Unit Spotlight - Cataphract

Cataphract
Before the stirrup was invented, there were only so many ways to fight on a horse, especially with armor. The Cataphract is the near the highest achievement of their technological era with medium armor on both horse and rider. The Cataphract moves as cavalry, quickly but nowhere horses can't go. The horses define the speed and precision of their movement but the rider controls how much damage gets done to their enemies.

Base Social Class
Cataphracts are always Peer units. This means every time you 'craft' one in a Recruitment/Training building, you are taking them from your local population. They still take up the same housing space and Happiness in their home District but they also can now be accessed in the Garrisons and will fight in defense of their district and settlement.

Cataphracts are recruited from the Peer population. If there are any unemployed Peers, the recruit function will choose them first. Because Cataphracts are inherently Peers, they require hiring cost and payment in Gold Florins.

Base Character Class
In order to increase variation between NPC units, each unity type is modeled after one of the 25 Hero classes. Many of the units are modeled after Soldiers, their main purpose being to inflict damage. The Cataphract on the other hand is a peer cavalry unit and thus their attributes and stats are based on the Cavalier hero class.

Training Resources
Training each unit of Cataphract requires a measure of Steel Ingots, Horses and Meat. Players have noted in the past that deconstructing a 'unit' will often leave Meat in your inventory. This is not people meat but a representation of what was used to recruit them. The Ingots are for all the armor and weapons they'll need and the Horses are obvious.

Equipping Gear
Each Unit can be equipped with one to three types of equipment based on their specialty and inherent social class. As a Peer unit, Cataphracts can equip 3 types of gear, along with their weapon type. They can wear Scale armor and a Helmet and you can, if you want, equip them with one of the specially trained personal Horses. Every Cataphract can equip a Sword item, but they'll still fight if you don't give them one.

Sovereign's Life - Community (Rank 3)

Rank 3
Through friends, determination or chicanery, you've reached Rank 3 and are ready to build your Marketplace. This is a reasonably large undertaking, since you need Bricks for it. It's possible that Bricks both came in your sett-starter-pack and that you've managed to hold onto them for this long, but more likely you've been scrambling to harvest sandstone and have got a single Brickmaker somewhere preparing you for this moment. Once your Forum is complete, you have access to four other districts to choose from. This post is here to outline what that choice is for a burgeoning sovereign.

Marketplace

The Marketplace is the Rank 3 Default District. This, as you've probably determined, means that you can't have a Rank 3 settlement or access to the other Rank 3 districts without it. You also can't skip it and move on to Rank 4 without one. The people simply demand to have a location to meet and trade things. This is great for Prosperity, but terrible for Security. The Forum is the central building and provides the incredibly helpful function of chiseling Bricks from sandstone. As it is built and kept up with Bricks, this building will self-maintain as long as it's owner/manager has Sandstone.  Both the Forum and the exclusive Bazaar have Income Building functions, selling goods to Peasants and Yeomen for currency. Linked Jewelcutters are more efficient in the Marketplace and are the only building that can produce Cut Gems from raw ones.

Spotting Towers

The Spotting Tower is an excellent addition to your Department of Education (if you have one yet). The main Cartographer's Tent increases the Might of all defending Siege units and increases your Action Points when your settlement is on the attack. Both the Cartographer's Tent and the Spotting-Towers exclusive Heliograph Towers provide a neat settlement-wide Education bonus but both buildings require difficult to craft goods to build and upkeep. Every Watch Tower will boost settlement Security but are most efficient when built in the Spotting Towers. Building this district also gives you access to the Basic Recon ability, allowing you to gather information on neighboring settlement Garrisons.

Canal District

If you like Boats and Carts, the Canal District is right for you. The Main building is the Canal Infrastructure which not only installs little Canals for your boats but provides a production bonus to pretty much every type of processing building and stores boats. It also requires Slabs to build. The Cargo Dock, which only needs Leather, builds Carts and increases local Boat income by a few Thalers with every level. Fisheries are most efficient in the Canal District but can be built anywhere. These handy buildings process all your oceanic resources into their appropriate Goods. Players in this district can perform Custom Inspections on the boats that float through the Canals and go home with a few random confiscated goods.

Plaza

Every building from the Plaza district is helpful and powerful in it's way. That is, if you have the Slabs for it. While somewhat costly, the Central Fountain is also a great building. On it's own, it collects the tossed Copper and Silver coins thrown in by local NPCs. It then increases how quickly Peasants move into free space and provides a settlement-wide Health bonus. Finally, because the Fountain is the center of the Plaza, players can visit, drink from it, and regain both Health and Magic points by a percent of their total capacity. Then there's the Colonnade. This is an outdoor 'storage' area made of solid marble Slabs. Heroes can beneath their roofs in the 'open air' while still being considered housed. These residents earn more Importance, while the presence of these marble monoliths increases Respect happiness in all districts. Finally, Brickmakers (all important) are most efficient here in the Plaza district. At least they only require Sandstone to build.

Temple District

The Temple District is your one-stop for restoring settlement Faith. The Pantheon on it's own provides a reasonable static bonus per level to all district Faith and a small percent Faith bonus to the Temple district itself. It also can house a small number of Exemplars and those residents gain an AP capacity bonus. The exclusive Churches increase full-settlement Faith as well as processing Herbs into Tinctures. Finally the linked Chapel is most useful (if not optimally efficient) in districts suffering from low Faith, as it's powerful local bonus will help to heal that deficit.

District Profile: Service Sector

Service Sector

The Service Sector is a key member of the Department of Religion. More even than most religious districts, this one is dedicated completely to the health and well-being of the citizens. Every building within improves Health in one or more ways. While making this the default Rank 6 district may seem frivolous to less health-conscious sovereigns, we don't suggest cramming tens of thousands people into a single settlement without a Firehouse and a Hospital at the very least.

Action - Foreign Communication

Your settlement has reached a level of civilization not seen by many cities before the Renaissance. With access to both Aqueducts and Hospitals, the survivability of your tightly-packed urban areas is higher than ever.With this amazing display of civic planning, other settlements are ready to hear what your people have to say. By visiting the Service Sector, players can initiate use Foreign Communication to start a discussion thread on the global forum.

Main - Firehouse

Many great cities have burned completely to the ground for lack of fire-suppressing technology. Most of them rebuilt afterward, and many burned a second and third time based on the problems. The Firehouse provides a settlement-wide solution, along with Aqueducts (and Fountains) spread throughout the city to provide convenient water sources. Each level of Firehouse raises overall settlement Health by a static and percent, because people are healthier when they don't burn to death. This awesome building also processes Lumber into Boards, because it wasn't useful enough before.

Exclusive - Hospital

Without Hospitals, more people die of broken legs and easily curable diseases. While they can't be built outside the Service Sector, every level of every Hospital increases the Health of the entire settlement. It is here that young clergy and/or scientists try to help people with approved methods such as bandages, hot soup, bitter tea, and leeches. Hospitals also apply their localized knowledge to brewing Herbs into Tinctures.

Linked - Aqueduct

Aqueducts provide a source of fresh clean (totally not lead-filled) water to all the residents of your settlement Though they can be built anywhere, every Aqueduct increases the housing capacity of all NPC population in every district. Their Health bonus is also settlement-wide so there's no special benefit to building them in any particular district but the Service Sector to which they are linked.

Minister - Chirurgeon General
Someone's got to be in charge of all those Hospitals and the methods they use. This job falls the the Minister of the Service Sector, the Chirurgeon General. This often overworked minister is backed by the Ministry of Human Services. They together are dedicated to the healing and tending of all sick and injured in the entire settlement.

Favorite Lunar Bonuses

Your Lunar phase is the phase of the moon your character enjoys most. You can work this into your personal lore however you like, but having selected one has effects in the game. Characters can choose to opt out and choose to have no favorite Lunar Phase. Whatever you chose during character creation, your Lunar Phase can be changed by Becoming Malleable during the game.



Waxing Crescent

There's a special joy in spotting the first sliver of bright moon after the darkest part of the cycle. Characters who prefer the Waxing Crescent always watch for the first night the moon peeks her pale face out again. They are energized while the moon is shy and gain more material rewards from their actions during this phase. However, during all other phases, they receive slightly material action rewards than other players.


Waxing Quarter

Characters who favor the Waxing Quarter are fascinated by  the delicate moment of balance when the light and dark halves are equal. Their personal power focuses like the balance in the moon, such that their experiences during this phase become more poignant. During the Waxing Quarter, it's characters gain Experience faster, but suffer from a slight experience penalty when the moon is not both growing and balanced.


Waxing Gibbous

You enjoy the tingly phase just before the moon reaches fullness.  As the Moon gathers her powers around her, so do you. Characters who favor the Waxing Gibbous get caught up the anticipation just before the full moon, as if every flower is holding it's breath. During this time their Attributes are enhanced and they become better at everything. After the phase has passed and before it comes again, their Attributes are slightly lower than usual.


Full Moon

This traditionally powerful phase of the moon is held in high regard by Pagan worshipers the world over. Festivals, weddings and rites of celebration are often performed under the Full Moon. Characters who give their public favor to this popular phase will gain more Importance during it. With such a strong association however, people see you as somewhat less during other Phases and you will gain Importance a little more slowly.


Waning Gibbous

You are somehow excited the night the darkness starts to diminish the moon's bright face. The festivals are over, everyone's gone home and quiet has returned to your evenings. Nature has begun to breath normally again. Characters who choose the Waning Gibbous moon are more difficult to harm with magic during their favorite phase. Crescents are just plain creepy to them and magic does slightly more damage during crescent phases.


Waning Quarter

When the darkness has crept halfway across the moon, your character begins to watch the sky for that moment the line is balanced. Another night and the darkness will have, ever so slightly, overtaken the moon's hold on the sky. Characters fascinated by this moment have some inherent interest in the deepening darkness. Secret actions cost them less during this phase. During any other phases

Waning Crescent

Watching the last moment's of light before the moon is fully swallowed can be a thrill for some people. These characters tend to name the Waning Crescent as their favorite phase. They're empowered by this overpowering darkness and feel more violent during this time. Until the moon is completely gone, these characters do more pure physical Damage. Gibbous moons weaken them, and slightly reduce the damage they can dish out.


New Moon

The New Moon is the time to do things against the will of others. Leaving or entering a property, being with your secret lover, or performing rites that were outlawed centuries ago, the New Moon is the time. Characters who favor the New Moon can be suspected of at least romanticising illegal activity, as these characters are less likely to be caught doing Secret Actions as long as the night is dark. Relying on this darkness weakens their resolve in the light, and during the Full Moon Secret Actions are much more difficult.

Why to Have a Home

Having a Home
You wake up one day in the wilderness with no stuff, no carrying capacity, and a limited ability to defend yourself. Around you are wild animals, possibly bandits, and odd little town-like clusters that haven't quite decided to be anywhere important. You could walk to the mountains or the sea. You can hunt for wildlife or search for faeries, but eventually you'll get tired. You'll look for a place to sleep and you can choose between the ground, a tree, or finding someone who owns a room with a bed in it.

AP Penalty
If you do choose to rough it, you won't sleep well. Your energy will be diminished the next day and your Action Points will regenerate more slowly. For as long as your character isn't living anyplace in particular, you will suffer from this AP regen penalty. Hanging out in the Wilderness, or even the streets of a settlement, can work for a little while but is not a great plan for gaining levels and ranks in the long run.


Living In a City

Inn

Other than the AP penalty, why not just live in the Wilderness forever? For one, the options are pretty limited. The actions you can do while in the wilderness, you can still do while living in a town. The home gives you a place to return to when the wilderness actions are through. Your Settlement provides you with a number of bonuses, based on what District your rented room is in, who's ruling and what local effects are active. Civic systems inherent to settlements all provide bonuses to their citizens. Certain Actions and Scenarios provide bonuses to all the residents of a settlement, as do bonuses provided by serving Ministers. The last reason to eventually leave the Wilderness is that it has little to offer higher level players. As your AP capacity and Importance demand grows, the tiny actions available in the Wilderness will begin to mean nothing, and eventually become unavailable. Players can always spend transition time in the Wilderness but overall gain little from refusing to choose a settled home.


Being Homeless
Once you have moved into a Settlement, it's pretty important that you find a room to rent. As an Exemplar (player character) the NPC populations pay attention to you. They consider all players to be their natural leaders and are disturbed to see one of these great figures living on the streets. Homeless players cost their Settlement a lot more Happiness, causing local unrest until they rent a room. There are several options for Player Housing, often in the Main building of a district owned by a Sovereign or Minister. However, it is possible for private citizens to buy land and build an Inn, Tavern or similar building to house Players. Owners of these buildings can charge Rent, but don't always.

Granary Player Room

Home Bonus
Every building that provides rooms for players also provides a small bonus to those that live within. For instance, the Colonnade increases resident Importance by a small % while the Tavern provides a Magic regen boost. Residents of the Lodge regenerate Action Points more quickly. Until a player takes up residents in a player room, they aren't receiving the full benefit of city living. NPC housing buildings that have been converted into Player housing don't offer any bonuses.

Character Bonuses
On top of the bonuses granted from choosing a home, Characters provide bonuses in return to their place of residence. Certain choices players made in character creation and abilities they will get while leveling up improve the districts and settlements they choose to take residence in. Every class gains a passive ability, raising a Happiness type of the NPCs around them and many of the Actions that benefit players also provide a local Happiness bonus and Scenarios triggered by players provide all sorts of rewards for their settlement and neighbors.

Pub Player Room

Class Abilities - Secondary Noble

What are Class Abilities?
A character's level represents the time they have spent training and they class-powers they've mastered with this effort. Class Abilities are those actions, privileges and equipment slots unlocked as your character gains experience and levels up. These privileges are separate from any you might gain through Rank and Position in your local government. Each Class includes a primary a secondary chain of Class Abilities. Primary chains can be accessed by 5 Hero classes and the relative Lord class. Lords can never access the secondary chains, only available to a different 5 of the Hero classes.

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Secondary Noble Classes

Cavaliers were born in the lap of luxury but prefered to play outside as children. When they grew older, they became the gallant protectors and representatives of their noble relatives. These commander-nobles will always be comfortable on the battle field but they come home to the company of their velvet-clad relatives. They are by far the best mannered and well spoken of the primary commander classes.

The Courtier loves to be surrounded by rich things and refined people. They loath having to speak to anyone with less than a complete classical education. These haughty heroes know that all real power in the hands of old men in gilded mansions. Why go anywhere else when a little bit of charm might grant you power at it's source? Courtiers spend most of their time becoming more socially effective and disarming in order to get the best deal out of the complex inheritance and favor structures among t

The Manager hero resembles those crafters and traders of the Renaissance whose work was so valuable that the middle class began to form around them. Trader-Noble heroes focus mainly on their productive skills but know how to get respect and business from the guarded upper class. Their charm and skills combined allow Managers to enjoy the business opportunities available only when patronized by the very rich.

Prelates were either nobles who joined the church or priests who were stationed in a noble's chapel for so long they've gotten to know the ways of the upper class. In either case, while their main priority is service to the religion, they will be able to speak the language of the aristocracy and elites. Used to dealing with the lofty moral quandaries of the very wealthy, it seems the moral questions of the poor are somehow less profound and are easier to solve.

Astrologers have been staring at the stars since they were young, trying to found meaning and perhaps clues to what choices they should make. They have also probably been telling their friends how to live their lives by the stars as well. This kind of attitude is somehow popular in the upper classes and these social caster types are often welcome into otherwise exclusive parties in order to read fortunes. This ability to charm rich out of their gold can fund a lot of magical reagents for these caster-noble heroes.

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Abilities

Hire Vagabonds

No matter what else you may be, you're a noble and will be treated like one. One of your noble powers is to hire some random sell-sword to be your personal bodyguard. For a sack of Silver Thalers, you can find some willing muscle somewhere in your settlement willing to join your personal Army and serve as a Churl, Vagabond, Hunter or Archer unit.

Hold Feast

Technically, you share a portion of responsibility/power over the people. That means when you say it's time to party, it can be time to party! All you have to do is speak to a few people on the street, let them know where the event will be, and set out a reasonable amount of Groceries and Beer. People love to party, and many will bring their own food and drink to supplement your own. This shared food and fun increases district Health and causes a few friendly rural Peasants to move in.

Pay Taxes

As a member of higher society, you recognize that no government can run without funds from it's people. It is rewarding to fulfill your civic duty and it's a fairly reliable way to ensure that the government actually gets money you want it to spend on something. Paying your taxes makes you feel good and improves your Guile and Management for the rest of the day. The Florins you deposit actually do go directly to your Settlement.

Equip Ensign

An Ensign is a large colorful piece of fabric, often with tassles and gold thread, that declares who you (and your famly) are. It's held up on a big stick either by your or a personal servant who follows you around carrying your heavy Ensign. Having this Emblem-Gear equipped impresses people and improves your effective Charm and Management attributes based on how nice it is.

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is a really cool action you can take for your country. With this, you can target any neighbor country in order to determine some basic information on their Garrison and Defense ratings for the entire settlement. All you need is a Horse, Linen and some Dyes. With this material you craft a disguise, ride over, and check the place out for yourself. Be careful, if they have a high Security rating, you can be caught and imprisoned in a foreign settlement.

Largesse
Your pockets are always filled with spare coin. Fulfilling your natural role in society, you try to leave a tip for everyone who even complements you correctly on the street. This is an enjoyable state of affairs for you, the money matters little and encourages everyone in the settlement to be really nice to you. It's even better for the populace, who find more coin in their pockets each day thanks to your Largesse. This passive ability increases the Silver in the Public Economy each Income cycle based on your level.

Embezzle

The Embezzle action can target any building your character is the Minister, Owner or Employee of. This action does not create a material reward but literally skims off the top. One the action is used, the next output cycle of that building is dropped direction into the acting character's inventory instead of where it was supposed to go. Getting away with this theft requires a small amount of paper.

Equip Necklace

Many have commented that as you level up, you've only become more graceful and charming. They admire your bravery and appreciate your good manners. The usually reticent jewelers have agreed to sell you a variety of Necklaces which will each raise your Charm and Mettle further based on their individual quality. Like all gear, there are 13 variants of Necklace, each more beautiful and empowering than the last.

Salon

One of the more admirable habits of the Renaissance wealthy was to gather and educate each other at refined parties. Throwing one of these parties will inspire the people of your settlement to share what knowledge they have with neighbors and friends. This increases the Mettle of all citizens for the rest of the day. on top of this, the spread of knowledge caused by a Salon also temporarily increases Health for the entire settlement.

Protect District

You have become practiced at leading a small army of troops and your reputation allows you to be somewhat trusted by the people of a settlement. Protect District allows you to dedicate your personal army units to the defense of a single district. This district can be in your home settlement or in a settlement friendly to your home settlement. Your troops prefer to be personal bodyguards and don't want to fight for a district. You must bribe them with Groceries.

Equip Manuscript

You have come to realize that to understand any more about culture and society than you already do, you must go to the sources. Locating, and taking up the personal study of one of these collections of cultural source material will increase your effective Arithmetic and Management, making you a better leader and role model for the people.

Shark Loans

This is a dishonorable thing to do and will lose you Importance. On the other hand, if you know where there are a lot of Yeomen, your sec-noble character does have the skill and intimidation to bully grocery money out of these poor NPCs. At the cost of a little paper and less Florins, you can force some locals to take ill advised loans from you with Shark Loans.

Cavalcade

With Horses and Linen, you can basically throw a huge horse party. Everyone who with spare time and horses will show up and ride around in the horse party. This convenient gathering and show of horses and horsemanship effectively reduces the cost of recruiting cavalry units for a day.

Tournament

This action triggers the cooperative local scenario Tournament. At the cost of  Lots of Linen, Livestock and Dyes your character can cause a Tournament to occur. For the duration of the Tournament scenario. recruitment costs will be less than usual. If the Tournament is won, recruitment costs will lower further for a daily cycle. If the Tournament is lost, recruitment costs will be somewhat higher for a daily cycle.

Gear - Books

Function
Equipping a personal Book is a lot like incorporating a new religious or philosophical text into your life. It becomes a new source of reference and guide for how to handle the decisions your character makes as they play. Players will usually end up with two Book-Gear slots by the time they hit maximum level, because it is earned in both Primary and Secondary class ability chains. Like other Class Gear, the Books are separated by the classes that use them, and book slots are class-type specific when earned.

Books

Manual - There have been many great Generals throughout history. While some have names that ring out in history, others are remembered only by their thoughtfully written manuals on warfare. Any commander with the gear-slot can learn something from these time-honored pages. Accounts of battles, tactical instructions, inventory lists and philosophical ponderings warfare itself can all be found in one Manual or another. These Commander-enhancing books raise the reader's functional Celerity and Management ability as they absorb the wisdom of those old Generals. Each Manual is crafted with toughened leather, giving it the kind of armor a combat-scholar needs.

Manuscript - Noble characters have been brought up to consider themselves cultured, but do they know where that culture comes from? This increasingly powerful collection of letters, stories, and ancient records are collectively referred to as Manuscripts. Each one increases the reader's Arithmetic and Management abilities, making them better, more efficient leaders. In order to purchase a newly printed Manuscript, players will need access to a Book crafting building, Paper, and a sack of Thalers.

Ledger - After detecting a bargain and not getting cheated, nothing is more important to profitable trade than a clear head for numbers. Every character has their own capacity for math and memory. When they earn their Ledger gear slot, a character knows it's time to seek outside wisdom to guide their future economic decisions. These tomes of knowledge and logic will enhance your natural Arithmetic and Acumen attributes. Printing up a fresh batch of Ledgers will requires location, Paper, and a lot of Bronze Litra.

Scripture - There are many holy writings created after the completion of the original Holy Book. These were written by wise men of their time (sometimes women writing as men). Some of the writers will never be forgotten, some will never be known, but their words have helped and inspired generations of spiritual followers. Crafting a new Scripture requires a Book printing building, Paper and clean Linen. Spending your time reading and contemplating a single scripture will raise your Philosophy and Fervor attributes.

Grimoire - These are ancient and mysterious books of spells. In many cases, they're books of songs, poems, philosophical theories and herbal encyclopedias. Together they represent a mass of naturalistic, animistic, pagan and forbidden scientific knowledge. Demons are only mentioned a couple of times. To craft these secret educational tomes, printers will need to treat the paper with Tinctures. When a Caster character begins to reference their life to a particular text, their Mettle and Creativity increase.

Charter - Unlike other classes, Lords get their Book early in the leveling process. These charters are not only a fancy stack of papers to flash around for authority but actual packets of historical political information. Lords are best served to keep in minds the treaties and successes of their ruling ancestors. These are documentation of successful (or almost successful) decisions of leadership. Equipping and sort-of living by a particular Charter will increase the Lord's Oratory and Judgement attributes, making them a wiser and more persuasive leader. As with many things involving Lords, ordering a new Charter from the printers requires the obligatory paper and a big stack of Gold Florins.