Balance Machaka

[Illuminated One]

I personally don't see why Machaka needs national summons.
They have perfectly viable thugs via Death (Bane, Banelord, Spectres) and great forging.

Imo their biggest in game problem that their PD (and many of their line troops) fall to the lightest raiding without significant mage/spider/summons to back them up.

[chrispedersen]

Hmm.. I think I like the idea of a village witch doctor aiding province defense.

I also like the idea of zombie dust....


Oooh: a lot:

A reasonably low level, AoE spell that turns troops to soulless.
Follow up with a control undead.....

[kianduatha]

I would love a racial "summon spiders" spell for Machaka, giving Great Spiders and Black Hunters(both without riders)

Making spiders mapmove 3 (and fast enough in combat to actually *work* as flankers, for that matter) would also be pretty crazy.

What I really want to see is a Fetish summon--sort of like a Telestic Animate, only with witch doctor paths and a bonus Fever Curse like the Lord of Summer Plague. Make it so that people can take out your province defense...but half their troops'll get diseased in the process.

[rtyffg]

Originally Posted by chrispedersen

I also like the idea of zombie dust....
Oooh: a lot:
A reasonably low level, AoE spell that turns troops to soulless.
Follow up with a control undead.....

Something like AoE 10 life after death on enemy with decay as secondeffect?

Originally Posted by kianduatha

What I really want to see is a Fetish summon--sort of like a Telestic Animate, only with witch doctor paths and a bonus Fever Curse like the Lord of Summer Plague. Make it so that people can take out your province defense...but half their troops'll get diseased in the process.

Tried to test - maybe it is wicked enough even without magic(especially as a pd 10 commander)?
#newweapon 900
#name "Fever Needle"
#ammo 20
#att 5
#bonus
#dt_cap
#flyspr 403
#magic
#range 40
#nratt 2
#secondaryeffect 143
#end

#newweapon 901
#name "Poison Needle"
#ammo 20
#att 5
#bonus
#dt_cap
#flyspr 403
#magic
#range 40
#nratt 2
#secondaryeffect 50
#end

#newweapon 902
#name "Weakening Needle"
#ammo 20
#att 5
#bonus
#dt_cap
#flyspr 403
#magic
#range 40
#nratt 2
#secondaryeffect 306
#end

#newmonster 2901
#copystats 473
#copyspr 473
#clearmagic
#name "Fear Ward"
#descr "Frightens and weakens enemy"
#fear 0
#hp 1
#immobile
#weapon 900
#weapon 901
#weapon 902
#end

#newspell
#name "Place Ward"
#fatiguecost 100
#nreff 1
#effect 10001
#damage 2901
#school 3
#researchlevel 0
#path 0 0
#path 1 6
#pathlevel 0 1
#pathlevel 1 1
#restricted 35
#descr "The caster makes essence of fears in the province to form a statue. Gathered power brings a statue to life and causes it frighten and plague enemies."
#end

#newspell
#name "Send Wards"
#fatiguecost 100
#nreff 5
#effect 10037
#damage 2901
#school 3
#researchlevel 0
#path 0 0
#path 1 6
#pathlevel 0 1
#pathlevel 1 1
#restricted 35
#descr "The caster makes essence of fears in a distant province to form a statue. Gathered power brings a statue to life and causes it frighten and plague enemies."
#end

[chrispedersen]

I was thinking more of a AoE polymorph effect., but your idea is intrigueing as well...I generally find decay is too slow to be effective on the battle field - but otherwise I love the idea of the horror of gradually ... dieing. I think it merits testing.

I am very impressed with the speed you are actually writing these thing R...

would you like to join me as a contributing author on the Balance series?

As for mapmove 3 spiders, I would like to see a few changes:

I am all in favor of map move 3.

I don't agree with the high resource cost *at all*. I think its a poor game balance mechanic. I would like to see the cost of spiders reduced. To do that, however, I think we do have to chance the spiders, somewhat.

here are some ideas for comment:

1. I like the idea that spiders can strike from ambush. Either give them
a). A howl equivalent onbattle spell that summons spiders from the periphery.
b). Rebuild them on the eagle warriors template; allow them to selfbless, which would allow them to 'fly'.
c). Give the spiders an on battle 'blink'. However, since this would make them generally *very* easily mauled you would have to give them an area effect entangle arround them...something like an area effect web cast,or an area effect entangle - perhaps equip them with vineshields.

2. I think spiders should be fearsome weapons - with glass jaws - so I really don't like the second shape. Could be a good way to balance costs.

[rtyffg]

Originally Posted by chrispedersen

As for mapmove 3 spiders, I would like to see a few changes:
I am all in favor of map move 3.

Far moving spiders seem a little strange to me, at least if combined with ambushing.

Originally Posted by chrispedersen

1. I like the idea that spiders can strike from ambush. Either give them
a). A howl equivalent onbattle spell that summons spiders from the periphery.

a) Maybe summon of lesser variation of spiders then (with poison, but no webs)?

Originally Posted by chrispedersen

2. I think spiders should be fearsome weapons - with glass jaws - so I really don't like the second shape. Could be a good way to balance costs.

Sombre did mentioned the idea of regroving rider back in cbm thread - why not do that way, for hunter spiders since they seem to more sacred, then people now? And make an ordinary spider riders no second shape then (as spiders just run away).

[chrispedersen]

At the .. risk of throwing out too many ideas..
what if the spider sorcerers and spider assassins actually *were* spiders.. (with second shapes) making the kingdom a whole nation food/pawns of the spiders?

Lets reaving on the assassins make more sense....unrest on spider mounts... due to the unexplained vanishing of children...and the general ich factor...

[kianduatha]

First thoughts: Spider Turn is waaaay too good: you don't pay upkeep anymore!

Also the PD totem seems just about right: you're still a pushover, but anyone attacking's gonna regret it.

[rtyffg]

Originally Posted by kianduatha

First thoughts: Spider Turn is waaaay too good: you don't pay upkeep anymore!

Also the PD totem seems just about right: you're still a pushover, but anyone attacking's gonna regret it.

About Spider Turn - you don't pay upkeep, but you also lose most slots, and have to cast it in combat. It might need to cost at least 1n gem through, to avoid unecesary ai casting.
Does not this ward's damage of 1 is too much? Maybe it should turned to fatigue damage - not sure about it.

[Burnsaber]

Originally Posted by rtyffg

It might need to cost at least 1n gem through, to avoid unecesary ai casting.

Just in case Chris would like to keep the spell gem-less..

It's pretty easy to mod a spell to be only casted in when scripted, especially this type "only affects self" spell. I did a similiar thing in my "Alugra, City of Wonders" mod, which has a spell that heals 100 fatique damage but blinks you around the battlefield (meant to be used to clear thug buffing fatigue). You can likely see what this spell would do if the AI casted it all the time (it's not pretty).

So here is what you do:

You just mod the mainspell into a mr-negates-easily, only targets self spell that gives haste + twist fate and have the all that spider turning as nextspell. In the eyes of the AI (which cannot 'see' nextspell effects), that spell blows and it just will simply refuse to cast it unscripted. There are 'downsides' thought.

1) If the caster has haste and twist fate already, the AI won't cast the spell. (for the same reason it won't cast 'fire shield' if you have one already.)

2) If you cast this spell in a communion, it will affect the slaves too. (since, technically, it's a buffing spell)