Re: New Mod: Dragons
The new dragons are very powerful. Too powerful for their price, I'd say.
All: Level 2 is too much in most cases. If possible, increase new path cost even more. Test with dominion 2 instead of 1, but don't change it automatically. These are VERY powerful even in low dominion, in high they would be insane.
In most cases, the second form isn't needed. The research bonus is just an unneeded bonus. Why can't these dragons just snirk on the young ones who have to change forms to call forth their heritage?
Speaking of Heritage, Draco Sanguinus can cast Sanguine Heritage on turn 4. Compared to Fountain of Blood with the same level of Blood, at turn 6:
Fountain: 59 slaves with unrest being 0 for the whole time. Gladiators rock as patrollers, but even they aren't enough, because...
Ars Sangiune: 84 slaves and one turn of research because unrest went over 100 even with 50 assorted patrollers.
Give the dragon no blood hunt bonus, give the Ars Sangiune half the bonus of Blood Fountain, and new paths at 60 points. He won't be a combatant, but he CAN be a mobile super-slaver. Have him start with Blood 2, blood blessing is meh so he won't benefit from it that much.
Void Dragon - his breath kills most humans AND makes the others frightened, so they flee. The breath always hits. It can't be resisted. I conquered four provinces, starting from turn 2, with him. I had four Starspawns, one of them a commander, accompany him with Fire Archers orders. They weren't needed.
It shouldn't affect that many targets, but instead be very dangerous versus small groups. Even still, it might be good to make it resistable. Add effect 156 - feeblemind.
You might also change it to automatically feeblemind one person, with few uses every battle, without dealing damage. THE SC/mage disabling ability!
Shadow Dragon
Also able to conquer provinces on his own. Without spells researched, he conquered provinces defended by Barbarians, Ichtyids and 50 HI/archers. His breath weapon KILLS any human it hits. His Fear+2 is NOT less powerful. Fear start from -5 for a reason. His HP are NOT weaker! 110 is less than 125, but no enough to matter in battle.
Change his Fear to -3, make his breath weapon resistable (magic resistance negates). He has low protection, and that's hard to change with just three slots, so I think he's more balanced that the others. Consider lowering his encumberance to 1, this would allow him to don Flaming Helmet after 4 stars, giving him 7 prot. Hits down to 50-80, so he has to fight in own dominion.
Gold Dragon - He can't cast any Magma spells. Give him Earth 1 Fire 1, and take away his Awe. His breath weapon is powerful, but IT won't conquer provinces on its own, so its okay.
Even without awesome breath of other Dragons, he conquers provinces from turn 1, without suffering anything. He conquered province of 85 knights/longbowmen going down from 200+ to 100+ hits. No afflictions. Damage was mainly from the archers. He didn't attack them as I had planned, but they didn't shoot every turn because he was surrounded. He had only Earth 2, however, and cast no spells.
Leave out the #flyspr, and test if his breath attack works. If it does, say that instead of breathing, he makes the earth itself spit out molten death to his enemies, and watch the magma appearing from seemingly underground.
Storm Dragon. 110 hp is too much. Too cost-effective when compared to Titan - more hits, better prot, one less Air but fly and move 4, etc. Without equipment (and his Golden Shield), Titan is just worse, and costs 50 points more. What do you want him to be? Flying mad-caster? 80 hp, somewhat increased cost might do it.
Sea Dragon - the only of the Dragons that ever died in my tests, although I didn't test Storm Dragon as it is almost identical to White Dragon of the pretender mod. In indeps 6, tritons attack him, become poisoned, die and retreat. At indep 9, they killed him before they died of poison. Poison might fit him better than Frost. Remove breath weapon, add poison aura, and call his Great Seer form the only way he can command his followers without poisoning them. Then, the longer he survives, the more poisoned his foes become. Or then tone others down to his level, so that they can't conquer provinces on their own without script, spells, items OR research.
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