Need ideas for new pretenders.

[Wauthan]

I've been thinking about making a small mod that replaces some of the current pretenders with new ones. To this end I managed to locate some graphics, free from the web, but I'm drawing a blank on what pretenders to replace (curse this welldeveloped game ) not to mention what abilities I should give the new ones. Please note that this idea of mine is not entirely serious.

The images are as follows:

A rather large dwarf complete with full beard, axe, shield and winged helmet.

Classic Robin Hood style archer with what looks suspiciously like pointed ears.

Burly fighter with horned helmet, shield and what looks a lot more like an oversized dagger then a sword.

A large flaming black gargoyle.

A very large "goatman" wielding a nasty looking scythe.

A brownskinned spiky angry looking humanoid. Actually the Imp from the old classic Doom.

A figure in blue robes with a purple hood, brandishing a gnarled stick.

A huge minotaur wielding a large onehanded hammer.

A dinosaur. The raptor kind of Jurassic Park fame.

A fourarmed woman with a mohawk. Think she's from the game Mortal Kombat. Perhaps she's Goros sister?

Big golden threeheaded draconian.

Any suggestions are welcome. If you also happen to know were to find more gamesprites or good animated gifs I would be glad to hear of it.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Wauthan:
A dinosaur. The raptor kind of Jurassic Park fame.

No, give us GODZILLA!

A fourarmed woman with a mohawk. Think she's from the game Mortal Kombat. Perhaps she's Goros sister?

So it's a reskinned Nataraja?

Any suggestions are welcome. If you also happen to know were to find more gamesprites or good animated gifs I would be glad to hear of it.

How about Trogdor? Kinda like a dragon, only tramples, and has one beefy arm.

[Ctennyson]

I have, in my own game, modded several Pretenders.

I have a Horsed Knight, in place of the Archmage, an Undead Knight in place of the Freak Lord, The Carrion Dragon has been altered to match more of what I want it to be like, The Female Titans Magic has been changed to a path I like, and the Moloch is now a Balrog, AKA, "The Lord of the Pit".

The Lord of the Pit is the most powerful pretender in the game, but I have him at 150 points, and he is probably not worth it. Those are the additions I have made so far. When Johan adds to the modding options, I have a bunch more plans.

[tinkthank]

This may be a bit farfetched and not what you are looking for, but it is simply off the top of my head:

- blue robes, purple stick:
Map Move 1, Lowish Dominion, low combat scores, 2 astral 1 water, new paths 30ish.
Special: Gnumpash the Wise has a chance of granting units in the province in which he dwells a +1 research ability if his dominion is strong there.

- flaming black gargoyle:
Flying, High Dominion, Fear, decent combat, free FoD/turn (dominion), knows blood, death, fire, new 50.
Special: Obash the Very Naughty needs blood of his believers to survive. He will eat 1 random non-commander or blood slave located in his province per turn, otherwise starvation and possible dominion drop.

[Wauthan]

Thinkthank: Hmmm... I'm not sure that those two pretenders are even possible. Very interesting thoughts all the same.

Norfleet: I tried making a Godzilla but I couldn't find a good attack image. People just make pictures of it facing forward.
And yes she would basicly be a female Nataranja, and hopefully the future will let me mod one into existance.
Trogdor? Errh... I didn't bring that one because the Dominions 2 Sprites made fun of him for being 8-bit.

Ctennyson: What graphics have you been using? I'm always on the lookout for more images. I think I've made five Versions of PvKs Avatar of Ulm so far.

[Morbius]

this has prolly been suggested several times before, but ill just bring it up again.

id like to see a giant decaying brain as a pretender.
a brain that once belonged to some kind of monstrous intelligent whale that was realizin that his death was imminent. so it developed all kindsa *abilities*.
like magic and stuff.

so, this whale then extracted his own brain magically from his dieing physical body and by means of unholy rituals preserved it in an endlessly rotting state.

the pretender-brain would be immobile and only half-conscious.
only every second (or so) turn could be played becaus of its lack of consciousness.
and the rotten smell of the pretender would turn away like half of his total forces and 80% of the forces in his province EVERY TURN.

that would mean that the player playing the pretender would have to really focus on recruiting large amounts of new forces every turn.

what do you guys think? o_O
wouldnt that be like real fun ??!

[Sandman]

A giant tree pretender would be pretty good. Immobile, but with good nature magic and relatively inexpensive. Maybe some other power, like being able to scry forest provinces or having a permanent guard of dryads. It'd be thematic for Man, Pangaea, Vanheim and Jotunheim.

I'd like to see the Allfather from Dom 1 as well. I don't like the new gigantic Version.

[ March 13, 2004, 12:42: Message edited by: Sandman ]

[Ctennyson]

For the Horsed Knight, I use a Mounted Knight from Sube's Knights of the Light mod.

For the Lord of the Pit, I use the modified Moloch from...name omitted's Hell mod.

For the Death Knight, I use a captured Knight of the Unholy Sepulchre that I re-painted in photoshop, to recolor, since the capture sorta makes him look worse. For the others, I kept their current pics, while modding their magic/abilities.

For everything I modded, I kept them at or below the powerlevel per cost, except the Lord of the Pit, who as mentioned is definitely the most powerful pretender, but is probably not worth 150. He isnt the best SC, he is at roughly male Titan SC level, has a bunch of good powers, but not as good as VQ, and is 2/1 fire/death for magic, and with a cost of 50 for new paths, plus he is 150 points. I think this is the key for pretender mods, making sure that they are expensive enough that using that one is not a given, but cheap enough, and interesting enough, to be viable alternatives.

I never used or really looked at, the non-water based Archmage, or Freaklord, so they needed to go. Knights seemed a good idea, because A) Ulm needed a knight, and so did Marignon et al, in flavor, and B) Horsed fighting dudes are cool =)

I want to be able to add pretenders most of all. I hope Johan adds that for 2.09/2.10 whatever the next patch is. I cant wait to put this together. If I could draw at all, or the art files were open, I swear I'd mod every pretender in sight.

I'd definitely add the Tartarian Titans as pretenders, also. Dunno on costs, yet, and I'd change their stats, to make them inline with current pretenders, but they would be awesome for Jot/Van/Ermor/Carrion Woods. I'd like a Dead Ctis King, too, for Desert Tombs.

I have tons of things I'd like to do.

[ March 15, 2004, 05:32: Message edited by: Ctennyson ]

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Ctennyson:
The Lord of the Pit is the most powerful pretender in the game, but I have him at 150 points, and he is probably not worth it. Those are the additions I have made so far. When Johan adds to the modding options, I have a bunch more plans.

Is he still a consumate coward that flees from any battle unless given a large screen of troops?

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Ctennyson:
I'd like a Dead Ctis King, too, for Desert Tombs.

You mean the Saurolich? He already exists.