Character, Stats and Skills

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSET IS YOURSELF.Over the course of time, with practice and better equipment, your character can become one of the most renowned warriors in the land. However, it is essential that you have some kind of plan as you roam around battling foes, or you’ll

quickly find yourself fighting them alone with no money and no friends. To develop a plan, you need to understand the different ways that you can improve your character.

Character Generation

The first thing you have to decide when you start a new game is what sort of background you have followed up to this point in your character’s life. Different backgrounds will give you different starting abilities and skills, and different equipment. Some backgrounds simplify the beginning stages of the game by pre-allocating skill and attribute points, while others offer more character flexibility by allowing you total control over your development.

It is important to note that any character can become equally skilled in any given area. The choices you make at the beginning of the game merely provide an accelerated start for the way you would most like to play, so do not worry about making a “bad” choice. Likewise for your character’s gender: it does not affect your character’s chances for advancement, only what your character looks and sounds like in the game. After you have chosen your character’s background, you have the chance to sculpt your face. This has no effect on gameplay, so feel free to make whatever adjustments you like. You can change your character’s appearance at any point. You will need to choose your game’s save policy. If you choose to allow quitting without saving, you can back out of bad events like being taken prisoner, and reload a past save point any time you like. Players who want extra difficulty may choose the “Do not quit without saving” option. Once you pick the saving policy, you cannot change it again for the rest of the game.

The last step of character generation is to assign your initial points. You will have some basic stats thanks to your background choices, and now you have the chance to fine-tune them a little more. You start at character level one with 4 attribute points to spend, along with a number of skill points based on your starting intelligence (based on background), and a number of weapon proficiency points based on your agility (again, based on background). Read the next sections for detailed information about what each stat and skill does.

Experience points or XP, is what you will use to advance your character. XP can be gained by defeating enemies in battle yourself, or through an army that you command; by fighting in the arena; and by completing quests. At certain thresholds, you will earn a new character level, at which point you will receive 1 attribute point, 1 skill point, and 10 weapon proficiency points. You can return to the character screen after each new level and assign the new points you have earned. Spend these wisely, your choices are

permanent once you leave the character screen. You can review your character information and assign new points you earn from advancement from the Character Screen, which is accessible from the main view or by pressing the ‘C’ key (default).

Attributes:

Your character has four major attributes which affect what you can do in very profound ways. Attributes do two things: they give you some kind of immediate advantage, and they also allow you to increase skills that are dependent on that attribute. See the section on skills for more information. When you create a new character, you will get four points to spend on attributes, and upon each level-up, you will receive one more. These choices cannot be changed once committed, so be sure to spend them wisely!

The attributes are:

• STRENGTH: Every point of Strength will increase your hit points by one, as well asprovide bonuses to your damage. Also, some weapons and armor have a minimumstrength requirement to use.

• AGILITY : Every point of Agility increases your attacking speed by 0.5%, and gives you an additional 5 weapon proficiency points to spend as you like.

• INTELLIGENCE: Every point of Intelligence gives you an extra skill point to spend as you like.

• CHARISMA: Every point of Charisma increases your maximum party size by 1.

Skills

There are many skills in the game, each of which has a base attribute. A skill cannot be raised higher than one third of the base attribute: for example, Tactics, which is governed by Intelligence, could not be raised past 3 if your Intelligence was 9. You must first allocate more points to a base attribute if you want to raise skills that are hitting this bottleneck.

Skills come in three types. Personal skills apply only to individual characters and their abilities. Just because you’re good at riding a horse doesn’t mean anybody else automatically becomes good at it too. Leader skills are only effective if the leader (you) knows them. Lastly, Party skills are those used by your entire band. Only one character in the party needs to know the skill for the whole party to gain its benefit, though the skill will become more effective if the leader (you) also knows something about it. In other

words, a party skill’s effective level is a combination of the skill level of the person who has the best rank in it, as well as a bonus based on your own rank in that skill.

The bonuses look like this:

Your Skill

Party Skill Bonus

1

0

2 to 4

1

5 to 7

2

8 to 9

3

10

4

The party skill bonus is applied even if you are the person with the highest rank in theskill. So if you have a rank of 8 in Tactics, then the effective level of the skill for the party is 8 + 3 = 11.

The skills with their base attributes and types are as follows:

• IRONFLESH SKILL (strength) (personal skill): Each point gives you 2 extra hit points.

• POWER STRIKE SKILL (strength) (personal skill): Each point adds 8% damage to each hit with a melee weapon.

• POWER THROW SKILL (strength) (personal skill): Each point adds 10%damage to each hit with a thrown weapon. Some thrown weapons require a few points in Power Throw to use (e.g. axes, javelins).

• POWER DRAW SKILL (strength) (personal skill): More powerful bows have a minimum Power Draw requirement to use. Power Draw also adds 12% to each hit with the bow, until four levels beyond the bow’s minimum Power Draw requirement; for example, if the bow’s Power Draw requirement is 2, then a skill level of 2 will add 24%, while a skill level of 6 will add 72%, while any level beyond 6 will still add 72%. Finally, higher Power Draw makes powerful bows easier to use by improving your accuracy and the time you can keep your aim steady while the bow is drawn.

• WEAPON MASTER SKILL (agility) (personal skill): Each skill level adds 40 points (starting from 60) to your weapon proficiency limits. Beyond this limit, you cannot increase weapon proficiencies by investing points into them. Weapon proficiencies can also be increased with practice, even beyond the limit set by Weapon Mastery, but the rate of increase will slow down as you get further from the limit.

• SHIELD SKILL (agility) (personal skill): Each point reduces the damage your shield takes by blocking a hit by 8%. It also increases your shield’s effective size versus ranged attacks, and improves how quickly you can block with a shield.

• ATHLETICS SKILL (agility) (personal skill): Increases your base running speed, either making a lightly encumbered character run faster than normal, or letting a heavily encumbered character move at normal speed.

 • RIDING SKILL (agility) (personal skill): Some horses have a minimum riding requirement; this skill also increases your speed and agility while sitting astride a steed.

• HORSE ARCHERY SKILL (agility) (personal skill): Reduces accuracy and damage penalties for using a ranged weapon from a moving horse. Note that no penalties are applied if you are mounted but not moving.

• LOOTING SKILL (agility) (party): Increases the amount of loot obtained by 10% per skill level.

• TRAINER SKILL (intelligence) (personal skill): At midnight of each day, a hero with the Trainer skill adds experience to every other party member of a lower level than himself. Higher ranks in Training add more experience to each party member.

• TRACKING SKILL (intelligence) (party skill): A single point in Tracking allows you to see tracks left by other parties on the world map. Additional points let you spot tracks from a greater distance and make each track reveal more information.

• TACTICS SKILL (intelligence) (party skill): Every two levels of this skill increases your starting battle advantage by 1. Battle advantage determines how many soldiers you can have on the battlefield at the start of a battle and how large your reinforcements will be. This skill will also let you retreat from a battle with fewer casualties.

• PATH-FINDING SKILL (intelligence) (party skill): This skill increases your map travel speed by 3% per skill level.

• SPOTTING SKILL (intelligence) (party skill): This skill increases your map sight range by 10% per skill level.

• INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SKILL (intelligence) (personal skill): Each point adds an extra 6 slots to your inventory.

• WOUND TREATMENT SKILL (intelligence) (party skill): Each point adds 20% to your party’s healing speed; it also allows crippled horses to be healed automatically if they are in your inventory.

• SURGERY SKILL (intelligence) (party skill): Each point adds a 4% chance that a party member, when struck down, will be knocked unconscious instead of dying. This chance is added to a base chance of 25%. Also, the chance applies only to regular troops, since heroes always survive anyway.

• FIRST AID SKILL (intelligence) (party skill): Each point will allow your hero characters to regain 5% of the health they’ve lost during a particular skirmish or battle. Note that this is added to a base rate of 10%.

• ENGINEER SKILL (intelligence) (party skill): This is used to determine how quickly you can build siege machinery. It also affects the speed at which improvements can be built at a fief which you own.

• PERSUASION SKILL (charisma) (personal skill): This will allow you to try and get your way with words instead of blades.

• LEADERSHIP SKILL (charisma) (leader skill): Every point increases the maximum number of troops you can command by 5, while increasing your party morale and reducing troop wages by 5%.

• PRISONER MANAGEMENT SKILL (charisma) (leader skill): Every point increases the maximum number of prisoners your party can have by 5.

• TRADE SKILL (charisma) (party skill): Every point reduces your trade penalty by 5%.

Weapon Proficiencies:

There are a total of six weapon proficiencies, each covering a different type of weapon. If you plan to do much fighting, you’re going to want to increase one or two of these to high levels. Which is best? They are all equally useful, and which you use will depend on your playing style. A higher level of proficiency will let you attack and defend with a melee weapon with greater speed, or to be more accurate with missile weapons. At each level-up, you will receive 10 additional weapon proficiency points to spend as you like. Unless you have one or more points of the Weapon Mastery skill, you cannot spend weapon points on proficiencies that have passed 60. As you get to higher degrees, a proficiency will require more than one weapon point to increase by one: that is, if your One-handed Weapons proficiency is at 104, it may take 2 proficiency points to get it to 105, etc.

Weapon proficiencies will also increase over time as you use them by scoring damage on opponents. Melee weapons are practiced simply by causing damage, while missile weapons benefit more from difficult, long-range shots. Gaining proficiency through practice can take significant amounts of time at higher levels. The skill Weapon Mastery not only allows you to spend weapon points at higher levels, but it also allows gains from practice to come faster.

Are you tired of being just 1 point of powerdraw away from using that shiny Ruby runed bow? Are you cursing the gods because you are too weak for plate armor when you're the ruler of Pendor and at level 50? Well then, spit no more your venomous bile, because this is the guide that will help you plan your skill upgrades and show you how to avoid ineffective upgrading when you need one more level and/or the stats to equip an item.

Step 1: Determine your strength threshold:

Strength is the be-all and end-all indicator of what equipment your character can use and is most often the stat to which people fail to assign enough points to equip some extra nice equipment. From bows, to crossbow, armor and huge honking halberds, the level of your strength will dictate how much access to the equipment pool of POP you can attain. 

Note that, for bows, even though the minimum powerdraw is covered, there is a significant bonus to accuracy if you have +3 to the power draw requirements. That is the benefit of powerdraw.

Also, be aware that certain prefixes will have an effect on both the quality and ability of equipment and what stats are required to use them. These are the one which modify:

Melee weapons:
“Heavy” prefix - +1 to strength requirement.

Bows:
“Strong”: +1 to powerdraw requirements
“Masterwork”: +3 (?) to powerdraw requirements

Horses:
“Stubborn”: +1 to riding requirements
“Spirited”: +1 to riding requirements
“Champion”: +2 (seems to be inconsistent) to riding requirements

Strength 9
At strength 9 (the bare minimum level) you have access to chain mail and its equivalent; a huge improvement over the non-strength-required armor. It also allows for power draw 3 which the D'Shar bow, the best bow for mounted use requires. Laughably, at power throw 3 you are able to use all throwing weapons bar special modifiers, so take that into account. Note that, with one more point you unlock the light crossbow and hunting crossbows, the heaviest crossbows that you can use on horseback. The maiden crossbow has a slightly higher accuracy and speed, but will not be found in markets.

Strength 15
At 15 strength, all melee weapons are unlocked. This category includes halberds, lances and 2-handed war hammers. These provide, for non-combat orientated characters seeking a good weapon to cleave the skulls of heavily armored knights an excellent range of weaponry. Also, at power draw 5, the composite bow is unlocked. The composite bow is the best common bow in terms of firepower but cannot be used on horseback.  The heavy crossbow, is my personal preferred crossbow.  It does very high damage without the huge drop in speed from the siege crossbow, which is also unlocked at this level.

Strength 18
All plate armor is unlocked at this point. As well as the siege crossbow for those not interested in using bows. The Noldor bow is also unlocked, a great bow if you can get your hands on one!
 
Strength 21
The penultimate threshold, this level of physical prowess allows you to use the legendary runed bow at powerdraw 7. Powerdraw 7 is an absolute must for archer characters if they wish to reach the peak of their potential. Some of the high level plate harness is also unlocked but their stats do not differ too much from regular armor.

Strength 30
This is it. Beyond this level, there is no material incentive to get any stronger. At strength 30 the demon skin and Noldor armor is unlocked. The very best in defense and weight ratios, they are nonetheless incredibly

difficult to obtain, often requiring well over a 100k to buy or incredible luck to loot. Also skills cap out at level 10 so even if you add more points above 10, you won’t benefit from doing so.

Step 2: Determine your Agility Threshold:

For The main equipment affected by agility is horses and shields.  Though they are not as crucial to equipment as strength, agility points are point for point much better than strength. That extra 1% speed will save you from that blow that could take off more than the 1hp that strength gives. The real use for agility in regards to equipment is on horseback, hence the priority on riding.

Riding 1
Every character should start with at least 1 riding in order to ride that a sumpter or saddle horse. Even though it's useless in combat, it does provide a speed boost on the overhead map and your character will be thankful for a horse to ride on instead of having to hoof it for miles.

Riding 2&3
At riding 2, access to the Gold Mane Courser is unlocked. It is the fastest courser with the exception of the much rarer Noldor horses. You can stop here, if you are not looking to crash hundreds of pounds of horse into your foes. Also, hunters are quite good for those looking for a fast horse able to trample the rabble.  They won’t do much good against an armored knight on a warhorse, however.

Riding 5
At Riding 5, warhorses are unlocked. They are less heavily armored than chargers but still fast. These are the most balanced horses all around. Noldor dark horses and gold leafs are also unlocked, and are great for people lucky enough to loot them.

Riding 6
This unlocks the best and heaviest class of horses. In order of light to heavy, they are the Crimson Steel, the Ironbred and Netherworld Charger. The Noldor spirit horses are also unlocked at this level.  These are hands down the best horse for a speed, charge and defense combination. A charge by a Noldor spirit horse hits an enemy so hard and fast that, with the exception of the heaviest defense line, it will simply cleave right through an infantry line.

Shields
Only level 3 matters because that unlocks the Noldor shields which are on par with the Ornate knight’s shield. Although there are significant performance differences amongst top-tier shields, the other shields are perfectly adequate for most battles, provided they don't last too long. (Even then, you can equip one from a dead enemy on the field.)

Step 3: Determine your Stats/Skills distribution:

Once you have decided on what level of equipment you wish to equip, the big puzzler comes when you decide where and how to allocate your skill points. Naturally, you'll be tempted to dump many points into strength and agility but with the use of the Elixir of Akron you can gain at least 2 points each in strength and agility and allocate the rest of it to Intel and Charisma. (Generally, it is good to level up to 18~21 strength and 15~18 agility before using an elixir.)

Charisma based character:
Being a CHA based character is not very good. That is the only stat that affects leadership skill, because it is a personal skill. Charisma is only really important for leadership, which is very useful for recruiting and maintaining a large army. On the other hand, with books and achievements, you can gain around a 3 boost to leadership and stop roughly at around 21 charisma. Since prisoner management is useful but exponentially becomes weaker I recommend capping it at around 5, max. As for persuasion, the opportunities to use persuasion are fairly low and you can get around the need for it by having high honor, and good party management, although it is good for persuading lords to join your side and for keeping companions from leaving your party when disgruntled.

The charisma-based characters tend to be fairly good at gaining lots of cash. Simply being a mercenary with high persuasion and leadership means that one can indefinitely sustain a very large army. Trade and prisoner management also help in buying equipment and in selling your loot for really good prices.

Thus, in order of importance;
1:Leadership
2:Prisoner Management
3:Persuasion
4: Trade (Leslie has this at 5)


Intel-based character:
Intel characters are far more flexible than Charisma based ones, thanks to the huge pool of skills that benefit from it and the extra point of skill gained, which can be put into your stats. If you have any doubts or need an extra skill point, this is the place to put your point. However, all intel skills are party skills which means that, inevitably, there's always someone who can do it for you. Nonetheless, the limited number of skill points means that it is always a good idea to invest some points into intelligence, especially considering how party skills work. The best way to utilize an intel character is to read as many books on party skills, then top up that value to multiples of 2 in order to get a bonus to your other party members.

Since they are all party skills, they are all equally important and their relevance determined by your individual style of play. (Let somebody else do it and send them into a little corner every time you enter a battle.)

Controls

The controls for Mount & Blade: Warband "Prophesy of Pendor 3" are quite simple, though playing well will require far more than just memorizing a few keystrokes! You can check the controls within the game by going to the Options screen, and then by clicking Controls. There are many settings in the main Options screen that can also affect the way the game willhandle.

It is strongly recommended that first-time players complete the Tutorials to learn how to move and fight before you find yourself on a battlefield!

Moving on Foot:

The default keys for moving are the familiar WASD combination:

• ‘W’ to walk forward

• ‘S’ to walk backward

• ‘A’ to sidestep left

• ‘D’ to sidestep right

You can sidestep and walk forward/backward at the same time for diagonal movement. Use the mouse to look around. If you are walking, then using the mouse will change your direction of travel. If you are standing still, using the mouse will orbit the view around your character without changing your character’s direction. Just press the forward key and your character will turn to wherever the camera is aiming. Your character can wade through water at reduced speed and skid down slopes, but avoid jumping off cliffs because you could be badly injured. Trying to go uphill is much slower, and you may have to take the slope at an angle.

Moving on Horseback:

While you are mounted, movement is handled a little bit differently:

• ‘W’ to increase speed

• ‘S’ to decrease speed

• ‘A’ to turn left

• ‘D’ to turn right

Your mouse will now change which way you are looking but not which way the horse is moving, which is important to remember. The mouse only controls your head. You can stop your horse by decreasing your speed until you halt. If you’re walking the horse backward, press ‘W’ to increase your speed from backward to halt. Horses are not nearly as good at climbing as men on foot, so pay attention to hills. They also don’t turn as quickly, and can collide with trees and obstacles if you don’t steer around.

Other Controls

Non-combat/general:

• ‘F’: Perform an action when you see a keyword; e.g., open a door, talk to somebody,

pick up an item from the ground.

• ‘I’: Open your Inventory window.

• ‘P’: Open your Party window.

• ‘C’: Open your Character window.

• ‘Esc’: Show the game menu, allowing you to save, quit or adjust your options. Also

exits a display (like the Character window) if you are in one.

• ‘F12’: Quicksave the game. This saves in the same slot as the Save option in the Escape menu.

• TAB: Leave current area.

• SPACEBAR (PRESS): Cancel your travel destination and pause time on the world map.

• SPACEBAR (HOLD): Passes time on the world map.

• CTRL+LEFT MOUSE BUTTON (PRESS): Sends the item under your cursor to the other side of the table when trading or looting.

Combat:

• LEFT MOUSE BUTTON(PRESS): Make a quick attack with the current weapon.

• LEFT MOUSE BUTTON (HOLD): Begin aiming with a ranged weapon, or start and hold a melee stroke which will be executed when you release the button.

• SPACEBAR: Jump with your character or horse. Note that there’s a limit on how quickly you can jump, and a horse must be moving at a minimum speed before it can jump.

• RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON (HOLD): Defend yourself with your shield or weapon. Some weapons cannot be used defensively, like knives and bows.

• ‘E’: THROW A KICK. Kicks are useful to stagger the enemy and open him up for

attack if he gets too close.

• ~ (HOLD): Free the camera to orbit the character, even while moving.

• SHIFT (HOLD): Zoom in temporarily. Useful for sizing up the enemy from a safe distance or aiming ranged weapons.

• ‘F1’ THROUGH ‘F5’, AND ‘1’ THROUGH ‘10’: Issues commands during a battle. See Section Battles.

• ‘R’: Switch between first-person and third-person views.

• MOUSE WHEEL UP: Cycle to your next equipped weapon.

• MOUSE WHEEL DOWN: Put your shield away or take it out manually. Particularly useful if you have a weapon which can be used with one hand or two (like a bastard sword).

Battle:

As the leader of your party, you will be able to command your soldiers during a battle. Choosing the right commands to give your men can be the deciding factor between a glorious victory and terrible defeat.

First, select who you want to command:

Keys ‘1’ to ‘9’: Selects the troops that have been assigned to the group with that number. By default, group 1 (infantry) consists of foot troops without dedicated ranged weapons, group 2 (archers) consists of ranged troops, and group 3 (cavalry) consists of mounted troops, while the other groups are empty. However, you can assign any troop to any groups from the party window. This scheme gives you great flexibility in

arranging your soldiers into groups.

• ‘0’: Selects all soldiers under your command.

• ‘-‘: Select nearby soldiers that are within a certain radius.

• ‘=‘: Selects the currently unselected troops.

Normally, pressing one of the keys above clears the existing selection. You can add the newly selected group to the already existing selection by holding down the Shift Key. For example, you want to give the same order to your archers and infantry. All you need to do is pressing ‘1’ for selecting infantry and then, while holding down the shift key, pressing ‘2’ to add the archers to the selection.

There are three general order categories which are assigned to function keys F1 through F3. These are: ‘Movement orders’ (F1), ‘Formation Orders’ (F2) and ‘Fire Orders’ (F3). Once you have selected the order category, you may give a specific order in that category.

Movement Orders:

• 'F1' - Hold this position: Instructs your men to stay within a short distance of where you are currently standing. They will fire ranged weapons if they have one, but will not move to engage the enemy in melee unless the enemy comes close enough. If you press and hold down the F1 key rather than tapping it quickly, the game will show a movement flag at the point your look direction intersects with the terrain, and you will be able to order your troops to move to a specific spot in your area of sight.

• 'F2' - Follow me: Your men will fall in around you, or travel to wherever you are, and stay close as you move.

• 'F3' - Charge: Give your men permission to break ranks and pursue the enemy individually.

• 'F4' - Stand Ground

• 'F5' - Retreat

Formation Orders:

• 'F1' - ADVANCE TEN PACES: Your troops will walk in the general direction of the enemy by ten paces and hold there.

• 'F2' - FALL BACK TEN PACES: Your troops will move back from the general direction of the enemy by ten paces and hold there.

• 'F3' - SPREAD OUT: Troops will increase the distance between each other. This order is useful for reducing your casualties against enemy archers or crossbowman.

• 'F4' - STAND CLOSER: Your troops will shorten the distance between each other. This order is especially useful for preparing your infantry for a cavalry charge.

• 'F5' - MOUNT HORSES: All troops who can ride a horse will try to find a mount

• 'F6' - DISMOUNT: Sometimes you will want your mounted troops to fight on foot, usually if the terrain is not suitable for cavalry.

Fire Orders:

• 'F1' - HOLD YOUR FIRE: Ordered troops will not use ranged weapons.

• 'F2' - FIRE AT WILL: Ordered troops are once again free to shoot at the enemy with ranged weapons.

• 'F3' - USE ONLY BLUNT WEAPONS: Ordered soldiers will only attack the enemy with blunt weapons, reverting to their fists if necessary. This order is useful if you want to avoid killing your enemies and want to take them prisoners.

• 'F4' - USE WEAPONS AT WILL: Cancels the ‘Use Only Blunt Weapons’ order. Soldiers are free to attack enemies with lethal weapons.

Guide to the new Formations and VI in POP 3 WB:

The new VI (Battle AI) triggers when the Battle Formations setting is turned ON (in PoP3 WB: options in the Camp Menu). It is combined with formations. Both the VI and the player have Formations capability. The VI will use formations in combination with maneuvering in order to give the player a greater challenge on the battlefield. The VI is also responsive to the player’s actions and will react in a sensible way. The VI is dynamic and will not act exactly the same in two repeated battles. If the player finds the VI to be too hard, it can be turned off in the PoP 3: WB settings. When the VI is active the player’s commands have a chance to be spoken. Do not use the Esc key when issuing orders. That will mess up the audio commands because the Esc key cannot be listened to by the code (- TW problem). If you have un-synced audio commands they can be re-synced by selecting a battle group (numeric keys 1 through 0 on the keyboard). On some occasions, the battle order panel may become disabled (it will not trigger by pressing the Backspace key) upon knockout of the player. If this happens you’ll have to watch the battle play out without being able to issue any “post-mortem” commands, so make sure you command your troops wisely. Player battles against the VI incur a small bonus to renown.

When Formations is turned ON in the Camp Menu, it will add the ability for Infantry to form Ranks, Shield Wall, Square and Wedge. Archers gain the ability to form a staggered line. Cavalry gains the ability to form aWedge.

In order for the troops to be able to form any formation, they will need to have a certain number. For cavalry the minimum number of troops is 5. For archers and Infantry the minimum number is 12 troops. At any time in a battle when you have issued a formation form command or give the Hold order, the current formation will set up near the position that you (the player) had when you issued the command: infantry to the left, cavalry to the right, and archers up front.

Player troops start every battle in formation. The AI also uses formations and can move in formations. If the player wants to move and keep formations, then he holds down the Hold order and points the “hold flag” at the position he wants his formations to move. Alternatively, he can use the Advance 10 Steps order repeatedly to move his selected troops in formation. A third alternative is to use the mini-map control panel (accessible by pressing Backspace) and click on a position on it to move and hold that position.

The formation key bindings are:

"J" for ranks – Ranks is a three line deep formation that puts the most experienced troops in the front. It is available for Infantry. The command also applies to Archers, but in their case they will form a Staggered Line.  This formation is good against other infantry and archers.

"K" for Shield Wall –The shield wall command will only affect Infantry. This makes them form three lines. They will have shield units in the front, then short weapons, then pole weapons. This formation is good to use when advancing against archers.

"L" for Wedge (NOTE: the player should reassign the "L" for "Log" mapping to another unused key) – Wedge commands can affect Cavalry and Infantry. It is a triangular formation that has its tip towards the general enemy position. The formation uses its most experienced troops in the front.  This formation is good to make a dent in a different formation and split it up. It is best used with high level troops that have good armor and weapons.

";" for Square - The Square command makes a square out of the square root of the number of Infantry units. If you have 25 Infantry units the square will be five columns with five units in each column.  This formation is a useful defensive formation against cavalry.

"U" for No Formation (undo formation) –This command disassembles all current formations for the selected troop type(s) and puts them back in Native Hold formation mode.

When will a Formation be undone?  It will be undone when you issue a Charge command. For Cavalry it will also be undone if you issue a Dismount command.
In what direction do formations face? Formations face the general direction of the enemy.

Please note: 
Treebeard's formations only work against organized armies, like those of the lords, not with disorganized groups like bandits or Vanskerry raiders.

To make Formations work:

1.You must have Battle Formations ON
2.The encountered party must belong to a disciplined faction
3.The battle type must be a regular field battle (- i.e. not a village attack or siege or such battles)

Undisciplined factions are generally troops on the map that have white color. Other undisciplined factions are: Red Brotherhood, Mystmountain, Mountain Bandits, Forest Bandits, Outlaws.

When you are in a Formations and VI battle you'll notice a message at the start of the battle about Forming troops. If there is no such message you are in a battle against undisciplined troops and Formations and VI are turned off.

Disciplined factions are all kingdom factions, heretics, snake cult, noldor, Renegade knights and Jatu. In these battles you'll face the VI and have formations (if you have the Battle Formations option turned ON).

When in a Formations and VI battle it also depends on which group/division you have currently selected. If you have archers listening and you order a square or wedge command it will have no effect. If you select everyone (0) then those who can form for example wedge will do so (if you order wedge). So if you have a selection that consists of less than required troop types for a certain formation, then they won't be able to form that formation.

The Kingdom of Ravenstern

The Kingdom of Ravenstern is one of five major factions in Prophesy of Pendor. It is ruled by King Gregory IV.

The North - The Kingdom of Ravenstern

To the north, the Kingdom of Ravenstern sits on the southern slopes of the impassable Cloudmist Mountains. They are a hearty and proud people well adapted to the harsh northern climate. The people of Ravenstern were once members of the great Kingdom of Pendor, and once that fell, continued to serve under the crown of Sarleon. However, in 199 the Mystmountain clans united and launched a massive invasion, leading to the siege of Rane. The earl of Rane sent pleas for help to the Lords of the nation; however, the southern Lords refused to answer the call to arms. The northern lords banded together and came to the aid of Rane, breaking the famous siege and decisively routing the Mystmountains.

Following the siege of Rane, the Order of the Dragon was formed in honor of the bravery of the warriors of Rane and as a nod to the Dragon rumored to have come to the defense of the city through the hero, Cliff McManus. Those who fought with distinction in the war were offered a place in the Order. The Southern Lords, angered at this, quickly moved to have the Order disbanded, as it was not in the Validus Charta. The Lords of Ravenstern considered this a grave insult to the bravery and sacrifice of their esteemed warriors and seceded from the Kingdom of Sarleon. Thus, the Kingdom of Ravenstern was born. The Knights of the Order of the Dragon, the absolute elite of the Ravenstern Nobles, are one of the most fearsome units to engage on the field of battle. Unlike most of the other Knighthood Orders in the realm, these Knights do not swear allegiance to a certain noble but accompany the Lords of Ravenstern if it aids their Order's cause. Upon the coronation of a new King, the Grandmaster of the Order gives the King a great blade: Dragontooth, in lieu of an oath of loyalty. This ceremony acknowledges the continuing support of the Order of the Dragon to the Kingdom of Ravenstern.

Ever since that battle, Ravenstern has been tested by constant raids and sorties from these bloodthirsty clansmen. The Lords of Ravenstern are fearsome warriors, yet they are quite proud, stubborn and individual. There is a strong underlying culture of competition among these people that makes them outstanding warriors though they sometimes lack the discipline needed for military order and drill. The ruler of Ravenstern is King Gregory IV, the great grandson of King Gregory I, who led the final charge that drove the shaman of the northern barbarians back to their hide in the Cloudmist Mountains. Ravenstern cling to the memories of this great campaign and it is from this which their famous resolve and great martial ability stems.

Commentary on Ravenstern

"Like a dragon defends its lair, the soldiers of Ravenstern defend her against all those who would deny our independence." -King Gregory IV of Ravenstern

"I’ve heard it said that a dragon defends Ravenstern. I bet it is just a dragonfly." -Archer of Sarleon

"I have a grudging respect for the men of Ravenstern; they stand as a bastion before the barbarian hordes, and we all know too well that burden." -Fierdsvain Veteran Warrior

"Ravenstern men are hairy. Ravenstern women are hairy. Ravenstern men wear skirts. Ravenstern women wear skirts. Both live in the icy north; I therefore conclude that the population of Ravenstern is just a bunch of girls." -D'Shar Lord

"The real reason that the people of Ravenstern took to the northern mountains was that it is about as far from the Empire as one can get in Pendor, plus the fact that we don’t much like the cold." -Empire Legionnaire

"The Mystmountain host will march again soon, but this time there will be no saviors of Rane." -Mystmountain Warrior

Tactical Overview of Ravenstern

Ravenstern - Bow and Blade

Right out of the gate it was a great example of where PoP shines. A very rich, detailed cultural immersion. The moment your horses hooves crunch snow everything changes. All the gear, horses, local NPCs both good and bad, all of it a very distinctive culture. Voice acting even, the music... you KNOW when you're in Ravenstern and their troops are extremely distinctive.

Pros:

 - Dead sexeh. Great gear, great cultural design, they lend themselves extremely well to a culturally specific character.

 - Amazingly versatile. They have a wide variety of very effective troops.

 - Incredibly defensible. You manage to take Ravenstern, with its couple of bridges leading in and out, it's far easier to hold.

 - Competent Lords. You've got a solid group of nobles who tend to do well in the field.

Cons:

 - Don't mistake versatile for directly powerful. They lack staying power and even their high end troops don't last well, especially in sieges.

 - Linear domain. This is a hassle when recruiting as you can't just run a smooth circle; you've got to go to the top, wait, a day or two, go back.

 - Narrow domain unfriendly for unique spawns. Heretic Armies, Mystmountain Armies, not to mention the Jatu right next door who love to visit, they in inescapably right in the middle of your proverbial living room. They will chew all over your nobles and caravans and such if not dealt with quickly.

 - Jack of all trades but master of none, when you've got the right troops for the job you do great - when you don't you lose big time.

Tactical Overview:

The Ravenstern troop tree is flat out amazing. The top three levels of archer and infantry troops are amazing. Wardens, Rangers, Mounted Rangers, men-at-arms, Kiergard, Horsemen. You can easily run a whole game with Ravenstern troops and do great without ever bothering with nobles and Knights. Rangers and Kiergard have higher respective combat traits while Mounted Rangers and Horsemen are excellent mounted archers and Knights-lite. I've run a full army of 150 troops, split 75/75 Horsemen and Mounted Rangers and kicked ass everywhere but a siege, where I was NOT foolish enough to take them. The infantry take the field with a healthy mix of axes, morningstars and two styles of unique longsword. Infantry also pack shields, making them solid in any situation. Your Rangers, interestingly enough, pack greatswords - this is great for original M&B because it lets you separate your sword and board troops from your two-handers, sending them up the siege ladder in separate groups.

Just don't mistake them for Legionaries or Huscarls, or Armored Crossbowmen and Armored Longbowmen! They are good archers, but not great. Good infantry, but not great. It's the ability to field a ton of them quickly and cheaply supported by mounted versions of both infantry and archers that makes them killer on the field. Mix in some knights and it really throws them over the top. Measure your army to who you're fighting; do you need more archers or more infantry? Foot or mounted? They have the flexibility to match troop types to situation. Just don't get caught by the Jatu with just cavalry and don't get caught by the Empire with just infantry.

Sieges:  You need to leave your mounted troops home. They are expensive and will die quickly here. Exception to this is Knights - all the Ravenstern Knights, from regular to Knight Orders really add that magic ZING! to Ravenstern siegework, offense or defense. They don't last nearly as well with the 'stay at range and rain death' approach to siege work like the Empire and D'Shar can, nor do they shine at the 'rush the wall with shields out' that the Empire and Fierdsvain do. Let your Archers do some killing, empty the walls a bit, but don't linger. Get up there with your Kiergard and order your archers to hold fire so they'll whip out the greatsword and provide good, solid battlefield support. On siege defense Rangers really stand out, great damage and a brutal rate of fire.

Unit Overview:

Archers - Rangers: The Ravenstern archers line is a good one. You'll end up using a lot of them. Rank them right up, keep a lot of Rangers instead of Mounted Rangers though as you'll end up filling your garrisons with them. Don't forget the greatswords on your foot Rangers! Especially against enemy cavalry you hit 'F5' when the enemy horses hit your archers and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much killing they do. Poor against infantry, but archers typically are. Cavalry though? WHACK! They bring enough love to share with everyone.

Infantry - Kiergard:  Kiergard. Huscarl lite. Inexpensive, quick to field, these guys are a solid infantry force. Not amazing; they're not Legionaries with their javelins or Huscarls with their killer stats, but they do a great job. You'll replace no few of them in sieges or serious battles but not too many. You've got no pole-troops really, its your archers who'll handle enemy cavalry, but otherwise Kiergards will serve a Ravenstern army well in any situation.

Mounted Rangers:  Don't neglect these guys. Their stats are slightly weaker than foot Rangers and they cost almost twice as much to support but if you keep them away from sieges and on the field where they belong they will rack up a LOT of kills. They'll make your enemy turn their shields from your archer line, they'll kill all manner of units and make a great addition to any field army.

Horsemen:  Some of the best non-Noble domestic cavalry in the game. Long lances, reliable couchers, fast horses with good endurance, half the price of Knights and quick to train up these guys make another great field asset. Armor is relatively light and when they switch to swords they are considerably weaker but for hunting a lot of the enemies you find in Ravenstern (Mystmountain Barbarians for example) these guys are a solid addition. Just don't treat them like knights - put them against Knights, Heretic Magnus, Adventurers, they'll go down pretty quickly. They also don't last well against strong infantry. Having a half dozen Horsemen and a half dozen Mounted Rangers to support 120 mixed infantry and foot archers though and you'll scatter enemy armies, letting your otherwise slightly above average infantry chew up forces that are otherwise too tough to handle.

Nobles:  They show up in clothes and daggers? Seriously? If you EVER want to field actual Knights, take your nobles out on little bandit hunting expeditions and level them up before you take them into real fights. These guys get KO'ed by Outcasts. Treat them like 'levy recruits'. They are fragile and need kept out of harms way.

Knights:  Ravenstern Knights pack lance and shield in addition to greatswords. I find them exceptionally useful in sieges, where their powerful stamina and great armor makes them great tanks for your Kiergard to stick with. They are the only cavalry troops you bring to a siege and expect to bring home again.

Primary Troop Tree

1st

Ravenstern Recruit

2nd

Ravenstern Militia

3rd

Ravenstern Trained Militia

Ravenstern Skirmisher

4th

Ravenstern Footman

Ravenstern Archer

5th

Ravenstern Man-at-Arms

Ravenstern Warden

6th

Ravenstern Kierguard

Ravenstern Horseman

Ravenstern Ranger

Ravenstern Mounted Ranger

You may also see Ravenstern Kierguard Knights, who appear only in Ravenstern armies. They are a special unit and not on any troop tree.

Noble Troop Tree

1st Noble

Ravenstern Nobleman

2nd Noble

Ravenstern Squire-at-Arms

3rd Noble

Ravenstern Knight

Ravenstern Knights may upgrade further to Knights of the Dragon if you meet the special requirements.

Summary:

Bring the right man for the job!  They have a flexible troop tree, just make sure you don't bring a knife to a gun fight!

Great light cavalry.  Don't neglect Horsemen and Mounted Rangers. They buff your infantry and archer troops very effectively.

Manage your Lords.  The lay of the land is a big advantage for Ravenstern. Take a couple off to conquer and order the rest to patrol Ravenstern or Poinsbruk depending on which end your attackers will come from.

Rolling Stones gather no moss. Ravenstern quickly recruits and trains solid troops. When you're at war with a nation, don't stop to regroup. Reload your troop roster and hit the next target before their noble armies recover!

Really enjoyed Ravenstern, a fun culture to play and a great military balance.

Here's the vs stats:

Noldor:  Wow. I really didn't expect Rangers to do so well against the elves, but they did. Took 120, about 70 of which were Rangers, rest mixed cav and Kiergard, against 60+ Noldor Rangers and Nobles. 8 dead, 20 wounded, wiped them out fast and dirty. I'm finding a solid line of Rangers chews most things pretty well. Their cavalry is quick and put the nobles horses down quick as well.

Jatu:  I wonder if I'll ever NOT hate the Jatu. They show up so quick it really doesn't matter what tactics you CAN use, none of them will have time to do much before they show up. Fortunately if you order your troops to separate, the Jatu tend to plow through the middle. Split your archer and keep your cavalry on the move. Once the initial charge is blunted the Rangers make a solid showing, ranged and melee. Horsemen and mounted archers make great Jatu chase troops. Another tactic that worked well was planting the infantry in a river and the archers and cav on the far side.

Snake Cult:  Too slow, too few shields. Ravenstern Knights really show their stuff against slow tank troops like Cobra and Anaconda Knights. Demolished a 700 strong Snake Cult Army with about 150 mixed troops.

Heretics:  Still slow, but a lot more shields. These guys were everything the Snake Cultists weren't. Trotted right through the hail of arrows and said hello with their Morningstars and crossbows. Use your cavalry to blunt their charge and keep them under the fire of your Ranger as long as possible.

Mystmountain Warriors:  These are people the Ravenstern folks fight the most and are a good reason for why they have so many mounted troops. The army that grinds up snake cultists would get crushed by Mystmountain Armies, bring a healthy mounted mix to run these rednecks down.

Sarleon:   Their infantry dissolve like wet paper in a hurricane but their Knights don't get impressed by archers. Do all the damage you can at range, then order a charge so you scatter their Knights and just bite the bullet on the losses you'll take. The longer you can keep them at range the better.

The Empire:  The Empire plays right into Ravensterns weaknesses. Better ranged troops, also has a nimble cavalry with mounted archers and when they hit javelin range you'd better have told your troops to 'hold fire' so they pull shields out or it's going to be a messy battle. Stronger infantry and tougher ranged troops, this one comes down to stupid AI. Use your cavalry to flank them and draw as much javelin fire at range as possible before the armies hit.

Fierdisvain:  Killing the Green Horde is all about keeping them at range so your archers can deal with them. Use your cavalry to pepper their flanks with arrows and get them to turn their shields away from your Rangers and it'll be an easy fight.

D'Shar:  Interestingly, Ravenstern Ranger are better archers than anything the D'Shar field. Mounted and on foot. It's their infantry that cause Ravenstern troops grief, fortunately their shields don't last like the Fierdisvain do. Avoid cavalry chases, which the D'Shar generally win with their swift little horses and make them come to you.

Ravenstern kicks ass. They are all about adaptability and powerful ranged troops, just remember that your bowmen will run out of arrows painfully quick if you're not managing their rate of fire. Fortunately they make excellent melee troops. Great culture, their nobles speak with a brogue, tons of awesome unique gear, nice location, excellent troop lineup, what's not to love?

Outlaws

Mystmountain Clans