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| Thread: ICTC 4: The Estate |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 · NEXT» |
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baklava
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Mostly harmless
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posted December 15, 2008 10:53 PM |
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Edited by baklava at 00:49, 31 Jan 2009.
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ICTC 4: The Estate
Right so I've got a bet with Alc that I'll make a vampiric faction (strictly vampiric, separated from Necropolis) and that he'll like it.
Any help and feedback with this holy task is appreciated.
THE ESTATE
Welcome to my home... Enter freely and of your own will, and leave some of the happiness you bring.
Also Known As: Vampires, Bloodsuckers (insult)
Associated colours: Black and red.
Core philosophy: "For life be, after all, only a waiting for something else than what we're doing, and death be all that we can rightly depend on."
Motto: "Listen to them... the children of the night. What sweet music they make."
Insignia: Ankh, The Key of Life
Country/Kingdom: The Dragon Duchy
Capital city: Barhoth, the Fortress of the Night
Deity: None. They feel forsaken from the gods, and as such feel little but fear and anguish toward them.
Race description:
Vampires are ancient creatures, whose origin is largely unknown. Some say the first vampires were powerful wizards, who saught immortality and, in their vanity, found only restless undeath. Others say that vampires were cursed by the gods, eons ago, for an unnamed but unforgivable crime they’ve committed - and that they stalk Ashan since then. The third mention that they were souls mislead and transformed into monstrousness by Urgash, in his endless quest to wither and break Asha’s mortal creation. No historian has ever been able to confirm any of these rumours, and vampires haven’t bothered to help the mortal world find out their secrets.
The only thing that is certain is that vampires are essentially undead, immortal creatures, who sustain themselves and their otherworldly beauty through drinking their elixir of life – blood.
The common folk invented hundreds of stories about vampires throughout the ages, and though most of them are false, some of them can indeed be applied on this dark race. Vampires, though able to walk in sunlight, are essentially nocturnal creatures and it is in the darkness that they truly show their might. Stronger and more agile than humans, they inspire fear and awe in many more enemies than ordinary peasantry – a mixture of grim reputation and extraordinary beauty and graciousness grants them a significant advantage over the enemies’ minds. And those advantages they use with such cunning that sometimes it seems as if Urgash himself stands behind their plans. Vampires can be slain by having their heads cut off, or by running a stake or enchanted blade through their hearts – however, garlic and inability to cross running water are merely a myth.
They are not known for mercy or compassion – but they often do have their, sometimes incomprehensible, codes of honour and mutual respect. Vampires are, no matter how much they enjoy their powers, not very comfortable with their curse, and so they subtly try to hide it from their own eyes – they tend to socialize with other vampires, throw banquets, and enjoy the decadent life of nobility, in order to conceal the fact that they are undead, nocturnal predators feeding on the blood of unsuspecting victims. Such two-facedness is quite usual in the vampiric world, and is one of the reasons vampires have their distinct sense of irony and dark outlook upon the world.
All that said, vampires are known as the bane of life, the stuff of horror stories, the twisted mirror of everything obscure and vile about society. Powerful but exiled and doomed to an eternity of darkness, one may fear, hate or pity them – but none may wish to meet them.
Alignment
Since the appearance of Necromancers, vampires have aligned with them in order to survive constant persecution and hunts, especially in the lands of the Empire. Apparently, vampires are most vulnerable to Elrath’s influence, and humans suffer from them the most – since only humans are known to be able to become vampires. Elven blood is too pure to be infected by the curse, orcish is semi-demonic and thus cursed by itself, and dwarven is known to be too sour and strong for vampiric taste. That leaves only humans as an obvious choice for feeding and reproduction by the bloodsuckers (as humans sometimes call vampires, usually when no vampire is present in the room).
For hundreds of years they have lingered and fought on the necromantic side, working tirelessly to carve their own goals behind the backs of their cunning patrons. However, with the second ascension of Lucius Sangrel, the Grand Duke of the Dragon Duchy (explained in the campaign), vampires have distanced themselves from the influence of Heresh and necromantic dominion, which angered the necromancers greatly. Vampires were one of the most useful assets in their armies, and now they have gone from friends to independent, potential enemies. Efforts have been made to persuade or intimidate vampires to stay under the banners of Heresh, but failed and various vampiric rebel movements started bursting out throughout the barren lands of the necromancers. Encouraged by servants of Lucius Sangrel himself, the children of the night started migrating toward the Dragon Duchy, which they saw as their much awaited promised land. Soon, conflicts broke out between those who stayed and the necromancers which, combined with ferocious attacks by Grand Prince Alexander Sangrel (third mission of the campaign), forced these dark wizards to declare an amnesty of all vampiric rebels. Vampires were finally allowed to migrate freely where they wished, and they soon left Heresh, leaving it weakened and fragile, but calm again.
Since then, the Dragon Duchy has become the official land of the vampires, where the most powerful of them were granted the titles of “princes”, and their own castles to command in feudal contract (second only to the Grand Duke).
Hero: Prince
Att 2
Def 0
SP 1
Kno 2
Racial skill:
Bloodcraft
Vampires live and thrive on blood, and Princes use it (blood points) as a special, personal mana-like resource, whose maximum is determined by the ATT*10 formula. A vampiric hero spends 2 blood points daily, unless in town. He, however, gains blood through fighting battles (after the battle is over, and only if he won. The amount is determined by the amount of damage done to the enemy), or by visiting towns (a hero's blood is refilled up to 70% in town - ANY town). A hero's stored blood grants bonuses, or anti-bonuses (if the hero has a lack of it). Here's the chart:
0-20% of max blood in reserves - hero gains -35% attack and defense.
20-40% blood - hero gains -20% attack and defense.
40-60% blood - hero gains no bonus.
60-80% blood - hero gains +15% attack and defense (+20% with Advanced Bloodcraft, +25% with Expert Bloodcraft).
80-100% blood - hero gains +30% attack and defense (+35% with Advanced Bloodcraft, +40% with Expert Bloodcraft).
Beside influencing statistics, a hero can spend his blood points to cast special Blood Spells. Beside the regular Mage Guild, there is a building in the Estate called the Crimson Spire (levels 1, 2 and 3) which lets the hero learn these Blood Spells.
Blood spells lvl 1:
-Bloodhealing - cures a unit and dispels simpler (level 1 and 2) negative spell effects. Costs 8 blood.
-Celerity - increases a friendly unit's initiative and grants it a damage bonus (based on mastery). Costs 6 blood.
-Feral Instincts - Grants a friendly unit the "no retaliation" ability for a few turns, determined by mastery. Costs 7 blood.
Blood spells lvl 2:
-Unholy Vigor - reduces a selected enemy stack's defense and initiative. Effect determined by mastery. Costs 8 blood.
-Awe - renders an enemy stack unable to attack for a few turns (depending on the hero's Spellpower and the unit's level). The stack can still move and defend, but cannot attack or use spells. It's movement speed is also halved. Costs 10 blood.
-Doubt - makes an enemy creature immune to benevolent spells for a few turns, depending on the mastery of the spell. Costs 8 blood.
Blood spells lvl 3:
-Children of the Night - summons a stack of Wolves and a stack of Bat Swarms. Costs 12 blood.
-Cloud of Shadows - creates a 3x3 area on the battlefield. All friendly units inside the area receive the Incorporeal ability. Mastery decides how much it will last. Costs 10 blood.
-Ashes to Ashes - Destroys a number of units in an enemy's stack, and Ignites the rest of the stack. The amount of units destroyed is based on the mastery level of the spell, and the target unit's level. Costs 12 blood.
It is usually the best strategy not to cast blood spells if you do not have to, and reap the statistic benefits - but they are a useful asset if need arise, or if a hero has a surplus of blood.
Abilities:
-Lifedrain: The hero gets small quantities of blood directly in combat, when striking the enemy.
-Obscure Ritual: Grants the hero a special, out of combat ability to transform his own mana into blood (3 mana for 2 blood points).
-Bloodbond: Issues a bloodbond with a friendly creature, shielding it with the hero's power. The unit receives additional attack and defense, and when it is destroyed, the Prince, in his rage, lets out a frightening roar which increases the initiative of all friendly units and reduces the enemy's morale.
-Ultimate ability: Mass Embrace: Hero raises a good percentage of slain enemies as Neonates or Dark Chylder (hero's choosing) after battles, which then join his army.
The Fell Armies:
(Proper description and abilities coming soon. Current descriptions are there only to describe the general idea of the unit.)
Level 1: Serf - Adept/Boundserf
In short, mortal and semi-mortal vampiric servants. Use two shortswords and are very lightly armoured. Loyal to their masters to the death.
Level 2: Bloodhound - Black Wolf/Dire Wolf
Bram Stoker made a connection between vampires and wolves which made me include this creature. Bloodthirsty, raging wolves can be found in packs in woods around vampire castles. Vampires (who refer to the wolves as the "children of the night") and these beasts have developed a strong mutual relationship over the years.
Level 3: Bat Swarm - Bat Cloud/Nightswarm
Apparently, masses of screeching, annoying bats who cause chaos and disruption among enemy troops. A rather quick and pesky unit, these bloodsuckers can cause quite some damage.
Level 4: Chylde - Neonate/Dark Chylde
The first vampiric unit, these guys are newly embraced vamps thirsty for blood and wishing to prove themselves. They are usually clad in dark leather and elegant, but practical clothes of similarly dark colour. Their weapon of choice is a longsword, which they use along with their sheer might and bloodsucking abilities.
Level 5: Bride - White Bride/Fellbride
Possibly one of the most prominent motives in vampiric literature, brides are vampiresses whom a powerful vampire uses as servants and concubines. They are loyal, fanatical and furious - also inhumanely charming and frightening at the same time. They'd probably be able to seduce enemies.
Level 6: Black Knight - Bloodknight/Dread Knight
Unaligned with the Necropolis in Heroes 5, and also presented as vampiric knights, the opportunity to include them just seemed too tempting to miss. Of course, they'd be different than they are now (no kill-50%-of-stack thingy, for starters  ).
Level 7: Elder - Elder Count/Nosferatu
Now, these are the true vampires all those books and movies told us about. Immensely powerful and ancient, with abilities and even spells which they use in order to wreak havoc upon any of their foes, they are leading their armies to final victory, or final death.
The Campaign:
Prologue:
The story begins in the Dragon Duchy, a southern border vassal of the newly proclaimed Unicorn Empire. Inner unrest in the empire, unruly vassals, frequent wars on faraway fronts, and a barren, inhospitable landscape have taken their toll, and this once proud borderland of the Empire, backed by Imperial resources as an important strategic position, has now become weakened, fragile and undeveloped. A rebuilding land such as the Unicorn Empire needs all the resources it can get, and thus the taxes are getting larger, and living conditions are harder and harder every day. Famine and illness are spreading, and the fact that the land has remained without a Duke makes things even worse.
Namely, lord Lucius Sangrel, the Grand Duke of the Duchy, disappeared without trace a year ago, leaving only a mysterious letter behind.
"Do not search for me," the letter said, "do not send for me, nor even think of me. I have left to commit the greatest sacrifice a mortal can commit. If I fail, forget me, and rule this land in my stead. If I return, our glory shall be endless. Grand Duke of the Dragon Duchy, Lucius Sangrel."
This letter was devoted to the Grand Prince of the Duchy, and the lord's only son, Alexander Sangrel. Lucius was a strange man, eccentric and ambitious - but calculated and rational, and Alexander was indeed extremely worried with this seemingly senseless letter he left behind. But he trusted his father's judgement and climbed the throne. However, he knew little of courtly plots, and paid dearly for that - he was captured by his vassal lords and imprisoned in the dungeons of his own castle to await execution - the nobles paid a corrupt inquisitor to find evidence and accuse Alexander of crimes against the Church and demonic occultism. After a mockery of a trial, he was found guilty.
The night before the execution, however, something unexpected happened. The Grand Duke Lucius suddenly returned from his obscure voyages, all alone, and entered his old castle, where he faced the council of nobles present there. After they had told him that the Prince was held in the dungeons for his sins, the Grand Duke roared and slaughtered them all singlehandedly, only with his sword. None survived, except for those who weren't present in the castle in the first place. The guards quickly swore allegiance to their old master, and Alexander was released.
Tortured, weak and on the verge of sanity, Alexander was a wreck of a man. Months in the dungeons left permanent scars on both his body and mind, and it seemed as if he would never recover. However, it was that night that lord Lucius's renewed vigor and fury were explained - he secluded himself and his son in his chambers and embraced him as a vampire. Alexander was stunned from surprise and desperation, but Lucius explained how he would surely have died in great pain otherwise. "Now I shall spend an ETERNITY in such pain!" Alexander replied, but Lucius's eyes gleamed as he told his son, furiously, how this was not about them, or their souls - it was about their land, and all who dwell in it. As vampires, they would gain the edge they needed in order to restore peace and prosperity to the land once more, and bring it back to its former glory. It was the duty of every leader, he said, to sacrifice himself, in any way necessary, if need arise. For that is what they were created for, and that is what this new existence would give them - an eternity, yes, but not in pain, but in peace. And Alexander listened, and finally reluctantly agreed. He felt his father was right, and swore allegiance to him, as his right hand and main general in the turbulent times which laid ahead. This new power was still unknown and horrible to him, but he felt it needed to be so.
Mission 1: Vengeance
There are still vassal nobles who refuse to acknowledge the return of the Grand Duke. Though this matter might be resolved by complaining to the Imperial Court of Justice, Alexander is too thirsty for revenge to those who imprisoned and tortured him to avoid direct bloodshed, and Lucius willingly sends him to finish this task - after all, it will be a lesson to all who would oppose his rule in the future. A yet unseen fire burns within Alexander, and only blood can extinguish it.
At the end of the mission, Alexander storms the corrupt inquisitor's castle and, in his rage and hunger, violently feeds from the inquisitor until there is nothing but an empty shell left behind. Afterward, he is stunned seeing the deeds that he had done. He then remarks for the second time that this is indeed the greatest curse one can suffer.
Mission 2: Peacemaker
Word spreads of troubles in the Dragon Duchy. With the coming and settlement of more vampires, which Lucius seems to have arranged, the landscape begins to have a much darker feel to it. Wolves prowl the once peaceful woods, and bats (and not only bats) start to inhabit the darker corners of the castles. Seemingly, the Church is shunned and slowly forgotten in the area, and rumours of the slaughter of unruly nobles instead of appealing to the Imperial Court of Justice spread throughout the Empire. After the inquisitors, emissaries and tax-collectors sent to investigate return either with horrifying news, or do not return at all, an ultimatum is sent to Lucius to explain his actions in the Imperial capital itself.
Lucius refuses.
Finally, a holy crusade is assembled and sent to the Dragon Duchy, to "purify the land" and destroy Lucius's hold of it. Alexander, though doubtful of his father's actions, is sent to face this Imperial army - for he would rather break the promised peace than let his duchy be invaded.
At the end of the mission, the crusade is destroyed, and Alexander, with his new, dark army, stands victorious over piles of slaughtered Imperial warriors. Blood flows in rivers, and the heads of the slain crusader generals are sent to the Royal Council of the Empire. An uneasy and hateful peace settles as the Empire decides to leave the Dragon Duchy alone, and the Duchy practically gains independence.
Mission 3: Defiance
With the Dragon Duchy being de facto independent, word spreads among dark creatures that this new land would be theirs, a bastion of obscurity and a haven for the fallen. Vampiric creatures, secretly encouraged by Lucius, become even more prominent in the land, freely feeding and without any worries of being caught or persecuted. They practice their wicked blood magic, and raise magic spires and shadowy buildings as eternal marks of their rule. Unlife goes ever so well.
Indeed, there is prosperity and peace, but Alexander cannot shake the feeling that this is not what he wanted. What peace is it when you have to feed on the blood of your own servants?
His thoughts are broken by Lucius. He enters his chambers and says how he has something important to tell him, and indeed he does. He explains the entire story of how he became a vampire - his secret journey to Heresh, the valley of Necromancers - how he had to pass countless tests and tasks in his quest, and how he was finally admitted to gain the power he craved for, the power of vampirism. The reason he told him all that, beside all his secrecy, is that necromancers came with demands of vassalage - for, Lucius was undead, and as such answered to the influence of Heresh. Necromancers saw Lucius as dangerous, rallying vampires to a free, independent cause, and were more than eager to make him kneel before them or turn him to ashes.
Backed up by Mina, a dangerous and sultry vampire rebel and freedom fighter which emigrated from Heresh to fight under the banner of the Dragon Duchy, Alexander is sent to strike at the necromancer border fortresses when they least expect it.
At the end of the mission, he succeeds and the necromancers, startled by the shockingly quick and effective attacks on their fortresses, give up and quit trying to dominate the Duchy... for now.
Mission 4: Keep your friends close...
When Alexander returns to Barhoth, the Dragon Duchy's capital, Lucius awaits him with glee. After he throws a magnificent dark feast in honor of Alexander's successes, he decides to expose his complete plan. The Fell Armies have grown in number significantly, he worked on that since he returned from his obscure travels. And, as Grand Duke, he considers he has a legitimate claim on the crown of no less than the entire Unicorn Empire. Lucius's strength to impose peace and civilization would grow with his power, and he would bring all human lands to his dominion, forever - and with Alexander leading his armies beside him, he reckons he cannot fail. The new world order awaits them, and none would stop them, not even the gods they once worshiped.
Here, Alexander comprehends how deep his father sank into dark ambition and insanity. He decides to stand against Lucius, yelling for him to open his eyes, and to see what his so called peace has done to the land. Creatures of the night roam freely, while mortals are afraid to leave their homes even in broad daylight. Famine and poverty have not reduced, in fact the only thing they had accomplished is that they went to war with everyone who could help them. Alexander refuses to be part of that any longer, which angers Lucius greatly and the two of them start battling in the throne chamber.
After a while, however, Lucius defeats Alexander and proclaims:
"From the dungeons I brought you, I raised your as my progeny, as my immortal heir... Only to have you betray me, now, at the most crucial moment of them all! Now, my son, you shall return into the dungeons you crawled out from, and remain there for an eternity to come!"
Having said that, he has Alexander thrown into the dungeons below the castle, and in his fury, decides to gather his army and depart toward the Empire.
As soon as she receives the news of that, Mina, aware that attacking the Empire would doom the Dragon Duchy once and for all, sets out with a contingent of troops loyal to her, to fight her way to now emptied Barhoth and release Alexander before it is too late.
At the end of the mission, Mina breaks into Barhoth and set Alexander free. Alexander emerges from the dungeons, determined hatred burning in his vampiric eyes.
"You have my thanks, Mina. I have only had two such friends in life, and I am just about to slay one." Having said that, he arms himself and takes command of the remaining troops loyal to him. Despite Mina's warnings, he decides to set out and reach Lucius's army before he manages to do any more damage to both the Empire and the Dragon Duchy itself.
Mission 5: Bonds of Fatherhood
Alexander, followed by Mina which was determined to go with him, tries to reach Lucius's army, but is too late. In his dark anger, Lucius has already crossed the Imperial border and is making his way through the hilly lands of the southern Unicorn Empire. Alexander pushes on, following the bloody, destructive trail of Lucius's army, fighting off ambitious vampire lords loyal to his father who were left behind, and finally gets to Lucius while his host is positioned in a large, newly conquered and pillaged city of Ethersmound. In a long and excruciating battle among the burnt leftovers of Ethersmound, Alexander carves out a victory, and faces his wounded father who found refuge in one of the ruined towers of the city.
Lucius (holding his wounded chest): "So. You are here at last."
Alexander: "You do not seem surprised."
Lucius: "I was told of your arrival. You seem to have powerful allies. Dungeons never hold you for too long."
Alexander: "If I didn't bear this curse upon me, I'd have thought it was luck. But now, when I look back, I realize... those nobles should have killed me long ago."
Lucius: "You still do not understand, do you? That was the price of..."
Alexander: "Peace. I've listened enough about it. I've seen and... consumed too much blood to ever be able to believe in it again. All this time I've fought and killed for... nothing. Nothing more than to satisfy your bloodthirst... and mine. But no more. Never again shall I murder for others. Never again shall I cover my own bloody crimes with ideals. The only peace I have ever created in my life shall happen now - your final peace."
Alexander pushes his sword through Lucius's chest, and Lucius falls on the ground, kneeling.
Lucius (coughing blood): "Deep inside me, son... I was hoping you'd do this. I... I have failed. Forget me. Rule our land like I should have ruled it."
Alexander pulls out the sword from Lucius's chest and watches him crumble to ashes. A horn is heard from a distance. Alexander turns to the open balcony, a gentle breeze caressing his war-hardened but still youthful vampiric face.
Mina runs up the stairway and enters the room.
"That was the horn of Imperial armies, Alexander. If you're done here, we need to..."
She stops and looks around the chamber - there is nothing inside it, nothing but a heap of ashes on the floor, scattered around the room by the night wind.
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Adrius
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Stand and fight!
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posted December 16, 2008 12:30 AM |
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Edited by Adrius at 00:34, 16 Dec 2008.
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You really got me with this one... can't wait to see more...
Hmm... shooters... maybe Attack and Return for bat swarms? 
EDIT:
I'm guessing that the Tier 1 servants are human familiars awaiting the Dark Gift? 
I've always liked that idea... how bout a hero ability that can turn a small portion of them into Chyldes? You know, granting them their reward...
Or maybe a town building could do that?
Awesome.
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Snatch
Promising
Known Hero
Proud Kappa
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posted December 16, 2008 02:48 AM |
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Heroes start with 5 points on their attributes not just 4.
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baklava
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Mostly harmless
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posted December 16, 2008 09:26 AM |
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Edited by baklava at 09:30, 16 Dec 2008.
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Got a crew, Alcibiades. You're goin' down...
Thanks, folks.
@Father
Quote:
Could you explain the Black Knights in more detail? And maybe get away from that name all together as it is just already taken by the necropolis. I mean I know so is Vampire, but that is just a creature and your making a whole new faction. Hmm, instead of Black Knights (or Dread Knights) How about something like Damned Knights or Death Knights. Just a thought, idk lol.
In Heroes 5, the Black Knights have nothing to do with Necropolis - in fact, it says in their description that they are vampiric, damned knights who have separated themselves from the Necropolis as a faction. So I thought I could use that. The Necropolis has Wraiths instead of them.
They're only with Necropolis in Heroes III.
I could change them, but isn't it tempting to put them in?
I thought they'd be similar to those of Heroes 5.
Quote:
Also, what units would be throwers/shooters? Or make up for lack of them with more flyer's? you could easily have several flyer's but that also might get to be too much. Oh and what version of game is this for?
Well I thought it could be implementable in Heroes 5 or 6.
You're right about shooters. I was thinking Boundserfs would be able to throw knives and, as Adrius suggested, the Bats to have the attack&return ability. Elders would have the ability to turn into a bat (receiving a bonus to movement) and fly pretty much anywhere on the battlefield, and then revert to their previous forms, once per battle (all in one turn. So practically they simply receive a movement and flight bonus for one turn ). And brides would perhaps be able to jump over moats and climb walls.
@Adrius
Quote:
I'm guessing that the Tier 1 servants are human familiars awaiting the Dark Gift?
More or less, yeah.
I was thinking about the ability to turn them into childer, but I haven't implemented it yet. I thought it could be, like you said, a Town building, like "the Hall of Gifts". It would serve as a shortened edition of the Training skill, I guess. But it wouldn't be cheap.
@Snatch
Quote:
Heroes start with 5 points on their attributes not just 4.
Yeah... Heh... Uhm... I knew that
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"Let me tell you what the blues
is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
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MattII
Legendary Hero
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posted December 16, 2008 11:01 AM |
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Edited by MattII at 11:02, 16 Dec 2008.
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Apart from not really understanding the racial skill, and having misgivings about the lower end of the creature lineup (I feel it ought to go Bat Swarm, Servant, Bloodhound), it's a good town, especially given the unusually short time it took you to create it (half-a-day or so, unless you'd been doing work on it previously).
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Jiriki9
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Altar Dweller
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posted December 16, 2008 06:28 PM |
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Quote:
The hero also regenerates some blood per turn.
What about just turning around. I mean, in most stories, movies, games, etc. where vampires are shown, they do not just gain power daily. Indeed, they LOOSE power: the more, the longer they do not get any blood...So, just as an idea, how about making this a bit more tricky and let them loose some Blood per day?
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zamfir
Promising
Supreme Hero
Allez allez allez
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posted December 16, 2008 07:24 PM |
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I also find this town very interesting. But I would like to see some creatures with "special" names: like Gtohyr instead of the English word Bat. (Gtohyr is a horrible name, but I think you got the idea).
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5 Times TV
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Adrius
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Stand and fight!
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posted December 16, 2008 07:33 PM |
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Edited by Adrius at 19:35, 16 Dec 2008.
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Quote:
Quote:
The hero also regenerates some blood per turn.
What about just turning around. I mean, in most stories, movies, games, etc. where vampires are shown, they do not just gain power daily. Indeed, they LOOSE power: the more, the longer they do not get any blood...So, just as an idea, how about making this a bit more tricky and let them loose some Blood per day?
Hmm... what about an upgradeable building which is called "Cattle Chamber" or something? A whole kingdom built around Vampirism must have quite a large supply of blood...
Lvl 1 Cattle Chamber - All Princes under your command recieves a small amount blood per day.
Lvl 2 Cattle Chamber - All Princes under your command recieves a larger amount of blood per day.
Lvl 3 Cattle Chamber - All Princes under your command recieves a large amount blood per day.
You could also tie some abilities or other bonuses to this...
EDIT: A question Bak, with "turns" do you mean in-battle turns or days?
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted December 16, 2008 08:12 PM |
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Edited by Vlaad at 20:13, 16 Dec 2008.
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Looks great actually...! I can totally see myself playing this faction. Loved the vampiresses and bats in Age of Wonders too...
As for the hero, I'd love to see something like Nosferat from Disciples 2, who is able to heal his units by draining blood from the opponents.
Dunno about tier 7 though, sounds like a soopervampire... I'm sure Nival would go for the Bone Dragon... a dragon, anyway...
Fellbride... heh heh heh.
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Adrius
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Stand and fight!
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posted December 16, 2008 08:17 PM |
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Hmm yeah, the tier 7 could be replaced imo.
Maybe something likes this: (Steals from Warhammer)
dragon riders
or...
Mutated or fully transformed vampires?
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baklava
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Mostly harmless
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posted December 16, 2008 11:59 PM |
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@Jiriki
I was thinking that they automatically hunt some peasantry around and gain blood from them Then again, that would be tricky to explain underground or on lava so I'll drop that.
@Adrius
The idea with the blood building is good, I thought I might include it myself.
Alright, new concept, influenced by Adrius and Jiriki. Heroes gain blood through battles or visiting castles with the appropriate building (the Crimson Spire). Crimson Spires serve as mage guilds for blood magic, and hence refill the blood points of any visiting heroes which spend a day in the castle.
@Zamfir
I actually don't get the idea You're proposing we make up the names and replace the natural ones?
Why would we do that?
I used "special" names where I could, such as Neonates, Fellbrides and Bounserfs. But replacing bats with Chyklarrghs or something doesn't seem right to me. They're... well, they're bats.
@Vlaad
Thanks.
Level 7 should IMO stay as it is, since they're the true vampires. That would be like saying the devils are sooperdemons.
They are. And it should be that way.
Dragons were tempting, especially the historical Dracula being a member of the Order of the Dragon, but I thought there were too many dragons already and decided to skip that part.
One of the upgrades of the Elder would be able to transform into the monstrous beast Adrius suggested, instead of a bat. That was the idea at least. The beast would have leathery wings and would resemble a large, dark, batlike creature with huge fangs.
Or should I just put the beasts as level 6, instead of black knights?
I really did look forward to including black knights you know 
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"Let me tell you what the blues
is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
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Adrius
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Stand and fight!
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posted December 17, 2008 12:08 AM |
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Edited by Adrius at 00:09, 17 Dec 2008.
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Hmm... ah well, I for one isn't so hot for Dread Knights... but it's your choice and a faction is always easier to make if you're having fun
On the other hand, transformation is always cool 
Only one of the upgrades is getting the transformation? That's sad... many people would probably ignore the other upgrade just to get the cool bat transformation...
Hey! Let all the Tier 7 übervampires have an auto ability that tranforms them into beasts once their stacksize goes under a certain level!
It could be like, a last resort or something
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baklava
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Mostly harmless
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posted December 17, 2008 12:12 AM |
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I already thought of that, but it would be kind of useless to have a unit which needs to die in order to be cool.
Anyway, I'll think something up. But first I need to get some sleep.
____________
"Let me tell you what the blues
is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
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Adrius
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Stand and fight!
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posted December 17, 2008 12:15 AM |
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Ok then (ignores your needs of sleep  )
Let's turn it the other way around: Let them have an ability that turns them into Beasts if they see too much blood.
As in, the more they kill, the closer they get to the edge where they transform into their true form.
An ability that rewards offence.
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baklava
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Mostly harmless
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posted December 17, 2008 12:23 AM |
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Hm. That sounds great.
Well done, man.
We might need to work on it a bit more, but the main idea is there.
____________
"Let me tell you what the blues
is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
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MattII
Legendary Hero
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posted December 17, 2008 12:30 AM |
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would I be allowed to post my own lineup here, or do I have to open another thread for that?
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Jiriki9
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Altar Dweller
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posted December 17, 2008 07:44 AM |
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Quote:
Dragons were tempting, especially the historical Dracula being a member of the Order of the Dragon, but I thought there were too many dragons already and decided to skip that part.
If you'd like to include that fact, why don't make one upgrade of the Blood Knights the Dragon Knights, or Knights of teh Dragon or something like that?!
And I agree that this transformation thing would be cool!
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Adrius
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Stand and fight!
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posted December 17, 2008 08:06 AM |
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Edited by Adrius at 08:09, 17 Dec 2008.
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Ok, I'm back with another idea.
Magic as racial skills is nothing new, and neither is a special "mana" needed to use this. Nothing wrong with it though, as long as the magic is creative.
It can however, be made a bit more original, and since we're talking about vampires, I came up with this to further enhance the "vampiric" touch.
Extremly crude picture, made in 2 minutes...
Anyway, at the centre, your stats are normal. As you consume more blood through your magic, your blood level decreases. If it goes too far, you'll get a stats penalty. Same goes for having a large amount of blood in stock, which gives a stats bonus. (The stats bonus can be changed though, people might favour having a stats bonus instead of using Blood Magic...)
This brings even more strategy into the magic, as the player can sacrifice their hero's strength in battle (stats) to be able to cast more magic.
Just a small concept...
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Asheron
Famous Hero
Ancient
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posted December 17, 2008 08:41 AM |
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Edited by Asheron at 08:51, 17 Dec 2008.
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Bak,as usual, is a source of good ideas
Like the faction Lineup is solid too,I'll to give some constructive opinions in future...
Regarding the Dragon Riders it really hard to implement that in HoMM games. Well not hard but it would look stupid If you want a full-size dragon mount the rider would be rather small and if you ride the dragon like this:
Well...Its not really a dragon then. Just a whelp 
Keep the ideas coming,I'm sure Alc's gonna loose this one
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baklava
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Mostly harmless
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posted December 17, 2008 10:49 AM |
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@Matt
Feel free to, this is an open town, not just mine. Any help or ideas are appreciated.
@Jiriki
Well I'm sure they wouldn't really fit (people would be like WTF dragon knights in vamp castle?!)... Besides, Dracula was just one member of the Order, which was international and stretched far further than Dracula's land. He didn't have command over other knights. In fact, he was in the order simply because his father was in the order before him.
@Adrius
The concept is cool, though it reminds a bit of Stronghold's Rage. Except that Stronghold's racial is more simplified.
I like this new idea very much, actually. Adds quite some strategy to the game.
But how would it work? Would the formula still be ATT*10 for max blood? Or would blood be used like the necromancers' dark energy (bar on the upper side of the screen)?
Maybe the bar would be the best in this case.
Castle buildings and hero's Blood Magic skill determines the maximum blood the faction can store, and that blood is used to cast blood spells, or gathered to increase the hero's stats (namely Attack, Defense and maybe Initiative). It's gained through battles, but doesn't refill at the start of weeks. A hero can refill it by sacrificing units in a special town building called the Vitae Chamber.
@Asheron
Great to have you with us. I know, Alc has it coming
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"Let me tell you what the blues
is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
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