"With a slight breath of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Yavanas and Devatas became lords of the monkey people. When these beings left the world the monkey people found themselves in control, until the emergence of another divine race, the Nagas. As Kaa hypnotized the monkeys in Kipling's Jungle Book, the Nagas mesmerized the Bandar and Vanaras and claimed rulership over the nation." – Illwinter
In the dense forests of the Bandar realm, apes of uncanny brightness have emerged. Under the influence of semi-divine beings, the apes evolved intelligence and culture. When the former rulers of Bandar Log returned to their Celestial Realms, the apes were left without leadership and innovation in the nation ground to a halt. A warlike hierarchical society was formed with the large Bandar apes at the top. Later, Nagas arrived from the Nether Realm of Patala, from where all rivers spring. The Nagas are divine beings of the Underworld and its rivers and are to the apes what the Yakshas had been in ages past. With mesmerizing stares and dancing serpentine bodies, they entranced the Bandar Log and claimed their empire as their own. Patala is a divided society. Small Markatas are at the bottom of the society. Vanara apes of human size are the most common. Large Bandar apes rule most of the society and form the military. Above all are the sacred Nagas and their kings.
Patala has numerous references to real life. Several prominent Hindu dynasties in India, mainly in the east and the south, claimed descent from Naga kings. The Nagas' position in the caste system mirrors how groups who invaded India, notably the Turkic Muslim conquerors, would typically set themselves atop the caste system even without converting to Hinduism. Lastly, Patala itself is the foundation that earthly reality rests upon in Hinduism, with the Nagas residing in its very bottom.
Patala is the last stop for Monkey civilization. In the Early Age, you had Kailasa (a Yaksha state with awe-inspired tribal monkeys) and Lanka (a Rakshasa state exacting tribute from monkey kingdoms) duking it out. In the Middle Age, you had an empire of monkeys. Now in the Late Age, you have a kingdom of Nagas – and for better or for worse, the monkeys are back to being pawns under the Sun.
In a way, Patala is somewhere between the Bandar Log and Kailasa. The troop quality hasn't changed much from the Bandar Log's, other than the capital-only elite being an infantryman once again, which (relatively-speaking) brings its situation back in-line with Kailasa's; there's an exception, however, in that you no longer have access to any-province Sacreds. Gone are the 4's and
3's, but the
4's and
4's have returned; in fact, those mages are now better than they were in Kailasa, because they have guaranteed access to your Communions. That doesn't even mention their relative bulk, or how some of them are Seducers.
Patala has both Lanka's and Kailasa's summon lists, but it now lacks access to the Celestial Music, so there's a bit less of a reason to use the latter. On that note, Patala's Sacred elites are cold-blooded magic beings, making pushing your hot Dominion and watching out for Astral counters (Moon Blades and Opposition and whatnot) extra-important.
Special Race Attributes | Military | Magic Access | Priests | Buildings |
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![]() ![]() ![]() White Ones: ![]() Base 1 Protection +1 MR vs. Humans ![]() Bandar Apes: Size 3 Base 3 Protection +8 HP vs. Humans +5 STR vs. Humans +2 MOR vs. Humans +1 ATT vs. Humans -1 DEF & PRE vs. Humans -2 MM & MR vs. Humans Vanara Monkeys: Base 1 Protection -2 MR & MOR vs. Humans Markata Monkeys: Size 1 +4 DEF & CS vs. Humans -2 PRE vs. Humans -3 MR & MOR vs. Humans -5 HP & STR vs. Humans ![]() Nagas: ![]() Size 3 +6 HP vs. Humans +3 MR vs. Humans +2 STR vs. Humans +1 MOR & DEF vs. Humans Base 5 Protection ![]() ![]() | Iron Varied Ranged Weapons (less good in high-PROT LA) War Elephants Some Stealthy Troops Naga Sacreds | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Summons: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Average (![]() Summons: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() |
Reincarnation gives your White Ones a chance to return from death WITHIN YOUR DOMINION, if their Experience is high, but they won't return as their original form if their kill count is too high; they'll appear as a Bandar instead, though those who don't kill still have a roughly 25% chance to come back as a Markata or (if not a Commander) a regular Vanara. White Ones (typically those with extra-high Experience) might achieve Moksha instead, adding a Dominion candle somewhere and occasionally boosting your Pretender's Magic; the Magic-boost only happens in paths that the deceased Commander has, and will not happen if the Pretender's level in that path is the same or higher.
Patala | The Jeweled City | ||
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![]() | Enables recruitment of Naga ![]() Enables recruitment of Naga Warrior ![]() Produces 1 ![]() Produces 2 ![]() | ![]() | Enables recruitment of Nagaraja ![]() Enables recruitment of Nagarishi ![]() Enables recruitment of Nagini ![]() Produces 1 ![]() |
You unit lineup is mostly made up of animals with below average Magic Resistance and Morale. Your troops are very likely to succumb to fear spells or fail to resist Charm Animal.
Img | Unit Name | Abilities | Comments |
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![]() | Markata Scout![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Your cheap fort scout. |
![]() | Atavi Chieftain![]() ![]() ![]() + ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() | A more expensive scout and is a leader of light Atavi raid parties. A stealthy army commander that can be recruited from any forest is useful. |
![]() | Vanara Captain![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Your better 60ld choice. |
![]() | Bandar Commander![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | An 80Ld commander. More expensive but gives that +1 morale boost for the monkeys who could really use it. |
![]() | Brahmin![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Your temple builders, and blesser of your sacred mages and Naga troops when you don't want the naga mages waste their spell casting time. |
![]() | Yogi![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Literal research monkeys. Most gold efficient mage in every way, good at research, communions, and turbo communions. Extremely useful Suicide monkey with Magic Duel with how many mages in LA have a path in astral. |
![]() | Guru![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | An out the box Mind Burner, in addition to being a recruit anywhere communion master, and a cheap way to add nature to them. Also, your best recruitable mage when it comes to summoning your national summon with boosters. They can make up the bulk of your communions as slaves and masters. |
![]() | Naga Chief![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Exists if you want to lead an expedition underwater and had found a cave, so you recruit him from the cave instead of wasting cap turns. |
![]() ![]() | Nagaraja![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | It took TWO alien invasions to give the monkeys recruitable ![]() Anyway, this is your uber-leader; 80 points, magic, and Sermon of Courage. As he can do anything, he's not cheap. He has 120 points in his Ghandarva form, and a total of 45 HP due to how Shapechanging works, but he also has - ![]() ![]() He's also not Amphibious as a Ghandarva, so you can't bring an extra forty Nagas into the ocean with him (again, without investment). |
![]() ![]() | Nagini![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Female | Your dedicated but still expensive mage for more diverse paths outside of astral communion spam. Your mass-produced Big Water, Earth, and Nature casters and Forgers (when given boosters, or random astral to contribute in communions). A trait you should not forget is her Second shape human form, not only can wear Earth boots for boosting but also is a stealthy seducer. not only giving you an element of unpredictable mages but also (though expensive) and Assassin when needed with the paths to dual other strong mages, Able to cast Swarm, Howl, and elementals, or even just outright steal the command if you get lucky. |
![]() ![]() | Nagarishi![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 10% ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Patala has LEVEL NINE MAGES (ten if you count the Priest level), in the Age where most cap at six. That power is costly and somewhat slow to gather, however, at least when compared to the Naginis. You don't need to queue a Nagarishi every single turn, but they're invaluable forgers and incredibly powerful Communion Masters. Big Earth and Water spells are at their fingertips, as are most of the nation's path boosters and unique items. |
Img | Unit Name | Abilities | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Markata![]() ![]() ![]() + ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Highly massable ultra light undisciplined infantry. Can use sticks and stones attack vs very low armor units. Low MR and morale. Despite deficiencies, their best job is lance catching and holding up enemies as 6 Def Skill 14 per square is hard to hit. |
![]() | Markata Archer![]() ![]() ![]() + ![]() | One of the cheapest short bow units in the game, but has abysmal strength which affects short bow damage. | |
![]() | Atavi Archer![]() ![]() ![]() + ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Stealthy. Very cheap short bow to mass, but low morale and MR. |
![]() | Atavi Infantry![]() ![]() ![]() + ![]() | Can function as a stealthy raider or mass stone throwing if fighting a very low protection adversary. Has low morale and MR. | |
![]() | Light Bandar Archer![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | No armor but high HP and STR. The high strength gives this unit a very damaging longbow attack. The light Bandar archer will struggle if it is trading fire with other archers due to no armor. The armored version takes hits fair but it doesn't do better against crossbows bolts. In the early game, Light vs late age crossbows, armored when facing only bowmen. Many mid to late-game AOE spells bypass most protection, so Light is your better investment in most matchups. |
![]() | Bandar Archer![]() ![]() ![]() |
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![]() | Vanara Archer![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Professional Monkey with a shortbow and a iron hat. Situational in mid game for higher resources when you need mass archers but also enemy is casting head shot spell like Rain of Stones. |
![]() | Vanara Chakram Thrower![]() ![]() ![]() | The Chakram is a "side-grade" to the Javelin, doing 2 more damage and being more accurate in exchange for being Slashing instead of Piercing. Against higher-Protection foes (15 or greater) the Javelin is more effective at dealing any damage, but it's not like you have Javelins. | |
![]() | Vanara Infantry![]() ![]() ![]() | Cheap chaff of the somewhat-reusable variety, at least far more resistant to area-of-effect Evocations than the Markata. Having armor to go with their tiny shield helps against Crossbows, too, and they have enough combined protection to tank shots if their tiny shield catches them. | |
![]() | Vanara Swordsman![]() ![]() ![]() | Patala's best troops of human-like attack density, boasting the same accuracy as the Bandar. These are NOT spammable, however, at least relative to other Vanara. You may find these tougher to amass than the Bandar outside your capital, especially without Order Scales. | |
![]() | Light Bandar Warrior![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Even the lowliest melee Bandar can be a fearsome opponent. It should be noted that every melee Bandar has a "Sticks and Stones" ranged attack, a "side-grade" to the Javelin that attacks twice in exchange for doing 5 less damage (each attack) and being Blunt instead of Piercing. A square of Bandar is a bit more effective at range than a square of human Javelinists, getting an additional attack that does roughly the same damage (against unarmored foes) in exchange for a 1-point Precision drop. Whether or not this still works against other nations' chaff is another matter, though, at least in the Late Ages. As for the melee options, the Light and regular Macemen deal the same damage, with the Light one arriving to the frontlines quicker while having much less protection (although the lack of a helm is much less relevant against size 1 troops, such as Vaetti Berserkers). The Cudglers deal about 5 more damage per strike, but lack any sort of parry. Only the Cudglers deal more damage-per-turn as a square than the Vanara Swordsmen, but all Bandar are easier to get in quantity. |
![]() | Bandar Warrior![]() ![]() ![]() |
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![]() | Bandar Warrior![]() ![]() ![]() |
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![]() | War Elephant![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Remember: if all other expansion routes fail, Patala still has Size 6 Tramplers. Patala also has many spells that keep them relevant, among them Body Ethereal, Quickness, and Regeneration. You can eventually secure casters of Gift of Flight to let them terrorize your foes' squishy mages, too. |
![]() | Naga![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Nagas aren't very strong, but they "cheat" against foes; if their melee opponent isn't Mindless, they'll stun them as their first attack of the turn. This goes against Magic Resistance only; since the attacker always wins ties against MR, this skill is fairly reliable against most human foes, and can practically "stun-lock" the extra-vulnerable. Such tactics are somewhat hampered against Ulmers by the Naga's size, but can be quite effective against large Animals and summoned Giants. They also have two damaging melee attacks, one of which also deals Poison Damage, and a low-range Spit attack that applies Poison scaling off the Naga's strength. In a way, your naked Nagas resemble the Guhyakas of times gone by, but they're far less available; only caves have them, your underground paradise in the capital included. If you're playing on a map with underwater caves (such as a MapNuke one), you can find Nagas in those places too. |
![]() | Naga Warrior![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | These guys are Patala's heaviest troops, so heavy that they move only half as fast as their naked kin. They're so slow that they might not even get to use their Poison Spit for a bit, since that has a capped range of 10 squares. They still have two melee attacks (three with the stunning), but their 9 Encumbrance means they'll tire out fairly quickly; their attack and defence skills will reduce to mediocre levels in two or three rounds, and that's pretty risky when you factor in their unprotected heads and critical hits. Aside from the slowness and the burnout, Naga Warriors are competent beings; their main attack does at least as much damage as the Bandar Macemen, and their second attack can poison even through moderately-heavy armor, giving it utility against the heavier chaff human nations tend to boast in the Late Ages. Just don't fight out in Cold temperatures; Cold 1 gives them 13 Encumbrance, Cold 2 gives them 16, and Cold 3 gives them 19 (making them pass out in six consecutive rounds of attacking). |
Your Nagas could really use Relief, while your Monkeys could really use Antimagic. Aside from that, Not-Lola's Magic Use Guide is a decent starting point.
animals Summons: Spend nature gems for animal chaff with big hp pools but low MR. Nature gems are desperately needed elsewhere. Only used when Desperate for bodies.
Sacred Summons:
After Lanka fell, the monkeys keep their blood arts just in case. Some Good summons but you are not a native blood nation, so this is a side path, diverting resources from the nation's main strengths in hopes of more late-game diversity, assuming your opponents don't take advantage of the power lag caused by this major diversion. This is research path is best made before pretender design. LA's large population makes it easier for non-blood mages to collect slaves but Patala does also want usable spells right away to stay comparative with the ages improved infantry.
Patala has effectively four paths, despite what its national summons might say:
We can now go over the national summons. If you have the patience to reach 3, you can then summon a Kinnara for
2. If you have the patience to reach
4, you can summon Siddhas somewhat late in the game to climb the Astral ladder another level, and then your
5 can summon a Rudra for
3
3
3. Your
5 can also summon
4's who spread Dominion and raise local Magic Scales.
Communions are your bread-and-butter; even if you can't get your Nagarishis to the battlefield in time, your Gurus are still serviceable Masters, casting Swarm, Howl, Enslave Mind, and Mind Burn. Both your Gurus and your Yogis are usable as Slaves; the Yogis are far cheaper, but they take the same amount of time to amass and are ultimately easier to burn out. Neither monkey mage handles Naga Masters super well, or at least their Water and Earth magic, but both have a chance to be recycled thanks to the Reincarnation trait.
You have mighty Earth and Water even without Communions, though, and even your 1's can point-buff on their own if you're in a rush.
Having a strong earth and Water Access makes Summoning the respective Elemental Royalty easy.
Forest Troll Tribe and Contact Naiad improves your magic, with Troll Shamans dipping you into Death and Naiads can get you into 5.
Could craft Golem as a hard to kill thugs.
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.
List some example expansion strategies here. If a strong bless or pretender is required then leave the specifics for the pretender section.
List some example pretender builds. Try to use the following format to keep authorship and pretender design rationale clear.
Dominions 5 Nation Intro by Perun (2021) (does forget the naga mages have a second shape that has feet slots).
Maerlande's Monkey Madness by Maerlande
Nations | |
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Early Ages | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Middle Ages | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Late Ages | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |