Arcana: Special Units

Human Special Units

Human nations select one type of unit, the one that matches their national alignment.

Imbued

With the proper application of mana, soldiers can be granted abilities beyond mortal ken. These warriors have an ethereal metabolism, becoming something akin to the God-blooded. This mana infusing their body makes them particularly resistant to magic.
Alignment: Ether
Training Cost: 50 Gold, 100 Mana (1 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 10 Gold, reduces mana upkeep of all equipment by 5
Immune to attrition and mobility penalties
Limit: 1 per Keep, City, or Demense.

Engineers

Engineers are groups of diversely-trained men and magi who are experts in both construction and destruction, making them invaluable during sieges.
Alignment: Force
Training Cost: 300 Gold (2 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 10 Gold, 10 Mana
May take up to two Small or one Medium artillery piece, pays double for all Infantry equipment
Limit: 2 per City

Physical Adepts

Many human religious orders have adopted various forms of martial arts, melding them with life magic to train supremely deadly personal combatants.
Alignment: Life
Training Cost: 50 Gold, 50 Mana, 5 Books (1 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 10 Mana
Immune to attrition, defensible and mobility penalties
May only use Light armor
Limit: 1 per Hill or Mountain

Jannisaries

The Jannisaries are some of the best-skilled troops in Arcana, ceaselessly drilled and trained. Most come from longstanding military families and even moreso than knights, they are raised practically from birth to be soldiers.
Alignment: Matter
Training Cost: 75 Gold (1 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 10 Gold
Limit: 3 per Keep or City, 1 per Town

Ninjas

Some martial orders train to attune themselves with the cycles of the cosmos, gaining supernatural mobility, stealth and awareness, and access to numerous specialist tools of their trade.
Alignment: Void
Training Cost: 50 Gold, 50 Mana, 5 Books (1 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 5 Gold, 5 mana
Light armour only. Immune to defence and mobility penalties. Stealthy.
Limit: 1 per town, keep or city

Non-Human Special units

Nonhuman races (except beastmen) have a race-specific unit. Monstrous races do not have special units, being special enough already.

Orcish Berserkers

THOG ANGRY! :mad:
Alignment: Orc
Training Cost: 50 Gold (1 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 6 Gold
May not take armor
Limit: 1/2 Seasonal Common Draft

Goblin Sappers

Goblins are masters at uncovering the weaknesses in almost any fortification and infiltrating through passages that no larger races (eg, everyone else) could manage.
Alignment: Goblins
Training Cost: 50 Gold (1 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 10 Gold
Immune to Defensible
Limit: 2 per Underhaven

Beastfolk

Unfortunately, Beastfolk are much too varied in their abilities to get a unique unit; they are all unique.

Lizardman Saurs

Many lizardmen carry a recessive gene that irregularly manifests itself to make the recipient both grow to exceptional size and manifest unusually thick scales. While their intellectual capacities tend to be diminished, this does little to hamper their effectiveness on the battlefield.
Alignment: Lizardmen
Training Cost: 100 Gold (1 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 5 Gold
May not use ranged weapons or magic
Limit: 1 per Lizard Waste

Frogman Scouts

Skilled hunters and trackers, Frogmen scouts are incredibly skilled at various survival skills and stealth and often coat their weapons with fast-acting poison. Ironically they are among the most cosmopolitan Frogmen, and it is not uncommon for them to be a tribe's main contact with outsiders.
Alignment: Lizardmen
Training Cost: 75 Gold (1 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 5 Gold
Immune to mobility penalties, stealthy. May only take light armor.
Limit: 1 per Frogman Swamp

Dwarven Hearthguard

The Hearthguard are the oldest and most experienced of the dwarves, having risen through the ranks to their respected station. While not as spry as their youngers, they have both cunning and guile and some small talents for magic.
Alignment: Dwarves
Training Cost: 200 Gold (1 Common Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 20 Gold, reduces mana upkeep of all equipment by 5
May not have mounts. Increases Defensibility of any domain/site.
Limit: 1 per Underhaven or Keep

Elven Lords

The lordlings of the Alfar are terrifying sights on any battlefield, routing lesser beings with war-unicorn charges and adamantium blades while contemptuously sneering at the puny attacks sent against them.
Alignment: Elves
Training Cost: 300 Gold, 100 Mana, 20 beasts (1 Noble Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 24 Gold (halved during peacetime), reduces mana upkeep of all equipment by 5
Automatically comes with mount. All equipment must be adamantium or magical in some form.
Limit: 1 per Elven Wild

Dark Elf Warlocks

The Warlocks are the elites of the Dokkar, warriors skilled in the arts of magic. Their magical weapons are only the start, as they can all throw magic bolts against their foes.
Alignment: Dark Elves
Training Cost: 200 Gold, 100 Mana, 30 Books (1 Noble Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 20 Gold (halved during peacetime)
All equipment must be adamantium or magical in some form. Counts as a level 3 mage unit.
Limit: 2 per Underhaven or Wizard's Tower

God-Blooded Paragons

Those who have a particularly strong connection to the heavens - often immediate children of the gods - are known as Paragons. These display powerful abilities beyond even those of their peers.
Alignment: God-Blooded
Training Cost: 100 Gold, 300 Mana (1 Noble Draft)
Upkeep Cost: 20 Gold
May choose any two Beast abilities, representing their semidivine power.
Limit: 1 per Keep/City/Node