Sandknecht - Nyr's Beast of the Blazing Sands

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SANDKNECHT - BEAST OF THE BLAZING SANDS

Formerly Gigascorpion.

I wanted another beast in Battle Brothers that was actually worth taking a contract for. Something big, dangerous, and worth dragging pieces of back to the Taxidermist afterward.

So now there are four roaming Sandknecht variants, a proper hunt contract, and the Sandkoenig hiding in a burrow somewhere out in the desert.

They're basically giant armored scorpions. They push into your line, go after injured brothers, rip armor apart, sweep groups, and sting anything they can get through to.

Bring something that can deal with armor and leave some space in your inventory.

WHAT YOU GET

• []Four roaming variants: Sun, Dune, Ironrot and Elder Sandknechts[/]

  []The Sandkoenig: An old, scarred giant found inside its own burrow[/]

  []Unique attacks: Pincer, Claw Sweep, and venomous Sting attacks[/]

  []Dynamic Shell System: A shell that cracks during combat and dynamically changes weapon effectiveness[/]

  []Hunt Contracts: Sandknecht contracts integrated into the normal negotiation system[/]

  []Burrow Spawns: Destroyable burrows that respawn on a timer instead of being farmable[/]

  []Crafting Economy: New materials, a new dagger, an armor attachment, and four venom coatings[/]

  []Custom Assets: Bespoke creature sprites, materials, trophies, skill art, and sounds[/]

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  THE FIGHT

  A normal roaming Sandknecht is roughly half a Lindwurm.

  • []Adults: Around 483-583 HP and 145-175 body armor.[/]

    []The Sandkoenig: 1,200 HP, 500 body armor, and hits way harder than anything else in the mod.[/]

    []Action Points: Normal Sandknechts get 12 AP (up to 3 swings if engaged, or charge + 2 swings). The Sandkoenig gets 14 AP.[/]

    Pincer (The Armor Breaker):

    28-40 damage doesn't sound crazy until two or three hits have eaten most of the armor off one of your brothers.

    Sting (The Flesh Attack):

    Deals minimal armor damage. It bypasses to HP, and if it penetrates, it applies venom. Pincer tears the armor apart, making the Sting lethal once protection is gone. Healthy heavy armor can stop the sting from reaching flesh completely.

    Claw Sweep:

    Hits up to three adjacent brothers with a 50% chance to knock one back a tile. Piling your whole company onto one side is dangerous.

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    THE SHELL MECHANIC

    The shell isn't just extra armor. At half HP, it cracks permanently.

    Before the shell cracks:

    • []Hammers and maces deal +15% more damage[/]

      []Swords and cleavers deal -30% less damage[/]

      After it cracks:

      • []Spears and bolts deal +20% more damage[/]

        []Swords return to normal damage[/]

        []The Sandknecht loses Melee Defense[/]

        Immunities & Rules: Sandknechts are immune to stun, knockback, and grab. Nets do not work. The Sandkoenig is also immune to rooting. Nothing regenerates. Antidote removes venom; Resilient shortens duration. Re-poisoning refreshes duration rather than stacking copies.

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        THE SCORPIONS

        • []Dune: Standard adult variant. Dangerous if unprepared.[/]

          []Ironrot: Heavy standard adult. Do not treat it like a Nachzehrer.[/]

          []Sun: Stronger adult sporting heavier armor.[/]

          []Elder: Uncommon roaming variant. Heaviest armor of the normal Sandknechts and nastier venom (10 dmg for 6 turns vs 5-6 dmg for 4 turns). Only one Elder can appear in a group.[/]

          []Sandkoenig: The true apex boss. Old, scarred, pitch-black shell. Does not roam; you must track it to its burrow.[/]

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          SPAWNS & CONTRACTS

          Sandknechts start appearing from day 20 in Deserts, Oases, Steppe, and Hills.

          • []Early on: normally groups of 1.[/]

            []Day 40+: groups up to 2.[/]

            []Day 70+: groups up to 3, with Elders appearing. (Natural groups cap at 3).[/]

            Contracts: Appear at southern settlements from day 60 (re