Monk

Alert

MonkBorderless

Combat

Resource

Type

Power of Asceticism

Seeks Enlightenment

During any upkeep, if you are a bystander, use this power to scrap one pod from your cache. Whenever you establish a base, use this power to draft one pod for each ship you land on the planet.

As a leader, during contact, if you have no pods in your cache, your fleet is treated as a brigade with an attack driver equal to the number of your committed ships times 10.

Legacy: Whenever an alien deploys a stooge, it is treated as a brigade with a 12 attack driver.

Disciplined and stalwart, the Monks spend their lives in a constant state of meditation, awakening only in self-defense. They seek to renounce their physical forms in the hopes of finding true enlightenment, a power which will allow them to crush all who oppose them.

Bystander: Upkeep
Any: Any

Mandatory

Wild Flare

If you have 2 or fewer pods in your cache, including this flare, you may discharge this flare to draft 10 pods.

Any: Any

Super Flare

When you would draft pods, you may discharge this flare to not draft pods.

Any: Any

Modifications

  • Monk is my own original alien and does not exist in base Cosmic.
  • Monk’s legacy turns stooges into strong brigades, encouraging aliens to cut pods out of their caches when they have weak pods. A valuable legacy for aliens like Merchant and Porcupine that can dump their caches very easily. A chore for aliens that like to stockpile pods like Glutton and Healer. Original Cosmic has no legacies.

Tips

  • Monk’s power can be used to gain more pods from victory, or it can try to purge pods from its cache as quickly as possible.
  • Sitting out of encounters allows Monk to purge weak pods from its cache, ensuring that Monk can get potentially get something out of every invasion even when not commissioned.
  • Be wary about committing four ships as the invader or foreward. Each committed ship will be another pod in your cache if you win, which can make it take longer to purge your cache of pods.
  • When opposing Monk, avoid gunning for compensation from them or otherwise snatching their pods. The faster they exhaust their cache, the sooner they can use the combat aspect of their power to practically guarantee a base. This can be very dangerous if they only need one base to win.

Development Notes

  • Monk’s power is about dumping its cache as quickly as possible, while having a side effect that actively fights against that goal. In classic Cosmic, aliens are required to receive a resupply when acting as the invader or defender, so Monk requires a special clause saying it does not have to do so, similar to Doppelganger. I need to see if there are any aliens that make the mandatory resupply rule a necessity, or if Monk/Doppelganger need the clause.
  • I like the idea of Monk being able to scrap pods by sitting out of encounters. It is an untapped ability while also synergizing well with Monk’s goal of purging its cache as quickly as possible. It can also incentivize other aliens to commission it since it benefits from being left out.
  • The pod drafting aspect works well both thematically and as a countermeasure to the power. It refers to Monk’s “temptation” for attaining earthly possessions as they gain the power of dominion. Obtaining enlightenment means they have no pods in their cache, meaning they are unburdened. In terms of the game mechanics, Monk using its power to invade will award it more pods the more damage it gains. When sending 4 ships to get the 40 bonus, it will draft 4 pods, making it take much longer to free its cache again compared to drafting 1.
  • One interesting option is Monk’s ability to play a more hedonistic strategy, where it ignores enlightenment entirely and focuses entirely on gaining pods from establishing bases. While this can be effective, it’s worth noting that such a power will be almost strictly inferior to an alien like Mercenary or Ghoul, who gains many more pods from winning encounters and doesn’t have to win on the invading side. Monk’s main power is meant to come from its combat advantage, though the pods can be useful to supplement it.
  • One question about this power is whether it should require no pods or no encounter pods. The latter is harder but more thematically appropriate, with the biggest hurdle being situational pods such as a Warp Key that can be more difficult to play. With Monk’s ability to scrap any pods using its power, these shouldn’t pose too much of an issue.
  • Monk has an interesting dynamic with Laser, with Laser temporarily emptying Monk’s cache for the encounter, potentially letting it use its ability beforehand. Monk may wish to target Laser’s strongest bases for this reason. Laser has to be careful when attacking Monk’s system.
Back to My Aliens