#Building Your Warband

In the first scenario, the party is provided with five spearmen and three archers. Mina has one shikigami.

#Scent — How to Hold a Spear

Instead of the cafe, Kuro's apartment. Paper soldier tokens lay on the table. The small square papers were labeled "spearman," "archer," and "shikigami."

"Today is about your warband," Kuro said.

Hana picked up a token. It said "spear Minion x5."

"Setsuna has soldiers?"

"Yes. Five ashigaru assigned by Kagura Domain. Infantry with spears. They have no combat experience."

Hana set down the token. Five people. Five lives depending on Setsuna's orders.

"Do they have names? These people?"

Kuro paused for a moment. "You can name them if you want. But these people are Minions. They can die from a single cut. If you give them names, it hurts more when they die."

Hana quietly looked at the token. The number 5. Five lives inside it.

"...Daichi, Jiro, Saburo, Shiro, Goro. First through fifth."

Kuro wrote the names on the back of the token with a pencil.

Mei asked, "What about Mina's shikigami?"

"Shikigami are different. You put a spell on a paper doll and make it move. It's not a soldier — it's a spell formula."

Mei nodded. "I'll name it 'Kami'(paper). Because it's paper."

Kuro laughed. "Direct."

"Commanding soldiers is simple," Kuro said. "When you give orders, the soldiers move. Things like 'advance,' 'shoot,' or 'raise shields.' But to give orders, you must spend your own strength."

"What does that mean?"

"In combat, swinging your blade and giving an order to soldiers use the same resource. If you swing your blade too much, you have no strength left to order soldiers. On the other hand, if you only give orders, you have no time to fight yourself."

Hana understood. "Blade or command. It's a choice."

"Right. And if you are good at command, the strength needed to give orders decreases. If you're clever, your subordinates understand with fewer words."

"Soldiers also have morale," Kuro said. "Base 3. It decreases when they are hit by enemies, when their commander falls, or when something terrifying happens. At 0, they flee."

"If they flee, do they come back?"

"When they break, they withdraw from the battlefield for the moment. Their commander can rally them during a lull, and if they still have Wounds remaining, they regroup after the battle. Only a destroyed squad whose members have all fallen cannot return."

Hana clenched the token. "I won't let them break."

Kuro nodded. "To be a good commander, you must not overuse your soldiers."

Five paper tokens. Daichi, Jiro, Saburo, Shiro, Goro. Soldiers with names wait on the paper. Next week, they grip spears for the first time.

#Law — Session Transcript

Kuro: "The squad system."

#Squad Composition

Kuro: "Squad = a group of soldiers of the same kind, usually 3~6 people. For the first scenario, use the preassigned composition below."

Preassigned Squad	Members	Equipment
Minion spearmen	5	yari
Minion archers	3	yumi

Hana: "Five spearmen and three archers."

Kuro: "Right. Those are the two squads the party will command in its first battle. You do not calculate any new recruitment score."

Mei: "Can Mina command this archer squad too?"

Kuro: "For this first battle, Mina will take charge of the archers. A shikigami is a separate individual unit, not a squad, and a 1st-dan onmyoji has one. Later, you can strengthen shikigami or increase their number."

#Squad Commands

Kuro: "The commander(PC) gives orders to a squad. Cost: 2 Energy. If Wisdom(智) is +2 or higher, discounted to 1 Energy."

Hana: "Setsuna's Wisdom is 0... so 2 Energy."

Mei: "Mina's Wisdom is +2, so 1 Energy?"

Kuro: "Right. Mei's onmyoji has high Wisdom, so command is cheap. In the first battle, you'll practice both commanding the archers and controlling the shikigami."

Command	Effect
Advance	Move squad zone
Volley Fire	All bow/gun squad members attack
Shield Wall	Zone Domination x1.5
Retreat	Withdraw safely
Enter Core	Enter the Core Zone (base command cost +1 Energy, Cohesion -1)

#Cohesion

Kuro: "Squad morale. Base 3. At 0, it breaks(flees)."

Cohesion Change	Cause and Timing
-1	Half or more of the squad's members are lost, or the squad is hit by an area attack — resolve each once during the lull
-1	Its Commander is incapacitated — apply immediately to every squad
-1	Fails a save against yoma fear — apply during the lull
-1	Enters or leaves the Core Zone — apply immediately each time
+1	Its Commander's Presence check succeeds during the lull, or an entertainer effect applies

Hana: "So it doesn't drop every time an attack hits. Member losses and area attacks are each resolved once during the lull."

Kuro: "Right. At Cohesion 0 they break, but during a lull you can rally them with 2d10 + Presence >= 13. A squad that still has Wounds automatically regroups at Cohesion 1 after the battle."

#Hit Intensity Table

Kuro: "When a squad attacks an enemy, use the hit intensity table. It is different from individual combat."

Total	Minion Target	Veteran+ Target	Elite/Lord Target
Hit	Remove 1 person	Cohesion -1	1 Wound
13+	Remove 2 people	Cohesion -1 + 1 Wound	1 Wound
17+	Remove 3 people	Cohesion -2 + 1 Wound	1 Wound + Defenseless
Critical Hit	Remove 3 people	Cohesion -2 + 1 Wound	2 Wounds
Heavenly Mandate	Everyone	Cohesion -3 + 2 Wounds	instant death/3 Wounds

Mei: "If you hit a Minion, 1 person dies instantly... ashigaru lives really are light."

Kuro: "It's the Sengoku period. That's why commanders matter. If you force soldiers in recklessly, they are wiped out."

Kuro: "Summary.

Squad Composition: for the first scenario, use the preassigned five spearmen and three archers
Command Cost: 2 Energy (Wisdom+2 → 1 Energy)
Cohesion: base 3, breaks at 0
Hit Intensity: when squads attack, effects branch by total

The party commands 5 spearmen + 3 archers, and Mina controls 1 shikigami. Next week, this unit enters combat for the first time."

Five spearmen and three archers. One shikigami. This is Setsuna and Mina's first fighting force. Even if the enemy is ten times larger, a wise commander can win.