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[RoseHeart]

For now, while we can raise free undead units we should start seizing all nearby planets planes for extra resources.

[RAM]

My first thought was actually Doom. Take our imps, enlarge them, paint them brown, and give them fireballs to throw and you would be pretty close to the Doom ones. The overlord guys don't have horns? Meh, still a decent image though, just add a smattering of random undead.

I am not confident in the "tough Lich" idea. It seems like a lot of actions would be spent with more modification than improvement to take its focus away from range and magic... Perhaps some sort of necromantic undead strength spell, leveraging necromantic undead control for a form of undead necromancer self-telekinesis? Then it could carry a riot shield Shadecrystal tower shield in one hand and a ballista in the other? And give it an extra pair of tyrannosaurus rex-style arms to magic with?

Normally I would suggest that a short blade like a dagger can be very effective in close combat. I mean, The Roman Legions did well with The Gladius and that is not huge. But imps are probably going to be fightingthings bigger than themselves, so spears/halbers/voulge-voulge-bill-bill-hook-fauchard-hook-fauchard-awl-pike, javelins and axes all seem good, and hopefully we can use fireballs instead of polearms and javelins.

We really ought to try to have a tactic too, blank slots in your army design tend to be bad... On that note, I expect that our first few turns will likely be filling in gaps rather than specifically opposing our adversaries. Are there any thoughts on what we need in order to fill in all the blanks? Typically it would be fronte-line, backlline, heavy artillery, organisation, logistic, reserve/cavalry? All requiring a unit and a weapon, although there can be overlap? Meh, imma just speculating at this point.

[darkwarlock3]

we can have the font liners use the Roman Tortoise formation when dealing with melee and pesky archers
the front liners should be very expendable because most of our losses will be their

[RoseHeart]

But imps are probably going to be fightingthings bigger than themselves, so spears/halbers/voulge-voulge-bill-bill-hook-fauchard-hook-fauchard-awl-pike, javelins and axes all seem good, and hopefully we can use fireballs instead of polearms and javelins.

I think from where we stand our biggest weakness, is that in order to arm our floods of weak units we need to give them weapons. If they are poor quality then they will begin bouncing off of armor very soon.

Perhaps we can invent some kind of spell that uses heavy armor against the opponent. However thanks to the fact that we have the Lich everytime we kill one of them, suddenly we have undead units with very strong armor, and that alone penalizes them if they go that route.

Since we're playing around with large numbers and large investments, information is going to be key. I also recommend a spy imp species down the road, however I still feel gaining territory and resources for now is all that matters. Since we have the position to move forward and fast in that strategy.

Idea for initial revision

Axe caster

Essentially just putting our shadow blades on the flame caster, you make a one sided axe that can throw fireballs. An axe is a straight upgrade over a dagger. Having the two items put together will make them much more versatile as well. The time you would otherwise spend switching between your two weapons is suddenly non-existent.

Fire is good, so is lightning. If we have different ways to attack heavy armored units, then our swarm of peons will be unstoppable.

[crazyabe]

And thus, the first choices made, The game truly begins.

Spoiler: Units (click to show/hide)

Imps, short leathery red skinned creatures with small claws and horns, imps have a minor affinity for fire.

Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)

Flame casters a form of imp sized stave roughly two feet long, Flame casters shoot small balls of fire roughly several inches across, and require several minutes of time after each shot to recharge.
Shadow blades short, vicious daggers formed from a semiclear crystal with a very sharp edge.

Spoiler: Enchantments (click to show/hide)

Fire balls produces a tiny ball of fire at the tip of the item thus enchanted and shoots it in a straight line. Recharge rate reduces with surface area.

Spoiler: Champions (click to show/hide)

The Lich a master of curses and some minor necromancy, the Lich may not be the strongest physically but his mental strength more than makes up for it.
>Knows the curses "Slow" "Fear" and "Weaken"
>Knows the Necromantic spell "Raise Dead"

Spoiler: Magic (click to show/hide)

Curse
Slow Halves the speed of creatures within several meters of the target
Fear Inflicts horrific visions on several units at the same time
Weaken Reduces the strength of a single unit by 1/3
Necromancy
Raise Dead Converts several corpses into mindless undead, is dispelled if the caster dies

Central thread
Discord

[endlessblaze]

We should create flame blades

By edging the shadow blades with fire, and or intense heat.
They will be great against unarmored foes, and anything flammable.

[RAM]

Does every unit have a shadow blade and a flame caster, or two flame casters, if they want it? If we design a bandoleer can they fill it with flame casters?

Oh, and flame casters have no maximum range? And, um, the travel-time of a ball of fire is not exactly obvious...

[crazyabe]

In the production phase you will be able to determine how to divide your production for units, champions, and weapons as well as who gets them by division, but in general its(currently) 2 units's worth of power each flame caster, and 2 daggers per units worth, with you being able to produce 10000 units at the moment(Actual costs will be added to the lists on next update)

Flamecasters have a max range of roughly 3 miles, and a fire speed of roughly 30 feet per second.

[darkwarlock3]

we should be prepared if light takes the archangel and units that can tank if need be

[Doomblade187]

A note on design scope:

A single design can be an entirely new creature, piece of equipment, or (with luck) Piece of magic, a design is throwing large amounts of power at empty space to create something new
A single revision has a higher chance of success at fixing things, because you are Precisely shifting a small thing while looking at what should come out, but can't turn a man into a dragon, despite being able to turn a man to a lizard man and that to a dragon man, before finally making that into a dragon.

Doom imps would be larger imps with more power over fire, and thus less of a jump then a design would cause.

Doomblade187: so doom imps would be one largish revision?

Gm: Yes.

[darkwarlock3]

how much does the champion cost us to make

[Doomblade187]

how much does the champion cost us to make

30% of our turn production, so 3000 units right now.

[darkwarlock3]

if we spend our resources on the champion and have a force of 1000 flame casters followed by 2000 shadow blades with research towards shields for them or a spell called magic shield for the imps. this is just plan we could do for our starting army

[RAM]

Flame casters are very powerful, but... slow. I have concerns over how accurate an imp can be at those sorts of ranges even if there is no arc?, even on level terrain they could easily shoot over the heads of their enemies or such. The speed, I am getting a very "Doom" vibe from those fireballs. Doom fireballs can be dodged reliably in ideal circumstances. Unless they have unthinking forces, are subject to a massive distraction, or arganise themselves into dense formations, they are unlikely to be hit by our flame casters at any sort of range as things stand.

We could maybe use a volley-firing tactic to create fields of fire that are harder to avoid.
Or make better flame casters.

...
Two ideas for short-ranged combat and two to boost long-ranged forces.

Creation: Beefcake

Imps are small and scrawny, but there is a lot of power there if you look for it. They have claws and horns, these can be enlarged and lengthened. Their muscles may be small, but they are strong, the demonic form seems to be built for unseemly power, and we put that into greatly enlarged forelimbs. The tough hides grow thicker. We reduce the complexity by reducing competence. They no longer have the balance to stay upright, but can still power forward on their massive forelimbs while the hind limbs flail to keep it from dragging, and keep it upright momentarily while it rears up to slash its claws after pounding into the enemy with its elongated forward-pointing horns at the head of an enthusiastic charge and fortified neck and forehead. To ease their creation we sapped away the imp's thought, leaving only a brutal cunning on the nature of piercing flesh and rending limbs, with a dash of climbing and pulling. Then we draw upon their innate fire to focus their burning energies into bursts of intensity. With a slight increase in stature(mostly the product of increased muscle) well offset by its slouched posture, it is hoped that these will be fast, powerful, and cheap.

Maybe a revision? Basically a cross between an ape, a bull, and an imp. lumbers at things on its forelimbs with horns pointed forwards and then starts flailing and pulling at whatever it can reach with its oversized claws. But still little more than imp-sized, so its horns are at, umm, some low altitude.

Imp Penetrable

An Imp with flame caster fragments studded into its insides, which are hardened against fire. The result being that it can build up and release short-ranged sprays of fire. Its forward-facing skin is three times as thick and one-and-a-half times as dense with its bulk increased to carry the extra weight.

Intended to be an alternative front row. Bigger, stronger, tougher, and with an occasional-use flame-thrower.

Shadecrystal Shield

A large shield made of the same stuff our shadow daggers are. Primarily to go between our forces and enemy ranged attacks.

Furnace Caster

A revised flame caster that is much larger, with an array of flame casting elements that can cycle to perpetually maintain a developing sphere of fire, which is disturbed such that it continuously discharges. The result is that the flames are otherwise similar to those normally produced by a flame caster but emerge in a continuous stream.

I would also like some sort of rapid transport... If we can beat them to the central planes then, umm, something? We can turn the natives away from the light or something like that?

[darkwarlock3]

make the flame caster into a giant artillery like a catapult
also if something is hit with the flame caster do they burn forever or does it disappear right away