Arcana: Advanced Unit Design
Troops default to companies of 100 soldiers.
Troop Type
Peasantry
Militia
Men at Arms
Nobles
Big!
Personal Weapons
Pick a main weapon and an optional side weapon. A two-handed melee weapon cannot be used with a shield.
Swords
Shortsword
- Cheap and easy to acquire, shortswords are commonly carried by pikemen and archers as a weapon of last resort.
- Cost:
Sidesword
- Popular with both soldiers and civilians, side-swords are adept at fighting both armored and unarmored opponents. They are commonly used with a buckler.
- Cost:
Scimitar
- The term Scimitar applies to a whole family of lethal curved swords.
- Cost:
Broadsword
- Heavy one handed swords, often with an ornate hilt guard. Usually carried by cavalrymen and other soldiers who prefer its brute force over more elegant blades.
- Cost:
Longsword
- The quintessential knightly weapon, the Longsword or hand and a half sword can be found in use just about everywhere.
- Cost:
Zweihander
- A massive two-handed sword capable of battering its way through even the most heavy of defenses.
- Cost:
Katana
- Samurai Swords
- Cost:
Buster Sword
- Giant cloudswords
- Cost: ? Adamantium
Lightswords
- These aren't the energy swords you're looking for.
- Cost: ? Mana
Axes and Maces
Warhammer
- A heavy two handed blunt weapon, sometimes with a spike in addition to the hammer itself. Primarily used for bludgeoning armored opponents.
- Cost:
Axe
- While never a glamorous weapon, the axe is highly versatile and a potent armament.
- Cost:
Mace
- A development of the club, maces are used largely in the same fashion. Variations such as the morning star might include spikes.
- Cost:
Polearms
Spear
- Cheap and effective, the spear has largely been replaced by the longer pike in most professional infantry units but remains in use with more traditional cavalry in the form of the lance.
- Cost:
Halberd
- An axe blade and spike mounted atop a long pole. Halberds are exellent for supporting the more cumbersome Pike, and are also carried by royal guards across the known world.
- Cost:
Pike
- Perhaps the simplest and most effective way to arm an army. Pike formations are equally able to ward off cavalry and opposing infantry with a forest of pikes. Against disciplined enemy infantry armed with pikes, engagements tend to become a contest of endurance in the "push of pike".
- Cost:
Firewand
- Not really a 'wand' by any means, but a magical spear that that immolate its tip or else throw a small amount of magical fire across short distances.
- Cost: mana
Ranged
Throwing Axe
- A thrown axe of the sort used by Franks and Dwarves everywhere.
- Cost:
Javelin
- Light spears primarily intended for throwing.
- Cost:
Bow
- Simple bows are still popular in many regions for hunting and defense.
- Cost:
Compound Bow
- Weapon of choice for the sensible barbarian horse archer.
- Cost:
Longbows
- Standard longbows made of yew, or more favorable or less favorable but cheaper or more common woods.
- Cost:
Crossbow
- While having a slower rate of fire than traditional bows, the crossbow's bolts are considerably more potent.
- Cost:
Arbalest
- The more powerful metal cousin of the basic crossbow, an arbalest is one of the deadliest ranged weapons around.
- Cost:
Arquebus
- Simple and easy to construct, the Arquebus was the first firearm used by the Alfar Imperial Legions.
- Cost:
Leadcaster
- More expensive and much more complex than a simple Arquebus, the magitech Leadcaster is the pinnacle of recent firearm development.
- Cost:
Hand Leadcaster
- A compact version of the shoulder fired standard leadcaster. While it lacks the range and power of the full sized gun, its smaller size makes it perfect for use by mounted troops.
- Cost:
Exotic
Shotbuster
- A buster sword with an integrated leadcaster or other sorcerous ranged weapon, making them particularly lethal at all ranges.
- Cost: ? Mana ? Adamantium
Hook
- Telekinetically-controlled short spears.
- Cost: ? Mana
Infinite Weapon
- Rare high magic weapons made of liquid metal that can morph between multiple settings
- Cost: ? Mana ? Adamantium
Ninja Bullshit
- A varied array of weapons used by ninja and similar assassins. Includes things like throwing stars, short knives, blowguns, etc.
- Cost:
Sword-Chucks
- Nunchucks, except made of swords.
- Cost:
Personal Armor
Light
Padded Jacket
- A simple reinforced jacket.
- Cost:
Barrier Jacket
- Normally made of flexible metalicized cloth, barrier jackets have an inner weave of magical circuitry that reinforces and protects the wearer.
- Cost: ?? Mana
Shell Coat
- Essentially similar to a barrier jacket, except with hard armor plates at the shoulders, elbows and other strategic locations.
- Cost: ?? Mana
Medium
- While seen as somewhat dated in this era of heavy plate, older styles of mail armor are still commonly used by feudal foot soldiers and poorer knights alike.
- Cost:
Lamellar
- Armor consisting of small plates that have been laced together in overlapping rows.
- Cost:
Plated Mail
- Mail armor that has been reinforced by the addition of metal plates.
- Cost:
Elven Weave
- Having done away with clumsy mail millenia ago, the Alfar Empire outfitted its troops with comfortable (if somewhat heavy) soft armor made of adamantium fabric. Enchantments dispersed the impacts of blunt weapons and the adamantium weave could turn all but the best swords. Better still, elven weave can be worn even while travelling, making it popular with adventurers.
- Cost: Adamantium
Enchanted Armor
- Typically taking the form of a simple breastplate that has been imbued with enchantments to protect the rest of the body, enchanted armor is commonly used by those who prefer to avoid significant armor encumberance. Like elven weave, enchanted armor can be easily worn all day long.
- Cost: ? mana
Heavy
Partial Plate
- While not providing the comprehensive protection of full plate armor, partial plate still offers better mobility and superior visibility over a suit of full plate, in addition to being cheaper to produce.
- Cost:
Full Plate
- The favored armor of nobility and knightly cavalry. Expensive, but is more than worth the price for the protection it offers.
- Cost:
Superheavy Plate
- Impossibly thick armor used by monstrous creatures or the super humanly strong.
- Cost:
Adamantium Plate
- A few lords or rich knights can afford special plate armor reinforced with adamantium, giving them almost unmatched protection.
- Cost: ? Adamantium
Embodied Armor
- Rife with enchantments, 'embodied' armor is the ultimate expression of heavyweight personal armor. Not only does it provide incredible resistance to attacks both physical and magical, it is surprisingly easy to move in and even augments the wearer's strength.
- Cost: ?? Adamantium ? Mana
Shields
Buckler
- Scottish targes, bucklers, and other small shields. They cannot cover much target area against a rain of missiles, but provide a significant advantage in close combat.
- Cost:
Light Shield
- Shields of fair size but simple and light construction. Light shields provide good protection and coverage against lighter weaponry, but are too flimsy to withstand weapon weaponry.
- Cost:
Full Shield
- Good defensive boosts against all forms of attack.
- Cost:
Tower Shield
- These are large, heavy shields that cover practically the entire body against attack. They are very solid against projectiles and formidable protection for ranks of spear. Tend to be a bit unwieldy in a general melee.
- Cost:
Pavise
- Useless in close combat but provide exceptional ranged protection.
- Cost:
Round Buckler
- A magically-animated shield that can automatically move to interpose itself between enemies and the user.
- Cost: ? mana
Miscellaneous
Special Skills
Special Gear
Mounts
Supply Train
- Various forms of ponies, mules, pack horses, oxen or more unusual animals are used to tow the various accountrements of war. Certainly better than carrying it all on your back.
- Cost:
Rouncey
- An ordinary horse suitable for a wide range of purposes, the expense of maintaining superior war horses means that many more common ones are used by cavalrymen and scouts in times of war.
- Cost:
Courser
- A capable warhorse used by mounted men at arms and poorer knights. While not as expensive or prized as a Destrier, they are well suited for use by cavalrymen.
- Cost:
Destrier
- The finest warhorses available, Destriers are tough and fast. They are unquestionably the mount of choice for Knights in both battle and tournament.
- Cost:
Elephant
- There is an elephant in the way.
- Cost:
Warstriders
Strider Weapons
Giant Mauls
- Simple clubs, hammers and related bashing weapons, appropriately sized-up for warstriders.
- Cost: ?? Gold
Giant Swords
- Warstrider-sized swords. Eminently capable of cleaving striders, knights, dragons and houses.
- Cost: ?? Gold
Giant Bow
- The magically-powered musculature of a Strider can use immense bows capable of firing a six-foot bolt through multiple layers of reinforced oak.
- Cost: ?? Gold
Strider Leadcasters
- A Strider Leadcaster is roughly equal in size to a light artillery piece like a Falconet.
- Cost:
Concussive Blast Bow
- A 'pure' magic weapon, blast bows fire a fast-moving ball of force across long distances. In appearance, they resemble a large open-ended telescope. Other than the various differences in mount, they are identical to blast cannons used by skyships or field artillery. The practice of calling them 'bows' dates back to the Alfar empire.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Point Cannon
- One of the rare modern weapons with no counterpart during the era of the Alfar Empire, point cannon are so named due to their looks, that of a long tapering needle longer than a man is tall connected by an armored cord to a backpack of reagents and obsidian mana batteries. While a bit cumbersome due to their length, the blasts of blinding energy they fire are particularly capable at punching through armor and defensive enchantments.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Strider Armor
Iron Plate
- Usually readily available and relatively inexpensive, iron is by far the most common metal used in warstrider construction.
- Cost:
Adamantium Plate
- Only the most expensive warstrider designs are protected by adamantium armor.
- Cost: Adamantium ?
Strider Equipment
Strider Skills
Artillery
Siege Engines
Bombard
- A fairly simple large caliber gun or mortar used to batter down fortified walls.
- Cost:
Trebuchet
- Largely supplanted by cannons, the wooden Trebuchet is still used by the armies of more conservative or remote nations.
- Cost:
Hammerer
- An enlarged blast bow/cannon, sized to bash down walls with wave after wave of magical force.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Stormcaller
- These large siege engines - the size of a large house - must be erected on-site, whereapon they can be used to create short-lived storms that can pelt the enemy with magical lightning. The intrinsic difficulty of deploying such bulky weapons limits their use to sieges or fixed defenses.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Field Artillery
Culverin
- One of the most common pieces of battlefield artillery, the first Culverins were used by great effect by the Alfar Legions against enemies who could at best field unwieldy full sized cannons.
- Cost:
Demi-Culverin
- An excellent all purpose gun, the Demi-Culverin is a popular choice for armies on the move, where it is easy to transport while still retaining considerable range and power.
- Cost:
Falconet
- The lightest cannon in common use, a Falconet is roughly similar in size and power to the oversized firearms used by warstriders. Highly mobile, Falconets serve as an excellent defense against oversized enemies and giant monsters.
- Cost:
Ballista
- Somewhat like a giant oversized crossbow, the Ballista is an ancient but still effective field weapon.
- Cost:
Mystic Focus
- A mystic focus is a common addition to large structure, allowing a mage to 'power up' their spells by tapping into a substantial source of power.
- Cost: ?? Mana
Lightning Launcher
- These crystaline contraptions fire bolts of powerful lightning against nearby targets. While it is limited to short ranges, the lightning is almost impossible to avoid.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Concussive Blast Cannon
- A blast bow fitted to a wheeled carriage.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Point Cannon
- Identical to the warstrider version in performance, though somewhat unpopular due to the difficulties in moving both the weapon itself and the power pack.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Skycraft
Weapons
Firepowder Cannon
- Firepowder is an old if not supremely popular option among the siege-minded. While it has the advantage in simplicity, firepowder cannons are not terribly accurate.
- Cost: ?? Gold
- Upkeep: Firepowder?
Mystic Focus
- A mystic focus is a common addition to large structure, allowing a mage to 'power up' their spells by tapping into a substantial source of power.
- Cost: ?? Mana
Lightning Launcher
- These crystaline contraptions fire bolts of powerful lightning against nearby targets. While it is limited to short ranges, the lightning is almost impossible to avoid.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Concussive Blast Cannon
- A 'pure' magic weapon, blast cannons fire a fast-moving ball of force across long distances. In appearance, they resemble a large open-ended telescope. They are particularly favored by skyship captains expecting to engage ground troops, as their concussive blasts can be set for a large (if less powerful) area of effect.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Point Cannon
- Skyship-mounted point cannons sometimes draw their power from a single centralized site in the center of the ship, though they are otherwise little different from the field gun version.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Accelerated Mana Cannon
- These bulky weapons take the appearance of a triple or quadruple helix over twice the height of a man that generate powerful, intense energy beams. Like point cannons, they are a technical innovation that was introduced during the Necromantic War.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Armor
Wood Cladding
- Skycraft are typically constructed out of thin wooden sheeting over a frame, which provides little to no resistance against weapon fire. It is thus common to armor skycraft expected to see fighting with thicker, denser wood, giving them effective immunity to hand-held missile weapons and substantially increased resistance to medium-sized field weapons.
- Cost: ?? Gold
Iron Cladding
- A few unusual skycraft have been fitted with iron armor; while providing superior protection against weapons it is fairly expensive and very heavy. As a result a skyship so armored tends to be something of a pig in the air, albeit a very difficult one to disable.
- Cost: ?? Gold
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
- Halves all carrying abilities
Adamantium Cladding
- The occasional lord with more money than sense will commission a skyship clad in Adamantium armor. While the amount of adamantium required is rather excessive, a ship so armored had none of the performance drawbacks of iron cladding.
- Cost: Yes Adamantium
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Barrier Cladding
- Some shipbuilders opt to forgo significant physical armor, instead relying on magical defenses to keep the skyship safe. While less effective against things such as cannons, magical protection is significantly better against spells and spell-firing weapons.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Magic & Equipment
Haze Field
- More sneaky captains have their ships fitted with haze fields, magical wards that can hide a skyship against empty sky. While hardly perfect, they can help a ship to avoid 'unnecessary entanglements'. Many civilized ports consider any ship with a haze field as an outlaw vessel.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ?? Mana
Manajets
- Some skyships have especially powerful enchantments, throwing out raw mana as propulsive force, making them faster and more responsive.
- Cost: ?? Mana
- Upkeep: ? Mana
Troop Barracks
- The skycraft was built with particularly large passenger spaces and as a result, increases the amount of Infantry units it can carry by 100% per level.
- Cost: ?? Gold
- Upkeep: ? Gold
Heavy Lift
- The skycraft has especially powerful enchantments, allowing it to carry particularly weighty loads and as a result, increases the amount of Mechanical units it can carry by 100% per level.
- Cost: ?? Mana? Levistone?
- Upkeep: ? Mana