Maelstrom Troop Feature
The Remnants
In the years following the Maelstrom, there is only one force fighting for good - The Remnants. They embody the heart and soul of humanity's never-ending fight for freedom. They are led by former US Navy SEAL James Buchanan. Utilizing weapons and armor scavenged from the desolated barrens that were once great cities, this rag-tag group of survivors have gone militia are hungry for victory. Like any traditional military the troops are at the heart of their forces, and James Buchanan stands proudly at their side on the front lines.
James Buchanan is not only leader of the remnants, but more often than not their primary field commander. Buchanan is no stranger to danger and has no qualms being on the front with his men. Buchanan will gain experience and eventually upgrade his abilities as he fights. Other than his more powerful weapons and special abilities, Buchanan is comparable to an ordinary trooper - and he'd have it no other way. Special abilities range from a special evaporation grenade (for destroying water hazards) to calling in reinforcements in the field.
Marcus O'Neil is the second in command of the Remnant forces, if Buchanan himself can't lead the charge, he sends in Marcus. Like Buchanan, Marcus will gain experience and level up as he fights on. His special abilities range from healing friendly units around him to special grenades that can slow enemy troop movements.
Sasha Antonova was once an enemy of the Remnants, but prudence and better judgement won out as she joined forces with Buchanan and O'Neil. Former Russian Mafia and leader of bandits, Sasha is a brilliant woman who knows how to get what she wants. She is armed equally to James and Marcus, but her special abilities set her far apart; they range from cloaking herself and other units to recruiting survivors into militia.
Trooper is the Remnants basic infantry soldier, a versatile and well trained unit the trooper is skilled in hand-to-hand combat and armed with a standard small calibre weapon. Upgrades can increase armor and weapons strength. Further training will allow for upgrades to Marauder and Bullseye units.
Marauder is a Trooper unit with additional heavy armor and machine gun upgrades. The Marauder is the heaviest of the troops employed by the Remnants and is well suited for direct combat on the front lines.
Bullseye is a trooper with additional sniper training. Utilizing less armor and a high powered sniper rifle, the Bullseye unit has improved visibility and can provide useful recon as well as devastating effects on enemy troop movements.
FireBug is a heavily armored footsoldier outfitted with a heavy duty flamethrower. This unit can produce devastating results when attacking other groups of enemy troops. The flames produced by this unit will often devastate the surrounding foliage as well. A secondary function of this unit is proximity mines.
Hunter is a highly specialized unit trained to hack and take control of enemy robots and electronically controlled units. With the skills and technology supplied by their training, the Hunter can prove costly to any Ascension commander that ignores his presence. Further training can allow the Hunter control over organic units as well.
The Ascension
In the tumultuous years leading up to the Maelstrom corporate powers had risen to become greater than the nations of Earth. One such company was Ascension Industries. A supplier of advanced technology, their leader Arlan Khan had the foresight to prepare himself for the age of the Maelstrom. When the Earth became quiet and the dust settled Arlan's forces emerged from their bunker to seize control of the Earth and build a new utopian society. The Ascension's high-tech weaponry leaves most traditional weapons behind, but even the most advanced army needs infantry, even if they are genetically engineered.
Maxamillian Khan is the field commander of all Ascension forces, he is a true soldier. Armed with advanced armor and weapons, Maxamillian will gain experience and level up as he fights. He is also capable of a myriad of special abilities, such as clearing the fog of war and special cryogen attacks.
Kie Fujishima is the brilliant mind behind a majority of the Ascensions advanced technology. Kie can be called into action by Maxamillian, and once on the battlefield she utilizes her latest inventions to aid the troops. Her prototype weaponry fires electric bolts. Special abilities range from a firewall preventing units from being hacked to rate of fire increases.
AK-RD is a robot drone made to represent Arlan Khan on the battlefield. The hovering robot is summoned by Maxamillian and parachutes down. Since the AK-RD was developed by Kie's special development division, it too is armed with her prototype electric weaponry. The AK-RD is also capable of calling in reinforcements and detecting cloaked units.
Legionary is the basic unit of the Ascension army, genetically engineered to be the pinnacle of military excellence; the Legionary is well equipped for battle. Carrying medium range laser weapons that are upgradeable as well as a rechargeable shield, the Legionary is a match for any enemy infantry or light vehicle.
Ice Hammer is an advanced infantry unit with heavy armor and cryogen weaponry. Ice Hammer units excel in aqueous surroundings as their cryogen weapons can freeze and immobilize enemy troops in ice for short periods.
The Hai-Genti
In a distant star system known as Proxima Centauri, a planet much like Earth is being ravaged by the technological revolution of its inhabitants. A race of creatures known as the Hai-Genti has been evolving and advancing, very much parallel to humans on Earth. As time wears on and the ecosystem of their planet degrades there is a civil war to determine the fate of their race. Scientific prudence ultimately wins out and a radical plan is enacted to save their race. Psychic abilities, superior numbers of bio-engineered soldiers combine with a hive mentality to make the perfect war machine. The time has come and they have descended on Earth, ready to take this ravaged planet as their own - and they will let nothing stand in their way.
Mammon is the primary leader of all Hai-Genti forces on Earth. Mammon was once a scientist on his planet, but during the war became the leader of the forces to save the planet and their race. His skills are in hand to hand combat as well as ranged psychic attacks. He gains experience in the field as he fights on and will gain new special abilities. His abilities range from increasing friendly units rate of fire, to summoning vortexes to devastate the enemy.
Auriga is the secondary leader of the Hai-Genti army. Auriga is infamous on his home world for being a ruthless warlord with no regard for anyone but himself. He was finally defeated by Mammon who forced him to join his army. Auriga has strong melee attacks and ranged psychic blasts just like Mammon. His special abilities range from calling in reinforcements to summoning a battle clone of himself onto the field.
Psychlade is a special creation of the Overseer which was developed to assist with the invading forces. The Psychlade is summoned by Mammon onto the battlefield and offers unique abilities. It is capable of strong melee attacks, and with greater experience it can learn how to capture enemy units. Special abilities include sensing invisible units and Psycho-Kinetic impulse waves.
Spawn are the most basic and mindless of the Hai-Genti bio-engineered forces. They are essentially the front line, direct combat units of the aliens. They have a thick, tough armor-like skin coupled with elongated blades on their forearms for devastating melee attacks.
Rippers are a staple of the ranged units available in the Hai-Genti arsenal. Carrying the same heavily engineered armor-like hide, these creatures have spines protruding from their bodies. These spines are hurled at enemies from a distance, and with later upgrades can become poisonous for continuous damage.
Siren is another ranged unit for the Hai-Genti, with a twist. Rather than the physical weapons (claws, spines, etc) common to other units, the siren has a more discreet weapon. The siren is capable of high frequency sonic impulses that it can direct towards an enemy. The vibrations do damage to both organic enemies and machines alike.
Devourer is a large lumbering creature with an extra set of arms, highly powerful and well armored; this creature is a force to be reckoned with. In the heat of battle it has been said Devourers not only grab their enemies and hurl them great distances, but also tear them apart - piece by piece.
Bio-Thrall used to be a human being; that is until they were infused with alien DNA and mutated into mindless battle drones of the Hai-Genti. They have all the same tell-tale weapons and armor of the Spawn, but contain an extra ability. The Bio-Thrall can sacrifice itself and turn it's corpse into a proximity mine.