Hey all. Ok, this took longer than I expected. I started because I wanted to bring up 2 bugs:
Paragon deducts from base hp, not max and therefore doesn't have a penalty when base hp = 0 (can't go lower for some reason), also there is an obvious exploit with Destiny's gift (it gives +10 hp, in 1.02 it can target sovereigns).
Shadow World, has no icon for cloth map (may be my computer), cannot target most tiles (plains, hills, forest, swamp) and the description suggests they'd be allied units not a hostile lair (I cast it next to my city during a war for free defenders!)
Now the bugs are out of the way I'll explain the rest. So, yeah, I started with those two but ended up making written notes on rebalancing most spells... then typing them up (which took longer than expected). I thought I'd post it here to encourage others to comment on:
What spells people feel need rebalancing,
How important they feel each change is,
Which direction each spell should be modified (cost or effect)
My hope is people will have good ideas on getting the most use out of all spells while reducing exploits. Costs over 200 are unlikely to be used, effects that grow too quickly get cheesed... so,
Onwards to the wall of text:
"Spells A-Z"
Figures from version 1.02
Name
Effect,
Cost,
Suggestion
Aid/Heal
4 +2/life, 8 +2/life
8 mana, 12 mana,
Buff: Variable effect based on life mastery
Buff: (x2) base effect, radius 1 at Life V
Anointed by... and similar
Gains castable spell (Fireball, drain life, heal...)
50 mana
Nerf: Require a shard for this and similar spells,
Buff: Cast up to shard number of times
Blindness
-50% Acc
12 mana
Nerf: Lower effect (-33%), 4 turn duration
Buff: +5 mastery per death shard (hard to resist)
Blizzard
8 +2/water
30 mana
Nerf: Increase cost to 60, add casting time to scrolls
Blood Rage
+1 attack
100 mana
Buff: Increase effect (in line with destiny's gift)
but, Nerf: Cumulative penalty, +4,3,2,1,1...
OR, lower cost by 5/death shard, min 50.
Burning hands
8 +2/fire
10 mana
1 range
Buff: Rank V Fire gains increase
4+1 fire DoT, duration equal to number of fire shards.
Celerity
+1 Initiative
250 mana
Buff: Reduce cost to compete with 1.02 or 1.1 destiny's gift:
Either Lower cost to 150 or add -25mana/air shard (to min of 100)
Chaos/Pandemonium
Random
12 mana
Random all
12 mana
1 turn cast?
Major Buff: Chance for additional hits (aka magic maul),
Buff: 2 base strikes at Rank V water, or merely +% for additional hits with shards
Buff: more possibilities (frozen, stuck in mud, numb, greased...etc.)
Cloak of fear
5 turn stun
35 mana
Nerf: Add a counter (courage spell, new trait etc.)
Cloak of thorns
25% reflect
35 mana
Nerf: Add time limit 5 turns,
Buff: +5% reflect/fire or earth shard
Cloudwalk
Teleport
80 mana
Nerf: Cooldown set to 6 turns, (-1/air shard) OR,
Or, Nerf: Casting time 2 turns
Consume
Kill shard
-200 mana cost
Nerf: Add casting time 5 seasons (lower offensive use salting enemy lands)
Buff: Gain mage trait +2 mana/season, or other random mage trait
Contagion
2+1/death
18 mana
10 turns
1 turn casting
Nerf: Increase cost to 36 (x2),
Nerf: Lower variable to +0.5/death
Buff: Increase base damage to 3, 5 at DeathV or AirV
Buff: Increase duration +2/air shard
Courage
3+1/life
8 mana, 1/turn upkeep
Buff: Add resistance to any 'fear' effect, or
Buff: Ignore first 1 point of damage from any source (Feel no pain!)
Crusade
+1 level all trained units
340 mana
10 turn cooldown
(High cost, massive cooldown prevents exploits)
Buff: Lower cost, -5% per life shard
Buff: Lower cooldown slightly, -1 turn cooldown/2 life shards, min 5 turns
Cull the weak
20/health+mana
Nerf: Effect for next spell only.
(to avoid micro and cheesy situation of throwing slaves at darklings)
Buff:
Gain the following temporary Buff for next spell cast:
10xtarget level mana cost reduction,
10xtarget level bonus to spell damage.
Curse
0 def,
3 turn
8 mana
Nerf: Increase cost to 24 (x3)
Nerf: Reduce effect or alter it as follows:
-10 Defence, -2 per death shard (to min Def of 0, -2 per shard)
Duration 3+1 strikes (not turns) at Death I
Duration 3+5 strikes (not turns) at Death V
Death Lash
+3 att
+3 initivative
Death
5 mana
Buff: Change DEATH to Buffed berserk -1hp/turn
OR, Buff: Pain transfer from caster to lashed unit
(turning target into meat-shield)
Death Ward
Revive at 1/2 hp on death
50 mana
Nerf: Increase cost to 150 mana (x3), Rename to 'Second Chance' or similar,
Add new Death ward following in the same vein as cold/fire ward
(50% death resistance)
Destiny's Gift
+10hp
+3 attack
+3 initiative etc.
100 mana
Nerfs: Add cumulative cost, 100 +10 per cast,
Or, reduced cumulative bonus (e.g. 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 2 hp)
Or, additional (some poor) possibilities to reduce reliability of good gains
(+3 fire/cold/poison res/+3% xp gain, +2 (blunt/cutting) defence
Or, add possible "Mutations" With equal or higher Buffs but with penalties.
Or, simply no hp possible for sovereign (exploit with paragon)
Destiny's Insight
+25 xp
100 mana
Buff: Allow overcharging:
1xp/4 mana base cost,
2xp/4 mana over that, uses all available mana
Diamond Skin
Immune
90 mana
3 turns
Nerf: +100/100/50 to Slash/Cutting/Blunt Defence (no longer immune)
Buff: Variable duration, 3+1/earth shard.
Nerf: Reduce Dodge for duration
Drain Life
12+2/shard
28 mana
Casting time 1 turn
Buff: Remove Casting time
Nerf: Add Cooldown 2 turns
Earthquake
Damage buildings
Reset production
Kill Population
1 turn cooldown
100 mana
Nerf: Cost increased to 300
Nerf: Reduced base effect.
Buff: Add variable component
20%+10%/shard chance to destroy buildings
40%+10%/shard production lost,
10%+ 5%/shard population killed.
Nerf: 3 turn casting time (Counterable with future counterspell?)
Falling Star
18+3/fire or air shard
150 mana
Cooldown 1
Nerf: 1/2 fire, 1/2 Blunt damage
Nerf: 1 turn casting time OR
Nerf: 3 turn cooldown
Focus
+25% attack/damage
4 mana
1 turn casting time
Buff: 0 mana, instant, next attack only
OR: 20 mana, instant, with +5%/shard added to effect
Gentle Rain
25% food/essence
25 mana
Buff: Add variable +5%/water shard
Giant form
+100% Attack
30 mana
Nerf: -4 initiative. Penalty reduced -1/2 per life shard
Glory
Prestige +1
300 mana
Change: Cost dependent on current prestige
Buff: 10xPrestige cost (nerf late game)
Nerf: Cooldown of 5 turns
Glyph of life
Regen +1/turn
30 mana
Buff: Add effect to stationed units with 1 battle duration,
same suggestion for similar city spells
Graveseal
Critical hits
40 mana
Nerf: Add duration, 3 turns
Buff: +10% Crit damage/death shard
Nerf: 1/2 hits are critical, but not all. (+50 crit to all attacks on unit)
Paragon
+1 level Champion
-5 hp Sovereign
90 mana
Bug: -5 base hp not MAX hp, can't lower very far
Exploit when paired with Destiny's gift for additional hp.
Nerf: Add cooldown of 5 turns
Sacrifice
1/2 pop to mana
Nerf: Temporary unrest penalty from pop killed,
Unrest variable, max = conquest penalty, lowers at same rate
Set in Stone
+50% production
No Research Generated
Buff: +5% per earth shard, resistance to earthquake
Shadow World
Generates lair
Bugs: Missing clothmap icon, poor description,
Unable to target most tiles. (Only magic plains? adjacent to shards?)
Shadow Bolt
4+1/level
-5 spell resistance
Nerf/bug: Damage component should be resistable (Can hit obsidian golems)
Nerf: only +1/2 per level, +1/death shard damage
Shockwave
10+2/shard
60 mana!
Range 1
Buff: cost reduced to 10 (as the similar range 1 spell Burning hands)
OR, Buff damage
Spell Leech
Disrupt casting
gain 40 mana
20 mana cost
Nerf: Gain 0 mana from free abilities (cheese)
Buff: steal mana from enemy sovereigns
Sunder
5/level damage!!
15 cost!
Elementals only
Nerf: Increase cost dramatically 150 (x10), Or,
Nerf: cost 45 (x3), 2 turn casting time, Or,
Nerf: Reduced damage only, 5/shard owned (any type)
Siphon Strength
25% att transfer
18 mana
Casting time 1
Buff: Add variable +5%/Death or earth shard
Nerf: Add duration 3 turns
Buff: Remove casting time
Thunderstrike
5+2/shard
28 mana
Buff/Nerf: Effect on current AND target tile.
Nerf: increased cost, 42
Tireless March
+1 move, stackable
8 mana, 1 upkeep
Nerf: Cost increased (x4) to 32
Nerf: Max 1 per army
Or, allow stacking but give the spell a duration of 3 seasons
Touch of Darkness
+3 spell mastery
-3 hp
25 mana
Buff: (it needs one), +3 critical chance
Buff: +5% Spell damage
Tremor
3 season
20 mana
1 cooldown
Nerf: Increase cost (x3) to 60
Nerf: Increase cooldown to 5 (duration of spell +2)
If you read all that, thank you. Sorry for the massive list. (It was either this or a big ol'spreadsheet)