Requiem for the Absolute - Dynamic Encounters

Requiem for the Absolute

The Absolute has noticed you. Its army now travels the roads in search of your party, and it remembers what happens when it finds you.

Requiem for the Absolute: Introducing the Nemesis & Rank System

version 4. 0. 0 is live

Version 4. 0. 0 adds a full hierarchy to the Absolute's army. Officers can now hold commissions, get promoted, keep their identity across encounters and move through the chain of command as the campaign changes.

The Ledger

The mod page now opens on the new Ledger, with configuration still available on the other tab. The Ledger shows the current chain of command: three Nemeses at the top, followed by seven officer commissions, up to three commanders sworn to vengeance, then the rest of the army.

Each occupied position shows the actual creature holding it, with its portrait, name, rank and familiarity with your party. The rank and file are not tracked individually. As officers die, escape or get promoted, the Ledger updates with them.

Officer commissions

There are seven commissions, one for each branch of the army: The Herald's March, Goblin Warchiefs, True Souls, Hunters, Cult of Myrkul, Bhaalists and Mind Flayers.

Each commission can only have one officer at a time, and they do not fill at the same rate. Goblin Warchiefs change hands often. Mind Flayer officers are much rarer and hold the highest commission.

Officers also have full names now. Their given name and epithet come from their branch, so Goblins, Bhaalists, Mind Flayers and the other groups use different naming pools. Once an officer gets a name, it is theirs for the rest of the campaign.

Observers and promotions

Patrols can carry an observer, and ambushes and skirmishes can have one too. Observers do not fight. Once combat starts, they try to get away.

If the observer escapes and delivers the report, the army can promote a new officer into an empty commission. If you do not want that promotion to happen, catch him.

The army changes during long rests

The hierarchy can move even when you are not fighting it. Reports can arrive, officers can be promoted, officers can fight each other, purges can remove them and commanders can be sent out after your party.

The Ledger keeps the five most recent army events so you can see what changed. This means you can finish a long rest with a different chain of command than the one you had before it.

Rank abilities

Promotion changes what an officer can do in combat. Higher ranks can gain spells such as Counterspell, Shield, Misty Step and Cure Wounds, with the resources needed to use them.

They can also re