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| Thread: Moonshade's HVIII Dungeon (work in progress) | |
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moonshade
Known Hero
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posted May 11, 2015 01:18 PM |
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Moonshade's HVIII Dungeon (work in progress)
My second favorite faction- the Dungeon.
- The Dungeon Faction -
My H8 Dungeon is a mixture of the H5-7 "Dark Elf" Dungeon and the beloved H3 Dungeon. Basically, we're talking about an unholy alliance of underground-dwelling races including Dark Elves, Troglodytes, Minotaurs and some rogue humans known as the Banished. All are united by a lust for power and conquest and the endless manipulation of hidden Faceless masters.
Storyline-wise, my game is set several years after the events of Dark Messiah, during a long and stressful waiting period, as the
Demons gather & multiply in Sheogh under their new leader Sareth while at the same time the borders between Ashan and the Void grow ever thinner. In the underworld of Ygg-Chall, the formerly-powerful Kingdom of the Dark Elves lies shattered. The legendary Prince Raelag had disappeared & most likely died, & the cities fight a shadowy civil war between one another. In these games of shadow, poison & steel only the mightiest- or most cunning- lords of the underworld will survive.
Dungeon is all about power, no matter its cost. Unlike Inferno or the Void Cults, they don't want to burn the world or unmake it- but put it under their thumb, through manipulation or brute force as a last resort. While previously the Dark Elves were the hegemonic race in Dungeon society, years have changed their position. While it's true they still control many of the underworld's cities due to their mastery of secrets & so-called favored position in the eyes of the Dark Dragon Malassa, the years allowed others to challenge their position. While slavery is a common practice in Dungeon societies, slaves can break free of their burden if they earn their worth & show their power. It's actually one of the least racist & most meritocratic factions in all of Ashan as they'll accept literally anyone & anything, as long as they can claim their place. Thus, Dungeon leadership includes Dark Elves but also humans, Minotaurs & Troglodytes (a race of hideous eyeless humanoids, said to be the Faceless' answer to the experiments of House Chimera & utterly loyal to them).
While traditionally the Dark Elves were at odds with their Sylvan cousins, this "new" Dungeon- while no friends to the Wood Elves- when not fighting each other mostly shed blood against the Wizards of House Chimera in the contest over magical secrets & artifacts, and to prove who created the better (aka deadlier) monsters. Another of Dungeon's sworn enemies are the iron legions of the Wolf Duchy, as Nemesii are the most zealous of all Angels and encourage their human proteges to relentlessly seek & destroy their ancient Faceless enemies. On the other hand, they enjoy tenuous alliances of interests with the Orcs & Void Cults, and even the Demons on rare occasions.
Playstyle
Roster
Affiliated Neutral Units:
Grim Stalker (Core): These monstrous beasts combine the features of panthers, lizards & insects, and similarly to Troglodytes are an unnatural creation of Faceless magic. Unlike Trodloytes, Stalkers were deemed a failure, failing to develop the same inclination to follow orders & developing a wild & highly aggressive temper. Not normally taking part in Dungeon armies, they stalk the tunnels of Ygg Chall, preying on stray Troglodytes & Dark Elves or anything else they could catch. From time to time, Stalkers are caught & broken by Dungeon beast-handlers, & the most respected- or risk-loving- Warlocks & Assassins even use them as mounts. They have the general shape of sleek, black-purplish panthers, with twin snakelike tails, no eyes & mandibles at the sides of their mouths. They are one of the most powerful Core units, offset by high price, low growth rates and the fact one can only get them from neutral dwelllings.
Abilities:
Large
Eyeless: Grim Stalkers are immune to Blind & Gaze attacks (of creatures like Beholders & Medusa).
Hide: Once per combat, Grim Stalkers can become Invisible for 3 rounds. They become visible when attacking, and this attack is considered an automatic Flanking. Other ways to remove invisibility include the True Sight spell, being subject to AoE damage or dispelling magic (like Negation) or the Allseeing creature ability (which only reveals them during the Allseeing creatures' turn).
Sneak Attack: Grim Stalkers deal extra damage to creatures who spent their retaliation.
Lesser Poison: Grim Stalkers' attacks poison their foes, inflicting Dark DoT.
Core:
Troglodyte / Troglodyte Blackguard (tank): Troglodyes' are the Faceless' answer to House Chimera's many created species. Created from captured humans & tribes of cave-men enslaved by the Faceless in ancient times, they were physically twisted and mentally broken to become utterly merciless & obedient to their masters, also losing their eyes but lying on alien senses to perceive their surroundings. Troglodytes appear as sickly-white, muscular humanoids with a tail, with no eyes and a maw full of fangs. They wear bits of spiked black plate mail (with the upg. being fully armored, with only its mouth seen), and wield crooked, cruel-looking halberds designed to inflict maximum pain. Stat-wise they are one of the more powerful Core units, offset by low growth & low speed.
Abilities:
Eyeless (basic): Troglodytes are immune to Blind & Gaze attacks (of creatures like Beholders & Medusa).
Burrow (basic): Any ideas how to implement burrowing?
Power in Pain (basic): Whenever they take damage, Troglodyte Blackguards' morale increases.
Watcher / Beholder (shooter/saboteur): These alien beings are said to be the curators & archivists of Malassa' archives, going over every secret ever uttered to the dark & filing it for their masters. When called into battle, they blast their foes with Darkness-imbued rays shot from their multiple eyes. They appear as as a tangle of eyes & tentacles, with a large fanged maw, slightly hovering above ground & surrounded by a ring of dark mist. They have average to high stats for Core units, but suffer from low speed & growth.
Abilities:
Shooter
No Melee Penalty
Allseeing (basic): Watchers are immune to Flanking and can spot all invisible objects on the battlefield. When targeted by Blind, they first lose this ability (but can act normally) & only affected when targeted a second time.
Cursed Gaze (uprade): Beholders' attack has a chance to inflict Negation, Curse, Sorrow, Slow, or Vulnerability on a struck foe.
Dark Fury / Blood Fury (glass cannon): These fanatical warrior-priestesses of Malassa view the battlefield as one large sacrificial altar. Said to be able to learn hidden mysteries & divine the future by reading the blood patterns & entrails of slain foes, they rush headlong into battle, trusting in the shadows to protect them. Dark Furies appear nearly identical to Heroes V (and Warhammer  ):- dark-haired (upg. has white hair) scantily-clad beautiful Dark Elves, wielding twin curved daggers (Blood Furies' weapons are smeared with blood). They are the ultimate glass cannons- very high Attack & damage, excellent speed- but lousy HP & Defense. Protect them with your Trogs & Hydras, & watch them do their thing.
Abilities:
Strike & Return (basic)
Bloodthirst (basic): Dark Furies' attack or damage cannot be reduced by magical means (ex. Curse, Frality & certain unit abilities like Medusas' Weakening Venom).
No Retaliation (uprade)
Elite:
Cave Hydra / Abyssal Hydra (tank): Cave Hydras are native to deep fetid pools & chambers of toxic gas. As with all denizens of Ygg-Chall, their origins are shrouded. Some say they were once-mundane serpents twisted by exposure to Dragonblood crystals, while others claim they are born from the eggs of Green Dragons, exposed to Dark Magic. Wherever they come from, these gigantic lizards are ever-hungry to feed their many mouths. Tamed by the cruel lashes of Dungeon beastmasters & no small amount of magic, they now serve their masters as living engines of destruction. Hydras appear similarly to H3, with 2 legs & an increasing number of heads- with the upgrade having armor plates grafted into its flesh. They're the epitome of tankiness- massive HP & defense, ok damage & attack but pitiful speed. Their main purpose is to last, while your hero, Dark Furies, Cabalists & Champions blast the enemy to cinders.
Abilities:
Large
Multiheaded (basic): Hydras attack all surrounding enemies, & take only 25% damage from Flanking.
No Retaliation (basic)
Regeneration (upgrade): Abyssal Hydras constantly regenerate HP, even permanently resurrecting lost members. The only way to stop this is Fire damage, or utterly destroying the stack.
Armored (upgrade): The defense of Abyssal Hydras cannot be reduced by magical means or unit abilities (like Devastating Blow).
Minotaur / Minotaur Gladiator (tank / damage dealer): These powerful bullheaded Beastmen were once the slaves of Wizards, and for many years were enslaved by the Dark Elves. However, in recent years many Minotaurs have gained their freedom by showing their prowess in the arena and on the actual field of battle, rising to prominence as Overlords, Assassins & even Warlocks. Following the example set by these heroes, Minotaurs serve as the elite shock-troops of Dungeon armies, killing all in their path to earn freedom & glory. Minotaurs are mostly unarmored, wearing bits of gladiator-style band mail (though the upg. wears more armor), & carrying great battle-axes. The basic version is brown, while the upg. is darker. They're a great overall Elite unit with excellent Attack, damage & speed, suffering from average HP & Defense. They have no real weaknesses, except- as usual in Dungeon- growth & price.
Abilities:
Unshakable (basic): Minotaurs cannot lose or have negative morale.
Duel (basic): When attacking the same target more than 2 times in a row (not including retaliations), Minotaurs will inflict additional damage. If they move to another target, Duel will be reset.
Bullrush (upgrade): Once every two rounds Minotaur Gladiators can Bullrush their enemies, dealing additonal damage, pushing them back two tiles & having a hefty chance to Stun them for 1 round.
Medusa / Serpent Mother (shooter / caster): The origins of these serpent-women are shrouded in shadow. Some claim they are renegade Naga, while others say they are female Dark Elf priestesses, blessed (or cursed) by the goddess Malassa. Medusas appear as robed, shapely women with brown (black for upg.) snake lower body & snakes for hair, wielding ornate long bows. To shoot, they draw snakes out of their hair which transform into arrows. They have overall low to average stats, especially for the powerful Dungeon faction, but compensate with versatility & multiple powerful abilities.
Abilities:
Large
Shooter
No Melee Penalty (basic)
Weakening Venom (basic): Medusa's ranged attack has a chance to inflict an Attack-reducing effect on struck foes, which makes them weaker over time for 3 rounds or until cured.
Stone Gaze (basic): Medusa's melee attack has a chance to petrify struck foes, preventing them from acting for 2 rounds. Attacking a petrified foes cancels the condition & inflicts 33% additional damage.
Spells (upgrade): Plague, Regeneration, Earthquake
OR
Cabalist / Invoker (shooter / caster): Aspiring Warlocks are usually sent to prove their mettle on the battlefield, learning firsthand the arts of combat magic of mass destruction before they can lead their own armies. Their faces hidden beneath featureless masks, none knows Cabalists' exact species & sex- they are only allowed to reveal themselves & re-gain their names once they have claimed enough souls, and learnt enough dark & deadly secrets. Cabalists have average to low stats (including low to average speed) and need to be constantly protected, but are like having another hero. As long as their mana is high, they will utterly devastate the enemy.
Abilities:
Shooter
Soul Theft (basic): Whenever destroying a stack with their regular attack, Cabalists regain some mana. They can excceed their normal mana cap this way.
Spells (basic): Plague, Magic Arrow, Fireball
Spells (upgrade): Plague, Magic Arrow, Fireball, Meteor Shower
Spell Frenzy (upgrade): Once per combat, Invokers can enter a state of heightened senses for 3 rounds, being able to cast 2 spells every round (if they have enough mana). However, after the condition had ended they are exhausted and suffer a speed penalty for 2 rounds.
BTW- of-course they don't have enough mana to cast 2 Meteor Showers the same round, unless they used Soul Theft before or increased their maximum mana some other way.
Champion:
Faceless / Faceless Dominator (flyer, saboteur/caster): Faceless & Shadow Dragons are both Children of Malassa, though Faceless represent her cunning & deception while Dragons represent her brutality & greed. Reduced to mere hundreds in ancient wars, these master manipulators perfer to lie in the shadows & rule from there, often wearing the guises of humans or Dark Elves. Some whisper they actually procreate nowdays by transforming aspiring Warlocks & Assassins into new Faceless through eldritch secretive rituals.
Faceless generally have low stats for a Champion (especially HP), though their speed is quite OK. They're not meant to fight, however, but to wreak havoc & devastation among enemy ranks through their spells. Protect them with your Troglodytes, Minotaurs & Hydras & watch them do their thing...
Abilities:
Flyer
Child of Darkness (basic): Faceless are immune to Dark damage & debuffs, but suffer double Light damage.
Spells (basic): Faceless can cast Confusion, Lightning Bolt & Berserk.
Strike & Return (basic): Faceless automatically return to their starting tile.
Forgotful Touch (basic): A Faceless' touch causes a struck unit to forget one of its special abilities, making it unable to use it for 2 rounds. Multiple Touches stack. Basically, as Faceless still suffer retaliation, one should wait until the enemy unit unit spent its retaliation and then strike.
Spells (upgrade): Faceless Dominators can cast Confusion, Lightning Bolt, Berserk & Master of Puppets.
Shield of Darkness (upgrade): Once per combat, a Faceless Dominator can activate Shield of Darkness. Shield of Darkness reduces Physical damage done to the Faceless Dominator to a mere 20%, but constantly drains spell points (a Dominator with its full mana of 30- can maintain Shield of Darkness for 6 rounds).
Shadow Dragon / Black Dragon (flyer, tank/damage dealer): Dragons are revered by the Dark Elves & other beings who call the Dungeon home, said to represent Malassa's endless greed & utter brutality. Unlike other beasts of the underworld they are not tamed, but rather allied with- offering their considerable might in return for riches, hidden secrets & living slaves to devour & toy with. Shadow Dragons are dark grey, while Black Dragons are utterly jet-black (think D&D Shadow Dragons). They are possibly the most powerful unit in the game, offset by low growth and high cost.
Abilities:
Large
Magic Immunity (basic): Shadow Dragons are immune to spells up to 4th level.
Darkfire Breath (basic): Shadow Dragons can hit up to 2 creatures in a straight row. Their attack is considered both Dark & Fire damage, according to the target's immunities. This makes them especially effective against creatures like Nemesii, Light Elementals & Undead, but less against Demons.
Magic Immunity (upgrade): Black Dragons are completely immune to magic.
Devourer of Secrets (upgrade): Whenever Black Dragons attack a spellcasting unit, your hero automatically learns one of its spells (starting with the highest level one).
- Heroes -
Might
Assassin (Offense)
Overlord (Governance)
Spymaster (Defense)
Magic
Warlock / Witch (Offense)
Dark Oracle (Governance)
Shadow Weaver (Defense)
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husham123
Famous Hero
Yes
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posted May 11, 2015 09:20 PM |
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Damn, Homm3 had more original towns than this. Heroes 5 used to be the Dark Elf towns, but I just like it how in Homm3. Also, the creatures from the other Heroes that are not found on the other Heroes games should be sticked together, to be a 8/8/5 line-up.
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What the darn-diddily-doodily did you just say about me, you little witcharooney? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class at Springfield Bible College, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret
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moonshade
Known Hero
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posted May 12, 2015 11:13 AM |
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Response
To Husham:
Well, my Dungeon is basically the H3 Dungeon only that Dark Furies replace Harpies (but they're basically the same unit minus flight, which is going to be one of the Dungeon's few weak points), Hydras replace Manticores (I've decided to put Chimeras in Academy, and Manticores somewhat overlap with them) & Cabalists replace Medusas (didn't want 2 female units & no male Dark Elf/human- Cabalists are masked, so they can be either human or Elvish).
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husham123
Famous Hero
Yes
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posted May 12, 2015 09:18 PM |
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Nice.
But I just said that all the troops are the same cool, the same enjoyable. Adding all the creatures from the earlyer series of Heroes, will just... Make it better IMO.
But if it's not added, or something, your creatures are nice too.
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What the darn-diddily-doodily did you just say about me, you little witcharooney? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class at Springfield Bible College, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret
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moonshade
Known Hero
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posted May 22, 2015 06:25 PM |
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Two Questions:
1. How should I implement the Troglodytes' Burrow ability (which Inferno Hellworms would also have)?
2. Which you think is a better choice- Medusas or Cabalists?
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Jiriki9
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Altar Dweller
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posted June 02, 2015 03:40 PM |
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So, comments on this.
First general notes.
Imo, you could improve your writing a bit. One understands what is meant, but it feels a bit unsmooth at some spots.
Overall I really like this dungeon, I think. I would like to know more on the heroes and of course the town, though.
Troglodytes...I think I like these ones. I LOVE the power of pain ability on them, showing them as mental slaves!
Quote:
Any ideas how to implement burrowing?
Actually I am not sure I WOULD do it on troglodytes. ANd in your inferno you don't say how it works there. ... If you want it on troglodytes, I would not use it as a burrowing movement. Maybe you can place them burrowed before the battle and then crawl out of the earth later on unsuspectedly? That would fit, I think.
Dark fury...aaah these furies - i never really liked them in HoMM. They will alwas be WH:Fantasy for me^^ I like the bloodthirsty ability here, though it seems strong on a core unit.
Hydra...the H3 hydras have 4 legs 
Medusa or Cabalist...I would definitely go for Medusa here! Tradition as main reason The cabalist abilities are fine but to me they do not really fit in your dungeon as medusa does. I don't like the Serpent mother name, though.
Faceless...I like your faceless.
...and I like your dragons as well.
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