Nobles have strong innate heroic abilities, and so even an unarmed, untrained noble is a formidable opponent on the battlefield. Knights,paladins and cavaliers receive a -50 penalty to both their attack and defense ratings when fighting on a ship or in a swamp province. Combat is fought in rounds. Special attacks include such things as dragon fire and battle spells. Unlike missile and melee attacks, some special attacks can hit any unit on the other side, including those in the back rows of the combat and nobles who would normally be protected by their men.
Missile attacks phase.
All troops with missile weapons who are not in the front row of the battle attack. Missile attacks strike the front row of the opposing force. Melee attacks phase. The front row of troops attacks the opposing front row. At the beginning of a battle, the defenders get a free round of missile attacks.