How to charm enemies and how to hurry build items?

[Malichai]

I've been away from this game for many years, but i have vague memories of playing it before where you'd like seeing enemy animals in armies because you knew you'd have a chance of charming them and adding them to your ranks. But, I can't figure out how to charm anything. Was that a different game? I also remember being able to spend money to hurry a unit you were trying to build, but I can't figure out how to do that either. Is that possible in this game to do? TIA!

[Malichai]

OMG, it is a SKILL called Tame! I am so stupid. But it requires stamina. Which you don't seem to start a turn with? Now, I have to figure out how stamina works.

[Gilmoy]

Most units:
+ begin combat with 0 Stamina
+ gain 1 Stamina per round if they (move and) attack
+ gain 2 Stamina if they (move and) Pass

Some units, class skills, and items give +1 starting Stamina (each). These effects stack.
Some items give +1 Stamina Gain, which means +2 per round with an attack, etc.

Some class skills give bonus Stamina:
+ Warrior's Momentum gives +1 Stamina for each melee attack the Warrior makes
(which means +2 Stamina total, not counting any other buffs)
+ Defender's Recoil gives +1 Stamina every time she is struck in combat
+ Assassin's Take Aim gains +4 Stamina, and doesn't count as a Pass
(so the Assassin does not gain Defending status)

Some items also let you (attempt to) charm an enemy animal or Twisted.

[Malichai]

Thanks, that's great. How about rush, how do you rush build items/units?

[Gilmoy]

Rushing is unlocked within the tech tree. You can't do it on turn 1. (Neither can the AI.)
Research all of these techs:
1) Civilization 1.Civics (it's a prerequisite)
2) Civilization 1.Knowledge (it's a prerequisite)
3) Civilization 2.Administration unlocks Can Rush Production

After that, every city will display a Rush button, with hotkey 'r', for its 1st queue item.
Rushing costs about 130 Gildar per 100 Production. For example:

- Settler 114 Production => 151.6 Gildar
- Scout 72 Production => 95.8 Gildar

If you can't afford it, the button is disabled.

~~~~~~~~

In my test game, I settle a 2-4-2, cast Inspiration (+1 Research) on turn 1, and finish:
T05: #1, and Tower of Dominion
T08: #2
T10: Tower of Knowledge, for 3.7 Research hereafter
T12: Magic 1.Shard Harvesting
T22: #3

On turn 22, I could begin rushing, but actually I'm broke. That's always the showstopper.
I prefer to not rush anything. I'd rather save my Gildar for troop upgrades.

[Malichai]

That's fantastic. Thanks! How about this: there's a spell called contagion that can be used to convert a shard into a death shard. Is there a spell for fire, water, earth that can be cast to convert a shard into a fire/water/earth shard?

[Gilmoy]

No, only conversion to Death Shards is implemented.
That conversion spell is part of the Death Worship faction trait.
Death Worship is part of the Empire of Resoln faction.
Every faction is an indivisible bundle of 2-5 faction traits.

Think of shard conversion as a Resoln-specific gimmick.
All Resoln sovs have the trait, and thus that spell. No other sovs do.

Other factions have their own gimmicks, which are completely different.