Question regarding unit abilities and percentages

[ch53A/Dvet_slith]

When stacked units share the same abilities with different percentages do they combine or is the highest percentage used?
For instance 2 engineer units in a stack with differentiating percentages for ferry crossings what numbers are used in reducing penalty movement costs for the troops passing over the crossing?

[golden delicious]

For river crossings, I believe the ferry % determines whether the unit can enter the hex without a movement penalty (or at all for super river). Once that test is passed the unit can act as a ferry for other units for that turn.

The one case I can think of where unit abilities stack in this way is that when a unit digs in, the rate at which it moves through the statuses (mobile -> defending -> entrenched -> fortified) will depend on the engineering % of friendly units in the hex. As such if you pass an engineer unit along your line hex by hex as the units dig in, each unit will have a better chance of reaching a higher defensive status. Because a unit's % engineering rate is proportional to its movement rate, the effect will be less for the units further down the line, but being in a hex while the units dig in doesn't use up the engineer unit's move, so you can benefit multiple hexes in a turn.

[TheeWarLord]

Hmm, I was thought that percentages were culmatative, except for bridge building, and or rail repair. Anyone care to "chime" in?

[Lobster]

11.9.4, 12.2, 12.3 explains it clearly.

[ch53A/Dvet_slith]

ORIGINAL: Lobster

11.9.4, 12.2, 12.3 explains it clearly.

Ok, 11.9.4 clearly states the "total" capacity of units with a minor, or a major ferry ability counts towards the reduction of penalty points for water movement. Thank you

However, this only explains engineer abilities, I don't see anything regarding units with various reconnaissance percentages stacked in the same hex. I'm curious if those percentages are cumulative or if each unit in the stack individually rolls a %chance die to uncover enemy intel as it moves into the hex.

[Lobster]

There are two kinds of recon.

Battlefield recon is on a unit by unit basis. It applies to each unit individually in a combat.

13.9. Battlefield
Reconnaissance
All unit Strengths are increased by the unit’s
Reconnaissance Capability on the first round of
86 The Operational Art of War IV
combat. Reconnaissance Capability has no effect
on subsequent Rounds.
Example: If a unit has an Anti-Personnel
Strength of 15 and a Reconnaissance Capability of
30%, its effective Anti-Personnel Strength on the
first round of combat would be 19.

And there is this which includes Theater Recon that can be set by the scenario designer and can be adjusted up or down by events. Recon assets on a per unit basis do not stack as far as I know.

9.1.5. Intelligence Gathering
(Advanced Rules)
You will never have complete information on the
location of enemy Forces during a game. The
amount of information you do have is based on the
type and location of your Reconnaissance assets
and local environmental conditions.
Levels of Information
Your knowledge of any particular map location
may be:
§§ Unknown – You have no information
regarding the presence of enemy units.
§§ Observed – You know whether or not enemy
units are present, but their identity and
strengths are not evaluated.
§§ Spotted – You know of any enemy units
that are present, as well as their identity and
strengths.
Reconnaissance Assets
§§ Units – All of your units have the ability
to detect, and in some cases evaluate, the
strengths of enemy units in nearby locations.
§§ Internal Security – All of the terrain you own
is considered either Observed or Spotted.
Areas near dense Urban locations are more
likely to be Spotted.
§§ Theater Reconnaissance – This represents
everything from spies on the ground to
Reconnaissance aircraft. The quality of
Theater Reconnaissance depends heavily
on environmental conditions. Theater
Reconnaissance is capable of observing
locations, but cannot spot them.
Intelligence Updates
Intelligence information is updated at the
beginning of every Turn. Each of your units gathers
information on nearby locations. Then your
Internal Security assets gather information your
rear areas and your Theater Reconnaissance assets
gather information on enemy-held areas.
Generally, units and Internal Security assets
can only observe adjacent locations. If, however,
the unit or Internal Security asset is observing
from a location with a mountain peak, observation
visibility can be as far as 40 kilometers. This
mountain view advantage deteriorates with
decreasing visibility and during night turns. Note
that the mountain peak reconnaissance is received
dynamically: If the peak is entered during a playerturn,
the reconnaissance occurs immediately. You
don’t have to wait for the inter-turn calculations.
Likewise, if an adjacent location is viewed
through an escarpment, the location is more likely
to be spotted by units “looking down” and less likely
to be spotted by units “looking up”. Note that the
hex that contains the escarpment hexside is on the
high side of it. The hex on the other side of it is on
the low side.
Theater Reconnaissance is more likely to observe
locations with Roads, Anchorage locations, Airbases,
or large concentrations of Motorized equipment.
Airfields with Air units will almost certainly be
observed. Theater Reconnaissance is less likely to
observe locations with Hills, Badlands, Mountains,
Dense Urban, Light Woods, Jungle, or Forest terrain,
as well as locations with hazy or (especially) overcast
visibility conditions. Theater Reconnaissance is also
less effective during night Turns.
Previously spotted locations will remain spotted
as long as they remain under observation by any
of your Reconnaissance assets. Previously observed
locations may become spotted if they remain under
54 The Operational Art of War IV
observation. Locations no longer under observation
become unknown.
The level of Intelligence Information available
for any particular location is displayed with the
location description in the Information Panel.