Table of Contents
EA Lanka, Land of Demons
Lore
On the dark and densely forested island of Lanka, Rakshasas, demon ogres from an earlier era, still linger. Gifted with tremendous strength, they once fought the Devatas of Kailasa, but since then the most powerful of the Rakshasas have left this world for the Nether Realms. The remaining Rakshasas have captured and enslaved the monkey people of Kailasa and made them serve as warriors, hunters or food. The Rakshasas had no use for the peaceful White Ones and Kala-Mukhas, Rakshasa halfbreeds, lead the monkey people of Lanka. Since the enslavement of the apes, the ancient conflict between the Devatas of Kailasa and the Rakshasas of Lanka has been renewed. Rakshasas have an affinity for blood magic and in times of strife they are drawn to the blood of innocents.
"The latest addition to the monkey business was Lanka, the mythical kingdom of Ravana. The nation is in many ways similar to Kailasa, but rakshasas of various forms replace the yakshas and yavanas, and blood magic and cannibalism is prevalent. I confess to having a weakness for great ape sorcerers and necromancers in semi-civilized apparel, preferably raging and howling with gory mouths. Hindu myth is rich and you could probably make a Dominions game based entirely on Hindu nations, beings and gods." -Illwinter
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 3 (Rare 4) 3 (Rare 4) 2 (Uncommon 3, Rare 4) 2 (Uncommon 3, Rare 4)  2 (Uncommon 3, Rare 4)  2 | Summons 2333 3233 3323 (req. 52) 3132 (req. 41) | Primate archers of various sizes Primate light infantry of various sizes Strong Rakshasa infantry |  Animal  Demon  Forest Survival  Reanimator Priest  Gluttony  Chaos Power  Darkvision |  Standard Forts |
Capitol Sites
Sri Pada
Enables recruitment of
Rakshasi
Raksharaja
Produces 1
3
per turn
Lanka
Enables recruitment of
Asara
Anusara
Palankasha
Produces 2
per turn
National Special Features
Turmoil Limit + 1
Heat Limit + 1
Prefers Heat Scale + 2
Reanimation: National priests can reanimate the dead.
Better Blood Hunts: Blood hunts give more blood slaves in turmoil and less in order.
National Units
Commanders
| Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Markata Scout  25 1  1 |  Stealthy (60)  Mountain Survival Forest Survival Animal | A cheaper, stealthier Scout. Excellent value, but costs fort turns to recuit. |
 | Atavi Chieftain 60 8 1  Forest Recruit | Stealthy (40) Animal Forest Survival | Capable of leading stealthy raiding parties with its modest 50 leadership, and recruitable outside of forts. |
 | Bandar Commander 105 18 1 | Animal Forest Survival | 100 leadership commander, capable of putting squads into formations with +1 morale. Cannot lead Lanka's sacred demons. |
 | Bandaraja 160 19 2 | Animal Forest Survival | 150 leadership commander, capable of putting squads into formations with +2 morale. Costs 2 CP to recruit. Also cannot lead Lanka's sacred demons. |
 | Raktapata 110 3 2 | 11 7  Sacred Animal Forest Survival Reanimator Priest | Raktapatas are cheap mage-priests whose low paths result in limited combat ability outside of sabbaths. Their strengths are their ability to reanimate undead for patrol and siege chaff, research somewhat efficiently depending on the magic scales, and blood hunt. Unfortunately, in Dominions 6 3 is required to maximise blood hunting success; Raktapatas with just a Sanguine Dowsing Rod have at most a 70% chance of finding blood slaves, though they will do fine until Blood Thorns are researched for the next cheapest blood searcher boost. |
 | Yogini 210 5 2 | 12113  Supply Bonus (20) Animal Forest SurvivalFemale | Yoginis are Lanka's fastest way to turn gold into research points, especially in drain scales. Their 2 path also provides a good deal of combat strength through spells like Group Barkskin, Web, and Swarm. Yoginis become reanimator priests if they gain holy paths somehow, such as through being made a prophet. |
 | Kala-Mukha 240 5 2 | 129 1100%   Sacred Darkvision (50%) Gluttony (1) Animal Forest Survival Reanimator Priest | Kala-Mukhas are very expensive for the paths they provide, but are a faster way of improving reanimation capacity. They also make it easier to access Divine Blessing in Sabbaths compared to Raktapatas, due to their higher base holy path. |
 | Rakshasi 425 2 4  Capital Only | 11111172100% 100% 10% Sacred  Fire Vulnerability (5) Stealthy (40) Chaos Power (1) Supply Bonus (10) Gluttony (8)  Need Not Eat Demon Forest Survival Reanimator Priest Female  Shape Changer (Manushya Rakshasi) | Rakshasis are significant mainly for their ability to seduce in Manushya form and for the diversity of their paths. Rakshasis can potentially provide access to 3, 3 and 3, though some luck is required to get these, especially since they take two turns to recruit in the capital. |
 | Manushya Rakshasi | Identical abilities to Rakshasi form except: Seduction (Morale vs. 9) Shape Changer (Rakshasi) |
|
 | Raksharaja 550 19 2 Capital Only | 2122171100% 10% Fire Vulnerability (5) Chaos Power (1) Gluttony (7) Need Not Eat Demon Forest Survival Reanimator Priest | Raksharajas are strong mages with good combat stats and paths that lend themselves well to thugging and direct damage via air evocations. Prior to blood search boosters, they are Lanka's most reliable blood hunters and will form the basis of its blood economy at the start of the game. They are excellent leaders for Lanka's sacred demons. While they are expensive, they are only take one turn to recruit in the capital, which is helpful because they have a lot of roles to fulfil. |
Troops
| Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Markata 5 1 3 Forest Recruit |  Undisciplined Animal Forest Survival | Fragile, undisciplined infantry with low morale, the Markata's primary redeeming features are that it is cheap, has relatively high defence skill (14) and fits 5 to a square. This means that squads of Markatas are somewhat functional as meat shields, though their morale means they will not last long if they start dying. Markatas have a very weak, low-range sticks and stones attack which they will pelt enemies with upon initiating combat. |
 | Markata Archer 5 2 3 Forest Recruit | Undisciplined Animal Forest Survival | Markata Archers are basically identical to Markatas, but with less defence skill, no mace, and a weak ranged attack (8 damage compared to the human standard of 11) instead of sticks and stones. |
 | Atavi Archer 7 3 3 Forest Recruit | Stealthy (40) Animal Forest Survival | Cheaper, stealthy, and naked versions of human infantry and archers, Atavi can function as stealthy raiders but have trouble standing up to any serious province defence due to their total lack of armor, mediocre stats, and low morale. Still, their stealth provides utility that Bandar Log's roster otherwise lacks, and they can be recruited outside of forts. |
 | Atavi Infantry 7 3 3 Forest Recruit | Stealthy (40) Animal Forest Survival |
|
 | Light Bandar Archer 16 6 8 | Animal Forest Survival | Light Bandar Archers use the long bow, which combined with their strength results in a fairly high damage (16) ranged attack compared to the human archer standard of 11. These units are very cheap and present a deadly ranged option when massed, though being naked means they will take significant damage from any return fire. |
 | Bandar Warrior 16 11 8 | Animal Forest Survival | Bandar Warriors have a high damage mace attack and moderate body protection, but no helmet. When engaging the enemy, they have the option of attacking from a distance with a 12-damage sticks and stones. |
 | Asara 35 3 21 Capital Only | Sacred Darkvision (100%) Chaos Power (1) Gluttony (1) Demon Forest Survival Eyes (1) | Asaras are naked sacred infantry who have a high damage spear and javelin attack. Despite their high hitpoints, their lack of protection makes them quite fragile. |
 | Anusara 35 3 21 Capital Only | Sacred Darkvision (100%) Chaos Power (1) Demon Forest Survival | Similar to Asaras, Anusaras wear no armor and have very low protection, but benefit from very high strength. They at least have a buckler and move very quickly, resulting in them taking a little less ranged fire before engaging in melee, but they are still very fragile. |
 | Kala-Mukha Warrior 50 18 32 | Sacred Darkvision (50%) Gluttony (1) Animal Forest Survival | Kala-Mukha Warriors are recruit-anywhere sacred infantry with fairly reasonable combat stats, moderate protection, and a high-damage falchion attack. Unlike most of Lanka's sacreds, they wear helmets, are not demons and have neither fire vulnerability nor chaos power, making them resilient in circumstances the demons would be weak to. However, their high recruitment point cost does not synergise well with the rest of Lanka's roster and national traits, which greatly incentivise taking turmoil scales. Their low map move also prevents them from moving more than one province a turn in most situations. |
 | Palankasha 55 15 31 Capital Only | Sacred Darkvision (100%) Chaos Power (1) Gluttony (2) Demon Forest Survival | Palankashas are a bit more expensive than Kala-Mukha Warriors and have very similar stats. However, they are more mobile, have more hitpoints, do a bit more damage and, most importantly, their chaos power ability gives them a lot of stats in turmoil scales, resulting in a lot more maximum power in ideal circumstances. Palankashas are the sacred best suited for fighting a defensive war, or taking advantage of opponents who have also taken turmoil scales. Note that Palankashas do not wear helmets, making them a bit more vulnerable to ranged attacks than you might expect. |
Hero
| Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Bapu - Apostate Raja | 2 Sacred  Cold Resistance (15)  Poison Resistance (25)  Fear (5)  Pillager (25)  Poor Amphibian  Inanimate Need Not Eat  Does Not Heal Naturally  Spirit Sight Reanimator Priest | Bapu has fear, a very high-damage, armor-piercing axe, and the ability to reanimate undead, but aside from that he is not particularly special. |
National Spells and Items
Rituals
For the purposes of readability, Lanka's ritual summons are organised by theme.
Animals
| Summon Spell | Unit | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herd of Elephants (Conjuration 3) 2 and 20 |  Elephant × 5 + [1/2 per lvl] | Animal  Trample | Elephants are tramplers with moderate protection, high hitpoints, but very low morale. They are prone to dying or routing without buffs or if used in insufficient mass. They are also pretty expensive at 4 each. |
| Ambush of Tigers (Conjuration 3) 2 and 9 |  Tiger × 15+ | Darkvision (50%) Undisciplined Animal Forest Survival | Tigers are fairly fragile but have two decent attacks. |
| Herd of Buffaloes (Conjuration 3) 2 and 8 |  Buffalo × 5 + [1/2 per lvl] |  Berserker (+2) Animal Trample | Buffalos are significantly less expensive tramplers than Elephants, 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. |
Undead
| Summon Spell | Unit | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host of Ganas (Conjuration 2) 1 and 9 |  Gana × 20 + 2/level | Cold Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (25) Poor Amphibian  Undead  Ethereal Need Not Eat Spirit Sight | Ganas are not particularly deadly on their own, but can tank slightly better than mundane units due to being ethereal and can be summoned in large numbers relatively cheaply. |
| Summon Vetalas (Conjuration 5) 2 and 10 |  Possessed Corpse × 15 | Cold Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (25) Poor Amphibian Undead Inanimate Need Not Eat Never Heals Spirit Sight Wounded Shape (Vetala) | Possessed Corpses are actually fairly reasonable in terms of combat stats, being essentially Bandar Warriors with a bit more attack skill. If they die, they revert to a second Vetala form that can cause the feebleminded affliction with one of its attacks. If this second form manages to survive to the end of the battle, it returns to its Possessed Corpse form. |
Demons
| Summon Spell | Unit | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summon Rakshasas (Blood 1) 1 and 8 |  Rakshasa × 3 |  Sacred Fire Vulnerability (5) Chaos Power (1) Gluttony (4) Need Not Eat Demon Forest Survival | Rakshasas are sort of the baseline Lanka demon summon, with many of the traits common to these units. They are sacred, have high hitpoints, strength, morale, and attack skill, and their magic resistance is reasonable at 13. Due to being demons, they have 100% darkvision. However, their demon tag and fire vulnerability makes them vulnerable to certain types of magic, and while they do not need to eat, their gluttony can easily starve out your units that do eat food if Rakshasas make up a significant part of your army. The basic Rakshasa unit suffers from being totally naked, and its claw attacks do not make the best use of its high strength. They are very cheap, though. |
| Feast of Flesh (Blood 2) 11 and 50 |  Praghasa × 18 | Sacred Fire Vulnerability (5) Chaos Power (1) Gluttony (7) Demon Forest Survival | Praghasas are similar to Rakshasas but are a bit stronger, have more hitpoints, and wield a mace instead of two claw attacks. They come in huge numbers per cast. |
| Summon Asrapas (Blood 3) 2 and 8 |  Asrapa × 3 | Sacred Chaos Power (1) Berserker (+3) Demon Female | Like basic Rakshasas and Praghasas, Asrapas are still totally naked, but have even less natural protection. Their lower strength means they deal less damage, but they do go berserk and have a life-drain attack. They are also not vulnerable to fire damage. If turned into a commander, Asrapas gain 11. |
| Summon Rakshasa Warriors (Blood 4) 2 and 21 |  Rakshasa Warrior × 5 | Sacred Fire Vulnerability (5) Chaos Power (1) Gluttony (4) Need Not Eat Demon Forest Survival | Rakshasa Warriors put the excellent base stats of Rakshasas to better use with basic armor and an immensely hard-hitting iron cudgel attack (33 damage!). They are fairly efficient to summon, coming 5 per cast at only 4.2 blood slaves each. |
| Summon Sandhyabalas (Blood 5) 12 and 25 |  Sandhyabala × 3 | Sacred Fire Vulnerability (10)  Stealthy (+40)  Dark Power (1) Chaos Power (1) Gluttony (4) Need Not Eat Demon Forest Survival | Sandhyabalasa are the luxury end of Lanka's size 4 demons, costing almost twice as much per unit (8.3 blood slaves) as regular Rakshasa Warriors. For the cost, they gain stealth, dark power, even better melee skills and a high-damage moon blade attack that does extra damage to magic beings. They could serve as a specialised task force for stealthy raiding or killing magic beings. Note that they are extra vulnerable to fire compared to regular Rakshasas. |
| Summon Dakini (Blood 6) 14 and 81 |  Dakini | 313219 Sacred  Shock Resistance (5) Chaos Power (1) Fear (+6)  Damage Reversal (12 vs. MR)  Flying Demon Spirit Sight Female | Dakinis are powerful mages with a host of neat abilities: fear and damage reversal make them hard to kill, and they are highly mobile due to being able to fly. High air magic opens up a lot of versatility, from coveted buff spells like Fog Warriors to direct damage with lightning evocations. They can even do their own blood hunting to fuel subsequent Dakini summons! |
| Summon Samanishada (Blood 7) 13 and 35 |  Samanishada | Sacred Fire Vulnerability (10)  Stealthy (+60) Dark Power (2) Chaos Power (1)  Ambidextrous (2) Gluttony (4)  Assassin Need Not Eat Demon Forest Survival | A commander version of the Sandhyabala, the Samanishada trades the buckler for an AN duskdagger attack, and has the ability to assassinate enemy commanders. |
| Summon Mandeha (Blood 8) 25 and 133 |  One of three unique Mandehas | Common Attributes: Sacred Fire Vulnerability (10) Dark Power (3) Chaos Power (2)  Cause Unrest (+5 per Month)  Sleep Aura (15) Gluttony (10) Flying Need Not Eat Demon Forest Survival Spirit Sight Reanimator Priest Casts each battle (Battle Darkness) | Mandehas are powerful super-mages. Their fear and sleep aura are excellent defenses against counter-thugs, and they auto-cast Darkness in battle to boost their own stats (dark power) and debuff non-darkvision units (all demons have darkvision). This is not to mention their skill in air, death and holy magic, giving them access to great battle magic and battlefield-wide Divine Blessing. In summary, Mandehas are the capstone of a Lankan summon army, strong mages in their own right who come packaged with excellent utility abilities. They do come late in the research tree, though! |
| Mandeha or | 332321 Shock Resistance (5) Fear (+8) |
||
| Mandeha or | 323321 Shock Resistance (5) Fear (+7) |
||
| Mandeha | 233321 Fear (+8) |
||
| Summon Danavas (Blood 8) 5 and 70 |  Danava × 3 | Sacred Fire Vulnerability (5) Chaos Power (2) Fear (+5) Ambidextrous (8) Need Not Eat Demon Spirit Sight | Danavas are ultra-elite units that deal a lot of damage, have a lot of hitpoints, paralyze sacreds, and even come with a fear aura. However, their protection is pretty low and they are very expensive at 23.3 blood slaves each. Danavas could perhaps be used to add fear auras into an army's front line, but unless blood slave economy is absolutely no concern, they are probably too expensive to be anything other than special forces. They also come very late in the research tree. If turned into a commander, Danavas gain 2250%50% 50% 50% 9. |
| Summon Daitya (Blood 8) 5 and 45 |  Daitya × 3 | Sacred Fire Vulnerability (5) Chaos Power (2) Need Not Eat Demon Spirit Sight | Daityas are cheaper but much less threatening than Danavas. Unlike their larger cousins, they have only one melee attack, and they have no fear aura. They do have a plague bow ranged attack that diseases anything it damages, however. If turned into a commander, Daityas gain 2350%50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 11. |
Item
- Headdress of the Bull
(Construction 5)
1 for 5
A free buffalo is useful on both ends of an assassination battle, and provides a bit of chaff otherwise.
Magic Access
See Magic Access. These guides supplement the summaries at the top.
General Access
Elements:
- No
Fire magic - 3 on one-in-three Raksharajas (capital-only)
- No
Water magic - No
Earth magic
Sorceries:
- No
Astral magic - 3 on one-in-fourteen Rakshasis (capital-only, 2 is much more common), 1 on Yoginis off-capital
- 3 on one-in-fourteen Rakshasis (capital-only), 2 on Yoginis off-capital
- 3 on one-in-fourteen Rakshasis (capital-only, 2 is much more common)
Rites:
- 3 on one-in-three Raksharajas (capital-only), 2 on one-in-three Kala-Mukhas off-capital
- 2 on Kala-Mukhas
Notably, Lanka lacks access to magic paths that provide 
Fire Resistance (and Cold Resistance).
Boost Access
Fire
No native access. 5 can Bind Heliophagus for 1 in 4 of 
4.
8 can Bind Demon Lord for 2 in 6 of at least 4.
Air
3 Raksharaja (~1 in 3), will need to be empowered into 4.
Water
No native access. 3 can Summon Spectre for 7 in 16 chance of 
1.
25 can Contact Lamia Queen for 7 in 16 chance of at least 1.
14 can Faerie Court Not in Cold for 1 in 3 1. Faerie Court in Cold gets 3.
Earth
No native access. 14 can cast Faerie Court Not in Cold for 1 in 3 
1 or in Cold for 1 in 2 1.
3 can Forest Troll Tribe for 1 in 4 of a 1.
5 can Awaken Treelord for 1 in 3 of a stationary 1.
8 can Bind Demon Lord for 1 in 6 of at least 4. The other Demon Lords also provide useful paths.
Astral
No native access. 3 can Summon Spectre for 7 in 16 of at least 
1.
8 can Bind Demon Lord for 1 in 6 of at least 4. The other Demon Lords also provide useful paths.
Death
3 Rakshasi (1 in 16) is hard to get with so expensive a mage, so 2 Rakshasi (7 in 16) or 2 Raksharaja (1 in 3) might be the best available. Only the 
Blood path is potentially helpful.
EA Lanka can potentially create Abominable Arms, which are helpful for holding multiple 
Death boosters.
Nature
3 or 22 Rakshasi (1 in 16 for either) is hard to get with so expensive a mage. Otherwise, the Yogini is just as useful as a Rakshasi. With Blood boosters to get it to 3, the mage can create Armor of Twisting Thorns.
EA Lanka can potentially create Abominable Arms, which are helpful for holding multiple 
Nature boosters.
Glamour
3 Rakshasi (1 in 16) is hard to get with so expensive a mage, so 2 Rakshasi (7 in 16) might be the best available. The crosspaths are not helpful. Multiple empowerments will be necessary.
Blood
3 Raksharaja (1 in 3) needs one more Death path to make the unique The Black Book of Secrets. Without it, a level of empowerment is necessary.
Strategy
How to win as the nation. Feel free to use the following sections, or delete them, or change them.
Expansion
Different expansion options.
Early Game
Early game options.
Mid Game
Mid game options.
Late Game
Late game options.
Example Pretender Builds
Format for putting a pretender build in.
Chassis: Awake Titan of Crossroads
Paths: 457
Bless: MW/Arcane Finesse, Invuln 10, Regen.
Scales: 
6
2
0
3
1
2
3
Format for putting a pretender build in.
Chassis: Awake Titan of Crossroads
Paths: 457
Bless: MW/Arcane Finesse, Invuln 10, Regen.
Scales: 6203123
Weaknesses
What are the nation's weaknesses?
See More
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