Maelstrom Spell Changes

[Ry Vor]

A thread to post possibilities for spell changes in the next update to Maelstrom.

To start with a couple, Windstorm will either be disallowed vs. PC's, or made 10% per power level at P3 on.  So P5 would be 30% reduction in PC missile phases, or discontinued.

Bounty will have its benefit reduced by about half.

Thinking for a P8 or P9 new spell, Regional True Seeing.  The wizard gets L10 recon of everything in the region.

[Draugr]

So no negative effect from windstorm but a per level bonus. Seems fair. Turns it more into a late game spell vs the go get your city on T3 spell. Another way to do without nerfing would be making the spell dispellable using ward PC. This would make someone think twice and becomes more risk vs reward

With decrease in bounty perhaps also make plow artifact only x2

I like the regional true seeing idea. Late game again deadlier.


Other spells

Eye of the Hawk- allows a level 10 recon of one area. A spell level higher than true seeing.

Illusionary emissary. Allows the cast to create an illusion of an Emmy going into a PC. Caster designates kingdom the Emmy appears to be and is always detected as high ranking Emmy of that kingdom moved in. If PC is scouted nothing is there ie no name need be assigned, P4 or p5

Channel magic - cast this spell then next turn this wizard can cast a spell as one level higher. P3

Summon familiar - thinking like old AD&D here. A random familiar that travels with the wizard. Each familiar would have its own minor bonus like +5% to combat, +5 to stir unrest/control, level 4 recon. Stuff like that

[Strongwill]

Wall of fire needs more teeth.

Dome should be able to be defeated by a warlord in attacking group. Or make it like the ward pop spell need 1 for every attack: first attack uses the first Dome up?

I like all of Draugrs spells too.

[Senior Tactician]

I like the idea of higher level spells which might motivate the creation of higher level wizards, but at the same time, I would be concerned wizards are already too powerful, as evidenced by the fact that we are right now creating a game without the wizard kingdoms.

[Ry Vor]

Alright, just to chime in, good posts all.   I want to get your feedback before anything is final, but our little team is going to try to focus on bridging the gap between people signing up, and becoming players as the first priority.

I've been tinkering with Maelstrom update for seemingly about a year now, and the outline is 22 pages long, addressing all aspects including the interface.  I think, as Eregnon and others have suggested, I will cut this into first, the corrections to what is in place, like the updates to formerly dispersed ESO, and ESO itself, adjusting the brigade special abilities, others, like kingdom and regional adjustments but also adjustments to a few spells and adding some high power spells.  Heck, here is part of what is in my internal document (not even with Mike yet):

Spells:
·        Windstorm is ineffective vs. PC’s, reduce effect vs. groups.  Make effect power dependent to max of 50%.  10% per power level starting at P3, effects only opposing force.
·        Reduce Bounty benefit about 50%, reduce kingdoms that can cast.
·        Speed is an adjustment from the base.  So if a kingdom has Riders Trait, for example, the base is 22 not 20.  Riders and Wowie Totem would have base 24.  Power 2 speed would give 29. 
·        Hurricane – regional effect reducing production of each PC permanently, maybe 1000 food.
·        Dark Days.  Take 10k food and gold out of treasury per power level over 4.  Just vanishes.
·        Kraken does 50 points of damage.  So 5 fleets of quality 10. 
·        Falcon familiar, L4 recon range 10, can trail group.
·        Raven Familiar can be shot down, fail as L2 agent, range 7
·        Improve Black Owl
·        Swarm of Bats – Blocks any recon from flying – Raven Familiar, Eagle, Falcon. 
·        No penalty for Wraith, Lich, just cannot advance, same for Nazgul.  Must be evil: Necromancer, Dark Elves, Underworld, Tyrant,
·        Skeletons – A little tougher and 1 plus 1 per power over 3.  P4 does 2, P6 does 4.  Max 5.
·        Redo Demons – Balrog.  Must be cast by a Lich or Wraith.  Balrog kills as L14 Agent including Leaders and Wizards.  Probably P7. 
·        Fear from all sources in a single battle limited to 35%.
·        Valor limited to 35%.
·        Shield limited to 35%.
·        Realign artifact classes like keys.  Increase power of Quest artifacts.

Again, just a segment.  I also really would like to see a pre-battle magic phase to account for the "What had happened" aspect for things like Summon Death, Kill Leader, etc.

[RELLGAR]

Are you keeping weapon artifacts as they are or making there bonus effect the entire groups in all phases of battle? Kiki

[Draugr]

Windstorm has a much broader effect on game balance than just remove it from PC battles. The way discripbed above I see no reason to use the spell. Vs group I already generally only use it vs archer trait in mountains or forests where they do to much damage. So no windstorm. How does one take a ledandary castle. I have built a LC as early as t9 before. With also limited fear/valor you likely need a 350k group to take out a 200k LC. I have never seen a group larger than maybe 300k. So in effect the game gets turned into who can bob the builder the best. Leaves only meteor strike to take it down and not every kingdom can do that.

[Wookie Panz]

If there is any intent to do more primeval games the number of players should be increased to 6 and consider making the victory conditions 5 regions.  Everyone in a 6 player game can easily get 2 regions and if Stormgate is taken that is an easy 3rd.  So four regions is not that difficult.

[RELLGAR]

Windstorm has a much broader effect on game balance than just remove it from PC battles.   The way discripbed above I see no reason to use the spell.  Vs group I already generally only use it vs archer trait in mountains or forests where they do to much damage.   So no windstorm.  How does one take a ledandary castle.   I have built a LC as early as t9 before.   With also limited fear/valor you likely need a 350k group to take out a 200k LC.  I have never seen a group larger than maybe 300k.   So in effect the game gets turned into who can bob the builder the best.    Leaves only meteor strike to take it down and not every kingdom can do that.

I agree, not the way to change windstorm. You will be changing it back, when you see everyone building permenant legendary castles.

[Ry Vor]

Are you keeping weapon artifacts as they are or making there bonus effect the entire groups in all phases of battle? Kiki

Yes, I want the weapon artifacts to do as intended.  So a bow would effect missile phases, a sword all subsequent phases, etc.  Also to make sure they are killing leaders or wizards as they are supposed to. I also want to have some greater delineation on group strength, to maybe show base on brigades at their morale, add leadership separately, add artifacts, add Presence.  Also for defense, which I feel is not as well understood.  Same thing, base, artifacts, leaders, terrain, Presence.  PC's also will have higher defense with fortification, not just higher values, and the defense rating, say from 1.1 to 3.0 in the future. This is effectively a multiplier of defense, and along with banishing Wind Storm, will get PC's as defensible as intended.  I believe Mike made an adjustment to PC defense rating, also called loss divider.  But the base used to be 1.1, assuming the PC just had militia and its defense value was reflective of its built defenses.   Now you might have a PC with 20,000 defense and instead of 22,000 being the effective, it might be with a castle giving it the current 22,000, instead be effectively 34,000, and having suffered less in attacking missile phase, so more emphasis on things like catapults and siege engineering and magic in attack.

On the other hand, again, I felt misled on the Maelstrom playtest feedback as to no one could build anything, everyone is starving and then we hear about multiple legendary castles before turn 12.  So, I feel I took bad advice in some regards.  Correcting Bounty will do some of this.