The next generation of Saxon enemies. Octa and Eosa, the kings whose ships you're off to burn next, brought all the cool, hip, and in-with-it warriors when they founded the Theods (tribes) of Nohaut and Deira a few years ago, which is why their forces are organized completely differently and they all have different stats now, and since it's the wave of the future, all the other saxon forces you fight from hereon out will be composed the same way, which is totally not a blatant excuse for me fiddling with it for no good reason to see how things go differently.
You'll notice that most of them have Javelins. This means they get to take a free chuck at you before melee is joined. Javelins deal normal damage -2d6.
1-3 Youth
4-10 Ceorl
11-14 Heorthgeneat - Spearman
15-17 Heorthgeneat - Axeman
18-19 Thegn
20 Berserker, Roll 1d6
1 Reckless Youth
2 Zealous Ceorl
3-5 Ambitious Heorthgeneat
6 Vainglorious Thegn
Saxon YouthWeapons: Javelin 8, Spear 8
Damage: 4d6
Armor: 0 +Shield
KD: 11 Dex: 13
MW: 8
Description: Aged 15-20. An adult by saxon custom, though not yet fully grown, and most likely without a stead of their own, often the sons and nephews of the army's Ceorls. Deployed as skirmishers in front of the shield-wall before battle is joined. When a battle round is started, if you are fighting a Youth, they will take their customary unopposed range attack, and then make an unopposed dexterity roll to fall back behind their shield-wall, if successful, your enemy for the first round of melee is rerolled.
Glory: 1/5/10
Saxon CeorlWeapons: Javelin 10, Spear 10
Damage: 4d6
Armor: 0 + Sheild
KD: 13 Dex: 7
MW: 11
Description: A "freeman", a landowning farmer, the largest class of Saxon society, obligated to perform military service for their tribal levy, the
fyrd. Raised for short periods of time, not usually more than a month per year, and typically not led further than 100 miles from their homes.
Glory: 5/10/15
Heorthgeneat- Spearman / AxemanWeapons: Javelin 13 + Spear 13 OR Axe 13
Damage: 5d6, +1d6 vs Shields if wielding Axe
Armor: Hard Leather 5 + Shield
KD: 14 Dex: 9
MW: 13
Description: A full-time Warrior, their name translates to "hearth companion", as they eat and sleep around the hearth of their lord, as esteemed members of the household. Equivalent of the Scandinavian "Huscarl". They may be the younger sons or siblings of thegns, or ceorl's whose talent for violence sufficiently outweighs that of farming to make a living of it. A unit of Heorthgeneats is called a Heorthwerod.
Glory: 10/20/30
Thegn Weapon: Sword 15
Damage: 6d6
Armor: Byrnie 7 + Shield
KD: 16 Dex: 10
MW: 14
Description: A fighting nobleman. Saxon society is an oddly mobile one, many thegns were not born such. To qualify for this status, a saxon only needs to own five hides of land (£5/yr), or be the master of their own longship for three voyages. They will usually retain at least one heorthgeneat as a bodyguard. When vanquished in battle, their bodyguard acts as the thegn's squire when determining if his master is captured or rescued. If you vanquish a thegn in the first round, your next opponent with be a Heorthgeneat with a +10 to their skill from their loyalty passion.
Glory: 20/40/60
BerserkerWeapon: Special: Replace their main melee weapon skill with Great Axe.
Damage: Special: Base + 1d6 for greater size and strength, +1d6 for Wotanic Virtue, +1d6 for 2H weapon, + 1d6 vs Shields.
Armor: No armor, no shield.
KD: Base +3
MW: As normal Dex: As Normal
Description: Anyone blessed with Wotan's virtue can fight as a berserker if they want to. In addition to divine favor, doing so requires sizable metaphorical balls. The only rules are that a Berserker cannot carry a shield, a Berserker must always attack agressively, and a berserker must never flee or surrender, but must triumph or die. Any sizable heorthwerod tends to have one or two berserkers for the purposes of intimidation and prestige, but any commander worth his salt knows that in pitched battle, most berserkers are as good as lost once the fighting actually starts. Some Ceorls fight as berserkers to honor their ancestors and their gods, and some Thegns do so for the glory and fame, there's nothing quite like a screaming suicide charge to raise your follower's spirits.
Glory: + 5/10/15 to the base.