Traits

For almost all units in Fire and Maneuver, a **trait** (otherwise known as a **perk** or **modifier**) is present. Below are the roster of traits units can possess.

## Unit Traits

Unit Traits are trails integral to a unit. These traits cannot be altered by changing equipment in the Armory.

### Positive Unit Traits

#### Anti-Personnel

The tooltip reads: "Trait: Increases adjacent range damage by two."

Anti-personnel is a powerful attack trait for Artillery, given it deals extremely punishing damage against units on tiles next to it. Artillery units with this trait pose an effective deterrence against any attacking enemy unit that cannot outflank its firing arc or outrange it. Efficient Artillery units with this trait and without Cumbersome, such as Horse Artillery of some Nations, may even be used aggressively to decimate enemy units at the front unlike how artillery is traditionally employed.

Symbolizing the usage of grapeshot (in essence, shotgun shells for artillery), the icon of the Anti-personnel trait sees a hail of musket balls being fired. Artillery that can only fire indirectly, namely Howitzers, therefore do not have this trait. However, Anti-personnel is not exclusive to what are colloquially referred to as "cannons", as rapid-fire guns may also have this trait, such as the case of Gatling Guns.

Having Anti-personnel increases the cost of a unit by $20.

#### Efficiency

The tooltip reads: "Trait: Grants two maneuver orders."

Efficiency is a powerful mobility trait for all types of units. By granting the ability to both maneuver and change formations, units can rapidly deploy and immediately engage the enemy a single turn, whereas units without Efficiency must use an additional turn to change into a combat-ready formation. On the other hand, units can change into a formation with high speed, such as March Column, and reposition to extremely far away within a single turn.

Efficiency favors flanking, hit-and-run tactics, and keeping the enemy off-balance by rapidly re-deploying one's forces to the sides of the enemy, firing and retreating, and bypassing enemy forces respectively.

The icon of Efficiency sees a unit, the circle, maneuvering in-between and past enemies, the crosses, along a path indicated by the arrow. Such nimbleness is only possible with the speed and organization of which the unit has trained rigorously for.

Prussia/North German Confederation has Efficiency as its national trait.

Having Efficiency increases the cost of a unit by $25.

**Note:** Although there are 2 movement orders available for an Efficient unit, the unit can only move to another tile once per turn. However, the unit may change formations twice or change the direction it faces twice.

#### Indirect Fire

The tooltip reads: "Trait: "

Not requiring line-of-sight to fire on the enemy can be an effective strategy to simultaneously attack using artillery and protecting them from most attacks. Indirect fire artillery can fire on units deep within forested areas, something that cannot be done with conventional artillery. This trait also allows for new combined-arms tactics: When advancing or defending a chokepoint, a unit with high cohesion and hit points may be positioned at the front to engage the enemy head-on (and block their passage should one be defending), while artillery fires on enemy units from behind said unit.

With the exception of Austrian artillery, only Howitzers (including the 21cm Krupp Mortars) and Mountain Guns have access to this trait. They all lack the anti-personnel trait as they cannot fire grapeshot. The non-Rapidfire Artillery in the Austrian army all have access to this trait.

The icon of the Indirect Fire trait sees an explosive shell flying over and above a house, then landing behind it, thereby signifying it does not need a line-of-sight to fire on the enemy.

Having Indirect Fire increases the cost of a unit by $40.

#### Melee Drill

The tooltip reads: "Trait: "

When charging, the charging unit receives 3 to 1 damage based on which direction the enemy unit is facing and their formation. A Front-charging unit receives 3 damage, Side-charging receives 2 damage, and Back-charging receives 1 damage. A unit charging an enemy in a Square Formation will always receive 3 damage. The reduced damage taken from charging an enemy makes the melee engagement for said unit more survivable than otherwise.

Melee damage is dealt at the end of a turn to any unit that charged, or was charged by, an enemy unit. When a unit's charge will not kill the enemy, the extra damage from Melee Drill ensures one's units will gain the upper hand in the engagement, ceteris parabis.

Melee Drill is found in all Zouave units, as well as those of the Shogunate.

The Melee Drill trait icon shows a cuirass, the namesake breastplates of Cuirassiers. This is a relic from earlier in F&M's development wherein it decreased the charge damage a unit suffered by 1, which, a piece of armor (iconic to the game's setting) appropriately signified. However, Melee Drill was changed in early December 2022 to a hybrid trait of both offense and defense, which remains till the present.

Having Melee Drill increases the cost of a unit by $30.

Note: A unit charging an enemy in a Square Formation will always receive 3 damage.

#### Range Drill

The tooltip reads: "Increases range damage by one."

Perhaps the most straightforward of all traits, 1 additional damage when shooting at an enemy is plainly beneficial in combat. Aside its obvious offensive capability by killing enemy units quicker, the additional damage point offsets the the 1 range damage lost by having a unit in Open Order Formation (as well as Attack Column and Square Formations). Units that lack range drill must be in Line Formation to deal the base 2 points of range damage, which offers no range resistances. This means Range Drilled units are able to weather more enemy fire while outputting the same amount of damage.

Units designated as "Rifles" often have this trait, such as the Finnish Guards' Rifles of Russia, or Guards Rifles of Prussia.

The United Kingdom has Range Drill as its national trait.

The Range Drill trait icon shows a target with bullet holes all within its bullseye, representing the accuracy and precision these units have honed through rigorous training.

Having Range Drill increases the cost of a unit by $40.

#### Rugged

The tooltip reads: "Trait: "

Rugged allows units to traverse rough terrain that would otherwise bog down other units. This grants enormous flexibility to the tactics a unit can employ. For starters, large swathes of forests can be crossed right through quickly while taking reduced range damage. Better yet, rugged units can fight from the cover of forests and take less range damage from the range resistance forests offer.

Units that have the Rugged trait are often raised from regions with rough terrain, such as Cossacks hailing from the Steppes, or are units trained to wage war in the wilderness, like Feld-Jaegers or British Rifles.

The icon of this trait a boot stomping on ground with sand, jetting up small plumes of particulate. The angle of the boot paired with the force at which the wearer stomps on the ground tells of the unit's confidence in overcoming rough terrain.

Having Rugged increases the cost of a unit by $10.

#### Shock

The tooltip reads: "Trait: Increases charge damage on impact by two."

All Lancers and their derivatives (e.g. Uhlans) have this trait given that lances are by-in-large more powerful weapons in a charge compared to sabres.

The Shock trait icon sees 2 swords crossed behind a lightning symbol, indicating the speed and power this unit can muster in a charge.

Having Shock increases the cost of a unit by $30.

#### Skirmishing

The tooltip reads: "Trait: Permits diagonal movement in Open Order Formation."

Despite the outline of tiles being regular octagons, they are arranged in a square grid. This means that moving to a diagonal tile covers more distance than moving orthogonally (√2 times than orthogonally, to be exact). Not only that, but reaching the same diagonal square by moving orthogonally requires moving 2 squares, which requires either that the unit has a base speed of >1, or be in a formation that grants 2 speed, such as Marching column or Attack column. These mobility-focused formations often come with range vulnerability, whereas open order offers range resistance, making units with Skirmishing able to have above-average maneuverability while receiving less ranged damage. Skirmishing allows Player to Charge diagonally but at melee vulnerability.

Austria-Hungary has Skirmishing as its national trait, though few of its units actually have it.

The icon for Skirmishing shows a horn on a green background. Horns are the denoted instruments of skirmishers as they are often used for signaling in the field. Green is a color associated with skirmishers, with many skirmishing units having green as accent colors for their uniforms, such as French Voltigeurs and Austrian Feld-Jagers, the British Rifles even have dark green uniforms.

Having Skirmishing increases the cost of a unit by $20.

### Negative Unit Traits

#### Breakable

The tooltip reads: "Trait: "

Taking damage whenever the unit lacks cohesion is a pressing downside, especially given most Breakable units have lower cohesion to begin with. A breakable unit cannot withstand drawn-out engagements with non-Breakable enemies, as the unit receives 1 additional point of damage to its hit points at the end of each turn. The most common solution to circumvent this weakness is to use Breakable units only as fire support. For example, placing a Breakable unit on elevated terrain and shooting over units on the front line.

Militia units often have Breakable, reflecting their lack of training and psychological toughness compared to professional soldiers.

The icon of Breakable shows a link in a chain shattering. This is reflective of the common saying "a chain is only has strong as its weakest link", as improper usage of Breakable units may very well doom an entire battle.

Having Breakable reduces the cost of a unit by $20.

#### Cumbersome

The tooltip reads: "Trait: "

An Artillery-exclusive trait, Cumbersome limits the deployment speed and versatility of Artillery units in most nations. It takes 3 turns for a Cumbersome unit to be able to fire: 1 turn to arrive on the designated tile, 1 turn to change into a firing formation (close battery or open battery), and finally the turn to fire. Even rotating the unit forbids it from firing in the same turn. This limits Cumbersome artillery to be mostly static emplacements providing fire support from afar. Compound its slow speed with low cohesion and health, Cumbersome artillery must be kept safe and away from the front. Elevated terrain is often use to both increase range of the artillery, as well as allow them to fire over units (if said unit lacks Indirect Fire).

Rapid Fire artillery and light artillery generally do not have Cumbersome.

Austria is unique in this regard as its artillery units all lack Cumbersome. Only 2 of Britain's artillery unit has Cumbersome.

The icon of Cumbersome shows a snail on a green background, stating the slowness of Cumbersome units without a hint of a doubt.

Having Cumbersome reduces the cost of a unit by $25.

#### Disorganized

The tooltip reads: "Trait: "

Slowed Cohesion regeneration means Disorganized units are disadvantaged in protracted fights, especially those involving rifles as engagements often have 1 empty tile between friend and foe, allowing both to regain cohesion at the end of a turn. Given the lowered cost of Disorganized units, it may be advisable to neglect cohesion and rely on superior numbers to end engagements as fast as possible.

The Russian and Ottoman Empires both have Disorganized as their national trait. This trait is why the armies of both nations favor aggression rather than defense.

Having Disorganized reduces the cost of a unit by $10.

Note: Units with odd-numbered cohesion regain half cohesion rounded up (e.g. A disorganized unit with 3 cohesion regenerates 2 cohesion when able.). When paired with the Suppressed Condition.

## Weapon Traits

For Infantry and Cavalry, Weapon Traits of a unit depends on what weapon the units is equipped with via the Armory. For Artillery, weapon trails are integral to the unit, as the armory is unavailable to them. Weapon traits icons appear on the unit card's top left corner.

### Positive Weapon Traits

#### Breech-Loader

The tooltip reads: "Trait: This weapon grants two fire orders."

Almost exclusive to the Age of Rifles/Late period, breechloaders are doubly potent weapons compared to their preceding muzzle-loaders. Called "double shooting", firing at an enemy unit twice in the same turn deals massive amounts of damage. It also allows one to command a unit to fire then charge. However, in battles with a low number of orders per turn, excessive use of the 2 firing orders may compromise the maneuvering and positioning of one's forces.

In the Age of Glory, only Prussia and the Sharpshooters of the USA have access to weapons that offer these traits, granting them superior firepower in an era of slow-to-reload muzzle loaders.

There are 2 subtypes of Artillery that may have Breech-Loader: Modern Artillery and Rapid Fire Guns. Artillery units with this trait (unsurprisingly) use breech-loading cannons and machine guns.

The icon of Breech-Loader shows 3 rounds of rifle ammunition cased in brass. The combination of bullet, powder, primer, and casing in one small, easy-to-handle package grants these weapons a much higher rate of fire than their muzzle-loading predecessors. Note that some Breech-Loaders use paper cartridges, such as the Chassepot Rifle and Dreyse Needle Gun.

Having Breech-Loader increases the cost of a unit by $60 in Early and $40 in late

#### Rifle

The tooltip reads: "Trait: This weapon increases range by one."

Armed with smoothbores, the default range of Infantry (and Cavalry) units are 1. Rifled weapons increase this to 2. This allows farther and sooner engagement with the enemy, and can be used to ensure cohesion regeneration, given units in combat have 1 (or more) tiles between them. When facing enemies without Rifles, it may be advantageous to play defensively to deny him reliably attack your units; while denying the enemy elevated terrain, which he may use to counteract his lack of range.

All nations except Prussia and the Shogunate have access to Rifled weapons.

The icon of Rifle sees a Minie ball being fired, with motion lines at its head and smoke trailing behind its rear. Minie balls are the most common kind of bullet fired by rifles in the Victorian era. Being smaller than the bore of a rifle, it can be rammed easily down its barrel. However, when fired, the conical hole at its rear allows the bullet to expand to fit the bore of the barrel, thereby letting any rifling in the barrel to impart a spin on the bullet, which dramatically improves its accuracy and range compared to the musket balls that preceded it. Being smaller than the barrel's bore also gave a lot of leeway in the manufacturing of these bullets, which decreased costs.

For the rifled muskets of old, their musket balls must be made with an accurate diameter. To load the bullet, the loader must hammer or press the ball into the muzzle, then forcefully ram it to the bottom of the barrel. The reloading process of this kind of rifle may take several minutes, and was often untenably slow in the battlefields of their time. The strict requirements of the ammunition also made them undesirably expensive to operate in an unindustrialized era that lacked means to standardization. The Minie ball's ease of loading and looser requirements solved much of the rifle's downsides and made rifles a viable and popular weapon for decades, then centuries to come.

Most light cavalry units have Melee-Only as a default trait, being equipped with sabres only.

Having Rifle increases the cost of a unit by $50 in the Age of Glory and $30 in the Age of Rifles.

### Negative Weapon Traits

#### Melee-Only

The tooltip reads: "Trait: Cannot volley fire or fire at will."

In an age dominated by firearms, units with only melee weapons are at a great disadvantage. However, these units come with compensations of speed (in the case of cavalry) and lowered cost. This means massive hordes of melee-only units can be used.

The icon of Melee-Only sees an ungloved hand with a blue sleeve holding a cavalry sabre. Before the Boshin War DLC was developed, Melee-Only applied only to Cavalry units that were not equipped with carbines. This is why the pictured melee weapon is a cavalry sabre.

Having Melee-Only reduces the cost of a unit by $30.