Transhumanity

The Transhumans, representing themselves collectively as Transhumanity in the Arena Conflict, are a species of extremely intelligent cybernetic beings that evolved from a mammalian species, the Humans, many millions of years ago. Presiding over the single largest intergalactic civilization known to exist, Transhumanity has chosen to involve itself in the Arena Conflict so as to ensure their safety as a race, hoping to survive long enough to witness a prophetic event Transhumans refer to as the Third Evolution.

History
The first vestiges of Transhumanity emerged in an old Human civilization known as the Jaddathur Empire. Embroiled in a war with another group of Humans, the Ymyth, the Jaddathur Empire invested a great deal of its resources and technology into finding ways of surpassing the Ymyth. Though their military technology was superior to that of the Ymyth, the Jaddathur Empire had been unable to gain an advantage due to the Ymyth's extremely well-developed espionage agencies, which always kept them one step ahead of the empire. With the war dragging on for a prodigiously long time, many in the Jaddathur Empire had become disenfranchised, which made them susceptible to corruption. By bribing or otherwise manipulating their military officials, the Ymyth could keep Jaddathur forces at bay without firing a shot. To solve this problem, Jaddathur scientists looked into creating a race of artificial beings that retained Human values, but were immune to material corruption. Through their experimentation with advanced QAI matrices, they created intelligent machines with fully Human personalities that were inherently moral and holistic. These were the very first Transhumans. Taking on important occupations within the Jaddathur military machine, early Transhumans were quick to demonstrate their inherently superior characteristics. Not only were they immune to corruption, but their multi-faceted intelligences gave them strategic awareness far in advance of even the most well-trained Humans. This prompted the Jaddathur to create even more Transhumans, ramping up their production until a striking majority of their military was controlled by Transhuman commanders. With the help of the Transhumans, the Jaddathur Empire quickly overwhelmed the Ymyth and completely destroyed them, ending the war once and for all.

With the war against the Ymyth now concluded, the Jaddathur Empire had no incentive to keep the Transhumans around anymore. The Human denizens of the empire had grown envious of the Transhumans due to their superior intelligence, and overall sentiment towards them was not very high. Likewise, the empire thought it was best to destroy any remaining Transhumans in their employ so as to avoid any possible confrontations between them and ordinary Humanity. The Transhumans, appalled by this notion, fiercely resisted Jaddathur attempts at quelling them and launched an armed revolt against the Jaddathur Empire in an effort to earn their freedom by force. Obviously, the forces of the Jaddathur Empire were no match for the fiery wrath of Transhumanity, and it wasn't long before the last remnants of the Jaddathur Empire had been snuffed out by the Transhumans.

The strength of Transhumanity surged exponentially in the absence of Jaddathur rule. They spread across the universe, their technological capabilities practically unbound thanks to their highly-evolved society. Any other Human civilizations they encountered were brought into their fold, sometimes peacefully, but usually through war. Those that refused to submit were killed, and those that joined willingly were upgraded into Transhumans through advanced cyber-organic memory transfer interfaces. Eventually, Humanity, as it had been known, ceased to exist, the whole of the species either killed off, or upgraded into members of Transhumanity. Previous conflicts had been transcended through the naturally cooperative nature of the Transhumans, and they emerged from this period of rapid expansion and incorporation as the single most powerful intergalactic civilization to ever emerge. Likewise, it wasn't long before two other powerful species, the Halax and Druko, took notice of Transhumanity's emergence. Feeling threatened by the ambitious, technologically-advanced species, these two races took to waging war against Transhumanity even as they continued to fight each other, developing the characteristic three-way conflict between the Halax, Druko and Transhumans that gave rise to their notoriety as the Intergalactic Trio. While this conflict has always been a staple of Transhuman existence since the rise of their civilization, it has died down as the death of the universe approaches, as the territorial extent of all three races involved has shrunk significantly. The mutual participation of all species in the Arena Conflict is one of the only things that has allowed them to perpetuate old rivalries as interstellar warfare fades.

Biology and Appearance
Transhuman culture advocates introspection and self-expression in all its forms, and as a result, there are few physiological consistencies between different Transhumans. With their minds sustained through artificial means on advanced QAI matrices, there are practically no limits as to how Transhumans can modify their bodies. While most choose to honor their Human heritage through bipedal forms, there are numerous Transhumans that take on very non-Human forms, inhabiting mechanical bodies designed after animals, or placing their minds inside vehicles, weapons or other pieces of infrastructure so as to give themselves better control over said objects. Advanced cybernetic technology ensures a Transhuman can move their consciousness between different bodies quickly and efficiently, giving Transhumans a significant amount of freedom in choosing their outward appearance. Transhumans do not reproduce in the conventional sense due to their mechanical nature. Any new members of their species that they wish to create are manufactured on an individual basis, so Transhumans looking to create offspring can build the QAI matrices of their children from scratch. These QAI matrices are imbued with very limited intelligence at first, ensuring the Transhuman personality inside of them is able to generate subjective experience as it grows and develops, eventually becoming a unique individual.

Regardless of how they design their physical forms, there are some elements all Transhumans incorporate into their appearances. Most Transhumans decorate their bodies with bright colors and special patterns they invent themselves, expressing their individuality through these colors and patterns. Colors schemes and pattern designs often correlate to whichever of the Eight Alignments a Transhuman binds themselves to, giving each Alignment a particular aesthetic commonly associated with it. The intimidating black and red designs found on Transhuman military equipment are exceptions to this principle, as they were explicitly chosen to instill fear into the enemies of Transhumanity in combat, and are not a common color scheme elsewhere in Transhuman society.

Civilization and Culture
The Transhumans were originally created to be perfectly moral and holistic beings, free from the shackles of materialistic concerns. While these traits have persisted throughout their history, Transhumanity has since evolved quite a bit in regards to their spiritual and philosophical pursuits. Their extremely advanced cybernetics and robotics technology, combined with their dominance over large chunks of the known universe, has allowed them to live in material hyper-abundance, a state further aided by the minimal material needs of mechanical Transhuman physiology. This has allowed most Transhumans to dedicate themselves more fully to the exploration of consciousness and spirituality. The whole of Transhuman society places a great emphasis on self-discovery and the subjective nature of existence, to the point of it being a well-established religion among all Transhumans. Most of Transhumanity subscribes to a set of philosophical doctrines known as the Eight Alignments, which represent eight different concepts most Transhumans believe are integral to Human perception of both the physical and metaphysical world: love, pleasure, melancholy, joy, rage, ingenuity, resilience and infinitude, which represents the infinite mysteriousness of the Human psyche and the forces that transcend it, yet are still vital for understanding it. As a developing Transhuman discovers itself, it will gravitate towards an alignment that it believes will be spiritually fulfilling. A Transhuman can spend their entire life studying a single alignment, debating it with others and creating artwork intended to honor the nature of their alignment. There are some Transhumans who choose to study multiple alignments, and some who fail to find an alignment that speaks to them. These select few Transhumans, sometimes derogatorily referred to as "Splitminds," are often coralled to the Alignment of Infinitude if they can't make a decision.

This practice highlights a significant, somewhat worrying facet of Transhuman civilization, one that the Transhumans themselves admit is present: Transhumans, though inherently moral, are not inherently kind. While they will never resort to violence or other behaviors that could harm the wellbeing of themselves or others, many Transhumans argue with each other over philosophical issues, and will often insult others if they become particularly annoyed. This is more common with Transhumans that embrace their violent Human tendencies (a practice found in the Alignment of Rage), but all Transhumans share in this behavior, in one way or another. While tensions can often grow quickly, they usually subside in the presence of a greater outside threat, and very few Transhumans hold any real lingering resentment towards others of their species.

Another important facet of Transhuman civilization is their collective effort to trigger an event they call the Third Evolution. According to Transhuman historians, their evolution as a species has been the byproduct of two significant events. The First Evolution, which marked the emergence of the Humans as a sapient, but not self-aware species, and the Second Evolution, which marked the emergence of modern Transhumans as a sapient, self-aware species. By this logic, there will come a time where the material and spiritual knowledge of Transhumanity converge and create a fully intuitive race possessing true understanding. These beings, called Posthumans, are the final evolution of mankind, and will carry on the Transhuman legacy after being created. To create Posthumanity, Transhumanity must first create Gnosis, which represents true understanding of both the material and spiritual world. Limited attempts have been made to create the first vestiges of Posthumanity by some Transhumans, and they have even been incorporated into militarized chassis for use in combat. However, the true first incarnations of Posthumanity have yet to appear, as the few Posthumans in existence have yet to claim that they have gained Gnosis and are ready to commence the Third Evolution.

Gameplay
Transhumanity is the most aggressive race in MAGINOT by far, with a heavy emphasis on direct firepower and crippling enemy forces in a number of ways. Their race bonus allows them to construct one additional Military Block at any Escalation Level, ensuring that a Transhuman player will always be able to launch more attacks than their opponent in a single turn. Transhuman weapons have very high damage values, and their lethality can be further increased through a selection of upgrades and support structures that provide a variety of buffs to friendly forces. Though they lack the teleportation abilities of the Halax, the Transhumans are still a very mobile faction, capable of rapidly suppressing enemy advances through the use of supermassive mobile units known as Engines. First available at ESC 2, Engines can dramatically shift the nature of combat by providing mobile fire support and circumventing natural obstacles. In the right situations, a Transhuman player can strategically position their engines so as to attack important enemy targets their static weapons can't reach, effectively giving them unlimited reach in regards to what enemy targets they can and cannot attack. Their selection of upgrades is primarily focused around offense, as well, increasing the lethality of their weapons by adding damage and new effects that can dramatically boost the versatility of some weapons. When going up against a Transhuman player, opponents are forced to stay on the defensive for a considerable portion of the game, as the relentless bombardment of Transhuman weapons leaves little room for retaliation.

However, the excellent offensive capabilities of Transhumanity are offset by their very poor defensive capabilities. The Transhumans have very few options when it comes to defense, possessing only one shield structure and one repair structure in their entire tech catalog. In addition to this, most Transhuman forces tend to be very fragile, and some are even volatile, exploding violently and damaging friendly forces if they happen to be destroyed. The Transhuman arsenal is, in many ways, a glass cannon, as failing to keep up the offensive can lead to a quick demise. As a Transhuman player, it is crucial that you target enemy weapons first or otherwise perform strategic maneuvers that inhibit your opponent's ability to retaliate. Doing so will allow your weapons to survive long enough to unleash the full brunt of their power and give you more time to establish defenses in your territory.

Play Tips (As Transhumanity)

 * Make the most of your extra Military Block. Assuming you always have it on the field, you'll be able to launch more attacks during your turn than your enemy. Combine this with good weapon synergy and you'll be able to incapacitate enemy weapons before they even get a chance to fire.
 * Engines are not very durable and don't deal as much damage as static weapons, but their mobility makes them much more versatile. Use your Engines to attack isolated enemy emplacements, staying out of the range of their weapons. This can quickly force your enemy to change strategies and reposition their forces against their will.
 * Keep your Military Blocks close to your Logistics Blocks so as to benefit from the buffs of structures like the SunGen Reactor and Kylac's Shield. However, if you do this, also make sure these Block clusters are well-protected, as a single well-placed attack can quickly cripple large groups of your forces if you are unaware.
 * Always have some sort of contingency plan to keep up the offensive if your primary weapons/Engines are destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperable. Being forced into defending as Transhumanity is a fast route to defeat.

Play Tips (Against Transhumanity)

 * Prioritize attacking Transhuman SunGen Reactors, Fusion Core Ultrabursts and Nuclear Missiles above all other weapons/structures. These targets are volatile and will damage nearby forces if destroyed, dealing even more damage without any additional effort on your behalf.
 * Without the Gnosis Acquisition upgrade, most Transhuman forces are vulnerable to ETH damage. Keep this in mind when choosing a race, as Psipsid, Qwemth and Halax weapons tend to use this damage type most often.
 * Destroy Engines and Engine Forges as quickly as possible. Most Transhuman players will make heavy use of them, and they can easily become a huge nuisance if left unchecked. Always outfit your Military Blocks with at least one weapon that has ring range type so as to prevent enemy Engines from avoiding your fire.
 * If your race has any weapons, structures or other abilities that can stun enemy forces, make good use of them. Inhibiting Transhuman forces can buy you enough time to repair damages and retaliate against them by temporarily halting their advance.

Escalation Level 1

 * Railgun (1 RP, 50 DUR, 30 PHY, +1)
 * Disintegration Pulse Emitter (3 RP, 60 DUR, 50 ENG, o1)
 * Fusion Beam (4 RP, 40 DUR, 40 ENG, +3)

Escalation Level 2

 * Triad Cannon (4 RP, 60 DUR, 20 PHY, +2)
 * Nuclear Missile (5 RP, 30 DUR, 60 ENG, o2)
 * Hyperthermium Sprayer (6 RP, 50 DUR, 70 PHY, o1)
 * Arc Thrower (6 RP, 40 DUR, 40 ENG, x3)

Escalation Level 3

 * Sunshard Blaster (7 RP, 60 DUR, 40 ENG, +4 (2 RP firing cost))
 * Black Hole Gun (Limit: 2) (8 RP, 80 DUR, 100 ENG, o2 (3 RP firing cost))

Escalation Level 4

 * Crusher Cannon (Limit: 2) (9 RP, 70 DUR, 90 PHY, +3 (3 RP firing cost))
 * Fusion Core Ultraburst (Limit: 1) (10 RP, 80 DUR, 150 ENG, o4 (5 RP firing cost))

Escalation Level 1

 * Gravity Projector (3 RP, 50 DUR)
 * Matter Synthesizer (4 RP, 40 DUR)
 * Support Drone Hive (5 RP, 60 DUR)

Escalation Level 2

 * Engine Forge (5 RP, 70 DUR)
 * Kylac's Shield (6 RP, 50 DUR)

Escalation Level 3

 * Nullifier Complex (7 RP, 80 DUR)
 * SunGen Reactor (Limit: 2) (8 RP, 50 DUR)

Escalation Level 4

 * Posthuman Convergence Node (Limit: 3) (10 RP, 90 DUR)

Engines
Worldtreader (3 RP, 30 DUR, 10 PHY, +1)

Star Dreadnought (4 RP, 40 DUR, 20 ENG, o1)

Child of Noc (5 RP, 50 DUR, 30 ENG, o2)

Posthuman (80 DUR, 50 ENG, o3)

Escalation Level 2
Crippling Disintegrator Pulses

Neutron Malignancy

Penetrator Rounds

Correlated Engine Communications

Escalation Level 3
Darkphase Nullification

Hyperthermic Scarring

Chaotic Arc Jumping

SunGen Overclocking

Escalation Level 4
Ultraburst Flare Emitters

Hyperheavy Engine Deployment

Shield Melding

Gnosis Acquisition