========Blood Magic======== //All spells that use blood magic have to be unlocked by researching this school. If your nation has any blood mages, you will want to do some research here.// - Illwinter. {{:misc:magic:blood.png|blood}} While the other schools of magic can at least pretend to have productive uses outside of causing death and suffering, Blood magic is more straightforward about its purpose. Rather than being powered by [[gems]], blood spells and rituals are fueled with the sacrifice of [[gems#blood slaves | blood slaves]], [[blood hunting | harvested from province population]] by blood mages at the cost of [[unrest]] and thus gold income. Balancing this shadow economy in addition to the normal complexity of Dominions is difficult and part of why blood nations are not recommended for beginners. All spells that involve the {{misc:magic:blood.png?14&nolink}}blood path and the use of blood slaves belong to the school of Blood magic, although there are useful blood items that can be unlocked by researching the school of [[Construction]]. Blood magic is incredibly versatile, allowing its users to inspire terror in the hearts of their enemies, open gates to the five Hells, start the vampire apocalypse, and so much more. Since the currency of blood magic is not dependent on site searching luck, it has the potential to scale far beyond what any other path can manage. During the late-midgame, competitive nations may have an income of 20/turn of any one type of gem, while true blood nations can easily be hunting 200-{{gems>300B}}/turn, rising to {{gems>400B}}/turn by the late game. Well-run blood nations can flood the world in a tide of powerful summons, from the ??Ozelotl??s of Mictlan and Xibalba to the ??Se'ir??im called forth by Gath. =====Generalization===== ===Pure=== In combat, the majority of blood spells require a sacrifice and cause a good deal of fatigue. The power of these spells often matches their cost, however, especially when eliminating tough single targets through spells like ??Leech?? and ??Life for a Life??. Blood can also mitigate its own fatigue through the use of special communions called sabbaths, as well as the handy ??Reinvigoration?? spell which clears fatigue from the caster and any communion slaves. Blood magic has further applications as a buffing path (??Rush of Strength?? and ??Hell Power??) as well as a source of morale plays (??Agony??, ??Blood Rain??). In terms of rituals, pure blood has great spells for removing crippling [[affliction | afflictions]] and [[old age]] to prolong a caster's usefulness. It also has significant summoning potential, from binding lowly ??Imp??s at low research levels to conjuring deadly Demon Lords at high research levels. ===Crosspaths=== * {{:misc:magic:fire.png?15&nolink}}**Fire** lets you use Blood to call ??Devil??s from the Inferno. With enough research, it can be used to banish a foe there in the midst of battle, or even to summon one of the five ??Arch Devil??s. It also lets you use ??Hellfire?? in battle, and can be used to boil blood //without// Blood Slaves. * {{:misc:magic:air.png?15&nolink}}**Air** lets you use Blood to call ??Storm Demon??s, powerful & mobile Demons, from the Tempest Realms. It can also be used to uncork Pazuzu's wrath on distant provinces. * {{:misc:magic:water.png?15&nolink}}**Water** lets you use Blood to call ??Frost Fiend??s, powerful ice-firing Demons, from the Icy Realm of Kokytos. With enough research, it can be used to banish a foe to that hellscape in the midst of battle, or even to summon one of Kokytos's six masters. * {{:misc:magic:earth.png?15&nolink}}**Earth** lets you use Blood to call ??Demon Knight??s, hellish & well-armed Cavalrymen. It can also bring power to the dormant Earth to serve you, tainting it in the process. * {{:misc:magic:astral.png?15&nolink}}**Astral** power is the "currency" of all Magic //except// for Blood Magic, but Blood can still add dark power to the Astral wellsprings and draw the Astral Plane's worst ??Horror??s to the caster. See [[Horror|Horrors]] & [[Horror Mark|Horror Marks]] for more details. * {{:misc:magic:death.png?15&nolink}}**Death** lets you use Blood to bring Undeath to living beings without killing them, turning them into ??Vampire??s. It can also summon ??Bone Fiend??s, the skeletons of Demons who have died of old age. * {{:misc:magic:nature.png?15&nolink}}**Nature** lets you use Blood to facilitate unholy unions of the different species of the world (??Cross Breeding??). It can also feed and/or taint Nature directly, and can be used to ??Purify Blood?? in battle. =====Combat Magic===== ===Blood 0=== ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Bleed?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //The Bleed spell causes blood to pour out of the victim's nose, ears, and mouth. The effect is a prolonged and painful death. [[Magic resistance]] can negate the effect.// | Instantly applies the "[[Bleeding]]" effect to a single target (but isn't super accurate). MR negates. This doesn't work on the [[Undead]] or [[Inanimate|Inanimates]]. | ===Blood 1=== FIXME ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Blood Burst?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>2B}} | //// | | | ??Blood Heal?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Sabbath Master?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Sabbath Slave?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Reinvigoration?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Summon Imps?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Blood Boil?? | {{path>B1F1}} | //// | | ===Blood 2=== ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Banish Demon?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //The caster banishes one [[demon]] back to Hell.// | Instantly & magically instakills a single demon, at medium range. MR negates. | | ??Agony?? | {{path>B2}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //The mage kills one or more [[blood slaves]] in an extremely painful way and transfers their pain onto a large number of enemies. Being struck by this pain is unbearable and has a truly devastating effect on morale. [[Undead]] units are not affected by this spell.// | Instantly deals 1 AN DMG at long range, with an AOE of 4, and also deals 4 "[[Fear]] DMG" with the same AOE. MR negates the actual damage. The [[Mindless]] and [[Inanimate|Inanimates]] are also unaffected. \\ +1 AOE per extra {{:misc:magic:blood.png?15&nolink}}. | | ??Hell Power?? | {{path>B3}}\\ {{gems>3B}} | //By sacrificing a large number of blood slaves, the caster attracts attention from the Netherworld. Fiends from beyond grant the caster tremendous physical and magical power for one battle. The price for this power is unwanted attention from other [[Horrors]]. For every minute the battle lasts, there is a chance that a Horror will materialize in the vicinity of the caster.//\\ **Grants [[magic]] boost +2, [[attack skill|Att]] +4, [[defence skill|Def]] +4, [[strength|Str]] +4, [[precision|Prec]] +4, [[Morale]] +4, [[Magic Resistance|MR]] +2, [[Protection]] +4** | Applies the listed benefits to the caster, along with one [[Horror Mark]] (if the caster isn't Mindless). \\ **Independent** Horrors have a 20% chance to appear within a 5x5 area of the caster each round, +2% for each Horror Mark. \\ [[Hell Power|It has a page!]] | ===Blood 3=== ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Leeching Touch?? | {{path>B1}} | //The mage tries to touch a target and will drain some of the target's life force if successful. The life force drained will be used to heal and reinvigorate the mage.// | A fast melee spell (**defense negates**) that does 15 AN [[Life Drain]] DMG to a single target, scaling with {{:misc:magic:blood.png?14&nolink}} (+1 Dmg). Inanimates are immune. | | ??Pain Transfer?? | {{path>B2}} | //Wounds taken by the mage will be transferred to blood slaves in the vicinity.// | Applies the listed buff to the caster. The range is slightly wider than the range the caster can use blood slaves for casting with. | ===Blood 4=== ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Hellfire?? | {{path>B1F2}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Blood Lust?? | {{path>B2}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Call Lesser Horror?? | {{path>B2S2}}\\ {{gems>2B}} | //// | | ===Blood 5=== FIXME ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Hellbind Heart?? | {{path>B2}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //The caster binds an enemy soul to his service.// | Instantly switches a single target's allegiance, at medium range. MR negates. The [[Mindless]] are immune, as are [[Pretenders]] and [[Prophet|Prophets]]. | | ??Summon Illearth?? | {{path>B2E2}}\\ {{gems>2B}} | //// | | | ??Bloodletting?? | {{path>B4}}\\ {{gems>4B}} | //With this arduous spell, the mage tries to drain blood from everyone in the vicinity. All drained blood will be added to the mage's life force.// | Instantly deals 1 AN Life Drain DMG to **everyone**, including the caster. MR negates. The [[Undead]] and [[Inanimate|Inanimates]] are immune. | ===Blood 6=== ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Harm?? | {{path>B2}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Call Horror?? | {{path>B3S3}}\\ {{gems>3B}} | //// | | ===Blood 7=== ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Leech?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Blood Rain?? | {{path>B3}}\\ {{gems>3B}} | //// | | | ??Purify Blood?? | {{path>B4N1}}\\ {{gems>3B}} | //// | | ===Blood 8=== ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Rush of Strength?? | {{path>B3}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Life for a Life?? | {{path>B3}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | ===Blood 9=== ^ Spell ^ Paths ^ Description ^ Effect ^ | ??Damage Reversal?? | {{path>B1}}\\ {{gems>1B}} | //// | | | ??Infernal Prison?? | {{path>B3F1}}\\ {{gems>2B}} | //// | | | ??Claws of Kokytos?? | {{path>B3W1}}\\ {{gems>2B}} | //// | | =====National Blood Magic===== In addition to the blood magic available to all nations, several nations have special access to unique blood spells. {{:nations:flags:ea_lanka.png?30&nolink}} [[lanka ea | EA Lanka]] {{:nations:flags:ea_lanka.png?30&nolink}}\\ Lanka has a large roster of demon-ogre summons, as well as an efficient blood hunter (the ??Raktapata??) to run the blood economy needed to summon them. Summons run the gamut from hard-hitting frontline troops (??Rakshasa Warrior??), to a heavy thug (??Dakini??) and even a potential supercombatant chassis (??Mandeha??). Monkey nations in later ages ([[bandar log ma |MA Bandar Log]], [[patala la | LA Patala]]) retain these summons, although they lack native ways to blood hunt. {{:nations:flags:ea_mictlan.png?30&nolink}} [[Mictlan]] {{:nations:flags:ea_mictlan.png?30&nolink}} and {{:nations:flags:ea_xibalba.png?30&nolink}} [[Xibalba]] {{:nations:flags:ea_xibalba.png?30&nolink}}\\ The two Mesoamerican-inspired nations share most of their blood summons. A particular highlight is the ??Ozelotl??, a troop which can be efficiently summoned with only Blood 4 research and is a flying, sacred murder machine with 3 attacks. In the Middle Ages Mictlan loses blood hunting but retains the summons, while the opposite occurs for MA Xibalba. In the Late Ages both nations regain their full blood hunting capabilities and summon roster. {{:nations:flags:ea_hinnom.png?30&nolink}} [[hinnom ea | EA Hinnom]] {{:nations:flags:ea_hinnom.png?30&nolink}} and [[ashdod ma | later]] [[gath la | incarnations]]\\ The Old Testament-inspired nations have a small but potent roster of blood summons, though MA Ashdod has no blood hunters and EA Hinnom's are extremely expensive. The excellent ??Se'ir??im are a cheaper version of the Ozelotl, losing flying but retaining the sacred tag and killing power. Also of note is ??Release Lord of Civilization??, a Blood 9 spell that summons one of several extraordinarily powerful mages (although Blood 9 is often too late to be relevant in multiplayer games). Due to its Hinnomite influences, [[berytos ea | EA Berytos]] can also call the Se'irim. Furthermore, it is able to use blood magic to summon its own ??Melqart#2267??s! [[ind ma | MA Ind]] is possibly the most bloody nation of the Middle Ages, but its only national blood spell is ??Release Lord of Civilization??. {{:nations:flags:ea_niefelheim.png?30&nolink}} [[niefelheim ea | EA Niefelheim]] {{:nations:flags:ea_niefelheim.png?30&nolink}} and [[jotunheim ma | later]] [[utgard la | incarnations]], {{:nations:flags:la_vaettiheim.png?30&nolink}} [[vaettiheim la | LA Vaettiheim]] {{:nations:flags:la_vaettiheim.png?30&nolink}}\\ These Nordic nations can cast the ??Illwinter?? global, which plunges the world into perpetual winter. MA Jotunheim and LA Vaettiheim are also able to summon ??Niefel Jarl??s with ??Winter's Call?? while Illwinter is active. {{:nations:flags:ea_abysia.png?30&nolink}} [[abysia ea | EA Abysia]] {{:nations:flags:ea_abysia.png?30&nolink}} and [[abysia ma | later]] [[abysia la | incarnations]]\\ The Abysias have varying degrees of blood hunting ability. Their only national blood spell is [[Infernal Breeding]], which summons much stronger spawn than the generic ??Cross Breeding?? would; they otherwise rely on the generic tools available to all blood nations. {{:nations:flags:la_marignon.png?30&nolink}} [[marignon la | LA Marignon]] {{:nations:flags:la_marignon.png?30&nolink}}\\ Unlike its [[marignon ma | Middle Age predecessor]], LA Marignon is a blood nation that specializes in summoning demons. In addition to discounts on ??Soul Contract??s and ??Lifelong Protection??s it is able to summon {{path>F3D3B3}} ??Fallen Angel??s, powerful and affordable mages which can cast big battlefield magic and break Marignon into moderate {{misc:magic:death.png?14&nolink}}death. {{:nations:flags:la_ulm.png?30&nolink}} [[ulm la | LA Ulm]] {{:nations:flags:la_ulm.png?30&nolink}}\\ Like Marignon, Ulm also transforms into a blood power during the transition from the Middle to the Late Ages. It has only one blood spell, ??Sanguine Heritage??, but it is quite affordable and can be cast without any research (though LA Ulm lacks native access to the requisite {{misc:magic:death.png?14&nolink}}{{misc:magic:blood.png?14&nolink}} crosspath)! It summons one of several unique, immortal Vampire Counts, discounted ??Vampire Lord??s with their own special abilities. {{:nations:flags:la_pythium.png?30&nolink}} [[pythium la | LA Pythium]] {{:nations:flags:la_pythium.png?30&nolink}}\\ LA Pythium's blood hunting abilities are rather limited, available only via 10% of ??Reveler#1880??s. Their only unique blood spell is the low-research ??Orgy??, summoning a ??Satyr#1881?? commander which freespawns ??Maenad??s for hordes of potential chaff. {{:nations:flags:ma_naba.png?30&nolink}} [[na ba ma | MA Na'ba]] {{:nations:flags:ma_naba.png?30&nolink}}\\ Although Na'ba lacks recruitable blood hunters, it can summon them in the form of the {{path>D1B1}} ??Ghulah??. These can form the basis blood economy to fuel Na'ba's more powerful blood summons, the ??Ifrit?? and ??Shaytan??. //The following nations are all able to recruit blood hunters to some degree, but lack national blood spells:// * [[sauromatia ea | EA Sauromatia]] * [[helheim ea | EA Helheim]] * [[vanheim ea | EA]] and [[vanheim ma | MA Vanheim]], [[midgard la | LA Midgård]] * [[pangaea ea | EA]] and [[pangaea ma | MA Pangaea]] * [[vanarus ma | MA Vanarus]] and [[bogarus la | LA Bogarus]] * [[ragha la | LA Ragha]] * Any nation which has captured a Garnet Amazon province (??Garnet Sorceress??es) {{template>magicindex}} {{tag>spell Magic-Path }}