8 KiB
Specialist Units
Specialist units perform non-combat functions: claiming territory, building infrastructure, exploring, and demolition. They use an Action Point (AP) model — rechargeable by resting in a city — rather than being consumed on use.
The single exception: founding a city consumes all AP and permanently removes that action from the Pioneer's pool.
Pioneer vs Engineer
The defining rule:
| Pioneer | Engineer | |
|---|---|---|
| Territory | Unclaimed or enemy land | Owned territory only |
| Primary role | Claim, survey, prepare land, found cities | Build, improve, repair, demolish |
An Engineer cannot enter unclaimed land to build. A Pioneer cannot build improvements on owned land. The separation is absolute.
Pioneer
Produced by: Palace Lv2+
AP Model:
| Action | AP cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Found City | All AP (10) | Consumed — one-time act, makes sense thematically |
| Prepare Land | 2 AP | Reduces terrain cultural resistance, not adds weight |
| Road (rough trail) | 1 AP | Basic path, not a road network |
| Survey tile | 0 | Free — reveals resource yields |
Recharging: Return to any friendly city. Rests for 2-3 turns. AP refills.
AP capacity by experience:
| Pioneer tier | Max AP | Recharge time |
|---|---|---|
| Novice | 6 | 3 turns |
| Veteran | 10 | 2 turns |
| Master | 14 | 1 turn |
Prepare Land mechanics:
- Pioneer moves to unclaimed tile and spends turns working it
- Each turn reduces terrain cultural resistance by ~2 points
- Preparation stacks decay if Pioneer leaves before completing (unless Boundary Markers tech)
- Effect: the prepared tile becomes the most likely next expansion target because resistance is lower than competing tiles
Tech upgrades:
| Tech | Pioneer upgrade | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Cartography | Survey | Sees tile yields before claiming; +efficiency on Prepare Land |
| Stonework | Boundary Markers | Preparation persists even if Pioneer moves away — can prepare multiple tiles |
| Road Building | Trail Blazing | Pioneer can prepare while moving through tile (no stopping required) |
Engineer
Produced by: Mason Lodge
AP Model:
- Engineers recharge like Pioneers but are never consumed by any action
- Return to city to refill AP; back out to work again
- Career unit — a late-game Engineer may have worked hundreds of tiles
Actions (owned territory only):
| Action | AP cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Build tile improvement (Farm, Mine, etc.) | 3-5 | Varies by improvement type |
| Build road | 2 | Connects tiles for movement bonus |
| Repair damaged tile | 3 | Up to Cratered state |
| Clear forest | 4 | Forest → Cleared Land |
| Build field fortification | 2 | Temporary defensive bonus |
| Clear rubble | 5 | Collapsed underground or surface |
Engineer Specialization Paths
Experience accumulates in two tracks based on what work the Engineer does.
Engineer (base)
├── Construction track (builds things)
│ → Architect (tier 6)
│
└── Demolition track (destroys/clears things)
→ Demolitions Expert (tier 6)
The path is determined by work history. An Engineer who mostly builds roads and farms goes Construction. One who clears forests and collapses tunnels goes Demolition.
Architect
Construction specialization
| Ability | Effect |
|---|---|
| Accelerated Construction | Assists city build queue — reduces construction turns by 30% while present in city |
| Wonder Focus | When assigned to a Wonder project, reduces completion time by 50% |
| Reinforced Build | Structures built with Architect assistance have +20% HP |
| Master Plans | Can queue 2 improvements simultaneously on adjacent tiles |
One Architect per city per Wonder. They do not stack. The value is in timing — having an Architect present when you start a Wonder is a significant investment.
Demolitions Expert
Demolition specialization
| Ability | Effect |
|---|---|
| Forest Clear | Clears forest in 2 turns (standard Engineer takes 4) |
| Tunnel Breach | Opens new tunnel connection points, faster than standard Engineer |
| Controlled Collapse | Collapses underground hex with minimal cascade risk |
| Rubble Clear | Clears collapsed underground/surface tiles (standard Engineer cannot do this) |
| Charge Placement | Plants timed charge on a building — takes 2 turns to plant, detonates next turn |
| Counter-mining | Detects and destroys enemy Tunnel Sappers in adjacent underground hexes |
Charge Placement is the most valuable ability. A Demolitions Expert that infiltrates an enemy city through a tunnel can target a specific building — Forge Lv4, Barracks Lv3, any accumulated investment. No siege required.
Combat Sapper
Demolitions Expert who has merged via Assault Citadel
When a Demolitions Expert is in a city with an Assault Citadel (merged structure), they can undergo advanced training to become a Combat Sapper.
| Ability | Gained from |
|---|---|
| All Demolitions Expert abilities | Inherited |
| Stealth Move | Can move through enemy territory without detection |
| Breach and Clear | Clears a room — kills all Unarmored/Light units in a building in one action |
| Field Mine Layer | Places trap tiles that trigger on enemy movement |
Master Demolitionist
Senior tier, after extensive Combat Sapper work
| Ability | Effect |
|---|---|
| Flatten Hill | Reduces Hill to Plains (irreversible, 6-8 turns) |
| Mountain Pass | Cuts a pass through a Mountain tile (irreversible, 10-15 turns) |
| Precision Detonation | Charge Placement destroys building without damaging adjacent tile |
| Cascade Control | Controlled Collapse guarantees no cascade |
Chief Engineer
Pinnacle tier — rare, one per empire typically
| Ability | Effect |
|---|---|
| Mountain Tunnel | Bores underground corridor through mountain range (12-18 turns, extreme cost) |
| Canal | Converts land tile to navigable waterway |
| Full Terrain Survey | Reveals all tile yields and underground structure in 3-tile radius |
| Strategic Demolition | Can demolish entire city districts (multiple buildings) in one operation |
A Chief Engineer can redraw the map. The mountain range that protected an enemy city for 60 turns gets a tunnel bored through it. Their natural fortress is suddenly accessible.
Scout → Explorer → Cartographer
One unit line that grows from combat scout to naval surveyor. Upgrades happen at the Academy — the same unit is trained up, not replaced.
| Stage | Source | Combat | AP | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scout | Stable Lv1 | Light | 4 | Map reveal (1-tile radius), fast movement |
| Explorer | Academy + Cartography tech | Light | 8 | 2-tile reveal, surveys resource yields, enters wilds safely, assists Pioneer preparation at 70% rate |
| Cartographer | Academy Lv2 + Navigation tech | None | 12 | 3-tile reveal, naval movement, trade waypoints, surveys ocean tiles |
The Cartographer transition: The Explorer who spent 30 turns mapping the frontier now commands a survey vessel. Combat ability is gone — they are a scientific crew requiring military escort in hostile territory. The loss of combat in exchange for naval movement and range is a deliberate trade.
Explorer preparing land: An Explorer can perform Pioneer-style land preparation, but slower (70% rate) and without Boundary Markers. Useful on the frontier when no Pioneer is available, but not a replacement for a dedicated Pioneer.
AP Summary
| Unit | Max AP | Recharge time | Consumed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer | 6-14 (by tier) | 1-3 turns in city | Found City (all AP) |
| Engineer | 6-12 (by tier) | 1-3 turns in city | Nothing |
| Demolitions Expert | 8-14 (by tier) | 2-3 turns | Nothing |
| Combat Sapper | 10-16 | 1-2 turns | Nothing |
| Chief Engineer | 16 | 1 turn | Nothing |
| Scout | 4 | 1 turn | Nothing |
| Explorer | 8 | 2 turns | Nothing |
| Cartographer | 12 | 2 turns | Nothing |