Terror of the Goblins

Wolves can act as scavengers, picking at slightly rotten meat. Also, they might be able to last on smaller portions for the period after a big meal.

But yes, it is better if you keep the wounded alive for a while so they don’t spoil…

Anyone else seeing the possible negative effects on the moral of non-beastman soldiers that have to fight alongside wolf riders?

Carnivorous Supply: Most units are fed wheat, oats, grass, and similar inexpensive foodstuffs. If a unit’s troops or mounts are carnivorous (e.g. dragons, goblin wolf riders), the unit will be much more expensive to supply. Increase the supply cost for these units by four times.

As supplying them can be quite expensive, carnivorous units are sometimes fed prisoners captured in battle or pillage. Each prisoner supplies his own base XP value in gold pieces of meat. Any unit which sees prisoners of its own race eaten by a carnivorous unit from its own army suffers a calamity (triggering a loyalty roll) due to the innate repulsiveness of the practice.

EXAMPLE: Moruvai’s army includes a unit of 60 goblin wolf riders. The wolf riders costs (240 x 4) 960gp per week to supply.

When Moruvai’s army captures 500 normal men, the ruthless ruinguard decides to use the prisoners as food for the wolf riders. Normal men have 1-1 HD, so they are worth 5xp each. Therefore they supply (500 x 5) 2,500gp worth of meat to the wolf riders, enough to keep the unit in supply for 2½ weeks.

However, Moruvai’s army includes four units of human mercenaries. Upon seeing prisoners of their race devoured by the wolf riders, each of these units must now make a loyalty roll. One of the units fails its roll and deserts. Undeterred, Moruvai sends his wolf riders to capture the deserters. Some problems create their own solutions…

Great rules. I figure that base wolf rider wages assumes you let them … supplement, their diets somewhat. I do have a few quibbles on the moral rules:

I think that this moral roll might be waived for certain chaotic units. Certain chaotic races/groups may be cannibals themselves and only raise issue that good meat was wasted on mere beasts. Others might not care about the fates of the enemy’s dead, but care a lot about their own casualties. There might be others that roll as normal (they are bad, but not THAT bad).

This does seem not to take into account the possibility of supplementing a beast’s diet with the recently dead soldiers (of the enemy, hopefully). While still a frowned upon practice, it isn’t quite as bad as killing prisoners. They may not last long, but if the goblins are good at smoking flesh (so that their pets don’t get too hungry), or the beasts are able to subsist on partially rotten flesh like most scavengers, or if the environment is such that rot is slowed (as in a tundra), it could last for a good time. A battlefield leaves a treasure-trove for the discerning dire wolf.

It is also noteworthy that the soldiers only care if their own kind are eaten. Humans don’t care about elves, elves don’t care about humans. This might require some guidelines for Judge interpretation more than hard-and-fast rules…

 

 think that this moral roll might be waived for certain chaotic units. Certain chaotic races/groups may be cannibals themselves and only raise issue that good meat was wasted on mere beasts. Others might not care about the fates of the enemy's dead, but care a lot about their own casualties. There might be others that roll as normal (they are bad, but not THAT bad).

APM: Perhaps it should only apply to Lawful and Neutral units.

This does seem not to take into account the possibility of supplementing a beast's diet with the recently dead soldiers (of the enemy, hopefully). While still a frowned upon practice, it isn't quite as bad as killing prisoners. They may not last long, but if the goblins are good at smoking flesh (so that their pets don't get too hungry), or the beasts are able to subsist on partially rotten flesh like most scavengers, or if the environment is such that rot is slowed (as in a tundra), it could last for a good time. A battlefield leaves a treasure-trove for the discerning dire wolf.

APM: I hadn't even thought of that, but it's a delightful idea. Eaters of the dead.  

It is also noteworthy that the soldiers only care if their own kind are eaten. Humans don't care about elves, elves don't care about humans. This might require some guidelines for Judge interpretation more than hard-and-fast rules...

APM: Right. My sense was that if elves are already in alignment with, e.g., goblins, then seeing humans eaten is going to make them squeamish. Or dwarves working with orcs seeing elves eaten, and so on. I'll add a note that the Judge should use his discretion.