21.18 Morale and good-health of a legion.
Morale is central to the effectiveness of a legion and its capacity to perform the various tasks demanded of it once it sets foot outside of barracks - from defending homesoil against invasion or penetrating deep into enemy territory in search of plunder. When morale is at its highest all actions are performed at fastest possible rate, use of specialist-skills is made with on-the-field showing matching up to the legion's known capabilities. Conversely, when morale is low, actions are performed sluggishly, begrudgingly, sometimes not at all if the leadership is lacking. Seldom, when a legion is scraping the depths of its morale, is use of a specialist-skill able to match anywhere close to the full potential. So morale: the cornerstone of a succesful campaign, the springboard from which both invasion and defensive mobilisation plans are launched.
It is important to keep a legion well paid and well fed and well healed. The former is the province of the guild or city treasury - although it can be offset by the acquisition of plunder, booty or treasures when on the move. Food tends to be kept in ration form for legions and loade up into its inventory before a protracted time abroad. Time without rations reduces morale. The 'forestfood' specialist-skill can be useful here for utilising it, the legion can forage for edibles in the locale and thus negate the need for rations (or preserve them for later need). The health of a legion is mostly only harmed by enemy action or terrain particularly trecherous (e.g. tumbling down a deep ravine), although long marches without rest or succour can impact health as well as morale, in addition to long periods without sustenance eventually draining away health.
If a legion's health falls too low its members will desert. Most afflictions - starvation aside - fall under the purview of the 'selfhealing' specialist-skill. If this is developed to high levels the detrimental influences on health can be gradually reversed while the legion is in the-the-field. When in barracks, health is naturally slowly replenished as the legion is given the benefits of home comforts and civic medical attention.
It is necessary to keep your military well financed to ensure morale is high and your troops remain loyal Military financing involves four distinct areas of expenditure: wages for barracked troops, wages for active troops within one's city walls, wages for troops in the field but within one's home sphere of influence, and wages for troops in full-scale combat on enemy soil. Income is based on the size of the city's sphere of influence. Both wages and sphere of influence income are paid monthly.
Legion wages
Legions within city barracks: 100gp (per 1000)
Legions within city walls: 200gp (per 1000)
Legions within city influence: 400gp (per 1000)
Legions outside city influence: 800gp (per 1000)
Sphere of Influence income (basic value; not including tributes)
Uncivilised wilderness areas: 10gp
Settled villages and towns: 50gp
ACTIONS for cities and ACTIVITY for guilds will log the specific expenses incurred by the military/fieldworkers kept active and likewise will show, usually every Avalon month, the income derived from conquests (colonised villages, spheres of influence, ransoms, etc). See HELP TRIBUTE for details on levying higher amounts of gold, commodities and enlistable men from your sphere of influence - to offset the cost of military campaigns and indeed gain from an expansionist policy.
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