bardskirmisher no type
Common
none — a plain body, by design
Warbandry · the mechanics
Everything the game runs on, in one place: the ring, the stats, the three levels of synergy, what an ability may say, and the format a warband is legal under.
The rules are settled. The numbers are not. What basic synergy pays in §03, and the stats and abilities printed on all fifty-four creatures in §06, are a snapshot of the measuring harness on 26 August 2026. They are temporary and indicative only: balancing is running, one change per measured round, and any of them can move.
Every empty cell still says what it is waiting for. Nothing here is a placeholder standing in for a value that exists somewhere else: if it is blank, it has not been decided.
◇Before the rules
These rules decide a single duel. A duel comes from the arena: every thirty seconds or so, it takes everyone waiting at a stake level and pairs each player with a rating neighbour. Each pair fights one duel, under exactly the rules on this page. Entering is one click, and the odds of a matchup can be worked out before it is fought. The whole path a player takes — the account, the search, the payout, what can go wrong — is on its own page: The Arena.
◆01
A duel is not a simulation. There is no round loop, no initiative order and nothing resolved creature by creature. Both warbands are reduced to a set of numbers, the two sets are compared once, and a single draw settles it.
Six ways of fighting. Each one presses the next around the circle and is answered by the one before it — so every way of fighting beats one other and loses to one other.
The answering side wins the pairing. An arrow points at what a stat presses, and pressing is the losing end of it. This is the sharpest trap in the whole design and the one sentence to read twice.
An attack is a share of a stat above the average line. A stat sitting at the line answers an attack but never presses one — which is what finally charges a warband for refusing to commit to anything.
How much the ring can swing a match rides on how far the more committed of the two warbands has committed. Two shapeless warbands barely move each other; two sharp ones decide it between them.
The two totals become one probability on a cube law — a small edge in strength is a small edge in odds, and a large one compounds.
Luck sits outside the ring. It never presses and never answers; it shifts the finished probability by a few points either way, and no further.
No warband is ever certain. The probability is clamped, so the weaker side always keeps a real chance and the stronger side never has a sure thing.
The magnitudes are not on this page yet. The amplitude constants, the exponent, the size of the Luck shift and the clamp are all live values in the measuring harness and move between rounds. They land here when the balance settles.
◈02
Every creature has a primary and a secondary stat — its two strengths — and the rest are neutral. Stats are never stored on chain: they are derived from the creature and its trait, every time.
The numbers are not set. The stat ladder and every creature's values are being measured; the table in §06 carries the empty column.
❖03
This is the spine of the design, and the three words are not interchangeable.
The rule that follows, and it is the game's: a build always beats a pile of basic synergies of the same budget. Simple, cheap builds can be very good and are wanted — they stay a minority at the top, so that the player who really builds and the player with the wide collection are the ones rewarded.
The synergy bonus is what a warband's basic synergies earn; the build bonus is what the abilities of a build add on top. The first lives in the composition, the second lives on the creatures — and that separation is what keeps a pile from ever catching a build.
Basic synergy is the only part of the bonus a player does not have to read a card to find, so it is written down in full. These figures are the same snapshot as §06 — 26 August 2026, temporary, and moving.
| What the warband commits to | Rungs | What it pays |
|---|---|---|
| A stack of one creatureThe copy cap is 6, so the top rung is the deepest a stack may go. | 3 / 4 / 6 copies | +4% / +12% / +24% |
| One typeCounted only where at least two different creatures of that type stand — six copies of one creature is a stack, not a type. | 3 / 6 bodies | +3% / +6% |
| One factionThe warband is called sworn once it holds the middle rung. | 6 / 10 / 13 bodies | +2% / +5% / +9% |
| Every body one factionThe single largest thing the composition can pay, and the hardest to hold. | all 16 | +25% |
| A wide hostBreadth, not depth: every different creature above the floor pays, at most 6 of them — and only once 10 bodies share one faction, type or class, so a warband of sixteen strangers earns nothing. | from 6 different creatures | +3% each |
| All three factionsA flat payment for reaching across the whole roster. | at least one of each | +8% |
Two more numbers the abilities in §06 keep referring to. The court is the warband's command staff: bodies that lead with Leadership, from at least 3 different creatures — several abilities read it, and each names its own count of bodies. Every muster ability rides one curve: it pays in full up to 5 copies of the creature, pays nothing at 8, and turns against you past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
✦04
An ability is a condition and an effect written on a creature. The condition is what must be true before it does anything; the target is who it pays once it is. They are different things, and running them together is the commonest way to write a card that cannot be measured.
No ability is final. They are written against the rules above and then measured, one change per round, and both the wording and the magnitude can move. What §06 prints is the wording and the tier a creature carried on the day of the snapshot — read it to see what a creature is for, never as the card it will ship as.
▣05
Format rules live in the match contract and nowhere else. They are parameters, not identity: none of them is minted into the token, and all of them can move without touching anything anyone owns.
Every count-reading number in the game — the size, the cap, every synergy threshold — is derived from the warband size in one place, so moving the size moves all of them together. Today that size is sixteen and the copy cap is six; what the rungs below them pay is in §03. Those are the values of one snapshot, not the cut the contract will freeze.
A warband carries five creatures beside the sixteen it fields, hidden from the opponent, and a match may bring three of them in at most, each replacing one fielded creature. Both numbers are format parameters like the size and the copy cap, set per bracket; they start where they stand here and the bench confirms them. The reserve costs nothing against the budget: what the budget prices is the warband that fights.
❐06
Eighteen per faction, laddered four common, four uncommon, four rare, three epic, two legendary, one mythic. The ladder is symmetric on purpose: the decoder draws rarity, then faction, then creature, so no faction can be more likely than another.
Every stat and every ability below is temporary. They are what the measuring harness had installed on 26 August 2026, and nothing more: a snapshot of one round, printed here so the shape of a creature can be read and argued with. Balancing is running. Any number here can move at the next round, and several will.
Read them as indication, never as a card. Do not quote a figure from this page outside it, do not build a spreadsheet on it, and do not treat a missing ability as a decision — most creatures are still short of the four they will carry.
Every ability is written twice: one plain sentence for what it is for, and under the rule, exactly, the condition and the arithmetic as the harness runs them. Open it when the plain sentence is not enough — and remember that it is the half most likely to have moved by the time you read it.
Every creature that leads with Leadership gains a little Leadership for each herald standing, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each herald beyond the first gives every body that leads with Leadership +0.02 Leadership, at full value up to 5 copies of the herald, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
Soldiers gain Guard for each other soldier standing with them, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each soldier beyond the first gives every soldier +0.06 Guard, at full value up to 5 copies of the soldier, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
Barbarians gain Might for each other barbarian standing with them, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each barbarian beyond the first gives every barbarian +0.06 Might, at full value up to 5 copies of the barbarian, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
While enough holy creatures stand, the congregation holds as one shield: every holy creature gains Guard, more for each holy body in the warband.
While you field at least 5 holy bodies: every holy body gains +0.035 Guard for each holy body in the warband.
Fewer different creatures are needed before a wide host starts paying, though the warband must still be sworn to something first.
The wide host's floor drops by 3, from 6 different creatures to 3, so breadth starts paying sooner; the warband must still hold 10 bodies of one faction, type or class, and each different creature above the floor is worth 0.03, at most 6 of them.
The sentinel watches for a coven across the table: when the opponent fields enough casters the whole warband's Guard rises, in press and in answer alike, and when they do not its Speed falls instead — the watch was posted for nothing.
When the opponent fields at least 5 casters: this warband's Guard attack and answer are both multiplied by 1 plus 62%; when it does not, its Speed attack and answer are both multiplied by 1 minus 20.7%. Several reads that hit share the gain — the largest in full, the second at a half, the third at a third — while the penalties never decay.
Every caster from outside the Pact turns part of its Speed into Guard.
old ability, kept until the Order's showcase is decided
Every caster from outside the Pact moves 55% of the Speed it was born with into Guard.
While enough flyers stand, every flyer gains Speed, more for each flying body in the warband.
While you field at least 5 flying bodies: every flying body gains +0.04 Speed for each flying body in the warband.
While the court stands at its lower rung, the creatures that lead with Leadership press harder with it.
While you field at least 6 bodies that lead with Leadership, from at least 3 different such creatures: the warband's Leadership attack is multiplied by 1 plus 0.9% per body that leads with Leadership, capped at +40%.
The enemy's sorcery breaks on the church: the Magic pressed against the warband is blunted, further for each holy creature standing.
The enemy's Magic attack on this warband is reduced by 1.5% per holy body, capped at 38%.
While two creatures of rare or below, neither of them the paladin, each stand stacked to the copy limit, every body in those two blocks is raised in the stat its own block leads with.
While you field two creatures of rare or below, neither of them the paladin, each stacked at least 6 deep: every body standing in a block of a creature of rare or below stacked at least 6 deep (never the paladin's own copies) gains +0.4 in the stat its own block leads with.
While a real shield line stands, the creatures that lead with Guard answer harder in Guard, giving up a little of their Guard press for it.
While you field at least 5 bodies that lead with Guard: the warband's Guard answer is multiplied by 1 plus 8% per body that leads with Guard, capped at +42%; its Guard attack gives up a quarter of the same share.
While enough blades stand, every blade's Might is raised toward the champion's own, up to a ceiling.
While you field at least 5 blade bodies: the Might of every blade body is raised to the champion's own Might but never above 1.06 times the Might it was born with; it is only ever raised, and the champion is never paid.
Every blade gains Might for each seat the warband left empty, so it pays only a player who fields fewer creatures than they could.
Every blade body gains +0.3 Might for each of the 16 seats left empty, so a full warband collects nothing.
While the church is really mustered, every holy creature gains Might.
While you field at least 5 holy bodies: every holy body gains +1.05 Might.
While enough beasts stand, every beast's Guard is raised toward the sun lion's own, up to a ceiling.
While you field at least 5 beast bodies: the Guard of every beast body is raised to the sun lion's own Guard but never above 1.22 times the Guard it was born with; it is only ever raised, and the sun lion is never paid.
While the court stands at its upper rung, every creature in the warband counts as sworn to one faction.
While you field at least 10 bodies that lead with Leadership, from at least 3 different such creatures: every member of the warband counts as sworn to the faction it holds most of, which is what puts a mixed warband on the pure-faction rung — worth 0.25 at a full warband of 16.
While enough creatures that lead with Guard stand, each of them also counts as a body of the court, though never as one of the different kinds of commander the court asks for.
While you field at least 5 bodies that lead with Guard: each of those bodies also counts as a body of the court, so the court's body count rises; the 3 different commanders the court also asks for do not move.
While the court stands at its upper rung, every creature that leads with Leadership has its Leadership raised toward the king's own, up to a ceiling.
While you field at least 8 bodies that lead with Leadership, from at least 3 different such creatures: the Leadership of every body that leads with Leadership is raised to the king's own Leadership but never above 1.025 times the Leadership it was born with; it is only ever raised, and the king is never paid.
The Might pressed against the warband is blunted, further for each gargoyle standing, up to a low ceiling.
The enemy's Might attack on this warband is reduced by 3% per gargoyle, capped at 18%.
Goblins gain Might for each other goblin standing with them, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each goblin beyond the first gives every goblin +0.06 Might, at full value up to 5 copies of the goblin, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
Cultists gain Magic for each other cultist standing with them, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each cultist beyond the first gives every cultist +0.1 Magic, at full value up to 5 copies of the cultist, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
Orcs gain Vitality for each other orc standing with them, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each orc beyond the first gives every orc +0.1 Vitality, at full value up to 5 copies of the orc, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
Skeletons gain Might for each other skeleton standing with them, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each skeleton beyond the first gives every skeleton +0.06 Might, at full value up to 5 copies of the skeleton, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
The hellhound hunts a crowd: when the opponent fields two full blocks of cheap creatures the whole warband's Might rises, in press and in answer alike, and when they do not its Magic falls instead.
When the opponent fields two creatures of rare or below, neither of them the hellhound, each stacked at least 6 deep: this warband's Might attack and answer are both multiplied by 1 plus 8.5%; when it does not, its Magic attack and answer are both multiplied by 1 minus 2.8%. Several reads that hit share the gain — the largest in full, the second at a half, the third at a third — while the penalties never decay.
While enough greenskins stand, every greenskin gains Might, more for each greenskin body in the warband.
While you field at least 5 greenskin bodies: every greenskin body gains +0.015 Might for each greenskin body in the warband.
While enough casters stand, every caster gains Magic, more for each caster in the warband.
While you field at least 5 casters: every caster gains +0.01 Magic for each caster in the warband.
While enough undead stand, every undead gains Might, more for each different undead creature in the warband beyond the first.
While you field at least 5 undead bodies: every undead body gains +0.07 Might for each different undead creature in the warband beyond the first, at most 4 counted.
While enough leaders stand, every leader gains Leadership, more for each leader in the warband.
While you field at least 5 leaders: every leader gains +0.02 Leadership for each leader in the warband.
Every undead stack counts one body deeper than it stands, though never deep enough to reach the top rung.
Every undead stack counts one body deeper than it stands, never past 5 — one short of the top stack rung of 6, so a stack already at the top is untouched.
While some creature stands stacked deep and the warband is a real undead host, every zombie and every skeleton gains Magic, more the deeper its own stack stands.
While you field some creature stacked at least 4 deep and at least 5 undead bodies: every skeleton and every zombie gains +0.04 Magic for each copy standing in the paid body's own stack.
While some creature stands stacked deep, every common's Leadership is raised toward the overseer's own, up to a ceiling.
While you field some creature stacked at least 5 deep: the Leadership of every common is raised to the overseer's own Leadership but never above 1.3 times the Leadership it was born with; it is only ever raised, and the overseer is never paid.
Every overseer gains Magic of its own, and nobody else gains anything.
Every overseer gains +1 Magic.
Every greenskin counts as a beast as well, wherever the game counts beasts.
Every greenskin counts as a beast as well, in every count the game makes — the beast synergy family, the beastlord's own Whip-hand, and every other ability that reads beasts.
While enough beasts stand — counted after the whip has claimed the greenskins — every beast's Leadership is raised toward the beastlord's own, up to a ceiling.
While you field at least 5 beast bodies: the Leadership of every beast body is raised to the beastlord's own Leadership but never above 1.49 times the Leadership it was born with; it is only ever raised, and the beastlord is never paid.
While the dead are held at scale, with most of the warband undead, every undead gains Magic, more for each undead body standing.
While you field at least 12 undead bodies: every undead body gains +0.028 Magic for each undead body in the warband.
The Leadership pressed against the warband is blunted, further for each undead standing on either side of the duel.
The enemy's Leadership attack on this warband is reduced by 7% per undead body, counting those on both sides of the duel, capped at 50%.
While the warband holds a real undead host and a real infernal host at once, every undead and every infernal gains Magic.
While you field at least 5 undead bodies and at least 5 infernal bodies: every undead body and every infernal body gains +0.15 Magic.
While enough infernals stand, every infernal turns all the Leadership it holds above a small reserve into Magic.
While you field at least 5 infernal bodies: every infernal body moves everything it holds above 5 Leadership into Magic, read off the statline it was born with, and the drain can never be refilled.
While a caster from another faction stands in the warband and the infernal host is really held, every caster from outside the Pact counts as infernal.
While you field at least 1 caster from a faction other than the demon lord's and at least 5 infernal bodies: every caster from a faction other than the Pact counts as infernal, in every count the game makes; the condition itself is read on the warband before the widening, so the pit can never open itself.
Boars gain Vitality for each other boar standing with them, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each boar beyond the first gives every boar +0.06 Vitality, at full value up to 5 copies of the boar, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
Direwolves gain Speed for each other direwolf standing with them, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each direwolf beyond the first gives every direwolf +0.06 Speed, at full value up to 5 copies of the direwolf, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
The Might pressed against the warband is blunted, further for each bear standing, up to a low ceiling.
The enemy's Might attack on this warband is reduced by 1.2% per bear, capped at 10%.
The Speed pressed against the warband is blunted, further for each giant spider standing, up to a low ceiling.
The enemy's Speed attack on this warband is reduced by 3% per giant spider, capped at 18%.
Treants gain Vitality for each other treant standing with them, worth most up to about a third of the warband and turning against them past two thirds.
Each treant beyond the first gives every treant +0.08 Vitality, at full value up to 5 copies of the treant, nothing at 8, and negative past that — at 12 copies the same payment is multiplied by -1.5.
While enough spirits stand, every spirit gains Magic, more for each different spirit creature in the warband beyond the first.
While you field at least 5 spirit bodies: every spirit body gains +0.07 Magic for each different spirit creature in the warband beyond the first, at most 4 counted.
While a real shield line stands, the creatures that lead with Guard answer harder in Guard, giving up a little of their Guard press for it.
While you field at least 5 bodies that lead with Guard: the warband's Guard answer is multiplied by 1 plus 9% per body that leads with Guard, capped at +35%; its Guard attack gives up a quarter of the same share.
The spriggan looks for a wall across the table: when the opponent fields enough tanks the whole warband's Magic rises, in press and in answer alike, and when they do not its Vitality falls instead.
When the opponent fields at least 6 tanks: this warband's Magic attack and answer are both multiplied by 1 plus 28%; when it does not, its Vitality attack and answer are both multiplied by 1 minus 9.3%. Several reads that hit share the gain — the largest in full, the second at a half, the third at a third — while the penalties never decay.
While enough beasts stand, every beast gains Speed, more for each beast body in the warband.
While you field at least 5 beast bodies: every beast body gains +0.012 Speed for each beast body in the warband.
While the warband has really sworn to a faction, the chimera joins whichever faction it fields most of, and counts inside its largest stack as well.
While the warband holds at least 10 bodies of one faction: the chimera counts as a member of whichever faction it holds most of, staying Wilds on a tie, and its copies count inside whichever stack that most helps, each chimera worth 1 body there.
While enough strikers stand, every striker gains Might, more for each striker in the warband.
While you field at least 5 strikers: every striker gains +0.012 Might for each striker in the warband.
While enough skirmishers stand, every skirmisher gains Speed, more for each skirmisher in the warband.
While you field at least 5 skirmishers: every skirmisher gains +0.018 Speed for each skirmisher in the warband.
The Might pressed against the warband is blunted, further for each undead standing.
The enemy's Might attack on this warband is reduced by 1.5% per undead body, capped at 30%.
While enough spirits stand, every spirit gains Magic, more for each spirit body in the warband.
While you field at least 5 spirit bodies: every spirit body gains +0.03 Magic for each spirit body in the warband.
The hermit gains Vitality for each different plant creature in the warband, and pays nothing to the grove around him.
Every hermit gains +2 Vitality for each different plant creature in the warband.
While the warband is purely Wilds, everything it fields presses harder with Vitality.
While every body you field shares one faction: the warband's Vitality attack is multiplied by 1 plus 7.5% per member of the warband, capped at +36%.
While enough beasts stand and at least one of them was brought in from another faction, every beast's Vitality is raised toward the dragon's own, up to a ceiling.
While you field at least 5 beast bodies and at least 1 beast body from a faction other than the dragon's: the Vitality of every beast body is raised to the dragon's own Vitality but never above 1.1 times the Vitality it was born with; it is only ever raised, and the dragon is never paid.
While enough plants stand, every plant's Vitality is raised toward the leshy's own, up to a ceiling.
While you field at least 5 plant bodies: the Vitality of every plant body is raised to the leshy's own Vitality but never above 1.13 times the Vitality it was born with; it is only ever raised, and the leshy is never paid.
While enough plants stand, every stacked body of a creature of rare or below gains Vitality, more the deeper its own stack stands.
While you field at least 5 plant bodies: every body of a creature of rare or below standing at least 2 deep (never the leshy's own copies) gains +0.08 Vitality for each copy standing in the paid body's own stack.
In any matchup the warband is losing, the phoenix pulls the result back toward even, and it never pulls a winning matchup down.
In any matchup this warband is losing, its win probability moves 30% of the way back to even; a matchup it already leads never moves.
While the sky host stands deeper than the griffin knight's own rung asks for, every flyer gains Speed, more for each flying body in the warband.
While you field at least 6 flying bodies: every flying body gains +0.04 Speed for each flying body in the warband.
◌07