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| Thread: Heroes 6 Fortress? - Love it, hate it or discuss it! |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 · «PREV / NEXT» |
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Dave_Jame
Promising
Legendary Hero
I'm Faceless, not Brainless.
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posted January 26, 2011 09:19 PM |
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Well what about the Age series, Simcity series, Total War series, they didn't have any really big bits of lore, yet they're still popular. Oh, and remember that a lot of people still say that H3 was the most popular game in the series, and it is, not because of the lore, but because it's the last game where all of the gameplay mechanics worked well, unlike 4 and 5, which are buggy as hell to go by the reports. Good gameplay can make up for a lack of lore, good lore can in no way make up for poor gameplay.
Edit: No, wait, some of that argument is actually about playability, which is even bigger.
Playability > Gameplay > Lore, where '>' means 'more important than'.
Simcity is a constructing game. It is basicly a simulator, those are same as Racing games.
And for Age and Total war. You think thay have no Lore? Well think again. The Histori is there Lore. you cant give a Wiking into a greek faction. Why? because it eould make no freaking sense. Those are historical games. They are more strict then fantasy.
But can we go bac to the Dragen golem issue.
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I'm just a Mirror of your self.
We see, we look, we gather, we store, we teach.
We are many, and you can be one of us.
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DarkLord
Supreme Hero
Fear me..
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posted January 27, 2011 04:57 AM |
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Edited by DarkLord at 04:58, 27 Jan 2011.
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i am a Lore fan as well..
i do not think that a Fantasy based game can compromise on Storyline..
so i am saying Playability = Gameplay = Lore !!! Nothing is more important, all are VERY important!
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MattII
Legendary Hero
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posted January 27, 2011 05:08 AM |
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Bad playability will still sink a game more quickly and effectively than thread-bare old gameplay or unimaginative, stereotyped lore.
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Dave_Jame
Promising
Legendary Hero
I'm Faceless, not Brainless.
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posted January 27, 2011 08:27 AM |
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Bad playability will still sink a game more quickly and effectively than thread-bare old gameplay or unimaginative, stereotyped lore.
I just can't agee on this one with you.
@ Nightteror: nighty, Wee all know you have a dwaf fobia, but this therd is aboutthe Dwarven town, not the lizar one.
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I'm just a Mirror of your self.
We see, we look, we gather, we store, we teach.
We are many, and you can be one of us.
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MattII
Legendary Hero
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posted January 27, 2011 08:35 AM |
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I just can't agee on this one with you.
So tell me why H3 is still more popular than either of its successors.
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Dave_Jame
Promising
Legendary Hero
I'm Faceless, not Brainless.
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posted January 27, 2011 09:24 AM |
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I just can't agee on this one with you.
So tell me why H3 is still more popular than either of its successors.
Nice question, and I have been thinking about it for a whyle.
I jsut list some things and then make a conclusion
Why is H3 still so popular?
It hase almost no cons but some prose
It has a nice graphic to look at. The mechanics work but ar nothing inovative, just extended mechanics of H2(H1). The sotrryes are nice and are interesting. It si more or less balanced. And it works fine (has no thenical problesm).
Why isn't H4 more popular? Unbalanced, controversial mechanics, Graphic does not suet everyone. Very small gameplay connection to its preceders.
Why isn't H5 more popular? Slow AI turns, balance issue. (and the AI is also bad), Unknown lore, medicore story.
I know its short, but hope it will do. The reason I think H3 is stil the most popular episode, is that it didnt have a Successor that would as neutral in every aspect like H3. Its mechanics were not inovative, not deep, and nothing new. as I see it H5 was more inovative then H3 in this manner. But it wasn't the Mechanics or the lore that stopd H5 from being the new nomber one. It was the technical issue. after all these years, when I speak to people who paly these games, more and more i see that H5 has endid up as the Nomber 2 for most players (getting on the same level as H4), For me this simular. H5 is on rank 2-3 in my best heroes list. Together with H3 caus for me, the best Heroes is Heroes 2.
So the reason why H3 is the most popular heroes is, that H4 and H5 failed to have the same lack of cones. eventhou they hade more prose.
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I'm just a Mirror of your self.
We see, we look, we gather, we store, we teach.
We are many, and you can be one of us.
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alcibiades
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
of Gold Dragons
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posted January 27, 2011 10:12 AM |
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I agree that generally, Gameplay is more important than Lore. That's not saying that lore is worthless, I think a good storyline and background story lifts a game, for some people even a lot. But overall, without good gameplay (and a functioning game engine), your game will fail, no matter how epic the lore.
I think H3 succeeded because it had great gameplay - but I also agree with Dave that H5 probably would have been an overall better game than H3 if the game had been functioning probably and running smoothly even on large maps. And had a better AI, not least. But it didn't.
So what does that boil down to? It's a lots of "ifs", certainly. For all its qualities, H5 simply failed due to lousy performance. Perhaps not on small 1 vs. 1 multiplayer maps, but on most other acounts it did. So I hope for H6 they will prioritize above anything else that the game actually works and runs stabily.
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What will happen now?
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MattII
Legendary Hero
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posted January 27, 2011 10:12 AM |
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Edited by MattII at 10:20, 27 Jan 2011.
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Nice question, and I have been thinking about it for a whyle.
I jsut list some things and then make a conclusion
Yep, I came to pretty much the same conclusion, and realised that Lore involves more than just the background and campaigns, it involves the factions themselves, including the lineups.
Of course, when all is said and done, there are games that get by with little or no preset lore whatsoever, almost totally homogenised factions, and yet still remain fun to play.
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kodial79
Promising
Supreme Hero
How'd Phi's Lov't
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posted January 27, 2011 10:26 AM |
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And it would have been even better if it had lore. Granted that lore is not necessery for all games but if added, it does help improve them.
H3 did not have nice graphics to look at, please. Even when compared to other games of its kind, it sucked. H3 beats H5 when it comes to gameplay. This is where we all agree, H3 had a smoother gameplay with less bugs if any, and overall better. The other reason is, because H3 came up with a lot of ideas that defined the series from there on, no need for me to recite them. Wether people liked the art, story, creatures and characters of H3 better or H5, it's a matter of opinion and not a factor as to which game is better in generally.
Nightterror, where did you find that? I remember me posting but I don't even remember when and where... By the way, for like the hundredth time, H3 did not copy D&D 3.5, that edition wasn't even made yet. I don't know how many times must I tell you this, for you to understand it. 2nd ed. AD&D's basilisk was very similar and the Gorgon was identical, and others as well. And cry as you may, cause if the H3 Fortress ever going to return, is gonna be more or less like I described it. You know how Ubisoft and me have the same views on such things, right? 
Anyway, that's a topic for another thread.
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Signature? I don't need no stinking signature!
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MattII
Legendary Hero
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posted January 27, 2011 10:36 AM |
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Edited by MattII at 10:37, 27 Jan 2011.
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And it would have been even better if it had lore.
Nope, any more lore than was there would have cut in on the customisation.
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H3 beats H5 when it comes to gameplay. This is where we all agree, H3 had a smoother gameplay with less bugs if any, and overall better.
No, that's playability, not gameplay.
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kodial79
Promising
Supreme Hero
How'd Phi's Lov't
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posted January 27, 2011 10:39 AM |
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And it would have been even better if it had lore.
Nope, Lore would have cut in on the customisation
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H3 beats H5 when it comes to gameplay. This is where we all agree, H3 had a smoother gameplay with less bugs if any, and overall better.
No, that's playability, not gameplay
Lore could come in the form of text, so how's that would cut in on anything?
Gameplay and playability is the same thing, isn't it?
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Signature? I don't need no stinking signature!
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MattII
Legendary Hero
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posted January 27, 2011 10:49 AM |
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Gameplay and playability is the same thing, isn't it?
Nope, Gameplay has to do with like the skill system and spell system and the way combat works, playability has to do with how smoothly the game itself runs, how many bugs there are, that sort of thing. H5 had some pretty interesting gameplay mechanics, but bad playability (long turn times, general bugginess, etc.) killed it.
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kodial79
Promising
Supreme Hero
How'd Phi's Lov't
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posted January 27, 2011 10:57 AM |
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Gameplay and playability is the same thing, isn't it?
Nope, Gameplay has to do with like the skill system and spell system and the way combat works, playability has to do with how smoothly the game itself runs, how many bugs there are, that sort of thing. H5 had some pretty interesting gameplay mechanics, but bad playability (long turn times, general bugginess, etc.) killed it.
As wikipedia would coin, it is the player's connection with the game (outside of graphics, audio, etc.). And playability redirects to gameplay. 
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Signature? I don't need no stinking signature!
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alcibiades
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
of Gold Dragons
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posted January 27, 2011 04:19 PM |
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Gameplay and playability is the same thing, isn't it?
Nope, Gameplay has to do with like the skill system and spell system and the way combat works, playability has to do with how smoothly the game itself runs, how many bugs there are, that sort of thing. H5 had some pretty interesting gameplay mechanics, but bad playability (long turn times, general bugginess, etc.) killed it.
Well, there's obviously a language barier to some of us here. But as you define it, I will then retract my statement:
H3 Playability >>> H5 Playability (which was what made H5 by and large a failure)
H5 Gameplay > H3 Gameplay
H5 skill system was better than H3, H5 spell system was better than H3 (even if some spells were sorely missing), and H5 combat system was better than H3. As I said, if H5 had been fully functional, it would have been a better game.
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What will happen now?
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xerox
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
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posted January 27, 2011 06:34 PM |
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To me, H5s weakest points were:
1. The dull universe compared to the old one.
2. Bad and too cartoony art style.
3. Not very good story and HORRIBLE CUT-SCENES.
The gameplay in H5 is faaaar superior though but H3 just has a million, million times better atmosphere. The best one I have ever seen in a game.
But H3s story is also overrated. Like if you read the Hero descriptions in H3, there are like 5 lines. For instance, pretty much all Conflux descriptions are like this "This hero wandered around the land for several years. Then he heard the call and joined the Conflux."
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Over himself, over his own
body and
mind, the individual is
sovereign.
- John Stuart Mill
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kodial79
Promising
Supreme Hero
How'd Phi's Lov't
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posted January 27, 2011 07:41 PM |
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I guess gameplay is a vague term. My definition for it is, the good gameplay is if the game plays out, the way it's supposed to play. For example, if there are bugs, balance issues, lag in game, slow loading times, complicated controls, then there is not good gameplay. This is why I say that H3 had a better gameplay than H5.
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Signature? I don't need no stinking signature!
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Wckey
Famous Hero
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posted January 28, 2011 01:54 AM |
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H5 had problems with the story because of the characters. They should try at least to make interesting characters... without exagerating on their personalities. In H5 we have many characters, but only few could be called interesting - Markal, Godric and... the Sovereign. I liked him because of the first cutscene he appears. Recognising that it's better to wait instead of atacking directly Agrael made him a "Boss" with inteligence, instead of a cliche villan.
In ToTE they actually started to do a better job. Even if they were only a small part of the game, the Necromancers of the campaign (Ornella, Arantir and the Vampire that I don't remember the name) actually made the story a bit more interesting.
About the lore. I think it was a good decision for them to create a new one (Now I can understand one lore from the begining ), but their mistake was to try to create a complete history for the lore.
It's true that the old lore was more complete, but they should focusing only in one part of the history of the new lore. I say this because the way they did they not only created a rushed and cliche world, but also made the lore less versatil for new games that could complete the history and lore (although the work they did with H6 towns was very good, they are forced to focus on Demons as the reason for all the trouble in the world. They can't invent a lot of new things).
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Come back soon, Elvin!
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Zenofex
Responsible
Legendary Hero
Kreegan-atheist
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posted January 28, 2011 09:19 PM |
bonus applied by alcibiades on 29 Jan 2011. |
Edited by Zenofex at 21:33, 28 Jan 2011.
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OK, I said that I'll make an alternative Fortress and here it is. To summarize quickly: I wanted to change this part of the lore which makes the Heroes V Fortress what it is - an incredibly dull mono-racial faction with next to no difference between the different units (that's right kodial, they are almost the same - face it!). Still I decided to keep the core elements of the dwarf-related lore from Heroes V - their dedication to their creator - Arkath, their position in the mountains and their rune magic. However, I reduced the number of dwarves in the faction from 6 to 1. I could have removed even this 1 dwarf, but it would have been slightly unfair and would have required rewriting of the lore. Now the dwarves are leading figures in the faction, but there are 4 more races apart from them in the line-up and the structure of the faction itself is somewhat different. I have also changed the combat behaviour of the faction and now it is not so much about brute force than a mix of various tactical approaches. Refer to the text wall below.
The Confederacy is in essence a defensive alliance, formed throughout the years by four races – the dwarves, the faruku, the show sylphs and the shifters. It silently dissolves when there is no immediate threat to the security of the participants but quickly re-assembles when such appears. During war, it is headed by a War Council, chaired by the King of the Dwarves and includes representatives of all races which discuss the issues on somewhat equal terms. The dwarves usually have stronger positions during most of the disputes because their involvement in the war efforts is greater than any of the other races’. Although the combined armies are almost universally led by dwarven generals, the other three races can affect their decisions via the Council.
Core 1:
Demolisher – The spacious caverns below the dwarven mountains serve, among other thing, as a detention camp and a huge hostel for the kobolds – a race of temperamental subterranean inhabitants which is under a strict supervision (some would say – imprisonment) by the dwarves. A free kobold is considered a significant threat to both itself and any other creature in its vicinity as the nature of the entire species is inherently destructive. Centuries ago the actions of a kobold tribe led to the collapse of a great crystal mine and the death of more than a hundred dwarf miners – an incident which sealed the fate of not only this tribe, but the entire race for many generations ahead. All free kobolds had since been captured and kept in reinforced caves. They were not slaughtered as initially suggested by some dwarf nobles because of two main reasons. The first one – surprising to most outlanders – is the fact that the kobolds are not actually evil – in the moral sense of this notion – but simply unrestrained and to some extent – masochistic. Every kobold feels great ecstasy when it sees that something explodes, implodes, falls to pieces or simply gets destroyed in the most violent manner possible, but this is only regarding inanimate matter and they rarely hurt living beings intentionally (the problem however is that they are very good at doing it unintentionally). In this regard, they are normally considered flawed creations of Arkath and somewhat opposite to the dwarves, who are legendary for their ability to use destructive forces for creative purposes. The second reason is a more practical one – the kobolds are occasionally useful for both civil and military projects. When it comes to creating tunnels by destroying solid rock via explosives, even the best dwarven engineers agree that they can’t do better than a single kobold which places the bombs with great precision only to relish the beautiful blast that will follow (and destroy a good portion of the rock itself). They are also employed in battle where they care very little for their personal safety and have the opportunity to wreak havoc as much as they want – provided that it’s the enemy who suffers the most. If sometimes the kobolds are unwilling to use explosives against living (or unliving) creatures, they are told to throw them at the feet of their actual targets – normally this persuasion is more than sufficient as the subsequent explosion makes these targets – or more often parts of them – fly picturesquely in the air for a short time.
General description – somewhat weak creature with significant destructive potential if well-protected. Attacks effectively distant targets only, can not take care of itself against even a mediocre melee opponent. Melee attack only, but all abilities are ranged and can be used infinitely. Small creature.
Special abilities: Throw Explosive – the Demolisher’s attack covers an area of 3x3 squares and damages all the units caught within it – including friendly targets – but have a limited range of up to 6 squares in front of the stack which uses the ability. Any small creature in the central square of the explosion gets thrown one square in a random direction; Throw Mine – the Demolisher can throw a mine on any square up to 6 squares in front of itself, but not on adjacent squares. The mine is invisible to enemies who don’t stand next to it (i.e. if the mine is not adjacent to an enemy creature, the opponent can’t see it). If anyone (including friendly creature) steps on it, the mine explodes and deals considerable damage to the victim. The explosion covers an area of 3x3 squares (in order to get it activated though, a creature has to step exactly on the square where the mine is). If nobody activates the mine within 3 rounds, it explodes on its own; Poor Control – the Demolisher can decide (30% chance) to throw an explosive or mine at the beginning of each round at a random free (unoccupied by another creature) square within the specified range in front of itself. This is a free action and does not waste its subsequent turn during the same round.
Grenadier – The Grenadiers are – so to speak – “worthy kobolds”. Their usefulness is a strictly military one and unlike many of their fellow tribesmen, they are never used in tunneling or other projects involving effective and artistic detonations. Among other things, they even enjoy some privileges – like the permission to go outside their designated caves (although they are not allowed to leave certain guarded space in the underground or go to the surface when they are not mobilized for battle), to order other kobolds around or even carry a fuseless bomb, which is valued among them as much as a devoted believer values a blessing from his god. Their dwarven supervisors have good reasons for this – the Grenadiers are among these kobolds which have shown signs of (very muzzy) discipline on the battlefield – for example they followed an order to stop throwing explosives at the crater that used to be an enemy company after it was shouted only five times. This is a sign that they can be trained further and even incorporated into something that loosely resembles battle units – although some dwarven generals have commented that even the human peasant militia, gathered from crumbling hovels, taverns and gallows is more worthy of this title when it comes to organization. Nevertheless, a kobold Grenadier is much more preferred addition to the army of the Confederacy than its more “civil” and considerably more unpredictable kinsman. Among other things, it can nearly handle itself against a less-than-effective enemy cutthroat without the need of constant protection and tends to blast the opposing formations much more often than the friendly ones.
General description – a tougher version of the basic creature, but still mostly ineffective when attacked by a melee opponent (can take a few blows though). Easier to control than before and pretty nasty from a distance.
Special abilities: Throw Explosive; Throw Mine; Throw Delayed Explosive – the Grenadier throws a bomb with a long fuse at a chosen square up to 6 squares in front of itself. The bomb can be set to explode at the beginning of the next round or at the beginning of the round after the next one and deals significant damage to all creatures within an area of 3x3 squares (about 50% greater than the damage of the basic explosive).
Core 2:
Snow Sylph – The Snow Sylphs are distant relatives to the creatures commonly called Sylphs and apart from the name they differ from their “cousins” quite a lot. While they are tall and slender just like the sylphs encountered elsewhere, they also have an easily distinguishable grey skins and hairs, deep black eyes, possess only limited ability to transform themselves into airy spirits and most importantly – establish settlements and form societies. Although they don’t like the outsiders very much and tend to avoid them most of the time, they are far more willing to communicate with other cultures than their “wild” sisters and never attack unprovoked which again can not be said for sylphs that inhabit the lower planes. Sometimes they are called “urban sylphs” due to their fondness of the settled life.
The Snow Sylphs’ society is to a large extent a mirror-image of the other societies. There are very few male sylphs – approximately 1 per every 200 females – and they are kept hidden and well-protected for one purpose only – breeding. The males have no rights whatsoever apart from the right to be kept alive as long as they are useful, they receive no training or education and if left unprotected, they are completely unable to survive in the wilderness. The females on the other hand are much better prepared individuals and have a complex hierarchy among themselves with a High Lady at the top of each community. It is rumoured that there is a sylph Queen who lives in solitude deep in the mountains and does not interfere in the lives of her subjects until she’s called by them – in which case she receives absolute power over the life and death of all Snow Sylphs until she resolves the problem about which she has been called as she sees fit. No Snow Sylph has ever confirmed or denied the existence of the Queen.
The Snow Sylphs recognized the necessity to be part of a bigger defensive alliance during the second demon invasion when they were nearly wiped out by horrors coming out of Sheogh. Even though the bulk of the demonic army was far and the sylphs were attacked by a relatively minor force, this grave demonstration was more than enough to prove that they can not stand against such a power alone. Ironically, it was then when the dwarves came to them and offered their protection, demanding only the Snow Sylphs to join a common defensive organization when they rebuild their society. Some say that when they agreed on the terms of the treaty, it was the Queen herself disguised as a High Lady of the Njaht clan who signed the document.
General description: a relatively frail creature which needs protection from tougher combatants to be fully effective. Capable archer with some good special abilities. Small creature.
Special abilities: Mist Form – the Snow Sylph turns into mist, becoming immune to physical attacks (but not magical ones), receiving the ability to pass through obstacles and walls and receiving +1 bonus to her Speed, but losing the ability to attack or use other abilities until she materializes again. She can remain in this form up to 3 rounds and then is forced to restore her physical body. During these 3 rounds, she can return back to her physical body at any time. Dispelling effects and spells, no matter whether they are used by the enemy or by a friend, force her to restore her physical form immediately. Frost Arrow – the creature can fire an enchanted arrow which deals normal damage and reduces the Speed of the hit opponent by 1 point and his Attack by 15% for 2 rounds. The ability can be used once every 3 rounds.
Grey Ranger – There is no standing army among the Snow Sylphs. Most of the females are capable of surviving in the mountain and their arrows makes them dangerous for raiding parties – especially if they are poorly organized or have no knowledge of the local terrain – but a dedicated attacker can overrun their weakly protected settlements with ease. The combat philosophy of the Snow Sylphs thus state that the enemy forces have to be scared, disorganized or just shot to the last men before they reach some village (even domesticated sylphs have no clue what a siege warfare is). This is the task of the Grey Rangers which is the closest thing to an army the Snow Sylphs have.
Unsurprisingly, there are no males among the Grey Rangers, but these female fighters are not just randomly picked from the rest of the females from certain community. To become a Grey Ranger, the sylph has to be a skilled huntress and tracker, but also she has to be physically stronger than most of her sisters to endure the training. When the most capable girls from each village are selected, they are put to a series of survival tests which end with a final challenge, according to which the future Grey Ranger has to kill a large predator – usually a snow tiger of a dire wolf – armed only with a bow, two arrows and a small knife and without using their ability to turn into fog. Usually half of the candidates quit at this point and half of the other half do not survive the challenge. Those who remain are considered worthy of becoming real guardians of their kin.
The Grey Rangers are much valued addition to the Confederative forces. They are excellent scouts, naturally capable of avoiding and detecting danger, as well as valuable ranged support troops which otherwise the Confederacy lacks, the difficult to control kobold mobs aside. They are surprisingly disciplined and willing to follow orders originating from someone who is not a sylph, but usually a dwarf.
General description: a slightly more durable version of the basic creature which is also more mobile and deadly from a distance. Still it can not handle dedicated melee fighters.
Special abilities: Mist Form; Frost Arrow; Evasion – the Grey Ranger takes 25% less damage from ranged attacks (except spells) due to her great agility; Mark Target – the Grey Ranger can mark an enemy stack, which from this moment on will receive 20% increased damage from her attacks for the duration of the battle. This action costs one round.
Core 3:
Runic Reflection – The Runic Reflection is the term used for the result of a rather complex rune magic ritual – usually a semi-material creature with no distinct features or resembling a giant eye or face. In essence, this is the memory and sometimes even the character (but not the spirit) of a dead dwarf, installed into a force field made via the ritual. When it’s done, the Runic Reflection is something like a living book, which can read itself to the others when asked. Some say that this is achieved by writing very specific runes on very specific materials near very specific places – usually related to the person whose memory has to be restored in the Reflection. The wizards universally frown upon this explanation, saying that runes without actual active source of magic are just as effective as the love letter of Baron Friedrich to Lady Natalie (the Lady made it clear that she will marry only a very honest man, so the baron sent her a love letter, explaining among other things that he was essentially castrated by an enemy swordsman during a recent battle – as it turned out later, Natalie was more willing to tolerate occasional dishonesty from her husband than the absence of certain attributes). The Rune Mages themselves are very secretive regarding the process of the creation of this magical entity and it largely remains shrouded in mystery even for most of the dwarves.
The Runic Reflection – being mostly an artificial creation with a specific purpose – is normally used as a source of knowledge for the past, but it has undeniable war applications as well. Frequently the captured memories belong to a dead warrior, which makes the Reflection “mentally” prepared for battle from the moment of its creation. During war times, such memories can be “gathered” on purpose. When they have to be used against the enemy, the Reflections are additionally enchanted to be able to materialize certain experience from their past – such as how to harm or kill someone – and included in the “living force” of the Confederacy. Their appearance on the battlefield tends to be quite confusing for the enemy.
General description: a resilient creature with good offensive (nice Attack, but the Damage is not very impressive) and defensive powers, but also some vulnerabilities. Melee attack only. Small creature.
Special abilities: Pseudo-Ethereal – the creature materializes different parts of its body at different times which makes it hard to hit properly. The Attack skill of the enemy creatures is halved when hitting a Runic Reflection. Elemental and magical attacks however deal 35% increased damage; Magic Sensitivity – all magical effects which do not deal direct damage or damage over time have 50% increased effectiveness when used on the Reflection – i.e. buffing and debuffing spells strengthen or weaken it more than usual; Teleport – the creature can teleport on any square within its movement range.
Runic Incarnate – Most of the Runic Reflections are usually created for a short time – enough to “rewrite” the information stored in memories gathered in the force field on a less exotic carrier – like paper, to take part in an action at law as a witness or to participate in a battle as a substitute for a living soldier. Some of them however have longer existence due to the nature of the captured information. The Runic Incarnate is a Runic Reflection which normally lasts much longer than the more basic versions and possesses a degree of personality. While many Reflections can’t perform complex tasks without explicit instruction or order and speak rarely if not asked directly about something, the Incarnates can resemble living dwarves with many of their emotions and interests. It is not uncommon for someone to meet an almost full duplicate of his or her grandparent in the form of an Incarnate (however, this is in essence an artificial magical entity which is completely separated from the spirit of the actual dead person – something which has to be reminded to some overly superstitious dwarves and especially to those with guilty conscience). These advanced Reflections are real living memorials of the past and their services are valued so much that some of them are given temporary posts in the administration. The similarity of their behaviour to that of the living can be so great that many Incarnates are known to swear better than “the coddled and unimaginative lads of today” – and the ancient vituperations are considered among the greatest parts of the dwarven heritage.
The combat application of the Runic Incarnates is almost universal both due to their better durability and their greater awareness compared to the lesser Reflections. They make excellent pseudo-soldiers with extraordinary abilities and tactical usefulness, recognized by friends and foes alike.
General description: a very good battle creature, used for mostly for assaults, but equally well for defense. However, it still can be pretty much disabled by certain spells and effects and is somewhat expensive. Damage is still not very high.
Special abilities: Pseudo-Ethereal; Magic Sensitivity; Teleport; Materialize Weapon – when the Incarnate is hit by an enemy creature in melee combat, it copies the weapon (including claws, etc.) used against it and materializes it when its turn comes, increasing its Attack skill by 30% of the Attack skill of the creature that attacked it. If the Incarnate is attacked by multiple opponents, the weapon of the one with highest Attack rating is copied. The copied weapon lasts for 2 rounds and after that the Attack skill of the Incarnate is restored to normal. Any weapon can be copied infinitely. Memory Link – the Incarnate can create a link between itself and another friendly non-mechanical creature allowing a “transfusion” of knowledge and experience. This decreases the basic Hit Points of the Incarnates in the stack by about 20% but after each of them dies, the linked friendly stack receives a bonus of Attack and Defense. The more Incarnates die, the greater the bonus, but it can not surpass a value equal to half of the Attack/Defense values of the targeted creature if its basic Attack/Defense are greater than 15 or +8 additional Attack/Defense points if the basic Attack/Defense of the targeted creature are below 15. Can not use the ability on Warmonger/Devastator.
Elite 1:
Faruku Mercenary – The race of the Faruku is a fascination of virtually all the scholars in Ashan. Their creator is unknown, but it is suspected that neither of the Dragon Gods is directly responsible for their existence. Their natural habitat are deep and almost completely isolated huge underground pockets where they build their cities and maintain connection with the surface only through magical portals (the origin of which is yet to be explained plausibly). Their society is secluded and self-centered – so much that they can disappear without a trace for hundreds of years – but occasionally shows great interest in the doing of the other races. To many civilizations living away from the territories of the Confederacy, the Faruku are nearly legendary creatures. Most peculiar however is their evolutionary cycle, which has been observed only by some chosen dwarf chroniclers and documented in their notes. The newly born Faruku don’t look anything like the adolescent or adult individuals, but resemble something similar to a beetle with human-like limbs. When they grow, their appearance changes greatly and a fully-developed adult Faruku (roughly about 30 years old) is a slightly shorter, but more broad-shouldered than the average human, has ash-coloured skin and an oblong face with four eyes. Their intelligence changes even more drastically. Their young are no smarter than caterpillars and completely incapable of performing any action different from eating on their own. If well-protected, at the age of 6 or 7 they abruptly become conscious and begin to develop their mental capabilities, which however remain quite inferior to those of the other races until the end of the adolescence (normally about the age of 25 when their early adulthood begins). The adult Faruku is another sudden change as what was previously somewhat equal to an idiot among the other races now turns into an individual with intelligence equal to that of a smart representative of any other sentient species. They remain in this state for no less than 80 years. When they become “old Faruku”, their mental capabilities rival the minds of the greatest Wizards in the history – their “old age” however is very short and rarely lasts longer than 5 years before the individual dies.
The Faruku society is based on their life cycle – the older are placed higher in the hierarchy and the individuals within each “age threshold” are equal among themselves. The ruling Elders and many of the Adults are reluctant to communicate with the outside world and share almost none of the values of the other races. Their philosophy and reasoning is so alien to the outsiders that their actions may seem very spontaneous and unbacked at times. It is certain that the proposal to include them in the Confederacy came from them, but their exact reasons are unclear and most likely never will be clear enough – although the proximity to Sheogh is suspected to have played its role in the decision (the Faruku Elder who signed the treaty said only “We concluded that this has few drawbacks”). They however make very good warriors and loyal allies – as long as their society is left to its seclusion – which is the main reason for their inclusion in the common organization.
The Faruku Mercenaries name themselves like that because – like all the Faruku – they insist that they can only be hired to go to war and can not do this following an inner emotional urge or mental arguments. They ride Earthwalkers – a breed of giant insects, similar to the centipedes but considered extinct everywhere except (apparently) in some specialized breading chambers in the Faruku caves. These mounts provide them with excellent tactical flexibility during battle – a much needed addition to the notoriously cumbersome dwarven infantry – and have a natural chitin armor which makes them more resistant to attacks than other war animals. The riders are skilled fighters and normally match the performance of the highly-trained enemy elite forces in many aspects.
General description: highly mobile creature with good combat stats, used primarily to outflank the opponent, lure him into a trap or away from a vulnerable target or attack surprisingly. Melee attack only. Large creature.
Special abilities: Crawler – the mount of the fighter is capable of walking over obstacles on the battlefield and climbing castle walls during siege (still it is not a flier, so a defensive moat will slow the creature down and damage it as usual). The creature can even fight from the top of an obstacle – provided that there are adjacent targets – in which case it can not be attacked by more than one enemy unit per round; Tactical Maneuvering – if creature takes damage from a melee attack (including retaliation), it receives 1 movement point which it can use to move in a chosen direction or it may choose not to move at all. If it chooses to move and there is free space where it can move to, the attacker is dragged one square in the same direction (no matter whether it has moved already or not), attempting to catch the seemingly fleeing target. The Faruku Mercenary can perform this action once per round. Can not use the ability when fighting from the top of an obstacle and can not use the action for attacks against other creatures and just for moving purposes. Free Movement - the creature is immune to spells and effects which lower its movement speed.
Faruku Veteran – The Faruku consider the war to be “a necessity imposed by outer powers” and the warrior profession – “a way of counter-existence of the individual aimed at the existence of the society”. Even though they are sometimes mistaken for a peaceful race, one of their many ambiguous proverbs could be interpreted otherwise – “We fight when we must and we must fight”. In the whole documented history of Ashan there are no records of a Faruku invasion, yet they have sometimes fought alongside other races – most often the dwarves – and not only in defensive wars. Some scholars – called paranoid or sober-minded depending on the point of view – even claim that the mysterious seclusion of the Faruku society is an incredibly complex long-term plan for a huge invasion of the surface that will rival a big escaping of Sheogh demons during a Blood Eclipse. Nobody has answered when this will happen or what will be its aim though.
It is hard to deny however that the Faruku seem to have a special stratum of their society, somewhat similar to a caste, which consists of only experienced Mercenaries. The so-called Faruku Veterans (this name has been given to them by the dwarven scholars – the designation of this group in the Faruku language is unknown) are Adults who had participated in at least one war campaign. When they are back, all of them are submitted to the yet another one of the mysteries of their society – the Trial of Revelation, which was only vaguely described once in an unnamed dwarven document, but the record was subsequently lost during a war with the Dark Elves. Whatever the purpose of the Trial is, those who pass it receive a special status among the rest of the Adults, although it is not clear whether they are considered superior to the others or just beings with special tasks. During war however, the Veterans clearly stand higher in the military hierarchy than the common Mercenaries. The separation goes to such an extent that the two groups even have separate commanders and even a general of a Mercenary corps can not give orders to the lowest of the Veterans whilst he can ask for their advise at any time and very often follows it to the word. On a more practical level, the Faruku Veterans are more efficient force than the already respectable Mercenary formations and earn both the trust of their allies and their payment on the battlefield.
General description: an overall improvement over the basic creature in terms of offensive and defensive capabilities. Although it is not among the toughest Elites on the battlefield, it compensates with good tactical flexibility.
Special abilities: Crawler; Improved Tactical Maneuvering – works like the basic version of the skill, but now it can be used twice per round (i.e. after two enemy strikes, not just one); Free Movement; Outflank Target – when this ability is used, the creature goes round the targeted enemy stack and attacks it from its rear. The attack deals 25% increased damage and the enemy creature can not retaliate to it. It can be used even if the speed of the Faruku Veteran is not enough to go round the targeted stack. The ability can be used once every 3 rounds.
Elite 2:
Shifter – Sheogh’s influence stretches way beyond the demonic prison. Even though Urgash is locked in his realm, the chaotic powers emitted by his very existence reach far and leave few unaffected. While most of the Ashan creatures can not feel this presence, those leaving close to the gates of nether cage live their everyday lives bearing in mind and often – in their bodies what dwells beyond. This “chaotic radiation” twists the form to those who expose to it too much and grand them unusual properties.
The creature that is known as Shifter today is a result of exposure to Sheogh’s energies, which occurs after a long life in close proximity to the gates of the demonic world without some form of protection. The raw material for a future Shifter could be any living creature, ranging from insects and small mammals to sentient species. The proper use of the term covers every form of physical life which exhibits certain qualities considered unnatural to its archetype – like the ability to change colour, to become invisible or shape-shift – but it is commonly used to describe an intelligent creature which has mutated as a result of the exposure and received the said unusual qualities. Most often the proto-Shifters are unprotected dwarves, Faruku or sylphs, but there are documented cases for such mutations among humans and elves staying for one reason or another in highly “irradiated” places for a long time.
The Shifters have mixed reputation among the other races. Initially they were considered demons and very often confused with the Doppelgangers, so naturally their existence was far from easy. Witch-hunted for more than 200 years, they finally managed to persuade the inhabitants what was to become the Confederacy that they are not “spawns of Urgash”. And indeed they are not. Unlike the demons from Sheogh, the Shifters are merely a side effect of Urgash’s powers and have exhibited no desire to follow the demonic philosophy which had been imputed to their actions in the past. Although their minds are twisted and changed from the chaotic energies, the Shifters still retain much of their previous personality and even when they behave strangely (which is quite often), they remain mostly harmless or at least no more dangerous than any other sentient creature. After being observed by the other races for another several decades and slowly accepted without too many prejudices, they finally were given the opportunity to live in peace in the dwarven mountains.
The Shifters are no longer rare exceptions or “mistakes”, but a race of its own. They can breed among themselves – but can not inter-breed with other races, even though the very act that normally accompanies the breeding is not out of the question – and do so quite successfully. Although the Shifters prefer to be surrounded by their kin, they tend to live among the other races from the Confederacy as well. Sometimes this results in confusion because these creatures change their form easily and can liken certain individual to the last detail – even physical attributes and overall behaviour. This is not considered a big concern though as sooner or later (usually sooner) the Shifter begins to behave very strangely and is identified as such. On top of that, the races which co-exist with them often universally wear the multi-purpose Blood Stone – as an amulet, jewelry or in raw form – which starts to glow when a chaotic presence is detected.
The Shifters’ inclusion in the Confederacy effectively made them part of its combined military forces. The Confederative commanders are especially fond of using them for deception and tactical balancing of the powers – something which the Shifters excel at.
General description: a creature with mediocre combat stats, without its abilities it is not much of an obstacle for other Elites. The abilities however change quite a lot. Melee attack only. Small creature.
Special abilities: Camouflage – the creature can pose as part of the terrain around it. If it chooses to do so, it becomes completely invisible to any opponents who don’t stand directly next to it. If an enemy creature passes around a camouflaged Shifter (any square adjacent to it), the latter automatically attacks it, dealing 100% increased damage without and stops the movement of the enemy creature. This does not waste the Shifter’s turn, but after the automatic attack, the camouflage is lost. If it chooses to move or attack, the camouflage is again lost. The ability can be used once every 3 rounds; Mimic Form – the Shifter can copy a chosen friendly or enemy Core or Elite creature and turn into it. The Shifter receives all the physical stats of the copied creature but not its special abilities (except Flying or Teleport if present). The copying takes one turn, so the transformed Shifter can act in its new form during the next round. If an enemy creature is copied, it deals 25% reduced damage against its newly appeared “double”. The Shifter can remain in the chosen form for up to 4 rounds and then transforms again to the basic form (this is automatic and does not waste its turn). On the other hand, it can transform back to the basic form at any time before the effect expires, but this costs its turn. Dispelling effects or spells – whether used by friend of foe – force the Shifter back to its initial form upon casting; Regeneration – the stack recovers Hit Points equal to the maximum Hit Points of a single Shifter (plus resurrection) at the beginning of each round.
Verdoger – The Shifter is a rapidly and – as one could expect – chaotically evolving creature. A group of dwarven research-workers had been tasked once to document all existing sub-types of Shifters, but as they wrote in their report later – “This is like naming snowflakes before they fall in a volcano”. The idea has since been completely abandoned, but nevertheless the interested parties keep track on the Shifter changing processes and duly record the more persistent forms. Certain Shifters with more stable minds are part of the researchers themselves. So far the Verdoger seems to earn most attention among scholars and generals alike, which can easily be explained with its somewhat unusual properties compared to a regular Shifter (even though there is hardly anything regular about the Shifters).
The Verdoger is more of less common sub-type of the basic creature which exhibits at least two characteristics – it can stay transformed into something else for a relatively long period without an involuntary re-transformation or exhaustion – usually days as opposed to the few hours which the most Shifters are capable of – and has thinking patterns close to those of the less exposed to the chaotic powers creatures – capable of expressing thoughts in a structured manner (not too structured though), long-term planning and subsequent execution in accordance with the plan, detection of unusual behaviour within the pattern and so on. Surprisingly enough, the studies show that the Verdoger is something like a “cultivated” Shifter who is slowly being freed from the chaotic influence. It is supposed that after two or three dozens of generations, the Verdogers may begin turning back to what their predecessors once were, if they are not exposed to the same amount of “chaos radiation” that formed their species. A large number of scholars claim that that this process will take much longer– maybe even thousands of years – due to the inevitable presence of Urgash and the fact that he’s generously supplying Ashan with small, but sufficient amount of chaotic energies constantly.
The generals of the Confederacy are not in a hurry to lose the services of the Verdogers. The more common Shifters are considered very useful on the field of battle, but not completely reliable all the time, while the Verdogers are rightfully considered just as useful – if not more so – but also self-disciplined enough to be relied on just as much as any standing soldier from the Confederative army.
General description: the combat stats are only slightly improved compared to the basic creature, but the abilities again compensate for the inferior stats.
Special abilities: Improved Camouflage – works like the basic version of the ability, but the creature can now move without becoming visible. If it attacks or an enemy creature comes next to it though, the camouflage is lost. The ability can be used once every 3 rounds; Mimic Essence – works like Mimic Form, but now the Verdoger copies not only the physical stats, but also the special abilities of the targeted creature. If the latter is an enemy, it again deals 25% reduced damage against the transformed Verdoger. There is no time limit for remaining in certain form and the Verdoger can manually restore to its initial form at any point (again it costs its turn to do so). Dispelling forces the Verdoger to its initial form like before with the basic Shifter; Cleansing – works like the basic Regeneration, but now the creature also loses one debuffing effect at the beginning of its turn, if any debuffing effect is active on it at all. If there are more than 1 negative effects active, one of them is chosen randomly and the others are dispelled during the next rounds.
Elite 3:
Dwarf Soldier – The dwarves are considered the core of the Confederacy by outsiders and by the other participants in the organization alike. Everybody agrees that if it wasn’t them, it would have never existed and the now allied races would have faced the numerous enemies and the greatest of them – the Sheogh demons – on their own. There is one more reason though – the dwarves are usually the first line of defense against the external threats and hold the front before the their allies arrive – something which is silently appreciated by all whose lives are saved by this resistance and is the explanation for the principal leadership of the combined armies almost exclusively by dwarven generals.
The dwarves are past praying for infantrymen. There is no such thing as a mounted dwarf and never will be as the entire race deeply dislikes the idea of losing contact with the solid ground and relying on some unquestionably stupid animals for their safety. The height of the regular dwarf doesn’t help very much either. This is the source of both their strength and their weakness. Having fought as an infantry for centuries, the dwarves excel at almost everything related to the foot combat, except maybe speed. At the same time, their responsiveness to drastically changing battle conditions and maneuverability leave much to be desired, which is why they always employ war machines and rune magic to compensate for these serious flaws. The alliance with the tactically more flexible Faruku and the Snow Sylphs greatly reduced the pressure on the dwarven armies during war and allowed them to specialize in certain tactics when backed up by the other races of the Confederacy.
The regular dwarf soldier is a heavy infantryman, clad in excellent armor with magical properties, equipped with weapons of prime quality and trained to face great foes. There are few other footmen who can perform as well as a professional mountain warrior. It is said that the effort that it will take to break the lines of the dwarven infantry via direct charges equals the effort to split a mountain with a mattock.
General description: tough creature with very high Defense and good Attack and Damage ratings, capable of soaking a lot of damage and protecting the more vulnerable allies. However, it is also pretty slow and with relatively bad Initiative. Small creature, melee attack only.
Special abilities: Guard Perimeter – when this ability is activated, the Dwarf Soldier remains static and automatically attacks the enemy creatures which come in the formed 3x3 square (the Dwarf Soldiers stand at its centre). The attack occurs when the enemy stack moves to the guarded space or attack a friendly creature within it. If necessary, the Dwarf Soldier moves from his position to strike the enemy and then returns again. This attack does not waste the Dwarf Soldier’s turn. One such automatic attack per round is allowed. If the enemy creature attacks the Dwarf Soldier directly, no automatic attack occurs and they exchange strikes as usual; Unshakable – only positive and neutral morale affect the creature and it does not lose its combat effectiveness from negative morale effects; Enchanted Armor – the creature is not affected by Defense-reducing spells and effects.
Royal Guardsman – The dwarven Royal Guard is the aim of every soldier as it is a source of honor and privileges – according to some dwarves the privileges overshadow the honor visibly in this case. Initially formed as a personal bodyguard unit of the monarch during war campaigns, it became a regular force after about a century. The guardsmen are supposed to serve in the palace and guard the more important administrative building during peace times, but in the event of war, they are dispatched to the front lines no matter whether the king is with them or not.
Every mobile dwarven army has at least two regiments of Royal Guardsmen and occasionally up to five additional companies of Guard Engineers, who are formally guardsmen as well, trained equally well for combat, but normally equipped for lighter skirmishes as their main purpose is to operate the war devices which the dwarves bring with them to the battlefield. The Guard regiments are dispatched where the enemies are expected to deliver their strongest blows and are ordered to stand their ground to the last man if necessary. This order is rarely spread orally as it is presumed that the very status of the Royal Guardsmen implies that they must fight to the end.
In the peak of battle, the Guardsmen are the most reliable force that the Confederacy has at its disposal. They never give in under the pressure of even the most ferocious attacks and skillfully butcher the enemies foolish enough to face them directly. When the odds for the Confederative army are impossible, it is the Royal Guard that covers the retreat of the friendly forces. To date, no Guardsman have ever surrendered to the enemy or fled from his position.
The great expectations that are supposed to be met by every single member of the Guard come along with significant benefits. The salary of the Guardsmen is triple the amount of the salary given to the common soldiers and they are guaranteed that it will always be sufficient enough to provide them with a good existence – no matter how bad is the state of the economy at any moment. The word of a Guardsman weights twice as much as the word of any other dwarf – except the nobility – in civil disputes and in court hearings. They are allowed to buy certain commodities at lower prices and in times of food shortage their requests for access to the common reserves have precedence over the requests of the other dwarves. And these are only a few of the advantages given to those who deserve them most in the dwarf society.
General description: an even tougher, but still slow creature, used mainly defensively, but now also has indirect offensive applications as well. Rather expensive.
Special abilities: Dominate Perimeter – works like Guard Perimeter, but now the creature have 2 automatic attacks per round in case enemy creatures enter the guarded area or attack a friendly target within it; Unshakable; Enchanted Armor; Runic Magnetism – the armor of the creature is further enchanted and now whenever another friendly creature uses a rune, there is a 25% chance that the effect of this rune will be passed to the Royal Guardsman as well.
Champion:
Warmonger – The project that led to the creation of the Warmonger War Engine – or just the Warmonger – nearly bankrupted an entire big town. The famous engineer Wolfgang Rotbart was appointed First Engineer – head of the development of a prototype war machine, which had to be able to match the performance of the “too big” creatures that the enemies of the Confederacy willingly threw against it. After the work began, a total of 9 designs had been approved, entered development phase and then abandoned after consuming a good amount of resources. The reason for this was the constantly changing ideas of Wolfgang, who was incredibly persistent in finding various flaws in his own designs. The case had already been discussed in the royal court and the dismissal or the First Engineer was considered inevitable when he suddenly arrived in the capital and announced before the nobility and the king that he had finally made something with no flaws whatsoever and “it would be a crime if it does not enter production”. A whole day of heated disputes followed and ended with the Royal Guard separating the nobles who had abandoned all courtesy and were ready to twist each other’s necks. Another session of the King’s Council had to be appointed and then finally Wolfgang was given one last chance, under the condition that he’ll finish the project and will guarantee the performance of the device with his own property – which otherwise would be confiscated. Surprisingly, the First Engineer agreed immediately. The subsequently developed Warmonger proved to be an unmatched achievement of the dwarven creativity and not only managed to save the reputation and the belongings of the First Engineer, but made him a hero among his people.
The Warmonger combines two inseparable elements and the absence of one of them renders it useless – a mithril-plated exoskeleton, capable of keeping its integrity against monstrous attacks and… a Magma Elemental. Wolfgang’s idea to get rid of conventional engines and use the readily available creations of Arkath to power the otherwise dead machine was brilliantly implemented and resulted in a fearsome device of destruction. The massive metal hull is used both to deal and take damage while the animated heart of the device remains safe inside and channels its own hunger for annihilation through the mithril limbs. If the exoskeleton is damaged too badly, the Magma Elemental exits it and continues to fight until it is destroyed itself. All this provides the dwarves with a tool capable of annihilating the enemy formations with great and usually ugly efficiency.
There have been numerous arguments about the appearance of the Warmonger. Most people would say that it looks like a huge four-legged predator, but there is a disagreement whether this predator is actually a bear or a snow tiger. Other would say that it looks like none of them and resembles a mechanical demon on four legs. When asked what inspired him to design the Warmonger like that, Wolfgang answered: “My bloody mother-in-law, that’s what inspired me.” It is rumored that shortly after the completion of the prototype the First Engineer was seen running on the street from an elderly woman carrying his own battle axe and a day later one of the engineers working on the project discovered the name “Helga” written under the rump of the first Warmonger.
General description: a highly mobile and resilient war machine with flexible application. Large creature, melee attack only, but also has ranged ability.
Special abilities: Animated Machine – the creature is immune to mind spells, blinding, stuns and always has neutral morale; Magma Ball – the creature fires a ball of lava at a chooses 2x2 squares location on the battlefield no more than 6 squares in front of it. All creatures caught in this area take damage equal to the damage of the Warmonger and the area itself starts burning and dealing damage over time during the next 3 rounds to whoever occupies these squares. The ability can be used once every 3 rounds; Living Engine – when each Warmonger from the stack is destroyed, a Magma Elemental appears instead if it (next to the existing stack, if it is not fully destroyed) and fights alongside the rest of the army. The Magma Elemental is immune to fire and has stats similar to most of the Elite creatures. If the rest of the army is destroyed, the Magma Elementals disappear. They do not remain in their army after the battle even if it wins.
Devastator – Reinforced Warmonger War Engine or Devastator is the second generation of the hugely successful Warmonger war machine invented by Wolfgang Rotbart. Developed about 20 years after the death of the Warmonger’s creator, the design is usually attributed to the legendary First Engineer even though he was dead long before the start of the second project. Some chroniclers claim that Wolfgang found a flaw in the initial design after all and made a few drawings of an improved version, but was already too old to finish the details. Whatever the truth is, the newly appointed First Engineer who was responsible for improving the great machine was no other than Wolfgang’s nephew – Oswald Thunderlaugh.
The expenses made for the development of the first Warmonger were still not fully covered and the perfectionist approach of the previous designer was very unsuitable for too many people, so this time the First Engineer had to cope with very strict budged and constant supervision imposed by the nobility. Oswald had to provide written arguments for every single decision requiring resources, which were subsequently discussed in the specially assembled Warmonger Development Chamber and not always approved. Among other things, the nephew was constantly reminded of what a squanderer his uncle was and how the initial design could have been much cheaper.
The first operational Devastator was ready after 2 years. It was closely examined by the Chamber and when even the most skilful bureaucrats couldn’t find a reason to hold the production, its schematics entered the great forges. After one more year, the dwarves had 7 Devastator exoskeletons ready to be “revived” by the great Magma Elementals in the event of war. The production didn’t stop until every major settlement within the entire Confederacy was supplied with at least a few of the “sleeping beauties” – as Oswald called the inactive war machines.
The Devastator is a clear improvement over the basic Warmonger in terms of combat characteristics, but largely remains the same design. Many dwarves believe that the idea to create these great engines originates from Arkath himself and Wolfgang and Oswald only followed his instructions. Even the less superstitious warriors often shout that the Dragon-God is fighting alongside them when the mithril monsters appear on the battlefield.
General description: an overall improvement over the basic Warmonger.
Special abilities: Animated Machine; Magma Ball; Living Engine; Flame-thrower – the creature can expire a stream of fire, which damages all creatures 4 squares in a straight line in front of it. The ability can be used once every 3 rounds.
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Kenishi
Famous Hero
passed out drunk in Tavern's
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posted January 29, 2011 07:16 AM |
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Edited by Kenishi at 07:17, 29 Jan 2011.
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Zenofex this was a great effort from your part, enjoyed every bit of the description for the lineup ... and they actually make sens, although I personally like the creatures and hope some could be used as neutral if they don't make an appearance in the faction.
Personally I think that a lack of a representative for the clergy (Rune priest like unit) is the minus, if a may say so for me if the kobolds get cut replaced by shifters and put a Runepriest in is stead just absolutely amazing faction,just my opinion.(Warmonger description made me LOL)
Just on a side note as i read through all of the thread discussion I see a lot of people creating some great concepts for a dwarven faction and I really hope some will be seen in further expansion for the H6.
On the whole Lore vs Playability/Game-play mater all I can say is that I played H2 and H3 for the playability/game-play and enjoyed it while H4 do to the lore and the great story that almost all the faction head, and on negative note H5 was to hampered by its technical difficulties and a so-so story and lore that was a bit of a let down but non the less I played it and found some appreciation for it and I really wanted to see the finale of the game.
To conclude the best game or better yet a exceptional game is one that has a great playability/game-play backed up by a great story and lore, and when one is lacking at list you should find one of the two to be satisfying to make up for the other, to what degree it's up to the person from none to enough to make it a enjoyable game, so I for one wish a that H6 will have a great playability/game-play and amazing story and lore to become the new standard instead of H3 that further games in the franchise (and other TBS games) should be measured up to.
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No Gods, no Masters. Knowledge is Power, and Power is Freedom
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kodial79
Promising
Supreme Hero
How'd Phi's Lov't
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posted January 29, 2011 09:13 AM |
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Edited by kodial79 at 09:42, 29 Jan 2011.
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Good job, Zenofex. This is by far the best user made faction for Heroes VI. Good and solid picks that kept true to their traditional as much as modern aspects and even a thematic fey kinship in the true sense of the word. Well thought-out abilities and lore too.
I admit defeat but I still have a few points of argument:
1. Dwarves were different from each other although of the same race. You face it!
2. The reason why your races banded together, is the most simplistic one could come up with. No actual argument here though, since when writing the specifics, that weak reason as I saw it at first, is being expanded on.
3. Demolisher/Grenadier: Including kobolds is nothing short of genius! And I do wonder not only me, but how come that even Ubisoft did not think of it first. There ain't no mythological spirit more similar to the dwarves, than the kobold. My only argument is that with their abilities, they scream elite. A little bit overpowered for core, aren't they?
4. Snow Sylph/Grey Ranger: That's a nice twist on the Sylph. You did a good job of bringing it to the modern versions of "battle ready" creatures while keeping true to their fey roots, as well. However, did you really need to mention the poor fate of the male sylphs? It felt out of place, a bit. So my argument is, why don't you consider Sylphs as fey who, as supernatural beings (fey means spirit, after all), they don't need to reproduce? They're born of flowers or on every certain phase of the moon or from mushroom rings, etc. etc. You could work it out like that, to make them seem more of the enchanted, fairytale entities that they are.
5. Runic Reflection/Incarnate: Hey, you said only one dwarf! Heheh, anyway... Although that's interesting, I would have rather bet on my fave H5 creature, the Thane, as ancestor of the dwarves, returning from the dead, to aid them in battle. Ofcourse keep it elite and trade its place in core with the Dwarf Warrior. If your argument is a spirit dwarf is essentially different than actual dwarf, so is the Thane then. If the Thane would be viewed such as this, then his enormous size could be explained as symbolic of the 'might' of the dwarves, due to him now being a supernatural entity, and not a completely physical one.
6. Faruku Mercenary/Veteran: So, I take it this is your creation and it serves as a replacement of the bear riders? Well, though I am not at all against of creating completely original creatures, I really have to say it: So you could not come up with anything fitting and you opted to make up stuff, huh?
Anyway, it has the most interesting piece of lore out of all your creatures, for me. My only argument is that I consider this insectoid individual to be somewhat unfitting with the rest of the cast. Couldn't you go with Salamanders or a stone sort of fey? Speaking of insectoid, I would much like have an insectoid themed faction!
7. Shifter/Verdoger: Does the shifter always appear as something else and doesn't have a form of its own in game? If not, what's the base unit's description? The idea is great though and I have been considering it too for some factions (Inferno, more likely), though I will tell you no lies: It still is a rank filler because it's hard to find something that fits.
8. Dwarf Soldier/Guardsman: Very underwhelming for having a dwarven warrior serve as elite. But that's what you get for only wanting to have one dwarven unit in the faction and still consider them a dominant race. This one has to be nerfed and moved in core.
9. Warmonger/Devastator: Well, I knew it had to be either a Giant or a Machine. But I won't be smug and say it's corny or cliche because you added a nice touch to it, with the Magma Elemental. And the overall lore behind it as well, gives a very good justification for its being there. So, you see, people, how important is a lore to a game, as it makes even the obvious choice to be well thought and seem original or at least refreshing. On this one, no arguments at all.
10. To sum it up, you were faced by a creative block due to the limitations of the factions and you had to play on variations on the dwarven theme (runic incarnation), trump cards (shifter) and creations of your own (faruku) to fill in the gaps that you could not by picking any of the fabulous monsters and legendary creatures. That in itself is not bad one bit, on the contrary very smart. Perhaps the only way, to create a non based race dwarven faction with the lore given by the H5 Fortress. You have to admit, it was a difficult task though.
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Signature? I don't need no stinking signature!
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