[MOD]: New Traits and Leaders for RiFE

[cvx]

The calabim worldspell doesn't work for me if i take the paragon leader. At least not if i use it on turn 1 - 5. Didn't try it later in the game.

 

[25Hour]

The calabim worldspell doesn't work for me if i take the paragon leader. At least not if i use it on turn 1 - 5. Didn't try it later in the game.

Fix'd-- the new release is now in the original post. Also, the Paragon leader for the Calabim now has 3 population change at the start, and increases the population change of River of Blood by 3 when you research Feudalism, and by another 3 at Fanatacism. (The problem here was because I added a small bit of code to the Calabim worldspell after the last release, and immediately forgot about it. Which is to say, forgot about testing it. Blergh. ) I decided it'd probably be a bit underpowered as it was before.

 

[Jabie]

D'tesh

This one is lore based. D'tesh controls all of his minions, they have little to no free will. Mages have the most, and even they are 'supervised' constantly.

You should dangle carrots like that in front of me, Valk.

Spoiler :

When the soil is dust, when sky is ash of fires long embered, when the wind calls the names of a thousand loves lost and night answers never, still live on the dead.

When the Empires have crumbled, when the songs are sung no more, when the squabbles slip to silence, still live on the dead.

When all is done and all is gone, when time forgets time itself, when Erebus is as once was before, still live on the dead.

When the bringer of ends confronts the cheats of clocks, when the liar of lives seeks oblivion's truth,
when nothingness is nevermore and ever is forever, still live on the dead.

When the dreams of bones are the shape of stones, when wordless echoes fracture the vacuum, when the seeds of sin split the armour of arrogance, still live on the dead.

When the void cries "Go to the ant, thou sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise", instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing. Still live on the dead.

That's a bit flowery and of questionable quality. Here's the explanation...

Spoiler :

First, check Proverbs 6:6-15.

An ant is not important, but the hive is. What if D'Tesh's minions were like ants. Individually, of no consequence, but together of great capability?

One possibility is that the dead are playing a very long game - they have all the time they need, after all - thus they will willingly serve D'Tesh in his bid to conquer Erebus, knowing that their plan will ultimately play out. Once Erebus is conquered, what then? Sooner or later D'Tesh will realise his aching loneliness and yearn for death, but Arawn will not hear his calls. Alone, forever, with the ever-living bones of his servants, a constant reminder of his folly, D'Tesh will have become trapped in a hell of his own making and the dead will have their vengeance.

D'Tesh cannot stop this tragedy. Even if he does become aware that the dead he has despoiled have their own agenda, killing a minion that has been "infected" (for want of a better world) with the dream of the dead would be no more successful than killing an ant to destroy a hive.

A new D'Tesh leader (Mort Somnus?) could represent the dreams of the dead, outwards appearing to obey D'Tesh, but subtly acting towards their own goal.

And now Ashes to Ashes calls...

 

[Valkrionn]

You should dangle carrots like that in front of me, Valk.

Spoiler :

When the soil is dust, when sky is ash of fires long embered, when the wind calls the names of a thousand loves lost and night answers never, still live on the dead.

When the Empires have crumbled, when the songs are sung no more, when the squabbles slip to silence, still live on the dead.

When all is done and all is gone, when time forgets time itself, when Erebus is as once was before, still live on the dead.

When the bringer of ends confronts the cheats of clocks, when the liar of lives seeks oblivion's truth,
when nothingness is nevermore and ever is forever, still live on the dead.

When the dreams of bones are the shape of stones, when wordless echoes fracture the vacuum, when the seeds of sin split the armour of arrogance, still live on the dead.

When the void cries "Go to the ant, thou sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise", instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing. Still live on the dead.

That's a bit flowery and of questionable quality. Here's the explanation...

Spoiler :

First, check Proverbs 6:6-15.

An ant is not important, but the hive is. What if D'Tesh's minions were like ants. Individually, of no consequence, but together of great capability?

One possibility is that the dead are playing a very long game - they have all the time they need, after all - thus they will willingly serve D'Tesh in his bid to conquer Erebus, knowing that their plan will ultimately play out. Once Erebus is conquered, what then? Sooner or later D'Tesh will realise his aching loneliness and yearn for death, but Arawn will not hear his calls. Alone, forever, with the ever-living bones of his servants, a constant reminder of his folly, D'Tesh will have become trapped in a hell of his own making and the dead will have their vengeance.

D'Tesh cannot stop this tragedy. Even if he does become aware that the dead he has despoiled have their own agenda, killing a minion that has been "infected" (for want of a better world) with the dream of the dead would be no more successful than killing an ant to destroy a hive.

A new D'Tesh leader (Mort Somnus?) could represent the dreams of the dead, outwards appearing to obey D'Tesh, but subtly acting towards their own goal.

And now Ashes to Ashes calls...

That's an interesting idea (and may resurface, in a tweaked form, with the Isenj... Fits what I want to do there even if they aren't undead) but doesn't fit my view of the D'tesh.

First off, D'tesh himself is undead. A lich. Second, D'tesh controls them utterly using the power of the Opalus Mortus. Those which retain some of their minds (Arcane units, lesser extent Recon as they need to be able to operate independently) are still his puppets; He knows their every thought, every desire or whim. There is no just going along with his plan in order to advance your own, as he will know your secret.

It doesn't help that the vast majority are simply animate bodies with no souls, either. That's the nature of his agreement with Laroth... With just a few exceptions (again, Arcane), Laroth takes the Souls and D'tesh takes the Bodies.

 

[isthmus]

That's an interesting idea (and may resurface, in a tweaked form, with the Isenj... Fits what I want to do there even if they aren't undead) but doesn't fit my view of the D'tesh.

..Who are the Isenj? Did I miss something?

 

[Valkrionn]

..Who are the Isenj? Did I miss something?

Second aquatic civ I have planned, only ever mentioned in passing. Don't worry about it.

Just have to have two of them, or the Bezeri can expand too easily.

 

[cvx]

Now i used the calabim worldspell turn one and the population jumped from 1 to 7

 

[25Hour]

Now i used the calabim worldspell turn one and the population jumped from 1 to 7

Turns out I spelled Fanaticism wrong. :facepalm:

The fix has now been uploaded! So help me, if it doesn't work right this time, I will eat my hat.

On a completely different and unrelated note, who are the "Council of Four?" The fact that it's a council suggests some amount of autonomy from D'Tesh, since conferring with them would only be at all helpful if they had opinions differing from their lord. A place from which to draw Emergent Leaders, perhaps?

 

[Valkrionn]

Turns out I spelled Fanaticism wrong. :facepalm:

The fix has now been uploaded! So help me, if it doesn't work right this time, I will eat my hat.

On a completely different and unrelated note, who are the "Council of Four?" The fact that it's a council suggests some amount of autonomy from D'Tesh, since conferring with them would only be at all helpful if they had opinions differing from their lord. A place from which to draw Emergent Leaders, perhaps?

Council of Four is the archmage. As an arcane unit, they have some small capability for making their own decisions; As a group, they are semi-competent. D'tesh's way to delegate.

The leader I mentioned before is drawn from their ranks already.

 

[isthmus]

I'd like the council of four to have individual names, in a similar manner to how the three primary illian priests are. Could be leaders, but don't have the autonomy to do their own thing entirely - they're bound and ultimately will follow the will of the leader of the ice sphere. In a similar way the council of four will follow D'Tesh's every order but will undertake it in a different manner depending on the individual in question. There's room to allow individual traits depending on the character and (limited) personality of this particular member of the council but ultimately they are just an extension of D'tesh's dominance.

 

[Valkrionn]

I'd like the council of four to have individual names, in a similar manner to how the three primary illian priests are. Could be leaders, but don't have the autonomy to do their own thing entirely - they're bound and ultimately will follow the will of the leader of the ice sphere. In a similar way the council of four will follow D'Tesh's every order but will undertake it in a different manner depending on the individual in question. There's room to allow individual traits depending on the character and (limited) personality of this particular member of the council but ultimately they are just an extension of D'tesh's dominance.

There are four Council of Fours.

Each individual Council replaces an Archmage. You may be able to say that they use a limited form of D'tesh's control, to meld their minds into a single unit (more able to make decisions, that way), but the strongest mage will be represented already by the new leader we're adding. As he is stronger/more aware than even an entire Council, not sure there's room for them as leaders.

Of course, that won't stop modmods. Just saying there won't be another leader for them in the main game past the three that are already in.

 

[isthmus]

Council of sixteen? This D'Tesh guy sure likes his fours
I take it that four of them together make an equivalent of an archmage then?
Yeah, granted there's very little room for much individual thought among the legion, I was sort of trying to find some gap or niche that a modmodmod...mod? would be able to fit a leader into within that civ.

 

[Valkrionn]

Yes, each individual Council is one Archmage UU. Shows 4 lich units.

 

[25Hour]

Council of sixteen? This D'Tesh guy sure likes his fours
I take it that four of them together make an equivalent of an archmage then?
Yeah, granted there's very little room for much individual thought among the legion, I was sort of trying to find some gap or niche that a modmodmod...mod? would be able to fit a leader into within that civ.

Yeah, it'd be really cool if there was some way this could be integrated into canon. Barring that, I think I'll probably be going with the idea you suggested of simply making leaders for the heads of the other three Councils; one may be the most powerful, as Valk said, but no doubt the others have their ways.

Particularly since I've got a few neat ideas for mechanics for new leaders! (I admit that Muhael is pretty vanilla, since I just kinda made him on the fly at the last minute-- I think I'll be souping him up in the next patch as well.)

 

[isthmus]

Yes, each individual Council is one Archmage UU. Shows 4 lich units.

Sorry, havn't played D'tesh in a while

Yeah, it'd be really cool if there was some way this could be integrated into canon. Barring that, I think I'll probably be going with the idea you suggested of simply making leaders for the heads of the other three Councils; one may be the most powerful, as Valk said, but no doubt the others have their ways.
Particularly since I've got a few neat ideas for mechanics for new leaders! (I admit that Muhael is pretty vanilla, since I just kinda made him on the fly at the last minute-- I think I'll be souping him up in the next patch as well.)

I will be happy to provide no doubt crazy and dubious ideas should you need as well! am looking forward to the "neat ideas" that we'll be seeing at some point..

 

[Valkrionn]

Heh, at the very least this discussion has caused me to add a bit to the leader's background; He'll be the alpha mage in the strongest council.

 

[isthmus]

A possible idea is that Vanedis sees the fact that he has retained a greater deal of his mind intact as his own doing: he sees D'tesh's willingness to allow his 'friend' to become an important member of his empire as a weakness, sees himself as have conquered D'Tesh's dominion and ultimately seeks to overthrow him. D'Tesh only allows this behaviour due to the potential that Vanadis offers to expand his empire, at any time he could reign him in but the individual desire within Vanadis is valuble enough to allow some degree of independence.

 

[Valkrionn]

A possible idea is that Vanedis sees the fact that he has retained a greater deal of his mind intact as his own doing: he sees D'tesh's willingness to allow his 'friend' to become an important member of his empire as a weakness, sees himself as have conquered D'Tesh's dominion and ultimately seeks to overthrow him. D'Tesh only allows this behaviour due to the potential that Vanadis offers to expand his empire, at any time he could reign him in but the individual desire within Vanadis is valuble enough to allow some degree of independence.

Hmm. Interesting idea, but my background for Vanedis has him as fanatically loyal.

 

[isthmus]

Fair enough, the lore is decided on that one .
That idea is a dubious and crazy idea for someone else then

 

[25Hour]

I will be happy to provide no doubt crazy and dubious ideas should you need as well! am looking forward to the "neat ideas" that we'll be seeing at some point..

Hey, I'll always lend an ear to crazy and dubious ideas for leader traits.