The Armada | MOTHER & The Imperium
(Under Construction)
MOTHER
- Big Bad / Greater-Scope Villain: She's the one in control of the Imperium, no matter the identity of the Overseer. The troops ultimately swear loyalty to her, not anyone else.
- Deus est Machina: The Imperium treats her an awful lot like a goddess. In the end, it's revealed that there's so many versions of her that she's more or less immortal.
- The Ghost: She never manifests physically to face the Armada, the only things seen of her are her Combat Tentacles as she moves troops around the Imperium screen and in the Herald fight.
- Karma Houdini: Played with. Destroying the ISS Eternal means destroying MOTHER...'s iteration on that ship. Because there are an infinite number of timelines, with an infinite number of ISS Eternal dopplegangers in them another version of MOTHER inevitably exists and finds a leader to rebuild the Imperium with.
- Back from the Dead: If the player makes a notable Adversary by losing to a unit, but is able to later defeat it, there's a chance it will be revived to serve in a future run (but weakened to the point that they will show up a planet or two earlier than before).
- The Empire: They plan to subjugate every timeline, with its leaders planning to replace The Evils of Free Will with totalitarianism and harvesting people to further grow their army.
Hierarchy
Leaders
- Back from the Dead: Killing the Overseer once doesn't end the fight; a Vat appears to revive them until it is destroyed as well.
- Co-Dragons: With the Herald, to MOTHER.
- Dragon-in-Chief: Is the ultimate director of the Imperium's efforts rather than just MOTHER.
- Evil Twin: Is invariably a Star Renegade who teamed up with MOTHER without brainwashing.
- Flunky Boss: Overseers will start the battle off with two other Mooks to assist them. Once they've been significantly damaged, they summon two unique Elite Mooks as support.
- Mirror Boss: As they are an evil, alternate-dimension version of an established character, they have similar abilities (though much greater stats). This includes any weaknesses (such as a Valkyrie's relative dearth of reaching attacks or a Marksman's non-existent HP and painfully slow attacks), but also includes their strengths (an Empath's ability to buff her allies and Armor-Piercing Attack that ignores all armor and shields).
- Never the Selves Shall Meet: An Overseer cannot exist in a reality where their counterpart serves the Armada. In order to invade a dimension, they have their Star Renegade self killed, preventing you from using that character for that run.
Behemoths
- Advancing Boss of Doom: Behemoths are enormously powerful entities assigned to extract Titan Cores so the Imperium can use them to facilitate their invasion. Each planet you visit has the incoming Behemoth arriving within three days — once three days have passed, you are taken to fight it, whether you're ready or not.
- Immune to Flinching: Downplayed, but most Behemoths have innate resistance to staggers, making it harder to delay their attacks.
Omega Behemoths
Improved Versions of the Behemoths; should they defeat your party in a previous timeline, they will have certain buffs during the boss fight as a result.Regular Behemoths
In order for the Imperium to fully invade a reality and not just launch raids, Titan cores are necessary to power the Wormhole needed for a full scale invasion, however they take time to arrive and the Renegades have a brief time window to get as strong and well-equipped as possible before facing them
- Boss Battle: Serves as the Boss of each planet they are tasked with extracting a Titan's core to create a wormhole that allows the Imperium to successfully conquer the universe
Adversaries
The in-game mechanic of Star Renegades is there are several commanders looking to fulfill MOTHER's ambitions of conquering all know reality. Each Adversary comes with their own strengths and weaknesses and gets more dangerous if you choose to neglect them or the are able to escape in battle.
- Berserk Button: Most Adversaries will be enraged by a particular tactic, becoming faster and stronger for a few turns. If you're lucky, it'll be something like a particular type of damage that you're not using, or getting counterattacked when you have no Renegades that can counterattack. If you're unlucky, it'll be something like having their armor damaged, or taking any damage at all.
- Elite Mook: Adversaries don't have unique movesets at all, but they have additional resistances and weaknesses on top of whatever abilities their base version already has.
Commanders
The best of the best, the Commander are often at their ideal level cap of each planet they invade and have superior lineups to the Lieutenants. Defeating them is key to accessing the elite Imperium equipment.
- The Dragon: To Behemoths, often serving as the toughest foe you face.
Lieutenants
Handpicked by MOTHER, Lieutenants are weaker than the Commanders but still have access to valuable Imperium Technology the Renegades can loot.
Grunts
The lowest level in the Imperium.Units
Officers & Grunts
Leaders & Behemoths
Herald
- Chainsaw-Grip BFG: His minigun is held in such a manner.
- Co-Dragons: With the Imperial Overseer.
- Disc-One Final Boss: In the first run of the game, the existence of an Imperial Leader isn't even known until the Herald is defeated and the Renegades prepare to blow up the mothership.
- Gatling Good: He carries a minigun that can blast your squad to oblivion.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: Serves as one in the Tutorial.
- Villain Forgot to Level Grind: In the subsequent boss fight, he will be supported by MOTHER's Tentacles in the battle, who can defend him or provide crowd control by stunning one of your party members. However, he has the same health and shield level as before, and now your team is much better-equipped to handle him in a fight.
DMN-20
- Self-Recovery Surprise: The DMN-20 will use Reboot to restore a portion of it's shields. Should you attempt to attack it while it's recovering, it will retaliate with surprisingly high-damage counterattacks.
Chimera
- Berserk Button: Even more so than most Adversaries — instead of simply making it stronger and faster, stunning the Chimera will cause it to go Rabid, prompting it to make an extra two attacks on top of its normal round of attacks.
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That One Boss: Because of the enrage mechanic it has towards Stuns and one of its more common attacks being a powerful AOE, the Chimera is considered the most difficult behemoth of the game.
Abomination
An optional boss on the alternate second planet, Prycon. Instead of staying in a set location, the Abomination roams the landscape, eating Imperium units and growing stronger by doing so.- Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: A bug-eyed, multi-limbed, alien version, at least.
- Flunky Boss: Spawns Mites when broken or stunned.
- Proportionately Ponderous Parasites: The Mites the Abomination spawns are roughly person-sized.
Siren
Boss of the alternate second planet Prycon introduced in an update.- Charm Person: Can redirect your heroes' attacks at their allies.
- Flunky Boss: Periodically summons enemies to aid her in battle. She can also create walls of crystal in the front row to make reaching her more difficult.
- No-Sell: She's completely immune to Nitro damage.
Goliath
Boss of the third planet, Dagan.- Shield-Bearing Mook: Its defining feature is a giant shield that it can charge with different elements (such as Pyro, or Dark Matter) to gain increased resistance to certain attacks.
- Shield Bash: Always follows up one of its elemental shield moves with an attack using that element.
Demolisher
Boss of the optional Moon Base dungeon.- Flunky Boss: Continually summons bombs that will eventually kamikaze into your heroes.
- Mama Bear: Whenever the Demolisher isn't preparing an attack, it's usually guarding the bombs around it. Striking the bombs will result in a vicious counterattack.
Adversaries & Grunts
Troopers
Rank and file soldiers of the Imperium with a blaster rifle and maybe a personal shield. They have no unique mechanics and mostly serve as fodder. However, stronger units found on later planets and especially Lieutenants can be equipped with specialized shielding that allows them to resist certain elemental properties and attack types.
- Concussion Frags: Higher-ranking Troopers are sometimes equipped with grenades that weaken the entire party.
- Mooks: Lowly grunts of the Imperium armed with a rifle and not much else. Still, they're surprisingly sturdy, and can dish out respectable damage if you ignore them to focus on more dangerous enemies.
Firewulves
Clad in suits of fire-resistant armor, Firewulves are heavily armored enemies who can immolate the opposition with flamethrowers or use their smoke to delay the enemy.
- Kill It with Fire: Like their name suggests, they use flamethrowers as their main weapon against the enemy.
- No-Sell: Even grunt-level Firewulves inherently resist Pyro damage.
- Taking You with Me: Injured Firewulves may decide to use Pyre, inflicting heavy Pyro damage at the cost of their own life.
Basilisks
Battle Walkers used by early waves of the Imperium as mechanized support. They come equipped with laser weaponry that is particularly effective against unshielded targets.
- Charged Attack: Basilisks may choose to spend a turn charging, which means they'll use the powerful Deathbeam attack next.
- Mini-Mecha: Resembling a power walker with laser cannons rather than a proper power armor, a Basilisk is nonetheless extremely dangerous, especially when supported.
- Wave-Motion Gun: Its Deathbeam attack in a nutshell. Incredible lasery pain applied to your entire squad of Renegades.
Subjugators
Imperium troops equipped with shields and shock mauls.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Unluckily for you, they can also use it to protect their allies.
- No-Sell: Subjugators inherently resist Pulse damage.
- Shield Bash: It doesn't do as much damage as some of their other attacks, but it's very fast and can heavily stagger its target.
Brutes
Hulking soldiers that use their massive strength to crush those who would defy the Imperium.
- Good Old Fashioned Fisticuffs: While other Imperium soldiers are armed with futuristic Energy Weapons or Powered Armor, Brutes mostly just rely on a big pool of hit points and some big ol' knuckle guards.
- Healing Factor: Brutes inherently regenerate small amounts of HP, and they can use a move to heal and strengthen themselves further.
- Shockwave Stomp: Their Ground Pound lets them strike your entire party.
- Smash Mook: Brutes are terribly unsubtle fighters that mostly just try to punch your heroes into paste.
Centurions
Armed with powerful energy cannons, Centurions support their squadmates between unleashing powerful energy blasts.
- BFG: Carry cannons taller than they are.
- Charged Attack: Their Satellite Hammer attack requires a turn to charge, but deals heavy damage to its target.
Shivvers
Knife-wielding Imperial specialists found on the icy planet of Prycon.
Tempests
Imperium soldiers equipped with devices that can harness the snow and ice of Prycon.
- Immune to Flinching: Their Blizzard attack prevents their allies from being staggered.
- Weather Manipulation: Use ice and snow for both offense and defense.
Ogres
Durable soldiers found on Prycon that are equipped with massive hammers.
- Immune to Flinching: Downplayed. They can still be staggered normally, but fewer times than other units.
Crusaders
Shock troops that attack with spears from atop their jet bikes.
- Hover Bike: Their bikes give them impressive speed.
- Motorcycle Jousting: Well, Hover Bike jousting, but close enough.
Panzers
Troopers equipped with mechanical armor and two massive gatling cannons.
- Gatling Good: Can output impressive sprays of bullets from their twin BFGs in multiple configurations: aimed at a particular target, aimed at the entire team, or just fired wildly at random.
- Mini-Mecha: Necessary to carry their guns.
Wraiths
Imperium snipers equipped with high-powered rifles and personal cloaking fields.
Cloaking Device: Can use one to help them evade attacks and set up for a truly devastating shot.
Drones
Completely expandable robotic grunts serving the Imperium at large. Ranging from generic robot soldiers with powerful weaponry to support drones, they are still not to be underestimated.- Mecha-Mook: Of all varieties, including drones, humanoid soldiers, and support units
- Red Shirt: You will never face a named Drone as an enemy, and they tend to be less durable than the Adversaries and Grunts.
RoboSoldiers
Expendable fodder by Imperium Standards, RoboSoldiers carry high-powered laser rifles and some shielding, but are less robust than an Imperium trooper. Nonetheless, they are not to be trifled with.
- Concussion Frags: Much like the Troopers, upgraded RoboSoldiers carry grenades for AoE staggers on your party.
- Gatling Good: Can use the Autofire ability to unleash a rapid-fire attack on a target.
- Mecha-Mook: Particularly noteworthy examples of the trope, being essentially robotic versions of the basic Imperium Troopers.
Wyverns
Hover drones that can fire explosive shots at a single enemy or a crowd of enemies in battle to support other Imperium Units
Shield Bots
Robots equipped with shield projectors. They can drain shields from their targets or recharge the shields of their allies.
- Action Bomb: Should a Shield Bot find itself alone with nothing to support, they'll overload their shield generator in a kamikaze attack.
- Last Ditch Move: Shield Bots restore some shields to their allies when destroyed.
- Shield-Bearing Mook: They're heavily shielded and can drain your heroes' shields to restore their own, or replenish their allies' shields.
Spyder
Walking tanks equipped with a powerful cannon capable of firing on any rank.
- Spider Tank: As implied by their name.
Tank Bots
Relatively durable robots equipped with armor-shredding weaponry.
Buff Bots
Mechanical enemies that support their allies and weaken their opponents instead of fighting directly.
- Support Party Member. Focus on empowering their allies and weakening their enemies.
Conservators
Heavily shielded robots that can put their shields to use in protecting their allies.
- Armored But Frail: Have heavy shields that they can restore on their own, but their HP is pitifully low. Anything that can bypass shields can take them out with little effort.
FrostBots
Icy machines capable of temporarily freezing targets in place.
- Enemy Summoner: Can summon additional FrostBots
- Kill It with Fire: Much like most Pryconian enemies, FrostBots are weak to Pyro damage.
Repair Bots
Drones equipped with health-draining bioweaponry that can also be configured to heal their allies.
- Life Drain: Their attack can steal HP from their target.
- Mook Medic: Can heal their allies, either directly or by giving them a few turns of Regenerating Health.
Sentinels
Durable robots equipped with laser whips and powerful shields that can guard their allies.
Prophets
Hovering robots capable of blasting their opponents or supporting their allies.
- Evil Knockoff: Has an appearance and abilities that are rather similar to Xurx Nrza, one of the Renegades.
- Power Floats: They can hover in midair.
The Syndicate
A criminal organization based on Menku that have chosen to willingly serve the Imperium.Stalkers
Syndicate members that pin foes down before engaging with a spear.
Bounty Hunters
Syndicate members that pursue targets with jetpacks.
- Combat Pragmatist: They tend to prefer underhanded tactics when fighting, and the names of some of their moves reflect that (Cheap Shot, Pants Down, Surprise Attack, etc).
Switchblades
Syndicate members armed with multiple blades, some mounted on mechanical arms.
The Eternalists
Religious fanatics based on Norosh that have chosen to willingly serve the Imperium.- Brain Uploading: The Eternalists have uploaded their minds into immortal robot bodies.
Husks
Eternalists in decrepit, decayed-looking cyborg bodies.
- Last Ditch Move: When killed, Husks tend to explode, dealing damage and weakening your heroes' shields.
- Zombie Puke Attack: They're more like deranged space cyborgs than actual zombies, but their Bile attack more or less fits the bill.
Warhounds
Eternalists that have made themselves enormous quadrupedal beast bodies.
- Breath Weapon: Their Death Breath ability, which hits all targets.
Savants
Eternalists that hang back and blast foes with lightning.
- Power Nullifier: Their Ball Lightning attack prevents your heroes from using any move that grants buffs.
Warmonger Corporation
A corrupt corporation based on Dagan that's involved in numerous shady military dealings. They have chosen to willingly serve the Imperium.- War for Fun and Profit: These guys' modus operandi. In his backstory, Jhcor tried to convince the board of directors to warn the Armada of the coming Imperium invasion, but they chose to try to make a profit off the coming conflict instead.
Machinists
Warmonger employees equipped with cannons and scythes.
- Shoulder Cannon: Their shoulder-mounted cannons can be quick-fired, dealing respectable damage and preventing the target from staggering their opponents.
- Sinister Scythe: Machinists wield scythes to chop apart their targets.
Artificers
Serving more of a support role, Artificers strengthen their allies in various ways.
- Spell Blade: A sci-fi version; Artificers can grant their allies the ability to use powerful elements like Antimatter, Phasma, and Corruption.
Arbalests
Arbalests don't engage in combat themselves, preferring instead to coordinate endless rocket strikes from the back row.
- Mook Maker: Can summon, arm, and direct an endless supply of random-elemental rockets.
