Maybe scratch or at least redo all the current humanoid pretenders, to give them some abilities that might be attractive throughout the game.
Example of a touchup job: The Great Druid might get a 10% bonus to all nature conjurations, possibly forging nature items as well. Then he might be viable - saving 10% of the gems on big summonings is valuable throughout the game.
Likewise the Great Alchemist - let him transmute one type of gem to another at a 3 for 2 ratio. All of a sudden, he might be useful for Ulm, because any unwanted death, air, etc, gems could be more efficiently transformed into fire and earth.
The Great Sage: Presumably he might better direct the studies of _all_ his researchers, so each in his dominion gets +1 research ability, regardless of scales. Useful throughout the game, possibly even for Ulm or other Drain setups.
A new humanoid: Summoner. 20% bonus on all summoning spells (or possibly, raise his effective level by 1 for all summonings, allowing him to cast spells he otherwise couldn't, and get extra summoned critters on some spells.)
Another: Necromancer, who could be given some minor bonus to death spells, always has a skeleton by his side.
Great Diviner: A master of divination, he has discovered the secrets to Godhood itself. 10% bonus to all divining spells (Auspex, Dark Knowledge, even Akashic Record), minimum -1 reduction on spell cost.
The Great Warlord: A master of the art of war, his presence inspires armies to greatness. The only thing left to conquer is Godhood. (Give him extra hitpoints and combat skill, make magic paths cost 20 or 30 instead of 10, but he gives _all_ friendly troops +1 morale, attack, and defense when he is on the field of battle. Or all troops get one of those bonuses throughout his empire.)
The Grand Enchanter: Troops created in a province he is in have enchanted weapons (+1 attack + damage, considered magic).
Again, my idea is to give human pretenders thematic bonuses that might actually be useful throughout the game, where right now their "bonuses" are limitted to the start of the game.
For instance : Great Druid's extra Vine Men / Ogres? Possibly useful in the early game, if your fortress is besieged and you can't recruit, so you switch him to summoning Vines. Otherwise, even in the early game, you waste his research by summoning, and late game, vine critters are useless.
Great Sage or Enchantress : The initial research bonus is nice, likewise the astral gem per turn. As the game goes on though, you have enough researchers, enough sources of gems, that the bonus ceases to be relevant.
Some of these are probably unbalanced right now. But, heh! Less unbalanced than the VQs.
[ May 04, 2004, 17:31: Message edited by: Cainehill ]