Repel
Repel is how Dominions represents the effectiveness of long weapons (
-length) to keep attackers at bay. If a unit attacks an enemy who has a longer weapon than the attacker, the defender may repel the attack and prevent it from happening. This occurs as follows:
1. Weapon Length Check: -Longer weapon(s) than the attacking weapon pass the check and move to step 2.
2. Attack Roll: The repelling weapon's attack score +-DRN is compared to the attackers defense value +-DRN. Both are modified by their Harassment penalty and effects like -Fatigue. If the repeller's attack is greater, move to step 3.
3. Morale Roll: The attacker checks their -morale against 10+(the amount they lost the previous roll by). If their morale is greater they attack as normal but have a chance to take up to 1 damage from the repeller attacking them. If their morale is less they fail to attack.
Step 1 notes:
- Length of weapons is increased by 1 if you are size 4 or above, with the exception of-intrinsic weapons.
- Each of the defender's weapons can make a repel check against an attacking weapon.
Step 2 notes:
- Mounted reduces the harassment penalty for defense only. Repelling attack will still be reduced by the full amount.
Step 3 notes:
- Because the difference of the previous check is carried over, low defence can make even a high morale unit susceptible to repel.
- The repeller's capped damage attack is made as normal, attack against defence and damage against prot, but will not carry any "riders" like a-Flaming Weapons bless or a on-damage -MR Check or Decay.
The Repel Check
1) Weapon Length Check
Repeller Weapon Length: Weapon length
+ 1 if repeller is size 4+
Attacker's weapon length: Weapon length
+ 1 if attacker is size 4+
If Repeller's Weapon Length > Attacker's Weapon Length ⇒ The repeller can attempt to repel
2) Attack Roll
Repeller Attack roll: Repeller's Weapon's Attack value
- Fatigue penalty
- Harassment penalty, if any
+ DRN
Attacker Defense roll: Attacker's Defense value
- Fatigue penalty
- Harassment penalty, if any
+ DRN
Attacker wins ties!
If attacker wins ⇒ The attacker rolls to attack as normal
If repeller wins ⇒ The attacker makes a morale roll. Simultaneously the repeller makes a regular attack and damage roll against the attacker for a maximum of 1 damage capped.1)
3) Morale Roll
Repeller roll: 10
+ Amount the repeller won its attack roll by
+ DRN
Attacker morale roll: Attacker Morale value
+ Attacker size - Repeller size
+ DRN
Attacker wins ties!
If attacker wins ⇒ The attacker makes an attack roll as normal
If repeller wins ⇒ The attack is abandoned and the repeller gains +1 harassment penalty 2)
This simulates the defender successfully placing his longer weapon between himself and the attacker. All of this occurs before the attacker’s strike is resolved. Note that units with low morale are more likely to be repelled, and thus using long weapons against low-morale troops is very effective. Also, units with claws and bites (weapon length zero) are easier to repel.
The result of the repel attack roll is carried over to the morale check. This means that units with low defense will often get repelled even if their morale is high. In theory it's even possible for thugs with extremely high attack values to repel mindless units (who has morale 50 and are normally immune to repel) but that is unlikely to happen in a normal game.
Bear in mind that the defender gets one repel roll per weapon regardless of the number of attacks of that weapon. So a Dancing Trident incurs as many chances to repel as a Stone Bird, exactly one. However the Stone Bird will potentially be more efficient at repelling a single attacker because of the harassment penalty it can inflict with five attacks.