Phoenix Logs/Banished Units

Infantry

Grunts Expendable minions [and they know it]. Though derided as cannon fodder, there is no mistaking the military value of having an almost endless supply of cheap infantry armed with plasma pistols to hurl at a foe. Each Grunt squad is led by a Brute armed with a spike rifle who can be upgraded to plant a cloaked proximity-fused shrapnel mine on the battlefield. The Grunts can be upgraded to add a pack brother and lackeys. Grunts may not be strong, brave, intelligent, hygienic, or particularly fearsome warriors, but those forced to serve the Banished have a healthy enough fear of their Brute leaders to stay on-task and motivated. Even if their fellows are used as target practice by bored Brutes or disintegrated by Forerunner sentinels, the survivors can at least look forward to a full food nipple and a brief nap in the methane atmosphere they call home. Hunters A bonded pair of walking tanks formed from colonies of worm-like aliens. Hunters are super heavy infantry who fight in bonded pairs. Their massive shields help protect them from all frontal attacks, and their assault cannons deal heavy damage to any ground target and to vehicles in particular. Hunters can be upgraded to equip beam cannons which fire a constant stream of energy at a target. Hunters are actually just one form taken by Lekgolo worm colonies, with other notable examples including the musculature and control systems for the Scarab and Locust. Always cryptic and undecipherable, Lekgolo in the service of the Banished seem curiously aggressive and the Brutes take great care to separate them from the general population of thralls and mercenaries under their banner to avoid unnecessary carnage. It's possible the Hunters' service is not voluntary, though only Atriox's inner circle knows the truth. Suicide Grunts Grunts with explosive tempers. Suicide Grunts are specially chosen infantry with exaggerated aggressive tendencies. Each Grunt is fitted with an unstable plasma cell and detonator and given only one order: rush the assigned target and violently explode. They can be upgraded with new "recruits" and plasma lensing which increases their damage against structures and vehicles. Truly aggressive and violent Grunts are rare, but without Covenant oversight or the environmental hazards of Balaho to cull them from the population, the number of aberrants has increased dramatically in thrall colonies. The Banished have adapted existing indoctrination protocols to turn the aggression and natural cleverness of these Grunts to their own violent purposes. Jump Pack Brutes Fast-moving assault troops. This Brute heavy infantry unit is equipped with jump packs and armed with hammers. The Brutes can leap a great distance with the packs assistance, unleashing a crushing attack at their destination that deals area-of-effect damage. Jump Brutes in the service of Atriox also drop trip mines along their jump path to deter enemy pursuit. All Jump Pack Brute squads can increase their unit size with the dark skies upgrade. Favored by Atriox for their mobility and savagery, the Banished make extensive use of Jump Pack Brutes for reconnaissance, hit-and-run harassment, and devastating close-quarters assaults. Though the jump packs cannot provide full flight capabilities and must cool down after each use, they allow the Brute warriors to quickly smash into enemy lines, crushing all who stand against the Banished. Elite Rangers Anti-infantry marksman and skirmishers. The Elite Rangers are specialist infantry units devoted to anti-personnel duties. They are armed with rapid-fire Covenant Carbines with excellent range. They rely on their mobility to stay out of danger and can often severely diminish enemy forces before being with range of a counterattack. Rangers serve as the skirmishers and snipers of the Shipmaster's mercenary group, tasked with eliminating high-value enemy leaders and scouting routes for his raiding squads. Rangers deploy in pairs that can operate for days, even weeks, away from the main Banished forces. All are hardened raiders and merciless killers who would [and did] sell their own clan if there was profit in it. Goliath Prime Hunter. The Goliath is a superheavy infantry unit deployed by Colony to protect areas it finds of particular importance. It is walking tank that bulldozes foes with its powerful melee smash attacks, crushing anything that gets in its way. What it can’t immediately destroy with its smashing blows can be dealt with using the Goliath’s ram ability, which does massive damage and stuns the target temporarily. The Goliath's Rage upgrade significantly increases melee and ram damage, making it even more of a terror against enemy vehicles. Unlike a typical Mgalekgolo pair, which splits a colony into two independent bodies, the Goliath is a Hunter-style body containing a single colony that optimizes brute strength over all other considerations. Inside the Goliath’s armored shell most of the Lekgolo eel-worms in the gestalt adapt to function as corded pseudo-muscle and thick-skinned protective bands, with a minimum of sensory and cognitive function. Goliaths are not easily self-sustained due to their ravenous hunger for nutrients, and are typically only seen in times of extreme danger among feral Lekgolo, but Colony can coerce or direct subsidiary Hunter gestalts into this form seemingly at will. Elite Enforcers Instruments of vengeance. The Enforcers are fast-moving, battle-hardened Sangheili armed with plasma rifles, plasma casters, and plasma grenades which can be deployed by the Arbiter in place of Jump Pack Brutes. They excel in hit—and—run attacks where they can rush in to attack with their plasma weapons and then disengage to allow their energy shields to regenerate. Enforcers can also use their special Stasis Grenade ability to take targets they cannot effectively deal with out of action, and raid enemy bases to shut down production for a short time. They can be upgraded with an Arbiter's Champion to add an additional Sangheili warrior armed with a plasma caster. Disgraced Sangheili have few options to recover their honor, even in death. Had Ripa joined with Atriox and thrown off the Prophets' shackles he had powerful tools to exploit Sangheili warriors seeking redemption. Though Ripa could not lead through loyalty or charisma as a general, as the Arbiter he could bind Sangheili with iron-clad oaths that traded unquestioning service as his vassals for a return to the rolls of honor. Grunts Grunts commanded by an Elite The Grunts in this squad are armed with plasma pistols, led by an Elite with a plasma rifle. Upgrades allow the unit to cloak themselves for a while and add an Elite second—in—command. A Grunt's lot is not a happy one, but this squad has the advantage of being led by an Elite rather than a Brute, and whilst their average life-span is still short, it may be fractionally less unpleasant. The unit is relatively fast and effective against all enemy types and better at ranged combat than a Brute—led squad. Cannon Fodder Quantity is its own quality. Cannon Fodder are an infantry unit which replaces standard Grunts in Yapyap THE DESTROYER'S army. They are unarmed, excitable, and poorly trained, but free: they cost no resources to deploy [just takes time and population cap]. Though each unit is not exactly a powerhouse combatant, the Grunt Swarms are very useful for scouting, overwhelming enemy positions, and capturing points. In addition to standard infantry upgrades the Swarm can be trained in ancient Unggoy art of being Anklebiters, which gives them a weak close—combat capability and ability to dogpile the enemy and slow them down. Yapyap can also get them fired up with his Refer a Friend upgrade, which gives the unit a self—heal by packaging his best—selling novel on Grunt leadership together with some bandages. An endless horde of overzealous Unggoy, ready to be marched into battle at a moment's notice! As Yapyap has lost [he says "misplaced"] more Grunts in their revolution than were even carried to the Ark in the first place, it's a bit of a mystery where these recruits are coming from. All that anyone knows for sure is that Yapyap THE DESTROYER argues with his Throne of Woe, gives it a few good kicks, and glassy—eyed reinforcements show up at camp the next day, ready to fight for the glory of Yapyap! In these dark days Grunts adrift are a gift, so other Grunts don't ask any questions. Heavy Grunts They eat Spartans for breakfast! Heavy Grunts are elite infantry who replace Jump Pack Brutes. Heavy Grunts are Yapyap THE DESTROYER'S enforcers , wearing heavy armor and armed with plasma pistols. When they need to break out the big guns the leader uses his Fuel Rod Cannon. This cannon can be upgraded with the party's Over special ability, which fires an EMP round that stuns vehicles and aircraft. And though war never changes, their unit size can. The My Plus One upgrade adds an additional squad member to the entourage. Heavily augmented using strange machinery found on the Ark, Heavy Grunts are part Grunt, part machine, all awesome. Even without their new battle armor the Heavy Grunts are bad to the bone, and their chainmail undervests, mirrorshade lenses, and bad attitude prove it. They are led by the Shadow Master of Buwan, a red—beret—wearing Grunt spoken of in hushed whispers, who has taught his disciples ancient Balaho martial arts and a number of useful rope knot tricks. Grunt Riders Backseat driver. The Grunt Rider is an infantry unit which replaces Suicide Grunts. The Grunts chosen to lord it over captured Brutes still lack much common sense, so going from carrying a backpack to being a backpack may not be a step up. Grunt Riders have a simple partnership with their Brutes: the Brutes punch things with their fists, while the Grunts tell them where to go and throw plasma grenades at enemies, allies, small animals, inanimate objects, and strange noises. The Brute's attacks as-is, they can upgrade their punch force with Grunt-engineered plasma gloves by investing in Punch Harder, You! Unlike methane and infusions, the Grunt and Brute pairing is not a perfect match. Among other quirks, some Brute Riders have a tendency to develop an obsession with biofuels, power management, and gladiatorial fights, much to the annoyance of everyone else in the rebellion. Other Brute Riders suffer "accidents" at the fists of the Brutes if they get too bossy. The rest simply hope to survive long enough to get promoted to Locust driver or methane hauler. Brute Grenadier Destroyers and despoilers. Brute Grenadiers are a special infantry unit available to Voridus. Their Gel Siphon ability allows them to absorb nearby infusion pools and harness that energy to overcharge their iatrochemically-enhanced armor and grenade launchers. On death, their equipment explodes, doing damage to nearby units and leaving behind an infusion pool. Their weapons can be upgraded with Hard-Target Detonators to cause additional damage against vehicles and structures, and Infused Grenades which increases grenade attack range and creates short-lived energy pools at the point of impact. The Brute Grenadiers are madmen and savages who are too unstable and crude to advance in the Banished hierarchy. With few other options to seek glory, they have turned to Voridus, who offers a place in the vanguard of his pack for any willing to test his latest inventions. Glory they will have, even as their bodies rot from the inside out from exposure to the unspeakably toxic by-products of the power they abuse.

Vehicle