Mod: Inuk, Land of Ice and Spirits

[Duncan_Frost]

After looking through the mod forum I noticed there were a lot of custom nations based on other fictional lore (such as Warhammer or Lord of the Rings). However there didn't seem to be many based on various real-world mythologies in the way that KO and JK designed the original nations, so I decided I would try to use their approach. The mod uses Inuit shamanism, animism and mythology (such as the legend of the Fast Runner) with a few of my own twists and inspiration from other mythologies that share some of the same themes, such as Romani beliefs about vampires. The nation acts as a pseudo-predecessor to LA Atlantis.

The nation is still a WIP so right now I'm just posting for critique on sprites and to answer questions/field suggestions.

In-game description:

Inuk is a harsh land of ice inhabited by rugged humans. Their environment is a cruel one where villages can be wiped out in a single blizzard and deadly animals prowl the ice. But their greatest fear are the vengeful spirits of creatures that die but do not pass on, that possess tools and thirst for revenge on the living world. Their only hope is to observe the rituals, obey the taboos and trust in the powerful shamans who can communicate with and placate the vengeful Tuurngait spirits. Not all such forces are vengeful, however, and friendly Tuurngait can bring luck, heal sicknesses or even banish demons. The Inuk do not use heavy armour or weapons, but their shamans are magically powerful and they have a great variety of national summons.

Race: Human. Military: Very cheap. Skilled but poorly-equipped light infantry. Magic: Diverse. Primarily Water, Air, Nature and Blood. Versatile national summons. Priests: Average.

[llamabeast]

This looks very interesting! The theme sounds very cool - I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more.

The sprites have a nice dominionsy look to them. If I had to make a suggestion, I'd say that the flesh colour looks a bit pink. I'd recommend copying and pasting bits of flesh from some of KO's sprites to get the colour.

Also, a couple of things I'd suggest are very helpful in making sprites. Firstly, Bunsaber assembled spite dumps of all of KO's sprites, which I find absolutely invaluable. Second, he wrote a sprite-making tutorial which is interesting and can give a very good route to good sprites.

If you have any modding questions, either graphical or coding, do ask! There's lots of expertise here, and even more on the other forum.

[Stavis_L]

Needs more polar bears.

[Duncan_Frost]

Originally Posted by llamabeast

Also, a couple of things I'd suggest are very helpful in making sprites. Firstly, Bunsaber assembled spite dumps of all of KO's sprites, which I find absolutely invaluable. Second, he wrote a sprite-making tutorial which is interesting and can give a very good route to good sprites.

Thank you for the advice! I've already been following Burnsaber's tutorial, and all these sprites so far have been frankensteined from other units using the dumps you mentioned.

If you have any modding questions, either graphical or coding, do ask! There's lots of expertise here, and even more on the other forum.

Well, I do have one question...

Is is possible to use Blood Vengeance as an effect granted by a spell? Initially I was planning on having a recruitable BV troop, but then I realised how overpowered that would be (just place a small block in front of an army, watch as enemy archers annihilate themselves), so I've decided to go with using a battlefield spell instead.

Originally Posted by Stavis_L

Needs more polar bears.

I'm planning on adding Nanuk (or Nanook as it's spelt over here) as either a Pretender God or a unique summon, so fear not for polar bears!

[nerozero]

What it really needs are some killer penguins (even if they really don't fit all that well)

The mod looks pretty fun so far though, like the sprites, so keep up the good work!

[Stavis_L]

Originally Posted by Duncan_Frost

Well, I do have one question...

Is is possible to use Blood Vengeance as an effect granted by a spell? Initially I was planning on having a recruitable BV troop, but then I realised how overpowered that would be (just place a small block in front of an army, watch as enemy archers annihilate themselves), so I've decided to go with using a battlefield spell instead.

Urm...it's "normally" a spell effect. See:

http://dom3.servegame.com/wiki/Blood_Vengeance

If you're using DrP's excellent spell modding resource, it's effect number 744 in the "Really Raw Data" tab but not listed in the regular spell effects tab, so I assume that means that it's not easily accessible to add to spells created de novo. However, you might be able to copyspell it and modify whatever other effects you want on top of it.

[Duncan_Frost]

Originally Posted by Stavis_L

Urm...it's "normally" a spell effect. See:

http://dom3.servegame.com/wiki/Blood_Vengeance

Haha, I completely forgot there was a spell for it - I thought it was just an innate characteristic for things like Kurgi. Thanks for reminding me, this will definitely make things easier!

[Redeyes]

I don't think Blood Vengeance would be impossible to balance, it all depends on what kind of unit you're going to put it on...

[Duncan_Frost]

Progress!

Angakkuq:



In-game description: The chief shaman of a village is known as an Angakkuq. He has learnt the language of spirits and earned a familiar or Tuurngaq who grants him extraordinary power. Stories tell of Angakkuq who have been stabbed or shot point-blank and received no wound through the protection of their spirit companion. Their magical prowess is also hugely increased by their shared knowledge, although every spirit imparts different secrets and so they have diverse skills.

Info:
Strong mage with many powerful magic paths and guaranteed N2.
Auto-casts Personal Luck in battle.
Recuperates.
Starts with old age, although nature picks may negate this.
Has a 10% chance of preventing bad events in his province.

Notes:



This guy is intended to be your go-to mage on the battlefield. Right now he's very cheap and powerful, but balancing is for later when people have tested these guys out - i'm still in the 'cool concepts' stage at the moment.

Ilisitsok:



An Ilisitsok is an Angakkuq who has succumbed to temptation and made a pact with evil Tuurngait spirits. After the barbaric act of sacrificing his own spirit animal and wearing their flesh made whole, the demonic spirits have granted him incredible protection and magics. Anyone striking the evil shaman will have their attack twisted and turned on themselves. Such power comes at a price, however. A man's body cannot contain such darkness for long and the Ilisitsok are prone to exhaustion. Additionally, the Tuurngait spirits with whom he has collaborated still thirst for vengeance and if the shaman is wounded, they may possess him in his moment of weakness and charge screaming at the enemy. Children will go missing at night in any province the Ilisitsok resides.

Info:
Powerful blood mage with 4B and 1N, along with 25% chance of an extra 1B.
Blood Vengeance +0.
Gains 10 fatigue every round.
Kills 10 population every turn.
Usually starts with old age.
Berserker +1.

Notes:

A recruitable B4 mage is going to be huge for blood hunting, but again he will either be A) very expensive or B) have his paths toned down a little.

Feedback appreciated!

I also have a question:

If a scout or other stealthy unit has Gluttony, will they take supplies from enemy provinces they are hidden in? I'm pondering the use of 'hunger spirits' that have Gluttony 1000 or similar to starve out enemy armies.

[Foodstamp]

This looks really good .