Demon Team: Design Phase T1TURNTURNTURNRatmen
Every human settlement, regardless of age or origin, has had to deal with rats. They're everpresent vermin, and so obviously they existed in some capacity within The Buried City. Ages of being left to their own devices after the destruction of the city let their numbers grow and expand beyond reason. The passive energies in The Buried City twisted and mutated the rats with each generation, rapidly evolving the pests into semi-intelligent creatures, and eventually sentient beings.
Ratmen are two to three foot tall bipedal rats. Their bodies are more slender than a typical rat's, and most of them have large patches where fur no longer grows in. These scavengers trust very few outsiders and are barely more than a collection of primitive clans, but this allowed Nar-Carok to appear before them as a god, and they were quickly convinced to mobilize themselves as one for the glory of Nar-Carok.
Ratmen are quite nimble in combat and tend to utilize small ratman-sized blades made for stabbing and slashing. Their armor is made from the most common local resource, with a human skull for a helmet and various ribs, fingers, and other smaller bones to make greaves, chestplates, and bracers.
Ratmen are meant to be a very numerous unit to act as the core of Nar-Carok's forces.
Ratmen: Hard: (2+2)-1=3: Buggy Mess
Unguided mutation is rarely beneficial. But those lucky few with beneficial mutations will survive, and pass it on to their descendants, which over the course of centuries can result in... these things. You think you will call this phenomenon "Survival of the Skittish".
Oh, yes. The Wastelands are teeming with Ratmen- provided you know where to look. The average explorer may spend years in the region, and never see one- perhaps a glimpse of a shadow, if they're lucky. If they're really unlucky, they'll stumble across one of the well-hidden entrances to their burrows, and thinking it to be an ancient ruin, enter in search of treasure. In this case, the Ratmen will overcome their inbred fear, by virtue of outnumbering the intruder a thousand to one. Nobody survives this, and so no tales ever spread.
Of course, a Demon is different. You can detect the warrens just from the faint emanations of Evil that the Ratmen give off (multiplied by a thousand, it becomes noticeable), and they cannot so much as scratch you, let alone kill you. Having realised that murder is not an option, they try to flee- but your imperious command brings them to heel, binding them to your service. Repeating this process several times throughout the Wastelands builds up a sizeable following of the critters.
Having recruited them, there is no need to arm them- they bring their own equipment.
Their blades are... technically capable of cutting things. Ranging from home-made flint daggers, through ancient bronze knives, to actual (small) swords scavenged from adventurer corpses. Maintenance is a foreign concept to them- if something breaks (or becomes unusably dull), throw it away and find or make a new one.
Their armour is more impressive, which admittedly isn't saying much. Skull helmets are easy, but their tunics take more effort- with ancient bones cunningly woven in such that they provide a degree of protection without rattling against each other (which would make it harder to sneak around). Unfortunately, the ancient bones are, ah, somewhat fragile. At best, they will survive a single hit before breaking, although even if they are broken immediately, they will absorb some of the strike.
Why do they have this armour if they are so skittish? It seems to be partly ceremonial- an impressive suit of armour enhances prestige within their society. There is also a degree of inter-warren conflict between Ratmen- while they avoid humans like the plague, they can jussst about muster the courage to attack other Ratmen. And one final reason- their much alluded to cowardice means that a Ratman will do anything to increase its odds of survival.
Ratmen are numerous, and willing* to fight** for you***.
*barely coerced
**be present at a battlefield
***a stay of execution
Let's address the main issue. Cowardice. Inhuman levels of cowardice. You can consider yourself lucky if Ratmen on the field of battle make it to the enemy line before breaking. Any injury whatsoever, and a Ratman will bail out. Any Ratman bailing out in their vicinity, and a Ratman will seriously consider bailing out. A large group of Ratmen bailing out in their vicinity, and a Ratman will
definitely bail out. This cowardice is not a learned behaviour (although it is reinforced by habit), it is in their blood- they are survivors, living in a very dangerous environment; the ones who were less cautious got killed before they had offspring.
Ratmen can technically be deployed in battle, perhaps as a brief distraction. Even with the effort taken to make their bone armour, they are extremely numerous, being
Common, unit size ~100.
The Buried Capital, with its millions of bricks and its thousands of skeletons, laid dead for millennia. On the other hand, the Vampire Lord slept.
Although the Vampire Lord is the likely the only survivor of the days of the Buried Capital's life, whether or not he technically survived is a matter of some debate - and a matter of some fascination for Nar-Carok. A sarcophagus was excavated from the wreckage of the city, and within it was found a man - a noble, in extraordinarily fine raiment and jewelry, glistening with greed and no small amount of Evil. But while he was undeniably a man, it was questionable indeed that he could be called a human - not only did his chest not rise and fall despite his shifting in his sleep, but his was skin pale, and claws adorned his fingers, a thick aura of Evil magic hovering around him. Once he was pulled out of the City, this was confirmed. After two thousand years of sleep, his eyes opened, and as he focused on the Demon in front of him, a fanged grin spread across his lips. Evidently a mage and close associate of the city's previous Demon in life, the man had cast a powerful ritual on himself, turning himself into a powerful vampire - and had waited along with the city for its next Demon, for the next opportunity to be unleashed on the world. Nar-Carok, for his part, was thrilled; who could better represent ambition and decay and those outcast by Good than a vampiric noble from the Buried City?
Something about the Buried Capital and its long rest erases names - the Vampire Lord doesn't remember his. But he remembers his noble bearing, and on the battlefield during the day, rather than fight with claw and fang unless pressed, the dux contends with a cruciform sword and a straight back. He can fight respectably like this (having been an experienced warrior in his more undisputable life), but perhaps not like one might expect of a super-powerful being - he could take out a few soldiers or successfully contend with one or two mutated heavy infantry, but not much more.
But, oh, friends, that is not the point. Once night falls, the true strength of the Vampire Lord is revealed. At night, his strength and speed are increased explosively, his claws lengthen and they and his fangs are laced with Evil, and most importantly he becomes nearly (if not quite) invisible, his movements becoming a streak of darkness in the pitch night. He goes from a mere noble fighter to a ribbon of black that passes by enemy cultists and not so much slices into them as simply removes parts of them entirely - even oftentimes if they are armored. This allows him to fulfill his true role on the battlefield - devastating the enemy army in their camp or on the march before or between the battles, obliterating enemy patrols foolish enough to move in the night. Woe betide the enemy who undertakes a pitched battle in the night or darkness in his presence, but if the armies of Nar-Carok are his right hand, the Vampire Lord is his left, presenting a disruption that weakens the enemy before the battle and disrupts their retreat or advance afterwards.
Of course, the Vampire Lord was a noble in life and he has some ability to leverage this in the halls of mortal man as well. He really by no means should be performing public diplomacy or reaching out to the commonfolk (the man is as foreign as is probably physically possible, being that he is from a city two thousand years old, and is visibly pale, clawed, and fanged), but though he isn't familiar with individual countries' customs, he knows well how maneuvers of power and backstabbing work among the halls of power generally, and can assist our agents in navigating these halls of power or meet with more unscrupulous elites himself. Of course, he's also EXTREMELY useful at murdering any Angelic agents foolish enough to be out in the night, as well.
The Vampire Lord: Normal: (1+3)=4: Below Average
How to survive for two thousand years, buried in a forgotten city? Even an undead being would surely fade? There are actually several ways, but the one the Vampire Lord chose is to detach himself from Time. Tokchoko, God of (amongst other things) Light and Time, did not appreciate this, but either can't or won't actively prevent it- though the touch of sunlight does weaken the ancient nobleman. Holy symbols of Tokchoko are anathema to the Vampire Lord- as are clocks of any description. Even people just saying what time or date it is causes him discomfort. As a Vampire, he would ordinarily be cursed with bloodlust, but his 'timeless' situation actually allows him to forgo blood indefinitely (though partaking does help him regain strength). He is also weak to things that harm the undead, and will take more damage from Good-infused weapons or spells.
Enough about weaknesses. The Vampire Lord is a decent combatant during the day, though his life was more characterised by study and socialising than fencing- while he easily outperforms Cultists and probably the average human soldier, most any skilled fighter can beat him back. During the night he is a terror, although his stamina is not endless- drinking blood (straight from the source, no bottled blood will do) is necessary to maintain a rampage for longer than half an hour. Of course, even a thirty-minute rampage is quite the sight not to behold (because of the blending into the darkness thing).
In more subtle capacities, the Vampire Lord is an able director of infiltration activities, but less recommended for direct action- his appearance ranges from very disturbing during the day to extremely disturbing at night, meaning only those who are effectively in your cult already can interact with him. You assumed a powerful Vampire would possess some form of glamour to get around this, but apparently not.
According to the Vampire Lord himself, he is capable of greater feats- but one problem with detaching oneself from Time is that one's memory becomes... erratic. There are ancient rituals that can empower Vampires, he believes, but he cannot for the unlife of him remember how they go.
The Vampire Lord is an adept night-time saboteur, and a decent director of infiltration. He is obviously
Unique
It is now the Revision Phase. You have two revisions. Reminder that from next turn onwards, you will only receive one revision, though you can split a revision into two Emergency Fixes (see Design & Revision Phases spoiler in core thread).
Speaking of Emergency Fixes, I would also like to mention that if a revision is
only attempting to fix bugs, then it will never backfire. It can still fail if you get a 2 or lower, but even a Buggy Mess will result in
some improvement. This is intended to allow for Emergency Fixes to be a viable means of patching up the most critical bugs in a design, while retaining the likelihood of imperfect things being deployed.
If a revision is attempting to fix bugs
and add features, it will be treated as a normal revision (ie, a Buggy Mess probably won't fix the bug, or will replace the old bug with a different one)(even in this case, a revision can't make a thing objectively worse- you won't forget how to make the original version if it is better). Creative bugfixes are fine- I also would rather not see "Just Fix Problem" as revisions. If you are unsure whether a creative bugfix crosses the line into new feature, ask me.
(Also note that the 2 designs 1 revision format is somewhat experimental, and I may revert to 2-2 if it doesn't work out the way I hope)
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
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
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
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
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
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:
1/5 |
0/5Gridlocked Polis:
0/5 |
0/5Restless Satrapy:
0/5 |
1/5CHEGITHA (Combat)Sheltered Fjords:
8/8 |
0/8Rolling Hills:
4/8 |
4/8Deserted Urbs:
0/8 |
8/8XYRANIA (Influence)Pirate Haven:
1/5 |
0/5Schism'd Capital:
0/5 |
0/5Raiders' Roost:
0/5 |
1/5WESTERN PROTECTORATE (Combat)Windcarved Mesas:
8/8 |
0/8Vast Steppe:
4/8 |
4/8Pestilent Marshes:
0/8 |
8/8
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Topic: Demon Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Design Phase T6 (Read 17488 times)