The intent of this thread is to brainstorm for and design a card that utilizes the Unicorn figure in preparation of playtesting and an eventual submission to the Soldiers of Valhalla. All are welcome to contribute ideas and discuss what the final product will look like!
Wikipedia excerpts about unicorns:
Spoiler Alert!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, [the Unicorn] was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin. In the encyclopedias its horn was said to have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
The horn itself and the substance it was made of was called alicorn, and it was believed that the horn holds magical and medicinal properties. The alicorn was thought to cure many diseases and have the ability to detect poisons, and many physicians would make "cures" and sell them. Cups were made from alicorn for kings and given as a gift; these were usually made of ivory or walrus ivory. Entire horns were very precious in the Middle Ages and were often really the tusks of narwhals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
One traditional method of hunting unicorns involved entrapment by a virgin. In one of his notebooks Leonardo da Vinci wrote: "The unicorn, through its intemperance and not knowing how to control itself, for the love it bears to fair maidens forgets its ferocity and wildness; and laying aside all fear it will go up to a seated damsel and go to sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters take it."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
[In Dungeons and Dragons,] unicorns exist to protect forests from intelligent creatures. They dwell deep within their forests, and shun most creatures, only conferring with feys such as pixies, dryads, and sprites. They will show themselves to save their forests, however. Unicorns are strongly magical creatures, with most of their abilities coming from their horn. They can live up to 1000 years, and show effects of aging only weeks before death. They are able to sense evil nearby, and radiate an aura which protects them from most evil spells. The touch of their horn can both heal wounds and cure poison. Also, once a day, a unicorn can teleport to anywhere in its forest home (although they cannot teleport in from outside the forest). Unicorns attack by impaling foes on their horns, or with their hooves.
Idea
Like the Kobolds, the Unicorn is a "duh" unit for Heroscape - even if they're not taken seriously nowadays, the unicorn is a fantasy staple and instantly recognizable in pop culture. I think that, as Heroscape had gone on, a unicorn would have been impossible to avoid as an official unit.
Unicorns have long been associated with purity and healing, making either Jandar or Ullar the obvious choice for general. Some sort of healing power, too, would be a necessity - and a dedicated healer is, mechanically, another long overdue character. Kelda (and, to an extent, Ana Karithon) fill that role, but aren't all that great at their job. Perhaps it could offer a bonus for following certain Generals or with certain personalities to reflect the unicorn's affinity for pure hearts. A healing power, while not groundbreaking, is still fairly unique.
Carry is a possibility, as well. Unicorns aren't really mounts, traditionally, but have been in fantasy series on a regular basis. A combination of carry + heal would make for a solid support unit.
Another idea is to give a bonus to whoever slays the unicorn - "unicorn hunts" are a major part of the mythos, where the animal would be captured and killed for its value and healing properties. Letting whoever finishes the unicorn off heal some wounds would make for an interesting mechanic, letting you use it as a lure or distraction for your opponents. It'd also keep the unit's points down, letting it slot into more army types.
December 27th, 2014, 05:07 PM
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