House Strength
The Weight of Steel and Loyalty
A House’s true power is measured not only in wealth and titles, but in the forces it can muster and command. Strength represents the soldiers, fleets, engines, and creatures a House controls and the loyalty that binds them together.
Strength determines what a House can bring to war. How those forces are used is resolved through the World Battle System.
House Strength is…
Shared by ALL members of the House
A political and military resource
Costly to expand, maintain and misuse
Strength naturally follows Wealth but reckless war can destroy both.
Units
Is the fundamental element of House Strength
Each Unit…
Has the same Skill structure as characters
Begins with (2) Skills at +2 while the rest remain +0
Uses it’s highest Skill to determine Health. Minimum is (2)
Gains additional Health from Armor Improvements
Units fight, maneuver, suffer losses, gain experience and can be destroyed permanently.
Starting Units
Every Noble House begins with (2) Units…
Honor Guard = Infantry
The most loyal soldiers of the House. These troops commonly serve as escorts and household guards.
Regional Specialty Unit = based on House origin
North / Dorne = Infantry
Riverlands = Ranged
Westerlands / Reach / Stormlands / Vale = Mounted
Iron Islands / Crownlands = Ships
Staff may award additional units to reflect a House’s narrative role.
Bonus Units by Rank
To reflect political reality, Houses may receive bonus units…
Royal House = +5
Great Houses = +4
Major Houses = +3
Knightly / Minor Houses = +2
Under this model, even the smallest noble House commands at least (4) Units.
Types of Units
Infantry
Favored Skill – Fighting
Per Unit – 100
Types – Spearmen, Swordsmen, Raiders
Movement – March
Ranged
Favored Skill – Marksmanship
Per Unit – 100
Types – Archers, Crossbowmen, Slingers
Movement – March
Mounted
Favored Skill – Equestrian
Per Unit – 20
Types – Knights, Mounted Archers
Movement – Gallop
Ships
Favored Skill – Fighting or Marksmanship
Per Unit – 5 Warships with crews of 20 each
Types –
Movement – Requires water access
Support
Favored Skill – Tactics
Per Unit – 100
Types – Engineers, Sappers, Physicians, Logistics
Movement – Can breach fortifications, automatically equipped with siege weapons
Dragons
Functions as both combat unit and siege engine
Cannot be improved like other units
Governed by Dragon Bonding rules
Characters & Units
A player may attach to a unit during battle.
Attached characters grant:
+1 to Attack and Defense
+1 Health to the Unit
If the character possess any of the following Advantages, the Unit gains an additional +1 Attack that is non-stacking:
Alert
Dragon Dreams / Green Dreams
Shadowborn
Skinchanger
A Valyrian Steel weapon grants an additional +1 Attack that does stack.
If the Unit is defeated:
The Character may surrender, attempt escape, or fight through overwhelming odds.
Training & Veteran Experience
Training a Unit is a Significant Wealth action.
Training increases (1) Unit Skill by +1 with a maximum of +7
After a battle, each surviving Unit may increase (1) Skill by +1
Each improvement should note the battle or training that granted it
Veteran Units are powerful but irreplaceable
Armor & Equipment
Units begin with armor appropriate to their type.
Armor grants bonus Health
Improved armor is a Significant purchase = +2 Health
Equipment quality is descriptive but must be listed on House records.
Defeat, Capture & Trophies
When a Unit is reduced to 0 Health, it is defeated.
For each enemy unit defeated = Victor gains (1) Trophy
Trophies may be used to:
Capture defeated units as base units
Improve House Wealth
Invest in house advancement
Honor Guards can never be captured this way, they fight to the last.
Fortifications & Sieges
Grant temporary Health levels to defending Units each round.
Temporary fortifications = +1
Small keeps = +2
Large keeps / Great castles = +3
Breaching fortifications requires any of the below:
Siege weapons
Dragons
Successful stealth operations
Detailed resolution is handled under the World Battle System.
Final Notes
House Strength is communal. Losses affect everyone…
Units are harder to replace than to destroy…
War reshapes Houses permanently…
All changes to Strength are tracked through Story Requests…