Matters of State

Matters of State is a unique gameplay mechanic for Grand Cathay available only to The Jade Court faction.

Overview

Matters of State are a set of actions that can be targeted at the Jade Court, allied factions or neutral ones. This actions are divided by two: Steel and Stone. Steel actions focus on improving army and combat capabilities while Stone actions focus on settlement and province management.

All Matters of State actions have a cost of Steel and Stone tokens and Balanced Actions have both a Steel and Stone cost. Spending either resource will grant the opposite resource the amount spent. For example, using an action that cost 2 Steel tokens will grant those two tokens to the Stone pool.

Actions

Steel Actions

Action	Description	Target	Effect	Steel Cost
Levy the Provinces	One man and one woman from every village, and one soldier from every garrison.	Target: army belonging to you or an ally	The target army instantly completes 1 turn of ongoing recruitment	2
Structured Operation	The oversight of a dedicated handler and the removal of budgetary concerns does wonders for ones work ethic.	Own faction	Your next Hero action is guaranteed to succeed	2
Astromantic Boon	A small sliver of the Wu Xing Compass' power can be directed precisely where needed, given the right motivation.	Target: army belonging to you or an ally	Winds of Magic power reserve: +5 per turn Cooldown: -25% to all spells Winds of Magic cost: -20% for all spells	3
Diplomatic Deadlock	Send their envoys away, fill their meeting chambers and audiences with our own. Our buisness shall be finished before their matters ever reach the table.	Target: army belonging to you or an ally	Immune to diplomatic penalties from trespassing	3
Supply Line Operation	Bread to ready the stomach, steel to steady the heart.	Target: army belonging to you or an ally	Enables replenishment in foreign territory (all units in army) Campaign movement range: +20% Leadership: +10 when in foreign territory (all units in army) Ammunition: +50% (all units in army)	3
Fortress City	The spirit of the great wall made anew, wherever the threat rises.	Target: tier 3+ Major Settlement belonging to you	The target settlement (tier 3+ province capital) is declared a Fortress City, gaining improved effects from Military and Defence buildings Each time you declare a new Fortress City or Commercial District, you will gain an additional Steel/ Stone token (up to 4) A settlement cannot be both a Fortress City and Commercial District	4
Reserve Conscription	The calculus of war may demand a garrison strike as the blade instead of the shield.	Target: settlement belonging to you	The target settlement's garrison is deployed as an army onto the campaign map, however it suffers constant attrition until disbanding	5
Celestial Intervention	While a single Astronomancer may nudge the hand of fate to make a blade strike true, the wrath of the Celestial Court can wed the sky and the earth itself.	Target: army belonging to you or an ally	Attribute: 360 Missile Block (all units in army) Missile block chance: +15% (all units in army) Army ability: "Celestial Intervention" Ability number of uses: +3 for "Celestial Intervention" Speed: +45% (all units in army)	6
Foreign Stratagem	No mortal being can deny a Dragon. Yuan Bo moves all pieces on the board as his own.	Target: army belonging to a neutral or allied faction	The target army is loaned to you You will lose control of the army if war is declared with the original owner You cannot target armies led by a faction leader	6
Meteor Gambit	A great Astromantic weaving allows the soldiers of Cathay to act with surety of purpose for a day and night with clear minds and steady hands.	Own faction	Your faction's armies have their movement ranges restored	7
Balanced Actions
Battle Harmony Supremacy	Tactical restucturing and Astromantic guidance combine to push Cathayan battlefield doctrine to the bleeding edge.	Target: army belonging to you	Unit counts as both a Yin and Yang unit for activating Battle Harmony (all units in army)	Steel: 3 Stone: 3

Stone Actions

Action	Description	Target	Effect	Stone Cost
Crackdown	The Cult of Chi'an Chi is merely a facet of the deeper threats that Cathay faces. Root out conspirators and their ilk.	Target: any settlement	The target settlement's province has its control and corruption reduced to 0	2
Rush Construction	A bit of extra oversight goes a long way to ensuring the carpenters spend their time on more critical matters.	Target: settlement belonging to you	The target settlement instantly completes any ongoing construction	2
Comission the Artisans	Cathay's finest artisans would not dare deny the Jade Dragon.	Own faction	Your faction creates four random magic items or ancillaries	3
Harmonic Restructuring	A pick does not chop a tree, but a handle can always be repurposed.	Target: settlement belonging to you	The target settlement's buildings instantly swap between their Yin and Yang equivalent where possible	3
Commercial District	By which one leverages the most powerful force ever conceived: compound interest.	Target: tier 3+ Major Settlement belonging to you	The target settlement (tier 3+ province capital) is declared a Commercial District, gaining improved effects from the settlement buildings and all Infrastructure and Resource buildings Each time you declare a new Fortress City or Commercial District, you will gain an additional Steel/ Stone token (up to 4) A settlement cannot be both a Fortress City and Commercial District	4
Masters of the Jade Court	To be granted the title of Jade Master and tasked with a mandate is to be granted authority that even a Dragon would hesitate to question.	Target: army belonging to you	The target army's Lord is granted 5000 experience	5
Mask of Jade	An unbrekable mask and an equally unbreakable rhetoric prevents any and all retort.	Own faction	Your faction's diplomatic reliability is reset to Very High, and cannot be reduced this turn	5
Celestial Emissary	The Celestial Court is charged with combating the machinations of the Dark Gods, their agent some of the greatest Astromancers Cathay has ever produced.	Target: settlement belonging to you	The target settlement summons an elite Astromancer Hero with a unique trait	6
Fiscal Treaties	Consider it a lesson in negotiation. One always read the fine print.	Target: allied faction	The target allied faction's background income is siphoned to your faction for 20 turns Income sent to Yuan Bo: +2500 per turn	6
Balanced Actions
Command the Lesser Courts	A firmer hand ensures the mortal courts remain aligned with the Dragon Emperor's grand design.	Own faction	Choose between a set of powerful permanent bonuses to your faction Only one bonus can be active at any time	Steel: 4 Stone: 4