Demon Team: Design Phase T3TURNTURNTURNAgony of the Soul (uses Catacomb Token)
Agony of the Soul is a spell designed from the very ground up to be used by Soul Magi and with Soul Gems. At its most base form, it is a competent spell, although not a weak one, being an orb fired off by the caster that, upon impact with the target area or foe, goes off in a blast of lightning of moderate power, which is capable of chaining over to a couple (or, in the case of weaker enemies or particularly strong casters, a few) other nearby enemies.
However, the real power of this spell doesn't come from the base form (although that base form is itself most assuredly meant to be more effective than the magic missile we have now, even if our Acolytes cannot likely cast it) - the truly terrifying power of Agony of the Soul comes from the inherent compatibility of the spell with Soul Gems, for the spell is designed to not only be fueled by the souls of the enemies of Nar-Carok and the Soul Magi, but use them - a process that was perfected through allowing our Soul Magi to absorb and use many a lost ghost of the region's cemeteries in the very prototypes of this spell, consigning them to a truly horrific fate in the name of magical experimentation. When Agony of the Soul is used with a boost from the Soul Gem, not only is its area of effect and power boosted much more significantly than a magic missile would be, but the spell gains a second effect - not just lightning, but a wail of the most pure, unearthly pain and fear that cuts through the battlefield. This scream is not some form of sonic attack - instead, it is felt at the very spiritual level, derived from the agony being experienced by the souls being used within the Soul Gem to power the spell. This scream functions as a direct attack on Good and good-aligned neutral souls, damaging enemies and either dealing mental and morale damage (if they're a mortal being) or damage to their physical functioning (if they are a being like Sea Servants that are dead or inanimate and connected to souls).
Agony of the Soul (uses Catacomb Token): Easy: (1+3)+1=5: Average
So this is what soul music is? Seems a little grating.
The core of this spell was not a significant challenge. Lightning is surprisingly easy to conjure, and although it requires some magical tweaking to make it chain between targets (turns out that by nature it just wants to go into the ground), this was soon resolved.
The more interesting aspect- the 'soul thunder' to accompany the bolt of lightning-, could have proved a more serious developmental hurdle. Fortunately, thousands of lingering spirits 'generously donated' their existence to the cause of progress, smoothing over the challenge by allowing for large-scale trial-and-error testing. And hey, they can't even curse your name in the afterlife, cos their souls were destroyed in the process!
The un-boosted version of the spell, when used by Soul Magi, has a range roughly equivalent to that of Magic Missile, but deals about two times as much damage to the initial target (in most cases; some may be more or less resilient to lightning-based attacks (
for example, people in metal plate armour would be completely immune)). The lightning will then 'chain' to a nearby target, losing some potency in the process (preferring Good-aligned entities, although if none are nearby, it can also chain to Evil-aligned ones (so don't cast at a single enemy surrounded by friendlies)); it will do this until it can't overcome the target's resistance. In the case of Soul Magi targeting Cultists, it will generally hit five targets (always killing the first, but causing much less damage to the fifth)- it would hit more Sea Servants but fewer Acolytes, due to their lower/higher magic resistance.
When boosted, Agony of the Soul gains two main benefits. First, most simply, more power- with the spell designed ground-up to use the power of a Soul Gem, it is almost four times more potent when boosted (thus adding many more links to the chain, with the first target suffering immense damage (a Cultist would be disintegrated- which is actually somewhat wasteful)). Second, the soul-thunder, an effect that centers on the primary target, spreading an inaudible but deafening wail across the field. This wail damages (at decreasing intensity the further they are from the epicentre) souls (primarily Good ones, although avoiding all collateral damage is not viable), shaking the resolve of living beings and threatening the integrity of souls not connected to a living body (note that not all Undead necessarily
have souls- some are mindless constructs, animated by magic alone; these would be immune. The effect on the gestalt soul of Sea Servants is not clear, but it is speculated that it could break the connections between it and individual corpses- and possibly have more significant effects if near the epicentre).
Agony of the Soul is a powerful damage-dealing spell, that will greatly enhance the lethality of Soul Magi (and yourself). The spell is too complicated for Acolytes to use, although without the Soul-Gem-integration aspects, it could be made usable. It requires more power per casting than Magic Missile- approximately twice as much (but the total damage output is much more than doubled).
Uncommon
Hateful Bowmen
Some corpses and souls retain their strong hatred of Good, but not enough to animate a body. Some souls are simply too fractured, too broken, to be put to use as even an ingredient in a proper One Who Remembers or Recalls. But Nar-Carok is not one to let a good Evil soul go to waste.
The Hateful Bows are new bows imbued with yet more angry souls of the deeper reaches of the buried cities. These bows give every shot they take the same hatred, enhancing their impact against Good foes. More importantly, these angry arrows actively seek the most damaging targets they can find - often finding themselves shifting their trajectories in the air to ensure they hit a foe. Such weapons allow our archers to actively aim for the enemy's mages with the confidence that they'll hit (unless perhaps blocked by a ward), or shoot into a melee with little risk of wasteful friendly fire. The increased draw weight of the bow should also give it a good bit more oomph on the arrow itself.
The spirits imbued into these bows influence their wielders. The angry dead begin to take hold of them as a means towards their vengeance on Good. Movements come faster, bowstrings drawn tighter, increasing the fire rate and draw strength as the archers focus on their murderous goal to the expense of even their own bodies.
Ideally, these bowmen replace our normal archers.
[TLDR: Good-seeking bows and angry possessed archers]
Hateful Bowmen: Easy: (3+1)+1=5: Average
If you weren't a Demon, I might suggest counseling. You seem to be fixated on hatred and revenge.
It is not a major challenge to improve the bows used by Cultist Archers. The method used is a fairly mundane enchantment, building on previous work with hate-filled soul fragments.
The results are promising. Hateful Bows strike harder, further, and with greater accuracy, while the archers wielding them fire faster. None of the improvements are staggering, but put together they offer a significant boost in performance. The archers do have a tendency to over-exert themselves, but this should not present a significant problem during battle (unless a fight drags on for hours), though after a battle they will require more time to recuperate.
Hateful Bowmen are a significant upgrade to Cultist Archers. There is a little more work involved in producing their bows and training them to use them effectively, reducing unit size slightly. Unit Size: ~20
Common
In order to unlock the true potential of the Broken Shackle of Jilganheim, God of Chaos and Freedom, discussion among the cult of Nar-Carok and Nar-Carok himself ultimately turned towards using his mischievous power to empower a thief of epic proportions. In the end, the cult melted down the shackle and turned it into a fine thread, with a particularly masterwork weaver (inducted into the cult after one too many Shitty Feather breakdowns) combining this thread with lace to turn it into the Glove of the Impossible, a glove intended to allow the wearer to steal impossible things (such as stealing foreign objects out of someone’s body without rupturing it, or stealing a magical spell/effect from the caster or holder, or thoughts out of minds) or steal possible things in impossible ways (such as stealing people out of prison right through the walls, or stealing items out of somebody’s possession from meters away). This glove was left in the storage rooms of the cult for a short while, as Nar-Carok sought an ideal member of the cult to wield it.
And then some fucking jackass stole it.
Said fucking jackass was an adventurer from the Raider's Roost, actually one of the best in the business at thieving, but also one of the best in the business at getting himself ostracized by even other adventurers for being a huge dick. He had been attempting to join the cult of Nar-Carok for a while now, but had been failing, because he had quite simply been too annoying for the mortal agents of Nar-Carok in the Roost. Now, he had taken matters into his own hands - and, perhaps, Jilganheim had taken matters into his as well, seeking out an ideal wielder for the artifact of his energies. Deftly avoiding execution on account of being a veteran adventurer who was nigh-impossible to actually catch and kill, and being in fact probably a better user of the artifact than any of Nar-Carok's actual cultists, the now-Impossible Thief swore himself to the cult.
In influence, the Impossible Thief serves many purposes for the cult, laying the best-laid plans of both men and Muus to ruin. The Thief throws a galaxy-sized wrench into mortal nations' attempts to damage either our cult or the factions our cult sides with. His ability to use his glove to, as the examples given above, steal men out of jail and to directly steal intel from people, of course, is very powerful here, allowing warnings to be provided when policing or attacks are attempted - but he himself also delights in finding new and creative ways to fuck people over and ruin their plans and days, stealing small vital things that send massive plans completely derailing. And if you're Muu? Well, if you brought some fancy expensive object, he's going to find out how much the copper sells for on the black market if he strips it out. If you brought Worms, he's going to steal it every now and then. Steel his resolve? No, he's going to steal your resolve, the ability to steal magical effects potentially even letting him neutralize Gadflies. He should also be able to function positively in influence, providing our allies with valuable objects, money, and useful pieces of intel purloined from around the region, especially when there's something particularly valuable to steal. There is a vital limit to his abilities, though: he cannot perform direct, harmful attacks via the glove (like stealing hearts out of people's chests). Perhaps if the glove were a different god, or had a different wielder, it might be possible - but Jilganheim and the Impossible Thief himself are in concord about something: using an artifact like this to be a hitman is fucking BORING, and a waste of the potential creativity provided - after all, one would be likely to default to it every time. Thus, the glove actively resists it, and the Thief goes along with that resistance, preventing this course of action.
Despite being very much primarily intended for influence, the Impossible Thief is nonetheless not useless in combat, if maybe not as powerful as someone like the Vampire Lord. Although he won't use the glove for direct attacks, and he prefers not to be wasting his time trying to do something like stab people, he isn't a pacifist. At a minimum, for example, he has combat options such as stealing a Magic Missile right out of an enemy Acolyte's hands and then literally dunking on them with it. The only combat attribute the Impossible Thief has is one also useful for not getting murdered in influence lanes - he is a fast, squirrelly bastard who is damn near impossible to get one's hands on, although he's not very physically strong, and he uses this to dart around a battlefield, stealing combat plans and delivering them to our side, perhaps stealing powerful artifacts and enchantments from enemy Champions for a fair portion of the battle, even doing things like trying to steal the soul connection of the Sea Servants from Muu, although he would only be able to disrupt her strengthening presence and only while holding onto the connection.
The Impossible Thief (uses Broken Shackle of Jilganheim): Hard: (3+4)-1=6: Above Average
The Impossible Thief is objectively an irritating twerp. However, you can put up with it, and nobody else is annoyed enough to do anything about it- because if they do make a fuss, the Thief can just steal their annoyance (provided he isn't too entertained by their reactions).
Making the glove was a bit of a challenge, but at the end of the day it's just one glove. Disruption, by means of 'liberating' items from their owners, is a fine use of Jilganheim's energy. There was some interesting debate as to how it could even be
possible to grasp hold of spells, let alone thoughts or other intangible things... but the weaver (whose mental state is, uh, turbulent) told them all to shut up. She then locked herself in her workshop for three days straight, before emerging with the finished glove (and coffee poisoning). For some reason, the finished product menaces with spikes of oyster shell.
The glove was kept under heavy security, as befits such a valuable item. When it disappeared, you had some stern words with the cultists on guard duty. After picking your teeth, you cast out feelers to try and locate the item- a process that proved unnecessary, as the Impossible Thief was waiting for you in your- similarly well guarded- inner sanctum. No longer hungry, you simply opted to bury the guards alive. You then spent several minutes in discussion with the Thief, a process which destroyed most of your sanctum, and barely ruffled the Thief's hair. Realising that killing him would require more effort than ignoring him, and that he did present a potent ally, you reluctantly accepted his vows of loyalty.
Anyway. Moving on. The Glove works. Don't ask how it works, it just does- much of the operation hinges on Jilganheim's unpredictable power (although you did gain some experience, replicating the Glove's powers would be a major challenge). Money can't buy everything, but the Impossible Thief can steal it (with enough time and preparation- you asked about the possibility of stealing the sun, and he said he could do it if you give him three centuries and unlimited resources. He did add that stealing the sun
light over a small area may be possible, though). Some of the things he steals vanish forever- possibly consumed by the glove as fuel-, though he has control over this, so there's no risk of something important vanishing. Some of the other things are put to immediate use. And some of the things show up in a vault in the Buried City. Like gold. Quite a lot of gold. Stealing gold
is sort of boring, but the Thief can't help himself- it's an involuntary reflex; the Thief sees a fat merchant with a swollen purse walk by, the Thief is going to take it, the rings on his fingers, the memory of his wedding day (minor note- when stealing thoughts, memories, and the like, the Thief can choose to steal a 'copy', or to remove outright), and his shoelaces. The Thief has no need for gold, so it goes into your coffers
((+1 Wealth Token (this is modeled as a one-off, but represents a continuous income stream))). In an Influence role, the Impossible Thief will severely hamper angelic operations that rely on scarce materials- he can indeed steal the hexes from a Gadfly (rendering them useless), or the parasitic Worms of Muu from within an important target (removing that as an obstacle to conversion). He is just one guy, though, so large-scale operations are harder for him to disrupt. Additionally, his ability to acquire intel, blackmail, and various other things will provide missionaries with the leverage needed to make (more) progress with key conversions (again, generally not useful for large-scale operations). It is also likely to improve other infiltration efforts developed in the future. In all, while the Thief cannot singlehandedly convert provinces, he can certainly make it a
lot easier for the rest of your agents to do so.
Also, in addition to the gold he steals on an accidental basis, the Impossible Thief can and will deliberately steal things that could help your research process. He can nick tools and blueprints, as well as skills and knowledge (manifesting as a fuzzy cloud, that the Thief can transfer to a cultist (or keep for himself)). Because of a very sensible and well-thought-out reason, these research boons can only be used for a brief period. Whenever deployed to an Influence province (he is too busy during combat deployments to do this), the Thief will make projects of a specific type easier in the coming month (related to the province (but not the same as the faction bonus)).
He is less useful in Combat, but not useless. He can steal plans from the heads of enemy commanders (although so far Muu's forces operate based on pretty simple plans that we could guess regardless), and spells as they are cast (although Muu's has not demonstrated many spells worth stealing- taking a few Magic Missiles or Ymis Wards is barely worth the effort), and indeed the courage from enemy troops (again, best employed against elite troops- Drakegulls might be worth the effort; Acolytes would be, except that their mental defences would slow progress). When asked about his potential front-line performance, the Thief spent about ten minutes laughing at you- he would only ever stand in the rear, and quickly escape the minute things look hairy (which he is extremely good at). Stealing the 'connection' between Muu and her Sea Servants is obviously not something you can test right now, however you speculate it to be
possible but impractical to disrupt the connection, and intensely impractical to outright take over.
The Impossible Thief presents a very potent asset in infiltration, and a potentially disruptive element in combat- not to mention a modest source of income and knowledge.
Unique
It is now the Revision Phase. You have TWO revisions, in light of the extra design.
Nar-Carok: The diabolical leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little he cannot do. Needless to say, he is Unique
Champions:
The Vampire Lord: An ancient Vampire, unearthed from the Buried City by Nar-Carok and his cultists. Relatively weak during the day, but comes to unlife at night as he rampages through enemy camps, though his stamina is limited. He is also familiar with the general behaviour of nobility, making him a decent director (but not actor) in Influence provinces. Unique
Vampiric Thralls: Retainers of the Vampire Lord, who have been fed a small amount of his blood. Though alive, they inherit most of his strengths and weaknesses (at a lower intensity). They serve as extensions of his will, acting in his stead in Influence provinces and providing backup in combat. They cannot travel separately from their Lord. Unit Size: ~20
The Impossible Thief: [I stole my own description. I'm great. Best thief. I can steal literally anything.] Unique
Mundane Units:
Cultist Spears: Being equipped with only a rusty dagger, a makeshift spear, and a wooden shield, combined with their lack of training, mean these are not elite warriors- they'd 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
Hateful Bowmen: Archers wielding Hateful Bows- imbued with fragments of hate-filled souls, improving range, power, and accuracy (as the arrows will make slight adjustments in flight towards hated targets). The archers fire faster as well, although this comes at the expense of overexertion, meaning they take longer to recuperate after a battle. Unit Size: ~20 Common
Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under their demonic 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
Masters of Rites: Cultists wearing elegant black robes trained in funerary customs of the region. They offer free funeral services, but weave inflammatory messages into the accompanying sermon, driving attendees to seek revenge for the fallen in ways the Masters encourage. They have also been given local cemeteries to manage by the priesthood. Unit Size: ~10 Uncommon
Summoned/Mutated Units:
Those Who Remember: Skeletal warriors, driven to return to the battlefield by relentless hatred of all things Good. They wield two-handed weapons and sometimes wear decaying ancient armour. Suffused with burning hatred and animated by the amalgamation of warrior souls, they are remarkably skilled and agile, as well as being quite strong. They are more vulnerable to magical damage, and are lacking in self-preservation instinct. Unit Size: ~50 Uncommon
Those Who Recall: An even more hateful variant, charging into combat unarmed, intending to leap into the middle of enemy formations where their overflowing hatred will cause them to self-destruct (explosively). May be set off prematurely by ranged damage. Unit Size: ~10 Uncommon
Ratmen: Rats living in the Wastelands, who mutated over time through a process of "Survival of the Skittish" into short, humanoid... Ratmen. They wear home-made bone 'armour' and wield a mixture of scavenged small blades. Unit Size: ~100 Common
Skitterpriests: Zealous followers of Nar-Carok whose screeching sermons drive their brethren into a frenzy that mitigates their inbred cowardice. Command units.
Soul Magi: Ancient spellcasters, revived- undying souls inhabiting a mummified body. Their magic is many times more potent than that of Acolytes, and they can cast Uncommon spells. Their physical forms are quite resilient, but this relies on a steady stream of Evil souls. Other souls can also be drawn into their Soul Gems to boost the power of their magic further. Unit Size: ~15 Rare
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
Novice Ward: A very simple magic barrier that will reduce the impact of attacks both mundane and mystical. Won't last long, but can be useful in a pinch. Common
Agony of the Soul: A powerful damage-dealing spell. An orb of lightning is fired at Magic Missile range, which upon impact causes major damage, then chains to nearby entities (preferably Good ones) dealing less damage with each jump. When empowered with a Soul Gem, there is an additional effect of 'soul-thunder', wherein the tortured wailing of the consumed souls emanates from the point of impact, fraying the souls of those in the vicinity. Uncommon
Dark Seduction: A simple spell that causes the target to have an improved opinion of the caster, ranging from undying devotion to a twinge of approval, depending on the strength of the caster and resistance of the target. Will also slowly taint the target's personality if used repeatedly, and cause brain damage. Common
Dark Empathy: Sort of an inverted version that enhances the caster's emotional receptiveness, and giving them a weaker but aura-based Dark Seduction effect. Also causes brain damage, so use is limited to a few minutes a day. Common
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, but it keeps the cult growing. Common
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
Author
Topic: Demon Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Design Phase T6 (Read 17420 times)