STYGIANS

The Stygians are a faction of intelligent marine humanoid creatures made up of various different species. All are native to the planet of Octanor, which is covered by a single ocean that engulfs the majority of the planet. Each species has evolved to survive the harsh ocean in their own unique way, but the faction is led by the most powerful which have organized themselves into three separate tribes. Although they were frozen in time during Octanor's recent planetary eclipse, human terraforming activity has warmed the planet and melted the ice. The Stygians have been revived from their frozen state and now fight to defend their planet's ecosystem.

The most cunning and influential Stygians belong to the Sephalo tribe. Its members are a species who have evolved superior intelligence and they have used this intelligence to dominate trade, technology, and diplomacy on Octanor.

The most resourceful and resilient Stygians belong to the Coralius tribe. Its members are a species who have evolved from the native corals of Octanor and they possess regenerative abilities that they use to dominate agriculture and architecture on Octanor.

The most brutal and combative Stygians belong to the Kharkhar tribe. Its members are a species who have evolved extreme predatory instincts and a fast metabolism that drives them to hunt to satisfy their relentless hunger. Their large and muscular bodies allow them to dominate through violence on Octanor.

Formations & Unique Feats

Sephalo Tribe

Members of this tribe are extremely intelligent and are the most technologically advanced of the tribes. They also foster fervent religious beliefs in connection with the tribal relics on Octanor and the spirits they associate them with. They act as the guardians of these relics and their minds have developed an affinity for channelling their power.

Coralius Tribe

Slow thoughts and movements characterize the members of this tribe. Although preferring a pacifist lifestyle, they are more than capable of defending themselves from predators and enemies. Their talent for cultivating coral and utilizing its regenerative characteristics allows them to naturally heal their bodies.

Kharkhar Tribe

The ravenous warriors that belong to this tribe are driven by overwhelming hunger to fight and consume anything they can. They are apex predators in the ocean of Octanor with the strength and size to dominate all but the toughest of adversaries. When they sense blood in the water they enter a violent frenzy that few can survive.

Faction Rule - Tidal Flow

Superior Soul

In the Action Phase when a unit performs the Soul - Channel Action, the enemy cannot Negate the spell.

Propagation

In the Control Phase, a unit with the Regenerate ability Regenerates 4 Health instead of D3.

Feeding Frenzy

In the Battle Phase when performing a Battle Activation, a unit's Attack Rolls score Critical Hits on unmodified roll results of 5 and 6.

Biology

Faction Overview

Psychology

Society

The powerful tides of Octanor's ocean have shaped all life on the planet. The Stygians rose to power because they evolved to survive the shifting tides and learned to leverage them to their advantage. Their hunting and war tactics ebb and flow in harmony with the tides and their physical abilities adapt based on an internal biological clock attuned to the tidal patterns.

The Tidal Flow rule is triggered at the start of the first Round and affects all Stygian units throughout the entire battle. The Stygians will roll to determine which tide the battle starts in. Then, at the start of each subsequent Round, the tide will cycle to the next tide in order from Ebb to Flood to High, and then back to Ebb.

Each tide in the cycle has a different effect on the Stygians' specs and abilities during the Round the tide is active.

Download the Stygians specs for the detailed rule description.

Stygians as a faction are comprised of many different marine species that each evolved different ways to thrive in the ocean of Octanor. Therefore, they possess a wide range of different biological adaptations and physical characteristics. What they all have in common is the ability to breathe underwater, and only underwater. However, they have learned to use a particular species of sea anemone to retain water and survive in open air for short periods of time by attaching them to the outside of their gills. This gives them the ability to maneuver and fight on land when necessary.

They also all share a common form of communication through changing the colours and patterns of their skin. All Stygians have special skin cells that reflexively adjust their pigmentation based on the Stygian's thoughts and emotions. They evolved this way because it is the most effective method of communication underwater. Due to this, they wear minimal armour to keep much of their skin exposed, normally only covering the vital areas of their neck and torso. Most do not wear armour on their heads either because their teeth, beaks, and tentacles are useful weapons in close combat.

Members of the Sephalo tribe have soft, relatively weak bodies with muscular tentacles that allow them to propel themselves quickly through the water and also move proficiently on land. They compensate for their fragile bodies with proportionately larger brains that make them much more intelligent than the other tribes. They have bulbous, domed heads, three eyes, and a razor-sharp beak hidden beneath smaller tentacles on their faces. They have eight appendages in total which they can utilize to perform multiple tasks at once. Two resemble thin human arms with a webbed hand on each. The other six are tentacles with gripping suckers all along them.

Members of the Coralius tribe have thick, resilient bodies made up of various forms of hard and soft coral. Their heavy bodies move slowly along the ocean floor because they cannot swim in open water. They have a small head, two elongated arms and two short legs, but unless performing a task with their arms, they carry their bulk around walking on all four limbs. Larger clusters of hardened coral grow out of their limbs and backs which they use to protect their softer vital organs when taking up a defensive posture.

Members of the Kharkhar tribe have tough-skinned, muscular bodies built for fighting. They have two massive arms with a webbed hand on each and a thick, powerful tail that they use in combination to swim shockingly fast for their size. They move slower on land though, as they do not have legs and must instead drag themselves forwards with their arms. Their oversized heads have gills on each side and powerful jaws which are full of razor-sharp teeth that they use to tear apart and consume their enemies.

Technology

Stygian technology is based on the natural resources available in Octanor's ocean. Coral is the primary and most valuable resource on the planet because it serves as a renewable food source and sturdy material for use in infrastructure, armour, and weapons. Stygian tribes make their homes near the largest coral beds and defend them fiercely because of this.

The ingenuity of the Sephalo tribe is what drives technological advancement for the faction. They invent new ways to combine and manipulate resources into useful tools and deadly weapons. The Coralius tribe prefers to use old, simple methods to build and maintain expansive colonies of coral infrastructure. The beautiful living structures they create provide shelter for all marine life. The Kharkhar tribe are single-minded and only see value in technology if it improves their ability to kill and consume.

Stygians derive their identity from their place in Octanor's ecosystem. They value the balance of nature and are always conscious of the impact their decisions and actions might have on their ocean. They are willing to sacrifice their own lives to defend Octanor's ecosystem and any perceived threat to it is dealt with absolutely.

With their communication method being based on the reflexive changing of skin patterns and colour, Stygians do not have the capacity for or concept of deceit. This means that all of their interactions are based on their true thoughts and emotions and they cannot lie to each other.

Stygian civilization is centered around the three primary tribes. Each is in control of large swaths of ocean territory, but their borders fluctuate as conflict and negotiations between them occur. Smaller tribes exist in the ocean, but they in some way must serve one of the three main tribes or risk being destroyed.

Stygian tribal society is held together mainly through religious beliefs. They are a superstitious and shamanistic society with beliefs that ocean spirits must be appeased in order to maintain the balance of nature. Tribal leaders guide their tribes through spiritual rituals and interpret signs from the spirits that show them the correct path.