The Tyrant

[Sangel]

Howdy all. It's been a while, but I've started working on Wesnoth graphics again. Apart from my new avatar, my first project is to finish off the mercenary line which I created a while back, which consists of the Black Mercenary and the Dark Enforcer. The idea is to have an alternate, living leader for the undead, along with some generic "bad guy" soldiers.

The final unit in the progression is the Shadow Tyrant, of which I have attached an early model. Once it's complete, I'll probably make minor changes to the Enforcer to improve the continuity between the units.

Problem areas at present: The Halberd, and both arms. Advice would be welcome.

[Elvish_Pillager]

Put the halberd's base between his feet, and put it at a 20° angle with its blade to the left. That should fix the right arm position, too.

I really like this unit, BTW.

[Herkum]

They appear like regular bad guys rather than just Undead bad guys. Not that would be a bad thing.

[Elvish_Pillager]

They appear like regular bad guys rather than just Undead bad guys. Not that would be a bad thing.

Yeah.

What I like about this unit is that it's a human villain.

That, and that it's a generic villainous human rather than a rebel, which may not be so evil, or a magician who consorts with the dead. Good job also using the names "Mercenary", "Enforcer", and "Tyrant"; they're perfect for the unit.

[Sangel]

Excellent. It looks like I've successfully conveyed the "image" I have of the unit. An "evil human", who could easily be found in a variety of situations, whether consorting with the undead, providing the strong arm of a lich or sorceror, or generally commanding the forces of evil.

Here's an iteration with the halberd in a new position - is this better?
And is the other arm fine, or could it be improved?
As always suggestions welcomed.

[Elvish_Pillager]

Here's an iteration with the halberd in a new position - is this better?

It's not quite good. It needs a spike or second blade on the opposite side, I think.

And is the other arm fine, or could it be improved?

Give him something like a royal stick, I think. It might bet better as it is, though.

[Sangel]

Here's a version with a spike and some tassels.

[Elvish_Pillager]

Here's a version with a spike and some tassels.

Nice. It's better than I thought it would be.

His armor is kind of indistinct. It should be shinier, I think.

[Invisible Philosopher]

His armor is kind of indistinct. It should be shinier, I think.

Yeah, different shading would be good. The area around the abdomen doesn't look quite right to me...

[Sangel]

OK, I wasn't quite certain how to fix the abdomen, but here's one possibility. Additionally, a "super-shiny" version, to see how it looks.

[Elvish_Pillager]

Shiny one is cool looking, but too hard edges: needs some intermediate colors

[Darth Fool]

Somewhere between the two. Maybe using lower legs and arms of shiny one, and helmet, upper arms and legs of dull one, and somehow merging the torsos... or maybe just place the shiny one on the dull one with 50% alpha...

[Sangel]

Hmmmm, you're right. It does look quite good. Here's a better version.

[scott]

I'm watching with interest because the concept behind your L3 there is exactly what I have down for the upgrade to the Shadow Mage, which is the Shadow Lord. His intended use is as a villainous human who uses black magic but is neither undead nor practices necromancy. He's not the strong arm, rather he's the leader who can use both might and magic (much like Thulsa Doom, nemesis of Conan the Barbarian). I don't want to hijack this guy if you want to keep the line intact. The graphics don't 100% match my concept, but if you were to make a second version that made him look less like a knight and more like a noble I can guarantee it would be used.

[Sangel]

Once this version is finished, I could make a version with lighter armour, remove the helmet and swap the halberd for a sword. They'd be obvious parallels, but I think the results would be worthwhile. Do you have graphics for the Shadow Mage?