Faith for Calabim?

[shoggi]

Unique Recon Units:

Stalker-a hunter replacement; str 3 move 3
can cast "prey" ability: "gives 30% to turn defeated living unit into a bloodthrall, gets a +5% combat str if it kills an enemy living unit; 100% to join savages/be removed, removed by combat, targets weakest living unit, can enter rival territory"
Ripper-ranger unit replacement; str 6 move 3
can cast prey(see above), haste, gains promo killing frenzy after killing an enemy living unit while under prey effect(gives multiple attacks per turn), heals 10% after combat
Predator-beastmaster replacment; str 10 move 3
as ripper except, can also use regeneration, slow, and dominate abilities; can "feed" on cities with open borders, but there is a 75% chance of war being declared as a result.

I don't like this at all, mostly because I use both Stalker and Predator as names for unique recon units for my Maogata.
Which reminds me, I really need to work on them again, now that i have access to a few new unit models.

 

[Valkrionn]

Yes. Yes you should.

 

[Viatos]

never understand why the Mekara got access to some of the most ba vamp units, while the calabim pretty much got shafted.

I was actually thinking about this the other day, although I wouldn't really call the Calabim even slightly shafted. Mekaran Caretakers / Agents don't get access to Feast, and Feast is no joke; see the earlier reference to Omnipotence. Lifedrinker is cool, but seriously, Feast.

The Calabim ARE brutes: psychopathic monsters hiding behind a paper-thin masquerade of humanity. Their Worldspell is River of Blood, and the connotations of Feast imply the slaughter and consumption of hundreds or even thousands as they revel in the simple pleasure of gorging on red, wet life. They devour all that they can, ruled by gluttony more then any other vice; their reign over a city is the reign of foxes in a henhouse.

The Mekaran vampires under Zaria are different. No less monstrous, but refined in their abomination, they sample life as a connoisseur might an especially fine wine. This is the difference between Feast and Lifedrinker. The Mekaran seek out warriors, monsters, or beasts; things that possess vivid and hostile souls, or the oily black energy of raw malevolence in the case of the soulless.

Each kill is savored and strengthening in its intensity, which is why Lifedrinker allows a vampire to grow across eternity, while Feast provides massive short-term gains but ultimately taps out when the unit runs out of promotions to acquire. In theory, a Vampire Lord with every available promotion has a flat ceiling of potential, while an Ascendant Matron can become infinitely powerful.

EDIT: In theory. In game terms, you are not realistically going to farm a Mekaran vampire up to be able to take on Calabim mages or heavy melee in single combat, with the exception of Corgayle.

 

[Jheral]

- snip -

On the first: It is the influence of the Ordine Medicos (Grigori, Iram Damarr) that inspires the creation of the Matrons, IIRC, and thus they have no role in the Calabim civ.

On the others... Possible. The second is unlikely.

No, actually. Viatos is quite right on this one.

The Caretakers are just one more way for Zaria to keep the people docile; if they think she's a caring and gentle ruler, they will be all the more eager to serve. They also serve as a more subtle front for vampirism; noone will think it's strange that a few people who are declared dying already are passing away a bit earlier than expected.

But mostly I just wanted a way to better illustrate that Zaria tries to rule through deception and subtlety, rather than the brute-force approach that the Calabim tends to use, as well as give the vampire elements of the Mekara a different feel (I believe I also used the "altered by the Mekaran Shapers" excuse for this difference ).

As for why they wouldn't be available... Zaria is a traitor. The assassin-vampires of Mekara are her own network of agents, and both them and the Caretakers are all tied directly to her.

That said, I do agree that the Calabim vampires could, and should, be better at what they do (straight-up combat and magic).

 

[KamikazeFTW]

I personally like using the leader of the mekaran order (can't remember his name )
being able to throw cannon fodder at a city without having to think twice if my experienced soldier is going to die or not makes it less stressful