Improving the Transformation spell

[Endoperez]

It shouldn't Transform your mage into anything that would need more research to summon it. So no level-9 units. Also, Magical units should not be included. And as most units (militia, knight, longbowman etc.) come with the training and equipment... There is not much left. All the animals(maybe not hydra), Foul Spawns (heh, these should be pretty rare), maybe some cheaper pretender forms... Well, not cheaper but weaker, as a Wyrm or a Manticore, would be evil! Maybe the Freak of the Freak Lord.

Teraswaerto said no undead, horrors, demons or void monsters. I would say nothing inanimate or undead and no units that are "out of this world", that is, from hell, void, Astral Planes...

[Norfleet]

Are there even any GOOD transformations? I'm not quite sure what the benefit of turning a perfectly good mage into what will likely be a feebleminded, poorly-slotted animal is, especially since you have to be a fairly decent nature mage to even cast it in the first place...and the benefit is to be turned into a dog?

[Teraswaerto]

The spell should have a chance of getting a powerful form, hydra, tarrasque, wyrm, etc. since it's a high level spell and it would only be a small chance, and there's the danger of getting feebleminded too.

I said no undeads, etc. mainly for thematic reasons.

[Arralen]

You may want to check out the discussion about this spell we had some time ago in another thread - look here ...

[Molog]

Played around with transformation a bit a while ago. Transformations are various animals, the various drakes, a chimera, foul spawns are also possible but they always seem to come with feeblemindedness. Think ritual of rebirth is a better option if you want your immobile pretender to become mobile. Just teleport somewhere you drown to avoid getting any afflications.

Transformation doesn't go bad very often. Advantages are reduced upkeep and stronger forms for your mages.
Disadvantages are most transformation only have two misc slots and crappy precision.

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by Molog:
Think ritual of rebirth is a better option if you want your immobile pretender to become mobile. Just teleport somewhere you drown to avoid getting any afflications.

Teleporting/Drowning doesn't prevent afflictions. Besides it wouldn't work with most immobile pretenders since most are full amphibians.

BTW, I never had to call a pretender back with Ritual of Rebirth, doesn't he lose magic levels that way?

Or do you mean Twiceborn instead? IIRC that ritual doesn't work on most rocks since they're lifeless - I don't remember if the Glyph and Baphomet are amphibian, if they are that TP/drown trick would work only with the Void Lurker.

Which brings an interesting question: what happens if your Void Lurker (presumably with some Death and Water magic)

(1) casts Twiceborn
(2) cast TP to a friendly land province and drowns
(3) comes back as a feebleminded Wight Mage without any amphibian ability

I don't know if the 'Call God' command brings the God back in its original or current form, but if it's the latter, that would be the only way to defeat resurrection in Dominions.

[Taqwus]

Live as a Void Lurker, die as a Void Lurker, drown as a Wight Mage, get called back as a Wight Mage. Call God brings you back in whatever form you were.
So, er, don't forget the water magic if you're doing this with a Void Lurker, and don't die again if you're already a Wight Mage with only water-1.