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[TricMagic]

The Ophanim gather images, and send them back to the gifted. They already see, and can transmit information.

Given the lack though, I'll try writing an inter-interception vehicle. Well, other than the Chariot, I guess?

[NUKE9.13]

Given the lack though, I'll try writing an inter-interception vehicle. Well, other than the Chariot, I guess?

Probably better to wait until next turn for a better vehicle, since we'll have 2 more VP then. As is, we want to spend all 4 VP on Small Scouts, and can't afford a fighter craft, without reducing the number of troops we deploy.
The Chariot is a land unit, not a vehicle.

[Shadowclaw777]

As for the “fluumphs” or pancake Orphanims I don’t believe they provide an effective information gathering role, and this device designed for our sectoids would be surely helpful for position and intel gathering of designated targets, and also shows the robotic advances of the aliens for some hybridization.

Uh... why do you think the Ophanim (note spelling, there's no R) will be ineffective at their primary purpose? They rolled okay. I really don't think that basically re-doing them before we've seen how effective they are would be a good use of resources at all.

If the “perfect view of the battlefield” was in the basic description of the aliens it be a lot easier to handle, and it’s ability for it provide real-time telepathic communications rather than the bunch of eyes part, as well I believe that’s what was intended?, then I guess an especially light “AFV” is suitable fine and than we just utilize the Superior Genetic and Adaptable Token to make that Proud Soldier Alien to fulfill that role of an effective infantry/front-liner and than expand from psionics from there; that seems the path we are heading?

[TricMagic]

Interdiction Class: Forsaken

The Forsaken is a Vehicle. It's meant to carry enough Ophanim wherever we need it. Moreover, there is a Psi-Booster in each Vehicle, meant to empower and aid the Ophanim in directing their Choir at enemy interceptor craft. In this way, the craft can land with minimal interference. It's reliance on donging should be noted, as it uses it's Elerium Core and flat disk-type structure to dodge in ways most other conventional vehicles can't.

Somewhat obviously, their is a limit on what lifeforms can actually travel in such craft. Most human sized lifeforms entering it will have to crouch and crawl to travel through, as only the center has enough space to stand, and only just.

The Psi-Booster can also work in ground operations, though of less use, as each one in the craft is one less scout. Being able to connect to other Ophanim over range is a plus though, since the boost will occur through the Scout in question.

Meant to carry our Ophanim in mass, it can act as support to disable enemy craft. You kinda need to not be panicking and confused to actually fire. Or fly for that matter.

As for weapons.. Maybe some on a good roll. This vehicle is meant to aid us in reaching the surface.

Alien Supplies
2 Adaptive Genes: (0) 
1 Adaptive Gene: (6) Piratejoe, Frostgiant, NUKE9.13, Failbird, Kashyyk, SC777
1 Superior Gene: (4) Frostgiant, Piratejoe, TricMagic, SC777
1 Ethereal Assistance: (3) TricMagic, NUKE9.13, Kashyyk

Design
Chariot: (2) NUKE9.13, Failbird
Seeker Drone: (1) SC777,
Interdiction Class: Forsaken: (1) TricMagic

[frostgiant]

Alien Supplies
2 Adaptive Genes: (0) 
1 Adaptive Gene: (6) Piratejoe, Frostgiant, NUKE9.13, Failbird, Kashyyk, SC777
1 Superior Gene: (4) Frostgiant, Piratejoe, TricMagic, SC777
1 Ethereal Assistance: (3) TricMagic, NUKE9.13, Kashyyk

Design
Chariot: (3) NUKE9.13, Failbird, Frostgiant
Seeker Drone: (1) SC777,
Interdiction Class: Forsaken: (1) TricMagic

[10ebbor10]

Ebbor. can we use these tokens on this turn, or not until later? If yes then I want to go Ethereal to help with the Chariot, but if no I'd rather go Superior Gene.

You can use them immediatly, if you want to convolute votes.

[NUKE9.13]

I'd be fine doing the Chariot without the Ethereal token. But I'd also be fine doing it with. I think it will be effective at its primary purpose- being sufficiently hard to kill that it stops XCOM in their tracks- without, but extra psionic power never hurt nobody.

[TricMagic]

Um. How exactly do we get it down to earth? is my question

[NUKE9.13]

Um. How exactly do we get it down to earth? is my question

...we have a Small Scout. Which can transport two units. There's no way that the Chariot will end up as more than a single unit.

[Failbird105]

I'd be fine doing the Chariot without the Ethereal token. But I'd also be fine doing it with. I think it will be effective at its primary purpose- being sufficiently hard to kill that it stops XCOM in their tracks- without, but extra psionic power never hurt nobody.

I'm mostly just worried it will be too difficult without the Ethereal Token.

Um. How exactly do we get it down to earth? is my question

With our vehicles.

[Failbird105]

Alien Supplies
2 Adaptive Genes: (0) 
1 Adaptive Gene: (6) Piratejoe, Frostgiant, NUKE9.13, Failbird, Kashyyk, SC777
1 Superior Gene: (4) Frostgiant, Piratejoe, TricMagic, SC777
1 Ethereal Assistance: (4) TricMagic, NUKE9.13, Kashyyk, Failbird

Design
Chariot: (3) NUKE9.13, Failbird, Frostgiant
-Use Ethereal Token immediately(1): Failbird
-Don't()
Seeker Drone: (1) SC777,
Interdiction Class: Forsaken: (1) TricMagic

Edit: Whoops! Meant to put that in the previous post instead of making another one.

[TricMagic]

Don't we need vehicles to transport troops too?

Also, the Forsaken uses a Psi-Booster, so it can just transfer itself. Along with our Ophanim, who use it to disable our enemies.

It's basically a flat disk meant to carry them, a Core, and a Psi-Booster to empower them. It will also work on surface forces. Protection for our descending vehicles, and the ability to empower the choir once on the surface.

If the Scout with the Chariot gets shot down, we won't have it on the field. So we'd need to deploy multiple through the scouts. Small Scouts aren't the best vehicle, particularly without protection. The Forsaken gives them that protection, in spades.

I know Small Scouts can slip by with the numbers we'll be deploying, but better if we can defend them and transport Ophanim in the process.

Alien Supplies
2 Adaptive Genes: (0) 
1 Adaptive Gene: (6) Piratejoe, Frostgiant, NUKE9.13, Failbird, Kashyyk, SC777
1 Superior Gene: (4) Frostgiant, Piratejoe, TricMagic, SC777
1 Ethereal Assistance: (4) TricMagic, NUKE9.13, Kashyyk, Failbird

Design
Chariot: (3) NUKE9.13, Failbird, Frostgiant
-Use Ethereal Token immediately(1): Failbird
-Don't(1) TricMagic
Seeker Drone: (1) SC777,
Interdiction Class: Forsaken: (1) TricMagic
-Use Ethereal Token immediately(1): TricMagic
-Don't()

[NUKE9.13]

Don't we need vehicles to transport troops too?

The Chariot is troops.

Also, the Forsaken uses a Psi-Booster, so it can just transfer itself. Along with our Ophanim, who use it to disable our enemies.

Not sure what you're even saying here.

It's basically a flat disk meant to carry them, a Core, and a Psi-Booster to empower them. It will also work on surface forces. Protection for our descending vehicles, and the ability to empower the choir once on the surface.

It's not a terrible design, but it will carry less troops than the Scout, and apparently doesn't have any actual weapons. At best, it will cost 1VP.

If the Scout with the Chariot gets shot down, we won't have it on the field. So we'd need to deploy multiple through the scouts. Small Scouts aren't the best vehicle, particularly without protection. The Forsaken gives them that protection, in spades.

I know Small Scouts can slip by with the numbers we'll be deploying, but better if we can defend them and transport Ophanim in the process.

If any vehicle gets shot down we won't have the contents on the field. By that logic, we shouldn't deploy any units, cos they could all get shot down.
Small scouts are not the best vehicles, but we don't have the resources to afford better ones (this turn; next turn we get 2 more VP from the Shipyards, and will want to design a better vehicle to spend them on).
The Forsaken does not sound like it offers much more protection that the Scout, honestly. Psionic attacks aren't likely to be more effective than a plasma cannon at disabling Interceptors.

[Shadowclaw777]

I feel like the Superior Genetics Token is preferred over the Ethereal Token so that we can get a standard special-forces quality alien that has innate combat printing or natural armor, maybe even utilize a ancient token if we gather one to connect it to the psionic network and therefore have a bodyguard-class unit to protect all the squishy Ophanims and more latent psionic unit’s that we deploy. I feel as though the Chariot has its innate complexities of just being a light armored fighting vehicle but the only complexity really is to also link it in the psionic network to not also have the real-time information gathering position from its psionic radar but also be capable of psionics of the choir this might bump it up to hard and that might be an unnecessary risk?, but I still feel the superior genetics just opens too much in diversity of choices and allowing the next alien to be deployed to be substantially more effective

As for an interceptor, all I care is for it to be effective at both air and ground engagements in exchange for it not having the ability to be transport ships, IIRC I believe the previous interceptor was only good at intercepting but than it did nothing to the combat forces at the ground if we took down all their jet fighters which usually was not, maybe instead of an air superiority a multi-role aerial platform drone that is like the Chariot in being an internalized Ophanims instead an UFO that can fight air-to-air but also provide aerial strikes?, we would get design experience from the Chariot hopefully and the device would actually be considered piloted instead of autonomous?

Edit: As well maybe the Superior Genetics Token can be utilized for a design to improve the UP Cap?

[NUKE9.13]

I'd be fine doing the Chariot without the Ethereal token. But I'd also be fine doing it with. I think it will be effective at its primary purpose- being sufficiently hard to kill that it stops XCOM in their tracks- without, but extra psionic power never hurt nobody.

I'm mostly just worried it will be too difficult without the Ethereal Token.

I don't think it'll be that hard. The most challenging part is probably the life support/cybernetics thing, but Ophanim don't require much in the way of life support anyway, so even that shouldn't be too tricky. The psionic aspect is basically just applying the Angelic Choir differently- not something that we need Ethereal assistance with just to make it work.

Anyway, I've thought about it, and I figure that making our first combat unit a real swole specimen would be good. I'm going to switch my vote to Superior Genes, and hope that Ethereal tokens aren't too rare for the next time we want to do some advanced psionics.

(PS, Tric, it doesn't really make sense to vote for not using the Ethereal token on the Chariot if you aren't voting for the Chariot.
Related, I added Frostgiant to the "Don't" option, since Frostgiant isn't voting for grabbing an Ethereal token.)

Alien Supplies
2 Adaptive Genes: (0) 
1 Adaptive Gene: (6) Piratejoe, Frostgiant, NUKE9.13, Failbird, Kashyyk, SC777
1 Superior Gene: (5) Frostgiant, Piratejoe, TricMagic, SC777, NUKE9.13
1 Ethereal Assistance: (3) TricMagic, Kashyyk, Failbird

Design
Chariot: (3) NUKE9.13, Failbird, Frostgiant
  -Use Ethereal Token immediately(1): Failbird
  -Don't: (2) NUKE9.13, Frostgiant
Seeker Drone: (1) SC777,
Interdiction Class: Forsaken: (1) TricMagic
  -Use Ethereal Token immediately(1): TricMagic
  -Don't: ()

E: Roseheart suggested raptor cavalry earlier, which I found an amusing concept. I wrote up a potential design for such a creature:

Xenoraptor:
Rawr rawr rawr rawr rawr, rawr rawr rawr. Rawr rawr- rawr rawr rawr, rawr rawr rawr rawr.

The Xenoraptor is a combination of the Ancient DNA of what some humans call a 'Velociraptor' (but other, more knowledgeable humans call 'Deinonychus'), some reptilian DNA from our gene banks, and some parts of contemporary Earth bird DNA, both from fearsome and powerful birds of prey [Superior Genes, and more common birds [Adaptive Genes]. The result is an imposing creature, standing at almost 2 meters tall on two strong hind legs ending in feet with ludicrously big talons. From head to tail it is over 3 meters long- the tail being long and straight to serve as a balancing measure. The arms are not nearly as powerful as the hind legs, but do sport sharp claws that the Xenoraptor can use to grasp its prey before biting down with its razor-sharp teeth. The Xenoraptor has feathers, with an impressive display of brightly coloured plumes on its head, and more muted brown feathers covering the arms and back. It is not completely covered in feathers, though, as analysis of Earthling communications indicates that such a middle ground is likely to cause maximum division amongst human commentators.
Xenoraptors have more or less no capacity for the Gift. They are essentially animals- albeit quite clever ones, well trained to follow our commands, and capable of a limited degree of independent operation (ie they will hunt down enemy forces without directions, and can set up 'ambushes' by themselves, but will not make strategic decisions or handle complex tasks alone). Their vision is average, and not movement-based, because that would be bloody stupid. They can run considerably faster than a human, can jump long distances, and are actually capable of climbing short distances as well.

Xenoraptors are obviously useful as melee combatants, capable of rapid, agile movement, quickly bringing them within striking distance of foes, who they can then tear to pieces with tooth and claw. Notably, they can also be trained to serve as cavalry- saddles may be mounted on their backs, and whilst they could be over-encumbered by larger passengers, they can easily carry the relatively small and light Sectoids with almost no loss of mobility. They should not be deployed alone, as they require an intelligent handler to give orders.

This project incorporates Ancient DNA (providing strength and agility not found in more modern Earth creatures), Superior DNA (to further bolster strength and agility), and Adaptive DNA (to ensure basic survivability on Earth).