Arcana: Unit Design

Infantry

Peasants

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, peasants 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

Militia

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: 3 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 militiamen 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 militia, making them invaluable as the core of any expanding levied army.

Training Cost: 50 Gold

Upkeep Cost: 6 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: 200 Gold

Upkeep Cost: 16 Gold (8 when not mobilized)

Melee Weapons

Pick a main weapon and an optional side weapon. A two-handed melee weapon cannot be used with a shield.

Spear

The concept of attaching a sharpened point to a wooden shaft is older than the written word. It is pure simplistic efficiency that has never been eclipsed.

Cost: 5

Mace

The earliest maces were simply stones bound to a handle with leather. Now they are often cast in iron and bronze with cleats and armour-piercing spikes. Even though arms and armour have become vastly more sophisticated, it remains surprisingly effective to simply bludgeon one’s enemies to death.

Cost: 10

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: 12

Axe

While never a glamorous weapon, the axe is highly versatile and a potent armament.

Cost: 12

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: 15

Warhammer

Warhammers are an evolution of maces, meant to deliver a much more traumatic blow through armour. Often one side of a warhammer’s head tapers down into a wicked point meant to pierce through solid plate.

Cost: 20

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: 25

Battleaxe

An immense, well-balanced and often elaborate great axe that carries with it a good measure of intimidation and a tremendously powerful blow.

Cost: 35

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. Also by association includes polearms such as glaives and bills.

Cost: 35

Long Swords

The quintessential knightly weapon, long swords encompass a family of expensive and superbly crafted blades.

Cost: 50

Great Swords

Imposing bladed weapons that typically consume weeks or even months of a craftman’s efforts to produce. Typically they find their way into the hands of elite soldiers, due to both their expense and the special skills needed to use them properly.

Cost: 75

Ranged

Javelin

Light spears primarily intended for throwing.

Cost: 3

Throwing Axe

A thrown axe of the sort used by Franks and Dwarves everywhere.

Cost: 5

Crossbow

While having a slower rate of fire than traditional bows, the crossbow's bolts are considerably more potent.

Cost: 10

Compound Bow

Weapon of choice for the sensible barbarian horse archer.

Cost: 10

Longbows

Standard longbows made of yew, or more favorable or less favorable but cheaper or more common woods.

Cost: 15

Arbalest

The more powerful metal cousin of the basic crossbow, an arbalest is one of the deadliest ranged weapons around.

Cost: 20

Arquebus

Simple and easy to construct, the Arquebus was the first firearm used by the Alfar Imperial Legions.

Cost: 25

Upkeep: 2 Gold

Leadcaster

More expensive and much more complex than a simple Arquebus, the magitech Leadcaster is the pinnacle of recent firearm development.

Cost: 40 + 15 Mana

Upkeep: 2 Gold + 1 Mana

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: 20 + 10 Mana

Upkeep: 2 Gold + 1 Mana

Enchantments & Enhancements

Adamantium Weapon

Impossibly sharp, extremely hard and nigh indestructible.

Cost: Base Weapon Cost in Adamantium

Combination Weapons

It’s a sword with a gun in it! Probably not as effective at stabbing as a typical sword or shooting as a gun, but who cares? It’s a sword with a gun in it!

Cost: Cost of Base Weapon + Cost of Extra Weapon

Warning: Those who attempt to use a gun as a club or throw a sword will be executed.

Brute Force

In many cultures that practiced war differently than the Alfar, it was often more effective to enchant an existing weapon to affect its user and not the intended target. A mace, warhammer or sturdy axe doesn’t care if it hits harder by virtue of being magically forged or simply being swung with superhuman force.

Cost: + 50 Mana

Alfar Blades

The Alfar Empire had honed the manufacture of swords and other edged weapons to an art. In the waning years of the Empire, the secrets of their forging began to proliferate through the outer provinces and places beyond. Also known as Imbued blades, they are infused with arcane energies during their creation. Depending on the recipient’s desire, they may glow with searing heat or crackle with electric charge.

Cost: 2x Base Weapon Cost + 50 Mana

Lightswords

A sword (or other edged weapon) that has an ethereal edge that cannot be stopped by ordinary means.

Cost: + 100 Mana

Upkeep: +10 Mana

Sorceror Arms

Some weapons are imbued with enough energy that they may allow any user to cast forms of low magic. Examples include javelins that become bolts of lightning when thrown, or spears that can issue a gout of flame.

Cost: + 200 mana

Upkeep: +20 Mana

Adamantium Casing

Casting a gun barrel out of adamantium tends to vastly increase its strength, allowing much more powerful charges to be used.

Cost: +Base Weapon Cost in Adamantium

• Applies only to cannons

Explosive Shot

Made of explodium.

Cost: + Base Weapon Cost in Mana

Upkeep: +10 Mana

Personal Armor

Light

Padded Jacket

A simple reinforced jacket.

Cost: 3

Shell Coat

Essentially similar to a barrier jacket, except with hard armor plates at the shoulders, elbows and other strategic locations.

Cost: 5

Skirmisher Armour

Typically made of rigid but lightweight materials like hardened leather with interior metal strips, and reinforcements. It provides more resistance against slashing and bludgeoning weapons than other forms of light armour without being as heavy as mail.

Cost: 10

Medium

Mail

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: 10

Lamellar

Armor consisting of small plates that have been laced together in overlapping rows.

Cost: 15

Plated Mail

Mail armor that has been reinforced by the addition of metal plates.

Cost: 25

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: 35

Full Plate

The favored armor of nobility and knightly cavalry. Expensive, but is more than worth the price for the protection it offers.

Cost: 60

Superheavy Plate

Impossibly thick armor used by monstrous creatures or the super humanly strong.

Cost: 100

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: 2

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 heavy weaponry.

Cost: 4

Full Shield

Good defensive boosts against all forms of attack.

Cost: 10

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: 20

Pavise

Useless in close combat but provides exceptional ranged protection.

Cost: 25

Enchantments & Enhancements

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: +Base Armour Cost in Adamantium + 50 Mana

Upkeep: +5 Mana

• Applies only to Light & Medium Armour

Adamantium Plates

A few lords or rich knights can afford special plate armor reinforced with adamantium, giving them almost unmatched protection.

Cost: +Base Armour Cost in Adamantium

• Applies only to heavy armour.

Charged Shield

Particularly common during the Necromantic Wars amongst those who could not afford a set of fully enchanted armour, shields can be warded to resist the effects of magic and enchanted weapons.

Cost: +10 Mana

Barrier Jacket

Intended for light armour, barrier jackets have an inner weave of magical circuitry that reinforces and protects the wearer. It is usually reserved for those who cannot use heavier equipment and will pay a premium for the best protection feasible on light armour.

Cost: + 50 Mana

Upkeep: +5 Mana

• Applies only to Light Armour

Enchanted Armour

In outer Alfar provinces late in the decline with rare metals becoming scarce, many knights and veteran soldiers were unable to afford Alfar armour. Particularly common in poorer areas where lighter armour was easier to acquire than full plate, they turned towards enchantment to provide better protection.

Cost: +30 Mana

Upkeep: +3 Mana

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: +100 Mana

Upkeep: +10 Mana

Mounts

Pack Train

Teams of draft horses, oxen or other similar beasts of burden are ideal for pulling heavy loads at low speeds.

Cost: 20 gold

Upkeep: -

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: 1 Horse or 15 Gold

Upkeep: -

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: 4 Horses

Upkeep: 4 Gold

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: 8 Horses

Upkeep: 8 Gold

Beasts

Cavalry

In the most basic sense, cavalry are simply creatures that are suitably sized to comfortably accomodate a rider into battle or over land, whether it be on hooves, wings or a bits of nightmares stitched together.

Cavalry is always tied to an infantry unit, their riders. Equip both and add the cost together to get the final cost of the cavalry unit.

Domesticated

See Mounts under the Infantry section.

Common

It's often said that no matter where you go, or how distant the truly wild places are, there's always something a stone's throw beyond the walls preying on herds of cattle or hapless travellers. In the harsher places of Arcana there may not be anything that isn't somehow dangerous to civilized folk. With blood, sweat and grit many peoples have managed to break them.

Requirements: Monster Ranch

Abilities: 1

Cost: 8 Beasts

Upkeep: 8 Gold

Exotic

Even in the lost ages before the Alfar rose to power, the peoples of Arcana have sought to turn the most powerful of beasts against their enemies. Difficult to capture and even harder to condition, they may open up worlds of new possibilities for those willing to pay the price.

Requirements: Monster Ranch, Wilds

Abilities: 2

Cost: 16 Beasts

Upkeep: 16 Gold

Rare

The Emperor wouldn't feel as proud of his fire-snorting nightmare steed if it hadn't cost the lives of ten men just to catch it, now would he?

Requirements: Monster Ranch and Chaotic Wilds, Demense or Node

Abilites: 4

Cost: 40 Beasts

Upkeep: 20 Gold + 20 Mana

Giant Creatures

Embodying the mantra of bigger is better, scale often brings results that finesse alone cannot. The legend of Khamen-Asheed's "Terror Charge" at the Battle of Duine in the opening days of the Necromantic Wars has etched in living memory the awe and power of what a man can do if he has a mind to trifle with Arcana's most imposing monsters and repurpose them for war.

Sentient

The Giantfolk are distant cousins to the 'littles' that swarm over Arcana, touching but lightly on the meta-civilization of their relatives. Long-lived humanoids fifteen or so feet tall, they often find profitable employment as foresters, miners . . . or mercenaries.

Requirements: Monster Ranch, Hills or Keep

Abilities: 0

Cost: 20

Upkeep: 20 Gold

May use Machine equipment and weapons, max weapon size Small.

Common

The epitome of raw size and strength, numerous races of Giants look down on the world.

Requirements: Monster Ranch, Wilds

Abilities: 1

Cost: 20

Upkeep: 20 Gold

Exotic

Dinosaurs!

Requirements: Monster Ranch, Wilds, Keep

Abilities: 2

Cost: 40

Upkeep: 40 Gold

Rare

It is said the desert Roc snatches elephants in its talons.

Requirements: Monster Ranch, Chaotic Wilds, Keep

Abilities: 4

Cost: 100

Upkeep: 50 Gold + 50 Mana

Legendary Creatures

Giant Legendary Creature

No nation has ever managed to tame the most powerful of the world’s creatures, although many have found means to control them or otherwise bargain with them.

Requirements: Monster Ranch, Wilds or Chaotic Wilds, Node

Abilities: 10

Cost: 50

Upkeep: 50 Mana

Ancient Legendary Creature

Existing from the dawn of the world before the times of elves or men, or spawned in the terrible energies unleashed in the Necromatic Wars, immensely powerful creatures roam outside the dominion of nations. Sometimes, they can even be bargained with.

Requirements: Monster Ranch, Wilds or Chaotic Wilds, Node

Abilities: 10

Cost: 100

Upkeep: 100 Mana

Abilities

A creature's abilities define what it's capable of over and above what one might think is normal for something of its size and rarity. Most abilities simply reflect an enhanced trait that a creature already has, but not always. One can rightly expect that a war-rhino will be tough and be able to plow headlong into ranks of troops without having an armour shell, but most creatures don't normally shoot lightning from their eyes or turn the ground beneath them to ash.

Armour: Fetch a culverin! The grapeshot's just bouncing off of it!

Burrowing: The best way to travel underground is to make your own hole.

Celerity: You can't escape what you can't outrun.

Crushing Strength: If brute force doesn't work, you're not using enough.

Etheric Metabolism: Subsiding entirely on the raw energies of the primordial forces, some of Arcana's most fantastic creatures manifest a host of powers only magic can emulate. Note: All Upkeep Becomes Mana Upkeep

Flight: Sewing chaos and war faster, further and higher than ever before. Counts as two abilities.

It Burns!: All it touches become cinders and ash.

It's Ginormous!: You never had any idea they could get that big, did you?

Level of Badass: D:<

Nightmare Fuel: Even if you give in to the urge to flee, you'll remember it forever.

Regeneration: Hacking a few limbs off might drive it off for now, but it'll be back.

Why Won't You Die?! Covered in a carpet of arrows, impaled by a dozen spears, it just won't stop.

Equipment

Iron Armour

Like their riders, warhorses and the like have often been armoured to protect them in battle. Often it’s more for the safety of the rider than the mount, since a knight that is de-horsed in the middle of a melee may never have a chance to get back on their feet. When applied to bigger creatures, it’s usually to protect them from siege weapons like canons.

Cost: 20 Gold (Cavalry), 100 Gold (Giant Creatures)

Weapons

If it’s going to crash into ranks of soldiers, why not strap on some pointy bits? Giants and the like also tend to wield their own commensurately imposing weapons in battle.

Cost: 10 Gold (Cavalry), 50 Gold (Giant Creatures)

Enchantments and Enhancements

Adamantium Armour

For those times when one’s riding into the valley of death with cannons to the left, cannons to the right and cannons in front.

Cost: +Base Armour Cost in Adamantium

Adamantium Weapons

Because sometimes those castle gates are laced with iron.

Cost: +Base Weapon Cost in Adamantium

Machines

Artillery Carriage (Light)

Lightweight artillery carriages can be pulled by a single horse or manpacked around by a squad of soldiers (or a particularly strong troll), giving them excellent mobility both on and off the battlefield.

Construction Cost: 10 Gold

Max Weapon Size: Small

Artillery Carriage (Medium)

A typical two- or four-wheeled artillery carriage, solid enough to mount more weighty weapons like Culverins but light enough to still have a modicum of battlefield mobility. They are sufficiently heavy however that they typically require at least one oxen or similar beast to pull them.

Construction Cost: 20 Gold

Max Weapon Size: Medium

Artillery Carriage (Large)

The biggest non-static artillery requires heavily-built carriages that must be laboriously moved into prepared positions, giving them little to no battlefield mobility. Entire teams of oxen must be lashed to these multi-ton affairs of wood and metal.

Construction Cost: 30 Gold

Max Weapon Size: Large

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.

Requirement: Town, Keep or City

Construction Cost: 100 Adamantium + 100 Mana

Upkeep Cost: 10 Mana + 5 Gold

Max Weapon Size: Small

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.

Requirement: City/Underhold and Wizard Tower

Construction Cost: 250 Adamantium + 250 Mana

Upkeep Cost: 25 Mana + 10 Gold

Max Weapon Size: Small

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 Arcana 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.

Requirement: City/Underhold and Keep

Construction Cost: 500 Adamantium + 150 Mana

Upkeep Cost: 25 Mana + 10 Gold

Max Weapon Size: Medium

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.

Requirement: Keep or Wizard Tower

Construction Cost: 100 Adamantium + 350 Mana

Upkeep Cost: 20 Mana

Max Weapon Size: Small

Weapons

Giant Mauls

Simple clubs, hammers and related bashing weapons, appropriately sized-up for warstriders.

Cost: 40 Gold

Weapon Size: Small

Giant Swords

Warstrider-sized swords. Eminently capable of cleaving striders, knights, dragons and houses.

Cost: 80 Gold

Weapon Size: Small

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: 75 Gold

Weapon Size: Small

Ballista Somewhat like a giant oversized crossbow, the Ballista is an ancient but still effective field weapon. Cost: 75 Upkeep: 5 Gold

Weapon Size: Small

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: 75 Gold Upkeep: 8 Gold

Weapon Size: Small

Strider Leadcasters

A Strider Leadcaster is roughly equal in size to a light artillery piece like a Falconet, though with added enchantments to make them more reliable and effective on the move.

Cost: 75 Gold + 25 Mana

Weapon Size: Small

Concussion Bow

A 'pure' magic weapon, concussion or blast bows fire a fast-moving ball of force across long distances. In appearance, they resemble a large open-ended telescope, sized to fit a warstrider's hands or a light field artillery mount. The practice of calling them 'bows' dates back to the Alfar empire.

Cost: 100 Gold + 100 Mana

Upkeep: 20 Mana

Weapon Size: Small

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: 150 Gold

Upkeep: 15 Gold

Weapon Size: Medium

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: 200 Gold

Upkeep: 20 Gold

Weapon Size: Medium

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: 100 Adamantium + 200 Mana

Upkeep: 30 Mana

Weapon Size: Medium

Bombard A fairly simple large caliber gun or mortar used to batter down fortified walls. Cost: 300 Gold Upkeep: 30 Gold

Weapon Size: Large

Catapult

Using simple gears, pulleys and ropes catapults are still able to hurl projectiles over long distances. They’re still in common use by those who prefer their simple and cheap wooden construction.

Cost: 100

Upkeep: 7 Gold

Weapon Size: Large

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: 150 Gold + 150 Mana

Upkeep: 15 Gold + 15 Mana

Size: Large

Hammerer An enlarged blast bow/cannon, sized to bash down walls with wave after wave of magical force.

Cost: 200 Gold + 200 Mana

Upkeep: 50 Mana

Weapon Size: Large

Trebuchet

There is no cannon that yet exists which can match the trebuchet in terms of the weight it can fling down the field. Huge and difficult to move, they are typically reserved only for sieges of large fortifications. The fact that any rock will do does make them particularly cheap to operate, however.

Cost: 200

Upkeep: 10 Gold

Weapon Size: Static

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

Weapon Size: Static

Armor

Iron Plate

Usually readily available and relatively inexpensive, iron is by far the most common metal used in warstrider construction.

Cost: 50 Gold

Buffer

Used instead of iron to provide protection to the often-exposed inner works of the machine when durability is second to mobility.

Cost: 50 Mana

Enhancements & Enchantments

Adamantium Weapon

Cost: + Base Cost of Weapon in Adamantium

Adamantium Casing

Casting a cannon out of adamantium tends to vastly increase its strength, allowing much more powerful charges to be used.

Cost: +Base Weapon Cost in Adamantium

• Applies only to canons

Explosive Shot

Made of explodium.

Cost: +Base Cost in Mana

Upkeep: +20 Mana

Adamantium Armour

Cost: +Base Cost of Armour in Adamantium