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LA T'ien Ch'i, Barbarian Kings
Lore
The Celestial Empire is crumbling. Constant invasions from the barbaric khans have all but destroyed the Imperial Bureaucracy. The Imperial family has been replaced by Barbarian Kings. The Imperial Guard is no more and the cavalry of old has been replaced by skilled barbarian horsemen. Ancestral worship is popular once more and priest-mages of barbarian heritage who lead the Ancestor Cult are replacing the priests of the Bureaucracy. With the displacement of the eunuchs from power, conscription has fallen out of use.
"T'ien Ch'i is obviously influenced by China…. 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 2 (Rare 3)  2  2  2 (Rare 3) 2  2  1 (Rare 2) 1 | Heroes 12  11232 222 | Cavalry Heavy Infantry Archers |  Mobile Archer  Immortal Heroes |  Standard Fortresses |
Capitol Gems: 1
1
1
1
National Units
Commanders
| Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Mounted Scout  35 10  1 |  Stealthy (50)  Skilled Rider (2) Mobile Archer | Commentary here. |
 | Steppe Horse |  Animal | Commentary here. |
 | General 110 38 1 | Skilled Rider (2) Mobile Archer | Commentary here. |
 | Armored Steppe Horse | Animal | Commentary here. |
 | Khan 190 44 2 Recruit Anywhere |  Pillager (5) Skilled Rider (4) Mobile Archer | Commentary here. |
 | Cataphracted Steppe Horse |  Animal | Commentary here. |
 | Ceremonial Master 65 3 1 | 1  Sacred | Commentary here. |
 | Master of the Way 190 1 2 | 11 1100%      9 Sacred  Need Not Eat | Commentary here. |
 | Ancestor Smith 310 16 2 | 2111100% 13 Sacred  Forge Bonus (1)  Old Age (67/50) | Commentary here. |
 | Spirit Master 310 11 2 | 1211100% 13 Sacred  Supply Bonus (20) Old Age (127/100)  Spirit Sight | Commentary here. |
 | Ancestor Guide 310 11 2 | 1211100%13 Sacred Supply Bonus (20) Old Age (67/50) Spirit Sight | Commentary here. |
 | Celestial Master 310 5 4  Capital Only | 12111100% 10% 15 Sacred Need Not Eat | Commentary here. |
Troops
| Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Footman 10 9 9 | Commentary here. | |
 | Footman 10 11 9 | Commentary here. | |
 | Footman 10 11 9 | Commentary here. | |
 | Archer 10 12 9 | Commentary here. | |
 | Heavy Footman 10 20 9 | Commentary here. | |
 | Heavy Footman 10 20 9 | Commentary here. | |
 | Medium Footman 10 14 9 | Commentary here. | |
 | Medium Footman 10 14 9 | Commentary here. | |
 | Barbarian Horseman 25 18 24 Recruit Anywhere | Pillager (2) Skilled Rider (2) Mobile-archer | Commentary here. |
 | Steppe Horse | Animal | Commentary here. |
 | Barbarian Heavy Horseman 25 38 24 Recruit Anywhere | Pillager (2) Skilled Rider (2) Mobile-archer | Commentary here. |
| | Armored Steppe Horse | Animal | Commentary here. |
 | Ancestral Vessel 50 49 46 Capital Only | Sacred Pillager (2) Skilled Rider (3) Mobile-archer Spirit Sight | Commentary here. |
 | Cataphracted Steppe Horse | Sacred Animal | Commentary here. |
Heroes
| Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Ho Hsien-Ku - Immortal | 1211 Sacred Immortal Supply Bonus (20) Healer (1) Ethereal FlyingFemale | Commentary here. |
 | Lu Tung-Pin - Immortal | 1123219 Sacred Immortal Ambidextrous (3) Flying | Commentary here. |
 | Li T'ieh-Kuai - Master With The Iron Crutch | 22217 Sacred Immortal Fear (7) Old-Age (865\500) Plague Carrier (5) Start Affliction (100) Spirit Sight | Commentary here. |
National Spells and Item
Summons
Combat
| Summon Spell | Unit | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call Ancestor (Conjuration 1) 1 |  Ancestral Spirit | Sacred  Cold Resistance (15)  Poison Resistance (25) Stealthy (+40)  Salt Vulnerability (1)  Poor Amphibian  Undead Ethereal Need Not Eat  Floating Spirit Sight  Spiritform | The Ancestral Spirit is distinguished from the Longdead and the Soulless by being Ethereal and Sacred, not to mention its 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. |
| Wrath of the Ancestors (Conjuration 7) 1 and 1 | Ancestral Spirit x 20++ |
Ritual
| Summon Spell | Unit | Special Attributes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celestial Servant (Conjuration 1) 11 and 1 |  Celestial Servant | Sacred  Gluttony (3)  Magic Being Need Not Eat Spirit Sight | Commentary here. |
| Herd of Buffaloes (Conjuration 3) 2 and 8 |  Buffalo x 5 + [1/2 per lvl] |  Berserker (+2) Animal  Trample | Commentary here. |
| Celestial Hounds (Conjuration 4) 11 and 2 |  Celestial Hound x 2 | Sacred  Resist Shock (15)  Patrol Bonus (+10) Animal Magic Being Flying Need Not Eat Spirit Sight | Commentary here. |
| Call Celestial Soldiers (Conjuration 6) 21 and 15 |  Celestial Soldier x 6 | Sacred Magic Being Need Not Eat Spirit Sight | Commentary here. |
Other Spells and Items
Combat
- Celestial Chastisement (Evocation 5)
3
A gem-less version of Control, inficts some damage and then takes control of the target. Only works against Magic Beings. A lot of good units are Magic Beings.
Ritual
- Internal Alchemy (Alteration 5)
21 and 10
Reduces the caster's age by 15 years but has a chance to give the caster insanity.
Items
- Sword of the Five Elements
(Construction 3)
11 and 2
2
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
(Construction 3)
11 and 22
Light but high-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.).
Magic Access
See Magic Access. These guides supplement the summaries at the top.
Multi-Path Boosters
No easy access to any of the major boosters.
Fire
No recruitable access. The hero, Lu Tung-Pin - Immortal has 1.
Air
Highest Starting: 2 Ancestor Guide (1 in 4) or Celestial Master (1 in 5)
Tome of High Power Unique
21 Celestial Master (1 in 5) + 
22 The hero, Li T'ieh-Kuai - Master With The Iron Crutch
Water
Highest Starting: 2 Celestial Master or Master of the Way (1 in 5)
Trident from Beyond Unique
22 Celestial Master (1 in 5) + 
Contact Naiad
21 Celestial Master (1 in 5) +
Naiad has 3
Earth
Highest Starting: 2 Ancestor Smith
The Tome of Gaia Unique
21 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4) + 
or
12 Spirit Master (1 in 4) + 
Astral
Highest Starting: 2 Celestial Master (1 in 5)
Coin of Meteoritic Iron
21 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4) +
Tome of High Power Unique
21 Celestial Master (1 in 5) +
Golem Construction
21 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4) +
Golem has 2
Ether Gate
11 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4), Spirit Master (1 in 4), or Ancestor Guide (1 in 4) +
Ether Lord has 3 in 4 chance of 3 or 1 in 4 of 4
Death
Highest Starting: 2 Ancestor Guide, Ancestor Smith (1 in 4), or Spirit Master (1 in 4)
Nature
Highest Starting: 2 Spirit Master
Contact Naiad
21 Celestial Master (1 in 5) +
Naiad has 3
The Tome of Gaia Unique
21 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4) + or
12 Spirit Master (1 in 4) +
Moonvine Bracelet
12 Spirit Master (1 in 4) +
Glamour
Highest Starting: 1 Celestial Master (1 in 5) or Master of the Way (1 in 5)
Blood
No national access.
Ether Gate
11 Ancestor Smith (1 in 4), Spirit Master (1 in 4), or Ancestor Guide (1 in 4) +
Ether Lord has 1 in 4 of 
1
Contact Lamia Queen
22 Spirit Master (1 in 4) +
Lamia Queen has a 7 in 16 chance of at least 1
Awaken Treelord Limited Amount
2 Spirit Master +
Treelord has a 1 in 3 chance of 1
See More
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