New Magic School idea: Transmutation

[Frostmourne27]

Sheap said:
I concur, right now the only means to upgrade non-commanders permanently is through blesses (which aren't technically permanent but might as well be) or very expensive means (Gift of Reason + items/empowerment/etc).

I fail to see how blesses are any more permanent than, say luck. Luck can be gotten through cheap items, as can blesses (shroud of battle saint, pendant of luck, lucky coin, faithfull) In fact, it seems to me that blesses are one of the harder buffs to aquire, since you have to be sacred most of the time, or you need an item, or you need to be a prophet (limit of 1, very weak in strong enemy dominion) Luck OTOH needs astral 1 or an item. Empowerment to S1 , a cheap item, even an astral 1 mage beside you set to cast luck, luck, luck, spells. Ok, it needs research. But try blessing a banelord...

Twan said:
How hard the implementation of such a school and its effects on units would be ?", looks like a better question IMO, and probably explain why we are not going to see this kind of magic (before an eventual dom4 or 5 perhaps).

Very true. Is there a Dominions 4 wishlist thread yet? Balance seems unimportant to me (if the school starts with few spells, and they are carefully thought out, it seems quite reasonable to excpect no worse from it balance wise than we have from dom3 already. (which isn't _too_ bad...) However, I think that this would be prety darn hard to implement code-wise. I'm not too sure though. Also it would take up an awful lot of time from the devs (who, we mustn't forget actually do have lives)

[Sheap]

Most of the value of blesses is for recruitable non-commander troops. I say they might as well be permanent as any old cheap priest can bless, and few people will use sacred troops without priest(s) along to turn the bless on.

Anyway, the point of my original argument is just what you said. Very few troops can have blesses cast on them, which (tries to) balance the otherwise very good strength of the blessed troops.