army’s units in ascending order of Strength, and start deleting units.

• Example: Demacia is losing 16 points in casualties. Its lowest strength units are Men-at-Arms of House Buvelle (5), Men-at-Arms of House Vayne (6), and Men-at-Arms of House Spiritmight (7). First, House Buvelle’s men-at-arms are lost. There’s still 11 points to lose. House Vayne is next. After that, there are still 5 points left to lose, but the next-weakest surviving unit, the men-at-arms from House Spiritmight, is Strength 7. So in effect, Demacia only loses 11 points in casualties.
• Note: NPC units do not have this “immunity” trait: rather than fussing around creating detailed NPC units for a single event, we just roll dice of an approximate distribution (e.g. 13d5 to represent 39 Strength of zombies). Casualties are removed granularly. (e.g. if those zombies take 4 points of casualties, the next round we assign a dice distribution that fits 35 Strength of zombies instead).

Each lost unit rolls a d6. On a 1 or 2, the unit is “lost”, and won’t be back until after the next arc (barring some special event). On a 3 or 4, the unit takes heavy losses, and is out of action for the rest of this arc. On a 5 or 6, the unit retreats, but will return after this battle.

• Example: The men-at-arms of House Buvelle were lost as casualties. They roll a d6 and get a 5. The unit is broken and flees for the rest of this battle, but will be back for the next.

Note that there are no “decision points” within the battle: the goal here is not to create some separate game, but to add some detail and a sense of action to the results of Factions matches and lore events.

Navies

The naval system operates just as the military system does, except that navies are not broken down into individual units. A faction’s entire navy is (in a bit of handwaving) presumed to be present unless otherwise stated. Casualties are inflicted on a point-by-point basis, and are always lost until after the next arc.

Mercenaries

Factions can hire mercenaries through the Commerce system.

• Upkeep. At any given time, a faction’s maximum total mercenary Strength is limited to half of its Commerce stat. (Not the amount of Commerce in its coffers, but its base Commerce stat.) This means that high-Commerce factions have a greater capacity for using mercs than other factions.
• Casualties. Mercenaries don’t get a casualty roll: they are always lost. If things go south, they’ll be the first to run.