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Edi said:
I don't see a problem with certain types of summons costing money (e.g. trolls, they tend to be greedy), while the black hawks was a sort of "WTF?" revelation because other animals are free.
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Too true. On the other hand, Draconians are supposed to be sentient allies rather than tamed pets, IMO they should cost upkeep just like Trolls do. Similarly, I thind it odd that some animal pets (Hydras, Sacred Serpents) cost upkeep, while some (Drakes, Wyverns) don't. It makes sense for elephants or mooses, though (crew).
Maybe one thing that could be done to upkeep-free summons, to help the upkeep/no upkeep debate cooling down, is to give some of the free simmon a chance to disappear in special circumstances. A few ideas:
- Wolves could get a 10% chance to return to wildlife habits each turn they're in a forest.
- Each lesser demon (Devil, FoD, etc.) could get a 30% chance to return to Hell when the blood mage who bound him dies (assuming they bring back the mage's soul to their infernal master). This could also apply to Soul Contract holders.
- Soulless and longdead could get a 5% chance to have the unholy energies that animate them dissipate. Likewise, Vine creatures could turn back to moss and roots.
- Mechanical constructs could get a 20% chance to de-construct (maybe giving a few gems back if there's a lab in the province) when their "assembler" dies.
Well, the numbers may have to be fiddled with, but you get the idea. Maybe the units' experience could be accounted for when these checks are made, eg a 5-stars wolf has certainly been tamed for a long time, and would be less likely to listen to the 'Call of the Wild': 10% - (2 * exp)% chances to desert, say.
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And as for Sea King's Court, can anybody give me a single good reason to summon one other than a desperate stopgap measure when you have no other options?
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They do a great job in sieges, and I use them mainly for that (although not only). In one game I summoned 3 Sea King's Court in 2 turns just because it was the fastest and safest way for me to crack a seemingly-unbreakable enemy capital's open. I have to admit I did summon them at a site that gave me a huge discount on Conjurations, though (it was called Ultimate Gateway, IIRC).
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