Holy War: Lesser Edition

[llamabeast]

Burnsaber is the author of the amazing Holy War mod. I played with it a little at the time and thought it was very nice indeed, but disappointingly it hasn't seen a huge amount of use since. I had a little think about why I personally don't use it much, and I think it's because a few of the changes may seem a little bit too much - its effects on the power of priests really are dramatic.

So, I decided to make a slight modification of the mod, to be called "Holy War: Lesser Edition". "Lesser" is the key bit really - the plan was just to slightly reduce the extent of the changes in the hope of increasing the amount of use the mod sees.

Well anyway, I finally found the time to look properly at Burnsaber's mod, and WOW, it is an absolute magnum opus. I hadn't realised it was such a beast - and such a lovely beast too. The most noticeable part of the mod in gameplay is the new holy spells, but it's obvious that an enormous amount of work has gone into the new holy magic sites and the units they allow you to recruit, which are all oozing with flavour.

Anyway, I hereby present my Lesser Edition of Burnsaber's fantastic mod. I haven't made a lot of changes. Firstly I did a proofreading run, but actually there were very few changes to be made. Then I toned down a few of the spell changes - Smite is no longer increased in power, Chastise is H4 rather than H3 (although a little more powerful), Smite Heretic has become Halt Heretic (paralyses enemy sacreds), and a few other changes not really worth going into. I then went through the new, researchable holy spells. I took out a couple ("Holy Warriors" was just very powerful to my mind!), toned a couple down slightly, left most of them as they were. I altered the spell descriptions quite a bit.

If you're playing with this mod make sure to remember to search for Holy magic sites - it's now worthwhile.

I'll list all the spells added by the mod, but bear in mind that they're only part of the mod - much of the excitement is in the rare magic sites.



Changes to existing spells

Smite Demon to damage 20 (was only 10!)
Word of Power now AOE 1


Three new holy level 0 spells.

H1: Faith Healing - "Using his divine powers, the priest heals the wounds of some friendly soldiers. This spell will not affect undead or constructs."
Range: 15+, NoE: 1+, Prec:100, Fat:0, Dam:4+(AN), UW+, IA-, UD-

H2: Halt Heretic - "Using his divine powers, the priest smites his heretical opponent with a blast of holy light. Caught between two gods the opposing sacred will be left paralyzed on the battlefield. If the opposing sacred is strong of mind he may be able to resist the holy power."
Range: 15, Prec:100, NoE:1, Dam:Paralyze, Fat:0, MR+, UW+, against Sacreds only

H4: Chastise - "Using his considerable divine powers, the priest will engulf one opponent in divine radiance. This show of divine power will not harm the target, but it is very frightening nonetheless. Some targets may see the error of their ways and join the ranks of the one true god."
Range: 20, NoE:1, Prec:100, Fat:0, MR negates charm, nextspells "Frighten"


Researchable holy spells

Conjuration

H2 - Smite Undead: "The priest calls down a powerful invocation of banishment on a small area. Although only a small number of targets may be affected, even powerful undead and demons may be destroyed."
Conj lev 3, Range:30, Damage:20, Prec:100, AoE:1, MR+, UW+, UD++

H3 - Divine Wrath: "This prayer will call immense divine power to smite some heathens. The skies will open and a huge ray of light will strike down on a small area. Should the heathens' magical resistance fail their body and soul will be incinerated instantly. One of the most powerful divine spells, this prayer will greatly exhaust the caster."
Conj lev 7, Range:25+, AoE:1, Prec:100, Fat:40, Dam: Death, MR+, UW+

Alteration

H2 - Divine Light: "The caster manifests his god's power in a blast of bright light. If the target is not able to resist he will be blinded for life."
Alt lev 5, Range:20, Prec:100, NoE:1, Fat:0, MR+, UW+

Evocation

H2 - Hand of Judgement: "Being face to face with a heathen foe, the priest invokes a quick but powerful prayer. His right hand starts to glow with divine light, and the ensuing punch will carry out the unforgiving judgement of the priest's god. If the target is either undead or a demon, the punch will likely be strong enough to send the abomination straight back to the pit where it crawled from. Strength of the caster adds damage."
Evo lev 3, Range:1, Fat:0, Prec:100, Dam:20(AP)+strength, UW+, 3xdamage vs undead or demons

H2 - Judgement: "The priest channels the power of his faith into a bolt of divine lightning. The bolt is not strong enough to kill strong foes in one hit, but it ignores armor. The bolt is of godly source and no mortal is able to resist its might. Unlike many divine spells careful concentration is required by the priest lest the bolt miss its mark, although it will never harm friendly soldiers in the case of a misfire. One of the most powerful divine spells, this prayer will greatly exhaust the caster."
Evo lev 7, Range:20+, Fat:25, Prec:5, Dam:10(AN), UW+

Construction

H1 - Divine Armaments: "The priest will kneel down and pray for divine help. This prayer will strengthen the armor of some friendly soldiers if the divine power finds them worthy. The godly force might also temper some blades to unnatural sharpness and enchant bows with flaming arrows. A powerful priest might be able to call aid on large squads of troops." (Forces two mr checks, if first fails gains "Legions of Steel" the second mr check is fails easily and gives Flaming arrows and piercing weapons if the check fails."
Const lev 5, Range:5+, Fat:0, Prec:100, AoE:3, NoE:1+, UW+, MR+(MR++)

Enchantment

H2 - True Healing: "Using his divine powers, the priest may heal the wounds of a number of friendly soldiers at once. This spell will not affect undead or constructs."
Ench lev 3, Range:20+, Prec:100, AoE:3+, NoE:1, Fat:0, Dam:6+(AN), UW+

H2 - Divine Protection: "With this prayer, the priest will channel powerful divine energies to protect his brothers in battle. The energies will flow through a small area, enchanting those meek enough to be deemed worthy. Those who are lucky enough to be affected gain resistance against elements and magic. A powerful priest might be able to call aid on large squads of troops. One of the most powerful divine spells, this prayer will greatly exhaust the caster."
Ench lev 7, Range:10+, Prec:100, AoE:2, NoE:2+, Fat:30, UW+, MR+

Thaumaturgy

H2 - Fury of the Faithful: "This powerful prayer lets the caster speak with the voice of titans. The priest holds a great speech full of fire and brimstone. All sacreds close to him are blessed and have their morale boosted, and will cross the battlefield with unnatural speed."
Thau lev 5, Range:0, Prec:100, AoE:30, NoE:1, Fat:0, UW+

Blood

H2 - Mark of the Beast: "This powerful curse will mark an opposing heathen with the Mark of the Beast, branding him as a vile opposer of faith. The marked one is very likely to be permanently wounded in combat. Horrors also take perverse delight in devouring the souls of the Marked and will target them first. Finally, some Branded might catch a vile disease upon Marking. One can only be Marked once and those who already suffer from a curse cannot be Marked." - (Curses and Horror Marks, MR check or gain disease)
Blood lev 5, R:30, Prec:100, Fat: 0, UW+, MR partially resists

The mod is attached, I hope people like it as much as I do.