Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Man of Paper]

Re: equipment vs units
Depends on what you're going for. Just the equipment will probably be easier overall, but doing the unit could wrap in extra basic equipment as well as give you the chance to better define their training, tactics, and purpose on the field. It'd also affect what a high or low roll specifically impacts.

The Guide Spirit falls pretty solidly in the range of Normal difficulty. It seeks to do something new for your side, make dudes but interplanar but also they're really just spy/ambassadors with magical fluff. It's functionally a step up from Basic Diplomacy in both potential effects and complexity.

[TricMagic]

As an idea, why not make really good bows so we'd have a ranged option? Then maybe invest into inscribing magic arrows.

[ConscriptFive]

(Huh, why work on your own forum game when you can work on someone else's?)

You won't beelieve what you're about to read....

Avatar: The Vespoid King

What better manifestation of predation, parasitism, societal "superorganism," and general viciousness could there be than the Vespoid Wasp?  Thus is the chosen avatar of the so-called "Vespoid King:" a giant yellow and black flying insect with a resilient carapace.  The inexpressive jet black eyes of his insect face are devoid of discernible emotion, which is likely for the best, as his inner dialogue usually consists of constantly plotting conquest and subjugation of new species.  As you would expect from a wasp, he has powerful mandibles on his face, and a long venomous stinger.

Island: The Hive

The heart of the Auran Empire is "The Hive."  Here, cultists true believers in the Vespoid King, mimic twisted facsimile of a massive vespoid colony.  Within the hive's hexagonally-celled walls, "Yellowjacket" priests and their acolytes relentlessly, yet dispassionately, drive the subjugated in hard labor.  Sure, the subjugated often die of exhaustion, but it's nothing personal: after all, no sense of self is allowed amongst the subjugated in the Hive.  The subjugated are considered a fungible and consumable resource. 

As the Yellowjacket saying goes:  "It is not spite for which one burns a cord of firewood, but for warmth and light."

Despite the endless churning death of numerous subjugated everyday, there are no funeral rituals that you would normally expect in a "civilized" society.  Death goes mostly unremarked except for the necessary logistical wrangling of replacing the deceased's role in the Hive.  Corpses of the subjugated are unceremoniously disposed into compost alongside feces and other noxious waste.

As the Yellowjacket saying goes:  "One does not mourn a cup of water drank.  To be consumed to the fullest is the greatest honor to be had in both life and death."

https://clip.cafe/what-we-do-in-the-shadows-2014/we-should-get-some-slaves/

Design: Bartholomew's Bees Fine Apiary Products

Unsurprising of an empire that worships a gigantic wasp, the Auran Empire has an extensive apiary industry revolving around domesticated species of honey bees.  The resulting honey and beeswax finds its way into countless culinary, medicinal, and other applications within the economy.

Of course, given the nature of the Auran Empire, it's undeniable that the apiary industry uses subjugated labor.  While the Yellowjackets have a policy of not discussing "internal hive affairs," its common knowledge that subjugated enter the Hive in bondage, and don't come back.  Regardless of the superior quality and competitive pricing of the Hive's apiary products, some high-minded consumers insisted on a boycott.

A clever Yellowjacket devised a solution: Bartholomew's Bees Fine Apiary Products.  Obtaining the whole-heated endorsement of an influential apothecary, the Auran Empire marketed its centralized apiary industry as a folksy wellness-focused line of consumer-oriented products.

"Looking to celebrate with a sweet treat but no fruit is in season?  Might we recommend a jar of Auran Private Select for your cake?"

"Burn yourself on the hearth?  Try Bartholomew's Bees honey poultice before the wound gets too angry."

"Did you know eight out of ten husbands wish their wives were more youthful looking?  Bartholomew's Bees line of therapeutic skincare lotions can keep your marriage a happy one."

"Do you or a loved one suffer from hemorrhoids?  Find relief in H-Preparation Balm."

"Feeling tired?  Missing your old self?  Ask your apothecary if a Royal Jelly supplement might be right for you."

And that doesn't even get into the most lucrative consumer product: alcohol.  While numerous brews have long existed amongst the many races of Aur'Kayn since time immemorial, the sweet honey mead of the Auran Empire is the most widely palatable.  Under the marketing machine of Bartholomew's Bees Fine Apiary Products, "Auran Royal Reserve" is a premium mead sold in a giftable finely crafted glass bottle.  Accordingly, "Auran Royal Reserve" has become a status symbol, conspicuously consumed by the nouveau rich and the aspirational middle-class.

But some skeptics will wonder, "A belligerent empire selling benign consumer products at rock bottom prices?  To what end is all of this?"

The dirty secret is that the whole business isn't even that profitable to begin with.  First off, most of their exports aren't even objectively better than locally produced goods.  However, their exports come in a nice package with a lower price tag, and touted by a slick pitchman.  Sure, they'll get the sale, but international shipping and general infrastructure costs offsets the advantage of slave cheap labor.

But if it's not about the money, what is it about?

I have one word for you:

"Plastics.  Influence."

It's wildly known that the Yellowjackets running Bartholomew's Bees readily trade profit margins for increased market share.  Most savvy merchants assume this is a standard monopoly long game: drive the competition out of business with low prices, then safely raise prices uncontested in a cornered market.  But the Vespoid King cares not for honest coin.

Because of Bartholomew's Bees Fine Apiary Products, those living outside the warzone of the Vespoid King's conquests tend to have a dramatically different view of the Auran Empire.  Obviously, the Auran Empire isn't a belligerent empire that perversely worship a demonstrably malevolent slave-driving god.  They're an efficiently run machine whose low-cost trade products increase everyone's quality of life.

"Sure, they may have a different way of doing things in their country, but we can't go around imposing our values on others.  Sure, they may be involved in some local border conflicts, but everyone knows the Vespoid King would never do anything to damage the Auran Empire's state-owned industries.  Those Auran-phobic ivory-tower types who advocate economic sanctions are fools, as a so-called 'trade war' will only hurt our economy more than theirs.  Seriously, though.  Why can't we just keep politics out of this?"

Exactly.

Kindly requesting sanity difficulty checks at GM's earliest convenience.

[Man of Paper]

Phoneposting got weird but anyways

First off let me say any sanity check is an automatic failure since you’re playing an arms race.

Since the avatar and island aren’t subject to rolls there’s no need for me to estimate any difficulty for them. For the notBurts Bees and Everything Else id estimate at a solid normal. It’s a shallow but wide scope that ultimately boils down to “honey-based trade goods” and potentially sets a solid foundation for future market growth

[ConscriptFive]

Alrighty then.  Here's one more design (we need two), but a bit more theme agnostic if you guys aren't into the whole Vespoid King thing...

Design: Society of Masons

The Oasis Fortress wasn't built in a day, but with today's Society of Masons, you could certainly try.  Descended from an ancient order of scribes fascinated with the arcane manipulation of numbers, architecture in the Auran Empire has been transformed from a haphazard art into a rigorous science under their wizened guidance.  Still, no one outside the Society knows how exactly a Mason can take some charcoal, parchment, and their signature 'slide rule' and design a grand bridge overnight.  But one does not look a gift horse in the mouth, especially a divine one.

In terms of military science, esteemed members of the Society of Masons will be assigned to our forces in the field with appropriate office, rank, and other honors.  Their arcane expertise will oversee military pioneering projects, with a special emphasis on bridge building given our anticipated conquest of the Swamps and Mountains.  (Given the difficult terrain compared to our native Steppes and Deserts, using military bridging to rapidly establish freedom of maneuver should prove a strategic boon.)

As for construction techniques, typical Masonic architecture in the Auran Empire is unsurprisingly stone-based.  (Given the barren lay of our native Steppes and Desert, lumber is not a traditional resource.)  Just as their ancestors did in building the legendary Wonderwall of the Oasis Fortress, our Masons use an alchemical mix to adhere stones into a solid unified structure.  This knowledge is so institutionalized over the generations, than an experienced mason can dictate the day's taskings to their foreman practically in their sleep.

But the apprentices of the Masons are eager to upstage their traditionalist masters in the Swamps.  With coming access to lumber and cordage, these youngsters speak of "suspended" bridges, exploiting the "natural forces of tension."  We know not of what they speak, and we dare not ask them to violate their trade secrets.  But such a divinely inspired technological advancement from the Society of Masons will only ease our inevitable conquest of Aurkayn.

So it's a military pioneering corps (ala the Roman Empire) but with a mystical reskin, and mechanically skewed towards bridging given the treacherous terrain we'll be battling for in the next few turns.  It's stated they don't do just bridging, but with a strong roll or revisions we could get into fortifications and siege engineering/sapping.  I don't think I'm being too radical here, but a tutorial difficulty check from the GM would be appreciated.

[Taricus]

TBH I'm more waiting on replies for the avatar theme I've come up with; we're going to be leaning into that pretty hard for our designs so I sorta want to get that hammered out before throwing designs around.

Which ain't easy when people seemingly miss the post :V

[Twinwolf]

I'm going to be working on my ideas for that soon-ish, also some more designs. Not a fan of the vespoid king and the hive at least. I do like the idea of the masons, though.

[ConscriptFive]

TBH I'm more waiting on replies for the avatar theme I've come up with; we're going to be leaning into that pretty hard for our designs so I sorta want to get that hammered out before throwing designs around.

Which ain't easy when people seemingly miss the post :V

I didn't miss it, there's just not much to say about it.

Earth and Fire, but also Wealth?  So maybe like a Hephaestus/Vulcan... but with a passionate streak to spur world domination?  Needs a lot of fleshing out.

In terms of game pacing, we are going into the weekend now.  We can sit on the theme for the rest of the turn, but we're into "shit or get off the pot" time in terms of advancing the design phase.

[Taricus]

Eh, not fond of the whole wealth angle, it just seems to be brought up because gold and auran. I'm fine with making a play off of that angle just... a different one that isn't about gold's most obvious aspect.

The Masons I do like though, which is a good start and I think that does work into that whole theme as well.

[TricMagic]

Design: Archer's Quarrel(and other bows)

Among the people who worship Auron, there are those who seek perfection in simplicity. The perfect longbow, the most fine arrows. The best archers any kingdom could care for. Making use of oasis wood for it's limberness, and palm fronds for the bowstring, with greenglass arrows. And with hundreds of hours practice. The Archers of Auran give their god a showing of their ability in the field, able to hit a mark from anywhere in their effective range.

Going with simplicity refined to a razer point.

[Taricus]

Tric, we have nomads. Why would we want or need a longbow when a composite or recurve bow would be better for our needs?

[Man of Paper]

Society of Masons is impossible in the scope of the game. If you take out the Wonderwall reference it comes down somewhere around Hard.
Archer's Quarrel gives me a lot of flavor and nothing substantial beyond the best everything and it's a bow. This is probably gonna settle Very Hard, maybe leaning more toward the higher end unless the design gets refined a bit, because at the moment it tells me you should be replacing your slingers wholesale with the best archers and best bows and best arrows ever.

[TricMagic]

Tric, we have nomads. Why would we want or need a longbow when a composite or recurve bow would be better for our needs?

Probably cause I don't have any idea what s going on.
I'd support a recurve bow though.

[Twinwolf]

Avatar - The Council of Nine

The Council of Nine at first glance seems to be nine distinct entities. They take the form of assorted men and women, with a variety of appearances and personalities. This is something of an illusion - the Nine are in fact one entity splitting it's being; they must remain relatively near each other, but otherwise can act somewhat independently. The Nine's true form is a nine-headed draconic being, which the individual beings can merge into as needed.

Geomantic Adept

Running off one's personal magic is, for most people, grossly inefficient. It can be trained, it can be improved, but to do so relies on trying to increase the size of a container that begins as effectively a small cup for the vast majority of initiates. It also leaves an avenue of fueling those spells untapped - a ready to access reservoir of magical energy, the land itself.

The god of the Auran Empire deigned to teach it's people the secrets of geomancy, the performance of ritual-spells using complex arcane symbols and reagents; the adept draws the appropriate magical signs, usually either carved in the dirt with a staff or on hardier ground built with stones. Once established, this allows the user to tap into local leylines and mana in order to fuel their spells, contributing only a sliver of their own reserve in comparison.

Geomantic magic has an advantage critical to military use - it is efficient. It allows someone with comparatively little mana to cast more spells before they're exhausted, or cast larger spells than they would otherwise be able to. They take some time to set up but once established can just keep going and going, either casting a similar number of higher power spells or a larger number of normal-powered spells. Geomantic Adepts are those trained in the creation of the proper magical circles and ritual ingredients (along with the small entourage of initiates assisting their master in the setup).

((TLDR: Magic users, but trading a setup time and reduced adaptability with being able to pump more power into spells or cast more spells with the same power. Meant to be a setup to more magic down the road, since that's been kinda underutilized in Chiaruscuro))

[ConscriptFive]

Island - The Land of Plenty

It's a beautifully written vision based on Eastern principles of karmic reincarnation, BUT it doesn't obviously translate into an expansionist theocratic empire led by a manifested god?  There's a reason that kind of ideology historically led to isolationist kingdoms in the Orient.    If your ruling class is spends every waking hour on trivial hobbies within the supposed perfection of their heavenly palace, how does AR-style world domination logically precipitate from that?  The Chinese Middle Kingdom was so fascinated with their own sophistication they went pseudo-John Galt until Western Imperialists showed up on their doorstep centuries later.

It's not impossible, but it could use some work.

In other news, the Vespoid King has proven divisive and The Hive is abit too specific to him...

Avatar: The Good Mother

Perhaps she had a proper name once, but now she only identifies as 'The Good Mother.'  And it's obvious why.  The appearance of her avatar is that of a goddess with the Rubenesque figure of a woman who has borne and nursed multiple children.  Her beloved children are her world, and all other concerns are secondary.  Pleasant company under normal circumstances, she can quickly turn fearsomely aggressive to protect the safety, well-being, and prosperity of Her beloved children.  The Good Mother has recently (recent in the cosmic scale of time) come to the conclusion that the only way She can completely protect them from the world is by Her own undisputed hegemony over it.  The Auran Empire is Her vehicle to do so.

Island: The Hearth (AKA: The Gilded Cages)

Most view 'The Good Mother' as a generous and benevolent goddess.  Since the founding of the Auran Empire, Her influence has always been one of a divine maternal love that has brought prosperity and stability to the Empire.

When Her avatar physically manifested itself to the people of the Auran Empire, a new island arose from the sea.  She immediately claimed it was her Hearth and personal domain.  (Not sure how they were going to host and acommodate a god in the capital city, the nobles of the Auran Empire were relieved at this development.)

Expecting a traditional palace with court rooms, offices, map rooms, and the general bureaucratic facilities to properly steward a realm, the humans were surprised at just how private the Hearth turned out to be.  No administrative functions migrated from the capital city to the new island.  The Hearth rarely hosts visitors, and no one except a necessary personal staff sworn to secrecy has access to the Inner Court.  Accordingly, most Aurans have come to understand the Hearth as more of a personal retreat for Herself, rather than the headquarters of a growing empire.

Yet even Her personal staff in the Inner Court aren't fully aware of the purpose of the Hearth.  But as time goes by, individuals hear and see things.  Had they the collective inclination and suicidal tendencies to conspire in front of a manifested divine being, they would discern the following about "The Good Mother."

While She colloquial refers to all Aurans in good standing as "Her children,"  Her "beloved children" refer to several beings residing within the Inner Court.  They are several adult humanoids who are confined within the Inner Court.  Whether they're divine, demi-gods, or chosen mortals is unclear, as She actively chaperones all close contact with them.  Within their "Gilded Cages," She nurtures and shields them from the dangers of the outside world.

Behaviorally, these "children" are not all right.  Eternally pampered, sheltered, and generally spoiled by a well-meaning but obsessive god, they never developed into functional adults.  Even as adults, the seven children rarely speak and are prone to explosive temper tantrums.  She has seemingly realized her beloved children are faltering, and The Good Mother seems to be trying everything except discipline to remedy the situation.  While She had personally schooled them for the "best" education, recently She has brought tutors for additional "enrichment."  After the initial novelty, most of the beloved children have no interest in serious studies, especially from someone who isn't their family.  Still unwilling to trust the world outside the Hearth, she's been having trusted agents within Her Auran Empire to fetch other "enrichment" toys and entertainers from across the world.  Given their number, capricious whims, and no one willing to say "no," this is becoming an increasing drain on the Auran Empire.  Someday, the outside world will be safe for Her beloved children to explore freely, but for now, the Hearth is the only course a "good" and "responsible" parent would pursue for their beloved "children."