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3877085

K replying to all of your comments here so I'll try to keep it all short.

I like the idea of having "Unique" construction units for each group, reminds me of Dawn of War 1.

The slaves are probably like the orc builders from Dawn of war, if you haven't played it basically the orcs focus on swarming with around 100x more soldiers then any other army can manage, and their builders are the same, you normally have like 10 builders in 1 builder unit compared to the normal 1 or sometimes like 2 or 3. Though the army doesn't focus on swarming id think that they are capable having a lot of CHEAP and easy to get builders at least.
The idea of making them capable of becoming temporary soldiers is also cool, if you ever get desperate

Inspiring from "Rainbow Factory"/"Pegasus Device". Most of the buildings in that story are made of Clouds which are i think manufactured in a way that allows them to be solid, where using force prevents you from breaking through it and such (though they can break, you cant like FORCE your way through it like normal clouds) So they can stand on it and use it as like walls and supports and such, allowing them to keep resources for machines and equipment. (However, apparently when a pegasus is paralyzed in that story, they loose their ability to stay on the clouds and fall through anyways, so this could mean that only pegasus are stopped by it or simply not moving at all makes you fall through and you need some slight movement to stay on it or at least a minimal amount of effort to do so, i would this its the later since then they could make walls and such out of these clouds)

I also like the idea of the Stormwing troops moving the buildings, their main cities are special for being able to move so adding that to their other buildings they make would make sense, making them the most mobile of all the armies, which is important since their low numbers makes defending themselves against a siege more costly then anything else. SO running from a siege or avoiding one all together.

Necromancy was thought to the Cult by the Laughing Mare if I remember correctly, or at least the cult was the one that found it. Personally I think even M&S wouldn't use necromancy simply because of how dark and rejected it is. Dark magic however, that would probably be used... unless Twilight still listens to most of the rules Celestia and Luna placed, so they wouldn't.

And yea, sorry for the quick reply I've been busy lately, however you might hear more of me tomorrow or at least Sunday that's coming up, then you'll probably see a reply in like 12 threads or something because I'm gonna go on a comment spree like i did when i first started XD

3878246
Seriously, they must have an equivalent of a bible or something that tells them what's right and what's wrong. Slavery wasn't abolished until the modern period, religion had no problem with it at all. I say that this is the same for the M&S, except their rules favor unicorns more. Or maybe M&S is like the three estates: Nobility, Clergy, and everybody else.

Either way, since this is a thread for discussing OC Units. Here's another one.

Firestorm Dragoons
These pegasi auxiliaries are trained with new weapons and tactics. They wield a more compact version of firespitters for maneuverability. These pegasi rain down fire from the sky, providing much needed air support for the ground forces. Their heavy protection gears are both benefit and loss to them. They have much more protection from more armor, but lose the swiftness that is the foundation of pegasi warriors. Still, it couldn't be denied that these dragoons are devastating against both land and air forces...

Dragoon

Since no one else posted their unit, and I've got another one, so...

Cyclone Riders
The Greyfeathers didn't only bring their troops and supplies to aid Stormwing. They also bought their innovations to aid their allies' ambitions, one of which are their infamous crossbows. These weapons fired their bolts with such power that could penetrate any body armor. The problem is that the trigger that releases the bolt could only be operated by talons...

Stormwing saw potential in these weapons and with the knowledge at hoof, they ordered modifications to be made so that their soldiers would be able to utilize these deadly weapons. They added a magazine that could contain up to 30 bolts, and reloading it is a simple as it can be. When the large lever on top is push forward, a new bolt will slide in and the string will be tensioned. When the lever is pulled back, the bolt would be released. They named this modified crossbow, Cyclone Crossbow...

A deadly weapon made simple, but it has a vile consequence. Its firepower is reduced drastically. It is effective only in short ranges, but this isn't much of a problem for Stormwing. Wind Riders equipped with this new weapon can rush in close and deliver their bolts unto their enemies in short notice. Some that are skilled with the weapon can fire their bolts as they perform their aerial stunts...

Repeating Crossbow, Zhuge Nu

Look! Another one!

Pit Fighters
There are slaves are forced to fight each other for the entertainment of the nobility. They are eager to pay to see ponies fighting to the death. Even though they only served for entertainment purposes, their skills in combat are real. These slave warriors are obviously more experienced and more resilient than the cannon fodders that were employed. Who knows, some commanders might be lucky enough to get a veteran of the arena. If unlucky, a mutinous one...

Gladiator

Ideas...

Fealty Knights

Not all foals whose fates turned upon them become slaves who labor away their life like the rest of the fold. A few are selected now and then to be sent to be indoctrinated as Celestial Squires to be trained in a variant of Celestial Knighthood specializing more to fidelity than any other. The location of the training ground is behind the high walls of a compound in Stalliongrad.

Although they lack any means to channel magic, these warriors are especially trained in such way that they can handle themselves well against any foe they encounter. They can be considered the elites of the slaves, both pitied and resented by most (Some choosing to twist their names into filthy) even though they are officially slaves no longer; but loyalty is what they were trained for. One can expect them to have information known only to their sole master, the Archmagister herself. Who knows what agenda she gave to these blinded soldiers under her command?

Mamluk

Where did I get all these free time?

Mirth Minstrels
Bards that traveled and sang all over Equestria, they are the instrument the cult uses to spread their teachings. Group performances by them are rare, as they prefer to travel alone. They played and sang merry tunes, encouraging those that hear them play to join the cult. The macabre music machine took away their roles in battles and skirmishes, and veteran members still resent the contraption...

Twisted Parasprites
Different from the normal ones not by appearance, but by behavior. These parasprites once devastated Fillydelphia. They were driven back into the Everfree Forest, driven even deeper as they cannot eat what they used to in their habitat. Discovered and employed by the Tribes, they are devastating against any materials that are not food products. Most of the tribes reject these parasprites, as they do not act as nature made them for. They are very limited in number, and the only pony who knows the spell the conversion of the parasprites' diet is no other than the Archmagister herself.

3893832 In regards for these units, would it be possible if i like any of them, to add them to my own world of ED? Since i will be making all my notes and stories on it public id like to have your permission first. However i'm starting to like this idea of oc-units and i might start adding my own when i think of them.

3895763
Of course! You don't really have to formally ask my permission to use these units, really. In fact, I'd be glad to see them in your notes. By the way, which units do you like? As you can see, I did post quite a few...

Also, I added references to some of the units and here's another one

Draconian Knights

Defeated, these powerful dragons now succumb to slavery like the Earth and Pegasi ponies. Members of the Serene Order of the Draconian Knights are trained with a certain school of magic which makes their pet dragons and their great powers compliant to their will. No longer will they have to fight on ground as they now ride their mighty beasts feared by many into battle. Training the aforementioned one, however, is impossible without a docile dragon tamed by the knight. Only a notable few in the order possesses their own dragon.

On the other hand, even without a dragon, Draconian Knights prove to be a formidable foe since they all harness the power of the wyrms. Though a relatively new school of magic can create unpredictable results, anyone would certainly realize in time that each and every Draconian Knight is physically much stronger than a typical Earth Pony, and they can also breath fire; some can even fly.

Quick! Before I forget!

Corpse Collector
Although less elaborate than the famous party wagon, these contraptions are made for as its name is read, collecting corpses. At basic level, they simply store the corpses they collect. Necromancers can turn those corpses into their laughing deads. If equipped with a grinder, it would crush those corpses into small chunks. These flesh and bones can be used as materials for any contraptions or drugs the cult would create.

Meat Wagon, Warcraft III
Grinder, Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge

3896501 As someone who's never played RA2, the grinder sounds like a fascinating (if slightly morbid) gameplay concept. A similar building would be right at home in the cult (or maybe even M&S).

House Stormwing Unit
Bloodfish Cleric

"Let the oceans sooth your ailments, Comrades."

Most of the deepfins have isolated themselves in their deep underwater metropolises in the north after Equestria erupted into bloody war. The Bloodfish sect of orca whales had no home to return to, however, as they left the religious persecution of those cities for the surface. In return for their clerics service in battle, these outcasts have asked for asylum with House Stormwing.

Clerics are a naval support orca unit. Their limited range and slow-but-powerful attacks make them the most cost-effective at taking out heavy naval troops, but leave them vulnerable to being overwhelmed by "spammable" units and "bomber-style" aerial attackers. Additionally, they possess the Healing Tide ability, providing other friendly troops in a large area (whether they be naval, airborne, or landbound) with gradual healing over time out of combat.

3896937
OK, there's a thing of this unit that just doesn't make sense, for me.

Stormwing is currently not connected to the ocean, they are blocked by M&S. It would make sense if St. Trottersburg defects to Stormwing though. Religious Persecutions, M&S waged war with them? How would these deepfins seek refuge to Stormwing, if they can't reach them, how would they contact them? Unless these guys got legs...

I guess I'm only capable of sending walls of text when I'm given 1:30 to 2:00 hours to write it -.-

3896398 Ok cool, then you'll probably see some of them when i release my notes. Though i like all of them, i have a few issues with some. Well with very specifique ones which are the ranged Stormwing members. Il list each one and point out the problem with them

Ice archer company: though i really like these units, the idea of them being used solely by Stormwing is kinda... weird. It makes sense, being in the north and all, however i feel like Stormwings limited resources would require them to focus more on using their money on resources, units, repairs, things like that. Especially since they are apparently expensive to hire.
One more thing about them is that they are archers.... Stormwing has this idea that ranged weaponry is cowardly and they don't really like using it. I doubt they would pay a lot to hire outsiders to then use range weapons by their side, they would probably see that as a disgrace.
My solution to this is that they might have been used once, maybe during a major battle at one point where they needed their help? Since Stormwing DOES have ranged weaponry, its just uncommon and odds are they refrain from using them unless absolutely neccesary, so these archers where used once and once only. HOWEVER, maybe years later, when Stormwing decided to finally accept ranged weaponry (since it does state in the unit pages that Stormwing is starting to accept ranged weapons) then these archers could be used more often. Its just in the first years they wouldnt be used.

Lets look at it this way, there's 4 main generations (Era? I'll just call them generations for now. Might just make a separate thread for this all together)
BD (before division),
Division: starts at year 0 or 1, don't know which one it would be. Right after the first failed ritual where the mane six separated. Factions start being created. Wars break out, etc etc etc.
AD A.K.A After Division: Factions created and fully set up after Division Mostly 5 to around 30 or so years later (normally the generation we talk about the most)
FE A.K.A Future Equestria: After the 20 year jump that yorick stated would have happened (so year like 50 or so), come up with a better name if you want
These archers where used once during AD during a major battle. Only during FE, did they start using them more often.

Firestorm Dragoons: In a way these guys are basically heavy lancers with flame throwers, which is pretty awesome if you ask me, and would be cool if the same issues the ice archers had didn't come up. Once again, range weaponry, something Stormwing would use rarely, though more often then Ice archers since its a part of their arsenal instead of being hired. However odds are we'll only start seeing more frequent use during the FE generation.

Cyclone Riders: I really like these guys, i liked the other ones but these ones are in the "really like" area, being fast close range semi automatic projectile users, it fits Stormwing very well. HOWEVER saaaammmme issue once again. Ranged.... close range ranged, but ranged none the less. HOWEVER, Stormwing would probably accept this weapon over others more quickly, since they need to be used in close combat, it could be considered honorable enough, since your right in front of the enemy when you shoot them in the face. So we might see these ones get used a little before FE, but they would still be less common then normal due to the whole "range" issue. It makes me think of "Vayne" from the game League of Legends, she has a wrist crossbow, and her style is that one of her abilities makes her roll forward a short distance, increasing the damage of her next attack after she rolls. She falls in the catagory of "Carry" or "Marksmen" which are range characters who can deliver a lot of damage quickly but are fragile, normally using their range for safety, Vayne has none of that, she rolls in there and uses her high mobility to chase down and dodge attacks while delivering some of the highest amounts of damage in the game. (If you want an idea you can click here for descriptions, however its mostly game related stuff so you will mostly only understand the Background and Pictures or Here for just a picture of her, you can see the wrist crossbow she has.

But yea Speed and Quick attacks with a close range ranged weapon (that is never gonna be easy to say) is an idea that i really like, maybe because Vayne is one of my favorite characters in the game League of legends and they simply remind me of her. But whatever, moving on.

These are the three i had this glaring problem with, which is obvious at this point, them being ranged within Stormwing. But the idea of them being used later during the FE generation is an interesting thought.

Now for the ones i really like. Expect me to use these ones (I will give credit, i don't like using ideas of others and then saying it was mine, even if you say i don't need to I'll do it anyways)

Amore's Paladin: I don't know why but I've always had a thing for Elite special guard units. those that serve and protect one high ranking member, and are unique compared to the rest. These ones being trained to protect Cadence herself (at least after they've been chosen to do so). I do wonder myself what makes them more special then other knights? Are they trained in using diplomatic kind of magic? Similar to Cadence? Allowing them to help not only in battle but in diplomacy as well? Id be impressed if not only the leader but also her loyal followers were all charismatic and diplomatic, but i wouldn't mess with them either, because one look and I could tell that their pink armor is a sign that they are specially trained, and that they are no joke. (Seriously, if ever there's a knight wearing pink, I assume instantly that they are dangerous, ever seen the pink knight from Castle Crashers??? Yea. Tbh the pink and purple armor they would have to represent Cadence would actually look really cool IMO.)

Fealty Knights: For similar reasons to Amore's Paladin. These would probably be the only Non Unicorns who are used in the army as normal soldiers, or not even normal. They could be like a special unit, raised and trained to protect the Archmagister at all cost. They would be used during very key special missions that only they would know, due to them being 100% loyal. However if you ever got into the chambers of the Archmagistrate you'd have to face these guys, and they don't take their job as a joke, they were, since birth, trained, raised, and thought to do one thing and one thing only, Protect and Serve the Archmagister.

I see these guys as a very unique idea for M&S, to use the slaves to their advantage even more, its possible this might actually all be done in secret, because High Inquisitor Trixie would have a say against this idea. However, whats the maximum age they can be to start training? I feel like, they should have little to no memory what so ever of their parents. So at a very young age, almost infant. Maybe like 1 or POSSIBLY 2 years old at the max, so that they will grow up to know one thing only. Their motto: Protect and Serve the Archmagister. So ideas of rebellion, freedom, all of that doesn't exist for them. This would make them an elite guard unit for Twilight to use. Trained since birth they are even more skilled then the knights since they didn't have to learn magic. Facing these guys can be extremely dangerous, however due to the strict age group required for them, they would only have a small number of them. There's also the compatibility issue, some of them might be born with a personality that goes against this orders ideas, in which case, a memory wipe spell and sent back out with the slaves or... possibly something a little more... gruesome. I don't see why they wouldn't chose a more gruesome method, even as foals they see them as nothing but a plague in Equestria, only born to serve Unicorns or die.

Both the cult units are intriguing me since i am working on the cult right now, the bards would have been used by Lyra Hearstring in my version only to be replaces later by the Macabre Music Machine. However I have been looking for more contraption ideas and a corpse collecting one is a really good one. (and I'm surprised i didn't think of it first )

As for the other ones, though interesting I'm not focusing on them yet. I'll come back to them later when i start working on other factions.

I Realized I actually already made OC Units for the cult without even realizing it. Or at least, variations of original ones Similar to how you have variations to the knights and such. I'll post them later tonight maybe or tomorrow.

So finally, what do you think? These were originally your ideas and id like too see what you think of all these ideas i came up with them. (Bleh, re reading this makes me realize how horrible that sentence is -.- hopefully you understand what I'm saying.) But in the end I actually like all your units except for one which are the dragon knights, but that's for a very different reason I'll get into later. For now lets focus more on the Stormwing units. One thing at a time.

3898271

So I actually took a look back at PY's Map and saw that you were right: Stormwing had substantially less coastal territory than I remembered them having. I guess I had sorta imagined them stretching far north into Canada-esque archipelagos, but the Griffin Kingdom borders them to the north, so that's not happening.

I do really want to incorporate naval units into each army (such as a pegasi-spewing "aircraft carrier" for Stormwing). Perhaps Stormwing is pushed towards the coast (or out into the ocean) after the inevitable griffon betrayal (or during the FE times, using Malenrick's notation). Or some conflict brings the theater of war out to the sea. But really, I guess I'm just covering my tracks here for not doing the research.

3898600
For the Ice Archers, I had the idea of them having a guild in Manehattan's artisan district, and Whitegold would source the ice for them. So in a way, they are Whitegold units. Stormwing just have the opportunity to employ them. I forgot to add that because I'd lost my motivation after accidentally closing it...

Firestorm Dragoons are Earthborn units. How would Stormwing source the firespitters? Also, they wear the similar equipment the firespitters used, so they aren't as heavy as a heavy lancer nor as light as a wing cannonneer...

Cyclone Riders used exactly the same mechanism the Zhuge Nu used. The problem with the crossbow in real life is that, it can only be used in short ranges, making it a perfect choice to fire from the walls down to the besiegers, and hope none of the bolts missed their marks. I've seen many arts that had griffons wielding crossbows. And since Gilda bought her expeditionary force, so does the crossbows. Stormwing has the most opportunity to reverse engineer the thing, and the Zhuge Nu's flaw is remedied by the swiftness of the wind riders. It's a win-win situation for Stormwing, but there's one problem, is Stormwing innovative enough to make the weapon in the first place..?

For Amore's Paladins, I had an idea of them being personally trained by Cadance herself. You could say that they are the most chivalrous out of the normal celestial knights. I couldn't imagine Knights engaging in diplomacy, wouldn't it be a task for actual diplomats? But being diplomatic and charismatic are both good characters. They would be elite units that would buff/raise morale of ally units. I imagined them having a shade of pink on their armor, holding the standard celestial knight's color and style...

If Inquisitors are Twilight's police, then Fealty Knights are her Personal Death Squad! Mamluks were trained from the age of 7, so the unlucky foals could possibly be the CMC's age in the canon timeline. I had an idea of them being known, notorious in fact. An open secret, the only thing they and Twilight know is their agenda, which would depend on what Twilight had assigned them to do...

Hmm, what did the Dragon Knights do...? Is it because of Spike...?

I'll be looking forward to see your OC Units!

3899150
Bro/Sis (Depending on your gender) , I've considered the aircraft carrier idea before. And I must say, those flying cities does seem like one already... just saying...

Stormwing being pushed to the ocean is definitely an interesting scenario; cloud cities over the ocean, the water surface dominated by seaweed farms, waging war with seaponies... so much things...

Getting alchemical and naval over here

Homunculi

Having understood the druidic arts taught through the many renegades of the Everfree, scholars of Canterlot have realized a terrifying concept. Homunculi are artificial lifeforms: a bonding of flesh and steel through the mythical powers of alchemy, given life through the powers arcane. Currently they may at best be mere meat shields, but they have much future potentials. With time and innovations they will be more efficient. One treasured quality they already have is that they possess a resolute loyalty hardly to be found anywhere else. If they can be cheaply mass produced, then these soulless constructs will take over the role for manual labors which are the very slaves of Moon and Star.

Lunaria Pirates

Foaledo fell to the serene light of Her Moon despite many heroic defenses and much of the Cult's presence. After the Celestial Inquisition had secured and deemed it purified, the Moon Guild was granted the entire surroundings of the region. Due to being in proximity of the Gulf of Manehattan, Foaledo is a bustling wealthy port city and a fairly large pirate hub. The presence of these pirates are not by misfortune, but by a series of Nighthoof operations plotted by Whitegold to render down the fledgling city’s order and trade: an attempt to take out a potential competition early on.

The grandmistress of the Moon Guild however turned the tables around. The foolish heathens of intrigue underestimated the power of faith. With prayers and sermons those sailors are now employed to raid ships which traverse the trade routes of the gulf. To find one or ten of them is simple, for they fly the iconic upside-down lunar crescent on their ships, and they are regularly and plentifully supplied by the eccentric contraptions of Flim Flam's Folly. Accounts from survivors state that these Lunaria Pirates are very zealous and fanatical even by their patron guild's standards. The most famous within them is renowned and dreaded to be a certain small, young pinto stallion.

Barbary Pirates

Not exactly OC...

Heart of Everfree
Having discovered this heart-shaped object as the tribes had just gathered in the past, these feral ponies have finally managed to awaken its powers. Now beating rigorously, the entire forest is now supplied with the lifeblood of nature itself. Ents and timberwolves emerged from all sides of the forest, animals became more ferocious, and of course the tribes themselves reached a mutual understanding of living in harmony with nature, and thus united under a single banner, the Everfree Tribe under the leadership of none other than Lady Fluttershy...

Heart of Stella

Hindered but unfaltered by many failures, scientists of Moon and Star have successfully created a replica of the enigmatic Heart of Everfree. Based solely on research notes and sketches from agents sent to study this object, this artificial version grants similar effects to the authentic ones. The soil of their territories will be filled with magic, the kind Earthborn farmers would die for to grow their crops. Great efficiency is the benefit of any magic cast within the heart's influence.

In its current state, however, which is this functional Heart of Stella is but a tiny fragment of its full potential. Maintained by the team responsible for it, the device is unreliable and breaks down on occasions. Due to its size no larger than a Juggernaut, it can be moved easily, though other equipment necessary to make it work are a wagon’s load. An hour is needed for its veins and arteries to complete its circulation. Patience is virtue; a magical surge will be felt by none but those whose affinity is magical such as the Unicorn Ponies. The field will be filled with magical energies, its inhabitants augmented by it including few non-Unicorns who are somewhat affiliated with magic.

Heart of Ymir

I'm sorry, but I just have to, 3898600 !

However if you ever got into the chambers of the Archmagistrate you'd have to face these guys,

Magister as in Mage, not Magistrate !!!

Sellswords
During the celestial times, the royal archaeologists studied a number of strange artifacts throughout Equestria. Officially, these artifacts are concluded to be decorative arts made during the pre-celestial times. Unofficially, they are concluded to be weapons, dangerous weapons called "Sword".
They are members of the "Sword Guild" of the artisan's district of Manehattan. They strive to find the best way to use these mysterious weapons. Thus each and every member has their own way of handling their swords, making everyone of them, in a way, unique. The sellswords are the guildmembers who would lend their skills to those who can pay their fees, mercenaries...

Just a little headcanon on this scene, might as well create a custom faction as well, eh?

3904541 Ok i couldn't resist a quick reply, though i will reply to the rest soon. This idea of where swords originate from is...fascinating. I never really thought of "swords" for some reason it felt like they should just be there however i noticed little (but my memory is off so probably none) units use swords, mostly using spears, halberds. Long weapons that can be held with both hooves efficiently enough or possible strapped to the side of their bodies so that they can use is to charge. To actually use swords themselves however, i had certain ideas, but to have some who are skilled in using it like normally. I had certain ideas of stories where certain characters used swords. Heck for me RD's main weapon is a sword. However now this is giving me ideas, i really like this Sellswords guild idea. Id like to post my ideas of how they used swords however i do not have the time to do so right now. been mostly WORKING WORKING WORKING. Thankfully my days off are coming soon soooooo i should be able to post original ideas soon.

Also i knew i missed an archmagistrate somewhere -.- i used to call her that when i saw i was wrong and tried to fix some of them, knew i missed one -.- XD

3906289
OK, I figured out another implement for these Sellswords, it would be really weird. Not really a unit, in a way.

Handy Ponies
Lyra Heartstrings was notorious for her dedicated research on the mysterious race called "Humans". Of course, these creatures only appeared in ancient records, not any fossils are found yet. The Singer of End Times has created a new spell, a revolutionary one in fact. This spell envelops the front hooves with a magic aura that extends out into five separate joints that could be moved freely, like a part of the skeleton.
To normal unicorns, these are for short grapples at best. But to the cultists, who are mostly more than capable of bipedalism, their performances are going to be more exotic from now on...

Heartstrings Comic by TriteBristle

OK, last one was pretty lame. I shall redeem myself with this!

Howitzers
Not all innovations of the Engineer's Guild were accepted by Earthborn's military due to many circumstances. These designs their engineers had poured their efforts into weren't scrapped and lost. They were kept deep in their vault, waiting for a genius to unlock its potential. Often, it's the Master Engineer herself...

These are one of the many rejected designs. Uncovered by the nighthooves, this design was rejected due to being impractical. As the saying goes, "Don't judge the book by its cover". The Earthborn didn't see the potential of this weapon. With a larger caliber than the bucker cannons, these cannons do pack a punch in exchange of short ranges due to the significantly shorter barrels. Its wonder is its ability to propel its projectiles high similar to that of the behemoth cannons...

Although, it does seemed impractical since creating makeshift mounds to angle the bucker cannons is regularly practiced by its crews. To unlock the cannon's full potential is by using another rejected design, diverse ammunition. This concept was rejected due to the lack of resources...

With Whitegold having access to countless resources, parts of the Undercity became manufactories for creating these "Howitzers" as it was named in the design. The ammunition themselves however, are manufactured in the artisan's district after an accident which the materials for creating said ammunition exploded, killing many workers...

Experimental Howitzers

OK, this one was 1714509's idea. I just take the liberty to edit it a bit a lot. I hope you don't get upset!

Whitegold Phalanxes
Using lances as weapons; no matter how they would carry it, as long as it is tightly held facing the direction intended to become a wall of spike, it would be enough. A simple task to be done by mercenaries inside said formation, charging to such walls would be both suicidal and foolishness. Most of the mercenaries employed inside the formations are newcomers to the mercenary world, due to almost no skill is needed and it has quite a contract pay. Commissioned each a lance and nothing more, these mercenaries must use the pays from their contracts to afford their own equipment, including armor...

Equestrian Sirens
The Gem Wizards of Whitegold have successfully created the Siren Amulets. These amulets feed off negative energies which is aplenty in Equestria. To feed off those energies is to passionately sing, a foal's play for the professional sirens of Whitegold. The energies gained would be converted for use in Voice Magic, making the sirens much more powerful as they gain these energies...

Whitegold needs a flyer unit, said Yorick...

- they desperately need some kind of a flyer unit to protect their airships, and generally to cover the sky above.

Meteor Marines
Assigned in every Whitegold airships are the Meteor Marines. What these marines have to make them distinct from typical pegasi mercenaries are their tactics. They would rain down swiftly from the airships. What they would do after, remains with their judgements. But there is one thing to be sure of, they wouldn't last long in prolonged fights. Lances made them unsuited for close combat unlike their distant cousins, the Heavy Lancers of Stormwing...

Basically, Uhlans.

Sea Dogs
Most of the trade commodities came by sea trade, so it is not surprising that marauders would turn to piracy, including the Diamond Dogs. The Sea Dogs are a fleet of pirate ships crewed by them. Their ships are barge-like in terms of shape, but they are also swift with their square-rigged sails...

Hardly any merchant ships would be a match against the brute force of the Diamond Dogs. Thus, they are regularly employed by Whitegold to raid enemy trade ships...

Sea Dogs

Buckaneers
Before Earthborn entered naval warfare, the buckaneers populated the shores of Colterado. Although not at all under their banner, they are often employed by the Orange Clan to combat naval threats such as blockades. The relationship between these Buckaneers and the Orange Clan is indeed, a complexity...

Their ships are large, bulky, and slow. They do not rely on the power of the wind, but instead rely on the mechanical power of the oars that drove the ships. The buckaneers usually use the intimidating presence of their ships as a distraction while they swim to the ships they would board. Rarely these ships would engage in combat with other ships, since any ships rammed by them, or "bucked by them" as they would call, to the bottom of the sea...

Buccaneers

Horsehairs
Pirates who believed in the teachings of the Cult would decorate their manes and tails extravagantly and became what is collectively known as the Horsehairs. These pirates are as vicious in melee as to be expected from the Cult. Their ships are very diverse. Rumors are, some of their special ships have monsters living inside them, or rather the ships themselves are in fact, monsters...

Corsairs

Nhorse Raiders
Hailing from the north, these raiders operated mainly on the Coast of Stars. Their ships have both a square-rigged sail and oars, making their ships very fast compared to the bulky ships used in the south. Their skills in combat have little difference to their land counterparts, the Nhorse Warriors. The Sun Batteries of Studgart were erected just for the purpose of combating these fierce raiders...

Vikings

. . .Pirates

3918616 gonna reply to this later after i post my units. Just real quick, like how you decided to go along with my idea of monster ships, especially with some having some monsters in it... possibly some ships might also be part living?

ALSO real quick, the handyponies i actually liked but in a different way... anybody thinking of something along the lines of Toymakers? anybody? Would explain how they could so craftily built complex designs, I got ideas for the Toymakers, i got plenty, and plan on sharing them soon as well. I have a LOT of free time ahead of me. And this Handy pony idea just improved them even more.

Oh and maybe the half monster half ship boats could possibly maybe somewhat slightly be connected to them? *wink wink*

3918711
Hmm, I see the hand spell as something really advanced. Wouldn't these unicorns go anthro now, eh?

I was about about to post another idea here, but I figured that it is big enough for a thread...

Colorful Fireworks
Based from the designs of the Avalanche Rocket Launchers, but functions practically different. Rather than hitting enemies right on, the rockets would launch high above and explode. The burning pieces and shrapnel from the sky itself has more chances of hitting the targets, even if they are loose in formation. Such is the consequences of allowing the Cult to gain access to such combustible materials to create such devastation...

3939274 Dammit you beat me to the whole "Shrapnel weapon" idea

(this is gonna be long)

Anyways gonna start posting my OC units, now note that I've mostly worked with the Cult, they're without a doubt my favorite factions (I LOVE creepy, insane and disturbing creatures/people/ponies/anything, sooooo its only fit for me to like the Cult). So expect mostly Cult units for the moment

(Note i like to go into a bit of detail and due to this being the Cult, expect me to describe violent imagery, like blood and gore)

Not an OC, but a little detail on some of the original units that i added that are important for my OC units. Though you can skip this whole Detail Section if you want.

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General notes: Most undead or monsters of the Cult have a "Fear Aura" that makes units nearby start feeling fear when facing them. Examples would be the Laughing Dead or the Smiling Dolls. The more "Powerful" the unit the bigger the aura, such as a Pillar of Joy would generate more fear then a Laughing Dead.

Party Cannons: They have multiple kinds of Ammunitions, the two most commonly used ones are the Cannon Ball and Confetti Ball. The Cannon balls are heavy and powerful, normally used against large units or barricades within cities. However the Confetti Balls are lighter, focusing on being launched over enemy units and then exploding into large amounts of small, sharp metal pieces, raining death upon enemy troops, but highly ineffective against non flesh units or walls/barricades.

Smiling Dolls: Some key points i added to them. One is that they act like sentries, they don't move at all until an enemy comes near, in which case they instantly turn to them and after around a second of pause, they move at incredible speeds and instantly hug their enemies. And we all know how that turns out. Second, they slightly, ever so slightly, float off the ground, never, will a smiling doll touch the ground, it is unknown how they do this however there are some key things to note, one, they can move through most terrain without problem, however the terrain must be solid or semi solid ground (so no moving over water, they WILL sink, but they don't need to breath so technically, if its not too deep(Pressure and all), they can move underwater). Another strange thing about this unique ability is that no matter how high they fall they will NEVER take any form of damage. They can fall from space if they wanted to and they would suddenly slow down before hitting the ground and then right when their about to hit it they suddenly stop, and they avoid all forms of damage this way. Even if the force should have damaged them normally, they just don't get hurt.

Pillars of Joy: Multiple sizes, increase their fear aura, also increase the influence aura (area of which the Cult can summon creatures or animate powerful creations ex: Alicorns Mockery.) Sizes are: Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Giant, Gargantuan. So far no known pillars have gotten bigger then Gargantuan.

Alicorns Mockery: The one big thing to note is that Alicorns Mockery are extremely slow but very resistant Creatures, also extremely strong. However require a lot of material (Corpses, flesh, blood, other organs or anything that's a part of a living creatures body, preferably ponies) plus either a very big Pillar of Joy (Gargantuan size) or a high level Necromancer (Like Cranky himself) to animate them.

Puppeteers: Any Laughing Dead they take control of will be enhanced, becoming similar to "Laughing Cadavers" which are an OC unit i explain below.

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Carnival Contraptions: One of the units i worked the most on are the Carnival Contraptions, due to how vague their original description is, what they can be is pretty much limitless.

Though there are multiple types of Carnival Contraptions, I've focused mostly on two different types: Military and Religious

Military

Common (sadly don't have many "Common" ones, i mostly have rare ones)

Carnival of Joy: One of the most Common Contraptions, Used to wreak destruction upon the battlefield. Armed with Many Party cannons (Usually 8), one on each side and corner, Using both Canon balls and Confetti balls. It can also carry infantry units, using a large hatch in the front that allows Cult units to enter or exit whenever necessary, this allows cult members to get close while being safe from smaller projectiles like arrows. However the Contraption must still be defended against anti-vehicle weapons. Its primary weakness is its back, which only has 3 canons protecting it and the members inside can't come to its aid quickly.

Rare Carnivals of Joy (Note these ones are very rare and are normally very dangerous to deal with, hence why they might seem OP)

Laughing Butcher: A contraption equipped with blades, scythes, and many other sharp objects while also carrying large amounts of Confetti Balls. There are Two large blades in the front, used for larger units or barricades. Smaller saws on the sides to rip through any infantry units it passes. Also behind its dragging large amounts of chains with small pieces of sharp metal or small weapons like knives to prevent enemies from approaching from behind, which is usually the contraptions major weakspot. Named after the large amounts of blood and flesh all over the contraption from all its victims. Making it resemble a butcher cutting meat. Normally only has 4 canons instead of 8 to make room for the blades.

Creeping Death: A contraption used primarily for carrying the Laughing Dead. Though mostly the same as a Common Carnival of Joy, it has one unique trait. It can store the "Fear Aura" that the Laughing Dead (or any other unit but primarily the Laughing Dead) generate. The longer it stores it, the more powerful it becomes. When the front Hatch Opens and the Laughing Dead are released, ALL of the stored Fear will be released instantly in one large burst in front of it. This effect doesn't last long however any Non Cult member within the burst will be paralyzed with fear and even the bravest that aren't will be stunned by the sudden feeling. This will give time for the Laughing Dead to reach their victims before they can react. This Burst can become EXTREMELY dangerous if left alone for too long, hence why when this Contraption is spotted, it is highly suggested to destroy it before it can store enough fear to annihilate hundreds of soldiers. When this contraption is destroyed a part of the Fear aura still escapes however it is not as concentrated and most units are trained to deal with this level of fear, only momentarily stunning them at best. These Contraptions can be recognized by the skulls and darker shading and colors on it. Plus the smell of rotting flesh if ones sense of smell has not already been blocked by the smell of corpses on the battlefield.

Religious Contraptions

There are no Common Or Rare religious contraptions, all of them are used in similar numbers

Carnival of Smiles: A Contraption built to carry large amounts of smiling dolls, used as a reminder to never betray the Cult or face the wrath of the Laughing Mare. Also a very powerful defense structure due to the number of smiling dolls on it. Sometimes, traitors and prisoners are turned into a smiling doll on the contraption itself for all to see, to entertain the members of the Cult but once again, serving as a reminder of what happens to traitors.

Village of happiness: A reminder of their goal for a happier world, this one resembles a small village full of happy joyful ponies.

Blissful Sacrifice:A contraption used to show how useful it is for Cult Members to sacrifice themselves, for materials to build Pillars of Joy or Alicorns Mockery, to create swarms of Giggling Ghost, to create more Laughing Dead or anything else. Its even possible for members to sacrifice themselves on the contraption itself. This Contraption is used sparingly to prevent too many sacrifices and possibly reducing the cults numbers too much.

Other Units

Well actually just one, however i liked the idea of these ones

Laughing Cadavers: Unique Laughing Dead that are attached to "Cadaver Carousels". These Laughing Dead are enhanced, making them more aggressive and also giving them slightly higher brain functions. Though still incapable of much, they are now able to fight using weapons and such, becoming more like normal soldiers. however lacking any technique, mostly swinging them randomly, they are also harder to take down and are stronger in general. The most dangerous version of these units is when a Laughing Cadaver is controlled by a Puppeteer, becoming a highly aggressive and powerful Laughing Dead. These variants are very fast and agile, making them hard to hit, they also boast very high strength. However the most dangerous detail is that they can now effectively use any melee weapon they find, due to the puppeteers influence, effectively turning them into undead soldiers, though maybe not as strong as elite units, they can stand up to normal soldiers just fine and have proven to be capable of surprising feats such as backflips and acrobatics, making them highly unpredictable. They are also very strong even unarmed, using basic and sometimes even advanced martial art techniques. The most suggested method to take down any Laughing Cadavers is Range weaponry, preferably fire, to stay away from their dangerous close quarters combat.

And that's everything for tonight, i have a lot of "Unique" Carnival contraptions i want to post however their not "Units" as their more "Characters". Sure their not a "Character" to say however theirs only one of each and are all part of the story of my version of ED, so i'm not sure if i should post them because their more... "Situational" or Unique. Compared to the more common Contraptions I've listed where you could have more then one.

Also wanted to post an idea based off the Handy Ponies, or at least uses the Handy Ponies idea to a degree. Or a lot, not entirely sure yet however this comment is long enough as it is that I'll leave at that for now.

And final note: I'M SO GLAD I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO POSTING ALL THIS -.- Though some might not be "OC Units" to say i found that their varied enough from the original units that they can be considered custom units at best. And i didn't know where else to put them.

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I think we should find a proper name for the Laughing Mare's Influence, 'cause I think there should be more than just plain Fear in that aura...

Confetti Shrapnel, nice... Great Idea!

I wonder, what made them float? Anti-Gravitation seems overpowered. I mean, you mentioned before that one of the tactics is that the Euphories would drop the Dolls on to the enemy. Since the Dolls don't feel pain in the first place, why bother making them float..?

Immunity to Fall Damage would mean that the legs are very tough. And since their legs are mechanical, it wouldn't be a surprise that their legs are virtually fine after falling from the sky...

The Alicorn Mockery is vary interesting actually. They may look like an abomination that serves as a crawling tank unit at best, but I think there's more to it. All those horns, what if they can... use them? Also, they should be able to fly for a short time too. Those wings seem technically flyable...

So my Corpse Collector is basically the Laughing Butcher and the Creeping Death combined..?

For the Carnival of Smiles, I imagined a name that has "Dolls" in it. You know? Maybe the main facility that made them would be called "The Doll Factory"..?

I have no idea what the last two looks like; the Village of Happiness and the Blissful Sacrifice...

So it's like this; Laughing Deads are normal zombies at best when controlled by a novice necromancer. A skillful one can manipulate them to be on par with normal ponies. An expert would surpass the normal line. The Laughing Cadaver then, is powerful due to over-exposure to the Influence from the Carousel. Making them normally a buffed version of the Laughing Dead. And when controlled by experts like the Puppeteers, they shouldn't be underestimated...

3944706 WARNING, EXTREMELY LARGE WALL OF TEXT. THIS WILL TAKE TIME TO READ, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. skip to the bottom if you want to see the OC unit i made and ignore the large explanation to all my other units in my last comment.

The Cult still has many mysteries about them, these notes I'm writing are somewhat like somebody else within the world of ED (possibly far into the future, like a historian or something) is writing everything they know about the units, though its not perfect since i still want to get much of the information out, some of the creatures or units in ED will have less info due to this pony not knowing as much about them. Due to the mystery of the Cult, he can only write as much as hes seen within battles. SO i can keep working with a mystery feel to it that the Cult SHOULD have, however i can still give enough information that people will understand the units and such clearly enough.

There's two key auras that are created naturally throughout the Cult, which some units spread more then others, Fear aura, which of course generates fear within their enemies, one of the Cult primary tactics is to use fear to weaken their enemies. And the Cults Influence (can't think of a name), which is where they can summon key units, animate more powerful ones, gain more power, things like that, the greater the influence the stronger the Cult due to how they are more connected to the Laughing mare herself within these areas. Though most units spread the fear aura, few actually spread the Influence. The key structure that does spread this influence is the Pillars of Joy, i probably have a different way of looking at these structures then most people so I'll have to get into more detail another time.

TBH i never actually thought of what might actually make the Smiling Dolls float but i have a vague idea of what i want to do with it, its not a "natural" power though, as in something the dolls did themselves or their creators, something else made them start floating.

It's not that they don't feel pain and float that makes them good for the falling tactic, its that the way i picture them is, due to the fact that they float, they can move at high speeds without being slowed down by the terrain, their ability to instantly lock on to a target and then zone in on them at high speeds makes them perfect for the whole fall from the air and wreak havoc tactic they use, the floating and lack of pain just really helps with it.

I was worried about the fall damage thing, since even though they never actually hit the group when falling, no matter what, the sudden stop they have before hitting it can be just as deadly, glad to see there's actually an explanation as to how they can do it, without having to resort to the more unknown magical kinda feel their floating has.

The Alicorns are highly broken and beat up, twisted in strange angles and such, their wings don't even have to be perfectly on their back, their main power comes from them being EXTREMELY, and i seriously mean like near to impossible, to stop. They can take such a high amount of punishment its ridiculous, also the large fear aura they have makes it even more difficult to fight them. Having a separate ability would be cool, i do see it as a bit OP at that point but hey its already extremely difficult to animate one in the first place so i wouldn't be surprised if they were more powerful. As for flying, like i said, odds are the wings would be broken and highly damaged, they could possibly do short flights to get around quicker but nothing long, those wings wouldn't last forever basically.

And i didn't even think about it but yea, the Corpse Collector would, in my version of ED, be a unique super contraption (like the ones i hinted at in my comment but didn't post) that's a mix between both the Laughing Butcher and Creeping Death contraptions, capable of both killing and harvesting bodies only to then be re animated and used to fuel the Fear burst that the Creeping Death can use. Didn't even realize that, funny since i came up with those two way before you posted the Corpse Collector, interesting how things work out.

I've always been terrible with names so i kinda make place holders while waiting for some form of inspiration for better ones, or simply ask people what they think, its just that "The Doll Factory" isn't a "Fun" sounding name, which for the Military ones isn't required, however for the religious ones it should be something more "fun" to entertain the Cult members. However i'm up for more suggestions.

I was seeing the Village of Happiness being a mobile kind of stage, a large platform with small little houses on it that actors could go inside and wave out the windows and such, smiling and pretending to talk and have fun with the other ponies, similar to how villages used to be, something along those lines at least, a reminder of better times, and what the Cults goal is in the long run. Of course, there would be a little "Cult influence" on the decor of the houses and such buuuut you get the general idea. As for Blissful Sacrifice, most likely something along the lines of a small ritual like contraption, with a set up that ponies could walk over to a specific spot and kill themselves there and then for the Cult, maybe a trapdoor or something could then put the body inside the contraption for the next pony to come up, while one of the higher members of the Cult could be preaching on it. I came up more with the ideas of "What they do" and not "How they do", gonna have to work on the whole "How they do" portion of these guys, including their looks and such.

"Controlled" is a little... difficult to say, their not controlling them directly to say, more of so they're the ones commanding them. However yes, the more Influence the Cult has in the area + the necromancer involved will their animation, the stronger they are. Though to make the Enhanced ones, that requires either a highly skilled necromancer or another form of enhancement. Animating the Laughing Dead requires energy to do, the more you animate, the less you can focus on each one, and so animating larger groups would mean less powerful Laughing Dead (though there IS a minimum to how weak a laughing dead can be, which is a shambling slow walking corpse, the most common version). Even Cranky Doddle himself can only make a dozen of the Elite Laughing Cadaver before using up all his strengths. That's just how hard it is to animate such a powerful being. That's why units like the Carousel come in handy, as these power the Laughing Dead attached to it to make them more powerful.

Puppeteers on the other hand, are actually different. They don't "Animate" the Laughing Dead, they actually can't bring back the dead at all. Instead what they do, they take direct control of them. Like puppets. This is why Puppeteers are a higher tier unit in my world, they can be very devastating. Their highly intelligent, good strategist, geniuses. Their very unique compared to most Astral Creatures which so far, appear to be more large brute force creatures, or at least more monster like. So basically, the Puppeteers are strategist, they take direct control of the Laughing Dead themselves, and while in control of them they can make them stronger and more skilled, a Puppeteer can actually control over hundreds of Laughing Dead at once, actually, there's no limit, however they start having trouble controlling all of them separately once they reach a certain limit, and to make highly skilled Laughing Dead, they need an already enhanced one so that its body can physically accomplish the more advanced techniques. Its actually a common strategy to put 2 or 3 Carousels around a Puppeteer so that any enemy that gets close has to deal with around 30 Elite Laughing Dead at once, making them extremely dangerous, however the moment the Puppeteer is killed, all of the Laughing Dead revert to their normal state, making them easy picking for most soldiers. Hence why their such a high priority target. Puppeteers however are almost useless without any Laughing Dead around, or any necromancer to animate them, due to how fragile they are, their only defense are 2 large blade like scythes on their legs (or are literally their legs, either or works due to how they seem to float.) however, compared to Grinning worms and such, these guys are very fragile and weak, making them easy to kill from afar, even with arrows. Their also very rare due to how you need a highly skilled summoner to summon them (and in my world, a large amount of "Influence" within the area as well). They can also control the living but that's a whole different subject that's not related to the Laughing Cadavers in any way so i won't get into that.

Basically imagine a highly intelligent general that can directly control his units, and with its brilliant mind, make them all fight better at the same time.

I'd really like to continue with the Puppeteers but I've already gone far enough with them that the rest should be discussed either by PM or in the Cults discussion thread.

To make the whole laughing dead enhancement thing even more clear, lets say there's around three stages.

Normal: Slow, shambling, clawing and biting, basically, the equivalent to zombies without the whole "Bite and your infected" thing

Enhanced: Highly skilled Necromancer or other forms of Enhancements like the Cadaver Carousel (Even Cranky Doddle himself has a hard time creating more then a few dozens or so). Stronger and faster, however lacks any form of advanced techniques, swinging weapons aimlessly at best, however, still much more dangerous then the normal ones and caution should be taken around them. Especially in high numbers.

Elite: The most powerful Laughing Dead, can ONLY reach this state if they're already Enhanced and are being directly controlled by a Puppeteer. Surprisingly, very skilled, capable of using advanced techniques with most weapons, stronger and more powerful then ever, these are equal and possibly stronger then most soldiers, and, if a powerful Puppeteer is controlling them or the Laughing Dead were greatly enhanced (possibly due to a mix of both the Carousel and A highly skilled necromancer), they can be a threat to highly skilled warriors. The only known necromancer that can possibly animate these without a Puppeteer is Cranky himself, and only a few at best.

Necromancers can Animate the first two, while Carousels will turn normal into Enhanced (or slightly increase the power of already Enhanced ones), while Puppeteers can increase the stage by one. (Normal ---> Enhanced or Enhanced ---> Elite).

There are also "different levels" of each stage, like how an Enhanced Laughing Dead attached to a Carousel will be somewhat stronger then an Enhanced one without one, however, they wont be as strong as an Elite. (so like, Enhanced+ or something.), while and Enhanced+ with a Puppeteer will make something along the lines of an Elite+ (Strongest of the Laughing Dead, Rivaling elite soldiers). It's not perfect but think of each thing stacking on top of one another to make the Laughing Dead more on more powerful, increasing in stages when the requirements are met

Now this is already long but this wouldn't be an OC unit post without a new OC unit. So i decided to go along the lines of the Handy Pony idea you had but with a mix of the Toymakers with it. Hopefully you don't mind me changing the story a bit

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Handy Toys
The worth of an item changes depending on the eyes looking at it. Thankfully, we have many sets of eyes.
-Dr. Crimson Steel

The Toymakers are a strange group, few know of where they come from, fewer still know of exactly what they are, however all know that they are the ones that invented most of the Cult's creations, weapons, and anything else. These ponies find their inspiration in the idea that nothing is useless, the worth of something is different to everyponies eyes, and the Toymakers believe that everything can be useful.
When Prophet Lyra Heartstrings invented her spell to create what is now being called "Hands", the Toymakers took great interest in this. When Lyra finally gave up on the spell, one Toymaker, known as Crimson Steel, decided to start researching these "Humans", when he found out how the hands were made, he started working on re creating these hands without the use of magic. Eventually other Toymakers took interest and decided to aid in his creation. Due to disagreements, the group separated into two smaller ones, both of which eventually created their own variation of the hands.
Chemical, with a special potion, they can grow and extra limb on their bodies, known as "Arms", with hands at the end, this process is more permanent and requires little maintenance due to it being a part of their body. With some adjusting, these can become really precise and help tremendously when building things. The drawbacks are that the mutation itself is quite painful and strains the body heavily, there's a small chance of death whenever one tries the potion, and so far, they can only add one limb, anymore and it over works the body, killing the pony. Also these arms cannot be easily fixed and if dismembered, like any other limb, they cannot be replaced. Even with the limb off, taking another potion to replace it will kill the pony.
Mechanical, these ponies built metal versions of the arms that attach to the side of the ponies body, though not as fine or as precise as the Chemical ones, these ones have no limit to how many can be attached to one pony, as long as that pony is skilled enough to use them all. These hands however require continuous maintenance, but can be fixed easily and replaced if ever they are damaged. They also lack the chance of death which many ponies prefer.
At the moment, the reception of these new Toymakers named "Handy Toys" are mixed within the Toymakers group. However none truly oppose the idea and most do see their use. Mechanical ones are more well received due to it being less dangerous and more reliable in terms of managing them. However the more braver or insane Toymakers are willing to take the chance and use the Chemical one for a more precise and useful arm.
It is still being debated if this new creation should be released outside of their factory, for a couple reasons. One, if they are to use it for military purposes, it is unknown if the ponies could master these new limbs, its highly unlikely the Mechanical ones would be of use and so they must use the Chemical ones, which not only have a chance of death but take large amounts of time to adjust to having, also using the arm for small slow precise movements is one thing, using it for faster stronger and more physically taxing actions is another. Second, this creation could be taken by their enemies, and can cause more trouble then good in the end.
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And that's everything, once again I'm sorry i write such large walls of text, i just can't help myself, and once i get into explaining something i tend to go a bit overboard. No matter what the subject is. (I've been writing this for around 2 hours or so now O.o , with only small breaks here and there.)

3946652
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How about calling it, "Mania" ? It means madness, and it's got some happy tune to it. Perfect Chemistry...

Psychological Warfare is their specialty afterall. Now, I have no idea how the aura would work. Maybe the Toymakers made a device that emits the aura? Oh, OH; how about the immunity from the aura would be measured by how much Mania one has. Of course, cult members' are high enough to be immune from it...

The high speed floating one is already filled in, the Giggling Ghosts... Watch Out for This One!!!

I dunno, I just find one of their unique traits [ Although, they do have many of them ] is the sound of their pointy mechanical legs hitting the ground as they move, or sprint. No need for the fear aura; with the right atmosphere, that would surely creep everyone out, knowing that hedgehog's dying for a hug..!

You better copy the Canon Material to the Cult's Thread, this is for OCs...

The Cult isn't all about fun, you know? I was listening to this when I read on the Cult, and that's my first impression on them. Like oil and water, they are both Melancholy and Laughter. Those two doesn't mix together. Something like that...

"Doll Factory" has an eerie tune to it, but the "Factory" part made it sound industrious. I was thinking of "Doll Workshop", but that would be similar to the "Toymaker's Workshop" which I find most fitting for them insane engineers...

So the Village is a stage, that fits in really well..!

For the Blissful Sacrifice, how about some similarities to the Aztec temples? Those sacrificial altars? But instead of just a trapdoor, the body would roll down along the stairs, then straight into the storage, or a grinder...

So that's what you did with the Handy Ponies... Hey! How about the Spell version being used in M&S areas, the Chemical within the Everfree, and the Mechanical within Earthborn..?

Hand Spell... Hand Potion... Hand Gear... Can't figure some good names out...

Although, Handy Toys is a good general name for them...

Here's something that popped into my mind while looking into the dolls...

Bisque Dolls
Whitegold has always been fond with the foreigners' Porcelain, and so does the Cult. Bisque Dolls are a variation of the infamous Smiling Dolls made in the Undercity; neither from grown mares nor stallions, but foals. Their appearances are generally very innocent, to the very point of disturbance. When they hug any unlucky ones, they won't loosen their grips. They are fragile, but that is their main function. If they are to be broken, the Cult's brews would be released in a large area, affecting anyone who consumes it...

3947934
Ok for the more canon unit related stuff I'll stop there, or else its just gonna go way off topic. I'll probably PM you or something, i don't know how to transfer the information from one thread to the next without copy pasting everything, which would make one REALLY large comment. Probably wanna avoid that. Especially considering i went way overboard with everything, like always.

Now for the Contraptions, your right its true that the Cult isn't just fun. Hence why Creeping Death is the name of one of the contraptions. However in my head i had thought of how the Cult members wouldn't try to scare each other, only their enemies. Simply forgetting why the Carnival of smiles or Doll Factory or whatever name we agree on, exist in the first place, to scare the Cult members and make them fear betraying the Cult. So yes, a creepier name would actually work in this situation. Forgot the purpose of one of my own creations, hands of applause to me. Sadly can't think of a creepy doll like name for it at the moment.

I'm liking the idea of a temple like setting for the Blissful sacrifice, but of course it wouldn't resemble the temples, it would have the Cults touch to it, probably being more colorful a bit, more fun. Because this is one of the contraptions that wants to invite the members, not scare them away, it wants to make them think that sacrificing themselves for the Cult is a good thing, not make them fear doing it. Also, i like the idea of a grinder being at the bottom cutting every corpse to pieces however... i feel like, they would keep the corpses in case they have to make Laughing Dead or something along those lines.

Now time for the Handy Toys

Though i personally like my idea of the Handy Toys being a toymaker only kinda thing (story related reasons), being used in the other factions is very possible. Especially the ones you pointed out. M&S have the magic capabilities, Everfree have the Zebra tribes, druids, other forms of potion brewing. and Earthborn has the technological advancements to make the Mechanical arms. Heck i even pointed out the fact that the other factions could take the idea and use it themselves, hence the debates on using it outside of the WORKSHOP (i think i went a bit to far there but seriously, i need to remember my names a bit better, unless you came up with that name, either way Workshop sounds better then factory). The Toymakers in my world understand the concept of how its possible for anything to be turned into something if the right mind thinks hard enough about it. So their very careful with which invention they allow outside of the workshop.

One problem would be the controversy that such a creation would bring. Would M&S be willing to possibly "taint" the unicorn race with such spells. Everfree might not be happy with messing with the natural balance of the pony race with such creations. However Earthborn would probably be right on board with using them because their not a permanent change if their Mechanical. Also for names, I'm at a lost at the moment, i need a lot of time to think of a single name so can't help you out with this at the moment.

For the Bisque Dolls, love it. Somewhat. It feels a little, unfinished, guess it was an idea that popped into your head and you simply wanted to get it out before forgetting about it. Nonetheless i like it. Probably because disturbing creepy children are my favorite type of horror. It's interesting how its only within the Undercity however, does this mean they are only found there or are they simply made there and then sent out to other Cult groups? (considering we seem to be on the same page when it comes to there being separate Cult groups all working together, each with their own unique variations)

When you say they won't loosen their grip, does this mean that, unlike normal smiling dolls which, normally kill the pony outright but if not, one could break free of their grasp, these ones would instead be near to impossible to break off? If so that's a good thing considering their smaller more fragile nature. Now for the whole Cult's brews thing, exactly what would be inside these Bisque Dolls? For a fast suicide unit, they must have a devastating effect for it to be worth making them over normal Smiling Dolls, which would just outright kill the pony it grabs.

And one final question (you can tell i like something when i want this many details on it, sorry ). If we do use this whole group thing, would this be one of the major groups with one of the prophets there? (id say so since it IS the undercity were talking about) and if so, which one? I'm thinking Pokey Pierce, he comes off as a more "Elegant high class" kind of pony, different from the rest (each one has some sort of clear style from what it seems) I find it be perfect, considering hes full of mystery, something fitting for Whitegold, and for me he just cries out WHITEGOLD. Though i guess Lyra could also be a possible candidate for this as well. This is all assuming you like the idea of the whole different groups and prophets having their own groups and such. I just like making different OC units for the Cult each have a unique group they came from. (Also sorry if i forgot what Pokey Pierce's new name is. I'm just going along with the list that Yorick gave us and forgot you had corrected me at one point)

Sadly, don't have an OC unit this time, gonna start thinking of some outside of the Cult however, considering i hit a snag with my notes for the Cult and i should probably focus on something else for the moment until i can think of something for the Cult again.

I was working on a Tech Tree for Whitegold (heavily inspired by the ones in Starcraft, Warcraft 3, and Age of Mythology), and I had an idea relating to an "ultimate" late-game superweapon unit in the same category as the zeppelin fan unit by bylisboa (and one that could possibly work in conjunction with 0_Alpha's Tunnel Network idea in the "God Powers" thread).

I know this is a late-game superweapon, but hopefully this doesn't sound too overpowered!

Diamondback
"Ze quakemaker has arrived."

Heavy ground siege and support superweapon.

One of Whitegold's more surprising "acquisitions" from a particularly prosperous Diamond Dog tribe were schematics for crude tunnel-drilling machines, designed by the dogs to find gem veins. An elite few military engineers were hoof-picked by General Fancy Pants to improve these designs into a clean and reliable tunneler, providing Whitegold with invaluable tunnel networks for their spies and saboteurs. The Diamondback was the result of this reverse engineering, and while they're far too expensive and require an advanced tech support network to be deployed en-masse, they can open devastating strategies for commanders with access to them.

Only one Diamondback can be fielded per commander. In terms of late-game superweapons, while Zeppelins provide direct offensive airborne assault power, Diamondbacks are more of a subversive "spellcaster" support. Their most valuable ability allows them to burrow their way underground past nearly any natural obstacle and unload their troops in unsecured areas. Additional abilities include Undermine, which does gradual damage to buildings in a large area, and Earthstorm, which ejects debris in a large cloud and reduces visibility to enemy ground units underneath. These abilities are pending on how much "energy" they have, which gradually regenerates over time or can be recovered from attacking buildings (enemy or your own) with the Diamondback's Mulch attack.

However, compared to Zeppelins, Diamondbacks are slower and easily surrounded, and their standard attack is only particularly effective on buildings. Optimal usage of it means supporting it with units and retreating it when necessary.

Selected:
"I see you tremble with anticipation."
"She hungers, Command."
"All systems stable."

Action:
"Clearing a path."
"Plotting trajectory."
"Gangway!"

Attacking:
"This is not a drill!"
"Sacre BOOM."
"Prepare to be paste."

Stop Poking Me:
"Take chances. Make mistakes. Get messy."
"Secret, but fun!"
"...But everything changed when the Whitegold Nation attacked."
"You probably haven't heard of them. They're way underground."
"That...that wasn't my fault."
"But I thought you wanted mining!"
"I knew I should've taken that left turn at Al-buck-querque."
"Has anyone seen Carl?" [Horrible grinding sound.] "...Oh...o-oh my goodness."

3949118
Well, they could add the grinder if they want materials for whatever they're gonna do with all the globs...

The Formula for the Hand Spell might be so abstract, that even Twilight find it hard to translate...

The Hand Potion might be some sort of virus. When the host dies, they would rapidly eat the host's body and disintegrates, leaving nothing behind...

The Hand Gear is tricky. Biometrics are too advanced for medieval fantasy, even if it's magic... A self destruct mechanism based around the heart's pulse then? When the user's heart stops, the gadget would self destruct..?

Yeah, the dolls were kinda rushed. Truth be told, they scared me sh!tless when I was a kid. I couldn't even glance at any doll for weeks..!

Why the Undercity you ask..?

Well, European Porcelain were influenced by Chinese Porcelain. Bisque Dolls are made from the former porcelain. I don't remember seeing any stuff made out of that material in the canon show...

So with that, we can assume that Whitegold imported Porcelain from wherever they made them. The Undercity Cell then would have the most opportunity to gain access to the material. Save Baltimare for later explanation below...

It wouldn't be pretty if there are spikes on the porcelain. If the threat's not on the outside, then it's in the inside. They could fill those dolls with anything. Economic-wise, they could possibly be used for smuggling. The guards would thought they were actual dolls..!

Deriving from the Factions List I made, I put Royal Pin as the leader of the Baltimare Cell instead of the Undercity Cell due to one, obvious reason. He's the rumored founder of the Jesters of Baltimare...

3950349
A tunnel digger... Something on par with Earthborn... Connections..?

I'm interested in the name. Why did they name it Diamondback..?

There are three animals that are named Diamondback - Snake, Turtle, and Moth... Each having their own unique traits that would prove to be devastating as a superweapon. A fast tunnel borer shaped like a snake, with heavy armor like a turtle, or the camouflaging abilities of a moth..?

Don't tell me, all of them..?

3950653
Yeah, since Whitegold canonically was able to reverse engineer Earthborn firearms into the arquebus, it probably wouldn't be out of the question for them to "borrow" tech from Earthborn heavy machinery to use in a tunneling siege tank. It is overlapping a little with tech unique to Earthborn, as heavy "dirty" siege machinery is mostly their department, but I figure the Diamondback would have a different feel, with clean ornate armor in bright colors and look something like an elegant steam train crossed with a tunnel boring machine and/or roadheader.

The "Diamondback" was one of a few different names I had for the vehicle, and I wanted something that referenced Diamond Dogs or digging in a manner. I was mainly thinking of the snake when I named it, but I guess by pure coincidence. it also kinda fits moth-wise (for its burrowing subterfuge and dirt-spewing abilities) and turtle-wise (heavy armor). It was initially a "placeholder" name, but I might end up keeping it. :D

Also, I will respond to the rest of this thread in time. I just haven't had time to have a good read.

3951031
So it is all of them..!

Book Worms
One of the many kinds of vile conjured of the Cult, these Book Worms are distant cousins of the Grinning Worms. Their meals are inks, either drawn or sketched. While savage ones would prefer eat everything on the page, intelligent ones would be able to manipulate the documents to something more preferable for the Cult's cause..

Acid Clouds
The volcano at Dragonpoint produces smokes that would've been ridden off by Pegasi Weather Teams for safety reasons. These clouds would form Acid Rain that is very dangerous in the long run. A facility at Dragonpoint Outpost is now devoted into concentrating the clouds with these smokes to yield faster results in their effects on structures and possibly, flesh. But the process is slow, and hoplites need to wear specialized equipment upon handling these clouds...

Undercity Rabbles
Hardened by experiences of living in the Undercity, these ponies have one thing in common, poverty. Each would only want a few bits for their services, cheap pay is better than nothing at all. Foreign agents often attempt bribing them to revolt, but the Nighthooves never let this trick slip through...

Knightmares ~Code Geass~
Members of the "Order of the Night", one of the first knightly orders to be formed under the Moon Guild. Lunar Knights with the potential to be Nightmares would join this order. They are as zealous as they are deadly. Possessing both the discipline of the Knights, and the ethereal form of the Nightmares; their numbers are few, but are all valuable assets in the eyes of the grandmistress...

Sun Dogs - Moon Dogs ~The puns are just too good~

A mercenary army of Diamond Dogs devoted to the teachings of the Celestial Sisters, these canines tend to be more swift than their conventional counterparts while still retaining their iconic ferociousness. Their speed guarantees them their responsibility at the formation's flank as Legionnaires of the center endure their generally uncalled-for spotlight. A common tactic they use is to abandon their pre-assigned position on their own accord and rush the enemy's flanks.

This natural phenomenon have convinced some commanders to take this factor into consideration almost like a habit when having them to fight alongside with in battle. Those who have dealt with them on more than several occasions however would know that most of them are compliant, so those commanders simply just treat them normally the same as common soldiers. Despite their zeal and faith to the Celestial Sisters, they are looked upon with suspicion by many due to their aforementioned cousins who are all primarily employed by Whitegold.

Midnight Suns

Years ago, when the guilds were more friendly with one another, a collaboration between the two contributed to one of the many projects of the Canterlot Arcanists, Project Midnight Sun: an intricate arcane device capable of projecting a special kind of light possessing both the nature of the Sun and of the Moon. The device requires an immense amount of magical energy to function. To wake it up, a specialized ritual has to be done to channel power into the device. When it has woken up, the spherical machination would levitate high into the sky, shining its light all over to its surroundings.

Midnight Suns allow the followers of Her Sun and Her Moon to fight together with their greatest potential to bear to their foes. Indeed that early successes on their campaigns are to be credited to the unity brought by the Midnight Suns shone on those days and nights. That unity has long faded however, the complex schematic of the device mysteriously burned away along with the innovators who created it. Only the original twelve remained, three rendered useless after attempts to understand the inner workings of the device thrice failed. Midnight Suns now rarely experience battle as, other than the fact that the Sun Guild and the Moon Guild usually refuse to work together, these endangered devices are best kept and maintained as relics of the past. Maybe the time will come when Midnight Suns will shine its radiance again across the battlefields of Equestria Divided.

Pitcher Pitfalls
Be wary when treading the Everfree, for underneath its soil, death awaits. Rumor has it that a certain part in the Everfree is rich in nutrients. Little did they know that those are lures for those unwary of the existence of certain carnivorous plants. Wild Rose often lure individuals to these plants. The prey would fall and be eaten by the plant. In return, the plant would give the tribe the fluids it managed to extract, for alchemical uses...

3984872, ...not sure how to reply to this...

If they're not units, but an organization, you should post the complete work here...

Seems more appropriate...

3981317
Oooh, nice idea! Fortifications/defenses are probably the hardest thing to think up for House EF.

Continuing my theme of late-game elite/heavy units:

Stormwing Unit
Helepolis
[Unintelligible reptilian noises]

The humming, lightning-slinging towers these massive tortoises carry into battle were based on weather scientists' failed attempts at storm-powered power plant to power Stormwing's forges. Now properly grounded and redirected as a weapon, these lightning batteries have a greatly reduced chance of accidental discharge or explosion. Stormwing veterans, however, still love to scare new recruits with stories of Helepoli mishaps and charred corpses.

Helepoli are great for punishing enemy commanders relying on armies of cheap, clumped-up units. They don't have much range, but they can attack both land & air units and deal high amounts of "splash" damage to adjacent enemy units. However, Helepoli also large and slow, which can allow long-ranged enemy troops or spellcasters to whittle down their defenses before they can maneuver through the battlefield to get in range.

4051899
Well well well! If this ain't an interesting unit..!

So we are going with greek names for Stormwing, huh..?

Credit: Egmason (Evan Mason)

Military Animal is expected in Everfree, but not Stormwing. Where did they source the tortoises if that was meant literally..?

Basically, a huge siege tower with lots of large dischargers, nice. It would make a great end-game superweapon for the ground guards...

Slowness is not usually associated with Stormwing, but that's not much problem. The concept of Siege Towers would definitely work best for Earthborn...

4054108
Yeah, naming seems the hardest thing for me creating these units, but Stormwing already had the Greek theme in place with the Hoplites, so I went with that. Other tenative names included "Immortal," "Storm Tortoise," "Immortoise," "Myrmidon," "Stormortal," "Tortmortal," etc.

And yes, I did imagine Stormwing Helepoli as basically electrical towers on top of giant armored war tortoises. Massive military beasts actually seem to be a fairly common shared unit type in PY's canonical units (EF has Hydras, M&S has Ursa, SW has Rocs, etc.), so I didn't feel it was out of the question for SW to employ giant war tortoises. The whole fact that it's a slow land unit does make it stick out a little bit when compared to the high mobility and flight that's the norm with most of SW, but I figured SW needed more grounded troops with less-stellar mobility for the sake of "faction balance." Otherwise, commanders fighting SW would focus solely on anti-raider anti-air.

Besides, maybe SW has some sort of way to ferry their ground units around to still give them mobility. Cloud troop transports? Magical teleporting cyclones? Support units that could buff ground units with temporary flight?

4054750
That still didn't answer the question of where they get the turtles... Maybe imported from somewhere, maybe..?

Apart from being trained to be swift, I think the ground guards might have a very advanced logistics. Being already mobile aside, they might be taught to forage as well. They would leave their slow units behind to march faster. I mean, having them using the weather just sounds too advanced...

For the whole Tortoise thing. Though yes, Alpha DOES bring up multiple good points and i also thought "Giant ground unit? That isn't really Stormwing" however, then i realized., you went with the whole idea that Rainbow Dash has a pet turtle in the show right? Tank. if there's a way to make this work. Then it would be EXTREMELY fitting due to Rainbow Dash having Tank as a pet.

As for controlling the weather... um, its not too advanced for a Pegasus focused faction. Maybe the tortoise don't control the weather themselves but have pegasus units nearby ready to create storm clouds of something, then have units within the machine possibly controlling it to "Redirect" the lighting they shoot. Pegasus can control lighting to a degree and due to the size of this thing, odds are the lighting would strike it then, it would redirect the lightning to shoot out wherever they want it to. Remember that Ground units are not alone, they HAVE pegasus with them. Heck their being led by Pegasus. It says so in their description. So the ground units don't use the weather, they simply help the Pegasus focus it onto a single key spot and possibly amplify it a lot, one giant stream of lightning is very devastating against a large squads over a bunch of smaller more widespread lighting that you have little control over.

Due to this being a ground unit. It wouldn't be used offensively, heck it just screams for defensive strategy. Having a giant powerful AOE tower discourages units from getting close to it, especially if you know that trying to send an army there will only get them all fried by lightning instantly. Its perfect for the Ground guards end game unit, since the ground guard are used for defensive purposes anyways.

Now of course, we still have the whole problem of "Where they came from". I doubt there was enough time for eggs to have hatched or something due to tank and such? There are a lot of rivers and such in Stormwing territory however, I'm not sure how turtles work. But if i remember correctly, they live in oceans, not lakes and rivers. Which would means they don't have a supply of large turtles anywhere. Maybe from the east? where there are no factions who own that place. so maybe they use things like Cloud transporting systems and such to get giant turtles from the oceans all to way back to their territory? a long and difficult process, which would explain the low numbers (its a end game unit so I'm guessing there's only a few of them.) Dunno, it be too bad if this was "Impossible" since its surprisingly fitting for Stormwing if you think about it. Even if its a giant slow tower unit.

4059980

: After reading through the Helipoli again, I realized that I imagined it wrong. When I first saw the name Helopolis, I immediately thought of the siege tower above. But what 4054750 describes seems to be something smaller. Frankly, I was thinking of an actual tower mounted on a giant tortoise...

Credit: Aircraftkiller, DeviantArt

: Basically, a whole lot of these on the turtle's shell, possibly looking like spikes coming out of it. This is way better than I imagined! Maybe Tank is the only or one of the few that can fly with that on! Now, I have no idea on how to explain why Tank would grow that large, genetics..?