The purpose of this thread is to let players suggest spells they would like us to use.
The Rules
A given spell must be something that the computer AI can reasonably be expected to use as well.
Definition of a Spell:
A spell needs the following items:
Example:
Depending on how fast my AI coding skills are, I can add a lot of spells in before release.
Please also be aware that none of you in the beta will actually ever play Elemental 1.0. You will be playing Elemental 1.01. 1.0 is what we have to ship on DVD and will only be played by people who can’t or won’t update their game.
Well, I think that my favorite contributions were from the School of Mysticism, if I had to choose.
Still, the rage school has some interesting things because Angry Blood, Anger's Punishment, and Angry Revenge are just so much different than other spell effects.
But yea, I agree that trying to determine how many spell points/ mana is REALLY HARD if not impossible. And that everything WILL be changed. I based all my values off of the Spell of Making being 25/ 25 ... and of people starting out as 15/15 ... this leads me to believe that in order to cast high level spells they will need a lot of levelling. Still, the spell points required for some of my more "crazy" spells will probably need to be higher once we have those techs that increase our SpellPoint Caps.
If I had to narrow down my wishlist, it would be everything from Mysticism and Rage spellbooks (and probably my Chaos spells too). Those are the ones that are really "unique" in my opinion.
Truthfully Im proud of all the rage spells, and while some of the Mysticism spells are there to "create" the class, like the Ethereal Spells, the rest (like Third Eye, Foresight, and Appocalypse Now) I am quite proud of.
See, my idea is to have battles take place in new and exciting ways. Not only a Strategical Magic duel but also a Tactical Magical Strategy for casting spells. If you have a lot of spare mana, the RAGE spells can really synergize, yet some of the Rage spells are only useful if you are losing a battle or other special circumstance.
Still, the idea is to make the spell be awesome without it "Just" being about the damage, but you have to have the damage spells too. Of course from the core spell books we have a lot of very simple damage spells, but the Monsoons and Blizzards are very interesting strategic storms ... and a Blizzard has the potential to wipe out an entire army. And then you have Troposphere spells from Air that are the "perfect" counter to Storms ... I mean, they can be dispelled the normal way, but use a Troposphere is the most cost effective way to remove an enemy Storm enchantment, or tactical storm spell.
Also, if you fight a battle *inside* a storm, that storm will continue (to an extent) inside the tactical battle.
With Necromancy, my core idea was to have summoned skeletons NOT cost enchantment slots, and to be created at the expense of your population. Maybe a gold upkeep just to be balanced, but probably less gold than normal soldiers.
Also, perhaps my fascination with Tactical spells is partly due to my plans to work on a Shin Megami Tensei mod, which would focus primarily on INTERESTING and VARIED ways to fight a tactical battle, and some monsters that cannot be killed in the conventional way.
Pretty much including all D&D 3 to 3.5 would be pleasing to me, and probably most gamers. I almost didn't need to type that.
There's really not allot of inventiveness needed to concoct such a list since it's largely mix elements + target effect + range + area of effect (edit: + cost, + duration of effect, yaddah yaddah).
This would be one place to insert some procedural generation also. It's essentially Borderlands' random gun qualities. Possibly one tries to research a 'golden' spell but what one gets is only close, but procedurally generated. E.g. Ideally I want a mana-economical fireball for my low-level mage brigades, but perhaps I only get close enough if I spend tons in the research, otherwise I get something similar, but procedurally generated.
1. Spell Name: Macros' Highway
2. Strategic
3. Arcane Knowledge: 20
4. Mana: 20 + 10/turn
5. Air?
6. Creates a rift between 2 tiles under your control, anywhere on the map. Allows all (even enemy/NPC) units to pass through.
7. Chaos?
8. Notes: There is a cumulative chance ((20/INT)%) per turn of the rifts spawning random hostile monsters per turn. Monster levels determined by city level and/or garrison strength of the strongest of the 2 cities closest to the rifts, but it should be a challenge and pose a serious threat. Also due to the sheer power needed to maintain a sizable hole through reality, a player may only have 1 pair of rifts active at any time.
Further note: This is now extremely doable thanks to Frogboy's work with random monster generation here. All you really need is a tile done up with a rift for art and a permanent teleport effect.
1. Spellname: Shadow Walk
3. Arcane Knowledge: 50
4. Mana: 9 +1/unit transported
5. Air, Earth
6. Allows passage to the shadow plane for all in one's party. Can reemerge anywhere, except in visible range of any factions you are at war with.
7. Book of Shadows
8. This spell is used like teleport withthe advantage of not having to go to a city. You can use it to guerilla your way out of a losing war, if you've got the elemental stones.
I like this idea.
The Idea of opening a Gate to move yourself/troops through is good plus that fact if you lose control over one end or the other your enemy can use it is reall good. Even better with a chance of having some big bad monster show up as well at one end or the other.
Yes, although some mechanism needs to be in place so someone can move the pair of Gates around or disband the spell as needed (i.e move to newer cities further out on your frontier over time), while keeping the danger of an enemy seizing one of the Gates very real at the same time.
1. Spell Name: Summoning Circle
4. Mana: 15 +5/turn
5. Shards: Fire
6. Creates an interplanar gate that randomly spawns hostile monsters.
7. Summoning
8. Notes: Every turn has a fairly good chance (INT%, cumulative) of spawning a random monster that is hostile to everyone. Cast in enemy territory and grab the popcorn! Can be dispelled. Also note the maintenance cost
There could be multiple versions of this spell, with lower levels randomly gating in lesser creatures and more powerful versions randomly spawning demons and such. Using the new stuff Frogboy is working on with creatures teaming up...imagine casting this at a higher level deep in enemy territory and having a demon army show up on your enemy's doorstep several turns later...of course then you have to deal with a demon army that owns a city (or several)
Name: Raise Mountain
Strategic
Knowledge Req: 18
Mana: 18
Shards: Earth
Effect: Raises a mountain where a hill has been, making the square impassable to non-flying, non-tunneling, non-phased, non-teleporting unit movement. Must be used on an existing hill.
Book: Earth
Notes: A way of altering the world to create defenses and limit movement. Cheaper than flood, requires earth instead of mastery magic.
Name: Landlock
Knowledge Req: 12
Mana: 5 + variable additional mana to increase the lock strength, up to 15 max (maybe uses an enchantment slot, I'd prefer not to, but if tracking a bunch of locked spaces is going to increase processing load significantly. . . ).
Shards: None
Effect: Locks a single tile, not necessarily owned by you, from being altered by any spells, positive or negative.
Notes: Can be used offensively or defensively. Base additional cost to cast spells on locked land is 5, plus 1 additional mana to overcome each additional mana spent by the caster. Works to shield unclaimed shards from ruin shard. Can be used on water tiles to prevent raise land.
Name: Imbue Earth
Knowledge Req: 20
Mana: 10 + 3 mana per each additional radius tile, 1 essence (Should not use an enchantment slot, since it uses essence).
Effect: Creates an area imbued with your personal magical essence. The land reverts to flat land of type compatible with Channeler faction. This land cannot be further altered by any negative spell unless the caster pays an additional 10 mana cost to overcome the defenses (so, for instance, it would cost 30 mana to raise a volcano in the protected area, create desert would cost 25 mana, etc.).
Notes: A stronger, more intelligent version of landlock. Minimum area is radius 1, may increase up to radius 6 with additional mana cost. Each tile in the imbued area has a 1/(100-INT) chance of developing a random resource bonus as a result of the imbuing spell. Can be used to protect unowned shards. Even when the additional mana cost is paid to overcome the protection, hostile spells have a 1/(40-INT of Imbue Earth caster + INT of hostile spell caster) chance to fail.
- Random chance of creating Fertile Land on, or next to, river.
- With land cities having no ports, it could provide sea trade and troop transportation at a reduced level (less trade and slower troop load time). Ships could move along the river, or have small river vessels that are more limited and can't leave the river/coast.
- City bonuses if the river runs through the city (even if you can't see it on the map). Watermills could give mills slight bonuses. A river connecting a forest to a city could give a wood gathering bonus (floating logs down river). Heck, it could even make improve city designs if you had a river running through it and the mills had to be touching the river, but that might be too complicated.
- Could provide added defense to battles for troops in the field and for a city or fort.
- If ships are allowed to move along the river, you could have a river defense building...a fort, the ability to float burning ships down river at attackers, or something to control the river and prevent people from using it to their advantage when you have control.
- I had other ideas, but I just blanked...
Soul Reaving
Tactical spell
Arcane Knowledge: 15
Mana cost: 0 (but must target one of your own units killing it. -5 to moral of remaining units on your side).
Spell Book: Death
The spell user targets one unit in his own army (the target must have pledged their life to the soverigns service for the spell to work). The spell caster rips the life and spirit from one of their bonds men converting it into raw mana. This spell completely restores the soverigns mana pool, kills the target unit and lowers the moral of his remaining troops, who are naturally some what put out to see their fellow soldiers being consumed by their leader.
Puppet Master
Tactical
Arcane Knowledge: 20
Mana Cost: 15
Spell Book: Life
The Mage can command flesh bone and blood to do his will, the target unit remains aware but has no control over their own body, that is transfered to the spell caster for the duration of the combat after which the unit will flee if still alive. The unit gets -1 to attack and defense as their body is being commanded by someone else. There should be some chance of resisting this spell via will but even if they resist the units suffers -2 attack and defense and -2 moral due to fighting for control of their own body.
Blight
Arcane Knowledge: 10
Mana Cost: 20
The death mage casts this spell on an enemy city and it counts as an enchantment. An awful disease strikes crops grown in the city lowering food capacity 25% until it is dispelled or countered. In a Siege this can quickly bring a mighty city to it's knees.
Adrenal Rush
Lasts: Int Tactical turns
Mana Cost: 10
The caster uses life magic to stimulate the adrenal glands of a unit of soldiers. The gain +2 to combat speed, +1 to defense, +1 morale for Int turns as they move and react faster and feel more confident. After which they suffer -2 defense, -1 combat speed, -1 morale for 2 turns from post adrenaline shakes.
Death Omen
Mana Cost: 25
The death mage gazes across the ranks of his foes, and calls forth the spirits of the dead to whisper in the ears of the fate that awaits all things of flesh bringing terror to all how stand against him. In game terms all enemy units on the field suffer -5 morale as they are assulted by spectral voices from beyond the grave.
Regeneration
The Mage casts a spell on a unit accelerating and augmenting their natural healing powers, cuts and broken bones heal in seconds, limbs regrow in minutes and nothing short of death can stop the process. In game terms for the duration of the tactical combat the target unit regenerates +2 health per turn if wounded and gains +1 morale.
Asphyxiation
Arcane Knowledge:10
Duration: Int turns
Spell Book: Air
The Mage sucks the air away from an enemy unit causing 1 damage per turn from asphyxiation. It also demoralises the unit doing 1 morale damage per turn and gives a -1 attack / defense as the unit fights for air.
Fist of God
Arcane Knowledge: 30
Mana Cost: 35
Target Area: (maybe 4 tactical squares not sure).
Shards: Earth, Air
Spell Book: Celestial
The mage reaches up into the firmament and captures one of the great rocks that floats in the empty void beyond the world pulling it down on the heads of their enemies. Does 200 blunt damage to all units in the target area. and stuns any units in the area it doesn't kill for 3 turns.
Eclipse
Mana Cost:25
The mage holds his hands high and reaches out to the heavens blocking the light of the sun for the duration of the battle. The foe is awed by this show of celestial power commanding apparently the sun itself. -5 morale to all enemies for the battle and +5 morale to friends.
Immortal Army
Aracne Knowledge: 30
Spell Book: Enchantment
This enchantment is cast on a group of units, they become tied to the earth if they are killed in battle their bodies will liquify and drain into the ground they will then be reborn a new in the nearest city controlled by their soverign. Literally regrowing from the womb of the earth like strange trees complete with their equipment. This will work only once for the unit in question then the spell must be recast if the mage wants to make the army immortal again. This enchantment gives +5 to morale while it is on a unit since the troops know they can not die while in service to their lord.
Phantasmal Cloak
Shards: Air
This spell cloaks all units on a square with an illusion make them appear to be a harmless caravan unit. The enchantment is automaticly broken if they must attack or defend themselves.
Hungry Vault
The mage casts this on another soverigns town, the vault in that town is enchanted so it swallows gold and transports it through the ground to the casters vault. 10% of the gold income from the targeted town goes to the caster each turn until this enchantment is removed or dispelled.
Phantasmal Troll
This spell apparently summons a very powerful Troll to serve the caster, in fact the monster is crafted of air and light and has no substance at all. It has attack and defense of 0 and 1 hitpoints (though if examined by the enemy it will appear to have the stats of a troll).
Promised Land
Mana: 10
This spell is cast on a city and gives a 50% bonus to it's prestige as visitors feel a sense of warmth, saftey and contentment.
So, unique not-direct-damage spells, eh? What I have been thinking about for the past week, but not really fleshed out, is a new book. We have summoning spells already, though I have not really been able to explore what is in the game at this point (CTD, bug, CTD, ad nauseum). What I have been thinking about is a Book of Transformations. Rather than (probably) costing a lot of mana and potentially essence, transformations instead cost you regular units and some mana (potentially essence for the late-game nasties).
Someone (I do not recall his name) touched upon this with his Dragonform back on page 3, but why stop there? Why not have a range of different units you can transform yours into? I have not really sat down and tried making a list of these, mostly because I have very little to no idea what is in the game in terms of different units at this point, nor have I really looked into the lore. But the possibilities are endless. Flying scouts, wolfpacks, battle bears, ranged... somethings, flying, crawling or burrowing Horror of Doom. You get the point, I think. Primarily I was thinking of using these as supplemental units to your regular main army, which is one way of doing it. But if it is planned well enough, it would be very fun indeed if you could use these guys as your main army. That would obviously cost quite a bit mana, so you would need a pretty good spellcaster to pull it off, but it would be fun nonetheless, I think. (And no, this is not inspired by various types of elves in various settings. At all. Shoo!)
As for balancing, I must confess I have not given it much thought. Absolutely nothing with regards to arcane knowledge nor mana cost. I imagined the whole thing would span the entire range from starter units to late/end-game units, with costs scaling as you go. As for shards, I would image the early units not needing any at all, but mid-to-late transformations probably should, depending on the specific unit transformed into. Late-game ones should probably require more than one type. Again, scaling as you go. Someone better at balancing can probably do this a lot better than I can.
I really like this idea, a book of tranformations would be a great idea.
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