Mod in Progress: Holy War

[Burnsaber]

I'd like start to by stating one major thing that annoys me in vanilla.

Priests blow

[RANT]
This game is all about gods rising into power by starting a global holy war. There really is no thematic reason for priests to blow so much on a game with that kind of theme. Besides blessing your sacreds, everything that priest can do, can S2 mage a *lot* better (Mind Burn > Smite & Paralyze > Holy Word) and he can research and cast other spells if needed. When was the last time you recruited a priest for non-blessing reason? Have you ever recruited a pure H2 priest for his awesome priestly powers?
[/RANT]

Something has to be done.

There's one bug though, that's especially limitating.
- Pure holy rituals are only castable by mage priests (since pure H priests do not gain the "Cast Ritual" command) and the game crashes when you try to monthly cast a pure H ritual. So if I implemet some pure H rituals, they need to have effects that do not encourage monthly casting.

Here are my personal views on what's wrong with holy magic, priests in general and sacreds. Feel free to question my points or even add your own ones.

1) Most nations have their top-capital only mage also as their best priest. This is a problem as I boost holy magic, I'm also making these mage-beasts even more powerful. Having the cake and eating it too is convenient, but it decreases the amount of stragical choices you have to make when recruiting.

2) Some nations don't have access to any better priests that basic H1 loser. Althought it might thematic for some nations, it's not really fair to exclude them from the benefits of this mod.

3) Most nations have their only sacred unit as pretty medicore and capitol only, which excludes bless stragedy from their pursuitable options.

4) Some nations have really, really powerful sacred troops. Since I'm beefing up priestly magic, some upward changes in the bless stragedies might be experienced, but these units really do not need to get any more stronger.

5) The two artifacts that boost holy power. It's a sort of solution to the problem 2, but only the first player to hit con8 will get them. So, kind of problematic.

6) As the game progresses mages get the ability to nuke the world to oblivion while priests do the same stuff they did in turn 1.

7) S1H1 or B1H1 mage can Communion/Power of the Spheres/Hellpower himself up to higher holy levels, making pure priests even more rebundant.

I'm dividing this mod in three parts, depending on the area I wanto to "fix". The mods are listed in the order of completion.

Holy War: Divine Magic
- Design Goal: Boost Divine magic in general.
Includes:
1) Adds three new holy level 0 spells.
H1: Faith Healing - "Using his divine powers, the priest will heal wounds of some friendly soldiers. This spell won't affect undead or constructs."
Range: 15+, NoE: 1+, Prec:100, Fat:0, Dam:5+(AN), UW+, IA-, UD-

H2: Smite Heretic - "Using his divine powers, the priest will smite his heretical opponent. If the opposing sacred is strong of mind, he might be able to resist the holy power."
Range: 15, Prec:100, NoE:1, Dam:30, Fat:0, MR+, UW+, Against Sacreds only

H3: Chastise - "Using his considerable divine powers, the priest will enfulg one opponent in divine radiance. This show of divine power won't harm the target, but is very frightening none the less. Some targets might see the error of their ways and join the ranks of one true god."
Range: 25, NoE:1, Prec:100, Fat:0, MR negates easily charm, nextspells "Frighten"

2) Boosts some excisting holy spells

- Smite to range 30 and damage 30. Also #nextspells "Smite Heretic"
- Smite Demon to range 30 and damage 30
- Word of Power now AoE 1 and #nextspells "Chastise"

3) Adds 16 new researchable holy spells. 2 for each magic school on level 3 and 7.

4) Adding more holy sites and making them do holy stuff whenever possible. (This part will be incomplete until I actually make the units I'm intending to add as recruits from these sites. Most of these units will feature in Holy War: Sacreds)

Holy War: Priests
- Design Goals: 1)Boost pure priests and make national pure H priests more useful.
2)Allow all nations easier access to strong pure priests
Includes:
1) Juggling of priest levels within the recruitable commanders of the nation.
- If a nation has a H1 pure priest and no mage-priests, the priest will be H2
- If a nation has a H1 priest and a mage-priest with H1, the priest will be changed to level H2
- If a nation has a H2 priest and a mage-priest with H2, the mage priest will be changed to level H1
- If a nation has a H1 priest and a mage-priest with H2, the priest will be changed to level H2 and mage-priest to H1
- If a nation has a H3 priest and a mage-priest with H3, the mage-priest will be changed to level 2

Bad Points: This might cause some thematic issues, but I'll be using this excuse: The weaker the unit, the humbler. The humbler priest -> better priest.

2) Where it is possible, I'll add national holy spells that are only castable by your national priests as an extra carrot to recruit them.

3) I'll add a holy hero for each nation which lacks a hero with at least minimum H3. (So that all nations have at least theoretical access to H4, through prophetizing)

4) National priests will also get other abilities when I deem that is neccessary: #onebattlespells, decreasing unrest, summoning flagnellats, healing.. etc

5) Common independent priests will be made unrecruitable with resourcecost of 800. This will encourage recruiting national priests


Holy War: Sacreds
Design Goals: 1) Allow easier access to generic sacred units to allow nations with poor sacred units to pursuit a bless stragedy if they so wish.
2) "Balancing" sacred troops

Includes:
1) Add one sacred summon to each combination of holy and regular magic. These sacred summons will be low research level 1?H1 and low gem cost, but summon only one unit per month. Thematically, these troops will be former servants of the Pantakrator, that now lack something to worship.

2) Change the Kappa independent poptype to shaolin-esque sacred monks. Hoburgs will be changed into templars.

3) Nerfing of overly powerful sacred troops (probably 10% gold cost increase), weaker sacreds will get 10% cost reduction.