Domination spell suggestion

[Arcite36575]

Hi. Very nice mod! Been playing since 0.23, and I've always been reading the boards, but this is my first post here. I've got a suggestion about the Domination spell.

I don't like the spell as it is now. As it stands now, if the spell fails, you lose the spell for good. It's sort of a very high risk, very high reward spell. I know this is a lot less harsh than before when you would lose control of your mage, but I was thinking of remaking the spell one of two ways:

1)Make it more of a lower risk/lower reward spell. Every time you cast the spell, the chance of success would be significantly less, but you could recast the spell after each turn.

2)Lower the success rate (but not as much as option #1). However, the spell could be on a recast timer which could last between one or more turns.

You could also mix the two options somehow for game balance. Suggestions? I myself prefer not to choose a spell that will nerf my most powerful character in the game.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Really, you only lose the spell until you get the xp to buy the promotion again.

This is a much better way to do it than the old way (which often made your caster switch sides instead. I don't use this spell often or recently, because every time I did use it I lost my caster.)


It would be nice if the unit could me made to randomly return to its original owner after a while, but that is probably very hard to code. (The only way I can think of is to add a new promotion for all of each civ's units to start with, and hardcode it to return to the proper civ based on the promotion. This still wouldn't work if there are multiple leaders of one civ in the game at a time.)

 

[Sarisin]

Thanks for this new information - I thought you still lost the caster if the Domination spell failed, so I have not gone for that.

I think losing the spell is tough though as it is hard to gain XP for casters once they reach 30, I think it is. If they are way up there, they would have to defeat units in battle, and unless there are still some tier I barbs around they are going to have problems doing that.

I think the OP said it all when he said it was a high risk/high reward spell. I just thought was too much in losing a unit that acquired XP over such a long time and then just lose him with that spell. I guess the key would be to save him for a must-have domination. He should have other spells to use if he loses Domination, but I think gaining XP might be slow, even if his civ has the Arcane trait.

 

[kumquatelvis]

I spent two games constantly casting domination and I think I only ever lost the promotion twice. It's way too powerful as is (especially since it lets you capture heroes).

 

[it-ogo]

I believe Domination is nice as it is. It worth using and needs careful tactical and strategical planning.

 

[rhuntar]

another question with this spell... i sit intended that Orthus can be captured with this spell? awhile ago, playing maybe .30 g? or so, i was able to capture him, and the rest of the barbarian continet. i also believe i ended up with two copies of his axe as a result. one that dropped and one that stayed with him...

i didn't take teh time to test this much then so didn't report it...

if anybody is interested in checking if this happens again, it was a pretty fun time....

 

[cthom]

i've used this defending a city against a big stack, *very* useful. perhaps instead of returning to owner, the units could die instead after a few turns?

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I'm thinking that Domination units should give the Crazed promotion to converted unit. This would of course randomly keep giving you enraged and make the unit turn barbarian. It seems logical that having your mind invaded and taken over like that could make you a bit insane. It is possible that the if you could regain control of yourself that your mind might have been damaged to the point of forgetting who you really were and where your loyalties lied, so you would go crazy and turn on everyone, including your old civ.

In cases of a failed spell, it might make sense to give the caster Crazed instead. Perpentach has shown us that being the one in control can make you crazy too.

 

[kumquatelvis]

Psychic backlash and all that?

 

[Pyr0mancer]

I turned 2 civs into free unit sources by parking an adventurer archmage with Mind/Metamagic III outside their main production cities, and dominating anything that they built. I ended the game with something like 2 dozen paladins

Domination + Metamagic III + (I think) the tower of Alteration makes for pretty much guaranteed domination. Channeling II/III gives -20% spell resist, Metamagic I-III gives -5% each for -35% total, and tower of Alteration gives another -10% for -45% spell resistance. All your mind are belong to us.

 

[Psychic_Llamas]

not to mention you can steal everyones heroes this way i stole the svartalfar and ljosalfar heros with archmages, and if one lost his dominaiton power i sent him on a suicide mission and upgraded one of my reserve mages gotta love an army of heroes

 

[xienwolf]

I do believe it might be appropriate for Hero's to either be set to be immune to capture, or to Abandon if conditions are not meant (meaning they would die immediately upon capture, unless captured by the other leader of the same Civ)