Angel Team: Revision Phase T9TURNTURNTURNAntiphon of Apathy
A modified version of the refrain of regret, the Antiphon of Apathy has split the original spellsong in two opposing refrains, performed by 2 seperate groups. Whereas the refrain of Regret would compell everyone who heard it to sign it, and then destroy itself through it's draining effect, the Antiphon of Apathy has a more nuanced effect.
Refrain A (the initiators) sing a refrain strongly remniscent of the Song of Soothing, and a very strong compulsion for everyone who hears it to sign refrain B.
Refrain B (the response) sing a refrain with a far stronger draining effect, and a fairly weak compulsion for everyone who hear it to sign refrain A.
When exposed to a group of unprepared demonic evildoers, Refrain A will compel all of them to sing their own response, draining them. This massive group B will then compel a few of those who resisted or failed to heard the original refrain to start singing refrain A, which will in turn further extend and propagate the song.
Due to Refrain A's similarity to the SOng of Soothing (which our forces should be singing anyway), our own forces should be minimally affected as they would naturally slot into Group A.
Antiphon of Apathy: Easy: (1+2)+1=4: Below Average
Maybe music is just better suited to uplifting pursuits? Or maybe it's just bad luck. Well, it could've been worse.
Antiphon of Apathy works fine. Does what it says on the can; Refrain A makes listeners sing Refrain B, which reduces morale. Friendly forces are a lot less susceptible to Refrain B, due to singing the Song of Soothing already. This causes the enemy's morale to decrease, whilst not significantly affecting friendlies.
The minor problem with Antiphon of Apathy is that Refrain A has a tendency to 'override' Song of Soothing. As Refrain B spreads amongst the enemy, more and more of your soldiers will be compelled to sing Refrain A- and stop singing Song of Soothing (Acolytes generally have the mental fortitude needed to stop singing Refrain A during a hectic battle, but the average footsoldier does not). Thus, whilst its use will quickly demoralise the enemy, it will also gradually reduce friendly morale to baseline levels.
Testing shows that this will only be a problem in long, drawn-out battles, which hopefully will be avoided thanks to the enemy breaking quicker.
The effects of Antiphon of Apathy do not stack with Refrain of Regret. Wailing Wyverns have been taught to 'sing' Refrain A, which could be used to trigger Refrain B in the rear of the enemy formation, but they can only do this once per battle, as Refrain A gets stuck in their minds (preventing them from starting it again).
Antiphon of Apathy will be useful at reducing enemy morale, outweighing the reduced efficacy of Song of Soothing in most scenarios. It is
Common.
Heliel's Preservation
While our war against the Demon is critical, it is important to not forget the lives of the common people; while the Angel is in this world, it behooves her congregation to seek to improve the lives of the mortal populace.
Something as basic as food doesn't seem so important in the grand scale of a war for humanity's soul, but you know what they say about hearts and stomachs. With how Heliel's Love preserves the lives of our soldiers, keeping them free of infection and disease, an enterprising gourmet among our mages had an idea - could the spell be turned to prevent the rotting of food as easily as the rotting of limbs? Thus was born Heliel's Preservation.
The effect is simple, but has wide implications; when cast on foodstuffs, it greatly assists in preserving it, even moreso than such things as salt and cold temperatures. For our troops, this greatly simplifies logistics, as food becomes dramatically easier to secure and keep for long periods. But it's effects are even greater in less directly combative scenarios, as we offer the use of this spell to our supporters in the kingdoms; for your average farming family, it means they could potentially survive even a bad harvest, and especially in the trade cities it allows the sale of food to become a much wider ranged industry, heretofore hobbled by the inability to reliably keep food fresh over long distances.
The spell stays at full strength for about a week after casting, before it begins to weaken and needs recasting if the preservation is to be maintained.
Heliel's Preservation: Hard: (2+2)-1=3: Buggy Mess
Well, this is quite a pickle.
Turns out that healing people and preserving food have less in common than you thought. Now, I'm not saying that you see humans as walking food... or that you see food as stationary humans... but I am going to discourage people from bathing in marinades in your presence.
After several fruitless attempts (to preserve fruit), you and your cultists (notable credit to converts from the Green University) were able to get something that sort of works. It cannot restore spoiled food, but it can be used to 'freeze' certain kinds of food (fresh food, which still has some 'life') in stasis. The effect lasts for a week. So far, so good.
Problem 1: the stasis cannot be undone early. Eating the food before the week is up results in very painful stomach cramps, as the food refuses to digest. Cooking the food doesn't work either, having either no effect, or causing the food to dissolve into ash.
Problem 2: after the stasis, the food undergoes a week's worth of decay in one or two hours. This leaves a very small window in which the benefits of preservation can be enjoyed (or extended).
These problems arise as a result of the difference between a living human and a piece of steak. Healing the living human with Heliel's Love restores them to full health (ideally); there is no provision in the spell for deliberately letting them be injured again during the spell's duration. At the same time, it is assumed that after the spell has run its course, the human will be able to maintain their state by themselves- not something a steak is capable of.
Additionally, the spell requires a small but not trivial amount of energy to cast. An Acolyte can preserve roughly a barrel's worth of food before they need to rest.
Heliel's Preservation is not useless, but the finnicky nature makes it impractical for widespread use, and very hard to market. It is
Common.
It is now the Strategy Phase. Choose where to send your Unique units.
Also decide how many (if any) troops to send to capture the fortified bridge in Xa-Nam.
Heliel: The benevolent leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little they cannot do. Needless to say, they are Unique.
Champions:
The Silver Markswoman: A female archer who was accidentally imbued with the power of light, causing her to glow, granting her improved vision, and increasing her stamina when exposed to sunlight. Wears a hooded cloak when not fighting to conceal her glowing skin & hair. An expert archer, she harmonises with her Sunbow, giving it even greater range and power. Not particularly skilled at close combat, or provided with any special equipment. Unique
The First Warden: The soul of a fallen cultist whose stubborn refusal to stay dead grants an incredible resilience, making destroying his spectral form a temporary reprieve at best. Outfitted with custom full-plate armour and a greatsword, the former imbued with a variety of defensive enchantments, the latter with power-boosting and arcane-fire-generating enchantments. Not invincible, as damage can pass through his armour, eventually forcing him to abandon it- but he can use any discarded equipment that is not tainted with Evil. Unique
Venerated Veteran: Once a commander in the Lesimorian military, who won a miraculous victory that saved the country. Went on to solidify the military as an institution. Famous in Lesimor, and well known elsewhere. Has been made several decades younger by Heliel, but is otherwise an normal human. Charismatic and inspiring, and capable of leveraging his fame to bolster the angelic cause. Travels with a bodyguard. Unique
Mundane Units:
Armed Cultists: Equipped with fairly respectable equipment- a well-made gambeson, padded iron cap, sturdy spear, shiny dagger, and a solid shield-, combined with rudimentary training, mean that while these are not elite warriors, they would stand a chance against a real soldier. More importantly, they're cheap and plentiful. Like regular cultists, their dedication (and communal singing) makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Common
Cultist Archers: Cultists who have some experience and training with a bow are valuable assets in combat, harassing the enemy from a distance. Their bows are not high-draw war-bows, but they've received training from experts that renders them better and faster shots- the equal of the average archer in a human army. Also provided with gambeson and iron cap. Training in coordination improves their ability to provide ranged support in melee. Like regular cultists, their dedication (and communal singing) makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Extended training programmes also increase the number of archers available, doubling the size of each unit.Uncommon
Sunbow Skirmishers: Archers provided with Sunbows- recurve shortbows enchanted to double the force imparted on arrows, and cause said arrows to glow like the sun in flight and cause burning on impact-, and rigorous training in mobility, allowing them to move around the battlefield extremely rapidly- all but regardless of terrain. Are otherwise similar to regular archers in terms of equipment. Significantly smaller units than regular archers. Uncommon
Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under the Angel. They can cast any Common spells (unless noted otherwise). Their physical strength leaves something to be desired, but their mental fortitude is even greater than regular cultists. Wear a gambeson, but forgo iron cap. There are not many Acolytes in a unit. Uncommon
Angel's Voices: Acolytes who have discovered a song that resonates with their own 'Soul Song', granting them greatly improved magical ability, especially with regard to Spellsongs. They can sing any Uncommon Spellsongs, and cast most other Uncommon spells. No more physically adept than regular Acolytes. Wear white robes sown with golden thread, and wear little white masks over their eyes. 3-4 per unit. Uncommon
Cultist Officers: Featuring a resilient & expansive military hierarchy, Cultist Officers impart a professional level of organisation at every tier, from individual squads to the army as a whole. This allows for more intricate manoeuvres and formations to be utilised, significantly expanding the tactical repertoire of the angelic army. Cultist Officers are distributed amongst all cultist units (Armed Cultists, Cultist Archers, Acolytes, etc).
Apostles of the Minotaurs: Students of moral philosophy and appreciators of the world. Their grasp of deeper concepts has the potential to win over those who appreciate a more intellectual approach. Rare
Graduates: Graduates of the Institute of Intrigue (making them reasonably competent political operatives), who have been augmented with a supernatural memory of local politics (making them very good political operatives), and are babbling lunatics (making them utterly useless political operatives). Uncommon
Directors: Graduates who have received no mental healthcare, but have been given the task of interpreting intel and providing reports based thereon, which they are capable of doing without having to talk about non-political matters. Bolster intelligence gathering and political operations.
Summoned/Mutated Units:
Bright Shadows: Souls of fallen cultists (or other Good people), empowered with Good such that they may continue to serve in death as they did in life. Invisible and incorporeal, with an uncanny ability to find whatever they are looking for, they make for excellent spies and capable scouts. Immune to physical attack (but not magical attack). Not useful in actual combat. Uncommon
Bright Shadow Acolytes: Bright Shadows with magical potential, who have been further empowered to enable them to utilise such. Their spellcasting ability is rather weak, and they are easier to detect. Nevertheless, invisible spellcasters are nothing to sneer at. Rare
Shadow Walkers: Former criminal types, who found redemption under Heliel, and now serve her cause fanatically. They have been augmented with minor mutations that improve their stealth ability, and are skilled in all manner of underhanded activities. Uncommon
Chosen Apostles: Acolytes with a companion Orator Cherub bound to their souls. The Orator Cherub is a very minor angelic being with mastery of rhetoric, which both provides the Apostle with a script and augments their voice with angelic energy. Rare
Investigators: Highly skilled, heavily trained, and mutation-augmented detective. Their mutations have the side effect of causing their head to glow when in deep thought. Cooperate with local law enforcement, or operate independently to identify and unmask demonic operatives. Rare
Monsters:
Wyvern Harriers: Large (horse+ size) reptiles, their front limbs are powerful wings that (combined with inherent magic) enable them to fly. They can augment their breath into gale-force winds, though only once every few minutes. Scales provide moderate natural armour, though their wing membranes are vulnerable. Not particularly intelligent. Each 'unit' consists of a single Wyvern. Uncommon
Wyvern Riders: An uncomfortable saddle (for both rider and ride) with simply awful safety, combined with a wyvern's unease at having a rider, render these unlikely to see much use.
Wailing Wyvern: Wyverns are taught to 'sing' a modified version of Antiphon of Apathy using their air-blast magic. This can be used to trigger the Antiphon's demoralising Refrain B, but Wyverns can only do this once per battle due to Refrain A getting stuck in their minds.
Monks of Minos: Half man, half bull, all pacifist. Strong, tough, and capable of channelling small amounts of Good into their strikes, these monks are built for war- but their minds have, over many generations, been honed for peace. Very effective warriors, despite their reluctance to cause unnecessary suffering and their rigid adherence to their brand of martial arts. Fight in tiny squads of 3-4 minotaurs. Uncommon
Shield Minotaurs: Monks of Minos, equipped with large iron 'Barrier Shields'. The shields are embossed with glyphs, and when planted in the ground project a magical barrier above and to the sides, which blocks/diminishes magical attacks. The barriers last for several minutes before needing to be recharged. Operate in squads of 3. Uncommon
Constructs:
Golem Cavalry: Heavy six-legged cavalry that are devastating on the charge. Less agile and more predictable than a living being, but not by much. Made of ceramic segments inscribed with glyphs to reinforce the enchantments that animate the golem, each with a hard-to-access crystal for power. A simple artificial spirit controls the golem. Deployed in small squads. Uncommon
Spells/Rituals:
Magic Missile: Known by many names, the simple technique of blasting your opponent with raw Mana/Good/Evil is a tried and true method of making things go away. Efficacy increases with caster's mental might, and decreases with the target's. Common
Major Missile: A more powerful, but also more draining version of Magic Missile. Produces a stronger blast than the standard Magic Missile, but can only be cast a few times (depending on strength) before the user is drained of their spellcasting reserves. The user has a limited ability to direct the missile in flight. Common
Heliel's Love: A very efficient basic healing spell. A slight touch and channelling of angelic love initiates a self-sustaining healing process that can heal up to moderately serious injuries and diseases fairly rapidly. The magic has lingering effects even after healing is complete, leaving the subject healthier and more resilient for a few hours afterwards. Heliel casts this magic automatically on all in her vicinity (unless specifically choosing not to). Common
Mass Heliel's Love: A markedly less efficient variant of Heliel's Love, that affects all targets in a small area (~15 at a time). The healing effect is reduced, to the point where even stabilising moderately serious injuries is a gamble- sometimes doing enough for the patient to survive until more personalised healing can be applied, other times only giving the appearance thereof. It cannot be cast as often as Heliel's Love, but is still Common
Heliel's True Gift: A modified version of Heliel's Love that can reverse ageing by 15-20 years. Heliel herself can reverse ageing almost indefinitely. Uncommon
Heliel's False Gift: A modified version of Heliel's True Gift that reverses ageing by 5-10 years for up to a week, after which the magic abruptly ends- very painfully. Uncommon
Heliel's Preservation: A technically functional food-preservation spell. Only works on fresh food, lasts a week, food cannot be consumed until spell wears off, decay sets in quickly after spell wears off, and casting is somewhat energy-intensive. Common
Song of Soothing: A spellsong developed to heal and fortify the mind. The song must be initiated by a magic user, but once sufficient numbers are singing along it becomes self-sustaining. Cannot be used by or affect the undead. Common
Refrain of Regret: An inverted version of Song of Soothing. Listeners are compelled to sing along, thereby weakening their minds. This includes friendly targets. It is also not self-sustaining, as continued exposure renders one incapable of lending energy to the music. Common
Antiphon of Apathy: A spellsong where the initiator starts Refrain A, which compels the listener to sing Refrain B, which has effects similar to Refrain of Regret. Refrain B, in turn, compels a few listeners to sing Refrain A, perpetuating the cycle. Due to the similarity to Song of Soothing, angelic soldiers are much more likely to sing Refrain A than fall victim to B. However, it does 'overwrite' Song of Soothing, meaning the Antiphon will gradually return angelic morale to baseline levels. Common
Missile in Major Key: An offensive spellsong that unleashes a wave of magical energy at the foe. Cast by three mages singing together. Inefficient, but deadly to those caught by the wave. Uncommon
Morceau in Major Key: A far more powerful variant of MMK that sends forth a concentrated wave of (magical) sound instead of raw Mana. Uncommon
Infiltration Techniques:
Proselytise: Cultists go forth and spread the Good word, finding those sympathetic to their cause and slowly winning them over. Not the fastest way of gaining converts, as baseline cultists are not expert missionaries, but it keeps the cult growing. Common
Travelling Medics: Acolytes/Angel's Voices accompany proselytising missions, curing the sick and injured in order to win over the local population. Uncommon
Spy: Agents of Heliel travel the land, seeking secrets, while going unnoticed themselves. Does not directly increase influence, but aids in most other infiltration endeavours. Bright Shadows are most suitable for this role (Shadow Walkers can also help). Common
Investigate: More effective information gathering techniques, only suitable for highly skilled operatives. Rare
Exploit Intelligence: Using information gathered by other infiltrators, agents go forth to advance the Good cause while hindering Evil. Covers all manner of activity; theft, sabotage, blackmail, intimidation, even murder- all at the expense of the unrighteous, of course. Not extremely effective due to lack of specialisation, but not bad either. Shadow Walkers are most effective at this. Uncommon
Inquisition: More specialised towards the uncovering and elimination of demonic agents, especially high-value targets. Does little to actively advance the Good cause, but can throw Evil operations into disarray. Rare
Police Cooperation: Operatives work together with local law enforcement, legitimising their takedown of demonic agents while endearing themselves to the forces of order. Uncommon
Infrastructure:
Basic Training Camps: Rudimentary facilities, where cultists learn the basics of combat and warfare. Singing is integrated into the training programme, serving to boost morale.
Military Workshops: A series of mines, smelters, forges and workshops that provide the forces of Good with arms and armour.
The Bright Forge: A large workshop complex possessed of an angelic genius loci that accelerates production and enchantment. Geared towards producing enchanted equipment.
Export Workshops: A section of workshop space set aside for producing goods for export, especially enchanted items.
DARRIN (Combat)Dry Plains:
4/4 |
0/4Mountain Passes:
4/4 |
0/4Rice Terraces:
0/4 |
4/4LESIMOR (Influence)Fortified Frontier:
4/5 |
3/5Lawless Capital:
4/5 |
3/5Scholarly Towers:
3/5 |
4?/5XA-NAM (Combat)River Delta:
4/4 |
0/4River Crossings:
2/4 |
2/4Light Jungle:
0/4 |
4/4DOLGOTH (Influence)Trade City:
3/5 |
3/5Ostentatious Capital:
3/5 |
3/5Wartorn Wastes:
3/5 |
4?/5
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Topic: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro Arms Race: Strategy Phase 9 (Read 18256 times)