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NOTE: This is a proposal for an alternative nation page style/template. It is currently incomplete and in progress.
Style Guide:
The goal of a nation page is to provide factual information about the nation that the game/ mod inspector does not provide in an accessible format. Descriptions should mostly be brief and factual, with more elaborate use-cases only for standout units or spells. Avoid opinions except where the opinion is well-accepted and relatively uncontroversial.* Nation pages are not guides! More in-depth strategy advice is not what these pages are for and such advice belongs on dedicated strategy guides. Give readers a sense of the tools available to a nation instead of a prescriptive manual on how they should play it.
Don't try to explain everything in exhaustive detail; focus on what makes a nation special and highlight those units and spells a prospective player should be paying attention to/building around as they familiarize themselves with a nation.
Examples from various nations are included, but shortened in some cases for brevity.
*insofar as anything can be uncontroversial in the Dominions community.
[Nation Flag goes here]
In-game nation description. – Nation Description
The in-game nation description is acceptable here, but a custom-written version of the lore that incorporates insights from commander/hero descriptions and the Dominions 5 manual also works. A link to related nations in earlier or later ages fits here too.
Berytos is the melting pot of the Early Ages. It is the surviving remnants of the empire built by the Telkhines, now a kingdom of ghosts under the sea. Ruled over by an avaricious Melqart king and his wily Telkhine consort, the once-crippled colony of Berytos has birthed its own phoenix empire. Hinnom-style blood worship is in fashion, the sacrifices dedicated to the King of the City, but the cult itself is presided over by a priesthood of Machakan exiles who look to turn the cult to their own ends. It is the Dominions equivalent of Carthage and the Phoenician city-states with a spicy dash of Caananite Ba'al worship, tied into the history of Therodos and its former Telkine overlords as well as the downfall of the Machakan Lion Queens.
Berytos exists only during the Early Ages; by the Middle Ages the Phoenix Empire has been crushed by the armies of Arcoscephale. Like its parent empire, it is succeeded by just one of its colonies: Phaeacia.
This should be a brief overview of a nation's strengths and weaknesses. Some useful points to include might be:
Many of these points will be elaborated upon in later sections, so avoid going into too much detail here and make this a short hook for what makes this nation cool and why people should play it.
Berytos is nation with strong magic diversity, boasting access to all the elements, depth in blood (along with crosspaths that make blood interesting), and even some minor astral magic. Unfortunately Berytian troops are quite mediocre, lacking in both damage output and survivability. On the bright side, Berytos's national blood summons are quite good and its mages are excellent, providing the combat power to make up for the troops' weaknesses. All in all, Berytos is really not a nation for beginners, especially not for players who are new to blood and not great at expansion, but it has the traditional power curve that blood and path diversity provide.
The details in this table should be pulled from the Nation Description in-game. Clarify or omit anything that is unclear (e.g. use glamour instead of "illusions", amphibious instead of "can enter the sea"). Treat 25% magic randoms as guaranteed; anything lower is "rare". Do not count paths from heroes as these are subject to too much variance.
Special Race Attributes | Military | Magic Access | Priests | Buildings |
---|---|---|---|---|
Temperature preference Unit races | Unit types How heavily armored are they? | 3 (rare 4) 3 (rare 4) 3 (rare 4) 3* 2 (rare 3) 1* | 2 Priests 3 Summons Inquisitor? Blood Sacrifice? Dying Dominion? | Primitive/Standard/ Advanced Forts (specify type) Cheaper/more expensive labs/temples? |
*Coastal-reliant
Bless bonuses, dominion effects and other national features not included in the table can be summarized here.
Site 1 | Site 2 etc. |
---|---|
Enables recruitment of Bride-in-Waiting Enables recruitment of Colossi Warrior Generates 232 per turn Other effects (e.g. scales) |
Mechanic Name
Any mechanics and event chains unique to the nation should be explained here. Unit or commander abilities can be explained in later sections. Examples of National Mechanics include:
* Mekone's Krypteion and related mechanics
* Phaeacia's dark ships and annual Gigante visit
If the mechanic requires a lot of explanation, consider writing a brief description and linking to a dedicated page.
Provide a brief overview of commanders and units and what tools they provide you with. Outline any peculiarities across the roster (e.g. the animal tag, cold blooded). Highlight any particular strengths of the roster and describe their roles (e.g. high-quality infantry, thugs, powerful mages).
Berytos's unit lineup is mediocre, even for the early age. The most durable of Berytos's units are the cap-only Colossi Warrior and fort-recruit Berytian Heavy Spearman; both have only 14 prot which is easily pierced by even indie weapons. Most do not deal enough damage to make up for the low survivability either, which can make it difficult to expand and survive an early war against nations with more powerful national troops.
However, Berytos's mages add the killing power to turn its threat level from almost nonexistent to terrifying with elemental spam, evocations and a very comprehensive suite of army buffs. The Storm Caller can be recruited in coastal forts and is a powerful combat mage; the Bride-in-Waiting is expensive and cap-only, but makes up for it with her spread of useful paths and innate mobility.
Keep descriptions to the point! Discussion of what to use certain magic paths for, thug equipment, etc. quickly becomes redundant over several nation pages, so describe the unit's function and leave it at that. Elaborate only if it is exceptional and/or a particular strength of the roster. Combine entries if the units are very similar.
Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Berytian Scout 25 3 1 | Stealthy (55) Mountain Survival Forest Survival | Slightly more stealthy than a generic scout. | |
Storm Caller 205 2 4 Coastal fort recruitment only | 221100% 15 Sailing (Max size 2) | 40 leadership sailing mage, magic phase-capable with Cloud Trapeze. Usually old when recruited. Strong water and especially strong air paths provide great combat utility. 25% are astral randoms who can join sabbaths. | |
Berytian Priest 140 2 2 | 111100% 9 Sailing (Max size 2) Sacred | Moderately expensive blood hunter, Sabbath Slave and Sabbath Master. Minor priest with 10 leadership. | |
Bride-in-Waiting 415 8 4 Capital Only | 221221100% 10% 21 Sacred Female | 90 leadership mage, multiple moderate-to-high paths. Magic phase-capable with Cloud Trapeze. A flexible but expensive combat mage, capable of evocations/buffs/elemental summoning. Provides some useful forging crosspaths. |
Highlight Unit/Commander
If there is a commander or unit that defines the nation in multiplayer Dominions, consider highlighting it in a bubble like this to elaborate on its strengths and how it is typically used. Also consider highlighting how unique unit mechanics change the way a nation is played. Examples include the Wind Rider from EA Arcoscephale or the nature communions of MA Man.
Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Berytian Militia 7 5 3 | Generic militia. Cheap source of siege chaff or patrol strength. | ||
Berytian Archer 10 7 9 | Massable archers. Supported by national access to Wind Guide and Flaming Arrows. | ||
Berytian Heavy Spearman 12 19 14 | Formation Fighter(2) | Medium infantry with formation fighter. Length 4 spear enables repels against most human weapons. Acceptable line-holding unit with higher attack density. | |
Colossi Warrior 35 25 21 Capital Only | Sacred Bodyguard (2) | Medium size 3 infantry with short swords. Much higher damage output than other Berytian troops. Cannot be sailed. Note: 14 prot, not 13 prot as the hoverlink suggests. |
|
War Elephant 100 20 33 | Animal Trample | Size 6 trampler. Great against low-damage units, but surprisingly fragile, prone to routing and expensive. Cannot be sailed. |
Describe overall quality of heroes here.
Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Dis Mater - Bride of the Gods Minimum hero arrival turn: 10 | 31332 25 Sacred Fire Resistance (13) Female | Describe what this hero can do (thug, cast, forge, etc.) and any new options the hero opens up. Moderate death access with good crosspaths. Opens up the option of an immortal lategame with Vampire Lords. She can also forge Skull of Fire and Shademail Haubergeons. |
This section is the longer version of the 'Magic Access' column in National Features. List which paths the nation has access to, what level in each path and the maximum level attainable with common boosters. Avoid discussing in too much depth as much of the information is already covered in MelficeBelmont's Boosting and Access Guide. The length of this section will vary greatly depending on the nation, and does not have to be formatted in the same way as the example below. Some explanation may be required for more complicated boosting methods (e.g. commanderifying a unit with hidden paths). What exactly these paths can be used for can largely be explained in later sections, but pointing out good crosspaths works well in this section too. Mention communion access if applicable.
Berytos gets excellent magic diversity from the coastal fort Storm Caller and cap-only Bride-in-Waiting. All of the paths available to Berytos can be boosted via communions, so for the purposes of combat you will be able to boost beyond these face-value paths.
Elemental
Sorceries
Notable Crosspaths:
Berytos is relatively unique in that it can natively summon a mage that opens up even more magic diversity, the Telkhine. The new paths you get include:
They can also forge the Staff of Elemental Mastery using either the or crosspath.
List combat and ritual spells unique to the nation. Keep descriptions brief but elaborate on any particularly useful spells. Nation-defining national spells (e.g. Bind Jaguar Fiends for EA Xibalba or Scapegoats for LA Gath) can be highlighted like important commanders or units.
Berytos mostly borrows national spells from its varied cultural influences, but also has its own unique summon courtesy of its blood cult. The summons shared with Hinnom and Therodos are particularly notable, including strong units and super mages! Wastelands for Se'irim and Shedim are usually generated near Berytos's capital on MapNuke maps, but may be more difficult to find on other maps.
Combat
Ritual
Discuss the top few generic spells that most increase a nation's combat power or synergize with national strategies. These will generally be early-to-mid game spells since individual spells matter much more during those periods of the game. Some examples are Foul Vapors for MA C'tis, Horde of Skeletons + Sabbath Master/Sabbath Slave for the Niefelheim line of nations, Mother Oak for the Pangaeas, Wailing Winds access, etc. For broader advice on magic use, link to Not-Lola's Basic Magic Use Guide.
This is also a good place to point out notable magic weaknesses, such as a lack of nature access making a nation vulnerable to Foul Vapors.
Due to MA C'tis's ubiquitous poison resistance and easy access to the crosspath via the Marshmaster, Foul Vapors is a natural fit for the nation and an early target for most strategies. It can be researched relatively early at Enchantment 5 and is an army-killing threat for anyone who has not researched poison resistance spells and/or lacks nature mages. It is a meta-defining spell for a reason!
List and describe any unique national items or discounts in this section, discuss and compare with similar generic items. Also discuss generic items that are useful and accessible for the nation. These may include:
This is probably the most difficult section to get consensus for. Describe how strong the nation is during expansion, the early, mid and late game, and what makes it strong/weak at each of those points. This should give readers an idea of where the weaknesses of a nation lie (if they have not been shown already) and when to take advantage of a nation's strengths.
Berytos starts off slow: expansion with its mediocre troops requires finesse, and Berytos lacks strong tools to deal with very early aggression. However, Berytos's unique blood summons, anyfort blood hunters and powerful mages mean that it can scale very well into the mid game. Once blood hunting operations have become established and you are able to mass Se'irim and Shedim, Berytos's threat level increases significantly. This can provide the breathing room for a powerful late game based on strong, plentiful magic support and summons (particularly Vampire Lords, Melqarts and Telkhines).
List some example expansion strategies here. If a strong bless or pretender is required then leave the specifics for the pretender section.
Berytos has a couple of options for expansion. Berytos is not famous for lightning fast expansion like Arcoscephale or Abysia, but it is definitely possible to expand well enough even without an awake pretender. Here is a non-exhaustive list of example expansion parties:
List some example pretender builds. If more advanced builds are included, link to a guide that explains how it works rather than writing a long explanation on the nation page. Try to use the following format to keep authorship and pretender design rationale clear.
For an awake build, try:
Wigglefig's Annunaki of Love and War
This is a fun option if you want to try an expansion titan, and can really smooth out conquering more difficult provinces like large numbers of Heavy Cavalry. After expansion, she helps deter early aggression and opens up high air, earth and nature. The bless will also make your Melqart heavy thugs much more difficult to counter later in the game. The Misfortune does make it extremely unlikely that your heroes will show up, though. Alternatively you can drop her down to 2 in each magic path for 3 extra scales.
See The Virtues of Expansion Titans by Mandarbmax for more details on how to use expansion titans.
Chassis: Awake Annunaki of Love and War
Paths: 444
Bless: +15 SR, 2×Reinvigoration, 1×Resilient and +15 PR
Scales: 5233320
Chassis: Awake Great White Bull
Paths: 44
Bless: 2×Reinvigoration, 1×Resilient and +15 PR
Scales: 5233300
For an imprisoned build, try:
Wigglefig's Golden Idol
This pretender is built for good scales and to cast Astral Corruption. You also gain access to the other high astral goodies for much easier magic boosting. F&SR does not come online until your pretender turns up, but will make your Melqart heavy thugs a bit sturdier in the mid-to-late game. Missing poison resist.
Chassis: Imprisoned Golden Idol
Paths: 564
Bless: Bless: F&SR, 1×Arcane Command, +1 MR, MW, Blood Surge.
Scales: 7233333
Add links to guides or other overviews for this nation here.
Dominions 5 National Analysis: EA Berytos by Perun
Nations | |
---|---|
Early Ages | Arcoscephale • Ermor • Ulm • Marverni • Sauromatia • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Mictlan • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Agartha • Tir na n'Og • Fomoria • Vanheim • Helheim • Niefelheim • Rus • Kailasa • Lanka • Yomi • Hinnom • Ur • Berytos • Xibalba • Mekone • Ubar • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Therodos |
Middle Ages | Arcoscephale • Ermor • Sceleria • Pythium • Man • Eriu • Ulm • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Asphodel • Vanheim • Jotunheim • Vanarus • Bandar Log • Shinuyama • Ashdod • Uruk • Nazca • Xibalba • Phlegra • Phaeacia • Ind • Na'ba • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Ys |
Late Ages | Arcoscephale • Pythium • Lemuria • Man • Ulm • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Jomon • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Midgård • Utgård • Bogarus • Patala • Gath • Ragha • Xibalba • Phlegra • Vaettiheim • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Erytheia |