Code based reply

The owner of the resource will only effect where the value comes from. The target of the spell will determine where the value goes to, and as you can only have one target then you can't effect the caster and the target at the same time. Although with strategic spells you might be able to fiddle with the spell cost (as it is a global resource) to get the desired result.

I also think it is more fun to have the Cursing spells be against opposite shards.  One of the things I think the game is weak on is meta-magic in general, so if we can introduce some of that magic vs magic here great!  It also allows for creating 4 lower powered spells; if it was a generic "Curse Shard" then that would need to sit high up in the tree for balance purposes.  This makes them much less fun for the idea of "Raiding" to me.  I want something to be available at level 1 of an element book so the user has more choice there and can start using them early game if appropriate.  (ie, go for Tremor to slow opponents or "Earth Curse Shard" to bust up his magic) 

Well people, what makes the most sense?

Ooh, I like the trasmutation school/tome idea. Things like reverse alchemy also. For example gold - > mana, materials -> mana, metal - > mana.  Though, actually nevermind that. Too unbalanced with how abundant some resources can become in game.

Crystals + gold to mana conversion may work, however, they are powering magic items after all. 

Materials + mana + gold -> metal could work.

Metal + ridiculous amount of gold + ridiculous amount of mana -> elementium could work also.

Gold + ridiculous amount of mana -> crystal seems okay too.

@ kenata: that would be awesome, did you have a theme for a chapter in mind?  I had thought about proposing something for tactical based around your special abilities library.  Doing straight up enchantments seemed lame, as it de-values the ability from the stuff in Artifacts, but I thought an expensive, 1 battle "Blessing" of the ability could work.  I also am not sure if there is any way to apply something graphical to a unit to have it obvious "one fight only has magic superpower here!"  Full disclosure: my idea for a chapter title for these type's of 1 battle only buffs /abilities was "Kenata's Blessings" anyways

I jumped to tactical stuff for obvious reasons, but love to hear your thoughts? 

While I have your attention, is it possible to have spells that only have Champs as valid targets?  Maybe different spells for hero's then units?

@Nimbyjester / oddrheia: I had actually thought about the idea of a "fortify" spell but think that would work better as a tactical level summoning of earthworks than as an overland spell.  Right now there is simply not enough ways to control terrain tactically on the main map without actually having an army in the tile, having people waltz by the "fort" to do what they please. (or throwing up mountains)  Bypassed defensive fortifications do have a tradition in military history, but its not good.

My grand evil plan was to add the Raiding stuff, then do a chapter of spells focused on tactical control of the big map.  Currently the only spell that does anything like this is "Inferno".  I figured it we added more reasons to move around the map and into / out of territory, THEN we would add fun things to do with controlling the map / territory.  I am enough of realist about the time Murteas and I have to spend that I want to only focus on one chapter at a time, and not release Road Maps or anything like that (IMO) that is too much documentation work for what should be a very iterative design process.  We are building toys, need to play with them for awhile to see if they are fun. 

>> Art assets are also very rare and time consuming to produce, and adds enough to the final product we aim to try and KIND of keep up for in-game effects at least.  Thus the focusing on small units of spells at a time.

@bout transmutation chapter: Sorry for getting on my game design soapbox here, but this one is something I feel kind of strongly about.  I like the idea of having transmute effects, but I think spells would be the worst mechanic to add them to the game.  Right now having the resources be geographic serves as the best source of conflict & tension in the game.  I am not destroying Ard cause he and Living Stone are bad people.  Dude has the crystal, and I gots to have it. The shortages and lack of specific materials is suppose to be a way to choose different strategy, start wars, and a reason to engage in diplomacy (this sucks and is braindead, but that is a different issue than game design.  Given time you can fix stupid AI)

I think the proper mechanism for transmuting between resources is via specialized expensive buildings.  This preserves the link of cities to resources, offers further specialization of cities, and means that you can plan more interesting strategies.  If I take a stronger enemy faction's Metal city, then they can only produce a certain number of plate-armoured warriors.  I then just have to survive and do attrition to those units while my strategy to beat them happens.  If they are stronger and richer and can cast spells from anywhere to get the resource they need, all this fun goes away. This is why the only transmute via spells currently are the most basic resources (gold N mana)

In short I really like the idea, I just think the focus of this mod would be the worst mechanic to do it with.  Make sense?

@ Absolutely Everyone: I see the downloads and view counts, lurkers get off the bench and vote!  We have 3 right now for elements "Cursing" their opposite number.  How about we keep it open till Thursday night, then I will put up a list of suggested spells?

@Kenata - We'd welcome any contributions you'd like to make.   You obviously have a lot of experience with the Game Modifiers and that is the key to the spells working as they should.    

M. Agrippa is going to be managing the next "chapter" of spells, and I'll be modding and putting together releases.    

I do have a list of all the spells that were suggested shortly before release that i have put together in a word document (with the person who suggested the idea), I've looked through it a bit, but we can also use that as inspiration if we need to.   Otherwise, simply looking at Kenata's library of abilities should give us a huge host of enchantment type spells that could be cast.    Also, I am sure they can be modified to do other interesting things.

Keep up the brainstorming, we'll figure out some good ideas this way.   

You can use

if it's a friendly champion.

:Grumbles:  Can't get the spells working the way I want... :grumbles and goes back to work the spells again:

Just checking in.  I'm keeping an eye on any ideas that come in, but also realize that 1.19 will bring some changes to our spells.   If nothing else then the AI tags will have to be added.  

Have a good weekend everyone.

@ oddrheia: Thanks, those look fantastic!    I pictured the painting for Gift of Fortune being tied in to chance in some way; I had thought of a pair of spinning dice with representations of the different possible rewards on the visible faces (gold, materials, metal, crystal, potion, tiny house, "something bad").  Sovereign like character standing over a roulette wheel with the same icons instead of numbers could also be nifty.  Or maybe one giant D20, cause I am a dork like that.   

The big thing is that it shows the range of possibilities, and that there be a "bad / negative" one obvious among them.  The odds of getting one of those are small, but the painting is the best place I can think of to communicate the range of possibility of the spell.  </Art rant>.

Ok Guys, Here is what I was thinking for an addition. A new spellbook called the blessing spellbook which features both tactical and strategic spells. MY thoughts on these spells are as follows:

Blessing of Prowess - +attack/+accuracy/+dodge
Blessing of Shadows - no counter attack (tac)
Blessing of Retribution - +defense/+counter (tac)
Blessing of Swiftness - +combat speed/+move multiplier/+dodge (tac)
Blessing of the Coward - Instantly run all (tac)
Blessing of the Foolhardy - +Attack/+Defense/doesn't counter (tac)
Blessing of the Mind - +Intelligence/+spell resistence
Blessing of Wellness - +HP/+Con
Blessing of Greatness - +Prestige bonus
Blessing of the Farmer - +Food production bonus
Blessing of Lore - +Lore Production
Blessing of Magic - +Arcane Research

BTW - I think I figured out how to do raiding by playing around with the spell cost (as suggested above).  I'm not sure the AI will recognize the benefit, but it should be interesting to try.   I'm going to make a few test spells and see what I can do...

@Agrippa - You can require that something is in the death spellbook and require the possession of a certain shard, but not the other way around (i.e. in fire but require death).

If I can get some attempts done of the spells. I'll send them your way.  

@kenata - how do you cause a champion to give a farming bonus.   Is there a way to give him the npc farming ability?  I've tried a couple of different approaches, but I couldn't get it to work.  I know it works for hireable heroes, but I couldn't get it to work as a spell.   Any thoughts?

Murteas, how did you solve the problem of having the spirit guard castable multiple times on the same city?