Warpish
Alert
Combat
Type
Power of Congregation
Gains Might from the Warp
As a leader, during combat, use this power to add 1 might to your fleet for each ship in the warp.
Legacy: During combat, each leader adds 1 to their fleet’s might for each ship they have in the warp.
A sagelike race of holy warriors who worship the warp, the Warpish have tired of other aliens making frivolous use of its holy maw, not even respecting the honor that comes with being accepted by it. Soon they will show everyone the power that truly lies within.
Leader: Combat
Mandatory
Wild Flare
As a leader, during combat, you may discharge this flare to add 1 might to your fleet for each of your ships in the warp.
Leader: Combat
Super Flare
As a leader, during combat, you may discharge this flare to subtract 1 might from the opponent’s fleet for each ship they have in the warp.
Leader: Combat
Modifications
- Changed the power name from “Necromancy” to “Congregation”. I like the double meaning of many things massing together combined with the religious undertones based on how I’m framing Warpish’s lore. Necromancy suggests that the warp is equivalent to death, which I have not yet been able to rationalize since I’ve interpreted the warp to be almost like an elder god in my Cosmic. Considered the power to “Congregate”, but it sounds too much like the Warpish are congregating themselves, like Cult.
- Warpish’s legacy instills a bit of warp-worship into the hearts of everyone, granting them more power the more ships they have in the warp. Zombie and Observer don’t appreciate what this legacy offers, while Healer and Masochist just lap it up. Original Cosmic has no legacies.
Tips
- Warp Keys are Warpish’s greatest enemy. They reset Warpish’s combat bonus back to zero. If Warpish gets hold of a Warp Key, it needs to be careful about getting hit by aliens who might take it. Playing the artifact early before any ships are in the warp is the ideal for Warpish, to get it out of play as soon as possible.
- Warpish likes seeing big losses. As Warpish, send as many ships to the warp as possible.
- Warpish has one of the more dangerous combat powers in Cosmic. A single encounter can easily let Warpish pass the Human test, and it only keeps scaling. Consider more negotiations and peaceful victories if opposing Warpish, to reduce the number of ships in the warp. Also, try to avoid thoughtlessly rejecting deals.
- Warpish’s power scales with the number of other aliens participating in the quarrel. More alien = more potential might. A five-alien quarrel gives Warpish a ceiling of 97 might at max (since it needs at least 3 ships minimum to use the power), though it’s highly unlikely to reach such numbers and even more unlikely to maintain them. Realistically though, it can still expect 15-20 might from power alone. Possibly 30-40 in the late game if the Warp Keys can be dealt with.
Development Notes
- Warpish is the kind of power that makes me think about what exactly the warp is in Cosmic. It’s meant to be the ship graveyard, but what exactly does that mean? Why are ships uniformly sucked into the warp without question unless vaporized? What does it mean to revive ships from the warp? Are ships in the warp simply broken? So many aliens like Warpish (Reincarnator, Kamikaze, Masochist, Zombie, etc.) have powers which strongly imply death is occurring in regards to the warp, which I could imagine if I interpret each ship to be one soldier in your army. I see the warp more like a black hole that has its own will of sorts and absorbs the destroyed remains of ships. When ships are revived from the warp, they end up restored to normal through unknown means. It’s a bizarre phenomenon that proves very convenient for isolated skirmishes like Cosmic Encounters that the Federation can take advantage of. I like how that can tie into Warpish being upset with everyone essentially stomping all over their sacred cow as a means of convenience.
- Warpish and Healer have an interesting dynamic when participating in the same quarrel. Healer’s own ships are the only ones that Warpish can guarantee go into the warp, while Healer has to be even more careful about balancing saving enemy ships and keeping other aliens in-power. While Healer’s presence does nerf Warpish, it doesn’t make either power irrelevant or deprive them of choice. If anything, it makes Warpish’s power less mindless.