21.13 Proactive commands using skills/constructions.

The PROACTIVE commands are those orders/dispatches utilising, for the most part, specialist-skills or constructed items of warfare. Unlike MELEE which engages combat automatically according to criteria you set, or ACTIONS which occur depending on the skills deployed, in the background, the PROACTIVE commands are a blend of supplemental offensive/defensive endeavour and deliberate, subtle use of skills and surroundings to keep a legion well-equipped and well-prepared for battle.

SECTION ONE: SIEGETOWERS AND OIL-CAULDRONS

Siegetowers are constructed using the CONSTRUCT dispatch order, with 'fieldequipment' actively deployed. Once it is constructed it may be used on the battlefield in both a defensive and offensive capacity. Siegetower stand some twenty feet high, potentially highly armoured and yet affording (from its top level) view and access to the immediate surrounds. Thus it can be used for laying siege, for mortar bombing, for archery, for tunelling upwards, for defending specific positions and/or fortifications; the list is long and only extensive battlefield experience will reveal the siegetower's worth to your particular tactics.

Syntax: SIEGETOWER ENTER/LEAVE.
Use these orders to inform your legion to enter or leave the interior of a siegetower. The siegetower must be opened (unbarricaded) and in the same localepoint as your legion for it to be able to enter. Siegetowers can accept, at most, two hundred and fifty legionnaires.

Syntax: SIEGETOWER OPEN/CLOSE.
From within the siegetower a legion is able to open and close its doorways/lower level accesspoints. When open, the siegetower can be entered and the interior is more vulnerable; when closed the siegetower cannot be so easily entered and thus whatever is inside is kept more safe.

Syntax: SIEGETOWER BARRICADE <percentage>.
Utilising the same commodities required to build the scaffold (see HELP EQUIPMENT) and clay as a binder, a legion may create an adapted barricade using this order, while inside a siegetower, effectively blocking off the entrance (and therefore exit!) from the outside world. Barricades themselves can be used, reducing the need for wider commodity inventories; clay commodity as a 'glue' will still be required. Layer upon layer of barricading can be added to siegetower interior allowing an extremely potent defensive position to be created.

Syntax: SIEGETOWER UNBARRICADE.
It may be that, having barricaded a siegetower and performed whatever actions required the security of the fortified closed-entry, it then becomes necessary to reopen the siegetower doorways. This will require the destruction of any barricades and said destruction is achieved via this command.

Syntax: SIEGETOWER FORTIFY <percentage>.
From an exterior position it is possible to fortify a siegetower utilising the same commodities as those employed with independent fortifications (see HELP EQUIPMENT). Fortifying a siegetower strengthens its ability to withstand attack, siege and difficult terrain transport. It affords added protection to whatever is inside. It allows the siegetower to be used as a mobile barricade, of sorts, less econmical than static fortifications in terms of sheer defensive might but with far greater flexibility.

Syntax: SIEGETOWER SHIFT <direction>.
The siegetower is an extremely large artifact of war and thus requires special instructions to move it sround. SIEGETOWER SHIFT works the same way as legion QUICKSTEP - moving the siegetower one locale point at a time until it reaches the edge of a location, then applying a longer move to shift it between locations.

Syntax: SIEGETOWER GRAPPLE <permanent grappling-point/direction>.
In this, the final siegetower command, you are able to grapple it against some permanent military or defensive structure (like a fortification) or, when placed in the correct localepoint towards the exterior of a location, against an exit to secure it in the location. Grappled siegetowers are near-impossible to move and are a commonly used addendum to other constructions of war (again, like fortifications) to give it an extra dimension in attack and defence.

When inside the siegetower you can take advantage of the lofty vantage point to gain a wider perspective on your surrounding locations.

Syntax: LOOKOUT LOCALE/BANNER <direction>.
This allows you to perform the equivalent of the LOCALE or BANNER commands but, while within the siegetower, your field of vision is far broader so you are able to see up to half a locations in direct line of sight of the specified direction.

Syntax: SURROUNDS SURVEY or just SURROUNDS on its own.
From within a siegetower your vantage point is much improved and thus, at least visually, you are able to assess your surrounds and the immediate vicinity with greater perspicacity and accuracy. So type SURROUNDS SURVEY to perform a quick but fairly comprehensive survey of the surrounding region, many locations radius, and then SURROUNDS on its own to review your survey.

Syntax: CAULDRON FIX
Depending on the location of the legion performing the cauldron order, the oil-cauldron will be placed in an appropriately dangerous, fixed position (if available). This is generally atop a siegetower (while inside), atop a trench (also while within it) or at a suitable highpoint in a location. It is important for the oil-cauldron to be mounted higher than its targets, else it will not be able to pour its cargo of hot or flaming oil with any effectiveness. It requires a scaffold to erect quickly around the newly fixed cauldron to set it in place.

Syntax: CAULDRON UNFIX
Once a cauldron and scaffolding rigging has been fixed into place it will often be difficult to unfix it, in order to withdraw the war-machinery back into the possession of the legion. Use this command to attempt to do so. All legions are able to CAULDRON UNFIX but the skill "oilcauldrons" helps enormously with the pace of the operation. It is not possible to unfix cauldrons whose oil has been ignited, nor a cauldron in the process of pouring its contents - the pouring must be stopped and the fires doused before the unfix process can commence.

Syntax: CAULDRON FILL <gallons>/CEASE.
This simple order comamnds the legion to fill suitably fixed cauldrons in sufficiently close proximity with oil, up to the number of gallons specified. Each oil commodity is the equivalent of one gallon. The pace of oil filling will be determined, in part, by the 'oilcauldron's skill although all legionnares have an innate ability to perform such a simple operation. Using the FILL CEASE instruction will inform the legion to cease the task of filling the proximate cauldron with oil. Worth remembering that oil filled afresh tends to be cold so it will dilute any boiling/heated oil already in-cauldron, reducing the overall temperature.

Syntax: CAULDRON POUR OFF/<direction>.
Oil-cauldrons, once they have been rigged up using the FIX command above, can then be set to discharge their contents (if any) in a specific direction. To determine this direction a legion must pro-actively set up the POUR. To reset the cauldron upright so it no longer pours outs its oil, use POUR OFF instead of POUR followed by a compass direction.

Syntax: CAULDRON IGNITE.
Oil in a suitably rigged cauldron can be poured on enemies as described above but the oil will cause little harm unless it is heated. Use this command to set fire to the oil contents of a cauldron, rapidly heating it to boiling point. Boiling or burning oil tumbling down on an opponent is, conversely, one of the most damage of single attacks possible (under the right circumstances). Ignited oil will slowly burn off so there is a balance to be struck between the increased damage done of continuously flaming oil and the longevity of heated but not burning cauldron contents. It takes time for oil to heat up so cold oil, even if ignited, will do little damage - whereas boiling oil, even after a dousing, will retain many deadly properties.

Syntax: CAULDRON DOUSE.
Providing the legion is in possession (or has access to) some sand it can use the DOUSE order to extingiush a burning oil-cauldron, thereby retaining - for a time - the heat built up in the oil but ensuring none of the precious cargo is burned away uselessly.


SECTION TWO: MAINTENNCE, PROCTIVE REPAIR, GROOMING AND FORAGING

[NOTE: armour is used by default, as a core skill, and doesn't require the command listed below]

[FURTHER NOTE: DO NOT USE ANY OF THE COMMANDS BELOW. THEY ARE NOT ACTIVE AT PRESENT SINCE THEY DO NOT FORM THE CORE SKILLSETS/BATTLEFIELD COMMANDS. LEGIONS WILL, IN MANY CASES, PEFORM/USE THE EFFECTS OF THE COMMANDS BELOW AUTOMATICALLY. WATCH THIS SPACE FOR NOTIFICATION OR SEE HELP LATEST/PUBLIC BB TO BE NOTIFIED OF THEIR SWITCH-ON]

Syntax: ... REPAIR <item> ALL/<percentage damaged> <percentage fix>.
Any item constructable by a legion can also be, in theory, repaired by one. Whether or not they are able to do so and how quickly/effectively depends on a number of factors. If the legion reparing was not the creator their 'equipmentfix' specialist skill must be equal to or higher than the 'fieldequipment' skill of the creator and/or the threshold of skill required to create the item due for repair. Thus simpler items do not require such a high 'equipmentfix' to mend regardless of the 'fieldequipment' skill of the creator.

Legions involved in repairs will be vulnerable to ambush and instantly distracted (possibly to the detriment of the item) if engaged in battle. Other considerations: repairing items to their full 100% original state can take exponentially longer than performing a 90% refit. The more broken the item, the longer each bout of repair will take, the less easy will its full restoration be. Tools and raw materials aid repairs greatly and items can require a unique range of tools/commodities to effect a proper, speedy repair. Legions will almost always attempt to carry out the orders to repair, even against impossible odds, so it is up to the dispatches and/or commander to ensure time, morale and materials are not wasted on futile repair efforts.

Syntax: ... GROOM <target/s> ALL/<percentage harm> <target health %>.
Using the 'animalcare' specialist-skill and, assuming peaceful surrounds and a good number of legion members to steeds/animals ratio this command-order sets about restoring to better health and fitness the specified targets. It determines when to attend to them, and the ideal health and fitness percentile to attempt to groom the steed towards. Length of time and rations/equipment required for the grooming will depend on the extent of the steeds' injuries and fatigue. The more injured the animal, the longer the healing process, etc. Healing herbs as part of the legion repertoire will help. Being far away from danger likewise speeds recovery. Rests from protracted bouts of movement allows a steed to recover itself from a fatiguing journey... all these facets must be considered when managing a legion accompanied (and thus, one would hope, augmented by) by an animal entourage. Cavalries are far more difficult to run than infantry.

Syntax: ... FORAGE <percentage focus> <environs> <target> <stopping point>.
Employing the 'foraging' specialist-skill to root around the locale (be it searching the bracken of forest undergrowth or poking about nooks and crannies of a city alley) in hope of finding the target, or, at least something of value to the group. The higher percentage of the legion fixated on the task of foraging the more likely and the more quickly it will scour the locale for useful items. The closer the items turned up to the specified target, the faster they will be sorted, distributed and/or discarded - a list of targets follows. The environs/stopping points are a little range of options to control the more immediate criteria for the foraging's duration. Like the targets, the environs and stopping point options are listed below along with brief explanations.

Foraging makes you more prone to ambush. Any foraging is aborted by engagement by an enemy of sufficient size to occupy the majority of individuals in your legion; an army of five thousand attacked by a company of twenty will not, however, cease its foraging while it deals with the problem. If, it should be added, the percentage focus is set at zero then the foraging for the specified target will cease immediately. If the <target> is FOOD, an alternative to the regular legion rations, then the 'forestfood' specialist-skill becomes every bit as useful as 'foraging'.

List of "environs":
<surroundings type as from SURVEY, e.g. Underground or Forest> forages only in a specified environment.
<area name, e.g. Greenwood, Northlands, Rivers> to seek items only in enirons that SURVEY to the chosen area.
EMPTY to only forage in locations empty of fellow legions.
PEACEFUL to forage only in locations without non-friend presence.
UNTROUBLED to forage only when entire area is free of known enemy intrusion.
HOMELAND forages solely on home soil.
VILLAGES to root around on soil belonging only to a village in HELP VILLAGES.
HOMESPHERE to forage only if the location is part of home sphere of influence.
ENEMYSPHERE to forage only in a sphere of influence owned by an enemy.
ENEMYLAND to forage only on land owned directly by an enemy.
ABROAD to forage solely in locations designated abroad - not on homesoil.

List of "targets":
ALL/ARMOUR/COMMODITIES/WARES/WEAPONS/HERBS/POISONS/WOOD/FOOD - any of the object types are valid targets and will occupy a legion in foraging to find examples of the object specified.
<specialist skill to equip for> to seek out only items useful in building an inventory to augment the specified skill.
<specific herb or poison> to forage for a single herb or poison as listed.
<specific item type> to root around solely for the item type as specified, ignoring all other bounty.
<legion whose lead to follow> to follow the foraging lead of another legion.

List of "stopping points":
<number of rounds in which nothing is found> informs the legion to cease its foraging after finding nothing for the specified cycles of the locale.
FULLSTOCK to stop only when fully stocked with whatever has been targetted.
HALFSTOCK to stop as soon as the inventory crosses the half-stocked rubicon.
QUARTERSTOCK ceases the foraging when quarter of the ideal numbers have been turfed up.
TENSTOCK comes to a halt after just a tenth of the perfect, bounties number of the specified target has been foraged out.
DAY spends a single Avalon day at the endeavour.
WEEK allows the legion to occupy a week of its waking time at the foraging goal.
FATIGUED pushes the legion to continue foraging until overtaken by fatigue.

[NOTE: THERE IS NO NEED TO USE THIS COMMAND. AT PRESENT USE OF "armourforms" and/or armour worn is done in the background. When you LEGION INFO your legion you'll see its armour %, and this is actively used armour by default]
Syntax: ... ARMOUR <to protect> <max % covered>/NONE <hits covered/-exposed>.
Bringing into play the specialist-skill of 'armourforms' and, of course, armour available in the inventory, environs and storage vehicles belonging to the legion, the ARMOUR command is one of the main forms of targetted protection available. Although it is possible to specify TOTAL or FORMATION under <what to protect> and thereby spread the armour evenly across the whole legion or formation, it tends to be used to protect certain specialist-skills, e.g. ARMOUR PROTECT RAZING would target the armour around deflecting attacks against razers and thus diverting casualties (if any) with minimal reduction in the overall legion 'razing' specialist-skill potency.

Use the priority percentage to match up the priority of this particular use of armour as against likely other uses for finite armouring (from dispatches, from other orders, from missions or initiated by other circumstances). Specifying the number of hits covered diverts the armour solely to ensure, as best as possible, the number of hits specified against the protected part of the legion are completely deflected. Specifying a number of hits exposed ensures the armour is arranged to afford maximum protection to a smaller number but potentially zero protection to others; thus the likelihood of the exposed members of the legion facing danger without armour is increasd but the spread of armour around both the specific protected section and as much as possible of greatest value peripherally is heightened. Some call the latter a glorified command to self-sacrifice while the former, at least, has the pretence of solely a protective focus without stipulating 'lambs to the slaughter' as it were.

Needless to say the ideal scenario for any legion is to have sufficient armour to cover every individual fully, reserve pieces to replace broken components of the armoury on the battlefield, and time enough between engagements to repair damage/return the inventory to full strength. Since this is a rarity and becomes more so as a conflict rolls on, armour must be used sparingly and wisely; hence, amongst other avenues open to the legion commander, the options detailed above.