So it's difficult to do scenarios well when the abilities of the units aren't completely specified. This is the discussion thread for it.

This is also the place to suggest new units.

The first of order is unicorn magic.

I assume that with the right spell, they can conjure up whatever they need. After all, Twilight was turning apples into oranges, so...

A second thing I've been wondering is pegasi abilities. Manipulating the weather, or at least what they could do with lightning clouds and such.

513754Yes but magic was her special talent and we are never shown another unicorn in the show with that kind of prowess. The closest they came was Trixie and all she has was light shows and such. It's implied that unicorns of her caliber are few and far between.

EDIT: Perhaps we could create a special unit class for the unicorns. A mage class that does have that kind of ability

I propose the unicorns be given only basic elemental control magic for the sake of not being overpowered.

Ex: Fire, earth, water and air. They must also be bald and have a blue arrow running down their heads... Seriously though, I say we keep them basic. Like levitation, healing, ice, and fire spells as well as magic bolts and shields but nothing more.

They are not Twilight Sparkle after all and Spike considered twenty something tricks to be a lot for a unicorn to do, so I guess the military would only train them in the basics.

EDIT: I think pegasi should be able to manipulate terrain and weather before battle and in between truces. Like making it rain to make mud after the enemy retreats but not being able to do it in the middle of combat.

They should also be able to create wind to speed up vessels at sea.

it's more about the power that the unicorn has IMO. usually this isn't a issue since there would be a standard in place for unicorns to actually get enlisted or volunteer. minimum being able to maintain a spell for several hours (since they are not being actively attacked), then maintaining the spell under pressure (generally the shield spell), and being able to lift a certain amount of weight with their telekinesis (say, the weight of a pony perhaps?)

The thing is, there was this entire discussion on unicorn combat magic. We never actually got to touch on specific spells, but I assume that being in the military forces them to learn a set group of spells.

As for healing spells, I don't count that as an in-battle ability. I've considered them too complex to do in the middle of battle. The Crystal Empire can have them, but not the UEE/SE/NLR.

513760

No, separating the unicorns in classes would get too complicated... We'd have flamethrower unicorns, shield unicorns, anti-air unicorns, healing unicorns... you name it. Then we'd have to balance them all out by adding counter units to all factions... I say we give them a basic set of spells to use.

513780 I wasn't saying divide them into that many classes. Just two classes. Those who learn combat magic (fire, ice, energy bolts, shields, etc....) and a special mage unit that specialized in the kind of magic Twilight uses in the show (teleportation, transfiguration, conjuring, etc...) rather than combat magic.......

513790

Well, I'm not too sure about that. Sounds like it'd make unicorns the Rambo of units.

They could just teleport out of any fight and conjure a swarm of stuff to fight for them while using transfiguration to turn then the floor to lava... Rinse and repeat and you got yourself a one man army.

And we'd have to apply all those things to the scenarios, which wouldn't handle random appearances of conjured creatures and transformation of terrain well. It'd get confusing and overpowered real quick.

I say we give unicorns a basic set of spells, maybe make a special unicorn unit that can teleport itself or another unit ONCE to anyplace in the battlefield. And then leave the transfiguration of the terrain to the pegasi and their weather skills before a battle starts or in between truces.

EDIT: Actually lets just make unicorn royal guards have the teleport skill instead of making a new unit, itd make more sense.

513803 I'm not suggesting that the special (and therefore rarely used) mage units would be that powerful. Short ranged teleportation. Transfiguration would be limited to things like the ability to change stone to wood and vice versa. Conjuration would be limited to small things like small amounts of rations and maybe extra ammo for units that needed arrows or crossbow bolts. Yes still powerful but not as powerful as you make them out to be and they would be a rarely used unit.

Ugh. I for one, am against Blink Unicorns (teleporting unicorns), unless the ability is only applied to the Solar/Lunar Knights.

Also, the thing about the combat magic is that we need to organize an exact set of spells for them to use. So far on my list is:
-Levitation, which is highly effective and versatile according to my analysis in the other thread
-Ranged magic bolts, which seem to be standard
-Shield spells

I'm also considering fire, because it has a good offensive purpose.

513819

I'm just saying bro, if it can be done without being OP then yay, but magic can easily become ovepowered and just like the vickers machineguns did, make infantry units obsolete. That's why I don't like ranged units or artillery, kills the medieval fun when both armies stand facing each other and shoot till someone gives up.

I'm still in favor of basic unicorn spells btw. But I do have another question, how do earth ponies and pegasi fight? Do they wield weapons and such? Or just hoof everyone to death? It's been bugging me for a while

513836
Earth ponies and pegasi are assumed to use bucks. They might also have some sort of knife in their mouths for use, but that's just me thinking about myself, since the fighting style of Stardust involves a combat knife.

513832

I have a set of my own:

1. Levitation, basic though. Nothing larger than a pony.

2. Magic bolts. Useful for piercing armor and such as well as the most effective against air units.

3) Shields. Strong enough to halt a barrage of projectiles but won't stand for more than a couple volleys or sustained machinegun fire.

4) Fire and Ice spells. Kinda like a flamethrower and frostthrower? Short ranged but incredibly deadly, fire can also destroy buildings and frost slows down units. This ones tire the unicorns heavily though

5) Healing magic, used in between rests during larger battles to help some comrades get back in the brawl.

513836 I think it's implied that earth ponies just buck at people with their exceptional strength. Though in many a story I've read, the authors have described the pegasi as have special bladed armor for the edges of their wings so that's how I always imagined it.

513842

I always assumed they went assassins creed style, with a retractable blade strapped to their hooves.

513847
I agree with the basic levitation, though my strategy for "Pinkie Pie Hill" involved ten unicorns teaming up and launching a boulder like a catapult.

Magic bolts was also a default attack.

Your views on shields are reasonable.

And the fire and ice spells are the ones that's mainly being debated upon. As shown the TRB's scenario, it's a great way to deal with timberwolves.

Your views on healing magic are reasonable enough.

513849

I know! I always thought pegasi had the bladed wings! I would have given them crossbows as well since their hooves are always free though

513851
Oh, well that's only for the unit "Royal Assassins".

(It's been a unit since the PWG)

513856 Nah. Too difficult to wield a crossbow with hooves while flying. (don't ask how I know)

513864>>513856
allow me to guide you to a fic called heroes and allies, that fic has a great assortment of weapons we will probably never use!

513875 Just once, I would like to see an earth pony succesfully wielding a .50 cal .........

513754

A second thing I've been wondering is pegasi abilities. Manipulating the weather...

Which is exactly why I think the Pegasi would be excellent 'pony bombers'.

513880
might happen in heroes and allies, I'm just waiting for an update

513875

I once thought of connecting a tube to a unicorn's horn to direct magic into a cylinder so he could shoot magic like a machinegun. Few things can impress me after my own weirdness...

513832 What about healing spells?

513880 A pony... with a 50. cal... keep Pinkie away.

513885
A JSL is considered heavy artillery for pony infantry, especially when it can remove a tree from it's stump

513891
"But where's the fun in that?" *hefts a .50 cal*

513899 Oh no you don't! *raises SAW.*

513902
"Do you feel lucky, punk?!"

513911 I know what you're thinking, 'did he fire six shots, or only five? Well, during the excitment, I kind of lost track myself. Of course, this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, which could blow your head clean off. So, you better ask yourself, 'do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?

513842 Meh, I think it would be better if they had actual weapons.

513911 513915

*Big Mac enters with two gatling guns strapped to his sides*

"Eeyup."

Pony please...

513915
"Look at your gun. Now look at mine. Now back to yours now, back to mine. See the look in my eyes. Look at your hooves. Now look at mine, now look at yours. Sadly, yours are shaking. Now look at me, now look away, now back to me. I'm not there anymore"
*you here a click behind you*
"Im here".................

Now back to the actual discussion! So would it be possible to establishe technologically advanced pony factions do you think?

513931

Not unless we separate units and factions by timelines.

Like the current timeline we are using is somewhere along the late 19th century for humans and ponies are still in a medieval styled military.

So yeah, I'd like to see the ponies getting tanks and assault units. But I'd limit it to WW2 though.

513958 Better yet, screw mechanics and stuff, give them magic-tech. Magical powered tanks and suits and stuff. The most complicated things they have- ignore Vinyl's DJ gear and Twilight's Pinkie-reading machine- are steam trains and stuff of the like. I don't see them having WW2 type tanks and fighters and bombers and stuff. For ponies, your only 2 real options are magic-tech, and steam-tech.

514074

Why not both?

Magical steampunk sounds pretty neat to me!

514080 Psst. Writing a story with both.

514080>>514114
It's called Dungeon Punk.
513880
Well, I plan on a griffon wielding one in my story, but it's really far down the line...
513884
That story! Yes!

514150>>514080

Like I said in the previous thread, I'm slowly preparing an "In-universe" guide to combat magic. It will go up onto GDocs when it is finally done.

514157
Maybe you could somehow make a fic out of it. There was once a story called along the lines of "An Earth Pony's Guide to Fighting".

514150 That looks so cool. O_O

514157 Maybe make it like the journal of a deceased wizard that died in some horrible way, eh?

514158 I must read this.

514158 I doubt it. It's not much of a story really.

514162 By the way, do you still have that OC self-insert I sent you? I can't find that message in my sent box, so I'd appreciate it if you can PM me it back ASAP.

514165 Hold on. I'll check.

514165 I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be looking for.

514267 It was a Gryphon OC, I think.

514158>>513958>>513922
The Shadow Army has now been added.
(I based most of the units on D&D monsters )

Shadow Army:

Wretchlings:
Wretchlings are small humanoids that many consider little more than a nuisance. Whilst they are individually weak, they can be dangerous in gangs. In battle, they carry maces and small, round shields. They are sometimes used as scouts, but they are primarily used as cannon-fodder.

Oozes:
Oozes are slimy, shapeless masses of semi-translucent green goo that live only to eat. They are slow to move, but they attack with an acid touch that dissolves weapons, melts armour, and corrodes flesh. They are hard to kill via physical attacks, but for some reason, they are highly combustable. Throw a lit match into a pit full of oozes, and they'll all explode into flame.

Howl-fiends:
Part-man, part hyena, Howl-fiends are evil, human-sized bipedal carnivores that wander in loosely-knit tribes. Carrying vicious axes, crossbows, and strange, crescent-shaped shields, they are the light infantry units of the Shadow Army. Thanks to their animal heritage, they are deathly afraid of fire, so much so that they will become nervous at the mere scent of smoke!

----

Shadow Wraiths:
Formless, yet fearsome ghostly creatures, shadow wraiths despise all living things. They can pass through walls, and their incorporeal attacks ignore any armour the victim might be wearing. However, in daylight their powers are severely diminished, and concentrated beams of light will kill them almost immediately.

Murk Trolls
Murk Trolls are massive, powerful creatures. Accompanied by the putrid stench of rotting flesh, they are too stupid to feel fear. Even when they are injured, they have a unique regeneration ability that allows them to heal wounds fairly quickly. They only attack when they are hungry - which is all the time. With powerful fists and feet, they smash and trample any enemies in their path. The easiest way to bring down a troll is to cut off the limbs, and then the head. However, inflicting lots of minor injuries will also kill a troll, as long as you can wound it faster than it can heal it's injuries. Fire has the same sort of effect, overpowering the Murk Troll's regeneration abilities. Massive head trauma and crushing are also viable methods, as is simply blowing a Troll pieces.

Grave-tiller Worms:
Grave-tiller worms feast on decaying flesh... But they are quite happy to attack living victims regardless. Slug-like in appearance, they attack with paralysing tentacles, dragging unfortunates to their doom.

-----

King Sombra:
King Sombra began his life as just another Unicorn. However, his insatiable lust for power soon put him at odds with the authorities. Fleeing into the frozen north, he very nearly died out there. Freezing to death, he made an unholy pact with Kronos, King of the Titans and Lord of Hell. In return for immortality and almost unlimited magical power, Sombra gave the Titan King his soul, and the promise that he would lead Kronos's armies out of Tartarus to terrorise the world above. He quickly seized the Crystal Empire, forcing the population into slavery. Aside from his mastery over dark magic, King Sombra wields a scythe so sharp that it is said that the blade cuts the very air in two when it is swung. Through Celestia and Luna's timely intervention, he was defeated. But they failed to kill him. 1000 years later, He returned a second time, his power greatly diminished, and he was defeated yet again. But still he did not die. Now he has returned a third time. Stronger. Cruller. Cleverer. Only this time, his armies have emerged from hiding with him. Now King Sombra seeks revenge against those who have defeated him in the past, and to achieve his ultimate goal: To free the Titans from their prison in the depths of Tartarus, and have them destroy the entire planet.

514358

No shadow tercios? I am dissapoint...

Joking, its epic! Will be making a scenario with these guys as soon as I get home!

514396 Oh, and looking at D&D monsters gave me an idea for how PvP might work... I'm working it all out gradualy.

514430

can't wait! Will it be turn based? Like Risk?