ACOLYTE


HP: Medium
Melee Damage: Usable
Armor: Good
Dexterity: Fair
Accuracy: Fair
Speed: Lower Medium


Notes:

When it comes to undead slaying, the Acolyte is your man of a non-tortured variety to bring to the fray!

They are, for all intensive purposes, Clerics of an Evil Holy God (not an Unholy God) who were shunned by the surface and want to continue their disciplined practices unhindered.

They are donned in Ring Mail armor with a sturdy mace and a Kite Shield. This provides decent armor and they enjoy melee combat. However, they will focus on their disciplined desire to heal and Turn and Smash undead first and foremost.

Unlike most magical creatures, Acolytes CANNOT research. They are attracted by a Training Room and Temple. This is why Voodoo Trolls aren't attracted by temples: if both your staple healers were attracted by temples, it'd be tedious to figure which one your preference wants to pull in.

They can slay Vampires and prevent their ressurection.


When not training, they will pray, and that's about all they do to make your dungeon go. Their Payday is steep! They take a large check for the 'donation' to their temples and churches of whatever deity they follow, though they do have skill to show for it though their melee nature can get them slain more easily than Voodoos who avoid melee.


Basically, a comparison between Voodoo Trolls and Acolytes.

Voodoo
Pros:
Research and Manufacture value
Avoids melee, meaning it can focus on debuffing and healing others. Chickenize practically removes a target tremporarily.
Sooner available than Acolyte
Troll Regeneration and decent armor

Cons:
Weak research and Manufacture values may remove space for better ones at either.
Is worse in melee than other magic users. Is also worse at magical damage as well.
Lower life than regular Hammer Trolls... that's bad!
Fire and Acid slay it utterly. It cannot be toted to a lair, prison or Graveyard. Its corpse is USELESS!


Acolyte
Pros:
Hardy Trainer
Decent Muscle
Excellent Undead Slayer when monks and Holy Heroes are not
Has nice armor.


Cons:
Slower than Voodoo Trolls.
Pricy at Payday
Cannot research
Somewhat testy and gets uncomfortable around the undead and Necromancers.
Temples are not early available in Multiplayer and thus this creature shows up later.

These should be part of an 'epic creatures' force, they are not of Heroes nor Creatures side, since they have an 'Evil God' not an 'Unholy God' and are undead slayers, they wont fit in well with Creatures at all.

Heroes are Light and Goodies, these guys are Evil so in all.
They fit well in the middle :D

Sure they could fit in. Spiders and flies dont get along but a Keeper can get both.


Besides which, an Acolyte is a more readily available way to quell an enemy keeper's massed vampires as well as ghosts and Skeletons and teach him how its a good idea to have living forces

but Vampires, ghosts and skeletons are unholy, Acolytes are just 'Evil'.

I don't think having one creature that has a set out for killing undead creatures would go so well in ones dungeon.

having them as a third party that linger around would be more interesting, something skeletons, ghosts and vampires have to 'fear' would be an acolyte and having the player keeper to have a closer eye on their creatures whereabouts is overall more fun to add into the game. :P
catch my drift?

an undead slaying evil creature. doesn't really fit the evil persona, does it.

And evil holy god?........


but the heal idea is fine.

I probably have more trouble with the fact it is designed from a role's perspective: Good against undead.

For one, I don't see why you need some creature that is particularly good against undead. It's not like undead are imbalancedly powerfull.

Nor does the mixture of crowd healing and bashing undead seem to fit to me, although it could work.


I do like the idea of a dark priest of sorts though, but not in the way that he is an undead basher.

If anything, I would actually think of Acolytes as rookie necromancers just learning the arts of dark magic.

Still think these would be more useful as an in the middle set of Mercenaries which follow their own beliefs and will oppose everyone else.

The neutral exclusive idea isn't a bad one at all. I can imagine them lurking in the caves, simply sitting there, praying.

But please, no undead slaying. Leave that to the heroes.

They attack both sides, it'd be your own stupid fault to attack with vampires, ghosts and skeletons :P

These guys would never go out and search though, if you got to close they would kill and wait.

As where heroes start coming as soon as a door is broken so they're free...it's like they're forced to be down there :P

Acolytes to me sound both low grade, and more good than evil.

Fanatic?