New Magic School idea: Transmutation

[Azhur]

Basically transmutation takes alteration's buffs and turns them into permanent effects. All stats could be buffed only to 30 at tops, with few exceptions (e.g MR 20, HP 60...). The amount of stat-buffs' strength depends upon mage's magic power, in relevance to the cast spell.

MP | STAT INCREASE
1 = 1
2 = 2
4 = 3
6 = 4
8+ = 5

So if you cast Mind's Eye with a A5 mage, the mage gets 3 to perception skill.

1-3 levels of this school is about stat boosting. From level 4 you start to get permanent ability-gaining spells. These may seem expensive, but there's a reason for that. In construction you may get some of these abilities cheaper, BUT you lose precious equipment slots.

Transmutation spell list:

I'll put only one example for each level. The descriptions of the spells are very brief, only to show, what this school is all about.

Lvl 0

Mind's Eye (A1 / 10 air gems) = increases perception by 1-5.

Lvl 1

Power Surge (F2 / 10 fire gems) = increases attack skill by 1-5.

Lvl 2

Jthull's Manifestation (N4 / 8 nature gems) = increases HP by 10.

Lvl 3

Equilibrium of Planes (S3 / 20 astral gems) = increases magic resistance by 1-5.

Lvl 4

Bestial Fury (N3 / 25 nature gems) = gives berserker +3.

Lvl 5

Binding Agony (D2 / 5 death gems) = gives 1-3 random afflictions to a mage in target province.

Lvl 6

Mystic Illusis (S3 / 3 astral gems) gives ethreal to three random units in target province.

Lvl 7

Ghostly Wings (A3 D1/ 15 air gems) gives the ability to fly.

Lvl 8

Natural Swiftness (3W 1N / 15 water gems) doubles the movement and gives 1 to map walk. [[affects only once per mage]]

Lvl 9

Elemental Augury (F2 W2 A2 H1 / 15 astral gems) gives protection from all elements.

The fearful question: what do you think of this?

[Shovah32]

Sounds like a nice idea but is far too cheap, would allow certain pretenders with fairly low pathstarting cost (allfather is strong and his new paths only cost 30) to get too strong.

[B0rsuk]

If it's basically like Alteration but permanent, what's the downside ?

This school would be awfully powerful for SCs, no need to split research. Blood works this way, too, but Blood has a lot of hindrances.

I'm not directly against this idea, but I'd rather see some schools/paths made more viable. Water magic comes to mind.
I think Water magic should simply get more spells*, to compensate for the fact that at any time you have roughly half as much spells available. (water/underwater)

* and more variety. Underwater spells would feel unique... but the impression is dulled by low number of spells.

[Migaaresno]

I like the idear that a god can bless some loyal servents whit supernatural ability, like the previous pantokrator blessed his generals whit devine bodies.

Things i like:

-Increase the stats of commander or basic troops permenantly.

-Extra ability's for commander or basic troops.

-Allow to give commanders devine bodies.

-The same way we use gift of reason to cast the spell on specific commanders or basic troops.

Thise things are already in the game, but only as flavor. The warden are echanted by the wiches of avalon. And some troops from vanheim are blessed/cursed whit beserker rage.

The spells will make SC's better. witch is actually its intended purpose. And it feels your trutly a god who can bless loyal men whit superhuman ability's

Tought how to keep it balanced:

-Cant stack the same skill buff over and over again.

-National buffs, like vanheim gets the beserker rage buff.

-Expensive

-Lots of research

-Make a new path, Transmutation

-Downside of the enchantments, Like liqued body gives it increased defence and cold suspensive. And invunrable bodies poision suspensive whit lower AP's.

I already begin to droowl whit the trought of giving my commander who almost got killed in battle demonic powers.

(and see him getting banished a few turns later )

Said that, I support thise idear.

[Nerfix]

Interesting idea, but conceptually pretty close to Alteration.

[Endoperez]

Yeah, these spells would be in Alteration. Check out Iron Pigs - it basically does just this, but because humans wouldn't accept it, it's cast on pigs.

[Azhur]

It is indeed true, that alteration and transmutation have some similar spells. The biggest difference however is, that alteration is 90% about quick battle buffs, whereas transmutation permanently improves or lessens coms/units stats & abilities with ritual spells. So more likely it goes somewhere between alteration and construction.

Personally I like this school, because it has so much variety. You could make an army of flying knights or turn Jotun giants into trampling nightmares. There are endless possibilities.

I also have one thematic improvement for this school, which gives additional excitement:

Each spell in transmutation has a very small percentage of failure (5%?). This would cause something very random to happen (e.g caster grows two new heads or goes hostile). This naturally grants even more hilarious moments to be written in Dom's history.

[Twan]

I always wondered why, when dominions has a troop selection mecanism for rituals (see gift of reason), there are so few spells using it (compare with MoM or AoW where perma buffes on troops are a part of most winning strategies).

As recruitable troops can't be improved over time, this kind of school/powers would really give a new dimension to the game, if made to work better for troops buffing than for SCs. I would suggest for medium levels small permanent buffs (max +2 to a stat, +25% resist) but affecting several soldiers (of the same troop type / squad) at a time, so casting them on a lone commander wouldn't be cost efficient (eventually high level spells can include some more powerful but one unit only perma buffs).

Alteration and enchantment are already powerful schools, so I think a new one for this kind of spells would be a good idea. If transmutation is too close to alteration, perhaps it may be called the enhancement or sublimation school ie, a school using magic to develop/give natural abilities to mortals more than to transform them. With this idea of amplification of natural abilities, spells having effect in relation with the natural stats of the targets can also be imagined (ie : the same spell "improved dissimulation" increasing stealth for stealthy unit or giving a 25% air shield before they attack to other units ; "improved health" giving +1 to regeneration for units with a natural regen when it adds some hp to others, etc...).

[Nerfix]

I'd like to see permanent troop-affecting buffs with some mechanism to make sure they're not obesely good on SC's. Perhaps gem cost that scales with base stats and size and so on.

[Shovah32]

Hmm, lets give my f9w9 helhirdlings extra defence and health