The Vale Host
A balanced line that wins the first blow. Lowland soldiers of a river valley: quilted coats, mail and plate, oxblood cloth, brass fittings and a slate-blue banner.
How they play
A wall in front (Spearmen and Shieldmen), real shooters behind it (Archers, Crossbowmen and the Mage) and two hammers that cross the field in one turn (the Knight and the Drake). Their keywords reward striking first: Charge on the fast melee, Volley and Pierce on the shooters, Taunt to keep enemies off the archers.
Win fast. A Vale army wants a fight over in a couple of rounds: shoot what comes, then charge a wounded stack with knights or wolves and finish it with a Brass Lance before it can recover. Against the Peatholm that matters twice, because every round you leave a stack alive its Regenerate and their poison work against you.
Weakness. Its shooters are fragile and its cheap melee is soft; a long, grinding fight against cheap stacks that heal favours the other side.
In numbers. The quick battle’s draft gives each side 1000 gold for at most 5 stacks. Spent on the cheapest fighter alone, that is 83 Spearmen with 830 hit points between them, in at least 3 stacks of at most 40.
Fighters
| Unit | Gold | Att | Def | HP | Dmg | Speed | Range | Muster | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spearman | 12 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 1–3 | 4 | – | 40 | Reach |
| Dire Wolf | 15 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 2–4 | 7 | – | 30 | Charge |
| Archer | 18 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 2–3 | 4 | 10 | 24 | Volley |
| Shieldman | 28 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 2–4 | 3 | – | 16 | Taunt |
| Crossbowman | 45 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 3–6 | 4 | 9 | 10 | Pierce |
| Knight | 90 | 10 | 9 | 30 | 5–9 | 6 | – | 5 | Charge |
| Mage | 130 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 6–10 | 4 | 8 | 4 | Fear |
| Drake | 260 | 13 | 11 | 60 | 8–14 | 8 | – | 3 | Flying, No Retaliation |
Hero
Commander: 70 HP, defence 10. Command starts at 3, grows by 2 each round after the first and never passes 6. Powers: Brass Lance (2), Mend the Ranks (3) and Standard Ward (2).
Start army
A Conquest match or a Duel seat of the Vale Host begins with this army (a harder Warpath setting can start it thinner), 866 gold of creatures with 566 hit points in all. An army holds at most 6 stacks, and losses carry from fight to fight until you hire more.
| Stack | Creatures | Gold | Hit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spearman | 30 | 360 | 300 |
| Archer | 12 | 216 | 96 |
| Dire Wolf | 10 | 150 | 90 |
| Shieldman | 5 | 140 | 80 |
Town
A Conquest match starts with a purse of 300 gold, 5 wood, 5 ore. The town has the same 4 buildings for both peoples, at most one built a day; once built, each one hires its fighters every week, with the stock full on the day it is built and refilled at the start of each week.
| Building | Costs | Hires | A week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muster Yard | 400 gold, 5 wood | Spearman, Shieldman | 14, 6 |
| Archery Butts | 600 gold, 3 wood, 3 ore | Archer, Crossbowman | 9, 4 |
| Tiltyard | 1200 gold, 5 wood, 8 ore | Knight | 2 |
| Lantern Spire | 1500 gold, 5 ore, 2 crystal | Mage | 2 |
Some fighters are never sold in the town and come from dwellings on the map instead. A dwelling hires the Vale Host’s fighter of that place:
| Dwelling | Hires | A week |
|---|---|---|
| Levy Camp | Spearman | 14 |
| Wolf Lodge | Dire Wolf | 10 |
| Fletchers' Hut | Archer | 9 |
| Shield Hall | Shieldman | 6 |
| Bolt Works | Crossbowman | 4 |
| Lance Hall | Knight | 2 |
| Star Hermitage | Mage | 2 |
| Drake Roost | Drake | 1 |
Play Pick the Vale Host on the people screen before a match.