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| Thread: ICTC VII : The Holy Empire | |
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fauch
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted March 02, 2013 01:34 AM |
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Edited by fauch at 19:45, 05 May 2013.
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ICTC VII : The Holy Empire
The Holy Empire
Aka: The humans
Associated colors: Gold in particular.
Worship: Elrath
Core Philosophy: "Death to unbelievers"
Country / kingdom:
Capital city:
Key symbols: The sun
Basics :
The Holy Empire is a religiously fanatic empire, which goal is to extend itself as much as possible. They want to bring peace to the whole world by uniting it under their religion and traditions and are not afraid to use force to do so (although they do not have suicide bombers yet). Their intolerance to other beliefs makes it hard for them to make allies.
Relations :
Demons (Enemies) : of course, it could hardly be another way, since the human agenda clashes with the demon agenda. they both want to conquer the world, and they aren't gonna share. Moreover demons wants to bring chaos, whereas human wants to bring order (though the end result is likely to be the same anyway)
Orcs (Hostile) : orcs aren't actual enemies of the empire, but their stupid beliefs puts them on the list of people to convert. not sure orcs will accept that without fighting...
Dark elves (Neutral) : being worshippers of the god of the sun, humans tend to not really care about anyone hiding in the underground, as long as they do not bother them.
Dwarves (neutral) : like the dark elves, as long as they stay in their cave, it should be fine.
Elves (defiant) : those guys have weird beliefs, but aren't as vindictive as orcs, maybe we could convince them to convert themselves.
Academy (defiant) : these fools do not believe in anything, but they are open to discussion, although it is only to prove that they are right. but our god shall open their eyes.
Necropolis (neutral) : Really, there is no point into converting someone who is already dead. but they's better not be in our path.
Sanctuary (friendly) : although they share different beliefs than human, the empire admires their tolerance and openess.
Unique Racial Ability
Martyrdom
The hero can choose an unit of his army. A fraction of the damage dealt to this creature (after reduction due to the defense) will instead be evenly distributed between the other stacks composing the army and will be reduced (again) according to the defense of each creature. The creature is protected until the hero chooses another target or cancel the martyrdom.
Exemple : the protected creature his dealt 1000 damage (after application of the defense) it has 50% protection due to martyrdom, so it will receive 500 damage, and the 500 remaining damage will be split between the 5 remaining stacks, so 100 damage each. but after application of the defense, damage drop to 90 + 90 + 80 + 75 + 50 for example.
The gauge is filled by damage absorbed by your creatures defense. (so damage that is dealt to them without causing any harm). the formula is similar to the one used by the necropolis.
Martyrdom 1 : the hero can target core creatures
Martyrdom 2 : the hero can target core and elite creatures, the percentage of protection is increased
Martyrdom 3 : the hero can target core, elite and champion creatures, the percentage of protection is increased
Martyrdom 4 : when damage is dealt to the protected creature, and also when it is divided between the rest of the army, between might and magic defense, it is the highest value that is taken into account, independantly of the type of damage.
Heroes :
Might : Knight
Ability : Stand your ground. The creatures of a Knight hero will always start a battle in defense mode.
Tear : Paladin
Tear I : Shield Bash. 25% of all the damage inflicted in melee to your troops, and absorbed by their defense, is returned to the attacker.
Tear II : Shield Stun. Each time Shield Bash activates, the attacker also suffers a penalty of -10 initiative until their next turn.
Blood : Templar
Blood I : Preemptive Strike. Your shooters get a free action at the beginning of the battle, before anyone else acts. they deal 20/25/30%(+stats) of their normal damage.
Blood II : Unshakable Faith. 1 charge. The target stack will benefit from a positive morale after each of his next 2/3/4 actions.
Magic : Priest
Ability : Light wielder. The priest has a 5+% bonus when casting light spells.
Tear : Healer
Tear I : Guardian Angel. 1 charge. gives the target stack 700/800/900(+stats) (random numbers) HPs, that it will use to resurrect itself each time it suffers loses.
Tear II : Light Bringer. Cooldown 2. gives the Epiphany ability to the target stack.
Blood : Zealot
Blood I : Pain Mirror. When damage is transfered from the protected stack to martyrs stacks of your army, the attacker suffers 50% of that damage.
Blood II : Divine Retribution. 1 charge. Select an enemy creature and deal it 50% of all the damage transfered from protected stacks to martyrs from the beginning of the battle.
Line-up :
Core
Pikeman
With archers, pikemen form the bulk and core of the empire army. they are numerous and excel both at invading and defending cities.
small, high growth, high defense but weak to magic, slow and average damage.
Long weapon (Basic and Upgrade) : the pikeman can reach an unit that is one tile away, avoiding retaliation.
Stand your ground (Basic and Upgrade) : the pikeman is immune against any kind of charge ability (such as jousting, paw strike and rider charge)
Intimidation (Upgrade) : Activated ability. the pikeman can threaten an enemy unit into taking a few steps back. you can use your pikemen to relocate a ground enemy stack wherever you need it. it is limited by the pikemen movement, and the ratio of the pikemen stack power on the enemy stack power. if the enemy is strong enough, it could just force pikemen to end their movement. it also deals half the normal damage.
Archer
With pikemen, archers are the bulk and core of the empire army. they are invaluable in defense, and also good as a support unit to weaken enemies before an attack.
small, average growth, quite slow, low defense but good damage.
Shooter (Basic and Upgrade)
Rain of arrows (Basic and Upgrade) : Activated ability. the archer can target a 3x3 area, but will only deal half of his normal damage.
Storm of arrows (Upgrade) : Activated ability. same as Rain of arrows, but the target area is 4x4
Gargoyle
Gargoyle are immortal guardian of the city of the empire. they generally sit on some building and wait, immobile, until some enemy come. then they fight fiercely to defend the building they are meant to protect.
small, low growth, quite slow but good movement, massive defense , low attack
Flyer (Basic and Upgrade)
Elemental (Basic and Upgrade)
Adornment (basic and Upgrade) : this creature can sit on the top of any structure present on the battlefield, including walls or towers. it immediately switches to defense mode, and gain an additionnal defense bonus as long as it sits there. if ever the structure is destroyed, gargoyles suffer no loses but loses the bonus and end the defense mode.
sentinel (Upgrade) : When this creature is in defense mode, it automatically attacks every enemy stack that passes or stops on an adjacent tile.
Elite
Crusader
Crusader are holy, heavily armored knight blessed by the god of sun. their enchanted swords are particularly scary to unholy creatures such as demons.
small, average growth, average speed, average attack and defense
Affinity to light (Basic and Upgrade) : this creature is immune to non-beneficial light spells and effects. if a creature is only able to deal light damage, then its damage is only reduced.
Darkness ward (Basic and Upgrade) : this creature has 50% chance of resisting an hostile dark spell.
Light sword (Upgrade) : When attacking, the crusader's sword unleashes a light beam that deals 25% damage to any unit standing behind the target. damage is elemental (light). the attack on the main target deals 75% might damage + 25% light damage.
Cavalier
Cavaliers are the heavy hitting force of the empire. not even the largest beast could withstand their terrible charge. they are also blessed by the god of light.
large, low growth, high speed and damage but average defense
Affinity to light (Basic + Upgrade)
Jousting (Basic + Upgrade) : the damage dealt by the cavalier is increased for every tile he crosses before the attack.
Sun riding (Upgrade) : Activated ability. The cavalier can turn into light and act right after. it allows him to ignore obstacles, like a flying unit as well as anything that may hinder his movement. The cooldown is 2 turns, but the ability will immediately be refreshed if ever the cavalier is hit by the light beam of the crusader.
Caryatid
Caryatids are litterally the pillars of the empire. and they litteraly make and unmake cities. conquerors often bring some of them with them to facilitate the deconstruction and conversion of enemies' cities.
small, average growth, low speed, low damage and quite good defense for a shooter.
Shooter (Basic and Upgrade)
Siege engine (Basic and Upgrade) : Activated abilities. this creature can act as a catapult and throw rocks at structures.
Structure support (Basic and Upgrade) : when this creature stands adjacent to an allied or neutral structure, all damage dealt to this structure is reduced to a half.
No wall penalty (Upgrade) : no penalty for shooting over walls.
Sunder (Upgrade) : this creature deals more damage when attacking structures.
Champion
Garuda
(this is just that yellow bird, not the guy on it)
Garudas are physical incarnation of the god of the sun, and are worshipped by humans. they ressemble massive birds, with some human features (including intelligence) and they radiate blinding light.
large, normal growth, high speed, low defense but decent againt magic, good damage.
Flyer (Basic and Upgrade)
Afinity to light (Basic and Upgrade)
Hatred of snakes (Basic and Upgrade) : this creature deals increased damage to snake-like creatures, such as nagas, medusas, hydras...
Perfect retaliation (Basic and Upgrade) : it is impossible to escape the retaliation of a garuda. even if the enemy has an ability which would normally prevent retaliation, the garuda will still retaliate. (note : this isn't unlimited retaliations)
Blinding feathers (Upgrade) : creatures attacking the garuda are blinded and unable to perform any additional attack. if the enemy has an ability such as the orc's assault or the kenshi's 4 waves, it doesn't trigger. moreover, whenever the garuda is hit by the light beam of the crusader or the Sun riding ability of the cavalier, it provokes a flash that blinds every adjacent creature, unless they are immune to blind or have an affinity to light. the duration of blind depends on the power of the garudas stacks and the power of each enemy stacks.
Castle :
The castle is a massive tower like structure, with architectural details similar to that of ancient greek temples.
Castle Buildings :
Dwellings :
-Barracks/Guarhouse : Allows you to hire pikemen
-Watchtower/Guardtower : Allows you to hire archers
-Parapet/Ornamented Parapet : Allows you to hire gargoyles
-Ceremony Hall/Dubbing Hall : Allows you to hire crusaders
-Cathedral Vault/Basilica Vault : Allows you to hire caryatids
-Duelling Arena/Duelling Coliseum : Allows you to hire cavaliers
-Resplendent Shrine/flamboyant Shrine : Allows you to hire Garudas
Special Buildings :
Minor :
-Fortifications : adds a second castle wall right before the moat. it has 1 structural point.
-Tower of light : the movement and vision field of all your heroes is increased by 1.
Major :
-War Memorial : Creatures killed by martyrdom can be resurrected here within 3 days for the double of the normal hiring price. Each new War Memorial increases the duration and decreases the price.
-Altar of radiance : the efficiency of light spells and abilities is increased by 15% in the area of control of the castle.
Grail :
-The Eternal Blessing of Elrath : The efficiency of light spells and abilities in increased by 100% for each of your heroes.
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gnomes2169
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Duke of the Glade
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posted June 26, 2013 08:04 PM |
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Alright, next faction to be judged... yours. 
Gameplay
Balance: The creatures seem to be rather standard for a Haven-esque faction, reliant on powerful heroes and skills to keep it running. The fact that you have a creature that attacks walls (and thus helps out your catapult) and that the Crusader is able to apparently help out other units with its light ability do make this faction a bit stronger, but other than that, it really is just standard. Even a little weak. 2/4
Strategies: Seems to very much be a hit-and-be-hit faction, mixing between turtling and rushing. Pretty standard, again. Heroes would likely be attack/ defense based, with some light magic thrown in here and there, though the ability to revive fallen units after battle does add a bit of depth. 2/3
Interest: Basically, anyone who likes playing Haven would enjoy this faction. Therefore, I give you your point. 1/1
Originality: I'm basically just getting "Haven" with a gargoyle, statue and a Griffin as the Champion. Though "Perfect retaliation" and "Hatred of snakes", while situational, could be interesting abilities in game. And "Light Sword" charging other abilities is somewhat interesting as well. Over all, I'm going to have to go with 2/4.
Setting
Theme: Normal human "We gonna take you over and make you beliiiiiiieve" theme to this faction. Though their being the enemies of everyone but sanctuary makes them interesting politically, it's not all that unique or original. 1/4
Lore: There isn't really any. :/ 0/2
Originality: Again, this faction is just too similar to the Haven factions of games past... and I really don't see anything to distinguish it. 0/3
Bonus points
While I like to give these out, there isn't really a point where you went above and beyond for the faction. Things seem to be rather standard, so no bonus points for this faction.
Gameplay: 7
Setting: 1
Bonus: 0
Over all: 8/21
____________
Yeah in the 18th century, two inventions suggested a method of measurement. One won and the other stayed in America.
-Ghost destroying Fred
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Fauch
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted July 01, 2013 02:06 AM |
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it wasn't meant to be super original, just a new vision of Haven 
and they are garudas, not griffins  it's like saying H3 stronghold has griffins in its line-up...
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xerox
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
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posted July 02, 2013 03:22 PM |
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Setting: This is the weak part of your faction. The primary problem is that it just doesn't bring anything new or original to the Haven faction. It's the same old fanatical medieval knights. You don't need to completly reinvent the faction but you can give it a twist without losing the "soul" of a traditional Haven town. It isn't just "Peasants, Griffins, Cavaliers, Archangels" though. The lineup has some originality with interesting creature concepts such as the Garuda.
Gameplay: The racial ability is certainly interesting and really fits the theme. I love how it works with the H6 Might / Magic Defense system. The application of it seems a bit straightforward though. Why would you ever use it on anything ele than your most defensive creature? That hurts its strategic potential.
The reputation abilities of the heroes are great. They fit the setting and I love how they interact with the actual creatures a lot. I'm disappointed by the special buildings tthough. Most of them are just stat boosts that don't really have much of a strategic or enjoyable impact.
The Pikeman has standard abilities for such a unit, but they make sense and Intidimation does look fun. Especially if you can use them with the Crusader Beam attack and all that. Archer, well, there's nothing new or interesting there. The Gargoyle is however very interesting with it's Sentinel mode. I love how it becomes an object, it makes sense and changes the strategic situation on the battlefield.
Caryatids feel way to situational, there's not many situations in which you are in a siege. The Crusaders Beam attack is certainly interesting but the way that and hte otherwise quite boring Sun Rider (it's exact same as in H6) interacts with the Garuda's Blinding Feathers... Wow. That's one of the most original synergies of abilities I have ever seen. I might actually steal the idea and do something similar with a faction in the future. Many faction makers also have trouble making the Champion unit interesing, it often turns into a big bad monster and not much else, but you really succeeded in turning it into something that interacts with and changes the rest of the army.
Bonus / X(erox)-factor: -
Setting: 2 / 10
Gameplay: 8 / 10
Bonus: -
Total Score: 10 / 21
____________
Over himself, over his own
body and
mind, the individual is
sovereign.
- John Stuart Mill
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Fauch
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted July 02, 2013 06:48 PM |
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Edited by Fauch at 18:50, 02 Jul 2013.
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couldn't be bothered with the settings, and even less with a story
Quote:
Caryatids feel way to situational, there's not many situations in which you are in a siege.
they are shooters. that's always good to have. and they synergize with gargoyles too. I thought about a hero class that would have had a bonus for converting castles, for synergy with caryatids, but this time I felt it was really too situational.
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