More spells should work like Hope (free Courage)

[kumquatelvis]

I really like that the level 2 spirit spell, Hope, automatically grants units in the city the level 1 spirit spell, Courage. It's almost the exact same effect as your mage manually casting courage every time you get a new unit, but with a lot less upkeep. It would be nice to see this effect spread to other enhancement types spells.

For example, you could add a second level 2 enhancement spell, Enchant Forge (requires a forge in the city). All melee units in the city automatically gain enchanted weapons, and all archers gain flaming arrows. No more powerful than just clicking on those spells when your army wanders through, but a lot less annoying (especially since it allows you to use waypoints - right now I have to move my units manually or they'll wander out of the city before they get magik'd).

Suggestions
Spirit - Hope (already in place) - grants Courage
Enchantment - Enchant Forge (requires forge) - grants Enchanted Weapons, Flaming Arrows
Body - Font of Vigor - grants Haste, maybe Regeneration
Air -Trade Winds - grants Fair Winds
Shadow - Cave of Shadows - grants Blur
Law - Citizen's Watch (requires courthouse) - grants Loyalty
Chaos - Blade Dancers (requires theater) - grants Dance of Blades

If it's too complicated to program or too weak the building dependencies could be dropped. Alternatively, some of the spells could have another effect, the way Hope does. This would be too powerful for some spheres (Body is awesome enough as it is), but for other, less popular spheres it might be nice. For example, the Chaos spell could also make the theater provide extra happiness or culture or money or somesuch. Maybe the Law spell could make the courthouse lower crime even further. Air spell could increase trade, etc...

 

[Tacgnol]

I don't really think that is worth doing for the temporary buffs, Chaos, Shadow, Air and Body. There is a wonder, well, Acheron's Hoard anyway, that grants free enchanted weapons, although I can definitely see adding in a further function for that as maybe an Amurite UB bonus or something. It's just really not a fitting idea for 1-turn temp buffs, it's fairly useless except for defending, and Courage is already covered, and I believe there's something that gives Loyalty as well, which leaves only Enchantment as a candidate, something I believe should have a more niche function.

 

[fish_sticks]

I think it would be very helpful unless we pull autocast in to the main mod. Making sure that every unit has "Dance of Blades" or something similar incase I am attacked is very nice.

The only thing I would question is if the caster should lose their ability to cast when those buildings are present? The difference between an autocast of courage and Hope (minus the city effects) is that you can cast Hope in a previous turns and then do something else in the current turn.

 

[Verdian]

I especially like the enchanted forge idea. I don't think casting Fairwinds automatically, even if the effect only lasts a short while, is worthless as it still gives a nice extra movement right at the outset. Combat related temporary upgrades are less worthwhile, but still offer some benefit. The main reason this could be seen as powerful is being under attack and getting free regeneration (or whatever) without wasting your caster's spell casting for that turn. This is very strong. I still like the idea, unless autocast gets added. The main reason I don't use Fairwinds and Shadow mana is I hate the micro-management. Any lessening of it is appreciated.

 

[Neomega]

The AI would probably use magic much better if more spells worked like the dragon's hoard, meaning simply walking through the city grants the enchantment.

I think no spells should wear off until battle, except haste. Blur and shadow walk especially.

The only problem is that you could have one adept loading on effects, but that's a small price to pay, IMO, for having an AI sending in armies well enchanted.

we shall see how the wild mana mod merge in patch e helps AI magic use.
Edit: doh, looks like the wild mana AI will not be in until patch f

 

[Verdian]

The only problem is that you could have one adept loading on effects

Couldn't a caster be limited to making one building at a time?

 

[readercolin]

Have you ever had your army repeatedly maelstromed? Fireballed to kingdom come? Thats how the AI works in wild mana - it can actually use magic. Also, for many of the spells (haste, blur, etc.) there is a second button for the same spell. Clicking on this button will cause the unit to cast that spell at the end of this turn, but at the beginning of all your following turns, until you tell it otherwise. Also, you know priests of leaves, who you have to individually walk around with to plant forests in your empire? Yeah, you can tell them to do that for you automatically. You can also have your adepts automatically terraform, though I'm not sure if FFH is going to take up wild mana's ability to create floodplains by scorching land down to desert, then springing it to floodplains.

Basically, all you're asking for here will be delivered if FFH rolls in both the AI improvements and the less micro improvements.

-Colin

 

[Neomega]

Couldn't a caster be limited to making one building at a time?

I was talking about making blur and shadowwalk last until battle

 

[Jabie]

FfH is feature locked (mostly) now, so I doubt it'll happen in FfH, though it might turn up in FF or Orbis, if you ask in those forums. I wouldn't mind seeing the Palace get a Court Mage who auto-buffs any of your stationed troops with any buffs you have access to.

 

[Brokenbone]

"Buildings" that vanish if the caster leaves the city, like what Hope or Inspiration create (and as mimicked by things like the "Growth" building for the Creation I spell in Fall Further) are actually a great idea for some of the most common buffs.

Enchantment is an absolute top candidate. Maybe I forget to have my Adept do a bunch of Enchanted Blades as troops pass through... think of Demagogs for instance during a crusade, passing through a rally point type of city. Not having to manage each one getting his enchanted blade makes sense. Same would go if a Mage had Enchantment II and was assumed to be doing this for archers as well.

There's probably other decent candidates for this, but that'd be a pretty smart idea... it's kind of an alternative to "autocasting" which is seen in some other modmods (like FF having casters who can Sanctify, having an autocast Sanctify until you opt to turn it off). Buildings are kind of like an autocast I guess, you're capable of doing it, but just leave it up to a mechanic like that. If feeling tough on the adept who creates such a building, rob them of the ability to cast extra spells until the building is banished, I guess (i.e., so they can't autocast Enchantment I/II, but manually cast Haste to send say, newly armed Demagogs to the front lines).