I have two problems with the current magic system:
- The developers have added high mana "dump" spells to remedy high mana reserves in the late game (ie. city unrest reduction and champion attribute gain)
- There are few summons and each summon spell is a single-cast linked to the caster
Why are these problems? Well, it effectively turns the game's magic system into a mana "reservoir" for tactical spells and mana "dumps" later in the game. Mana income balance is only an issue for champion-heavy armies, and only then when the player adds strategic enchantments to his/her champions. Later in the game, the player does not have to worry about mana income as large reservoirs collect without any thought.
Maintenance-free city enchantments have made mana reservoirs an almost certainty in the late game.
What is my solution to this?
- Include more summon spells
- Remove the "one per caster" limitation on the lower-tier summons
This would allow the player to invest in cheap mana maintenance units early in the game (only a few units at a time though as early game income is still quite low) and create ancillary armies of lower-level summons later in the game as more mana income becomes available. Mana dump spells can remain for the thrifty, but the new name of the game will be balancing unit enchantments vs summoned armies vs tactical spells. Much more dynamic, don't you think?
I want to try to make spells that would be feasible using existing resources, but if the devs are able to make new models, that would be preferable in some cases. We just need more summons!
Some spell ideas:
[DEATH]
I do not understand why the death magic arsenal does not include, well... dead things. Here are three additional spells that add to the discipline, IMHO.
Level 1: Summon wild zombie - Tactical spell only. summons a temporary wild creature for this battle. May be cast multiple times (summons include wolves, ogres, bear cubs, bears or stalkers chosen at random).
Level 2: Reanimate unit - grants target trained unit temporary hit points until the end of combat (giving extra soldiers in the squad) equal to X times X number of death shards. Temporary hit points are lost at the end of the battle. Spell may only be cast on wounded units.
Level 4: Summon zombie army - Tactical spell only. summons a 9 person "militia" type unit armed with clubs. Unit hit points are X times X number of death shards (should start out low to balance the higher unit count. May be cast multiple times.
Level 5: Summon shade - (this may not be feasible to implement, depending on how much content the devs are willing to add to the game at this point) Creates a unit that drains health every time it attacks and has X% physical resistance. Mana upkeep 1-2 per turn (balance concerns, appropriate)
[LIFE]
Life is a very strong tree already, but here are some spells for life-based casters to include
Level 2: Summon spirit - Creates an ethereal human unit with high magic resistance and the teleport ability. Mana upkeep 1 per turn.
Level 4: Create paragon - Turns one trained unit into a squad of paragons. Paragons do not earn wages (2 x wages in mana upkeep instead) but they deal extra life damage with each hit (X% damage increase). This comes at a cost of armor (armor reduced by X%).
[WATER]
Water already has a summon, but it is a "one-per caster" unit. I think that the higher tiers have excellent strategic spells, but the rest of the discipline is... well... "dry" in the tactical department.
Level 2: Summon mud golem - Creates a mud golem with high defense but - as a consequence - it has low attack. Has the bash ability.
Level 4: Summon anaconda - (could use a reskinned ophidian model) Summons a great serpent that has the entangle ability and poisons everything it strikes. While it has a high attack, it lacks in defense and movement speed. Mana upkeep X per turn
Level 5: Drown - Target unit must save or lose half of its hitpoints. Deals X water damage per mana shard if the target resists. [Again, not a summon, but water needs a higher level tactical spell]
[FIRE]
Fire is another very strong tree, with several tactical combat staples. It also has a fire elemental spell. Currently, the fire tree suffers after level 3, where the remainder of the spells are situational or cost too much to be useful.
Level 5: Summon drake - summons a small dragon with high fire resistance, weakness to cold, the "breathe fire" ability, a free "flaming hands" ability and high movement points. Much like the flames that spawned it, the drake has few defenses and can be "snuffed out" quite easily by a concerted effort. Mana upkeep X per turn
[EARTH]
Earth has some good enchantments and a good summon spell (probably one of the best), but it is mostly comprised of situational spells.
Level 1: Summon bear - Calls a brown bear to aid the caster. The bear has the maul ability. Mana upkeep X per turn.
Level 2: Summon earth shrill - Calls an earth shrill to fight for the caster. The earth shrill has high defense and can cast a smaller version of the shockwave spell to damage nearby enemies. Mana upkeep X per turn.
Level 3: Summon Sand golem - Creates a golem out of sand. The golem has high defense but weak attack. Units striking the golem are slowed. Mana upkeep X per turn.
[AIR]
Ironically, air is the only elemental school of magic that does not have an innate summon spell! Instead, it has good champion enchantments.
Level 1: Summon murder of crows - Tactical only. Creates a flock of crows that dissipates once combat is over. The crows deal splash damage but have low hitpoints.
Level 2: Summon air shrill - Calls an air shrill to fight for the caster. The air shrill has the shock ability and high initiative. Mana upkeep X per turn.
Level 4: Summon air elemental - Calls an air elemental to aid the caster. The air elemental has high dodge and moves quickly across the battlefield.
How do these sound? Many of them could be implemented with existing resources and would add more flavor to the magic system, in my opinion. They would also lessen the influence of mana "reservoirs" that plague the end-game. Disclaimer: I offer these ideas without any need or desire for compensation or recognition. I am offering them to the developers in the hopes that they will be useful.
