Questions about fear.

[Cheezeninja]

I was wondering if anyone knows the exact mechanics of how fear works. I understand it to have an effect on the units morale check, but thats about the extent of my knowledge. Does the fear inducing unit have to actually do the damage to apply the modifier? Would a fear inducing unit with a bow result in the same check as a unit with fear in close combat? Do passive spell's that cause damage (fire shield) also get the fear bonus? Would it be possible to tweak a unit so far that any wound they inflicted caused auto-routing, or nearly so? (Say a wished up PoD with the Fear causing HoF ability and maxed out fear gear...possible but highly unlikely).

[Arryn]

I'll let one (or more) of the other experts handle the majority of your questions, but I'd like to point out that routing (ie: the failed morale check) is by group, not by single unit. So an attack that inflicts "auto-routing" isn't an option, to the best of my understanding of the game's routing mechanism.

Unlike in real life, in Dominions you don't have individual troops peel off from combat to run away. The entire squad will break and run once it's average morale drops low enough and it fails a check.

Also, fear inflicts morale checks directly. Attacks by the fearsome unit are not required. The fearsome unit just has to be close enough. Before you ask, I don't recall how close. Someone else can answer that.

[Graeme Dice]

Fear causes morale checks to units that are within the area of effect of the fearsome unit. The area of effect is equal to the level of the fear. The morale check becomes one point more difficult for every 5 points of fear. So a Prince of Death with fear +25 covers 25 grid squares around him and forces the units to make their morale check at -5. This is also the difficulty modifier for the terror spell. Panic has a difficulty modifier of -3.

[liga]

From the manual addenda

6.5 Rout and Morale Checks

6.5.1 Morale Check

A unit is called to make a "morale check" when wounded, when a squad member dies, when hit by fear inducing weapons, spells and fear auras, when repelled (but this will not induce morale loss IIRC). Perhaps when other squads rout. Not sure about that one.

When a units is called to make a "morale check" most often it means: 2d6 + morale - morale loss) vs. (2d6 + 10) IIRC

A squad starts to rout when the sum of the morale loss is higher then the squad size (or something like that) and fails a squad morale check (average morale of squad members + some kind of bonus for squad size).

Standards reduces morale losses in an area equal to the standard effect by one each turn. Leadership has no effect on morale.

Sermon of Courage and Fanaticism both reset the morale status to the default level of any unit that has suffered a failure on its morale check.

[Kristoffer O. and Graeme Dice]

The morale check is harder for terror than panic. Panic is made at -3, while terror is made at -5 if I remember correctly.

[Graeme Dice]

Again IIRC, mindless units (morale 50) do not figure into the morale equations

[HJ]

For units having Cause Fear, every full five points makes the morale roll of opponents 1 more difficult.

[Sunray Be]

[Lepakko]

sorry for asking stypid thing... but many units has like -3 fear... so its useless?

[Graeme Dice]

Lepakko said:
sorry for asking stypid thing... but many units has like -3 fear... so its useless?

Why would it be useless? It's just easier to resist than higher level fear attacks.

[Cainehill]

Graeme Dice said:

Why would it be useless? It's just easier to resist than higher level fear attacks.

Well, because it has an area of effect of -3 squares? If so, it does seem less than useful.

[liga]

Cainehill said:

Well, because it has an area of effect of -3 squares? If so, it does seem less than useful.

no ... Fear 3 means an area effect of 3 square and no modification at the morale roll

good play
Liga

[Vicious Love]

Not 3, MINUS 3. As in "Causes Lesser Fear(-3)". Good question, that. Not at all silly.

Update: Hold on, so EACH INDIVIDUAL FIGURE within range of the fear effect checks morale and, if unsuccessful, the entire squad gains 1 morale loss(Which differs from losing 1 morale, apparently), until the squad accumulates as many losses as it has troops, at which point it routs?
Weird and confusing, but not as weird and confusing as the entire squad taking only one check per turn, meaning they'd need a minimum of (# of squad members) turns to rout from fear alone.

[Thufir]

Cainehill said:

Well, because it has an area of effect of -3 squares? If so, it does seem less than useful.

Just a guess, but the logical way for the devs to implement this is to have the area effect bottom out at +1 squares (which can affect up to 3 size 2 creatures).