Demon Team: Design Phase T10TURNTURNTURNThe Night Beast (Champion)
There have been many legends in this region of monsters in the night. Most of them are nonsense. Some of them have a mundane explanation, such as a misplaced jungle cat, or a particularly unhinged mortal. A few are actually about Magoc on one of His earlier days. But one particular legend that is known throught the four kingdoms is that of the Night Beast.
Whilst the embellishments vary, the core story is the same. Farmers report that portions of their herd have gone missing, with the other animals terrified and refusing to go near the small smears of blood. These stories escalate to improbable levels, as no single beast should be able to devour ten steers across six different farms in a single night. And yet, the bloody evidence is there. The stories diverge here, as either the local lord finally responds with a patrol, wandering adventures see a chance to make money, or the villagers themselves form a hunting party to destroy the problem.
Either way, a group of determined individuals will set a trap for the beast. In the dead of night, the monster discovers that all the animals have been locked away in barns or is protected by torches and armed men in the village center, bar one sacrifice in a field, where the Hunters await to ambush. Come morning, this animal is spared, and instead the villagers find one of the outlying farmhouses to be torn open with too large claws and the occupants messily devoured. This is not some dumb beast they are tormented by, but one that can reason.
The trap may be set a few more times, with similarly unpleasant results, before the Hunters are finally able to track the beast back to its lair. A cave, deep in the wilderness, the area around supernaturally quiet, the ground stained black and dead, littered with the bones of livestock and mortals. The fate of the Hunters is obvious, but the description of the beast is always very similar. As large as a cart, with mottled, scarred fur over rippling muscles, it leaps on four strong limbs, able to cling to the underside of a cave ceiling, and turn its head to watch every angle with its huge jet black eyes. It strikes out with claws the size of shortswords, a serrated beak that can cut a barded warhorse in half, and with the venomous talons on its three prehensile tails. Most notable though is it's ability to turn intangible at will, useful both to avoid attacks and to strike from unexpected angles.
The end of each story is once again similar. A single wounded hunter returns to the village, and most of locals pack up to leave. The few who remain are never heard from again, as a rescue party will find nothing but the ruins of their final stand in the village hall.
The Night Beast (Champion): Easy: (3+3)+1=7: Superior Craftsmanship
"If you have the guts- he wants them!!" -((The poster for the movie Nightbeast))Demons come and demons go. Not you, obviously- you will survive forever, bringing the entire world under your dark dominion. But other, lesser, demons come and go. When they go, however, they sometimes leave stuff behind. Sometimes these things get picked up by another demon- until he too passes. It is rare for anything to outlive multiple demons, but it has been known to happen. For instance, the Night Beast. You can tell from the magical residue present in its twisted soul that it has been under the influence of at least four other demons before you. Cutting through one of its fingers (it grew back after a few days) to count the rings didn't work, but you estimate it to be at least four centuries old. You don't know where it came from, but it was a long way from the Xa Basin, as it appears to be a chimera made by combining a large number of wild animals, none of which are native to the region. In fact, you believe that previous owners may have added their own tweaks to it as they adopted it, thus making it a multi-layered hybrid with world-spanning heritage- you believe this on the basis that that's what you did, giving its claws a more potent version of the soul-rending toxin of Soulfang Jaguars (making it better at taking on incorporeal enemies), as well as giving it the ability to call on and control Devil-Crows.
Acquiring the Night Beast was not easy. It is by nature hard to catch, and even locating it in the first place required considerable effort- while it makes its presence known at times, it can also move almost undetected. Fortunately, your experience with intangibility came in handy; once you had the beast cornered, you were able to keep it from escaping by placing wards around it that blocked even intangible travel (note that these wards required considerable effort to prepare, and so can not be used in the field right now). With nowhere to run, you were able to dominate the beast with your overwhelming Evil aura, forcing it to recognise you as its master. Now the Night Beast is ready to take on your enemies... and almost certainly won't betray you, ever, I promise. Just because it has a mind of its own doesn't mean it will abandon your cause, since it likes nothing more than disembowelling angelic cultists and spreading fear and despair- which aligns with your own goals quite well.
In combat, the Night Beast is on a surface level an extremely powerful brawler, capable of taking out several enemy cultists with a single slash of its claws/swipe of its tails/snap of its beak. However, its full potential is realised off the battlefield, stalking the enemy army and decimating its ranks through ambushes. You wouldn't think a creature this large would be so good at stealth, but even without the ability to turn intangible, it is remarkably capable of sneaking around (although open fields with no cover would render it less effective in this regard). Besides its lethality, the Night Beast is also a purveyor of terror- it knows well how to maximise its impact on enemy morale, and can reduce even the staunchest of warriors to gibbering cowards without ever laying a claw upon them.
The Night Beast also has infiltration utility. Not directly- its negotiation skills leave something to be desired. But by stalking through a province, it can spread a miasma of fear, causing the populace to seek protection- distracting mortal forces as guards are forced to seek out the nigh-uncatchable beast, while crowds are driven into the arms of your cultists (who offer protection that happens to prevent the Night Beast from attacking).
The Night Beast is a powerful combatant, especially in areas where it can strike from unexpected angles. It can also be used to spread chaos in influence provinces, making them more susceptible to other infiltration efforts (although Angelic efforts will receive a (smaller) boost as well). It is obviously
Unique
Q'why Troupes
The Consorts of Desire... sumptuous and enticing... but perhaps too much so? As amusing as it is, reducing every red-blooded mortal you meet into a drooling horndog doesn't always meet our strategic needs. (Mortal society's primitive adherence to prudish senses of decorum limits our Consorts operations tremendously.) What if we nurtured feminine wiles into a more subtle influence... innocuous enough to be done in broad daylight, even against mere women and children? Similarly, our adversary seems to have developed a melody so infectiously catchy, it can be weaponized against us on the battlefield. Why not kill two angels with one stone?
More girlishly charming than dumb-foundingly erotic, the so-called "Q'why Troupes" are small bands of "nymph-mutated" entertainers. Our nymphs resemble mortal females in their teens, their nubility is enticing enough to draw the eye, yet not lust-inducing enough to be kicked out of a Sunday service. ("She's just girl after all. Probably just had a growth spurt and didn't realize that her legs are too long for that skirt. Also really filling out that top... Gee, she's sure going to make some man really happy on their wedding night...") Performance-wise however, they have been mutated sing and dance on par with their angelic adversaries.
But will the Inquisition prey upon seemingly innocent girls? Doubtful. And if they do, they'll get enough innocents to really stoke the flames of Evil.
The Q'why Troupes themselves are small groups of three nymph entertainers. Youthful masters of song and dance, their saccharine performances disguise subliminal messages spoken in the Language of Inception. ("'Babushka, Babushka,' is a non-sense lyric, but it sure is catchy, isn't it?") On an infiltration role, they can provide a softer sell to our Demonic Path than the Consorts, Bootleggers, and Frag Dealers. They could easily play "family-friendly" venues such as busking town squares or even seasonal festivals. Once a community has been properly subverted by the "QT's," our more overt agents can close the deal.
But as our adversary's 'Antiphon of Apathy' proved, music can be an effective weapon on the battlefield. Unrestrained by the limits of mortal society, our nymphs can fully flaunt their unnatural talents. Their mortal-friendly song & dance routine quickly becomes a power ballad with acrobatic choreography. Sometimes a whole army can hear an see and hear a single Q'why Troupe giving their all. Then a true cheer can be led, to raise friendly morale and out-compete our adversary's song.
Q'why Troupes: Normal: (1+2)=3: Buggy Mess
As far as you are concerned, the Q'Why Troupes turned out great. Their appearance is sensual, but not overtly sexual. Their lyrics are ingenious, layering Demontongue and similar sounding mortal words such that the subliminal messages are almost impossible to consciously make out. Their voices are dynamic, allowing them to near-perfectly enunciate these challenging melodies.
However, according to your cultists, their outfits of black leather and metal spikes are not conventionally considered appealing, especially not for young ladies. They go on to say that the lyrics are not really Demontongue disguised as mortal speech, but rather the other way around. Furthermore, they call the QTs' voices "grating screeches, more akin to a harpy than a siren".
The basic foundation of this project was not a major challenge. An exclusively female version of Consorts, whose powers of temptation are less overwhelming, with a youthful appearance designed to lower the guard of those they encounter. The problem was the musical abilities. Perhaps the sphere has already been 'claimed' by Heliel, or maybe inspiration just wasn't in the air- whatever the case, your alchemists could not figure out an easy way of instilling the nymphs with rhythmic instincts. So you took over. As mentioned, the results seem flawless to you. Okay, maybe the dark beat you added to their souls has a somewhat corrupting influence, rendering them less innocent in preferred garb and mannerisms, but is it really
that noticeable? Yes, you didn't really draw on existing mortal music when implanting the ability to compose into their minds, which combined with their already corrupted nature has lead to rather unusual tunes. And, sure, you did modify their vocal chords a bit (since regular humans attempting to pronounce Demontongue is an infuriating experience), which has given them a slightly harsher voice than average.
Okay, yeah, on reflection, you fucked up. You got a bit carried away with making musicians that
you would enjoy, and didn't properly consider the intended audience. Whoops. The Nymphs refuse to wear 'girly' clothing, refuse to sing 'sappy' songs, and have inherited a smidgen of your multilingual-profanity-spewing ability- which they apply towards anyone who suggests their voices are imperfect. Regular mortals would be appalled by them, and even your followers don't enjoy their music (with a few exceptions). The incomprehensible and off-putting 'music' is no match for the magically infused songs of your angelic adversary, rendering them useless on the battlefield. And while their lifestyles are less expensive than that of regular Consorts, they still require considerable alchemical effort to create.
Unfortunately, these turned out anything but quiet, and anything but cute.
One silver lining is that modifying the Consort power to affect larger crowds in a more subtle manner was so simple that you managed to make it an option for regular Consorts as well.
Q'why Troupes are extremely unappealing to all but the most niche tastes, rendering their use as instruments of either propaganda or morale-boosting as ineffectual as their own use of literal instruments. For now, they have no real utility. If they were deployed, then they would be
Rare, with three Nymphs per troupe.
On the plus side, Consorts of Desire can now diffuse their powers to affect larger crowds more effectively, which will bolster efforts to sway the population at large to the demonic cause.
It is now the Revision Phase. You have two revisions.
Magoc: The diabolical leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little they cannot do. Needless to say, they are Unique.
Champions:
The Obsessive Scholar: An undead being with the ability to absorb the appearance, memories, and personality of victims. Obsessed with knowledge. A powerful spellcaster, with a considerable repertoire of (especially divination-type) mortal spells in addition to being able to cast all of Magoc's spells. Physically relatively weak, albeit hard to kill. Needs to absorb Evil to survive. Unique
The Night Beast: An ancient beast from parts unknown; a four-limbed, cart-sized monstrosity with a serrated beak, wicked claws dripping with Soulfang Toxin, and three barbed (& venomous) tails. Has the ability to turn intangible at will (for brief periods), and is remarkably stealthy even when corporeal. Lives to spread fear and despair, at which it is highly skilled. Can call upon and control flocks of Devil-Crows. Unique
Mundane Units:
Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under the Demon. 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- and further enhanced by studies in the Warcaster's Keep. Their gambeson matches those of the Light Uruks. There are not many Acolytes in a unit. Uncommon
Teachers of Magoc: Acolytes who specialise in the use of the Language of Inception. They primarily accompany missionaries and aid in late-stage conversion with their scrolls of dark scripture. Uncommon
Keepers of Desire: Acolytes given a creepy white mask, nice clothes, and a club & dagger, and told to protect the cult's infiltration assets. They are not especially well trained, however. Uncommon
Warcasters: Graduated Acolytes, with a greater aptitude for the magical arts, who have undertaken intense study in the Warcaster's Keep. They can cast any Common or Uncommon spells (unless noted otherwise), and more effectively than regular Acolytes. In addition to their magical training, they have found time to practice the arts of command and close combat as well, making them effective leaders and passable fighters. Provide improved leadership to Acolytes (one per unit). Wear a black leather coat/cloak & stupid felt hat, and carry a sword.
Summoned/Mutated Units:
URUK: A cultist who has undergone Cultist Baptismal Indoctrination. Submerged in a muddy pool of mutagenic muck for an hour, they emerge with a strikingly distinct appearance, improved strength and toughness, and most importantly, the ability to cast a pre-programmed spell two or three times an hour. Their spellcasting strength is lower than acolytes, but they can in principle cast any Common spell. They do not modify rarity, although unit sizes are slightly reduced.
Light Uruks: Equipped with a one handed weapon, a solid spear, and a sturdy kite shield- all made with steel-, make these remarkably well armed warriors (considering their ubiquity). A steel cap with nose/eye-guard and a padded gambeson provide decent protection. They have received enough basic training to reliably match a real soldier. They are plentiful, as well as being stronger and tougher than most humans. Their shield and gambeson are emblazoned with demonic runes that assault the mind with dark temptations and demands to worship Magoc. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Common
Heavy Uruks: Light Uruks who survived previous battles, provided with a mail hauberk in addition to their other equipment, making them substantially more resilient. They are specialised in tight formations. Uncommon
Uruk Archers: Uruks who have some experience with a bow are valuable assets in combat, harassing the enemy from a distance. They aren't sharpshooters, although they wield well-made recurve bows, and have a quiver full of steel-tipped arrows, making them fairly effective. Their increased strength slightly improves their archery as well. Their gambeson and helm match those of the Light Uruks. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Uncommon
Mutamist Sprayers: Uruks carrying a tank of mutagenic liquid on their backs, connected by hose to a pump-and-nozzle contraption that sprays the substance over the battlefield, creating clouds of mist that poisons those exposed to it, as well as vastly boosting their aggression. The range is short, and the effects are temporary. Their gambeson and helm match those of the Light Uruks. Uncommon
Mutamist Globadiers: Globadiers carry a satchel of glass flasks filled with the same mutagenic compound as the Sprayers, which they can sling (using a sling) at the enemy, where they shatter and unleash large clouds of the mist. Carry less of the compound than Sprayers, but have much greater range.
Uruk Commanders: Mean, tough, with a basic understanding of tactics, Uruk Commanders instil a modicum of order and discipline, while also being capable combatants themselves with their exclusive Blood-Drinker sword and partial plate armour (including a helmet with a nice red crest). They are distributed amongst all Uruk/CHAD units. The use of basic Coordination Drills gives them more options for commanding their underlings.
Uruk Warlords: Highest-ranked Commanders in Magoc's army. Oversee the hierarchy of other Commanders, bolstering their efficacy by ensuring the most capable rise to the top at the expense of the least capable. Also plan strategy.
Misfits: A small band of mutants. What kind of mutants? Who knows! Uruks who consumed a Mutagenic Draught or two and spun the wheel, ending up with some sort of beneficial mutation. Not substantially stronger than regular Uruks, but somewhat more effective, and kinda freaky, so that's fun. Uncommon
CHADS: Tall, intimidating mutants, suffused with Evil and Alchemy. They are stronger, tougher, and faster than even a well-trained regular human. Their every waking moment is consumed with thoughts of violence, at which they excel, although they are less well suited to intellectual pursuits. In their arms they wield either a sturdy two-handed hammer or a one-handed axe and a massive tower shield (both weapon options are of the Blood-Drinker variety), while their bodies are clad in sparse steel plate armour. Operate in small units. Uncommon
Consorts of Desire: Beautiful, enticing mutants, imbued with Evil and Alchemy. Aside from being breathtakingly attractive, these men and women have the ability to share their own enhanced hedonistic senses with those around them, making all of life's guilty pleasures seem that much more enjoyable, and making life seem grey and meaningless when they depart. Unrepentant hedonists, they insist on a high standard of living. Rare
Monsters:
Soulfang Jaguars: Jet-black felines, mutated large enough to carry an Uruk into battle. Their saliva is toxic, damaging the soul of those bitten (physical flesh is not prerequisite to being bitten by them). However, they are somewhat unreliable. Operate in smallish units. Uncommon
Soulfang Packs: Alpha Jaguars (slightly stronger and significantly more obedient), ridden by Pack Lords (better trained Uruks), leading packs of smaller, less mutated Lesser Soulfang Jaguars. Unit size is increased. Still Uncommon.
Devil-Crows: Crows infused with a small amount of Evil, increasing their natural intelligence slightly, and making them subservient to Magoc and his followers. They are larger than an average crow and have an unnatural red glint in their eyes, but are otherwise hard to distinguish. They are capable scouts and spies, having sufficient vocabulary to convey at least a decent summary of what they have seen. Murders of Devil-Crows may be deployed in battle to harass the enemy, in limited (Uncommon) numbers. Common
CHADCrows: Larger, meaner, enhanced Devil-Crows. Their sharpened talons and beaks make them a deadly threat, especially when working together. Typically operate in small murders. Uncommon
Pale Crows: Albino crows, with increased intelligence enabling them to perform more complex tasks, and lead the other crow types. They are also capable of seeing invisible magical beings, and damaging/destroying intangible magical beings. Uncommon
Devil-Rats: Basically the rat version of a Devil-Crow. Common
Spells/Rituals:
Magic Missile: Known by many names, the simple technique of blasting your opponent with raw Mana/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
Manipular Missile: An upgrade to Magic Missile, allowing for magic density to be increased or decreased. Denser missiles have slightly increased range and piercing-power, less dense missiles arc downwards and have decreased range/damage. Uruks can only be programmed with one 'mode' of casting at a time.
Ethereal Armament: A simple cantrip that can conjure any inanimate object the caster desires, with certain limits. Casting time depends on the complexity of the object and the caster's familiarity. Duration of magic depends on mass of object, and number of concurrently summoned objects. Common
Dumb Drunkard's Detangibiler: An unusual spell that briefly turns the caster and up to two passengers intangible. Casting takes some time, but can be held at the edge of activation for an extended period. Uncommon
Touch of the Hemophile: An effective healing spell that uses blood as a vector to siphon vitality from a 'donor' into the target. Requires some concentration and a mostly-unmoving donor. Common
Caress of the Hemophile: A more advanced version that can, in addition to healing injuries and sickness, restore youth to the target- at the cost of the life of a young 'donor'. Uncommon
Magical Equipment:
Mutagenic Draught: A carefully selected assortment of alchemical ingredients, infused with Evil, chucked together and processed into bottles of unusual liquids. Comes in three varieties; a beneficial-mutation type, a detrimental-mutation type, and an actually-poison type. Used sporadically by infiltrators to cause havoc. Uncommon
Bootlegger's Bounty: An Evil-infused liquor produced by Magoc's followers. The taste is said to be sublime, to the point where many become addicted after a single shot. Comes in a trademark black bottle with red label, very classy. Sales are used to fund the cult's projects. Common
Bootlegger Barrel Bombs: Kegs of Bootlegger's that explode when struck by magic of sufficient force. Somewhat unreliable. Uncommon
Blood-Drinker Blades: Weapons (need not necessarily be bladed), engraved with demonic runes, enchanted to 'drink' the blood of injured foes, 'feeding' the wielder to bolster their vitality and stamina. Provided to certain units.
Frag: A light blue crystalline substance, best used by inhaling vapours released by heating. Increases the flow of Mana through the user, resulting in intensified sensations and an improved spellcasting ability. Contains a small amount of Evil. Somewhat addictive. Provided to casters to improve their performance, and sold through Frag Dens as a revenue source (which is quite lucrative). Uncommon
Infiltration Techniques:
Proselytise: Cultists go forth and spread the Evil 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
Bootlegger Club: A recruitment method specifically aimed at addicts of Bootlegger's Bounty, promising a stable supply of the liquor to reel in new members. Very effective. Uncommon
Language of Inception Graffiti: Demonic runes, drawn in blood, subconsciously impart their message onto those who view them. Painted on the walls of human settlements, they subtly steer the population towards evil. Common
Temptation: Consorts of Desire ply important figures with luxurious pleasures, enticing them into a frenzy of indulgence. Once enthralled, the target is recruited into the cult, or otherwise persuaded to cooperate with the demonic cause. Rare
Mediocre Guarding: A not-especially effective attempt at protecting infiltration assets, hampered by slapdash planning and a lack of training. Nevertheless, any guards is a lot better than no guards, and the efforts are not inherently suspicious. Common
Leverage Criminals: Methods of taking control over existing criminal organisations, and having them work for the cult. Criminals can be encouraged to spy, kill, destroy, guard, steal, or smuggle on the cult's behalf- at which they are not as effective as a more zealous cultist could theoretically be, but it's definitely better than nothing. Also provides minor revenue stream. Effective rarity depends on local crime rate.
Frag Dens: Impressively secure locations where those with the coin to spare can enjoy a carefully administered dose of Frag in peace. Increase revenue from Frag sales, make recruitment easier, and provide safehouses for other operatives to fall back to. Uncommon
Infrastructure:
Draughtsmith: An eclectic laboratory where a handful of fledgling alchemists develop a variety of potions to augment and stabilise demonic mutations.
Warcaster's Keep: A facility for magical education, including a large library of forbidden knowledge that entices reckless scholars to visit.
Q'why Troupes: Groups of three Nymphs- youthful and exclusively female mutants, whose innocent appearance renders them more welcome in polite society than regular Consorts. Or would, if they weren't obsessed with dark and demonic clothing and makeup, and had grating voices used to sing horrifyingly hard-core music that is blatantly evil. Rare
DARRIN (Combat)Dry Plains:
4/4 |
0/4Mountain Passes:
4/4 |
0/4Rice Terraces:
0/4 |
4/4LESIMOR (Influence)Fortified Frontier:
3?/5 |
2/5Lawless Capital:
3?/5 |
2/5Scholarly Towers:
3?/5 |
3/5XA-NAM (Combat)River Delta:
4/4 |
0/4River Crossings:
3/4 |
1/4Light Jungle:
0/4 |
4/4DOLGOTH (Influence)Trade City:
3?/5 |
3/5Ostentatious Capital:
3?/5 |
4/5Wartorn Wastes:
3?/5 |
4/5
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Topic: Demon Team - Chiaroscuro Arms Race: Strategy Phase 10 (Read 42682 times)