|
| Thread: ICTC: Stoneblood |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 · NEXT» |
|
TitaniumAlloy
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Professional
|
posted January 19, 2006 02:56 PM |
bonus applied. |
|
ICTC: Stoneblood
STONEBLOOD
"When all enemies are vanquished, cities are pillaged and riches plundered, then the rivers will flow red glory into our cups."
AKA:The Stoneskins, the Orcs.
Associated colours: Dark brown and blood red.
Worship:The Stoneskins don't worship a dragon, but instead view the act of War as a seperate entity which must be appeased through bloodshed.
Core Philosophy:"Earn your victory with strength and bloodshed."
Country / kingdom: Ragered, mountains.
Capital City: Shrapeak, the stone stronghold.
Key symbols:Axe, Fist, Blood drop
Description:
Strong, brutal and unforgiving, as the stone on which we build our forts.
The Stoneskins get their name from their tough appearance. They are exceptionally strong and powerful in nature. They have crafted weapons out of mined metal into axes and swords, and use it as crude armour, but their bodies are the source of most of their power. There are two main types of Stoneskins; those with the rough, greenish brown skin descending from Trolls such as Goblins and Orcs, and those with softer but still tough more human-like skin such as the Centaur, Cyclops and the Dwarves, bred from men and orcs, and having hardened in the conditions of the mountains.
They build great strongholds from carved stone and wood in their mountains, the height and durability of the walls giving them an advantage in seige battle.
The different creatures are united in their greed and bloodlust, and it is this unison that holds their armies together.
They worship War, almost like a Deity, as it is the foundations of their way of life. They see a victory on the battlefield as the blessings of the War God, and a loss a curse likewise, and to achieve victory he must favour you over the enemy. They believe that in order to gain the favour in battle they must appease him through bloodshed, either that of their enemies or sacrifice of one of their own.
History:
Timeline
Modern Age
50-60YSD:
This was the Years of Healing, the reconstruction from the Wars of Fire and relatively harmonious relations between the races.
Over the years various, more battle hungry men began to grow restless of the peace, which intensified through the passing tedium. Eventually fights broke out inside the ranks of armies, brawls and murders provoked easily due to the restless nature of the men in the Holy Falcon Empire.
The clergymen of the church act fast and quickly punish the prosecutors through banishment. The outlaws are sent to the Ragared mountains and left to survive on their own, or die in the harsh conditions.
Only the strongest survived, the fittest of all. They build crude shelters from the stone and hunted the beasts of the area, grouping together.
153 YSD:
The men find caves in which dwell great Behemoths, home to the Ragared mountains. The Behemoths had a thirst for bloodshed, and the Warlord of the tribe had to sacrifice his own son and heir in order to keep them from devouring them all. They were soon appeased and tamed through sacrifice.
478 YSD:
By this time the outlaws had been subject to the environment for centuries and had evolved to survive in the conditions. Their skin had become tougher as well as their overall strength. But it was around this time when the Orcs were driven from the cities South to the Ragared mountains, a mixture of human and demon blood, these violent orcs did not attack the men living in the mountains, but instead saw them as their own kind, and took refuge in their camps.
501 YSD:
The orcs and men had mixted together over the years to form the basis of the hybrid Stoneskin race, mainly consisting of orcs, goblins and cyclopses, having evolved to survive the harsh mountain climate. The orcs had escaped the wrath of the wizards thanks to the men of the mountains.
The Stoneskins began expanding their land and building larger forts around their area, and when excavating ore they stumbled on a mine not far from their village. This mine led to an underground network of mines that was the home to the dwarves. They were short, stout, violent and crude creatures, perhaps the product of a mining town that was forgotten years ago, and now call the mountains their home. The Stoneskins and Dwarves stayed seperate.
512 YSD:
The Creation of Beast-men. Centaurs were a hybrid between weak men and horses which were created as guards in the Seven cities. However the Centaurs were more intelligent and skillful than their creators had thought, and soon freed themselves from their masters to lead their own lives elsewhere. They made their way towards the mountains where they lived and they too became stronger and more brutal than they could have ever been as servants.
564 YSD:
The second lunar eclipse brought about a great demon incursion, and the unification of the Stoneblood Faction.
When the Demons escaped, a small group of them ventured toward the Ragared mountains in search of civilization. Instead they found the Stoneskins, who were brought out when they felt their homes threatened by the presence of the unknown intruders. But they were not the only ones who came out to defend their land; the Dwarves came from their mines to the base of the mountains where the Stoneskins waited for the Demons, and the Centaurs came down from the high mountains, now having formed crude weaponry and armour, and joined in the defence of the one thing they had in common; the mountains. The great Blood Behemoths were called down to join in the defence of the Ragared mountains, and they formed an alliance.
The Demons came in and faught the makeshift army, and the battle instilled a great passion inside all of them, a great fury triggered by the potential invasion, and they all faught bravely. The battle was over quickly, and the different races decided that they would fight together if ever again came the need.
717 YSD:
A brief lunar eclipse throws the mountains into panic. Stories of the first and last attack have been passed down and have grown in detail, and the Centaurs flee to the now thriving stone fortress, Shrapeak. The Orcs accept them into their ranks, and messengers are sent requesting the Dwarves.
The Demons never attacked Shrapeak, or the Ragared mountains, but by now the armies of Stoneblood had grown whole.
843 YSD:
During a total eclipse, Demons attack the Ragared mountains once more, throwing the Stoneblood faction into an all out war. Disruption and chaos sweeps the globe, and the Stoneskins take advantage of this by moving out to wage war on other factions, and the thirst for blood was born in every soul of the Stoneskins.
969 YSD:
Another eclipse.
By now Shrapeak is an enormous stronghold with great armies spread out across the mountains. Giant trolls and cyclopses head the armies with brute strength, and they prepare for a Demon onslaught. The eclipse even brought out great Behemoths from the mountains, and the Stoneskins are at full strength, and this time they will sweep forward, and there will be no stopping them.
Creatures:
Goblin > Hobgoblin- Level 1
Description:
Goblins are the smaller, weaker forms of orcs. They are often controlled as slaves of the orcs and made to construct the buildings or hunt the food, but are often inefficient due to their lack of intelligence and will. Hobgoblins are Goblins who have proved themselves more skilled at fighting and have earned a higher rank.
Skills:
Use a bow at long range and a short sword at short range. They are cheap and effective in greater numbers, and are fast, always first to attack.
Double Shot: The Hobgoblin can fire a double shot, two arrows.
Dwarf > Runemaster- Level 2
Description:
The Dwarves are a stubborn race, slow but strong. They have orcish blood in them from being accepted into the Stoneblood army, so are very tough. They are highly resistant to magic, are strong but slow. They prefer weapons like great hammers and axes, and the Runemasters can also master magic in the form of runes which can aid allies in battle.
Skills:
They attack with large hammers for high damage, and have magic resistance.
Attack Rune: Inscribes a rune on an ally to raise it's attack power. Runes ignore magic resistance.
Defence Rune: The Runemaster can inscribe runes to aid their allies, to boost their defence. Runes ignore magic resistance.
Centaur > Sagittarius- Level 3
(woman's horse body/spear/armour and man's human body)
Description:
The Centaurs were created by the wizards for entertainment and slavery, but soon escaped and joined the Stoneblood faction as respected soldiers, having developed their fighting skills. The Centaur has the speed of a horse combined with the toughened strength of a Stoneskin. They wear crude armour made from fur hides and metal, but very little. The Sagittarius are Centaur with the gift of great aim, and can inflict more damage with each spear, knowing where to aim.
Skills:
Attack with spears.
Knockback: Can cause an enemy to be briefly stunned from an attack.
Critical Hit: The Sagittarius have a high chance of causing a critical hit, which can inflict more damage and kill more enemies.
Orc > Chieftan- Level 4
Description:
The Orcs are the flesh and blood of the Stoneblood army. They were originally created by the Wizards as guards before they escaped to the mountains, where they mixed with the blood of barbarians, and since they have bred more intelligence than the raving beserkers created by the wizards, yet still bear the same strength and prowess in battle. They bear sturdy axes, learning the art of the blacksmith from the dwarves, and can carry shields and wear basic armour for protection. The Chieftans are the captains of the Orc ranks.
Skills:
Attack with a greataxe.
Decapitate: 30% Chance to decapitate and cause an instant kill, for each Orc in a stack.
War Cry: Chieftans raise the morale of the army with their awe inspiring pose and importance on the battlefield.
Troll > Stone Troll- Level 6
Description:
Trolls are monstrous, bulky beasts with tough skin and strength to match. They don't care what weapon they use as long as they can smash someone with it, usually using large wooden clubs tipped with a blade or spikes. Stone Trolls have extremely thick skin which protects them from most magic. They have metallic plate armour which can help to protect them, but is still poorly made and doesn't cover much.
Skills:
Use giant morningstar in close combat.
Magic Resistance: Has 50% Magic resistance, excluding runes.
Wide Swing: Stone Troll has Wide Swing, allowing him to attack all enemies in direct contact with him.
Cyclops > Cyclops Soldier- Level 6
Description:
The Cyclops are a product of breeding and evolution in the desert, producing this great killing machine. They are giant, extremely muscular and have only the singular, prominent eye in the centre of their forehead. With their amazing strength they can rip stone out of the ground and hurl it at great speed. The Cyclops soldier is trained for battle, wears armour and can stare at enemies with a terrifying gaze from his eye to cause them to freeze.
Skills:
Throw boulders, splash damage, can damage walls. Attack by slamming boulders and feet in close combat. No melee penalty.
Frightening Gaze: Cyclops Soldier can do a Frightening Gaze, which gives the enemy stack bad luck and can cause them to miss a turn.
Behemoth > Blood Behomoth- Level 7
Description:
The Behemoth is the ultimate power of the Stoneblood army. They were awoken by med when they moved to the Ragared mountains dwelling within caves, but were tamed by the Stoneskins. They walk on two legs and have huge claws and teeth, sharp enough to pierce armour, and they use them to devour their enemies with great force, and tough hide of the Stoneskins. Their power almost matches their size. The Blood Behemoth can go into a state of Bloodlust, moving and attacking much faster but taking slightly more damage.
Skills:
Attack through scratching and biting at close combat.
Bleeding: Attacks have a 50% chance to cause severe bleeding, a condition which causes damage over time.
Lunge: Blood Behemoth can Lunge at an enemy, attacking them without being in direct contact, up to one hex away, even if he is out of movement for that turn. Acts as if he has moved into close combat, and after attack stays in direct contact.
Buildings:
The castle will be a great stronghold, H3 style, constructed from boulders, stone and wood, if anyones seen Zogs Fortress in Might and Magic VIII, just like that. There are big stone walls with arrow towers surrounding the main stronghold, miniature forts on the inside and then smaller huts where the people live.
This is a real life photo but it depicts the general idea of the climate and buildings. The town will be less desert-like, however, more stone, and the buildings obviously less decrepid.
Dwellings:
Goblin Hut-
These small huts are poorly made out of wood, made to accomodate large numbers of goblins and taking no consideration of comfort.
Mine-
The Dwarves live here mining for metal, ore and stone to help build the stronghold. The mines are extensive, travelling deep underground.
Centaur Tavern-
Centaurs are generally drunkards when not at war. They dwell in huts and taverns drinking ale, living the high life.
Orc Fort-
The Orcs, although they are not the most powerful on the battlefield, they are the leaders, and the most important, and so they believe that they should live in the forts of Stoneblood. They still aren't luxury, but beat the bare floors of the Goblin Huts.
Cyclops Cave-
The Cyclops stick to their caves, generally. They feast on animals and stray goblins that enter their caves, drinking wine and sleeping. They usually only come out when they are hungry, or looking for a fight.
Troll Quarters-
Trolls have their own cage-like structures in which they can be contained, and the more 'active' ones chained.
Behemoth Crag-
The Behemoths live in deep crags which delve into the earth through the mountains. None have gone in and come out alive, but the Behemoths heed a call to arms and will come down to fight in the Stoneblood army if needed, obeying the hero.
Heroes:
Might-
Warlord
The Warlord is a born leader of the Stoneskins. S/he is born with exceptional strength and tactics and is accepted as a commander of the army.
Magic-
Shaman
The Shaman have learned the skill of magic and have adapted their own version of it, veiwing it as a blessing of the War god. They can master spells to aid the armies in battle, and because of their intelligence and power they can become army commanders.
I chose this town because obviously we were missing our beloved 'Stronghold', as well as Dwarves and Centaurs. I don't see any reason why they don't fit together, in fact I think they do perfectly, if you change their background a bit. I mean in HOMMII Centaur was in the Warlock town.
And I think the name Stoneblood fits HOMMV more than most other name ideas. Stronghold fit H3 because they were all names of castles.
In this they are all one word.
Now we have Haven, Sylvan, Academy, Dungeon, Necropolis, Inferno and Stoneblood. 
Stronghold refers more to a steadfast colony in the one place, defending it constantly. I was thinking more of marauding strength, not just impregnability.
And also not all factions worship dragons. Obviously Inferno doesn't but Academy don't either. I like the idea of worship I have for my faction.
Any suggestions?
Just to clarify: The Faction is called Stoneblood, like Haven or Academy or Sylvan. The creatures IN IT are called the Stoneskins.
This is just my first version. I'll go over it again to fix up any errors and make it sound better, and maybe add some more.
What do you think?
edit: Fixed a few things.
____________
John says to live above hell.
|
|
phoenixzs
Adventuring Hero
|
posted January 19, 2006 09:35 PM |
|
|
ż have some suggestions if you dont mind
-First the centaur image does not fit the concept very well
-I would have changed 4th level chieftain with ogremagi.It could be a good brutal creature at the begining and a trusted magician at late games.
-Your top two creatures are pratically doing the same thing ż would swap the troll wiith cyclops and give a no melle penalty to cyclops and a good hand to hand fighting capability beside shooting
-Remove the regeneration from the troll,regeneration is really uselless if your stack number is big.No one would care if you healed the last creature on the stack when you are loosing them in tens.
-The %80 magic resistance is too much on the troll.
-Bloodlust looks a bit unbalancing
Any way best wishes with the contest.
|
|
TitaniumAlloy
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Professional
|
|
posted January 21, 2006 05:32 AM |
|
|
Thanks for the advice.
It's hard to get a good centaur image..
And I changed around some of the skills of the creatures.
____________
John says to live above hell.
|
|
Fortress_fan
Disgraceful
|
|
posted January 21, 2006 12:34 PM |
|
|
|
God work here to! Just shrink the pictures a little: Btw; why do you have a feminist-like symbol there ?
|
|
TitaniumAlloy
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Professional
|
|
posted January 21, 2006 05:47 PM |
|
|
Thanks. About the symbol, I thought it was a good representation of power through the symbol of a fist, and it looked kind of barbaric.
I didn't know what it really was.
BTW can you not quote my whole post it takes up a lot of space..
____________
John says to live above hell.
|
|
Oakwarrior
Famous Hero
|
|
posted January 21, 2006 06:19 PM |
|
|
|
Gotta love that Centaur...
|
|
2XtremeToTake
Promising
Supreme Hero
|
|
posted January 22, 2006 09:00 AM |
|
|
Wow this is one of the better idea's i've seen so far.
____________
I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.
|
|
Blitzkrieg_Boy
Adventuring Hero
The Lone Keeper
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 12:35 PM |
|
|
Race: 8.5 (Well I don't know... People may approach this town differently)
History: 5 (Not as good as the other aspects but still good enough.)
Creatures: 6.5 (Good, but slightly uniform.)
Balance: 7 (A good balance)
Originality: 9.5 (Very, very original I'll give you that!)
TOTAL: 36.5
|
|
Oakwarrior
Famous Hero
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 01:30 PM |
|
|
Race: 8 (Great!)
History: 5 (Average)
Creatures: 7 (Good)
Balance: 6 (Above Average)
Originality: 9 (Excellent!)
Total: 35
|
|
TitaniumAlloy
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Professional
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 02:28 PM |
|
|
I pwn your post 
____________
John says to live above hell.
|
|
Oakwarrior
Famous Hero
|
posted February 06, 2006 02:44 PM |
|
|
|
Hehe! It is 36.5
|
|
fortress_fan
Disgraceful
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 03:56 PM |
|
|
Race: 10 (Superb)
History: 6 (Above Average)
Creatures: 8 (Very good)
Balance: 4 (Below Average)
Originality: 7 (Good)
One of the better towns! You must have put mutch work on it! 
Total: 35 (Good)
|
|
MasterSandro
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 04:18 PM |
|
|
Race: 9 (good mix of various races)
History: 6 (good, but some parts like wizard made centaurs...)
Creatures: 7 (good creatures, still, some are unfitting)
Balance: 2 (by far, one of the worsest, the lvl 3 creatures kills automatically 30% of it's own stack size, lvl6 and 7 creatures have no chance, and lvl 7 attacking without retaliation)
originality: 8 (nice way to fit some completely diferent creatures in one town, yet I don't agree with some)
32 (sorry, but the decaptation killed your balance -.-' )
|
|
phoenixzs
Adventuring Hero
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 06:29 PM |
|
|
Race: 9
History: 8
Creatures: 9
Balance: 6(probably would have been 8 if the %30 thing was not existant and some minor issues)
Originality: 8
Total 40/50
|
|
MasterSandro
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 07:16 PM |
|
|
|
Come on! The balance is gross. These orcs are easily the strongest creature in the game, and just for "decapitation"? Right, like if you wouldn't aim for your enemy neck in battle, people lose their heads in battle all the time.
|
|
Oakwarrior
Famous Hero
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 07:19 PM |
|
|
|
You paralyze them, and whack 'em with your casters/shooters/spells.
|
|
MasterSandro
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 07:30 PM |
|
|
Ok, and you are obligated to do it. It is a lvl 3 creature, what means he will get around 20 of them/week. Means 6 black dragons can say bye bye. Just too much off. And the enemy can counter it with dispel and other things. As well as cast haste so the orcs can kill EVEN more. Yes there is counter to this, but there is also counter to the counter. In H3 the mighty gorgons were considered horribly unbalanced, being that their ability killed only one to every 10 gorgons (which were lvl 5 creatures, which meaned less then 1/3 of the orcs). THe closest thing we DO have in H5 is the wraith. A LVL SIX creature. It loses ITS turn and kills ONLY 1 creature. Just compare.
(Just imagine if you use the mirror image)
|
|
Oakwarrior
Famous Hero
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 07:34 PM |
|
|
Yes, good facts indeed...
About the growth: Usually level 3 creatures in H5 are with a base growth of 6-10. But the Castle complicates things again...
|
|
TheNordicKing
Adventuring Hero
Dark Lord of the Smith
|
|
posted February 06, 2006 08:12 PM |
|
|
Race: 7
History:7 (Brief)
Creatures: 9 (superb!)
Balance: 6
Originality: 5
overall 34/50. Nice Work
____________
Knowledge is Power, Magic over Might. Solmyr is the Best.
Check out my town. ICTC The Artic Town
|
|
frakel
Adventuring Hero
|
|
posted February 09, 2006 12:37 AM |
|
Edited by frakel on 9 Feb 2006
|
Race: 6 (This is another faction showing great potential - but your faction description is way too short.)
History: 5 (Average. On the possitive side: Your history is consistent with your faction and with the H5 timeline and universe. On the negative side: It is short. And without a historical note about rape or need driving Orcs and men together, I simply find the notion the Orcs and men crossbreed over time to create Cyclops and goblin offspring illogical.)
Creatures: 7 (I like the runemaster abilities. Nice blend of creatures - not only one race. Behemoth Lunge ability is incomprehensible to me.)
Balance: 4 (Double shot in a first level unit is powerfull. Orcs decapitate ability is WAY too powerfull. Imagine 30 orc against 10 dragons: if the Orc attack chances are all dragons are killed. I was inclined to give you 2 because of this, but your other units seem fairly balanced. Behemoth might be overpowered as well - but I do not really understand that Lunge ability so I wont take that into consideration.
- I must admit that I do not understand those rewievers who have given above average balance scores for this town.)
Originality: 9 (Very original to mix the different creatures the way you have done it. Your description of building and architecture - as well as the centaurs drinking habits earn you some extra points here.)
Overall: 30 I end by giving you an average score - and I feel a little bad about it, because your town shows great potetntial. However short descriptions and history as well as some critical balance errors cost some points.
- On another note I really think you should have used another symbol than the black hand of feminism, once you found out what it meant. It just doesn“t seem proper to use a “real world“ symbol as your faction symbol.
Best of luck to you.
----------------
EDIT: I“ve increased the balance score from 3 to 4. I felt it was unfair to punish you for a single blunder (decapitation), when your faction is otherwise fairly balanced in power and unit types (you have no true spellcaster, but two ranged units and some fine creature abilities make up for this).
|
| |
|
|
