But im back on my drows. Im awake now, so i can refine ideas and go in deep at those that are possible
Farming (or the drow equivalent):
- I would actually love to see that being a slave labor, but I think the only answer i get to this is "not possible" and a keyboard flying into my direction.
- There are "evil" plants already in the game, maybe work on them and make them the plants for the drows. Dont need to be different from dwarfen plants, they should just set the mood. Maybe a plant that produces bones in small numbers, another one that produces really tiny amounts of blood, just flinging around ideas, dont get hit by them.
- In regards to animals, they should be able to tame everything they can catch, but the standard animals should be spiders and other evil things (Can you milk spiders for thread?). Main reason to have animals is meat and bones for the various "projects" the drows have, and defense, which results in the same, one way or the other.
Crafting and trading:
- Bone crafts, Meat crafts and preferably skin crafts, if not possible, leather. Those should be corner points of drow economy. Ironbone and Bloodsteel if you have surplus. Also Masonry.
- Really expensive trade goods should also require souls/magic, so that you have to think about how much trade is good without having your defense underarmed.
Necromancy and possesions:
Here is the progression system i have in mind for the drows. The whole idea (and the reason they play themselves different from the dwarfes) is that their fortress gets stronger with every enemy they slaughter. Yes, the dwarfes have that as well to some extend (Goblinite, Turrets, Bifrost, skill aether, ....) but the drows are dependend on the souls of their enemies for defense purposes. No souls would mean no minions, no magic, and in the end, the fall of their fortress. That means a drow overseer will try to get even the last goblin into his hands, while a dwarfen overseer will just send them running and be happy he didnt loose his legendary cheese maker who was in danger.
So now, this segment is split in two: Necromancy and the summoning of demons. I just want to make the progression of a dark fortress easier to understand.
Necromancy:
The art of letting the puppets dance for you. In this tech tree, you will encounter lots of mass produced, cheap units, along with
Skeletal MinionUsing bones and a tiny amount of souls to make. They are small, not to strong and mainly used as a alert system, scouting the land around drow fortresses. When slayn, they leave behind bones, which can get recycled. In masses, they could overwhelm a goblin ambush or a squad of another race, if its not properly equipped. Some people say they can also serve tea.
(immun to pain, only killable by slashing off the head, Torso or chest. We will have to see if thats maybe overkill or just works fine).
Shadow BeastThese are one of those minions from which you will not have too many running around. They take a larger amount of souls then skeletons, but only that. So if you are in a pinch, calling one of this beasts may help you. They should be quite fragile, but with a strong attack which can spread fear in the hearts of the enemies of the drows.
(Easy to kill, paralyzing syndrome that only works if infused in the blood cycle of the enemy.)
GargoylesThose things are basically statues. They look nice , and they stand around. Oh, yes, and they rip your face off. These things are already implemented, only a way to craft the statue needs to be made. Again, souls (even more then shadow beasts, we are in dimensions of using a whole goblin ambush worth of souls here), a statue and maybe something else? Blood to appeace the gargoyle? Yeah, why not.
(leave them as they are now, maybe buff them a tiny bit to make them worth the souls)
LichesNow, here we have something nice. Those little frost giants you see being dragged to the great butchery not only gave us their strong souls, no, they left us another gift. Bifrost. Utilizing some dark magic and evil powers you can create a lich, a powerful spellcaster capable of freezing enemies and attacking with the power of death themselves.
The costs you ask? Well, you need a good amount of bifrost, a handful frost giants should be enough. Then, souls. Lots of them. Probably even more then a whole siege gives you. Im also thinking about having to maybe sacrifice a drow for this minion, but thats up to Meph
So, liches are the most powerful undead? What if i dont play with frost giants?Then, my friend, fear not, we have something more for you.
FleshgolemsThese things are huge, and they stench like a dwarf Fortress after a butterfly jammed the door and let goblins in. They wield two weapons: A grappling hook and a butchers knife, both very big. Seeing one of those on the battlefield may convince siegers that this fortress will probably not be worth the problems it would need to take it.
Souls, lots of meats, threads (you need to stitch that think together, right?) and bones. While the liches are the ultimate spellcasting minion, you dont want to let this one near you. It will chop you up and bring you back to the fort, as meal. The drows often call this perverted creatures "lilī butcher"