Changing summon ent

[Alexander82]

The current summon ent doesn't really make sense since is far better than the real ent warrior.

Is like having two ents that never dies and you continously spam them and they vanish before they can die.

My suggestion is to give a higher vanishing to the summoned ent (like 4 or 5) and give the spell a 5 or 6 turns cooldown. This way your ent is in game for a decent amount of time defending the wizard while it cast other spells and it still give sense to make ent warriors to have a permanent defense.

We can also compare costs

Ent warrior: cost 7
It provide you a strong units that when dies is lost forever

Elven wizard: Cost 6
It provides an endless amount of never dying ents (2 at times) making your enemy waste his attacks on something that will be replaced the next turn by a newly created unit. You can spam them with no fear or tactics since you don't care if they are damaged (since you summon a new one).

With my new suggestion you still have a powerful spellcaster that can summon a powerful being (almost as the permanent one) but you will have to use it with more strategy cause when it dies is lost for a couple of turns.

[Sunrise Samurai]

Currently, the spell is bugged as it is. A while back, I think it was supposed to have been changed to have a 2 turn cooldown, but it only works if the spell is autocasted. This being said, I like this idea for a few reasons. 1. I hate how close elf wizards have to get to the battlefield to use the ents, with vanishing 2, which makes the wizard absurdly easy to kill by any archers. 2. With a longer​ lifespan, and matching cooldown, killing the ent actually matters. Right now a focused attack can kill one in 2 turns, but it's useless as it vanishes anyway. 3. It gives elf wizards more chance to use their other spells.

[Alexander82]

Exactly. Now the wizard is also forced to spam ents unless you find some good reasons to cast a different one.

[Sunrise Samurai]

Sadly, in a damage comparison, lighting storm doesn't really compete with summon ent without several enemies in a group. And it certainly doesn't block enemy movement as easily.

[Alexander82]

Definitely not. We might also considering increase its range slightly if we change the ent.

[Sunrise Samurai]

May I also suggest reviving this topic

viewtopic.php?f=125&t=1896

If ent takes longer to re-cast, that would make the wizard himself more formidable.

[Alexander82]

I'm not much into that. It would make a wizard a better archer than archers xD

[Sunrise Samurai]

True, as far as each hit, but the cooldown, plus lower range, means it is more a defense measure for enemies who get past the ent. Damage rate is negotiable, though a quick archer at +3 deals 16 per turn at half the cost and at 8 range, for comparison.

[Alexander82]

The thing about the mages is that you shouldn't let enemies go near them. I think a defense measure is having them escorted.

[Sunrise Samurai]

Yes it is. Actually, rethinking this, I might bump the damage to 25 and the cooldown to 5, for an effective single target spell. It puts the wizard in the same position as he would be in to use lighting storm, just for a single target rather than a group. Still, it's only an idea. The important part is to make the ent summoning more reasonable. After that I bet working out the wizard himself will come naturally.

[Stratego (dev)]

9we can reinforce the wizard too with one or more spells he can cast in himself: eg. protective aura spell (holy shield) or something.

[Sunrise Samurai]

This is another option

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1411

Assuming the dodge isn't too bothersome.

[Alexander82]

Yes. After evasion is implemented we will test it. Also i think we should mostly give it ranged dodge since it is the main danger for a mage (and if you bring a mage in melee you deserve it dies)

I would call it wind barrier or shield and would give an extra 20 or 30% ranged dodge to the caster

[Sunrise Samurai]

You could cannibalize the arrow shield from here

viewtopic.php?f=83&t=4093

It would make you be very careful about using other spells, since they would interrupt the protection.

[Stratego (dev)]

i would not to spread the dodge thing too much, please dont go that way (if we have other options)

[Sunrise Samurai]

Hmm. Here's a different idea, though it needs a name. A spell that prevents bonus damage to all allies in range. This means an archer attacked by an 8 power unit with a 300% bonus against archers only takes 8 damage. Elves are pretty fragile, so this would prevent some of them from being one hit kills as easily.

[Alexander82]

That would make players loose the point of making counter units.
I think that should just give a fixed protection (and I assume it is also easyer to script).

By the way I preferred the miss chance for the mage. Daniel, I don't know why you are so against the % effects. I understand you don't want too much randomness but it is common in fantasy and spells or sieges are already random.

This effect would be perfect for mages since p.armor is difficult to balance (or is low or is too high).

Another option might be a "barkskin" or "stoneskin" effect that gives to the mage +10 p. armor until the next turn. So you basically are totally protected from arrow from one turn but you have to choose if you want to attack or defend

[Stratego (dev)]

i vote for the skin spells

%: little randomness is ok (we already have that) but letting it spread makes the game more luck based than being strategic - that i would strongly like to avoid.

[Alexander82]

Ok so let's make barkskin (I think it is more elf themed).

I'd like it to be a spell for both mage and druid (originally in D&D it is a druid spell)

It last only the turn it is used and we might leave it with no cooldown i guess (since you shouldn't be able to abuse of it if not for staying alive until you can launch another lightning storm)

[Sunrise Samurai]

So, barkskin. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to make it applicable to allied units, though it forces you to choose protection for the mage or protection for something else for the turn.

[Alexander82]

Maybe even tough it wasn't its original purpose. The real problem is that elven units are all fast. You can easily protect one unit and it can move far from the caster to attack with a great +10 armor making it invulnerable.

In case of buffing of different units i suggest to make it give a penalty to speed like +10 armor (cause your skin becomes wooden) and - 4 speed (cause your skin becomes wooden).

[Sunrise Samurai]

Good enough. If cast after movement it allows the armor and the movement, bit it requires the mage close by, and hence in danger since it's not protecting itself. I suppose a small chain of mages could defend the unit in front of them, with the one safely in the back unprotected.

[Alexander82]

Ok Daniel can you edit the summoned ent and its spell?

Set the ent vanishing to 5 and the cooldown of the spell to 6.