Angel Team: Design Phase T4TURNTURNTURNThe Portly Madam
As the Angel's influence spreads further out, more and more people fall under it's sway. One, however, has caught the angel's attention in particular. Hailing from the trade city, this large, middle-aged lady nonetheless has what could be the closest a mortal can get to having an angelic voice. And the crowds her singing has garnered has Heliel contemplating on how to best use this gift.
The answer, of course, lies within empowering her with good. By weaving in magic to her singing, in line with how the song of soothing works, a vast potential is unlocked; Though her voice, magic dances, allowing her to cast spells with but a simple song being sung. However, the efficacy and area of effect grows with a chorus backing her, turning a strong magic user into a potent force onto the battlefield, capable of using far greater amounts of magic more safely via the chorus, and being able to channel the overcharge into it, allowing for spells to be cast through it based on the song she sings.
The Demons may say that it is not over until the fat lady sings. Those same demons are about to be in for a rude shock.
The Portly Madam: Normal: (1+1)=2: Utter Failure
You had high hopes for this new operatic operative. She showed great potential; although she was not naturally gifted with magical abilities, her musical talent was sufficient to make up for it in the spellsong department. Within days she had mastered Song of Soothing. A week later she had devised a spellsong version of magic missile (which, while not any more effective than the regular version, enabled her to cast it). Her meteoric rise seemed unstoppable.
Unfortunately, she flew too close to the sun. She pushed her ability to channel Good through her voice to the limit- and beyond. During a particularly grandiose performance, she sang sounds that mortal ears were never meant to hear, and more importantly mortal vocal chords were never meant to produce. Cultists who witnessed the event say that as she sang, her entire body began to glow, brighter and brighter, until she was so bright they were forced to look away. Then, at the crescendo of the song, the light vanished, and the Portly Madam along with it.
If her soul survived the experience, it has left this realm, and is beyond your reach. All you have left of her is groundwork for future spellsongs, and a cautionary tale.
Design: Wyvern Harriers With a noted increase in Magog's aerial forces (In that they exist now), a counter to them needs to be devised. Of course, they're far from the only threat on the battlefield that now needs to be dealt with regarding the new CHADS (A pitiful attempt at achieving the physical perfection in a short span of time.). To this end, Heliel calls upon the wyverns of old. These large, flying lizards are powerfully built, tough and well protected by their hardy scales, the Wyverns are a difficult threat to remove, and capable of carving a good swathe out of an enemy force with their claws and tail.
What makes them truly frightful is their ability to forcefully breathe powerful gusts of air; to such a degree that birds are knocked around turbulently, arrows stray off course and men are pushed back or even down onto the ground from the force. Though likely the number we can call in would be few, given their size and natural behaviour, each and every one is a potent force on the battlefield.
Wyvern Harriers: Hard: (1+4)-1=4: Below Average
Wyverns are a rare sight. Though their origins are unclear, they are obviously not mundane in nature, as nothing that large and heavy could feasibly fly, nor can their tempestuous breath be explained without magical assistance. Many believe them to be servants of Aeolos, the god of wind, and as such they are often considered divine beings. However, they show no particular devotion to any cause, and have at times been employed by both Angels and Demons in their endless wars. At other times, they live wild in areas of high ambient magic.
The Wyverns who showed up in response to your call are fortunately not capable of higher reasoning, and thus not inclined to engage in philosophical debates. They are perfectly happy to follow orders, provided they are relatively simple- which may pose a problem, as without such clear & simple instructions, they default to 'wild' behaviour, which typically involves avoiding groups of men with pointy sticks. Fortunately, hunting birds is something they do naturally, so keeping crows at bay should not require micromanagement.
Physically, they are imposing specimens, bigger than a large horse while weighing slightly less (around 800kg). Their scales are less tough than expected- strong enough to resist arrows at most ranges, but potentially vulnerable to spears and magic (though they are still much harder to kill than a horse would be). The wings are a particularly vulnerable area, as enough damage to the relatively thin membranes will render them incapable of sustained flight.
Between their sharp teeth, powerful wings, and large talons, they can be expected to dish out substantial damage to anyone who stands against them. Their gale-force breath can indeed tumble birds, deflect arrows, and knock over soldiers, although they have a limited capacity for using this power- once every few minutes at most.
Wyverns Harriers are somewhat weaker than anticipated, but still present a potent flying threat to demonic forces. Their low population renders each individual Wyvern
Uncommon, although even a single one should have a big impact.
It is now the Revision Phase. You have two revisions.
Heliel: The benevolent leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little they cannot do. Needless to say, they are Unique.
Mundane Units:
Armed Cultists: Equipped with fairly respectable equipment- a well-made gambeson, padded iron cap, sturdy spear, shiny dagger, and a solid shield-, combined with rudimentary training, mean that while these are not elite warriors, they would stand a chance against a real soldier. More importantly, they're cheap and plentiful. Like regular cultists, their dedication (and communal singing) makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Common
Cultist Archers: Cultists who have some experience and training with a bow are valuable assets in combat, harassing the enemy from a distance. Their bows are not high-draw war-bows, but they've received training from experts that renders them better and faster shots- the equal of the average archer in a human army. Also provided with gambeson and iron cap. Like regular cultists, their dedication (and communal singing) makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Extended training programmes also increase the number of archers available, doubling the size of each unit.Uncommon
Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under the Angel. They can cast any Common spells (unless noted otherwise). Their physical strength leaves something to be desired, but their mental fortitude is even greater than regular cultists. Wear a gambeson, but forgo iron cap. There are not many Acolytes in a unit. Uncommon
Cultist Officers: Featuring a whole two tiers of military hierarchy, the sergeants and captains impart a modicum of organisation upon their fellow cultists. While not massively better than self-organised troops, it's still noticeable. They are distributed amongst all cultist units (eg Armed Cultists, Cultist Archers, Acolytes).
Summoned/Mutated Units:
Bright Shadows: Souls of fallen cultists (or other Good people), empowered with Good such that they may continue to serve in death as they did in life. Invisible and incorporeal, with an uncanny ability to find whatever they are looking for, they make for excellent spies and capable scouts. Immune to physical attack (but not magical attack). Not useful in actual combat. Uncommon
Bright Shadow Acolytes: Bright Shadows with magical potential, who have been further empowered to enable them to utilise such. Their spellcasting ability is rather weak, and they are easier to detect. Nevertheless, invisible spellcasters are nothing to sneer at. Rare
Shadow Walkers: Former criminal types, who found redemption under Heliel, and now serve her cause fanatically. They have been augmented with minor mutations that improve their stealth ability, and are skilled in all manner of underhanded activities. Uncommon
Chosen Apostles: Acolytes with a companion Orator Cherub bound to their souls. The Orator Cherub is a very minor angelic being with mastery of rhetoric, which both provides the Apostle with a script and augments their voice with angelic energy. Rare
Monsters:
Wyvern Harriers: Large (horse+ size) reptiles, their front limbs are powerful wings that (combined with inherent magic) enable them to fly. They can augment their breath into gale-force winds, though only once every few minutes. Scales provide moderate natural armour, though their wing membranes are vulnerable. Not particularly intelligent. Each 'unit' consists of a single Wyvern. Uncommon
Spells/Rituals:
Magic Missile: Known by many names, the simple technique of blasting your opponent with raw Magic/Good/Evil is a tried and true method of making things go away. Efficacy increases with caster's mental might, and decreases with the target's. Common
Major Missile: A more powerful, but also more draining version of Magic Missile. Produces a stronger blast than the standard Magic Missile, but can only be cast a few times (depending on strength) before the user is drained of their spellcasting reserves. The user has a limited ability to direct the missile in flight. Common
Heliel's Love: A very efficient basic healing spell. A slight touch and channelling of angelic love initiates a self-sustaining healing process that can heal up to moderately serious injuries and diseases fairly rapidly. The magic has lingering effects even after healing is complete, leaving the subject healthier and more resilient for a few hours afterwards. Heliel casts this magic automatically on all in her vicinity (unless specifically choosing not to). Common
Mass Heliel's Love: A markedly less efficient variant of Heliel's Love, that affects all targets in a small area (~15 at a time). The healing effect is reduced, to the point where even stabilising moderately serious injuries is a gamble- sometimes doing enough for the patient to survive until more personalised healing can be applied, other times only giving the appearance thereof. It cannot be cast as often as Heliel's Love, but is still Common
Song of Soothing: A spellsong developed to heal and fortify the mind. The song must be initiated by a magic user, but once sufficient numbers are singing along it becomes self-sustaining. Cannot be used by or affect the undead. Common
Refrain of Regret: An inverted version of Song of Soothing. Listeners are compelled to sing along, thereby weakening their minds. This includes friendly targets. It is also not self-sustaining, as continued exposure renders one incapable of lending energy to the music. Common
Infiltration Techniques:
Proselytise: Cultists go forth and spread the Good word, finding those sympathetic to their cause and slowly winning them over. Not the fastest way of gaining converts, as baseline cultists are not expert missionaries, but it keeps the cult growing. Common
Travelling Medics: Acolytes accompany proselytising missions, curing the sick and injured in order to win over the local population. Uncommon
Spy: Agents of Heliel travel the land, seeking secrets, while going unnoticed themselves. Does not directly increase influence, but aids in most other infiltration endeavours. Currently only Bright Shadows are suitable for this role. Common
Exploit Intelligence: Using information gathered by other infiltrators, agents go forth to advance the Good cause while hindering Evil. Covers all manner of activity; theft, sabotage, blackmail, intimidation, even murder- all at the expense of the unrighteous, of course. Not extremely effective due to lack of specialisation, but not bad either. Shadow Walkers are most effective at this. Uncommon
Infrastructure:
Basic Training Camps: Rudimentary facilities, where cultists learn the basics of combat and warfare. Singing is integrated into the training programme, serving to boost morale.
Basic Officer Training: A stumbling, amateurish step towards proper military organisation, the officers trained thus are still better than leaders chosen in the moment.
Military Workshops: A series of mines, smelters, forges and workshops that provide the forces of Good with arms and armour.
Monks of Minos: Half man, half bull, all pacifist. Strong, tough, and capable of channelling small amounts of Good into their strikes, these monks are built for war- but their minds have, over many generations, been honed for peace. Very effective warriors, despite their reluctance to cause unnecessary suffering and their rigid adherence to their brand of martial arts. Fight in tiny squads of 3-4 minotaurs. Uncommon
DARRIN (Combat)Dry Plains:
4/4 |
0/4Mountain Passes:
4/4 |
0/4Rice Terraces:
0/4 |
4/4LESIMOR (Influence)Fortified Frontier:
3/5 |
?/5Lawless Capital:
2/5 |
?/5Scholarly Towers:
2/5 |
?/5XA-NAM (Combat)River Delta:
4/4 |
0/4River Crossings:
4/4 |
0/4Light Jungle:
0/4 |
4/4DOLGOTH (Influence)Trade City:
2/5 |
?/5Ostentatious Capital:
1/5 |
?/5Wartorn Wastes:
1/5 |
?/5
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Topic: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro Arms Race: Strategy Phase 10 (Read 31826 times)