Age of Wonders: Planetfall – Beginner’s Guide to Psynumbra Hero Skills and Synergies

Overview

Note: Credit goes to WinSlaya

In this week’s video, I breakdown each of the 4 Psynumbra Hero Skills, and analyse how well each of the races synergize with the secret tech.

I expect that the 2 expansions planned in 2020 will introduce new combinations with the Psynumbra class, but I did want to cover the synergies that exist between the Psynumbra class and the races that are currently in the game.

The Hero Skills

• Sinister Chorus – costs 4 skill points – reduces the damage resistance and the accuracy of enemy units that are adjacent to this unit.
• Devour hope – costs 3 skill points – requires level 4 – can heal 20 hp, and applies a debuff to the enemy (can bring in an Echo of Despair)
• Sadism – costs 2 skill points – requires level 6 – +25% damage against enemies with low morale (a waste, most of the time)
• Anthem of the Abyss – costs 4 skill points – requires level 8 – all allies get +400 morale and 4 psionic resistance, and all enemies gets broken mind (-1 psionic resistance, and -100 morale)

General Synergies

Now before we jump into all of the synergies between the different races and the Psynumbra secret tech, I did want to talk about the backgrounds I like using as well as the differences between the 6 types of Initiates, and the 6 types of Malictors.

I like using Covert Operator background to boost my tactical operation points, allowing me to cast Embrace the Darkness more often. Once you can summon in units, it is nice to have more strategic operation points too.

• Syndicate Initiate – This initiate can do one extra point of damage damage per indentured in the battle up to +5 damage.
• Vanguard Initiate – This initiate gets nothing special.
• Kir’ko Initiate – This initiate can swarm shield with other units.
• Amazon Initiate – This initiate can use dark vine, which is a secondary attack with cooldown is 1 turn longer than the secondary attack for the other initiates. Dark vine also deals damage, and has 2 more range than the equivalent skill that the other initiates get instead.
• Assembly Initiate – This initiate summons in an Echo of Despair when it dies, heals 6 hp after a battle, and has +2 arc resistance.
• Dvar Initiate – This initiate gets gets nothing special.

• Syndicate Malictor – This malictor can do one extra point of damage damage per indentured in the battle up to +5 damage.
• Vanguard Malictor – This malictor gets nothing special.
• Kir’ko Malictor – This malictor can swarm shield with other units, and, instead of a mind control ability that the other malictor get access to, this malictor can use dark locusts, which causes their target to spread Filled with Despair to two units within 2 hexes when the target dies, and deals 10 psionic damage per turn!
• Amazon Malictor – This malictor can use dark thorns, which can entangle a unit for 2 turns, deals damage unlike the equivalent skill that the other malictors get instead, and has 2 more range than the equivalent skill that the other malictors get instead.
• Assembly Malictor – This malictor summons in an Echo of Despair when it dies, heals 6 hp after a battle, and has +2 arc resistance.
• Dvar Malictor – This malictor gets nothing special.

Racial Synergies

From what I can tell, all 6 races have valid strategies for this secret tech, but some are better than others.

(1) Dvar – The Psynumbra are an offensive secret tech that is quite vulnerable in the early game. The Dvar provide defensive mods and operations, allowing the pysnumbra the stay alive for more turns. Both the Dvar race, and Psynumbra secret tech can summon in units, making it extremely easy to reinforce armies in the early game. Trenchers cost 8 strategic operation points and 80 energy, and a Whisper of Discord costs 6 strategic operation points and 60 energy. The Dvar get gold from prospecting, which will allow you to summon in reinforcements and to cast more operations.

Dvar trait combo: Nitro Battery (increases a mechanical and cyborgs units damage), Stubborn (stagger immunity), Siege Master (+2 damage resistance when in cover)

(2) Vanguard – The Psynumbra are an offensive secret tech that is quite vulnerable in the early game. The Vanguard provide defensive mods, allowing the Psynumbra units to stay alive for more turns. This combo gives access to 3 damage channels: Psionic, Thermal, and Kinetic. Jetpack malictors are a bit goofy, but somewhat effective. Both the Vanguard race, and Psynumbra secret tech can summon in units, making it extremely easy to reinforce armies in the early game. Owls cost 4 strategic operation points and 40 energy, and a Whisper of Discord costs 6 strategic operation points and 60 energy.

Vanguard trait combo: Coordinated strike (+40 easier to hit), dig in (+2 dam res)

(3) Amazon – Another great Psynumbra synergy is with the Amazons. The scan ability on the biomancer makes it a lot easier to apply debuffs and to mind control enemy units. Amazons have the ability to put the Consuming Gaze mod on Harriers and Tyrannodons. The Amazon initiates have a special dark vine skill, and malictors have dark roots, allowing them to deal slightly more damage per turn for the same number of units.

Amazon trait combo: Visual Acuity (I always get), Renewal (30 hp heal that only applies to biological) Call of the Wild brings in a random animal unit on your side of the battle!!

(4) Syndicate – Syndicate lineup includes psionic units that can benefit from Psynumbra mods and likewise their initiates and malictors can benefit from psionic weapon techs like Mantra of Clarity. Psionic damage can be modded into biological or thermal to bypass the psionic resistance of mechanic units. Best part of this combo is that the units that are normally resistant to Psionic damage, like machines, are weak to the arc damage that the indentured deal. Fueled by Servitude allows the Syndicate’s Psynumbra units to do an insane amount of damage when accompanied by 5 indentured. A popular strategy seems to be placing a hero in a stack with 5 indentured, and a hero in a stack with 5 initiates that can participate in all of the same battles.

Syndicate trait combo: deploy cerebral control collars (mind control), shield battery (everyone gets +1 shield). Escape module heals 15 hp once per battle when the commander reaches 0 hp.

(5) Kir’ko – Due to Transcendant’s buffs counting as a psionic buff, they get incredible synergy with psi-fish and Psynumbra mods. Harbringers has Guiding Presence, which increases accuracy of all friendly units by 25%, and increases their range by 2 hexes. Range 7 Malictor all of sudden becomes 9 range. Tormented go from range 9 to 11, and barrages go from range 7 to 9. The turn after that, Harbingers can activate Vengeful Presence which gives all unit 25% more damage. The psionic damage can be alternated to bio or fire to bypass the psi resistance of mechanic units – it hits hard against tanks as most of them have only armor for defense.

Kir’ko trait combo: Fury of the Swarm (units with swarm shield who are also adjacent to this unit get +20% damage), Echo of a hivemind (give an addition +1 shields to adjacent units with swarm shield), Guiding Presence (increases effective and optimal range by 2 hex and accuracy by 25% for 2 turns for all friendly units).

(6) Assembly – Assembly Psynumbra units have a special trait where they spawn an Echo of Despair when they die. That combined with the assembly heroes and Reverse Engineers can resurrect the dead, allows you to get a lot of units of the battlefield. Oh, and there is the Assembly mod, Reassembly Module, that resurrect the unit after a battle.

Assembly trait combo: Reassemble (heals or resurrects cyborg!) Cybernetic overdrive (refill action points on any cyborg) Stabilizers are nice, but not worth grabbing if you can get stagger resistance another way i.e. piloting.