Amatako

Amatako head

*The discreet Amatako have been spying on Polytopians for long enough, they've learned everything they needed to claim the Square for themselves !*

## Description

The **Amatako** are **vaguely humanoid pinkish land octopus** that have been unwilfully taugh technology by the oblivious Polytopians. They have their own skills though, and even improved on some polytopian ideas, which is particularly showing when comparing their respective **navies**...

Their peculiar "walking" patterns make polytopian roads useless to them, but they can use their cities' **tentacles** to connect them and travel faster, among other things.

They collect **kôns** but don't ride them, instead, they are weapons of war. They collect whales for similar purposes.

Another thing they have learned from Polytopians is decency. They now wear clothes of a dark green tint.

## Special Rules

### Tentacles & nodes :

Unlocked by the eponym technology (roads), tentacules have many uses :

* Slow non-Amatako units by 0.5 movement and inflicts 1 dmg per tile
* Triple movement allowance for walking Amatako
* Connect cities in a peculiar way (see node below)
* Contrary to roads, they can be built on mountains

They are, however, not as easy to use as roads :

* They cost **3 stars**
* Have to be build from a city
* Cannot make sharp turns, nor cross one-another
* Can't be more than two tiles long
* Can be either destroyed **or** disbanded, but isolated pieces of tentacles die
* In order to link two tentacle, hence two cities, one has to build a node inbetween

#### Node

Replacing customs houses, they cost **5 stars** as well. They can be built on one or between two tentacules, and connect the two cities.

If the two cities are connected, they grant **1 population** to the city it is built in, and **1 star revenue per tentacle tile**.

If a city that cannot support any more units is connected to one that can, the firsrt city can recruit a new unit anyway, and the other city supports it instead. (But perhaps that's OP)

Several Nodes can be built in a city, but only in the allowed spots (not next to another node, or somewhere where it would entangle the tentacles,...)

Below is an example of a possible tentacle + node layout. Possibly erroneous here or there.

## Units

The Amatako have a plethora of unique units...

Spit : The unit is sprayed with ink. Its attack is diminished (x0.7). If a unit (friend or foe) burns next to it, it does as well. Can be removed by Mind-bender healing, or by burning down in flames.

Burn : Target unit and surrounding sprayed units are take the same amount of damage as if they were attacked by a unit with an attack of 3 and full health, without defensive bonus. In a way, the Flameater doesn't have an attack value, his ability does.

Burst : Inflicts damage to the killing unit. The amount is about the same as a Centipede segment (possibly less).

Sting : Can attack a unit at a range of 2, is towed towards its prey.

Switch : After moving, can switch places with any unit and then attack.

Camo : Surrounding units are partially hidden : The enemy only sees a silhouette, and cannot see the remaining HP nor defence bonus (or lack of it). The unit is fully revealed as soon as it loses health. The silhouettes are : Amatako, Baloon, Kraken, Boat, Ship, Balloon-boat, Balloon-ship.

Charge : Gets a +0.5 attack bonus per move, ignores defense bonus, but is dealt backlash damage before retaliation (half of what it dealt).

### Navy

When a non flying Amatako goes on a port tile, it is turned into a Dinghy. If it is a Krakken, it is instead turned into an Vessel.

Both are shaped like squids, with the Amatako's tentacle coming out from the back and acting like a propeller.

Another Amatako can then move on the same tile (an owned port tile) to embark the ship, giving different results.

It is possible to land, but it takes two different turns to put both Amatako ashore.

The ship's and crew's health are displayed separately. While united they lose health equally, but if the ship is destroyed, both units die (Amatakos can't swim, you know). If the crew dies, well, the crew dies and that's it. For the bursting ones, only their health is taken into account.

It may be necessary to put a toll on the pairing mechanism... Or maybe not.

## Other tribes

If you liked this one, go take a look at the others here : Gradokko