Races

As well as humans, there are many other races (faction types) in Eressea. You need to choose one for your faction. Each race has advantages and disadvantages which translate into bonuses and penalties in certain skills and sometimes special abilities; each race has different recruitment costs. As a general rule, a person weighs 10 weight units (WU or GE) and can carry 5.4 WU/GE. Trolls, goblins and various monsters are exceptions.

At the start of the game, you must choose the race you want to play. This race is chosen when you register and cannot be changed afterwards. So think carefully before making your choice.

For a quick overview, see the Table of racial modifiers.

Demons

Demons are cruel and unpredictable. They devour the local peasants and always surprise by acquiring new abilities or losing them.

Attention! Demons are extremely unsuitable for inexperienced Eressea players!

• Volatility: All skills with at least one skill point (before racial malus) have a 25% chance of shifting. The skill can lose up to 3 weeks of learning (40%), or rise up to 3 weeks of learning (60%). No skill can ever fall below level 0.
• Infernal Hunger: Demons eat peasants every turn. Demons that do not receive food (not enough peasants) lose hit points and are subject to skill reduction according to the Starvation normal rule. Units feed on peasants in the order they appear in the report (see report nr).
• Ethereal Creature: Demons are notrecruited from the peasant population (they aren’t deducted from the peasant pool). However, the normal recruitment limits still apply.
• Ethereal Creature: When a demon unit gives away men with GIVE 0 order, these men are not added to the peasant population in the region.
• Intrinsic Disguise: Demons can change their appearance to become that of any other player race.
• Panic: In front combat, taking a hit from a demon causes panic in the victim. The person receives a modifier of −1 to all combat skills (not the unit).
• Regeneration: Wounded demons regenerate 7,5% of their hit points per turn.

Elves

The magical people of the faery kingdom aren't built for heavy labor, but their archers are almost as feared as their magicians.

• Green Thumb: Each elf (up to 1/8 of the region's maximum working population, e.g. 250 in a swamp) increases the chance of a tree (incl. mallorn trees) to drop a seed in a summer or autumn week. This can make quite a difference depending on the number of elves.
• Forest Dwellers: In forest regions, elves have a skill bonus of +1 to stealth and perception, and +2 to tactics.
• Magicians: Elf factions can have 1 additional magician, allowing them to have a maximum of 6.
• Elf magicians regenerate aura significantly faster
• Expert Archers: Elves cause 1 additional damage point when using bows.
• Only elves can build elven bows.
• Wounded elves regenerate at 5% of their hit points.

Goblins

Goblins are small and weak on their own; they prefer to rely on cunning or superior numbers. Their motto is "mass instead of class".

• Overpowering : When their numbers are ten times those of the opponent, goblins get a +1 attack bonus.
• Midget : Goblins weigh only 6 WU/GE and they can carry 4.4 WU/GE.
• Master Thieves: Goblins, with level 4 in stealth (or higher), stealing will always get at least 50 silver, even if they were discovered.
• Unarmed Defense: Unarmed Goblins get a bonus of +2 in defense.
• Stubborn: A wounded Goblin will regenerate 10% of his hitpoints.

Halflings

Halflings are small fellows with hairy feet. They are good traders and know how to entertain the peasants. They are good builders, but prefer to leave horses and Ships to others. Weaponry is not one of their strengths.

• Halflings who try to flee in a fight, have a basic chance of 50% (all other races 25%). The maximum chance for them is 90% (otherwise 75%, see COMBAT FLEE).
• Dragonslayers: Halflings get a +5 bonus on attack and damage when fighting against dragons.
• Always Hungry : Halflings suffer greater damage from starvation than other races (Between 8 and 17 hit points (1d10+7)).
• Wounded halflings regenerate at 5% of their hit points.

Insects

Most insectoid warriors live in organised hives. They hate the cold and prefer the swamps and deserts of Eressea. Their hard carapace will protect them in the battlefields, their skills and discipline make them renowned teachers.

Attention! Insects are extremely unsuitable for inexperienced Eressea players!

• Cold Blooded: In deserts and swamps, insects get +1 on all skills they still have at least at 1, in mountains and glaciers -1.
• Summer Creatures: Insects cannot enter glaciers and cannot be recruited there. Insects that nevertheless enter a glacier lose hit points and suffer to skill halving according to the normal starvation rule.
• Hibernation: During the winter months of Hearth fire, Icewind and Snowbane, insects can only recruit in deserts. However, a potion of "nest warmth" can be made through Alchemy skill that makes recruitment in other terrain possible.
• Carapace Armor: Insects are protected by their natural armor. This natural armour will be halved if the insects are wearing additional armour. (see here).
• Tacticians: Insects get a bonus on tactics skill when appearing in number. An insect tactician gets (log₁₀ (amount of fighters in his group))-1 to his tactics skill. This can also result in a malus if there are very few fighters! (be carefull with Groups)
• Nomad Traders: Insects can trade in deserts and swamps without needing any form of building.
• Wounded insects regenerate at 5% of their hit points.

Cats

Known for their enhanced senses, the cat people are excellent spies and master guards. But, like elves, they do not like heavy labor.

• Seven Lives: When killed, cats have 1/7 chance of surviving. By some miracle of nature, they will also be restored to full hit points.
• Silent Hunters: Cats cannot use Platemail.
• Evasiveness: Cats receive a +1 bonus in defense.
• Wounded cats regenerate at 5% of their hit points.

Aquarians

Aquarians are at home in the water, but they feel uncomfortable in the mountains. They build and drive ships as easily as dwarves or trolls were building blocks, while other tasks are not so easy for them.

• Expert Sailors: All ships commanded by an Aquarian Captain belonging to an Aquarian faction move by 1 extra region per turn.
• Sea dwellers: Aquarians can issue long orders while in ship sailing on the ocean. Attention, this has some implicit consequences: for example aquarians on a ship in an ocean region adjacent to a land region can move to the land region, see Swimming.
• Fishermen: Up to 100 aquarians per ocean region can earn 10 silver each in a turn with WORK order.
• Wounded aquarians regenerate at 5% of their hit points.

Humans

Humans can do a bit of everything. They don't have any really bad skills, but they don't have any really good ones either. They can therefore quite easily make up for the weaknesses of other races allies, even though they have no specialisations.

• Immigrants: Human factions are the only ones who are allowed to have people of another race in their ranks, although mixing different races in one unit is not possible. However they cannot recruit these themselves, but must get them from other factions.
• Wounded humans regenerate at 5% of their hit points.

The number of immigrants allowed depends on the number of people in your faction. It is calculated as 20 × log₁₀ (persons ÷ 50). The current value can be found in your weekly report. If you suddenly have too many migrants due to a disaster or a fight, they are not removed, you just can't have new ones.

Immigrants are not allowed to study so−called "expensive skills", like alchemy, magic or tactics.

Orcs

Orcs start their life as fighters, and usually end it as fighters. Their strength is in numbers, but they lack discipline.

• Born Fighters: All newly recruited orcs start out with level 1 in Melee and Polearm skills.
• Laziness: Orcs earn less silver than other races with the WORK order.
• Easy Recruits: For two recruited orcs only one peasant is subtracted from the peasant pool of the region. Thus you can recruit twice the recruitment limit of a region. (Substract is rounded up)
• Similarly, only for every two orcs given away (see the GIVE 0 order) a peasant is added to the peasant pool of the region (However, this is rounded off).
• Likewise: if you give orcs to peasants with the order GIVE 0, only half of them are added to the peasants. This is rounded down.
• Dangerous: Unarmed orcs do not fight in close combat with -2 penalty like other races, but with ("best close combat skill" -3). They still need weapons to collect taxes.
• Orcs are slow brain and generally learn all non-combat skills (to use a weapon) somewhat slower than other races.
• Wounded orcs regenerate at 5% of their hit points.

Trolls

Trolle stapfen wandelnden Felsbrocken gleich unübersehbar durch die Lande. Mit Steinen können sie mit ihren riesigen Kräften perfekt umgehen, dafür aber umso weniger mit Pferden, und auch das Schwimmen ist nicht ihre Meisterdisziplin.

• Trolle sind stark und können doppelt soviel tragen wie andere (10,8 GE), wiegen aber auch doppelt soviel (20 GE).
• Es gibt keine Troll-Kavallerie, d.h. Trolle erhalten keinen Pferdebonus. Auf den Warentransport und die Bewegungsgeschwindigkeit berittener Trolle hat das keine Auswirkungen.
• Von Trollen abgebaute Steine werden nur zu 75% vom "Regionsvorrat" abgezogen. Dieser Effekt ist kumulativ zu einem Steinbruch (siehe hier und hier).
• Gegen Trolle hat Kavallerie nur einen Bonus von +1.
• Trolle sind als einzige Rasse dazu in der Lage, Wagen ohne Pferde zu benutzen. Je vier Trolle können einen Wagen ziehen, sich allerdings auch nur eine Region (ohne Straße) bewegen. Genauer wird das beim Befehl FAHRE erklärt.
• Unbewaffnete Trolle machen 2 bis 6 Trefferpunkte Schaden.
• Verwundete Trolle regenerieren sich mit 7,5% ihrer Trefferpunkte.

Zwerge

Zwerge leben in den Bergen. Ihre Schmiedekünste sind viel gerühmt, ihre Bauten weltbekannt. Magie ist ihnen ein Gräuel, Pferde nicht ganz geheuer und auch das Wasser ist nicht gerade ihr Element.

• Von Zwergen abgebautes Eisen wird nur zu 60% vom "Regionsvorrat" abgezogen. Dieser Effekt ist kumulativ zu einem Bergwerk (siehe hier und hier).
• Zwerge haben im Gebirge in Gletschern und in Eisbergen +1 auf Taktik.
• Zwergenmagier regenerieren Aura deutlich langsamer.
• Verwundete Zwerge regenerieren sich mit 5% ihrer Trefferpunkte.

Continue reading:

Talente