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Author Topic: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Design Phase T6  (Read 20357 times)

TricMagic

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2
« Reply #30 on: April 22, 2022, 04:07:02 pm »

Here's something for the future.

Liquid Light Elemental
By way of trapping an expansive amount of blessed water between a large array of silver mirrors that concentrate and refract the light of the sun, moon, and stars through the water it is possible to infuse water with the very nature of light. This does, of course, result in most of the water 'boiling off' during the process, which takes a considerable amount of time to undergo and therefor has a limited production rate. But the resulting 'Liquidized Light' can then be put to use, when gathered in sufficient amounts (multiple production runs are generally needed) to create the mystical creation known as a Liquid Light Elemental.

By inserting a central core of crystalized goodness into said sufficient amount of liquid light and infusing it with the desire to serve our most holy angel we can create what amounts to a floating shroud of semi-solid light capable of sublimating things it makes physical contact with (if at a somewhat slow rate) into non-liquid normal light, as well as being able to make the normal crushing, battering, and lashing strikes a normal water elemental is known to make.
Could we combine this with the Forge somehow?
Undoubtedly if Muu does it. Though at that point it's the Hero unit, Slime-chan!
That said, if not then the Silver Mirrors would be produced at the forge and enchanted so light can pass through water unhindered. And we'd most likely do so underwater. Down in the depths there is no light, so Muu's presence can infuse the waters, while light from above is beamed through the water by the enchanted mirrors to it's final point at multiple angles. (The core in this case is actually formed of crystalized light.) While they would be quite rare they'd also be quite powerful. As water is boiled off from the centerpoint, new water surges in, which pressures the light and keeps it from escaping, allowing the crystallization to happen. Eventually the area is such a mix of water and light the elemental forms, and since it's formed from Muu's presence is naturally loyal. Oh, it also eats light, which helps when it dissolves things into photons.

Least that's my idea of things. Hmm, might want to look into that.

Mirror of Light
The mirror of light is comprised of a concave shield made of solid bone, the runes carved into the face. We then press light-imbued silver into it and polish to a mirror gleam. The result is an item which can concentrate the beams from above into a beam of light which burns the target it touches. Such is the heat that anything flammable will alight, and even that which isn't will heat to horrible temperatures. A cloth covering stitched with stars over a sea is included to prevent it's use when not needed. To turn it off one needs cover the light from above with the cloth, before covering it fully.
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m1895

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2
« Reply #31 on: April 23, 2022, 12:19:32 am »

Turtleshell Armor
While skeptical at first, Muu was quite surprised by the fourth hand suits of turtleshell armor that had been purchased for a few wheels of goat cheese decades ago.
The armor is notably, not actually made from turtle shells. Apparently in the land it originated from, they have these strange land-turtles with hexagonal patterns on their shells, and the hexagonal scales of iron and hardened leather sown into cloth apparently bear a striking resemblance to them.
To supplement the iron and hardened leather, our suits make use of fused bone, the mold leaving a hardened outer plate with a softer inner plate, ultimately comparable to iron, and fused scales, comparable to the leather, if harder and more brittle.
The average soldier in turtleshell armor will most assuredly have a helmet, of fused bone or iron, with padding continuing from inside the helmet to around the neck, with a bit of luck he may have leather and scale plates sewn into it. His chest piece will have a mixture of fused bone and iron plates,  the bone plates are notably thicker (though the bone is less dense) and bonewhite, so soldiers typically request a pattern, perhaps he requested tentacles reaching skyward, or a gaping shark's maw. His pauldrons will likely be a mixture of all four types of plate, to get a good mix of protective qualities and cost. He will at least have a vambrace on his weapon arm, made of a mixture scale and leather designed to ensure any blow hits both substances, and he'll have a demigaunt made from a few metal plates with it. His cuisse will likely make do with the same mixture as the vambrace, and if he's very lucky he'll have greaves as well.
For the archer well, she'll definitely get the helmet, probably the chestpiece too, but everything else is a bit out there.
Initiates tend to refuse wearing helmets, so we'll put a bit more effort in to ensure they get chestpieces at least.

this is well, hopefully a revision

Power Through Faith, Peace Through Power
The dedication our cultists show is remarkable by itself, but it can be refined, sharpened to a razor's edge.
The simplest of these refinements is communal rites, as an example, the Rite of Clean Waters, where cultists rinse off their face with, well, clean water and sing a hymn.
More complex are the various catechisms. These require a degree of thought to maintain internal consistency, but give structure and support to the cultists' dedication.
The final piece, somewhere between the other two in complexity, is a handful of creeds, these can be recited, out loud or in the cultist's head, to provide some measure of stability to the cultist in the heat of battle or any other deeply stressful time.
Quote from: one of the crudest creeds
Then I was tired
Then I was scared
Then I was lost
Now I am sure
Now I will stand



This was actually the first design/revision I started on, I completed the others first because they were built after Muu had come into existence, and thus were more on theme with our base location. I've finished this up primarily for completions sake.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2022, 12:19:23 pm by m1895 »
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NUKE9.13

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2
« Reply #32 on: April 24, 2022, 01:43:31 am »

Angel Team: Design Phase T0
TURNTURNTURN
Forge of Cleansing
A special spring blessed by our goddess. it's waters purify and imbue materials, allowing one to shape ore and bone as if clay. Working the forge, here our gear is created. It is not a difficult task, as the very properties of the forge allow ease of use so long as one does not do something stupid like dip the hands in directly or keep their protective gloves in the water too long.
The process mostly involves submerging the materials being used, then using long tools like tongs and scoops to lift them out, followed by hammers and gloves to shape, fold, and compress the items into shape. They are submerged repeatedly during the process the earth scraped away from the ore during preparation.
While the Forge of Cleansing does not imbue magic into the finished products naturally, it can be used to do so. It's main enchantment is imbuing the materials submerged to ease the work of combining and working them, which could prove useful for other projects down the line. Upgrading our equipment is useful in the here and now however.
Of note, the Forge of Cleansing is quite large, allowing multiple people to work on making gear. The first set is comprised of iron speartips, daggers, and coated shields, with a bone/wood being used as the base of the shield and shaft/handles. With the Forge it all forms into a single smooth piece of gear for our soldiers. It will likely take more work for a working bow design however. While the standardized bone/wood mix is effect at resisting damage, such standardization may not take well to the creation of a bow.
Forge of Cleansing: Hard: (3+2)-1=4: Below Average
Ordinarily, forging would be associated with Fire. But an Angel is not ordinary.

The Forge of Cleansing is built by a tidal pool that has long been regarded as holy. Holy or not, the location is a wellspring of Good, which is used to power the enchantment of the Forge. The blessed waters work as envisioned, softening materials both metallic and organic (though not living) into a malleable state. It flows through stone channels to several forging stations, where a shallow pool replaces the traditional furnace in an otherwise conventional setup. Presently the Forge is modest in scale, but it will be expanded as the cult grows.
The only lacking element is the human workers; it seems your smiths have a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept of bone-forging, meaning that while they have been able to produce the requested metal equipment- which is certainly of a higher quality than the makeshift gear previously employed-, the bone-wood amalgam is not quite up to scratch, and is in some cases no better than the shoddy woodwork used before (meaning spear shafts and shields may crack during regular combat, though not quite as often as before).

The potential to use the Forge for enchantment work is there- when submerged in the cleansing water, the materials are more permeable to magical effects, making enchantments of all sorts easier to apply.

All in all, the Forge of Cleansing is an effective upgrade to your production capabilities, increasing the ability to work metals, and opening the door to the use of more exotic materials (eg bone). The improved equipment of the Cultist Spears will make them more effective, without increasing their cost. The Forge is Infrastructure



The Sea Servants
Those who were devout in life, or repentant in death have the opportunity join Muu forevermore. Their bodies receive a fragment of her, their souls are bound to the flesh, and they are given a sea burial. The fragment slowly twists the body with her Good will, as their minds are bound to the Twisting Heaven's. And after 24 hours they emerge changed, forever warped as part of the hivemind. Whilst a little clumsy due to mainly using tentacles, and not the best conversationalists due to a lack of human vocal chords, the Sea Servants will dutifully till fields, work pumps, carry loads or bear arms in service of Muu. (Quite literally as they crush the evil out of their foes.)
The Sea Servants: Hard: (3+4)-1=6: Above Average
Mortals fear death. It's kinda in the name. Absolving them of this fear, by granting existence beyond it, is a kind and generous act.

Through a simple ritual anointment of blessed fish oil, the recently deceased may be bound to you forevermore, if willing. Some may opt out, and those who do not recognise you as their master are unlikely to accede, but most of your followers will gladly give themselves over to you. Once so bound, the corpse is to be submerged in water at the earliest opportunity. As water permeates the body, the soul is consumed merged into the undying hivemind (not a lossless or reversible process, but conveniently the excess energy powers the rest of the transformation). The physical transformation varies- the more damaged the corpse is, the more will be replaced by tentacles-, but in all cases the blood is replaced with brine, and the body is brought back to animation with strength to spare.
The resultant Sea Servant is controlled by the hivemind, which in turn takes orders from you. Distance is an obstacle, meaning generally Sea Servants will stick together, and clusters far removed from your presence will be less intelligent (though these isolated hiveminds can take orders from those you grant the authority, this is less effective than a direct mental connection).
The Servant is somewhat stronger than the average human, and although this strength is coupled with a decrease in precision (especially in those with a higher proportion of tentacles), it is good enough for a lot of manual labour. Already the extra workforce has been put to good use, providing the cult with a modest amount of spare resources (+1 Wealth Token).
Their strength may also be employed in brute-force melee combat. Clubs will be provided to Servants sent to war, with which they can batter the enemy into submission, heedless of losses. Said losses are somewhat easier to inflict due to the Servant's poor blocking ability. In terms of sheer resilience, they are more vulnerable than humans- the brine in their veins will drain from their body faster than blood, and the curious organs that replace their human ones are slightly more fragile. However, as they do not feel pain, they will fight on despite injuries that might cause a human soldier to retreat.
A 'dead' Sea Servant that is returned to the water in time may regenerate, provided the damage is not too severe. This process takes anywhere from a few days to several weeks.

Sea Servants provide a plentiful, strong, clumsy workforce, as well as cheap fodder in battle. Unit Size: ~100 Common



It is now the Revision Phase. You have two revisions. Note that you will also have two revisions next turn as well, but from Turn 2 onwards you will only receive one.



Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Tokens (click to show/hide)
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m1895

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #33 on: April 24, 2022, 02:01:33 am »

Bonesmiths
Given the circumstances with the forge, we've trained specialists in working bone and other exotic materials.
These men and women are put through training to experiment with various different bone amalgams to get a feel for the various material properties. Once they've been judged to have "the touch" they receive their first tattoo, a half circle under their left eye, with tentacles reaching upwards, andcan continue their apprenticeship crafting parts used in Muu's service.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2022, 10:29:55 am by m1895 »
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Kashyyk

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #34 on: April 24, 2022, 02:24:16 am »

Quote from: Armour Upgrade
Our Cultists are still mortal, and our Sea Servants have weakpoints. Time to put sheets of metal in the way. Thanks to our new Forge, we should be able to produce enough iron cuirrasses and helmets to protect all our warriors.

That one might require a Wealth Token, as the challenge is more about volume than anything else.

Quote from: Seneschals of the Sea
Eternal life after death is a fair reward for our followers dedication, but some of our devout have gone above and beyond in service. When these honoured Servants take their place amongst the hivemind, they are given additional care in preservation, aSea Bone charm to focus their soul and any wounds are repaired with driftwood and seaweed. 
In so doing, they keep a passable han form, retain almost all of their personality and self in their new life, and can use their connection to telepathically command and guide the Sea Servants they are assigned in labour and war.

This gives our Sea Servants a command unit that should hopefully negate the strain on Ourselves and the latency of commanding Servants far away.

Edited to add: Now we don't have much yet to help us in the Influence lanes so I'm not sure if we can only anythingfor that this Revision phase, but I had an idea to help whichever political faction we back in Thpenos.

Quote from: Arcane Ward
A variant of the Novice Ward, this one has no ability to stop physical objects and energies from passing through, instead being optimised for blocking arcane and incorporeal effects. This has the obvious benefit of being more durable against Magic Missile, but also passage from spirits and shades, and magical sensors cast by nosy mages.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2022, 04:44:41 am by Kashyyk »
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m1895

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2
« Reply #35 on: April 24, 2022, 09:36:39 am »

Turtleshell Armor
While skeptical at first, Muu was quite surprised by the fourth hand suits of turtleshell armor that had been purchased for a few wheels of goat cheese decades ago.
The armor is notably, not actually made from turtle shells. Apparently in the land it originated from, they have these strange land-turtles with hexagonal patterns on their shells, and the hexagonal scales of iron and hardened leather sown into cloth apparently bear a striking resemblance to them.
To supplement the iron and hardened leather, our suits make use of fused bone, the mold leaving a hardened outer plate with a softer inner plate, ultimately comparable to iron, and fused scales, comparable to the leather, if harder and more brittle.
The average soldier in turtleshell armor will most assuredly have a helmet, of fused bone or iron, with padding continuing from inside the helmet to around the neck, with a bit of luck he may have leather and scale plates sewn into it. His chest piece will have a mixture of fused bone and iron plates,  the bone plates are notably thicker (though the bone is less dense) and bonewhite, so soldiers typically request a pattern, perhaps he requested tentacles reaching skyward, or a gaping shark's maw. His pauldrons will likely be a mixture of all four types of plate, to get a good mix of protective qualities and cost. He will at least have a vambrace on his weapon arm, made of a mixture scale and leather designed to ensure any blow hits both substances, and he'll have a demigaunt made from a few metal plates with it. His cuisse will likely make do with the same mixture as the vambrace, and if he's very lucky he'll have greaves as well.
For the archer well, she'll definitely get the helmet, probably the chestpiece too, but everything else is a bit out there.
Initiates tend to refuse wearing helmets, so we'll put a bit more effort in to ensure they get chestpieces at least.

this is well, hopefully a revision

Power Through Faith, Peace Through Power
The dedication our cultists show is remarkable by itself, but it can be refined, sharpened to a razor's edge.
The simplest of these refinements is communal rites, as an example, the Rite of Clean Waters, where cultists rinse off their face with, well, clean water and sing a hymn.
More complex are the various catechisms. These require a degree of thought to maintain internal consistency, but give structure and support to the cultists' dedication.
The final piece, somewhere between the other two in complexity, is a handful of creeds, these can be recited, out loud or in the cultist's head, to provide some measure of stability to the cultist in the heat of battle or any other deeply stressful time.
Quote from: one of the crudest creeds
Then I was tired
Then I was scared
Then I was lost
Now I am sure
Now I will stand



This was actually the first design/revision I started on, I completed the others first because they were built after Muu had come into existence, and thus were more on theme with our base location. I've finished this up primarily for completions sake.
Quoting this to make sure the diff check includes it
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TricMagic

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2
« Reply #36 on: April 24, 2022, 10:05:04 am »

Revision(hoping for difficulty check)
Ironscale Cloth Armor

Using the Forge of Cleansing, we take a bit of iron, and dip it in. Once softened, we used a knife and small hammer to cut/press it, and slowly carve it out into a shaped scale. Once hardened, we then take iron we've prepared, dip it in the lake and pound it into the resulting mold,. Done many times, we gather many Ironscales, submerge them for but a small while, and then sew them into woolen cloth, creating a length of scale cloth armor which we can use for our forces. This particular practice is slow but allows us to equip our forces with scale mail. An interesting note is that we can make many molds, and since the metal isn't hot it conforms to the mold itself. Once hardened back to iron-consistency, it can be removed with ease. While dipping the scales beforehand and removing before they fully soften allows one to use an iron sewing needle to poke holes in said scales. It's a process pretty much anyone can do once molds are made, the only thing needed is time and iron.


tldr. Make molds, Pound iron into mold. Sew into cloth. More likely to go on specific forces. Like Goat-Cav and Archers. And maybe mages, though it's a bit too heavy for our acolytes to move quickly. As a revision it's may only end up on units we specifically designate get it Nuke? So goat-cav if we make it after this. Might be better for a full design just to get everyone it, but that's also a bit too expensive and not actually optimal?
Likewise here, but it's probobly simular to Turtleshell armor given it's metal sewn into cloth, though mine is more poking a hole in said metal and sewing them together to cloth more akin to Scale Armor.
That said, there is probably something to be said for larger plates in lamellar armor, though scale doesn't have any gaps in protection.
Granted, mine is more written as prep for Goat-cav, since we can armor them in it to boost their survival. So maybe not the best idea. (There is a modern version of scale called Dragonskin, but where would we find dragons[or hydra].)
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TricMagic

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #37 on: April 24, 2022, 10:18:34 am »

hmm..

Dragons-Ceramic Armor
Taken from the scales shed by Muu and mixed with fire-forged ceramic made with ash and clay within the Forge of Cleansing, these hexagonal scales offer superb protection from piercing and blunt attacks. Sewn within cloth armor  in an overlapping pattern, the torso and legs are protected by the cloth. As well, there are also armguards and helmets made to less protective certifications, though they make use of leather backing and iron within their construction to better deflect slashing blows and reduce blunt ones. It's an elite armor in made in small production that will protect our more valuable troops from harm, and the inherent Good within the material will warp mind-altering effects and reinforce the user's will with the certainty that Muu is with them. (As well as make them more willing to fight harder in their service. Use causes scales to appear from and replace the skin.)

As a design, rather than a revision. More useful one we have elite units.

The below is a revision/thing/maybe

Boats!
While the current fishing boats your cultists use are fine for their previous fishing and travel between islands, they are not for larger scale deployments, yet. This can be fixed. Making use of the Forge of Cleansing to fuse gathered wood together, larger boats can be carved, capable of carrying more people longer distances. Combined with sails made from sheepwool and wooden oars, your cultists will be able to travel more quickly in greater numbers, and bring along some of your more landbound creations when you make them. The benefits to influence could also be useful, if you had anything to trade at the moment.

Imagine a Viking ship. While not useful beyond our own borders, it does give us faster travel to locations along the shore.
Design is obviously better in every way though. Just an idea I had.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2022, 10:33:26 am by TricMagic »
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m1895

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #38 on: April 24, 2022, 02:53:58 pm »

Muu's Mercy
Muu understands that some of you, lacking perspective, may perceive these actions as excessive. In her infinite care, She has provided an explanation for you:
Demons.
Are.
Not.
People.
She hopes that this explanation has helped you come to an understanding.
Muu's Mercy is derived from the Sea Servant ritual, though where that spell is a heaven of sorts, this is a purgatory. To get around the whole "requiring the soul to volunteer" thing, we've devised a method to shatter demonically tainted souls (for the spell can only detect and effect tainted souls) and bind them into various bodyparts. The weakened soul shards are then ripe for ignition, powering the rest of the transformation and the excess energy helping convert others, like kindling in a bonfire.
Now for our mortal initiates, this is a ritual yes, but for Muu, do to the nature of the spell being an extension of her to an extent, it is an at-will aura around her. A demonic soldier falls and just as quickly his left hand grows radula and leaps away to grind at his comrade's jugular, his right shin bone grows crab legs and sharp claws, and his head grows "wings" and a proboscis to drain the fiends of blood.
These... things are of course short-lived, lasting a few days at most, but that complete expendability has a charm of its own. Why not throw the swarm straight at the demon's fort? It's not like we're losing anything, and maybe they'll force them back from the outer defenses, if not scour the fort entirely.
(A happily little side effect is the burning away of the soul leaves behind purified bone, though we probably won't be able to exploit that outright.)
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NUKE9.13

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #39 on: April 24, 2022, 04:08:54 pm »

Bonesmiths
Given the circumstances with forge, we've trained specialists in working bone and other exotic materials.
These men and women are put through training to experiment with various different bone amalgams to get a feel for the various material properties. Once they've been judged to have "the touch" they receive their first tattoo, a half circle under their left eye, with tentacles reaching upwards, andcan continue their apprenticeship crafting parts used in Muu's service.
A simple fix- improving a specific aspect of a thing to bring it up to spec. It is a somewhat exotic skill, but still, this would be Easy.

Quote from: Armour Upgrade
Our Cultists are still mortal, and our Sea Servants have weakpoints. Time to put sheets of metal in the way. Thanks to our new Forge, we should be able to produce enough iron cuirrasses and helmets to protect all our warriors.
Putting metal armour on all your soldiers at this point in time would be an incredible feat. Cultists' lives are cheap- equipment is not. The Forge provides a plausible mechanism for creating the equipment, but not for financing the materials and labour required (and even then, it would be pushing the Forge's capacity). Also, it's only a revision. This is actually just not possible (not Impossible difficulty, but literally not an action you can attempt). You'd be looking at several Wealth Tokens to bring it into the realm of plausibility, and it would still be incredibly difficult.
Edit: I should maybe clarify: I don’t want to see well-armoured chaff, because then cool monsters and stuff don’t have hordes of weaklings to scythe through to show off their strength.
So while there are reasons why it would be very difficult, it’s also kinda like doing guns: just not what I want to see.

Quote from: Seneschals of the Sea
Eternal life after death is a fair reward for our followers dedication, but some of our devout have gone above and beyond in service. When these honoured Servants take their place amongst the hivemind, they are given additional care in preservation, aSea Bone charm to focus their soul and any wounds are repaired with driftwood and seaweed. 
In so doing, they keep a passable han form, retain almost all of their personality and self in their new life, and can use their connection to telepathically command and guide the Sea Servants they are assigned in labour and war.
The changes proposed are mitigated handily by the fact that this would only serve as a command unit. It would be a Normal revision.

Quote from: Arcane Ward
A variant of the Novice Ward, this one has no ability to stop physical objects and energies from passing through, instead being optimised for blocking arcane and incorporeal effects. This has the obvious benefit of being more durable against Magic Missile, but also passage from spirits and shades, and magical sensors cast by nosy mages.
Simply changing the wavelength of Novice Ward without increasing strength would be Trivial.

Turtleshell Armor
As above, literally not possible. As more advanced armour, it would be even harder if it was possible.

Quote
Power Through Faith, Peace Through Power
The dedication our cultists show is remarkable by itself, but it can be refined, sharpened to a razor's edge.
The simplest of these refinements is communal rites, as an example, the Rite of Clean Waters, where cultists rinse off their face with, well, clean water and sing a hymn.
More complex are the various catechisms. These require a degree of thought to maintain internal consistency, but give structure and support to the cultists' dedication.
The final piece, somewhere between the other two in complexity, is a handful of creeds, these can be recited, out loud or in the cultist's head, to provide some measure of stability to the cultist in the heat of battle or any other deeply stressful time.
Quote from: one of the crudest creeds
Then I was tired
Then I was scared
Then I was lost
Now I am sure
Now I will stand
Kinda what Cultists already do. But increasing their mental resilience further is possible, and would be Normal.

Revision(hoping for difficulty check)
Ironscale Cloth Armor
Again, no. But let's say that this was only intended for special heavy units, since there are three armour-revision proposals, so you clearly want to know the difficulty.
Producing metal armour is possible, but it requires effort. Using the Forge to make the process easier is valid, but it still requires skills your craftsmen do not currently have- there isn't much call for armoursmiths out in the backwoods (note that your starting location is always backwoods, so it's not like choosing a different location would make this easier). Limiting the deployment to specialised units reduces the strain on your resources, although it would still be a costly project made easier by the application of a Wealth Token or two. This is also a revision that isn't revising a thing you have, which makes it even harder. This would be Very Hard, bordering Ludicrous, and the Heavy Cultist Spears would be Uncommon, unit size ~50.

Quote
Boats!
While the current fishing boats your cultists use are fine for their previous fishing and travel between islands, they are not for larger scale deployments, yet. This can be fixed. Making use of the Forge of Cleansing to fuse gathered wood together, larger boats can be carved, capable of carrying more people longer distances. Combined with sails made from sheepwool and wooden oars, your cultists will be able to travel more quickly in greater numbers, and bring along some of your more landbound creations when you make them. The benefits to influence could also be useful, if you had anything to trade at the moment.
You don't need this. You get "free" boats for transport between your base and the mainland, as well as for crossing the fjords. The boats described would not be an upgrade over said free boats.

Muu's Mercy
Muu understands that some of you, lacking perspective, may perceive these actions as excessive. In her infinite care, She has provided an explanation for you:
Demons.
Are.
Not.
People.
She hopes that this explanation has helped you come to an understanding.
Muu's Mercy is derived from the Sea Servant ritual, though where that spell is a heaven of sorts, this is a purgatory. To get around the whole "requiring the soul to volunteer" thing, we've devised a method to shatter demonically tainted souls (for the spell can only detect and effect tainted souls) and bind them into various bodyparts. The weakened soul shards are then ripe for ignition, powering the rest of the transformation and the excess energy helping convert others, like kindling in a bonfire.
Now for our mortal initiates, this is a ritual yes, but for Muu, do to the nature of the spell being an extension of her to an extent, it is an at-will aura around her. A demonic soldier falls and just as quickly his left hand grows radula and leaps away to grind at his comrade's jugular, his right shin bone grows crab legs and sharp claws, and his head grows "wings" and a proboscis to drain the fiends of blood.
These... things are of course short-lived, lasting a few days at most, but that complete expendability has a charm of its own. Why not throw the swarm straight at the demon's fort? It's not like we're losing anything, and maybe they'll force them back from the outer defenses, if not scour the fort entirely.
(A happily little side effect is the burning away of the soul leaves behind purified bone, though we probably won't be able to exploit that outright.)
While derived from the Sea Servant ritual, this is radically different- unwilling participant, much faster and water-free transformation, animation of individual bodyparts. This would be Very Hard.
I will say, having it be an aura effect for Muu is possible, and does not make it much harder.



I may do a few more difficulty checks (in the next turn or two) for things that are radically different from prior proposals. And you can always ask me for an estimate, even if I won't answer in many cases.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2022, 04:30:18 am by NUKE9.13 »
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TricMagic

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #40 on: April 24, 2022, 04:48:48 pm »

Ward Bubble
By using Good-infused conches to shape the magic, mages can create a ward bubble around a target. This is self-sustaining once cast, though it pops after a few weak hits, or one strong one. Needless to say, it depends on which Ward is used as the base as to it's final effect. Novice Wards pop in a single hit of Evil intent. Though as the Shell redistributes the force around it, this can block any ranged attack once so long as it's not over a certain level of power, and even then it may blunt some of the blow. The Shells themselves have the look of a bubble's film, which may effect accuracy. Note that the casting requires the mage to be right next to the target at the moment and is a rather involved process, precluding using it in the heat of combat. Though Muu can coat many around her in the film herself during combat, and most mages could cast it on themselves, since a good portion of the bubble is tying off the magic to be self-sufficient in a closed system.

« Last Edit: April 24, 2022, 05:07:39 pm by TricMagic »
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Failbird105

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #41 on: April 24, 2022, 05:10:18 pm »

Sea Servants- New Flesh
Our Sea Servants have one core problem: they die too fast. While they can be recovered, this is a slow process and not guaranteed either. This improvement is sure to increase their longevity significantly. Simply put, the mutated flesh will continue to regrow replace damage dealt gradually even as the Servants continue to fight. A Sea Servant left on the ground decapitated for minutes can get back up and begin swinging yet again, and one that lost an arm merely needs to be pulled back from the fight and allowed some time to sprout a new one. Better yet, their bleeding wounds will seal over first before the regrowth begins, to minimize the risk of death by brine loss.

This isn't a perfect process though, for one there's a limit to how much it can be used. If the new flesh overtakes 75% of the old, provided that amount includes the head, their body will destabilize and collapse. While their mind remains with the Twisting Heaven, their body becomes useless, though Muu insists we still recover the remains for some yet unknown purpose. Loss of too much brine will also kill them, though they can still be recovered the normal way from this fate, and finally their most vital organs, which seem to act as the "brain" and "heart", must both remain intact. If any of these three criteria is failed, the Sea Servant will not be able to regenerate.
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TricMagic

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #42 on: April 24, 2022, 05:32:36 pm »

Emergency Fixes: Force Ward and Arcane Ward
While not an emergency, one could say specialization is an inherent advantage. There isn't really any reason not to work out two different parts of the Novice Ward, figure out how it ticks and then enhance the part that does what it does.

Force Ward: A variant of the Novice Ward, this one has no ability to stop magical objects and energies from passing through, instead being optimised for blocking physical and elemental attacks. This has the obvious benefit of being more durable against arrows, but also slowing passage from flesh and outright stopping smaller creatures, while also serving as a way to keep mosquitos, rats, crows, and other vermin away..
Arcane Ward: A variant of the Novice Ward, this one has no ability to stop physical objects and energies from passing through, instead being optimised for blocking arcane and incorporeal effects. This has the obvious benefit of being more durable against Magic Missile, but also passage from spirits and shades, and magical sensors cast by nosy mages.



Ward Frequency Shifting: Ýmis Ward
While the Ward protects from physical and magical attack, what exactly causes that? By studying the mechanisms behind the spell, it may be possible to make a new variant, one that can shift magical protection down in exchange for more physical protection, or the other way around. A high arcane ward frequency could stop spirits, shades, and magical sensors. While a high force ward frequency could result in reducing physical attacks even more, and perhaps stopping small vermin like rats, crows, and insects from bothering you, anything without enough strength and mass to break through. If you can create the, let's call it a Ýmis Ward, it would be a huge boon for you and your cultists against the Demons, letting your mages working together overlap both types for maximum protection.

As a combined proposal of the Emergency Fixes. Name pending.
Spoiler: Ward names (click to show/hide)


Quote from: Bonebox
No bones about it, just Revisions.
Bonesmiths: (1) TricMagic
Ýmis Ward: (1) TricMagic
« Last Edit: April 24, 2022, 06:04:26 pm by TricMagic »
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m1895

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #43 on: April 24, 2022, 06:11:12 pm »

Abyssal Missile
The Abyssal Missile is simply a variant of the magic missile that uses elemental shadow that sublimates its target. Unlike raw mana, elemental shadow coheres quite well and doesn't burn off into the air, making the Abyssal Missile more efficient and longer ranged.
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m1895

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Re: Angel Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Revision Phase T0
« Reply #44 on: April 24, 2022, 09:35:05 pm »

Servant Motor Skills
The Sea Servants were a great success yes, but their clumsiness, while expected, does limit their capabilities.
Now that Muu has cut her figurative teeth on the Sea Servants, she's set her sights on refining the process. While by the end the Sea Servants may not match regular humans, they should normally have the manual dexterity to handle more skilled tasks (just don't ask them to crochet you a doily) and more effectively utilize their strength. Those Thrice-blessed Servants who get to serve in Muu's immediate presence can display automata-level precision, without the rigidity of such constructs.
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