Chaos-Sorcery

[Hadriex]

I'm afraid you'll find them unscientific lol. My biases and playstyle is hardly enough data to go on.

My biggest takeaways from the project were that #1, retorts are more potent then spellbooks. And #2, the single greatest determining factor in success/failure appears to be what starting race I pick.

[Hadriex]

Actually, what I'd love more then anything is if there was some soft of map editor. Or maybe save file editor.

Whether I'm doing tests and could swap my build on turn 1 while playing on the same map against the same enemies, etc. (thus removing most of the variables from the test) or competing against another Youtuber who challenges me. Or even just downloading interesting maps other people build. Such a tool would be an incredible asset.

It would also be a huge help to modders who want to test units they create by allowing them to easily set up battles.

[zitro1987]

I do think Fire Giant was possibly the realm’s most bang for your buck uncommon summon, so a resist element buff is significant and a tad concerning. Large shield is a decent but not gamebreaking : ok

[Seravy]

I'm afraid you'll find them unscientific lol. My biases and playstyle is hardly enough data to go on.

My biggest takeaways from the project were that #1, retorts are more potent then spellbooks. And #2, the single greatest determining factor in success/failure appears to be what starting race I pick.

Well, true but that's how 98% of the players probably play. I doubt more than 2% play on higher difficulties and do it the "scientific" way.

It's an interesting watch and shows me how players lose games and makes me realize how much more difficult the game it is than I think. So far I've watched the first 3 Death Life playthroughs are I've already identified a few critical mistakes...
-As you say, picking the race is important. Death is probably the worst realm to choose for Orcs and Life isn't that much better either. Life/Death has no spells to counter flying enemies so it really wants a race with a strong flying or thrown unit that has many figures, unless you focus on the Death side and spam Shadow Demons or Wraiths or other high end summons. Orcs are a good race for playing Chaos or Sorcery.
-When you used Stag Beetles as your key unit, you sent them against armor piercing or ignoring, multifigure enemies, the only thing they're weak against as a high armor, single figure unit. You also didn't buff them, a single Holy Armor does wonders on a 7 armor unit. (next game you lost to the same 9 stack of Stag Beetles ironically enough)
-Then you sent Wyvern Riders, a unit that deals most damage through Poison 6 against a node buffed Gargoyle which has immunity to Poision. Ouch.
-It was painful to see how the AI repeatedly responded your diplomacy offers with what effectively means "yes but you don't have enough money to pay for it" and didn't save up gold, didn't abuse the fact you have infinite free retries on the war declaration demand on allies and it's 50% chance they do it for free, 50% they ask for money, and complained about the diplomacy system instead when you were already guaranteed to get what you want.

I also identified an AI flaw that got fixed, there was a moment when the AI summoned a catapult against a Terror spell which gives the catapult 0% chance to ever getting a turn.

However if I watch a video and don't see why you lost and how you could have won instead, then that's a good hint at the realms or race having bad synergy. Of course, I don't want to make every race work well for every realm, but I do want even realm to work well with every other realm. I doubt there will be any other realm pair that has bad synergy, Chaos/Sorcery as a pair ended up weak because I mistakenly thought it's the best pairing and doesn't need any additional attention, so it was my bias that lead to this.

Actually, what I'd love more then anything is if there was some soft of map editor. Or maybe save file editor.

In Casapi/typedec.cas, you can find the save file data format. The save files are normal zip files and contain one record of GameDataType. Whether anyone plans to make a save editor with that information, idk.

[Hadriex]

In what is it, 30 years of playing the game, I'd never realized it was just a random roll. I thought surely there must be some strategy going on in the Ai when I ask it to join a war. It's relation with the AI I'm asking to attack, it's relative strength, it's friendly/hostile level towards me, and I would have to wait for one of these factors to change. I've frequently given gifts before asking to try and push things in my favor.

Just 50%. Ask every turn.

I would apparently never have guessed.

Guess that explains why the AI likes to constantly ask me to join it's wars over and over without offering any incentives.

[Seravy]

I thought surely there must be some strategy going on in the Ai when I ask it to join a war. It's relation with the AI I'm asking to attack, it's relative strength, it's friendly/hostile level towards me, and I would have to wait for one of these factors to change.

All of that is true IF you don't have an Alliance.

If you do have an Alliance, they're required to accept but might try to squeeze out some money for it.
This only applies to war declaration requests, break alliance requests use the entire roll formula you described above under all circumstances.

An Alliance is a formal agreement to aid each other in war, afterall. This is also why you get a massive penalty if they ask you to join a war and you refuse and that's how you end up with allies who hate you (but can't break the alliance because they are outclassed in military strength in their ongoing war(s))

[Seravy]

By the way you have been looking for diplomacy options and ended up with Corrupt Leaders.
Wasn't there an option that stops AIs from declaring war on you unless you provoke or attack them? I thought I added one? Maybe Sandbox Mode?

[Seravy]

Giving it a bit more thought, maybe the +1 attack bonus applying to summons (or flying units) is a problem. Gargoyles are mostly balanced by the fact they have low attack and it's difficult to buff it with Chaos spells. (or any other spell really, Land Linking is probably the only thing below rares that does so)

Edit : Yes, of course it has to be normal unit only, otherwise it would stack with the bonus for being a combat summon which is entirely unintended.
Too bad about the Hell Hounds I guess, they could have used that 1 attack buff.
I guess that allows me to reduce the casting cost a little? 9 MP sounds good...

[Seravy]

So after the above realization, here is the current version of the spell. I also got rid of the "non ranged" part as it was getting unnecessarily complex, and made the first and second effects stackable. (first and third still aren't)

BREAKTHROUGH
Chaos Common - Combat Enchantment
Target: n/a
Casting Cost: 9 mana
Brings forth the powers of Chaos to break through obstacles more effectively!
-Permanent (base type) normal units gain Wall Crusher and +1 attack
-Non-Corporeal units gain +1 attack and defense
-Temporal units gain +1 attack and defense
(all units except combat summoned units are permanent units)

The spell icon :
   

I tried to make it imply penetrating walls while retaining the shape of the "noncorporeal" move type icon.

This spell should also, quite conveniently, fix two more things : Chaos not having enough common spells you'd pick 1 Chaos book for in a different playthrough (while all 4 other realms provide a lot of value for that first book) and also a much needed synergy for the Wraith Form spell which unfortunately lost a lot of value when the gamebeaking combo of noncorporeal ships carrying armies was disabled. A 2 attack, 1 defense buff for normal units (or 1/1 for summons) is nothing huge for 55 MP but considering the move and weapon effects included, it's actually a quite potent buff with this now.

Also i finally remembered Wall Crusher was changed in CoM to break walls while passing though them instead of wasting turns attacking the wall so there was no reaosn to not stack it with noncorporeal in the first place.

...and now I'm going to do something I haven't done in the past few years. I'm going to sit down and play the game for fun. Not for testing purpose, not for responsibility, not to upload a playthough video, not to look for AI flaws or bugs, just to enjoy playing the game. It's been a while.

[Desertfox]

So after the above realization, here is the current version of the spell. I also got rid of the "non ranged" part as it was getting unnecessarily complex, and made the first and second effects stackable. (first and third still aren't)

BREAKTHROUGH
Chaos Common - Combat Enchantment
Target: n/a
Casting Cost: 9 mana
Brings forth the powers of Chaos to break through obstacles more effectively!
-Permanent (base type) normal units gain Wall Crusher and +1 attack
-Non-Corporeal units gain +1 attack and defense
-Temporal units gain +1 attack and defense
(all units except combat summoned units are permanent units)

Little grammar nitpick: I think you mean temporary units. Temporal means something else.
Also, what about normal units with wraithform? Do they get two bonuses? Do they still get Wall Crusher?
What about ranged attacks? Do they get Wall Crusher, too?
The description could use some refactoring.