[[..t-ien-ch-i-ea|{{:wiki:dom6_version.png?100 }}]]{{ :nations:flags:ea_tien_chi.png|}} ====== EA T'ien Ch'i, Spring and Autumn ====== ===== Lore ===== //T'ien Ch'i is obviously influenced by China. I couldn't even resist the name Spring and Autumn, from the period of the same name in Chinese history. Chinese history is rich and there is plenty to draw upon. Daoism and its five elements, inner alchemy, and quest for longevity inspired the Masters of the Way as did the T'ien Shih—celestial master—of institutional Daoism convert into the Celestial Master of T'ien Ch'i. Heroes come in plenty in the Chinese tales and the Seven Immortals are all interesting figures. Sun Wukong and his friends are perhaps even more so. There is plenty of stuff to expand on should I or a merry modder find the time. Finally, T'ien Ch'i has been inspired by movies from Hong Kong, China, and Korea.// -- Illwinter The Celestial Empire has not yet been founded. The magic of The Way permeates the realm and reclusive mages conjure Celestial Beings to do their bidding. Nobles wage war upon each other for honor and glory. A few chosen warriors and mages dedicate their lives to training in the Way of the Five Elements. The deceased are worshipped and village priests conjure the dead to ask for guidance and aid. It is a time of legends. -- Nation Description ===== General Overview ===== If you are considering picking this nation to play, what should you know? =====National Features===== ^ Magic Access ^ Alt. Access ^ Unit Summary ^ Core Abilities ^ Buildings ^ | {{path>F2}}\\ {{path>A2}} (Rare 3) \\ {{path>W3}} (Rare 4) \\ {{path>E2}}\\ {{path>S2}} (Rare 3)\\ {{path>D1}}\\ {{path>N2}}\\ {{path>G2}} (Rare 3)\\ {{path>H2}} Cap-only\\ {{path>H1}} in Forts | **Heroes** \\ {{path>A1N2}}\\ {{path>F1A1W2S3H2}} \\ {{path>A2S2D2}} \\ **Summons** \\ {{path>N1G3,50%AWESN,50%AWESN,25%AWESG}} (req. {{path>N2}}) | Well-equipped Units for EA\\ Chariots\\ Long-lived mages with wide magic spread | {{:abilities:combat_caster.png?15&nolink}} [[Combat Caster]]\\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need Not Eat]]\\ {{:abilities:trample.png?15&nolink}} [[Trample]] | {{:misc:gui:fortress.png?30&nolink}} [[Fort|Standard Fortresses]] | **Capitol Gems: **{{gems>1F2W2S1D}} **The Gate of Spring and Autumn:** Boosts [[astral]] ritual range in the capital by 1 province . ===== National Units ===== T'ien Ch'i has one of the best human line troops of the early age with a very flexible cap and Forien Recruit mages. ==== Commanders ==== Variety in commanders is limited. Only one troop leader, though decent, can be expensive. Is pretty clear which mages you should be recruiting off-fort, in-fort, and in Cap. ^ Sprite ^ Unit Name ^ Special Attributes ^ Comments ^ | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:scout.png?nolink}} | **??Scout??**\\ {{gold}} 35\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 4 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 1 | {{:abilities:stealthy.png?15&nolink}} [[Stealthy]] (50)\\ {{:abilities:mountain_survival.png?20&nolink}} [[Mountain Survival]]\\ {{:abilities:forest_survival.png?20&nolink}} [[Forest Survival]] | Standard scout; identical to indie ??Scout??s. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Noble_Commander.png?nolink}} | **??Noble Commander??**\\ {{gold}} 135\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 52 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 1 | | A fairly durable, if expensive, 100-leadership commander | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:cataphracted_chariot.png?nolink}} | //??Cataphracted Chariot??// | {{:abilities:animal.png?15&nolink}} [[Animal]] \\ {{:abilities:trample.png?15&nolink}} [[Trample]] | ::: | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:student_of_the_sword.png?nolink}} | **??Student of the Sword??**\\ {{:misc:gui:gold.png?15&nolink}} 70\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 5 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 2 | {{path>100%FAWEN}} {{path>R3}}\\ {{:abilities:combat_caster.png?15&nolink}} [[Combat Caster]] | A cheap mage, but lacks a niche due to being a worse mage and fighter than the ??Master of the Sword??, having poor research ability, and there just generally being more useful mages to recruit in forts. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:master_of_the_sword.png?nolink}} | **??Master of the Sword??**\\ {{:misc:gui:gold.png?15&nolink}} 170\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 5 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 2\\ {{:misc:gui:forest.png?20&nolink}} Non-fort Forests Only\\ {{:misc:gui:mountain.png?20&nolink}} Non-fort Mountain Only | {{path>200%FAWEN}} {{path>R5}}\\ {{:abilities:combat_caster.png?15&nolink}} [[Combat Caster]]\\ {{:abilities:mountain_survival.png?15&nolink}} [[Mountain Survival]]\\ {{:abilities:forest_survival.png?15&nolink}} [[Forest Survival]]\\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need not Eat]] | The upgrade over the ??Student of the Sword??, the ??Master of the Sword?? has excellent melee skills (15/16 Attack/Defence Skill!) and the Combat Caster ability, as well as guaranteed useful magic due to their linked random paths. While they are poor researchers, and somewhat expensive for their paths, Masters of the Sword are probably T'ien Ch'i's most reliable off-cap mages, and their only requiring a mountain or forest lab to recruit makes them even better. While their stats suggest army thugging/frontline casting as a possibility, they require gear to fix their extremely low Protection, and T'ien Ch'i already has a lot of ways to spend gems to get killing power via its summons. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:student_of_the_five_elements.png?nolink}} | **??Student of the Five Elements??**\\ {{:misc:gui:gold.png?15&nolink}} 85\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 1 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 2\\ Non-fort Only | {{path>100%FAWEN}} {{path>R7}}\\ {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]] | Students of the Five Elements are one of three sacred foreign-recruit mages. Of the three, they are the cheapest but also have the least reliably useful paths. Potentially workable as a cheap researcher, but lacking in combat ability. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:master_of_the_dead.png?nolink}} | **??Master of the Dead??**\\ {{:misc:gui:gold.png?15&nolink}} 100\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 2 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 2 | {{path>D1H1}} {{path>R7}}\\ {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]] \\ {{:abilities:spirit_sight.png?15&nolink}} [[Spirit Sight]] | Masters of the Dead are cheap mages that can cast T'ien Ch'i's Ancestor-related spells - ??Call Ancestor?? and ??Wrath of the Ancestors?? - in addition to summoning small numbers of undead like other weak Death mages, allowing them to generate a lot of chaff fairly cheaply at high research levels. They are not particularly good at combat outside of this. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:student_of_the_way.png?nolink}} | **??Student of the Way??**\\ {{:misc:gui:gold.png?15&nolink}} 120\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 1 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 2\\ Non-fort Recruit Available | {{path>W1,100%ASNG}} {{path>R9}}\\ {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]]\\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need not Eat]] | Students of the Way can be recruited in both forted and unforted labs, though they require a temple as well. They are fairly efficient researchers for 120 gold, especially due to their sacred status. They have useful randoms; while Air is mostly a dud, Astral randoms can join communions or cast ??Body Ethereal??/??Twist Fate??, Natures can cast ??Mossbody??, and Glamours can cast ??Luck??. All of them can cast ??Frozen Body?? due to their base {{path>W1}} path. They are also pretty efficient researchers. However, their randomness also means you might need to recruit many of them to be able to have the magic you want. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:master_of_the_way.png?nolink}} | **??Master of the Way??**\\ {{:misc:gui:gold.png?15&nolink}} 265\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 1 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 2\\ Non-fort Only | {{path>W1,100%AWSNG,100%AWSNG}} {{path>R11}}\\ {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]]\\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need not Eat]] | Masters of the Way are considerably more expensive than Students of the Way, making them far less efficient researchers, and their paths are so random that they are not necessarily always more useful. The best Masters of the Way will luck into randoming two of the same path: {{path>N2}}s can ??Foul Vapours?? with a ??Thistle Mace??, {{path>W3}}s can do high Water magic, {{path>S2}}s are good for ??Antimagic?? and the Astral kill spells, etc. While many of them will random Astral and be useable in communions, Masters of the Way require careful planning and a lot of sorting to reach their full potential. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:master_of_the_five_elements.png?nolink}} | **??Master of the Five Elements??**\\ {{:misc:gui:gold.png?15&nolink}} 355\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 1 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 2\\ {{:misc:gui:fortress.png?20&nolink}} Capital Only | {{path>F1A1W1E1}}\\ {{path>N1H1,100%FAWEN}} {{path>R17}}\\ {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]]\\ {{:abilities:supply_bonus.png?15&nolink}} [[Supply Bonus]] (10) | Masters of the Five Elements are one of the fastest ways to turn CP into research in the game; the only 2 CP commander that has more research is the ??Royal Mallqui??, which costs an eye-watering 1200 gold! They provide a lot of useful crosspaths for forging, and they make very good site searchers too. However, as combat mages they are rather expensive in comparison to their actual casting power - while they provide flexibility, most of the paths will probably not see use in a given battle. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:celestial_master.png?nolink}} | **??Celestial Master#941??**\\ {{:misc:gui:gold.png?15&nolink}} 485\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 2 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 4\\ {{:misc:gui:fortress.png?20&nolink}} Capital Only | {{path>F1A1W2S1}}\\ {{path>G1H2,100%FEDN,100%AWSG,10%AWSG}} {{path>R21}}\\ {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]]\\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need-Not-Eat]]\\ {{:abilities:spirit_sight.png?15&nolink}} [[Spirit Sight]]\\ {{:abilities:flying.png?15&nolink}} [[Flying]] | Celestial Masters are expensive but powerful and highly mobile mages, meaning they can be where you need them to be, when you need them there. Their Astral path means they can always bring their paths into a communion, allowing them to cast high-level spells in all of their paths. ??Wailing Winds??, ??Wind of Death??, ??Acid Storm?? and much more are all available to Celestial Masters, providing a huge amount of threat variability to T'ien Ch'i's toolkit, though a lot of it is dependent on having disposable communion slaves. | ==== Troops ==== Line troops are made up of 3 tiers of body armour. (Full Leather: port 9 Def -1 Enc 1, -2 mapmove) (Scale mail Cuirass: Same but +1 Prot Iron and +3 Resources) (Full Scale Mail: Prot 15 Def -3 Enc 3 -6 mapmove Iron) Even the lighter armored grunts are well protected from arrows. Regardless of the Armor worn, almost all troops wear Half Helmets (Prot 18 Iron), which negates most damage inflicted to the head. ^ Sprite ^ Unit Name ^ Special Attributes ^ Comments ^ | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Footman.png?nolink}} | **??Footman#794??**\\ {{gold}} 10\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 9 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 9 | | T'ien Ch'i's Light Footmen are very cheap, but have armour light enough that even Short Bow fire will pierce through (18 head protection, 9 body). They come in three varieties: \\ \\ The Pike wielders don't have to deal with repel checks from most enemies and deal reasonable damage; the Glaive variety deals high damage but with low Attack Skill; finally, the Spear-and-Shield variety is slightly more durable than his peers, especially against ranged fire. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Footman_2.png?nolink}} | **??Footman#795??**\\ {{gold}} 10\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 11 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 9 | | ::: | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Footman_3.png?nolink}} | **??Footman#796??**\\ {{gold}} 10\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 11 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 9 | | ::: | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:archer.png?nolink}} | **??Archer#797??**\\ {{gold}} 10\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 12 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 9 | | T'ien Ch'i's archers distinguish themselves from their independent equivalent by carrying a Composite Bow, which deals a bit more damage (13) than an ordinary human Short Bow (11). | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Medium_Footman.png?nolink}} | **??Medium Footman#1901??**\\ {{gold}} 10\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 14 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 9 | | Medium Footmen have only slightly higher resource cost than Light Footmen, and fittingly have only very slightly better protection (+1 on body). They also come in Glaive and Spear-and-Shield varieties. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Medium_Footman_2.png?nolink}} | **??Medium Footman#1904??**\\ {{gold}} 10\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 14 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 9 | | ::: | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:heavy_Footman.png?nolink}} | **??Heavy Footman#928??**\\ {{gold}} 10\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 20 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 9 | | T'ien Ch'i's Heavy Footmen have 15 protection on their body armour and cost about twice the resources compared to the Light Footmen. While they are more durable, they have the same mediocre melee skills as the lighter varieties of infantry and have considerably lower Map Move. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:heavy_Footman_2.png?nolink}} | **??Heavy Footman#929??**\\ {{gold}} 10\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 20 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 9 | | ::: | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Horseman.png?nolink}} | **??Horseman??**\\ {{gold}} 25\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 17 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 24 | {{:abilities:skilled_rider.png?15&nolink}} [[Skilled Rider]] (1)\\ {{:abilities:mobile_archer.png?15&nolink}} [[Mobile Archer]] | Horsemen are in an odd place: as archers, they are a lot more expensive than T'ien Ch'i's unmounted archers, and they lack the durability and damage to function as melee cavalry. They could work as mobile Fire and keep distance archers, but provide much less volume of fire for their gold cost than regular archers. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:armored_steppe_horse.png?nolink}} | //??Armored Steppe Horse??// | {{:abilities:animal.png?15&nolink}} [[Animal]] | ::: | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:noble.png?nolink}} | **??Noble??**\\ {{gold}} 40\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 52 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 31 | | As relatively inexpensive tramplers with decent protection, Nobles are great at killing independent troops and make good expansion troops. However, they are not as strong into some of the true threats of Early Age, especially since giants of size 6 or higher cannot be trampled by them at all. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:cataphracted_chariot.png?nolink}} | //??Cataphracted Chariot??// | {{:abilities:animal.png?15&nolink}} [[Animal]] \\ {{:abilities:trample.png?15&nolink}} [[Trample]]\\ no-move-penalty-for-armor | ::: | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Warrior_of_the_five_Elements.png?nolink}} | **??Warrior of the Five Elements??**\\ {{:misc:gui:gold.png?15&nolink}} 35\\ {{:misc:gui:resources.png?15&nolink}} 6 \\ {{:misc:gui:recruitmentpoints.png?15&nolink}} 31\\ {{:misc:gui:fortress.png?20&nolink}} Capital Only | {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]] \\ {{:abilities:resist_fire.png?15&nolink}} [[Fire Resistance]] (5)\\ {{:abilities:resist_cold.png?15&nolink}} [[Cold Resistance]] (5)\\ {{:abilities:resist_poison.png?15&nolink}} [[Poison Resistance]] (5)\\ {{:abilities:resist_shock.png?15&nolink}} [[Shock Resistance]] (5)\\ {{:abilities:strength_of_the_spring.png?15&nolink}} [[Strength of the Spring]] (50)\\ {{:abilities:ambidextrous.png?15&nolink}} [[Ambidextrous]] (2) | Warriors of the Five Elements have great melee skills and a smattering of elemental resists, but their low protection and lack of shield makes them very vulnerable to ranged fire, and their medium-damage attacks (16 damage) lack the punchiness to deal with some of the bigger threats of the Early Age. At the same time, with a good bless they function as T'ien Ch'i's main answer to enemy sacreds that Nobles can't deal with. | ==== Heroes ==== As T'ien Ch'i, you get {{:abilities:immortal.png?15&nolink}} [[Immortal]] Mages. They have human stats but still useful for light thugging and casting spells. Keep them way from ??Soul Slay??ers. ^ Sprite ^ Unit Name ^ Special Attributes ^ Comments ^ | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:immortal.png?nolink}} | **??Ho Hsien-Ku - Immortal??**\\ | {{path>A1N2R11}}\\ {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]]\\ {{:abilities:immortal.png?15&nolink}} [[Immortal]]\\ {{:abilities:supply_bonus.png?15&nolink}} [[Supply Bonus]] (20)\\ {{:abilities:healer.png?15&nolink}} [[Healer]] (1)\\ {{:abilities:ethereal.png?15&nolink}} [[Ethereal]]\\ {{:abilities:flying.png?15&nolink}} [[Flying]]\\ [[Female]] | Not particularly exciting except for her Healer ability. Use Ho Hsien-Ku to restore the health of old or wounded mages. | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:immortal_2.png?nolink}} | **??Lu Tung-Pin - Immortal??**\\ | {{path>F1A1W2S3}}\\ {{path>H2R19}}\\ {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]]\\ {{:abilities:immortal.png?15&nolink}} [[Immortal]]\\ {{:abilities:ambidextrous.png?15&nolink}} [[Ambidextrous]] (3)\\ {{:abilities:flying.png?15&nolink}} [[Flying]] | A Celestial Master without Glamour magic who randomed Astral, and comes with excellent melee skill (15/16 Attack/Defence). | | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:master_with_the_Iron_crutch.png?nolink}} | **??Li T'ieh-Kuai - Master With The Iron Crutch??**\\ | {{path>A2S2D2R17}}\\ {{:abilities:sacred.png?15&nolink}} [[Sacred]]\\ {{:abilities:immortal.png?15&nolink}} [[Immortal]]\\ {{:abilities:fear.png?15&nolink}} [[Fear]] (7)\\ {{:abilities:old_age.png?15&nolink}} [[Old-Age]] (865\500)\\ {{:abilities:spirit_sight.png?15&nolink}} [[Spirit Sight]]\\ {{{abilities:plague_carrier.png?15&nolink}} [[Plague Carrier]] (5)\\ [[Start Affliction]] (100) | Li T'ieh-Kuai has slightly higher death magic than is otherwise available to T'ien Ch'i, allowing the forging of a ??Skull Staff?? for a total of {{path>D3}}. | ===== National Spells and Item ===== ==== Summons ==== ===Combat=== ^ Summon Spell ^ Unit ^ Special Attributes ^ Comments ^ | **??Call Ancestor??** \\ // (Conjuration 1) // \\ {{path>D1}} | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Ancestral_spirit.png?nolink}} \\ **??Ancestral Spirit#1363??** | {{:abilities:sacred.png?20&nolink}} [[Sacred]] \\ {{:abilities:resist_cold.png?15&nolink}} [[Cold Resistance]] (15) \\ {{:abilities:resist_poison.png?15&nolink}} [[Poison Resistance]] (25) \\ {{:abilities:stealthy.png?10&nolink}} [[Stealthy]] (+40) \\ {{:abilities:salt_vulnerability.png?15&nolink}} [[Salt Vulnerability]] (1) \\ {{:abilities:poor_amphibian.png?15&nolink}} [[Poor Amphibian]] \\ {{:abilities:undead.png?15&nolink}} [[Undead]] \\ {{:abilities:ethereal.png?15&nolink}} [[Ethereal]] \\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need Not Eat]] \\ {{:abilities:floating.png?15&nolink}} [[Floating]] \\ {{:abilities:spirit_sight.png?15&nolink}} [[Spirit Sight]] \\ {{:abilities:spiritform.png?15&nolink}} [[Spiritform]] | The Ancestral Spirit is distinguished from Longdead and Soulless by being [[Ethereal]] and [[Sacred]], not to mention its [[Paralysis-damage|Paralyzing]] attack. It has only 1 HP and, (without a stat bless,) an easily-cut-through Defense Skill, so other magic will generally counter it. Bear in mind that Ancestral Spirits are not automatically blessed when summoned and immediately begin moving towards the enemy, which means getting bless effects on to them requires support from other priests. | | **??Wrath of the Ancestors??** \\ // (Conjuration 7) // \\ {{path>D1}} and {{gems>1D}} | **??Ancestral Spirit#1363??** x 20++ | ::: | ::: | ===Ritual=== ^ Summon Spell ^ Unit ^ Special Attributes ^ Comments ^ | **??Celestial Servant??** \\ // (Conjuration 1) // \\ {{path>E1S1}} and {{gems>1E}} | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Celestial_Servant.png?nolink}} \\ **??Celestial Servant#903??** | {{:abilities:sacred.png?20&nolink}} [[Sacred]] \\ {{:abilities:gluttony.png?15&nolink}} [[Gluttony]] (3) \\ {{:abilities:magic_being.png?15&nolink}} [[Magic Being]] \\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need Not Eat]] \\ {{:abilities:spirit_sight.png?15&nolink}} [[Spirit Sight]] | Celestial Servants have poor melee skills and low protection, making them a mostly a waste of Earth gems except maybe as a big sack of hitpoints. | | **??Heavenly Rivers??** \\ // (Conjuration 3) // \\ {{path>W1S1}} and {{gems>9W}} | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Demon_of_heavenly_rivers.png?nolink}} \\ **??Demon of Heavenly Rivers#904??** x 3 | {{:abilities:sacred.png?20&nolink}} [[Sacred]] \\ {{:abilities:berserker.png?15&nolink}} [[Berserker]] (+4) \\ {{:abilities:magic_being.png?15&nolink}} [[Magic Being]] \\ {{:abilities:amphibious.png?15&nolink}} [[Amphibious]] \\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need Not Eat]] \\ {{:abilities:spirit_sight.png?15&nolink}} [[Spirit Sight]] | Demons of Heavenly Rivers are excellent units, coming early in the research tree in reasonable numbers per cast, and dealing a frightening amount of damage (32) with their Great Club attack. Their Skull Necklace armour grants them pretty good protection across both head and body (15), and their Berserker ability boosts both their durability and damage output even more. These are an excellent use of Water gems and can be further boosted with T'ien Ch'i's plentiful access to point-buff spells. | | **??Ambush of Tigers??** \\ // (Conjuration 3) // \\ {{path>N2}} and {{gems>9N}} | {{:nations:ea:kailasa:tiger.png?nolink}} \\ **??Tiger#1140??** x 15+ | {{:abilities:darkvision.png?15&nolink}} [[Darkvision]] (50%) \\ {{:abilities:undisciplined.png?15&nolink}} [[Undisciplined]] \\ {{:abilities:animal.png?15&nolink}} [[Animal]] \\ {{:abilities:forest_survival.png?15&nolink}} [[Forest Survival]] | Tigers are fairly fragile but have two decent attacks. | | **??Herd of Buffaloes??** \\ // (Conjuration 3) // \\ {{path>N2}} and {{gems>8N}} | {{:nations:ea:ur:buffalo.png?nolink}} \\ **??Buffalo#3009??** x 5 + [1/2 per lvl] | {{:abilities:berserker.png?15&nolink}} [[Berserker]] (+2) \\ {{:abilities:animal.png?15&nolink}} [[Animal]] \\ {{:abilities:trample.png?15&nolink}} [[Trample]] | Buffalos are significantly less expensive tramplers than the Elephants some other nations are able to summon, and solve the routing problem with their berserker ability. However, their low protection makes them vulnerable when trampling into enemy formations, and their smaller size means they don't do quite as much damage when trampling. | | **??Celestial Hounds??** \\ // (Conjuration 4) // \\ {{path>A1S1}} and {{gems>2A}} | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Celestial_hound.png?nolink}} \\ **??Celestial Hound#1338??** x 2 | {{:abilities:sacred.png?20&nolink}} [[Sacred]] \\ {{:abilities:resist_shock.png?15&nolink}} [[Resist Shock]] (15) \\ {{:abilities:patrol_bonus.png?15&nolink}} [[Patrol Bonus]] (+10) \\ {{:abilities:animal.png?15&nolink}} [[Animal]] \\ {{:abilities:magic_being.png?15&nolink}} [[Magic Being]] \\ {{:abilities:Flying.png?15&nolink}} [[Flying]] \\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need Not Eat]] \\ {{:abilities:spirit_sight.png?15&nolink}} [[Spirit Sight]] | Celestial Hounds are basically flying Tigers, with two decent attacks and low protection. They are potentially useful as an Attack rear squad to force the enemy to guard their back line. | | **??Heavenly Fires??** \\ // (Conjuration 5) // \\ {{path>F1S1}} and {{gems>4F}} | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Demon_of_heavenly_fires.png?nolink}} \\ **??Demon of Heavenly Fires#926??** x 3 | {{:abilities:sacred.png?20&nolink}} [[Sacred]] \\ {{:abilities:resist_fire.png?15&nolink}} [[Resist Fire]] (25) \\ {{:abilities:heat_aura.png?15&nolink}} [[Heat Aura]] (3) \\ {{:abilities:fire_power.png?15&nolink}} [[Fire Power]] (1) \\ {{:abilities:magic_being.png?15&nolink}} [[Magic Being]] \\ {{:abilities:Flying.png?15&nolink}} [[Flying]] \\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need Not Eat]] \\ {{:abilities:spirit_sight.png?15&nolink}} [[Spirit Sight]] | Demons of Heavenly Fires are much cheaper than Heavenly Rivers per unit, but come a good deal later in research. They are probably a bit less generally useful due to their 0 protection, but they come with an armour-piercing ranged attack that deals good damage. | | **??Contact Huli Jing??** \\ // (Conjuration 6) // \\ {{path>N2}} and {{gems>30N}} | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Huli_Jing.png?nolink}} \\ **??Huli Jing#1908??** | {{path>N1G3,50%AWESN,50%AWESN,25%AWESG}}{{path>R15}} \\ {{:abilities:stealthy.png?10&nolink}} [[Stealthy]] (+80) \\ {{:abilities:magic_power.png?15&nolink}} [[Magic Power]] (1) \\ {{:abilities:supply_bonus.png?15&nolink}} [[Supply Bonus]] (+10) \\ {{:abilities:animal.png?15&nolink}} [[Animal]] \\ {{:abilities:spy.png?15&nolink}} [[Spy]] \\ {{:abilities:forest_survival.png?15&nolink}} [[Forest Survival]] \\ [[Female]] \\ {{:abilities:shapechanger.png?15&nolink}} [[Shapechanger]] (??Huli Jing#1909??) | Being an extremely stealthy spy is the least notable feature here; instead, Huli Jings stand out for being T'ien Ch'i's strongest national Glamour mage, even capable of forging Glamour boosters if they random into Earth. If more Glamour access is needed, they can easily summon ??Faerie Queens?? (??Faerie Court??) later in the game. Their second form has excellent Map Move (22).\\ Keep in mind that they are still just about as fragile as humans and cost a hefty 30 gems. | | ::: | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Huli_Jing_2.png?nolink}} \\ //??Huli Jing#1909??// | - {{:abilities:spy.png?15&nolink}} [[Spy]] \\ + {{:abilities:mountain_survival.png?15&nolink}} [[Mountain Survival]] \\ {{:abilities:shapechanger.png?15&nolink}} [[Shapechanger]] (??Huli Jing#1908??) | ::: | | **??Call Celestial Soldiers??** \\ // (Conjuration 6) // \\ {{path>A2S1}} and {{gems>15A}} | {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Celestial_Soldier.png?nolink}} \\ **??Celestial Soldier#902??** x 6 | {{:abilities:sacred.png?20&nolink}} [[Sacred]] \\ {{:abilities:magic_being.png?15&nolink}} [[Magic Being]] \\ {{:abilities:need_not_eat.png?15&nolink}} [[Need Not Eat]] \\ {{:abilities:spirit_sight.png?15&nolink}} [[Spirit Sight]] | Celestial Soldiers are expensive but elite sacred troops. With excellent melee skills, a high-damage attack, and good protection, these units are capable of doing the killing in mid-to-late game slugfests.\\ \\ Their main issue is their low Map Move, which makes them hard to move to where you need them. Summon them near the battlefront or use ??Gateway?? if you need to move them long distances. | ==== Other Spells and Items ==== === Combat === * **??Celestial Chastisement??**: (Evocation 5) {{path>S3}} \\ A gem-less version of ??Control??, inficts some damage and then takes control of the target. Only works against [[Magic Being]]s. A lot of good units are Magic Beings. === Ritual === * **??Internal Alchemy??**: (Alteration 5) {{path>W2S1}} and {{gems>10W}} \\ Reduces the caster's age by 15 years but has a chance to give the caster [[Insane|insanity]]. Your troop lineup is unlikely to get old unless hit with [[Decay]], but it is occasionally useful if you luck into a strong indie with the given paths. === Items === * **??Sword of the Five Elements??**: {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Sword_of_the_Five_Elements.png?10&nolink}} (Construction 3) {{path>F1W1}} and {{gems>2F2W}} \\ Grants the user Reinvigoration and a lot of Attack and Defense. Useful on a Mage to protect himself and reduce [[Fatigue]]; because of the low price, you could mass-produce them to give to all of your Communion mages. Other weapons have better DPS effects. * **??Armor of the Five Elements??**: {{:nations:ea:tien_chi:Armor_of_the_Five_Elements.png?7&nolink}} (Construction 3) {{path>E1A1}} and {{gems>2E2A}} \\ Light but high-[[Protection|PROT]] armor that grants +4 HP plus minor resistance to Fire, Shock, Cold, and Magic. It's useful on thugs since the resistances it provides offer some survivability against a broad array of thug-killers (??Incinerate??, ??Lightning Bolt??, ??Frozen Heart??, ??Mind Burn??, etc.). === Discount Items === * **??Chi Shoes??**: {{:items:Chi_Shoes.png?nolink}} (Construction 3) {{path>A1}} and {{gems>4A}} \\ Provides the wearer with an additional attack per round. This is useful on high-strength units who can already get around quickly; unfortunately, your [[Flying]] Mages aren't that strong, while your strong commanders aren't that mobile (or can't wear shoes). ===== Magic Access ===== T'ien Ch'i Magic is characterized by a wide-but-shallow spread of paths. For lower levels of [[Research]], this is pretty neat, since you'll be able to use almost any spell that isn't {{:misc:magic:blood.png?15&nolink}}[[Blood Magic]]. Later on, however, other nations will be able to take advantage of their higher-level path access, and you'll have to do some "ladder-climbing" with Summons and/or Items to catch up. The following is how to climb, barring Predender design, [[Empowerment]], Charm stealing, or PvP trade deals. {{:misc:magic:water.png?15&nolink}}**Water** is your deepest path by far, thanks to your ??Celestial Master#941??s and the relative ease of Boosting the path. You'll have a ??Robe of the Sea?? by Construction 5 & a ??Water Bracelet?? by Construction 7, allowing you to boost roughly a fourth of your Masters to **{{path>W5}}**, which will allow you to cast almost any pure-Water Combat Spell or Ritual you could think of. Expanding underwater will allow you to summon a ??Queen of Elemental Water?? at Conjuration 8, if it's not too late in the game, who will be able to use your Boosters to reach **{{path>W7}}** and cast all of those pure-Water Rituals you weren't able to cast beforehand. {{:misc:magic:glamour.png?15&nolink}}**Glamour** Your other deepest path. Celestial Masters can random {{path>G2}}, but your nature randomed 5-element mages can cast ??Contact Huli Jing?? at Conjuration 6. Every ??Huli Jing?? has {{path>N1G3}} with a 5 in 100 chance of {{path>G4}}. About 25% with Random an Earth, Getting boost boosters of ??Gossamer Veil?? (const 5) and ??Mirage Crystal?? (const 7), ending with a foxgirl with {{path>G5}}. {{:misc:magic:fire.png?15&nolink}}**Fire** is your second-easiest path to climb, unfortunately (that's not to demean Fire, but to demean how tough it is to climb other paths as this nation). A quarter of Celestial Masters will have {{path>F1D1}}, allowing you to Forge a ??Skull of Fire?? at Construction 7, which an {{path>F2}} Mage in your nation can use to get to {{path>F3}}. Though {{path>F3}} already gets you ??Fire Elemental??s and other cool stuff, the ladder doesn't end there; you can then cast ??Summon Flame Spirit?? at Conjuration 6 and equip your fresh ??Flame Spirit?? with the Skull, who will then be able to Forge a ??Flame Helmet?? and boost itself to **{{path>F5}}**. From there, you can summon a ??King of Elemental Fire?? and boost them to **{{path>F7}}**. {{:misc:magic:nature.png?15&nolink}}**Nature** is next. Each ??Master of the Five Elements?? has a 20% chance to have {{path>N2}}, allowing them to Forge a ??Thistle Mace?? at Construction 5 & ??Contact Huli Jing?? at Conjuration 6. Every ??Huli Jing?? has {{path>N1G3}}, Letting them summon ??Faery Queen??s at Conjuration 8 with a booster, and around (1-in-4?) (real percent?) of them have at least{{path>N2S1}}, allowing them to Forge a ??Moonvine Bracelet?? at Construction 6. With that, you have {{path>N5}}, allowing you to switch out the Thistle Mace for a ??Treelord's Staff?? and reach **{{path>N6}}** on a Faery Queen or ??Ivy King??. Alternatively, if you're focused entirely on Celestial Masters, 1-in-4 of them will have {{path>W2N1}} and will be able to ??Contact Naiad??s at Conjuration 5 with a booster or even no booster if you get lucky, allowing you to skip the green-shirted Masters. Though you cap out a little lower (on average) than with Water & Fire, at least you won't need to rush for Kings or Queens(?). {{:misc:magic:death.png?15&nolink}}**Death** is actually easier to ascend than the next three paths, despite the lowly stature of your Death Mages. The same Celestial Masters that have {{path>F1D1}} will also have {{path>W2D1}}, which can be Boosted to {{path>W4D1}} if you got a {{path>W3}} by the time you reached Construction 6. The Celestial Master of Death can then cast ??Streams from Hades?? at Conjuration 6 to secure a ??Kokythiad??, who will have {{path>D3}} and full equipment slots. You can then try to abuse the ??Twiceborn?? Ritual at Enchantment 4 to get a {{path>D4}} ??Wight Mage??, who will be able to craft the ??Skullface?? with a ??Skull Staff?? that she probably already crafted while she was alive, allowing you to graciously top out at **{{path>D6}}** with a little luck. If you're not willing to burn Water Gems to roll the dice (Twiceborn path-boosting has about a 20% chance of happening), however, you'll still have **{{path>D4}}** through the Kokythiad & her ??Skull Staff??. {{:misc:magic:earth.png?15&nolink}}**Earth** doesn't beget many avenues for climbing, but it's straightforward to climb. Each green-shirted or sword Master might have {{path>E2}} (20% chance) they can forge ??Earth Boots??, they can summon a ??Troll King's Court?? to get a natural {{path>E3}} Mage, the ??Troll King?? can wear Boots, and //presto//, **{{path>E4}}**. {{:misc:magic:astral.png?15&nolink}}**Astral** is unfortunately convoluted to climb, in spite of the Celestial insights. At least a fourth of your Celestial Masters will have {{path>S2}}, allowing them to Forge a ??Starshine Skullcap?? and reach {{path>S3}}. About 1/90 of them will have {{path>S3}} to start out with, but they're 4-point capital-only Mages, not exactly "spammable" for that random path. To climb higher, you'll need help from other paths: the ??Huli Jing?? has a small-but-not-insignificant chance of having {{path>E1S1}} and will be able to craft the ??Crystal Coin?? with the appropriate already-mentioned Boosters (a smaller portion might have {{path>E2S1}} or {{path>E1S2}}, boosting your {{path>S3}} Celestial Masters to **{{path>S4}}**. Roughly 1-in-12 of your Celestial Masters will have {{path>S2D1}}, and can be boosted to {{path>S4D1}} to open an ??Ether Gate?? for **{{gems>90S}}**, summoning an ??Ether Lord?? that always has {{path>S3D2}} and has a 1-in-4 chance of having {{path>S4}} to start out with, allowing you to reach either **{{path>S5}}** or **{{path>S6}}** depending on how lucky and/or loaded you are. If you get the {{path>S6}} and still have Astral Pearls to spare, you can craft the ??Ring of Sorcery?? to boost to **{{path>S7}}** (and/or to get **{{path>N7}}**/**{{path>N8}}** if you're lucky/**{{path>D7}}**) if you were also pushing the ladder on those), and then you can get the ??Ring of Wizardry?? with your remaining Astral savings to boost yourself in the Elements (**{{path>W8}}**, **{{path>F8}}**, & **{{path>E6}}**, if you have/can-still-get Royals) and Death (**{{path>D8}}**). That leaves {{:misc:magic:air.png?15&nolink}}**Air**; despite being a favorite secondary for your Mages, They can't get the Boosters they need. Realistically you are caped at more than 1 in 4 Celestial Masters being **{{path>A2}}** outside of battles, and 4 in 1000 being a **{{path>A3}}**. Late game With the ??Ring of Wizardry?? and a ??Staff of Elemental Mastery??, you get {{path>A4}} on a 1 in 4 Celestial Master, which lets you forge the ??Winged Helmet?? and then the ??Horn of Storms?? for **{{path>A5}}**, which can all be held by a ??Queen of Elemental Air?? (if you were fast enough to edge out the Air Nations in summoning one) for **{{path>A9}}**. If you can't wait & pay for Ether Lords, a Pretender with paths to forge Staff of ??Elemental Mastery?? and or Rings is a boon to your wide path cap mages. Also Celestial Masters or ??Huli Jing?? with boosters can cast ??Lore of Legends?? Boosting all thier paths at the cost of {{gems>20G}} for 1 turn, so use the most of that short time frame. =====See More===== //Add links to guides or other overviews for this nation here.// [[https://youtu.be/AW1USOQ3dMQ?si=rZ24ZVj5tJNxgqvh|How Zan Reviews a Nation, featuring EA TienChi Dom5]] by Zan [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hxMyciudaA|Dominions 6 EA T'ien Ch'i SIMPLIFIED]] by AO Reaper {{template>dom6:nationindex}} {{tag>nation ea-nation}}