Sunless Terrain
[p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43512488/f5c5517d15c12ff5898a4fa9c5b3d225dcb4d472.png"][/img]As we knew we were going to have vampires in this DLC, we wanted to play with the trope of vampires having to avoid harmful sunlight. We also wanted to include the environments vampires are usually found in media: grim, mystical, haunting, and romantic forests and plains backed by dark castles. In short, we needed a suitable gothic backdrop for our pretty and terrifying vampires![/p][p]To do this on the scale of an entire realm, we came up with the Sunless terrain, a new type of terrain feature similar to Gloom. It can be identified by its dark appearance with plenty of crimson details like roses and blood rivers.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43512488/db0a832e67275a388284eb12ba7627dec72b7cd0.png"][/img]Close up shot of sunless terrain featuring roses and a river[/p][p]The primary function of this terrain is providing safe haven for Vampire Rulers and Heroes. This terrain and the entire Underground are the only places on the world map where they do not suffer from Sunlight Weakness.[/p][p]Next to that, the terrain is also slightly hostile to anyone that still has a beating heart: Units without Heartless have their healing and regeneration reduced and Cities of a race without Heartless suffer a city stability penalty, adding a certain amount of dread and fatalism to the terrain. Of course, as an elder vampire you’ve learned to adapt your people and are completely immune[/p][p]Since this terrain is hostile to most except undead and vampires, it only shows up in a limited amount in normal realms. If you want to cover the world in darkness, however, there is the Sunless Highlands realm trait that starts you out in a realm with a lot of sunless terrain. There are also ways for Vampire Rulers to spread this terrain themselves through spells and a city structure.[/p][p] [/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43512488/4d5b3219b4fab9fe4c9c2f7ab52b97e8bb9a52ae.png"][/img]Sunless highlands realm trait tooltip[/p][p]Good to note is that Sunless terrain can be combined with almost all features that synergize with adaptation traits and the Primal culture. So you can totally be an Arctic Vampire ruler or a Dune Serpent Primal Vampire![/p]
Sunless In Tactical Combat
[p]As with all terrain types, Sunless will have unique visuals for the Tactical Combat maps, giving a creepy atmosphere when facing off against the many horrific creatures Age of Wonders 4 and Thrones of Blood has to offer.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43512488/6c083e56fa7c73e19e4f610edef38827419644b9.png"][/img]Natural combat map in Sunless [/p][p]The new terrain in Tactical Combat isn’t just for show; there are 2 new dangerous obstacles found when fighting within Sunless terrain. Rose Vines is one such obstacle; it inflicts bleeding to any unit that starts its turn in it or passes through it. More importantly, each Rose Vine obstacle creates a copy of itself on an adjacent hex after 1 turn, this copy will then create a copy itself and so on. As a battle goes on, the terrain gets slowly flooded by thorns.[/p][p] [/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43512488/0b4cddfdfe2343c1caf70f58bc26c861638f4fbb.png"][/img]Creeping rose vines spreading around[/p][p]Next to that, we have the Banshee Pods. These are inspired by dried-out Snapdragon petals, which look like miniature skulls. Banshee Pods release a dreadful Banshee Wail when destroyed, inflicting frost damage, weakened, and remorse in a 2-hex radius.[/p][p] [/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43512488/a220908e269adeb12a9b59e4ef09656957febb4f.png"][/img]Banshee pods[/p]
Custom Regions
[p]With the addition of Sunless terrain, we also made some natural story regions using this new terrain. You can encounter these in normal realms and in increased numbers in realms with the Sunless Highlands trait. These natural story regions allowed us to nicely frame the new locations that can be found in Sunless. Such as a creepy gothic palace on the edge of a cliff overlooking the surrounding dead forests.[/p][p] [/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43512488/721cb2da0bc85ea60fa5578d87be2353a9d869bd.png"][/img]Example of sunless natural region[/p][p]The new locations include a Magic Material, 2 new Ancient Wonders, and a new Landmark. Let’s take a look at those now![/p][p] [/p]Blood Glass
[p]In Thrones of Blood, we wanted to add a new magic material that would fit with the vampires and sunless terrain, and so Blood Glass was born. A sort of naturally occurring stained glass crystal with bright red colors. Blood Glass is the only magic material found in Sunless terrain.[/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43512488/9e012e775f85528166cc70adc9528ad4a9176c0b.png"][/img][/p][p]Blood Glass, next to its economic bonuses, unlocks a bunch of item infusions that are linked to the new tome content of this DLC, such as the ability to inflict a new status effect called Blood Parasite. What does it do? You’ll have to find out in a future dev diary![/p][p]Normally, new magic materials belong to a new set bonus, but we could not guarantee that enough Blood Glass would be available for a set bonus, due to the limited amount of sunless in a normal realm. Therefore, Blood Glass was added to the Ore magic material set and the set requirements changed to requiring 3 unique ore magic materials, rather than having to collect all of them.[/p][p] [img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/43512488/53d3103e323a307c5a94a4b1b82f1e34b20281c5.png"][/img]
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