Dominion kills 1% of province population per 1. Any LA R'lyeh unit that has neither Void Sanity or Mindless tag will gain +1d(Dominion candles) DRN per month.

Each month, troops, monsters, and commanders may spawn. Spawn rates depend on dominion candle count, scales, population, and the presence of temples.
* Higher dominion candle counts always increase the probability of spawning units.
* Higher dominion candle counts can also unlock spawns of higher-quality monsters.
* Magic scales increase the probability of spawning monsters.
* Scales do not affect Madman spawn rates.
* Sloth scales increase Dreamer troop spawn rates.
* Temples increase commander spawn rates.
* Castles do not directly affect spawn rates.
* Troop and commander spawn rates decrease when a province's population falls below 2,000. Castles protect 2,700 population from popkill.

When a unit reaches 25 Insanity, it has a 3.3% chance per turn to undergo a Void Transformation. Troops transform into Void Dreamers, while commanders transform into Void Heralds. Void units have no upkeep. Mages undergoing a Void Transformation may gain or lose magic paths.

Dominion's economic value scales with candle strength. It increases steadily as the number of candles rises, with growth accelerating at high dominion strengths (9 and 10). This suggests that high-dominion builds should start with 8 candles rather than 6 and use temples to reach 10.

At 6 candles, dominion spawns freespawn units worth approximately 50 gold per turn in terms of recruitment cost. At 10 candles, this increases to approximately 140 gold. 6 candles provide units with recruitment cost comparable to income of a standard underwater province. This means that you can popkill a 5k pop province and stay gold neutral.

10 candles provide value comparable to a large land province. These estimates assume that you build infrastructure in every province (3,000 gold in total), with relatively long payback periods.

This suggests that middle-ground builds are inefficient. Low-dominion builds take 1-2 candles and avoid dominion spread on land (preserving gold income). High-dominion builds aim for 8 - 10 candles and convert all provinces into freespawn (offsetting income with units of an equivalent recruitment and upkeep cost). Builds with 4 - 6 candles will suffer from popkill, reducing their income without generating enough freespawn to compensate.

In long games, Mage Transformation can provide monetary value comparable to unit freespawn, as you can accumulate 100–200 upkeep-free mages by the late game. It is particularly powerful in low-dominion builds because it does not require dominion to spread beyond your research provinces, protecting your income from popkill.

LA R'lyeh's capital starts with 400 gold in income. You should strongly consider protecting the capital from your own dominion, as a single province will never generate enough freespawn per turn to compensate for 400 gold in lost income.

Power curve. LA R'lyeh is strongest around turns 20–30, when it has accumulated approximately 400 freespawn units for its first war. It is weakest around turns 60–70, when most of the population in its starting provinces has been killed. It then rebounds around turns 90–100, when researchers become upkeep-free, allowing it to outperform MA R'lyeh in research and upkeep.

High-dominion builds reach their weakest point much earlier, around turns 40–50, as the population dies much faster. High mage upkeep puts additional strain on the economy. These builds often lack the gold to wait 30 turns for their researchers to become upkeep-free. They also benefit less from mage transformations because they cannot afford to recruit enough researchers in the first place.

Direct gold-equivalent value generated per province per turn. Value per turn scales with candle strength.

Image	Freespawn Category	Prominent Examples	2 income / turn	4 income / turn	6 income / turn	8 income / turn	10 income / turn
	Insane Troops	Mad One Triton Dreamer	8g¹	12g¹	19g¹	34g¹	55g¹
	Void Beings	Elder Thing Formless Spawn	3g¹	6g¹	10g¹	15g¹	25g¹
	Commanders	Cultist 117 Prophet	5g¹	10g¹	17g¹	27g¹	40g¹
	Troop transformations	Void Dreamer	6g¹	9g¹	14g¹	25g¹	40g¹
	Mage transformations	Void Herald	18g²	18g²	18g²	18g²	18g²

¹ Freespawn: Monetary value generated by freespawn under almost ideal conditions: all infrastructure is built, dominion remains stable, and freespawn units stay in the province to transform. Values for 6 and 10 were rigorously tested. 2, 4, 8 are modeled estimates.
²Mage transformations: average value over 100 turns. This scales with mage recruitment rather than candle strength. It provides little value in the early and mid game but yields 80g+ per turn in the late game. High dominion helps you reach 25 Insanity faster, which is necessary to trigger the transformation.

Higher candle counts increase both the quantity and quality of Void Being spawns. The table below shows the spawn rates and the best possible units at each candle level. only starts spawning at 8 candles, while or never spawn.

: Sacred, Poison Resistance (15), Blind Fighter (1), Void Sanity (20), Magic Being, Amphibious, Spirit Sight

Image	Unit Name	Special Attributes	6 Rate: units / 10 turns	10 Rate: units / 10 turns
	Madmen and Dreamers	Darkvision (50%) Insane (25%) Amphibious	47 units	138 units
	Lesser Otherness x d6 Spawn Roll (1 to 5)	Regeneration (10%) Fire Resistance (15) Cold Resistance (15) Shock Resistance (15) Slash Resistant Blunt Resistant Pierce Resistant Trample Need Not Eat Mindless	1.9 units	2.8 units
	Vile Thing x d4 Spawn Roll (6)		0.2 units	0.9 units
	Thing of Many Eyes x d3 Spawn Roll (7)	Sacred Fire Resistance (15) Darkvision (100%) Eyes (10) Void Sanity (20) Unsurroundable (5) Immobile Magic Being Amphibious Need Not Eat Spirit Sight	-	-
	Thing From The Void x d3 Spawn Roll (8)	Regeneration (25%) Cold Resistance (15) Shock Resistance (15) Need Not Eat	0.3 units	1 unit
	Elder Thing x d5 Spawn Roll (9)	Paralyze on Death (10) Need Not Eat	0.6 units	1.1 units
	Formless Spawn x d4 Spawn Roll (10)	Regeneration (10%) Fire Resistance (5) Slash Resistant Blunt Resistant Pierce Resistant Need Not Eat Mindless	0.3 units	0.7 units
	Otherness x d4 Spawn Roll (11)	Regeneration (10%) Fire Resistance (15) Cold Resistance (15) Shock Resistance (15) Slash Resistant Blunt Resistant Pierce Resistant Trample Need Not Eat Mindless	0.15 units	0.5 units
	Thing From Beyond x d3 Spawn Roll (12)	Immobile Ethereal Need Not Eat	0	0.3 units
	Dweller-In-The-Deep x d2 Spawn Roll (13)	Sacred Cold Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (15) Shock Resistance (15) Blind Fighter (1) Void Sanity (20) Poison Barbs (10) Magic Being Ethereal Aquatic Need Not Eat Spirit Sight	0	0.2 units
	Greater Otherness x d4 Spawn Roll (14)	Regeneration (10%) Fire Resistance (15) Cold Resistance (15) Shock Resistance (15) Slash Resistant Blunt Resistant Pierce Resistant Trample Need Not Eat Mindless	0	0.15 units

An Arena map was used for testing. The observed spawn rates are consistent with Loggy's notes, although more Lesser Othernesses spawned than expected. Void Being spawn rates were tested at Magic3. Troop spawn rates were tested at zero sloth. Higher sloth may result in additional Dreamer troops spawning. Void Being spawn rates were also tested at zero sloth.

Prophet generation is the largest source of value from commander freespawn. Free researchers are the second-largest source. Temples double commander spawn rates.

Image	Unit Name	Special Attributes	6 Rate: units / 10 turns	10 Rate: units / 10 turns	Comments
	Commanders	1 Sacred Darkvision (50%) Insane (25%) Amphibious	1.6 units	3.1 units	Chaff shuttles like Cultist
	1 mages	117 Sacred Insane (25%)	0.4 units	0.8 units	Randoms with 24% chance.
	Prophets	321 Slave Amphibious Land Shape (Slave Mage)	0.25 units	0.9 units	Unlimited prophets. Offer 31 holly communion crosspath or boosts Bishop Fish to 4

Commander spawn categories are not mutually exclusive. Tests were conducted with temples in every province.

After 30 turns, freespawn units with 25 Insanity will transform, improving their stats. Units that do not start with 25 Insanity need to remain in high-dominion provinces long enough to accumulate it.

Image	New unit name	Special Attributes	6 Rate: units / 10 turns	10 Rate: units / 10 turns	Comments
	Void Dreamer (troop)	Stealthy (40) Insane (75%) Void Sanity (1) Magic Being Ethereal Amphibious Need Not Eat Floating Spirit Sight	30 units	87 units	Madmen and Dreamers with 25 Insanity transform into Void Dreamers at a rate of 3.3% per turn (takes 30 turns). Does 1+ DRN false-damage. They are not spiritform, thus can benefit from protection buffs.
	Standard Void Herald (mage)	119 Stealthy (40) Glamour Manipulator (1) Insane (25%) Void Sanity (1) Magic Being Ethereal Amphibious Need Not Eat Floating Spirit Sight	0.13 units	0.3 units	Improves 1 freespawn mages, who receive extra 2 Can use Dreamstone booster.
	Void Herald with extra 1 (mage)	2111 Stealthy (40) Glamour Manipulator (1) Insane (25%) Void Sanity (1) Magic Being Ethereal Amphibious Need Not Eat Floating Spirit Sight	0.14 units	0.4 units	Has a 55% chance to gain an additional 1. Receives extra 4

Tested with temples in all provinces.

LA R'lyeh benefits the most from Slave Mage transformations. Think of it as a 12-gem Twiceborn ritual that you pay for with gold instead of gems over 30 turns. It provides very little value in the early and mid game: you recruit only about 10 researchers in Year 1, and they become upkeep-free by the end of Year 3. However, if you recruit 100+ researchers by turn 60, they will become upkeep-free by turn 90, providing substantial late-game value.

Transformation turns any insane-25 commander (e.g., cultists, indi mages, or summons) into a Herald after 30 turns, with a 3.3% chance per turn.
Removes upkeep. For mages, ensures at least 1 but reduces every other magic path by (except Astral). here is a 55% chance to add an extra 1. E.g., 2 slave mages transform into 3. However, transformations can also downgrade magic paths. For example, 211 to 111.

Removes both positive and negative tags, such as homesickness. Greatly increases magic leadership. It does not remove afflictions but resets HP after a disease.

It is recommended to concentrate all researchers in a few selected provinces and preach there to raise dominion. This helps newly recruited researchers reach 25 Insanity faster. Domes and Ether Gate are highly beneficial.

Remove your Madman freespawn from forts, but leave Dreamers there to accumulate Insanity. Then use summoning rituals to fill the forts to their troop-supply limit with animals, and wait for them to transform into Void Dreamers.

2 Transformation ritual removes upkeep and improves chassis. Because Insanity transforms animal commanders into Void Heralds, this 2 ritual is particularly safe for LA R'lyeh. You can start using it once a Thistle Mace or Moonvine Bracelets become available. A Thistle Mace will not disappear if a mage doesn't have hands after a transformation.

Low dominion builds. Use newly recruited 1 mages to perform the ritual on land. This can produce thugs and provide additional magic-path diversity, especially 1.
High dominion builds. Transform 1 mages underwater. This removes their upkeep immediately and gives them an approximately 20% chance to gain additional magic paths.

For outcomes you don't like, simply have the mage research without upkeep. A Recuperation bless is highly recommended for LA R'lyeh, so equip Foulspawn results with a Shroud of the Battle Saint to remove Feebleminded.

Mages and castles account for roughly three-quarters of LA R'lyeh's costs, and both require gold. A low-dominion strategy lets you start with a playstyle similar to MA R'lyeh: build infrastructure, recruit mages, and gradually transition into LA R'lyeh's strengths.

LA R'lyeh benefits from freespawn during the expansion stage. It tends to underperform MA R'lyeh in the mid game because of popkill. However, with strong infrastructure, LA R'lyeh can outperform MA R'lyeh in the late game thanks to Mage Transformations.

• Concentrate researchers in few provinces, deeper in your territory but further away from your capital.
  
• Once you get a Bishop Fish, kill your existing prophets and make one of the Bishop Fish 4. Use Bishop Fish and Telestic Animates to preach these provinces up to high dominion. Later, forge +1 boosters.
  
• Let enemy dominion spread everywhere else, especially in your capital. Use cheap priests and Telestic Animates to preach it down.
  
• Avoid building temples to prevent your dominion from spreading on land. Frontline mages (3 Falling Frost, 1 Gifts from Heaven) will not accumulate Insanity.
  
• Slave2, 1 and freespawn 1 do research underwater. Accelerate research with Ether Gate underwater and Stellar Focus on land. Use Dreamstones after Void Transformations. Also, use Moonwine Bracelet 2 transformations.
• Recruit Void Cultists and low-upkeep independent mages to research on land. Give them Owl Quills and Lightless Lanterns. Cultists with 1 should do research, while those without 1 should blood hunt in nearby provinces. After patrolling, turn the corpses into undead using Carrion Reanimation.
  
• Use Stone Idols (Const7) in provinces with 15-20k pop. Preach to high dom provinces with <5k pop.
  
• Use Summon Animal rituals to fill the troop-supply limit in your research provinces.

Insane: Each point of Insanity gives a 1% chance of missing a turn by performing a useless or heretical action.

One possible heretical action is preaching R'lyeh's dominion in enemy territory. If LA R'lyeh's dominion becomes dominant in a province, insane enemy commanders will flip the province to LA R'lyeh's ownership.

Void Spectre has a 30% chance to spread Insanity in an enemy province. Expect approximately 10 Insanity on enemy commanders per Spectre per turn. This is particularly effective against large enemy armies, as their mages tend to stay behind due to Insanity. It can even render an enemy god useless, especially an Immobile or Demilich.

There is no way to remove Insanity from a unit, not even through Wish or death. Void Sanity only reduces the amount of Insanity gained during rolls. Mindless units are immune to Insanity.

LA R'lyeh's units with Void Sanity do not gain additional Insanity. For example, a Void Herald with 25 Insanity will remain at 25 because of Void Sanity.

Insanity gained from items or Void is independent of R'lyeh's dominion and is reduced by Void Sanity.

Freespawn numbers directly dependent on candle #. Chaff stops spawning without population. The rate decreases <2000 pop. Temples increase commander freespawn rate. Void critter both quality and quantity scales with candles. The quality caps at the roll of 14 (greater otherness) at 10 candles.

Void critter component:

• Scale component: 2 * candles + magic scale
• If a random number 0-499 inclusive is less than (scale component * 5):
• Roll 2d(candles/3 + 4, rounded down). These are closed die rolls. You get the void encounter that corresponds to this result:
  1. If 1-5: 6x lesser otherness
  2. If 6: 4x vile thing
  3. If 7: 3x thing of many eyes
  4. If 8: 3x thing from the void
  5. If 9: 5x elder thing
  6. If 10: 4x formless spawn
  7. If 11: 4x otherness
  8. If 12: 3x thing from the beyond
  9. If 13: 2x dweller in the deep
  10. If 14: 4x: greater otherness
  11. If 15: 5x thing that should not be
  12. If 16: 1x vastness
  13. If 17+: 2x greater otherness

Cultist commander component:

• Without a temple, take (province pop/10) or (# candles), whichever is smaller.
• With a temple, but no pop: use 2*candles.
• With a temple and some pop: 3*candles
• If a random number 0-74 is less than the value above, you're getting cultist commanders.

Madman component:

• Take (province pop/20) or (10*candles), whichever is smaller.
• If a random number 0-99 is less than the above value, you get 2d8 exploding madmen.

Dreamer component:

• Take (province pop/20) or (sloth + 5*candles), whichever is smaller.
• If random number 0-99 is less than this value, you get 2d8 exploding dreamers.

Spreads insanity to all non-void beings and madmen will emerge to help in the war. Over time the madmen and dreamers will partly cross over into the world of dreams and become insubstantial beings known as void dreamers. Both effects will also happen in lands owned by disciple players and the disciple players will be slightly protected from madness just like humans in R'lyeh. This protection is far from adequate however and being a disciple to a R'lyeh god will not be easy.