Age of Wonders III is now available for Pre-Order on Steam and GoG and has a worldwide release date March 31st on digital platforms and European retail on PC.
"Theocrats lead the masses by their hearts. They heal, persuade, minister and convert. Their zealots are fiercely loyal, convinced that any action they perform will earn them a greater reward in the afterlife. Because Theocrats tend not to wield many directly offensive powers, it is tempting to believe Theocrats pose no threat. History has proven this to be foolishness. Many earthly kingdoms have fallen under relentless crusades where holy armies of martyrs, evangelists, templar knights, war shrines and angelic beings bring Armageddon to pagan lands." - "Gifted Lords of the Third Age" by Ralinstone Pedant, Chronicler.
Age of Wonders III introduces RPG-style class-based character building to the strategy genre. The leader persona of the players, consisting of a main class, race, and specializations, forms the heart of their realm. RPG style skills are extrapolated to affect a whole empire. Leader characters range from Elven Princesses and to Machiavellian Rogues and ruthless Warlords. Today we reveal details of the Theocrat class.
Examples of Theocrat Class Units include:
- Martyr: Martyrs have the ability to absorb the damage dealt to another unit in the Theocrat’s army, sacrificing themselves for the holy cause. These fanatical warriors also throw stones at enemies.
- Evangelist: The Evangelists inspire the Theocrat’s ranks with their Touch of Faith ability and are able to Convert enemy soldiers to the Theocrat’s side on the battlefield.
- Exalted: The most loyal subjects of the Theocrat grow angel-like wings and act as flying infantry in his armies.
- Shrine of Smiting: Theocratic armies carry this Holy Shrine into battle to rain death and destruction upon their enemies. The Shrine’s Smiting Prayer Bolts gets boosted by the Devout units in the supporting army. Once per combat, the Shrine of Smiting can be opened to unleash Ark of the covenant style death and destruction upon the unbeliever. Don't look at it, keep your eyes shut!
Theocrat Skill Examples:
- Mighty Meek – They say the meek shall inherit the earth, and this spell gives them the power to do so. The Target friendly unit gains bonus strength for each tier level difference when attacking or defending against a higher tier unit.
- Instant Wrath – Deals half of all damage dealt against target friendly unit back to its attacker until end of combat.
- Mark of the Heretic - Marks the units in target enemy army as Heretics for a few turns. Devout units deal an additional 3 damage against Heretics.
- The Great Purge - Channels divine power to cleanse the land of all supernatural beings. The caster's Infantry and Cavalry units gain Dragon Slayer, Fey Slayer, Giant Slayer, Monster Slayer, Summon Slayer, and Undead Slayer.
- Armageddon - Foretells the end of the world. The caster's entire Empire ignores negative morale modifiers and its units gain Strong Will. The caster's enemies suffer 80% Weakness and cannot regenerate health anymore.
- The Theocrat Class can be mixed with any of the six races and can be further augmented using specializations leading to additional magical skills.
Age of Wonders 3 has been rated Teen, 16 by PEGI and has a March 31st 2014 release date on PC.
