Every army has a heroic character to command it. We refer to this character as the General, although this is only to distinguish him from other heroes. He might be an Ore chieftain, a Bretonnian duke, an Elector Count of the Empire, etc. Many armies are commanded by the ruler of their entire nation. For example, the Emperor of the Empire and King of Bretonnia are mighty warriors who are ever ready to ride out at the head of their forces.

The General of your army is always the character with the highest Leadership value. If several characters have the same value then choose one to be the General at the start of the battle. He is in command of the whole army and represents you personally. The General is an important character because he can inspire others to fight on where otherwise they might turn and flee.

Any unit within 12" of the General model may use the General's Leadership value instead of its own when making a Leadership-based test. This means that a unit near the General can use his superior Leadership when testing for Break tests in close combat, when attempting to rally, for Psychology tests such as fear and panic, and for any other Leadership-based test. This rule ceases to apply if the General is fleeing.

A General can be accompanied by a special Standard Bearer carrying either his personal banner or the Battle Standard of the army itself. This Battle Standard does not have to move along with the General but it is most useful when he is close by.

An army's Battle Standard is usually carried by a character model who has appropriately heroic characteristics. Unlike ordinary standards the Battle Standard cannot be passed on if its bearer is slain. Should the bearer be slain then the Battle Standard can be captured in the same way as a unit banner. See the rules concerning standards for details.

A Battle Standard Bearer can join a unit of troops in the same way as any other character. If he is with a unit that is fighting in close combat then the unit receives an extra +1 combat bonus when working out combat results if the Battle Standard Bearer is placed in the front rank of the unit.

Troops fighting alongside their banners only receive +1 no matter how many banners are involved. A unit with both a Standard Bearer and the Battle Standard Bearer will only receive +1 Combat Result bonus.

Any unit within 12" of the Battle Standard may retake a failed Break test. The unit is only allowed to retake any Break test once, a re-roll may never be re-rolled.

If the General is within 12" of the unit as well then it will also benefit from being able to use his Leader5ship value. These two factors combined, the General's Leadership and the opportunity to re-take a failed throw, mean that units near to the General and the Battle Standard will tend to hold their ground come what may.

Note that Battle Standard allows a unit to retake a failed Break test - and only a Break test. It does not entitle a unit to retake any other Leadership test, such as a Psychology test or a test to rally.