Angel Team: Revision Phase T3TURNTURNTURNGadfly Funeral Expenses
We probably should have done this earlier.
By actually paying for a Gadfly's funeral, not only do we prevent "Shitty Feather" incidents, we also provide a centralized location to apply relevant infiltration techniques. To ensure this, we've instructed our Gadflies to include a request for our services (as opposed to the Masters of Rites) in their will.
Gadfly Funeral Expenses: Trivial: (2+4)+2=8: Unexpected Boon
"I, being of sound mind and body (well, relatively speaking), want my funeral to be arranged by my weird new friends."While the Masters of Rites offer a very tempting service, few people will disregard explicit instructions in someone's will for how their funeral should be arranged. Especially if the specified funeral provider will do so for free as well. Mind you, it is still
possible for the relatives of a Gadfly to disregard their choice, but very unlikely. The Masters will still cause trouble, of course- there are many other funerals attended by those whose minds you have inclined towards Good-, but the especially egregious effect of them performing a Gadfly's funeral will mostly be avoided.
Gadflies aren't very numerous, so it is chump change to organise decent funerals for them. By making a big event of it, even people who would not ordinarily attend the funeral can be drawn in, creating a large community gathering ripe for manipulation by your agents. There is a bonus attendee as well: the Gadfly's lingering spirit, deliberately refusing to pass on until their funeral is over. The presence of this spirit provides reinforcement for the mental effects of witnessing the Gadfly's death, and will even apply a weaker version to those who did not witness it at all.
Gadfly Funeral Expenses will reduce the severity of Shitty Feather incidents, provides a key opportunity to integrate into a community, and reinforces the Gadfly's effects. It technically costs more, but not a significant amount (rarity is unchanged).
The Ymis Ward's issue with destabilizing when both frequencies are used in close proximity to one another has consistently caused problems on every front it is deployed, and it is only a matter of time before our enemies make either bows or spells that are deadlier than they are now and the utter inability to block one, even for a short time, leads to devastating consequences. As such, we've decided to deal with this issue.
With time, effort, and experimentation we've managed to essentially 'focus' these frequencies. Or in less vague terms, we've made them no longer extend beyond the ward itself such that it can clash against and disrupt other wards. This means that, should our Acolytes set up a shield against arrows, they no longer have to panic and scramble to simultaneously bring it down and replace it should they find our forces needing a shield against spells.
Ymis Frequency Stabilization: Trivial: (1+1)+2=4: Below Average
[Fix] The modifications to Ymis Ward do their job: the 'interference range' is sharply reduced to less than a foot. This allows them to be layered (with a small gap between them), protecting the same entity or group. There may still be times when using the mixed ward is a better choice (eg if protecting a large crowd), but for protecting high-value targets (or switching from one ward to another) it is more effective than having two mixed wards.
It is now the Strategy Phase. Choose where to deploy Muu and The Good Doctor.
Muu: The benevolent leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little she cannot do. Needless to say, she is Unique
Champions:
The Good Doctor: Venturing forth with her trusty sword Moonlight (and an unnamed parrying dagger), with traces of Truesilver flowing through her veins, the Good Doctor strikes with surgical precision at enemy weak spots, absorbing their vitality (she's definitely not a vampire). Her sword is especially potent versus non-human foes. Unique
Mundane Units:
Cultist Spears: Reasonably equipped with an iron dagger, a bone-wood-amalgam shield, and bone-wood-shaft iron-tipped spear, though still lacking training. These are not elite warriors- they'd usually lose a one-on-one fight with a real soldier-, but they're cheap and plentiful. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Unit Size: ~50 Common
Cultist Archers: Cultists who have some experience with a bow are valuable assets in combat, harassing the enemy from a distance. They aren't sharpshooters, and their bows are designed for hunting, not piercing armour, but they're better than nothing. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Unit Size: ~25 Common
Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under their angelic patron. 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. Unit Size: ~25 Uncommon
Cultist Missionaries: Cultists with a modicum of charisma and subtlety, sent forth as emissaries of their eldritch master. Unarmed and untrained, they serve no role in combat. Unit Size: ~10 Common
Summoned/Mutated Units:
Sea Servants: Deceased cultists, returned to unlife by the grace of Muu. Their mind and soul bound to a hivemind, their body strengthened and transformed into a more tentacle-y version. More vulnerable to damage than humans, but heedless of pain and danger. Used both as labourers and warriors. They are more effective in the presence of Muu, as she can control the hivemind (and a limited number of individual bodies) directly. Unit Size: ~100 Common
Drakegulls: Sea gulls, on a much bigger scale. Three-piece beak, extra eyes, sporadic tentacles, claws on both feet and wingtips. Ridable by cultists, who direct the beasts in battle. Very hungry- will sometimes stop mid-battle to snack on a corpse. Too heavy to fly, though they can glide. Unit Size: ~20 Uncommon
Liquid Light Elementals: A self-propelled mass of Liquid Sunlight, bigger and stronger than a human. A Cherub forms the core of the Elemental, and only by destroying said core will it fall for good. Unfortunately, the Cherubs burn with righteousness, and refuse to dim their light, meaning they must be transported in stasis, and introduced to large barrels of Liquid Sunlight prior to battle. Unit Size: ~15 Uncommon
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
Ymis Ward: A simple magic barrier that can reduce the impact of attacks both mundane and mystical- or be tuned to focus on one over the other. Opposite frequencies can be layered (with a small gap). Won't last long, but can be useful in a pinch. Common
Magical Equipment:
Bottled Sunlight: Sunlight, infused with Good, in liquid form. Can serve as a light source (either extremely bright but short-lived, or quite bright but lasting an hour), applied directly as first-aid (with risk of mutation), or thrown at enemy troops where the concentrated Good will burn Evil beings. Uncommon
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, but it keeps the cult growing. Common
Worms of Muu: Parasitic/symbiotic worms that produce a worsening malaise unless the host engages in Good-producing acts. Worm will starve if deprived of Good for a week. Encourages good behaviour in a community, and causes the affected to be drawn together by exuded pheromones, forming strong bonds between Good-aligned individuals, who will easily trust angelic operatives while being extremely hard to lure into Evil. Uncommon
Gadflies: Individuals willing to die for a cause, trained in rhetoric and infused with emotion-amplifying hexes that trigger on death. They deliberately seek to be executed for standing up against evil, using the spectacle as an opportunity to give an impassioned speech that is amplified by their death. Even if they are killed before giving their speech, the hexes will still cause a significant swelling of sympathy for the Gadfly and their cause, even amongst the embittered. Unit Size: 1 Rare
Gadfly Funeral Expenses: By spending a (relatively) small amount of money to organise funerals for Gadflies (who specify it to be their desired funeral in their will), a large gathering is assembled where angelic missionaries can mingle with a receptive audience. The Gadfly's spirit lingers during the funeral, either instilling or reinforcing the effect of their death on attendees.
Corals of Community: Mutant coral, harvested from the waters around Tendril Village, sold as a decoration for aquariums (targeted at the wealthy). Being around the Community Coral will instil a desire to do Good and find a community, as well as rendering the customer susceptible to angelic suggestions. Uncommon
Infrastructure:
Forge of Cleansing: A magically-enhanced forge, where specially blessed water is used to make materials malleable (instead of using heat). This allows for greater use of metals, as well as the use of more exotic materials such as bone. Infrastructure
3 Wealth Tokens (of which 1 loaned)
THPENOS (Influence)Bountiful Quarries:
2/5 |
1/5Gridlocked Polis:
2/5 |
2/5Restless Satrapy:
1/5 |
2/5CHEGITHA (Combat)Sheltered Fjords:
8/8 |
0/8Rolling Hills:
2/8 |
6/8Deserted Urbs:
0/8 |
8/8XYRANIA (Influence)Pirate Haven:
2/5 |
1/5Schism'd Capital:
2/5 |
2/5Raiders' Roost:
1/5 |
2/5WESTERN PROTECTORATE (Combat)Windcarved Mesas:
8/8 |
0/8Vast Steppe:
4/8 |
4/8Pestilent Marshes:
0/8 |
8/8
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Topic: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Design Phase T6 (Read 23541 times)