Shardok Commands
Shared Requirements
Section titled “Shared Requirements”Unless noted otherwise: 10 morale, 10 hero vigor, and the listed Action Point cost.
Activations and follow-ups
Section titled “Activations and follow-ups”A unit can keep acting while it has Action Points (AP) and at least one available command. Read each command’s AP line as follows:
- Consumes all remaining AP or sets the unit to 0 AP means ends activation. The unit cannot act again this turn.
- A command with only an exact AP cost spends that amount. If the unit still has AP afterward, its activation can continue with whatever commands are then available.
- A command may also end the unit’s useful activation because no legal commands remain, even if the display still shows AP.
Movement is the most important case. Each destination shows its movement cost and may show follow-up available icons. Those follow-ups are actions predicted to be legal after reaching that destination, such as Charge, Scout, Start Fire, Repair, Reduce, or Reinforce.
The follow-up list is a planning aid, not a complete list of everything the unit might do next. It does not include another Move, and battlefield information can change when the move resolves. A destination with no follow-up icons does not itself mean “ends activation”: compare the movement cost with the unit’s remaining AP and check the commands offered after arrival.
Tactical Commands
Section titled “Tactical Commands”Unit requirements: any unit.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: an enemy target is adjacent and the acting unit can still act.
Effect: Attack the target in close combat. The UI may show combat odds before you choose the attack.
Selection: choose the attacking unit and adjacent target.
Archery
Section titled “Archery”Unit requirements: Longbowmen, or a unit with an attached hero who has at least 75 AGI. The unit must have at least one volley remaining.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: a known enemy is exactly 2 hexes away, and the line between the attacker and target is not blocked by mountains.
Effect: Make a ranged attack without requiring adjacency, spending one volley. Longbowmen can also fire at adjacent hexes while standing in a castle, and can fire 3 hexes when the wind is at least 20 mph and blowing toward the target.
Selection: choose the firing unit and target unit or hex.
Charge
Section titled “Charge”Unit requirements: any unit.
Action Point cost: the cost to enter the target’s terrain. Knights and Dragoons spend only that terrain cost and may be able to move again afterward; other units spend all remaining AP.
Activation: ends activation for units that spend all remaining AP. Knights and Dragoons can continue when they retain AP and another command is available.
Available when: a valid path reaches a target that can be attacked at the end of the move.
Effect: Move into an attack as one action. Charge attacks have a chance to stun the target unit.
Selection: choose the charging unit, path, and target.
Unit requirements: any unit.
Action Point cost: the terrain cost for each hex in the path, plus 1 extra AP for steps that start in enemy zone of control.
Activation: does not inherently end activation. The unit can continue if it has AP and a legal command after arriving. Follow-up icons on a destination preview eligible non-move actions there.
Available when: one or more reachable destination hexes are valid for the acting unit.
Effect: Move the unit along the chosen path to a reachable hex, paying terrain costs as it goes. Hidden units may reveal themselves if they move into exposed terrain or near an enemy Ranger.
Selection: choose the unit and destination path.
Lightning Bolt
Section titled “Lightning Bolt”Unit requirements: Mage attached to Light Infantry, Light Cavalry, or Longbowmen. Heavy units and Undead cannot cast.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: a known enemy is within 3 hexes of the caster.
Effect: Cast a lightning attack at the target. The descriptor may include odds or roll information when the client can display expected results.
Selection: choose the casting unit and target.
Meteor
Section titled “Meteor”Unit requirements: Mage attached to Light Infantry, Light Cavalry, or Longbowmen, with at least 30 vigor. Heavy units and Undead cannot cast.
Action Point cost: start costs 5 AP and consumes all remaining AP; target and cancel cost 0 AP; the automatic cast step is configured as 1 AP but resolves by setting the caster to 0 AP.
Available when: the caster can begin the spell, choose or change a target within 3 hexes, cast the pending meteor, or cancel the pending meteor.
Effect: Begin a delayed meteor spell, then choose a target within 3 hexes on the following round. If the Mage is stunned while casting, the meteor is irreversibly miscast toward a random legal tile within the Mage’s full range. Only the Mage’s player sees the new target and may move other units out of danger; the target cannot be changed, even if Holy Wave removes the stun. The miscast meteor still lands at the end of the Mage’s turn. When the meteor resolves, a unit on the target hex takes a fire attack based on the Mage’s Wisdom. Units on the six adjacent hexes take 40% as much. The impact damages castles, bridges, ice, and snow; may start fires on the target and adjacent hexes; and removes fortification from units it hits. Destroying supporting ice or a bridge can also drop a unit into the water. The Mage spends 20 vigor, gains 5 Wisdom XP, and is stunned for 2 rounds after the strike. You can cancel while the meteor is still pending.
Selection: choose the caster, spell target, or cancel option depending on the current meteor step.
Start Fire
Section titled “Start Fire”Unit requirements: a unit with an attached Mage, or an attached hero with at least 70 AGI and 70 WIS. Mages improve the odds.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: a target hex can be set on fire.
Effect: Attempt to start a fire on the target hex.
Selection: choose the acting unit and target hex.
Extinguish Fire
Section titled “Extinguish Fire”Unit requirements: any unit with an attached hero.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: a target hex contains fire that can be reduced or removed.
Effect: Remove or reduce fire on the target hex.
Selection: choose the acting unit and burning target hex.
Freeze Water
Section titled “Freeze Water”Unit requirements: Mage attached to Light Infantry, Light Cavalry, or Longbowmen. Heavy units and Undead cannot cast.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: a valid water hex can be frozen.
Effect: Turn water into traversable frozen terrain where the command is valid.
Selection: choose the caster and water hex.
Build Bridge
Section titled “Build Bridge”Unit requirements: Engineer.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: the engineer has a valid water or gap target where a bridge can be built.
Effect: Create a bridge across the target.
Selection: choose the engineer unit and bridge target.
Blow Bridge
Section titled “Blow Bridge”Unit requirements: Engineer standing on a bridge.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: the bridge can be destroyed.
Effect: Destroy the existing bridge target.
Selection: choose the engineer unit and bridge.
Placement
Section titled “Placement”Unit requirements: a unit available for setup placement. Hidden placement requires a defending Ranger attached to a stealth-capable unit.
Action Point cost: no AP cost during setup.
Available when: the battle is in setup and a valid placement hex is available.
Effect: Put a reserve unit onto the battlefield. Rangers on stealth-capable units can be placed hidden during defensive setup.
Selection: choose the unit and setup hex.
Unit requirements: Ranger attached to a stealth-capable unit.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: the ranger can scout a hex within 4 hexes.
Effect: Reveal information about the target hex and nearby terrain, including possible hidden-unit information.
Selection: choose the scouting unit and target.
Raise Dead
Section titled “Raise Dead”Unit requirements: Necromancer attached to Light Infantry, Light Cavalry, or Longbowmen, and the hero must not already control a unit. Heavy units and Undead cannot cast.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: there is an empty, undead-traversable target hex within 2 hexes.
Effect: Make the displayed success roll. On success, create a battalion of 100 Undead on the target hex, controlled by the Necromancer. The new battalion starts with 50 morale, 0 training, and 0 armament. On failure, no unit is created. Either result spends the action; the Necromancer gains 1 Wisdom XP and 2 Charisma XP.
Selection: choose the necromancer unit and target.
Dismiss Unit
Section titled “Dismiss Unit”Unit requirements: a hero who currently controls a summoned unit, such as Undead raised by a Necromancer.
Action Point cost: requires the controlling unit to have more than 0 AP; execution sets both the controlling unit and dismissed unit to 0 AP.
Available when: the controlling hero has more than 0 AP and still has a controlled unit.
Effect: Make the displayed success roll, based on the controlling hero’s Charisma and Wisdom. Success disbands the controlled unit. Failure still ends the control relationship, but the unit remains on the battlefield uncontrolled and targets its former controller.
Selection: choose Dismiss Unit on the controlling hero; the controlled unit is the target.
Holy Wave
Section titled “Holy Wave”Unit requirements: Paladin.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Vigor cost: 10 from the Paladin under normal circumstances.
Available when: the Paladin unit has enough AP and meets the shared morale and hero-vigor requirements.
Effect: Emit a wave centered on the Paladin. The Paladin and every adjacent non-Undead unit controlled by the same player gain 25 morale, capped at 10 above base morale and at 100 overall; attached heroes regain 5 vigor up to starting vigor; and stun is removed. Every adjacent Undead unit, regardless of allegiance, loses 70% of its troops, becomes visible, and targets the Paladin. The Paladin gains 5 Charisma XP. The effect does not make a success roll.
Selection: choose the Paladin unit. Holy Wave does not require a target.
Stop and Rest
Section titled “Stop and Rest”Unit requirements: a unit with an available charge.
Action Point cost: Stop costs 0 AP; Rest consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: Stop is offered outside an enemy zone of control; Rest is offered inside an enemy zone of control.
Effect: Stop declines the available charge without spending the unit’s remaining AP. Rest declines the charge, ends the activation, and restores an attached hero’s vigor by half of the AP given up. For example, resting with 4 AP restores 2 vigor.
Selection: choose stop or rest for the acting unit.
Challenge Duel
Section titled “Challenge Duel”Unit requirements: Champion challenging an adjacent known enemy unit with an attached hero. A challenge cannot enter a castle.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: the target hero has at least 30 vigor, or the Champion does not know enough about the target to know otherwise.
Effect: The target’s chance to accept depends on Bravery and its assessment of the two battalions and heroes. A target that declines normally loses 15 morale; a target known to have less than 30 vigor declines without that penalty. If accepted, the heroes exchange attacks until one falls or 30 exchanges pass. A winner’s battalion gains 15 morale and the winning hero gains 20 Charisma XP. Participating heroes can also gain Strength and Agility XP.
Selection: choose the champion unit and duel target.
Unit requirements: Necromancer attached to Light Infantry, Light Cavalry, or Longbowmen. Heavy units and Undead cannot cast.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: a known enemy that uses morale is within 3 hexes.
Effect: Make the displayed success roll. The Necromancer’s Charisma and Wisdom improve the chance, while a target hero’s Charisma resists it. Success reduces the target battalion’s morale by 25 and stuns it for 1 round. Failure instead increases its morale by 10. The Necromancer gains 2 Charisma XP either way.
Selection: choose the necromancer unit and target.
Repair
Section titled “Repair”Unit requirements: Engineer.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: a damaged friendly or unoccupied bridge or castle is on the Engineer’s hex or an adjacent hex. The Engineer cannot repair from water or repair a structure occupied by a known enemy.
Effect: Restore 25 integrity to the bridge or castle, up to its maximum of 100. Repair does not restore troops or hero vigor.
Selection: choose the Engineer unit and the bridge or castle to repair.
Reduce
Section titled “Reduce”Unit requirements: Engineer in a castle or fortified position.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: a known enemy unit or a castle with remaining integrity is within 3 hexes and the line is not blocked by mountains. Friendly-occupied hexes and the Engineer’s own hex cannot be targeted.
Effect: Bombard the target. The damage roll improves with the Engineer’s Agility, Strength, and Wisdom, and gains a bonus when friendly forces have access to a forest. The result reduces castle or bridge integrity on the hex, damages any occupying enemy unit, and removes that unit’s fortified status.
Selection: choose the engineer unit and target.
Unit requirements: a unit with an attached hero that is allowed to flee.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: the hero can leave the battle and has enough AP.
Effect: Attempt to withdraw from the province entirely. Make the displayed success roll: nearby visible friendly units improve the chance to escape, while nearby visible enemies and impassable terrain reduce it. Units 2 hexes away have half as much effect as adjacent units. VIP heroes escape automatically. On success, the unit leaves both the battle and the province and will escape even if the province is later captured. On failure, the unit is captured during the attempt.
Selection: choose the fleeing unit.
Retreat
Section titled “Retreat”Unit requirements: a defending unit with an attached hero.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: the defending hero has enough AP. Attackers cannot use Retreat.
Effect: Withdraw the unit from the battle while remaining in the province. Retreat succeeds automatically and does not make the immediate capture roll used by Flee, but the hero will still be captured if their side loses the battle and the province is captured.
Selection: choose the retreating unit.
Control
Section titled “Control”Unit requirements: a hero who already has a controlled summoned unit, such as Undead raised by a Necromancer.
Action Point cost: requires more than 0 AP; execution sets the acting unit to 0 AP.
Available when: the controlling hero has more than 0 AP and still has a controlled unit.
Effect: Spend the controlling hero’s remaining AP to command the linked unit this round. Control does not create a new controlled unit; Raise Dead establishes that relationship.
Selection: choose Control on the controlling hero; the linked unit is the target.
Reinforce
Section titled “Reinforce”Unit requirements: an on-map unit with enough AP and a friendly reserve unit available to enter the battle.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: fewer than 10 friendly on-map units have attached heroes, and the reserve unit has an empty, non-burning hex in its designated starting area.
Effect: Spend the acting unit’s activation and move the selected reserve unit onto the chosen entry hex as a normal active unit.
Selection: choose the reinforcement option and entry placement.
Brave Water
Section titled “Brave Water”Unit requirements: a unit with an attached hero whose battalion type permits Brave Water. The hero needs at least 10 vigor. Ranger is not required, but Rangers receive a 20-point odds bonus.
Action Point cost: 8 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: the unit is on land and can reach a believed-empty, traversable land hex across water.
Effect: Make the displayed crossing roll. Agility and Wisdom improve the chance; armament and bad weather reduce it. Success moves the unit across the water, unless a hidden occupant triggers an ambush on arrival. Failure leaves the unit in place. The attempt always stuns the unit for 1 round and can cost up to 20% of its troops, armament, and hero vigor; safer crossings reduce the possible losses.
Selection: choose the unit and water movement target.
Release Unit
Section titled “Release Unit”Unit requirements: a hero who currently controls a summoned unit, such as Undead raised by a Necromancer.
Action Point cost: requires more than 0 AP; execution sets both the controlling unit and released unit to 0 AP.
Available when: the controlling hero has more than 0 AP and still has a controlled unit.
Effect: End the control relationship without a roll. The released unit becomes uncontrolled, targets its former controller, and remains on the battlefield. Both units end their activations.
Selection: choose Release Unit on the controlling hero; the controlled unit is the target.
End Turn and Setup
Section titled “End Turn and Setup”Unit requirements: None.
Action Point cost: no AP cost to post the command; End Turn then sets that player’s remaining unit AP to 0.
Available when: the active player can end the tactical turn or finish setup.
Effect: END_TURN_COMMAND ends the active tactical turn. END_PLAYER_SETUP_COMMAND ends that player’s setup phase.
Selection: choose the end-turn or end-setup command.
Unit requirements: Ranger attached to a stealth-capable unit.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: the unit can enter or remain in hidden status.
Effect: Hide the unit.
Selection: choose the ranger unit.
Fortify
Section titled “Fortify”Unit requirements: Engineer.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: the Engineer is not already fortified, is standing on fortifiable terrain, and has enough AP.
Effect: Mark the unit as fortified, reducing damage taken by 10%. Moving removes fortification; being hit by Reduce or Meteor also removes it, as does taking fire damage at the end of the unit’s turn.
Selection: choose the engineer unit.
Become Outlaw
Section titled “Become Outlaw”Unit requirements: a unit with an attached hero that is not allowed to flee normally.
Action Point cost: 5 AP through the flee/outlaw action.
Available when: the hero has enough AP, cannot flee, and the battle permits the outlaw outcome.
Effect: Use the same displayed escape roll as Flee. Success removes the unit from battle and records the hero as an outlaw. Failure removes the unit as captured.
Selection: choose the outlaw command when offered.
Evacuate Prisoners
Section titled “Evacuate Prisoners”Unit requirements: Warden on a unit that can flee.
Action Point cost: 5 AP; consumes all remaining AP.
Available when: at least one hostile hero has already been captured, and the Warden is allowed to flee and has enough AP.
Effect: Remove the Warden’s unit from battle as evacuated and secure every captured hostile hero for the Warden’s player. The evacuation succeeds automatically.
Selection: choose the warden unit and evacuation command.