Mod: Age of Wonders Mod

[Professor_Dyar]

I actually have considered the possibility of Julia being available as a pretender for appropriate nations, seeing how almost deific the Wizards in AoW2+ are (Yaka certainly is a pretender!). I may include that as an option, but I want her to be available as a heroine as well, at least for the more AoW1-style nations in the mod.

Edi's Julia is comparable in power to the default heroes of Tir 'na n'Og, which is only appropriate considering Julia's race: she's a good mage, a good commander, and, properly outfitted, a good thug, but hardly a supercombatant. It would be easy to create a pretender who would be more powerful in any of these areas, and not that difficult to create a pretender who could surpass her in all of them (although said pretender might need to be imprisoned or take negative scales). Julia the pretender of course will have the option of being a bit more powerful.

The seven nations in question represent different aspects of the various factions. So, they are the Elves (as a race), the Keepers, the High Priests, the Spirit of Nature, the element of Life, the altar of Life, and the Wizard's Throne, and possibly the elements of Air and Water as well. It is certainly reasonable that Julia would belong to any one of them. I would like to explore possibilities of her existing in each of these, even being killed in some but not in others (hey, only one of these nations can win - this is Dominions!), which is why I considered the multiple hero approach. Of course, if she's summonable instead, this can happen in a different fashion, with multiple resurrections. The multiple hero approach also keeps one nation's options for her free of what might happen to other nations' options - e.g. if the Keepers' Julia gets horrormarked, the Elves' Julia isn't. This might be preferable or not, depending.

I'm not sure whether or not to make heroes mounted. I may make both, actually, depending on circumstances (nation). For her abilities, I am open to suggestions, but her default spheres in the Valley are 4 Life, 2 Air, 1 Water, so her magic will reflect that. Certainly I do want to give her a long lifespan - even with BoT, she should not be worrying about her age! But should she have Awe (as Edi gives her), or possibly Stealth and Seduce (the designs on her armor certainly look made to draw attention to her figure)?

More immediately, though, is the philosophical question of equipment for heroes: the vast majority of commanders in Dominions, including even most of the pretenders, are armed with common weapons and armor. The obvious implication is that the player is expected to forge magical items for their thugs and SCs. Should AoW heroes have magical equipment, or basic stuff that will be replaced?

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Meanwhile, here is a transcript from the mod file:

----Humans

--Musketeer and Air Galley to be added here
--Spell to construct Air Galley to be added here
--May also add spells allowing Humans to summon some Bogarus mages

--Select Late Man
#selectnation 51
#name Humans
#era 1
--Flag?
#descr "Banished from their garden for their moral imperfection, the Humans invaded the Blessed Continent and destroyed the magically powerful Elven civilization that preceded them and took their legacy of magic. Ambitious, brash, and independent, the Humans seek to split infinities, do the undoable, and make themselves masters of Nature's laws. Their governments are forever evolving, and each man and woman is his or her own mind. Some desire to invent and build things. Others desire to rule and wield power, while others are content to sit in the shade of the trees and tell stories to children. Some humans are deeply spiritual, while others show a knack for learning powers that were thought forgotten. Every man walks after their own pursuit with brazen disregard for the laws of nature or the order of life.

Though the Humans now control the heart of the former Elven civilization and power, their power has come with a price. Once, Humans harvested Elven magic, but now, magic is draining from the former Elven lands, and from the Humans as well. In response, the Humans have called upon their faiths and their masters of knowledge both truthful and hypocritical, and have created an order of mages who can research even in the draining magic of the Valley of Wonders. Will the Race of Men spread from the Valley and usher the world into a new age of the mundane, or will other races reclaim the Elven Valley and restore the Age of Wonders?"

#summary "Race: Humans
Military: Crossbow-armed heavy infantry, longbows, knights, Wardens of the Elven Court
Magic: Astral, Air, Earth, some Fire, Death, Blood
Priests: Average"

#brief "The Empire of Humanity has taken control of the Valley of Wonders and is building a new Age of steel without fantasy."
#epithet "Children of Chaos"
--Give Humans the Cathedral-temple
#templepic 9

--Underwater province defense needs to be added here

#end