Chronicle of the Crusade #3: Bandits

In Band of Crusaders, Abominations are ravaging Europe—but they aren’t the only threat on your path. Humanity, weakened by cultists and the influence of corruption, has been pushed beyond its breaking point. Many have fallen into despair, abandoning any sense of civility.

Let’s explore how Bandits work in our game.

Bandits explained

Bandits are an enemy NPC faction that will attack the player, trading caravans, and even militia patrols—if they deem them weak enough. This does not mean they are allied with Cultists or Abominations. On the contrary, Bandits themselves often become prey for those threats. Abominations and Cultists will attack Bandits just as readily as they attack the player.

Mechanically, Bandits are similar to Crusaders. They leverage the same three base attributes that convert into combat statistics, and they use the same types of armour and weapons. Just like Crusaders, they can possess both active and passive skills.

In battle, Bandits feel different from Abominations. Since Bandits use the same equipment system, they also benefit from the same unique weapon-type bonuses:

• Maces deal increased damage to armour.

• Swords deal increased damage to health.

• Crossbows have higher base weapon damage but, unlike other weapons, do not scale with Strength (just like in real life).

• Bows deal lower damage to armour but higher damage to health.

• Polearms gain increased attack speed when damaging enemies from more than 2 meters away.

• Axes deal additional damage on critical strikes.

Bandit Types

Fighting Bandits early on can be a viable strategy to gather better gear for your Crusade—but choose your targets carefully. There are various Bandit groups you may encounter in the game:

• Cattle Thieves – Common folk armed with whatever was available, wearing ragged clothing.

• Poachers – Armed with ranged weapons, specializing in harassment from a distance. (We’ve heard your feedback and are adjusting them to be as exciting as they should be.)

• Raubritters – Once noble, now fallen from grace. They steal, kill, and plunder without restraint. Seasoned fighters with quality equipment and battlefield experience.

• Spearfang Outlaws – An elite force armed with spears. Combat veterans capable of dealing massive damage. Extremely dangerous but equipped with gear worthy of the risk.

We’ve built Bandits' behavior system around archetypes that determine how NPCs act. A good example are the Poachers, who target enemies low on health and avoid melee combat whenever possible.

Spearwardens: Elite Enemy Units

Let’s take a closer look at the Spearfang Outlaws.

Within this elite group, you may encounter a unit known as the Spearwarden. As the name suggests, these units are armed with spears and possess skills designed for crowd control. However, not all Spearwardens are equal.

In line with other human enemies, Spearfang Outlaw units are subject to progression. Higher status not only increases their statistics but also grants access to dedicated skills, making them significantly more dangerous.

Within a single group, you may encounter Trainees — a weaker version — and Veterans — a stronger variant. They differ not only in statistics but also in the skills they possess.

Trainees:

• Tactical Retreat – Gains +1 meter reach when loses all armour.

• Footwork – Moves slower, but has increased Dodge chance.

Veterans:

• Keep Distance – When this unit lands a critical strike, it has a chance to immobilize the target.

• Footwork – Moves slower, but has increased Dodge chance.

With this kind of intel, players gain better insight into upcoming encounters and can select the appropriate Crusaders for the task. That said, victory is never