I'm considering reviving my work on a T'lan Imass nation, from the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Here's what I've got so far, with no gcosts because that is less important than theme:
The Ritual of Tellann gives them higher stats than normal humans (probably 12-ish, with 15 or 16 strength). I'm not sure how to represent the mystical power that it gives e.g. Onos T'oolan--he's able to do magic even though he's not a Bonecaster--but maybe a universal 1D would be thematic, although obviously it wouldn't matter on the basic warriors unless you GoR'ed them. Of course, the Ritual is also what makes them undead and therefore immune to e.g. Jaghut Murdering Winters.
In keeping with the fights with K'ell Hunters, they keep on going until they're cut to pieces (high HP, never heals, lifeless, unbreakable--morale 99? 50 would make them mindless which doesn't work, and 30 means they still retreat at the 75% HP mark).
The T'lan Imass can dissolve into dust and travel on the wind, as seen mostly with Onos T'oolan in Memories of Ice and Onrack's fight with the crab-things at the beginning of House of Chains. In Dominions mechanics, this definitely means Stealthy, and in combat it's really equivalent to Flight too. If there were combat-only Flight I'd probably use that plus Stealthy (+25). +25 may seem high but really, being dust is at least as effective a disguise as looking like a regular person (Glamour).
Each bonecaster veers into the Soletaken form of the animal whose cloak he wears around his shoulders. In Dom-land, this requires them to be different recruitables. I figure I might as well make them have magic paths that vary based on this, too. I can think of the following:
Bearkin Bonecaster (like in Reaper's Gale): for some reason, Earth magic seems appropriate here. D3E1 200%(ED).
Foxkin Bonecaster (Pran Chole): I'm not sure about this one. Foxes seem quick and light, though, so we'll go with Air. D3A1 200%(AD).
Pantherkin Bonecaster (Kilava Onass): "Power flowed like water" as she wiped out the K'ell Hunters that had just killed Trake. Fire magic. D3F1 200%(FD). Note that she probably would have killed them with fire spells or Banefire. (Note also that Tellann was originally the warren of either fire or life (Nature), depending upon how you read things. Nowadays it's dust/ashes (Death).)
Gorillakin Bonecaster (Monok Ochem): I feel like the Imass should probably have some connection to Nature, because of Tellann's connection to the Beasthold. D3N1 200%(ND). (This would make Gorillakin great thugs if Gorillas weren't lifeless and therefore unable to use Personal Regeneration, but that's the price you pay for the Ritual, right?)
All Bonecasters would be capital-only because there are only a few per clan. Stats for the animal form would be worked out later or maybe simply copied from existing animals (summer lions, Bandar, etc.).
There should also be a Clan Leader capital-only unit with increased command. Logros, Bentract, et al. would be this type.
Finally, there's the basic warleader (I've forgotten what they're called) like Cannig Tol. Recruitable anywhere.
I don't have any real great ideas for the recruitable units. All Imass pretty much use huge flint swords, and they don't have any allies. Is there a problem if they only have one recruitable non-commander (and one non-capital-only commander)? Should they be recruitable at all or should you have to summon them a la LA Ermor (but with no death dominion)?
Finally, I want some national spells. Death is pretty thematic for Dominions, but Tellann has some unusual properties like stasis and the ability to suppress magic, and that should be expressed via national Death spells. Given how Tool's use of Tellann pretty much makes Tattersail explode when she tries to use magic, I'll see if I can make a battlefield-wide Antimagic spell that causes fire damage to anyone who casts a non-death spell or something like that. (I'm not sure what's possible with spell modding.) Tool's unusual so that spell would probably take high paths like D4 or D5 to cast. I may give them researchlevel 0 versions of Stygian Paths and/or Forest Tread (?) with new flavor text and maybe lower path requirements because the spells are already pretty close to the idea of leading followers through the warrens.
The T'lan Imass are probably going to play out as a pretty unusual nation because they're not well-suited to wars of attrition. Even fighting though PD is going to degrade them pretty quickly. On the other hand, they'll excel at striking straight to the heart of a kingdom and hammering through opposition, and they'll need to be balanced with both these considerations in mind. They'll probably be quite good at killing Atlantis (and Jaghut
) and quite bad at killing Ulm or other non-capital-dependent nations.
Is there anything I'm overlooking? Remember that theme is primary and balancing considerations are secondary because you can always tweak gold/res/gem costs.
-Max
T\'lan Imass (mod) suggestions?
Linear Mode
