I highly recommend these two civilizations for a new DLC, even if they may not be same as the design I’m going to state at following. This thread is purely for sharing ideas, and the designs don’t necessarily have perfect balance or historical context.
Khitans
They were what the word Cathay refers to, a Para-Mongolic people deeply influenced by Uyghurs and Tungus, and a nomadic civ who were good at forging and espionage, especially the latter. According to some Chinese sources, from the borders to the cities, many common people like beggars, women, businessmen, monks, were found to be hired to collect information for Liao Empire, making Song officials very cautious.
- Blacksmiths and armor upgrades can be built and researched one age earlier.
(The last armor upgrades +1/+1 in Castle Age, then automatically +0/+1 in Imperial Age.) - Villagers’ work efficiency +1% for every researched armor upgrade tech.
(Includes Loom so +10% totally.) - Reveal the location of enemy Castles like revealing Wonders.
Team bonus: Ranged units +1 attack vs Gunpowder units.
(Helps against Janissaries, Conquistadors, Organ Guns and Hussite Wagons, especially in Castle Age.)
Castle UT: Treaty (400 F, 300 G)
Researched complete in 1 second! All players immediately cease fire for 30 seconds as a treaty.
After this treaty ends, trickles 0.25 gold per second as long as at least a castle is existing.
Imperial UT: Ordo (800 F, 800 G)
Cavalry Archers no longer have the gold cost but double the wood cost.
Within the Liao Empire of the Khitans, the word ordo was used to refer to a nobleman’s personal entourage or court, which included servants, retainers, and bodyguards. Emperors, empresses, and high ranking princes all had ordos of their own, which they were free to manage in practically any way they chose.
UU:
Some kind of heavy armored cavalry archers who use crossbows or short bows, maybe named “Tielin” or just Crossbow Cavalry, Armored Cavalry Archer, Cataphract Archer.
They’d have shorter range, slower rate of fire, lower speed and higher cost but also having obviously stronger HP, attack and armor, supposed to well work with trash CA.
- HP: 80 → 100
- attack: 7 → 8, +1 → +2 vs cavalry
- rate of fire: 2.5
- frame delay: 55
- attack delay: 1
- range: 3
- projectile speed: 7
- accuracy: 80%
- armor: 1/1 → 2/2
- speed: 1.35
- LoS: 6
- upgrade cost: 700 F, 850 G
Tech tree:
Economy: no Two-Man Saw.
Blacksmith: Full.
Castle: no Sappers.
Barrack: no Halberdier.
Stable: no Paladin, but having Elite Steppe Lancers.
Archery Range: no Arbalester, Heavy CA and Hand Cannoneer.
Siege Workshop: no Siege Onager and Bombard Cannon.
University: no Architecture, Fortified Wall and Bombard Tower.
Monastery: no Redemption, Fervor and Block Printing.
Dock: no Shipwright and Cannon Galleon line.
Jurchens
Although culturally and geographically close to the Mongols and Khitans, Jurchens were not actually considered nomads. They were sedentary while hunting and fishing was the way of life. In the Middle Ages they built a heavy cavalry regiment that swept across China (“Iron Pagoda”, or “Tiefutu”), and their pirates invaded Korea and Japan (“Toi invasion”).
- Free cavalry armor upgrades.
- Hunters and Fishermen do not require Mills or TCs to drop off food but work 10% slower.
- Fishing boats move 10% faster, and can shoot arrows with weak attack after hitting Feudal Age (to allow them able to attack like Villagers).
- Fish last 50% longer.
Team bonus: UTs cost -33%.
(If there would be another new civ (eg. Göktürks) with a team bonus which allows UTs to be researched slowly at TCs, it could be a nice partner with Jurchens.)
Castle UT: Iron Pagoda, or Tiefutu (300 F, 300 G)
Cavalry units have +2 attack vs UUs.
Based on the famous heavy cavalry regiment of the Jin Dynasty.
Imperial UT: Miŋgan Moumukə (600 F, 500 G)
Returns 15% of the cost of military units after they are killed.
Based on the basic social organization of the Jurchens which later became the prototype of the Manchu Eight Banners.
UU:
Some kind of ranged melee cavalry who look like Iron Flail of AoE3,with scorpion-like piercing effect which could make enemy -10% speed and rate of fire.
HP: 100 → 120
attack: 5 → 7, +2 → +3 vs foot archer units
range: 1
rate of fire: 2
accuracy: 100%
armor: 1/3 → 2/3
speed: 1.4
LoS: 6
Upgrade cost: 800 F, 700 G
Regional unit: Fire Lance, available for Chinese, Koreans, Jurchens and Mongols.
In East Asia (China), the early military use of gunpowder was to mount it on a spear. Although the English term is lance, it was actually more commonly used by infantry.
Fire Lances could be classified as Siege weapon units and Infantry units, and trainable at Siege Workshops since Castle Age. Attack power and range are upgraded through Siege Engineers, while armor is shared with infantry. Their projectiles have a “melee” blast damage with a radius of about 1 when hitting a target or the ground, good at against siege weapons, buildings, ships, and dense units (like archers), but cannot handle a large number of melee units, especially light cavalry, due to its slow fire and slow movement.
Can +4 attack by Rocketry, +1 range by Shinkichon, but cannot +50% speed by Drill.
Tech tree:
Economy: no Two-Man Saw.
Blacksmith: no Plate Mail Armor.
Castle: no Hoardings.
Barrack: no Supplies and Squires.
Stable: no Heavy Camel Rider, but having Elite Steppe Lancers.
Archery Range: Full.
Siege Workshop: no Siege Onager and Bombard Cannon, but having Fire Lances.
University: no Architecture, Keep and Bombard Tower.
Monastery: no Redemption, Fervor and Sanctity.
Dock: Full.
