New Game: Fun Sites

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

This sounds like fun...
The Mine of Wonders Path/Level: E4

Normally produces 3E 20 gold 30 res.
But when a mage enters, the fun really begins, as buried magic items start "turning up." The chances of items being dug up depends on the local Magic and Luck scales, and the research-per-turn level of the mage in question (max 50% in any case). Items are skewed:
1. Toward low level items (Cons0 40%, Cons2 35%, Cons4 15%, Cons6 10%, Cons8 0% or similar)
2. Toward items the mage could have made on his own (Logic here: Mage can more easily sense the item's ... I don't have a word for the meaning I want here, "vibes" is closest but I'm not happy with it.) - (if the first roll is something this mage can't forge, roll again-- once only. On the second roll, Level 6 items are unavailable.... and if another unforge-able or nasty {see below} comes up the first roll stands.)
3. Away from cursed, horrormarking or diseasing items (If one comes up, roll again. And again, a "foul" item on the second roll confirms the first.)
3A. Away from gem-generating items.
Downsides:
If the province is attacked, the mage does not participate in the battle (presumably he didn't hear the call that the battle is happening)
Items appear on the mage unless a lab is present. If no spot is available it goes to another commander in the same province. If this isn't available, tough. (C'mon though-- find the site, mage drops a lab on there and off he goes.)
There is a small chance of the mage dying in the mine (rockfall, lost in the tunnels, whatever else). If this happens his "own" items (the ones he was carrying) will be the first ones found by the next mage to enter.

[Chazar]

• Free Port:(Water-0) Any commander may enter to obtain the "sailing" ability for 4 rounds.
• Heavenly Haven:(Holy-2) Any commander may enter to obtain a temporary ability for 4 rounds, which is identical to holding a "flying carpet" item.
• Acient Anchorage:(Water-2) Allows recruitment of sailors. Sailors are similar to light infantery. A commander with at least 10 sailors under his command gains the "sailing" ability, provided that at least 50% of the summed sizes of all his troops are from the sailors under his command. (i.e. Commander Size 4, 20 sailors size 2, 9 size 4 critters can still sail together.)
• Pirate's Den:(Blood-2) Allows recruitment of pirates, produces 20 gold, shifts scales towards turmoil. A pirate functions like a sailor as described above, but has a cooler picture and is himself stealthy. (So adding less than 50% in size-terms of other stealthy troops with a stealthy commander yields a stealthy sailing group.)

All of the above are restricted to coastal provinces, the ancient anchorage is restricted to a coastal woodland province, the pirate's den to a coastal wasteland or coastal mountain.

[Agrajag]

Water Cork (water-0)
A commander may enter to attempt to remove the cork and drain the entire ocean.

It will probably take >30 strength to do it, if a commander can pull out the cork, all of the water in the ocean are drained - all water provinces connected to the province with this site, and those connected to those connected to... etc. are turned into swamp provinces.
If the commander fails, he is swallowed in the bottomless hole under the cork (=dies).


This could be quite an entertaining site (and wholly overpowered).
Can you think of a better word than Cork? It sounds really dumb.

[Sandman]

More:

Keystone: Provides a one-off casting of Ashkic (sp?) Record, and generates a gem or two as well.

Flames of Truth: Fire gems alchemised here will generate research, not money. It generates a few fire gems of its own.

Iron Obelisk: Inverts the relation between the magic scale and research for that province. Good for Ulm, useless for everyone else.

Star Pyramid: +1 penetration bonus for all your mages everywhere.

[silhouette]

Here are some I mentioned a year ago in a wishlist thread:

Wormhole[S3] When found, it either adds a "Gateway to Province X" option to any commander in the province (or adds a 1-way #neighbor) to a random province at least 3 away from the site. The destination could either be fixed, or could move randomly every so often. Since it's 1-way, there is a similar risk in going through as if you were teleporting (no retreat).

Hidden Passage[E1] When it is discovered, there is a troglodyte or similar monster attack on the province. Afterward, an adjacent but non-neighbor province is now a neighbor (both ways). This is simply to envision discovery of an underground passage which allows bypassing a impassable mountain range, or river, or cliff face, etc. Perhaps the "other end" of the passage does not appear as an event until units use the crossing the first time, so it could be used for a surprise attack once. It can provide +2E and random horror attacks if you want the "Mines of Moria" variant...

Hall of <X> Elevation[1X] One site exists for each of the 8 paths X=(FAWESNDB), and a commander in that province will have a discount in the cost of Empowerment in that path. E.g. If it was a 20% discount, empowering a Druid from NN to NNN at the "Hall of Nature Elevation" would only cost 36 instead of 45 nature gems.

Echo Canyon / Resonant Woods[A2] Doubles the area of effect or increases the strength of all "Songs" or "Tunes" (Soothing, Healing, etc) in the province.

Empty Altar[H2] Performing a Call God action in this province treats your priest level as +1 for this purpose.

A lot of my favorites are simple 'real' things like the Fault Line above, and things that change mechanics that don't normally have any modifiers (like the cost of mercenaries, or empowerment, or calling god, or #neighbors). A lot of people seem to want there to be more accessible ways to be able to heal curses or afflictions, and I don't think so. (or if so then Arco demands some compensation!)

Sill

[Endoperez]

Well, Arco could get some really special, unique power, that no other nations have and can't access to. As they are mainly an Astral nation, maybe a way to freely Scry provinces... maybe limited by their dominion... maybe something like their SECOND UNIQUE ABILITY!

You know, Arcoscephale isn't exactly a weak nation. The fact that the priestesses can heal afflictions isn't their only power, but one of the many strengths of the nation.

I don't know if it'd be good for the game, but I'm accustomed to there being next to no ways of healing, so I oppose the change out of stubbornness.

[RedRover]

Endoperez: Just a reminder--brainstorming rules--no critiques/negative comments while we're putting together the base list.

Endoperez said:
I don't know if it'd be good for the game, but I'm accustomed to there being next to no ways of healing, so I oppose the change out of stubbornness.

To All: I really like all this stuff. Consider us still going at least two weeks into December!

[Kristoffer O]

> Water Cork (water-0)
> A commander may enter to attempt to remove the cork and drain the entire ocean.

[Valandil]

Draining the ocean might be irritating for Atlantis...
and don't forget that the fish need a site to flood all land provinces.

Hall of living mirrors- S0, unique
An astral mage mey entre to summon a 1 heath ethereal duplicate of himself. there is a chance of caster being feebleminded by the madness of the hall. Summoned duplicates are not commanders.

[PvK]

Ok, so for balance purposes, add a site which is a dyke that can be breached to convert the land province into a water province.

PvK