Resilient should increase Army Health by +50%

[Tannhäuser Cake]

Resilient currently offers +50% Defense Army Damage. The benefit of this trait is minuscule. Except for a few event-spawned invasions, worlds only get invaded when 1) the invader does not just kill off your armies from orbit, and/or 2) has a stronger invasion force which will overwhelm your world's defenses anyway (i.e. the enemy loses more armies but you lose control of the planet).

Also, a bonus to damage dealt by defense armies may fit the description of the trait (situational behaviour), but it does not fit the name (ability, characteristic, property).

Also, a bonus to Defense Army Damage also overlaps somewhat with the traits Strong and Very Strong (+20% and +40% Army Damage in general).

If the trait instead offered a bonus to Army Health, it would resolve all of these issues. The trait would be valuable for offensive uses of armies, not just defensive. The trait would have an effect that matches its name. The trait would offer a bonus that is unique among regular traits (only Lithoid and Clone Soldier Ascendant offer bonuses to Army Health). And, as a bonus, the trait would actually make this species better for defense as the defending armies would not just last 50% longer in battle, but they would also be better at withstanding orbital bombardment.

Resilient should increase Army Health by +50%.

• The trait description may need an update, especially if the current effect is dropped.
• Optionally, the trait could increase Army Morale.
• Optionally, the trait could protect against bad leader traits (Substance Abuse, Maimed, perhaps also Paranoid and other mental issues).
• Optionally, the trait could offer a small Habitability bonus, or reduce the negative effects of lacking Habitability.
• Optionally, the Robust trait could also get an Army Health bonus and be mutually exclusive with this trait (Robust would be the "upgrade").
• Optionally, the Limited Regeneration trait should also modify Army Health rather than Army Damage.

 

[Armagodura]

I've considered this feature being granted to the "robust" trait instead (since robust is mutually exclusive with lithoid, which also grants this bonus. Basically allow fleshy people to be tough like rocks (I don't want rock people to have a monopoly on my armies)).

We could however just grant this effect to both traits and also make them mutually exclusive. Make robust its upgraded version.

Also, I do like the optional other effects you're proposing here, I must say.

 

[Tannhäuser Cake]

I've considered this feature being granted to the "robust" trait instead (since robust is mutually exclusive with lithoid, which also grants this bonus. Basically allow fleshy people to be tough like rocks (I don't want rock people to have a monopoly on my armies)).

We could however just grant this effect to both traits and also make them mutually exclusive. Make robust its upgraded version.

Agreed; I have added this to the list of optional additional changes.

Also, I do like the optional other effects you're proposing here, I must say.

I can't take credit for all of them. This suggestion was preceded by a discussion thread where others suggested a Habitability bonus (Cry_Havok) and a protection from bad leader traits (HFY), which I do not think I would have thought of myself.

 

[taltamir]

50% should probably be from robust. with resilient being a smaller buff. But overall I agree, especially with the trait doing what its name implied and being more resilient/robust

 

[GhostDanny]

I would love more sources for Army health.
There are only 2 (+1 for defence armies) that add army health.
Lithoid trait and Army health repeatable tech. (and a relatively rare archaeology outcome for defence armies only)

 

[XCodes]

The Resilient trait is actually pretty decent since it makes Fortress Stations more difficult to break, and in combination with FTL Inhibitors and Planetary Defense Shields it's certainly an option for the AI to try and bomb out the station, but it's going to take way too long. A single Citadel + Fortress Station held the line against the Khan (IIRC 25k-30k fleet power) in the early Midgame for me once for several in-game years including an invasion until I was able to gather and build out a fleet big enough to push them out of the system and eventually kill the Khan.

That said, the fact that it's increasing damage instead of health is weird, so as long as it's still good for bolstering Soldier jobs I'm pretty fine with whatever changes are done.