Races

There are several races in dominion, and each Game Master can add any races s/he pleases by modifying the race descriptor file.

The parameters describing your race are strength, reproduction, mortality rate, intelligence, speed, stealth, the race's preferred altitude, vegetation, and temperature, aptitude for magic, farming and mining.

In addition to these parameters, each race has certain special army types available to it. For example, Orcs can draft armies of type ``Orc'', which have some advantages, and Harpies can draft armies of type ``Harpies'' which can fly. Ogres have the army type ``Ogres'', which fight very well; and Hobbits can draft ``Hobbits'', who are hidden from their enemies' sight.

The races currently available are Elf, Human, Dwarf, Orc, Merfolk, Icefolk, Hobbit, Gnome, Harpy, Ogre, Walrus, Algae, and Squid. If you have a race you would like to play and do not see it listed, talk to your game administrator about adding it to the game. This should not be done lightly, because the parameters describing each new race have to be tuned to preserve game balance.

Some of the races (Merfolk, Walrus, Algae, and Squid) live under water. The game is almost symmetrical for races that live above and below water, though there are some differences. Races that live above and below water can interact (and fight) in several ways, as described below.

Each of the above listed traits effects the races in the following ways:

Strength: affects your combat bonus.
Reproduction: the rate at which people are born in your nation.
Mortality: every year this percentage of your population dies.
Intelligence: affects your acquisition of technological skill, and also helps in combat.
Speed: affects your armies' move points.
Stealth: affects your spy and secrecy skills.
Preferred altitude, preferred vegetation, preferred temperature: these affect migration of people, and move cost too. If your race likes high temperatures, deserts will have less move cost. If they like high altitude, mountains will have less move cost.
Magic aptitude: this affects how quickly you learn the spells for the nation's chosen magical order, and how many spell points you gain.
Farming: your farms produce this percentage more than their basic productivity. This will increase during the game, as you acquire new technology.
Mining: your metal and jewel mines produce this percentage more than their basic productivity. This will increase during the game as you acquire new technology.

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