Assault Party: Grenadier and Fusilier

Grenadiers had a reputation for strength and fearlessness. Selected from among the biggest and strongest recruits to serve as assault troops, they were sent into battle with dangerous explosives. Some were still armed with handheld fuse-lit grenades, carrying bronze match cases with a piece of burning hempen rope as their tools. They were unable to wear hats with wide brims as these prevented them from throwing grenades overhand, and so adopted distinctive, towering bearskin hats. Grenadiers had a reputation for charging heedlessly into battle. They stormed entrenched Patriot defenses at Bunker Hill, overcoming the heavy fire that had routed other companies before.

Light infantry of the time worked as a screening force, often deployed in small groups (or pairs, especially during the Napoleonic era) that resemble modern fireteams. The fusilier’s Assault Party ability is actually modeled after the Green Hag’s coven spellcasting! This feature simulates small, highly mobile squads of elite infantry who get limited access to gambits (mundane spells) to outflank enemies… so long as they can coordinate with their party.

This is a powerful effect for a CR 2 enemy to have – the fusillade gambit, for instance, is a 4th-level spell – but in order for it to be active the GM must field at least two fusiliers. Combined, the assault party serves as a CR 4 casting enemy. This is in keeping with the enemy philosophy of Nations & Cannons, where encounters with human soldiers should large groups with multiple supporting abilities, rather than a few tough “bullet sponge” monsters.