Arcana: Iron and Magic

Infantry

Militia
In times of dire need, (or when they're rebelling) slaves, peasants, and criminals can be quickly arranged into something resembling a fighting unit. The process of "arming" and "drilling" them costs only a couple gold and unlike most other units, can be done practically anywhere that's inhabited. Unless magically controlled however, peasant militia tends to be poorly motivated, and always have to make do with the worst equipment and training. Their raw availability however, means they often make up the bulk of poor armies in times of war and if your cities and castles fall, these are all you'll have if that.

Training Cost: 0 Gold

Upkeep Cost: 1 Gold

Armsmen
Formations of medium infantry are an excellent balance of low price, reliability, power, and mobility and inevitably form the backbone of most armies. If armed with spear and shield, they will defend well against cavalry, swords and shields allows them to efficiently kill at or under their weight, whilst arming them with heavier weapons makes them credible against more heavily armored opponents.

Training Cost: 0 Gold

Upkeep Cost: 4 Gold

Men-at-arms
Many local lords do not rely entirely upon levies of local peasants and burghers for defense, preferring to keep a number of trained soldiers on permanent retainer. These are colloquially known as Men-at-arms. Drawn from the laboring classes, men-at-arms are often former Armsmen who have distinguished themselves in battle. Hardened veterans who have often fought in many battles, men-at-arms are both more skilled and more disciplined than regular Armsmen, making them invaluable as the core of any expanding levied army.

Training Cost: 25 Gold

Upkeep Cost: 4 Gold

Knights
As much of a social class as a military roles, knights are trained since childhood to be warriors and soldiers and are always found at the center of an army or the vanguard of an attack. Trained to be deadly opponents on foot or on horseback they are accustomed to wearing heavy armor. Often in peacetime they will act as a King’s enforcers, in which capacity they tend to be even more lavishly equipped than the norm. Coming mostly from the minor nobility, knights cannot just be drafted by any king with gold in his coffers and take a lifetime to train. During peacetime knights will often act as tax collectors, halving their gold upkeep.

Training Cost: 100 Gold

Upkeep Cost: 20 Gold (10 when not mobilized)

Beasts

Giants
An ancient race of enormous humanoids, giants have drifted among the smaller races of Arcana for millennia. Several times the height of a human or elf and commensurately strong, Giants stereotypically interact with the ‘littles’ as stoneworkers or foresters. When roused to war though, or hired on as immense mercenaries, they can make devastating addition of any force.

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Monstrous Cavalry
An ancient race of enormous humanoids, giants have drifted among the smaller races of Arcana for millennia. Several times the height of a human or elf and commensurately strong, Giants stereotypically interact with the ‘littles’ as stoneworkers or foresters. When roused to war though, or hired on as immense mercenaries, they can make devastating addition of any force.

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Machines

Scout Striders
By far the most common warstrider design, few nations are without at least a handful of these mechanical warriors piloted by their best warriors. Conventionally they are armed with immense swords, hammers and giant-sized bows, though many lesser lords will lavishly equip their most loyal squads with a variety of exotic and lethal weapons.

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Knightstriders
A natural progression of the time-tested Warstrider concept, 'Knight' Warstriders are stronger, tougher and more responsive than conventional infantry Warstriders. Unsurprisingly they require sophisticated construction techniques that few nations posess. Due to their relative cost and rarity, most Knight Warstriders are well-equipped with magical weapons, conventional swords and bludgeons being a waste of their superior abilities.

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Siege Striders
Seen as sluggish and uncouth but nonetheless occasionally useful during the long centuries of the Alvar Empire, Siege Warstriders proved far more popular with the squabbling warlords of Chora in the tumultuous Warring States period and see common use to this day. Their strength and armor, much greater in scope than basic Infantry Warstriders makes them perfect for wading into the very strongest enemy formation, battering down walls or carrying heavy artillery.

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Golem
In simple terms, a golem is a warstrider that needs not a warrior to guide its actions. Few are those who possess the skill to enchant these impressive war machines to life. Fewer still are those who survive fighting them, as cold iron feels no pain, and knows no mercy.

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Skycraft

Air Boats
Air Boats are small propeller-powered dirigibles with a cabin slung underneath, capable of carrying a couple dozen passengers or several ton of cargo. They are most often used as couriers or scouts, or else to transport small quantities of high-value items.

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Air Galley
Nothing more than upscaled Air Boats, Air Galleys are significantly larger applications of the same design principles. Like Air Boats they are rarely armed and overall make fairly poor combatants. However, they are reasonable efficient merchantment.

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Skyship
Skyships are a step up from Air Boats like how Warstriders are a step up from Knights. Built around a floating Levistone boulder, they can rapidly sail between the shells. Equipped with multiple artillery cannons, they can also hold a squad of warstriders or similar-sized cargo.

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