Submod "Caster of Magic for Windows: Warlord"

[occasionalplayer]

A word on Trolls: Maybe consider giving the thrown-attack to Mammoths instead of War Trolls, or perhaps to shieldbearers? 
One of Trolls' weaknesses was the lacking ability to attack flyers. If you give it to War Trolls, there is little incentive to ever go for Mammoths. Attack is very similar, armor does not matter so much bc of high regeneration and resistance needs to be improved on either one of them if you are going endgame. First strike is also less important if you have regen. 
If you gave it to Mammoths, there would be more of a tradeoff. Of course with Frost Club Hall you get regenerating mammoths, but only regen 1 and quite the investment (it is proper that Frost Club Hall units should be very strong or even winning, since you usually cannot easily mass-produce them).

Current design of War Troll is coming from feedback about how Shieldbearer is much better than War Troll as they are similar units with similar stats yet cheaper as you could field 2 shieldbearers for resource to use on 1 War Troll. So design of War Troll need to be very different from Shieldbearers to justify its usage.

For War Mammoth, it get a nerf several times to reach this point due to how powerful it is. The most significant loss of this unit is armor piercing. Perhaps I should make Frost Club Hall give it Armor Piercing back too.

That is a fair point. I agree that War Trolls should indeed be much better than Shieldbearers. Indeed Mammoths should probably get armor piercing back with Frost Club Hall. There should remain an incentive to build Mammoths in some situations.

[lordvonhinten]

Finally managed to beat the game at phantasm difficulty, yay! (I occasionally save-scum).

A couple of my thoughts/suggestions for this wonderful mod (I hope I'm not overstepping):

1) Alchemist retort being 2 picks hurts as I can't imagine playing without this retort, I modded it to be a 1-pick retort, but... Why not get rid of it and give everybody 1:1 mana-gold exchange? Magic weapon effect can be handed over to artificier retort (which I find lackluster as is).

2) I feel that too many units late game and repetitive combats bring down the enjoyment. I know mods like warlord-lite and uncluttered exist, but this is my to-go mod. I think 1/2 as many late-game units would be about right. How this can be done without affecting the balance too much I know not.

3) I feel the gap between starting and late-game units is a bit too much. I don't expect a couple of starting units to beat a late game unit, but not being able to hurt even for a single damage (especially if not prepared for the fight) feels bad. Can something like a min 1 damage on a hit be implemented, or a psuedo armor piercing for post-regular starting units?

4) Compared to the general difficulty enemy cities are weakly garrisoned and can be taken easier than expected (boosting starting units with min dmg would help with this). This makes (at least for me) ultra-aggression at all stages of the game a must or else the computer develops the cities too much and gets ahead quickly. This limited my playstyle to ultra aggression and I feel there should be more room for different playstyles.

5) Can a new early stage building for boosting overland skill be implemented? I couldn't cast even the basic city enhancements on most of my cities and summons due to the pressure of casting more immediate need spells and felt these spells were wasted. 

6) Threatening the computer to make money is a bit too easy, the amount could be lowered so that this shouldn't be a reliable source for income generation.

7) Some spells feel a bit too weak/strong for their level/cost: (lycantrophy (how about minerals to affect this as in the past?), warp node (too costly for what it does), tree of knowledge (maybe could be cheaper to research and cast for primitive starting races? Aside from conquered non-primitive cities only allows their race specific buildings), fire elemental (feels very weak even in chaos nodes), city curses/effects like earthquake, blizzard, fire storm, aether sink, inquisition (too costly to cast and research), clairvoyance (too costly and weak for its cost, maybe give true sight in combat and map), sacred ancient (stats should be boosted now that it's rare), earth elemantal (quite weak for it's level), abundance and gaia's blessing feel redundant together, why not make one of them buff the city, while the other works like night-shade anti-city curse and cancels city debuffs?. Hierophany is ait too strong for its level and cost, life-drain and syphon life enable to create a huge army quite easy, iron skin (feels a tad too strong at uncommon, maybe swap places with colossal strength?), nature embrace (a must have at phantasm due to rampaging monsters strength).

8) I heavily relied on casting life-drain and syphon life to create my own army (even late-game), I feel they are a bit too strong compared to regular summon spells. Undead units also don't have an upkeep cost. Maybe change places of reaper slash and syphon life and increase casting cost? Life-drain casting cost could be increased also. 

9) How about nature link to turn cleric units into fantastic units? (chaos, death and even life (with sanctify) have ways to turn units into fantastic. I feel nature deserves this).

10) Barbarians: How about changing spellserkers name into something like rage-mages (and give them rage ability along with magical ranged attack (altar of the storm can change this into armor piercing lightning) to diversify them from other barbarian units? Gladiators could have web as special ability to simulate nets? Also no university for barbarians (makes little sense).

11) Gnolls: Altar of the moon could buff the witch doctors and hunters with an additional health point maybe to make them competitive late game?

12) High elves: How can druids be more druidy, maybe have them cast nature spells only? Also rangers feel a bit weak for their cost/requirement, can they be buffed?

13) Lizardmen: Javelineers a bit weak for their cost/level. Required building can be lowered, or they could use some buff?

14) Nomad: Sipahis and cataphracts are a bit too similar, something like camel-riders (with pathfinding) could be introduced maybe to diversify and boost the army?

15) Beastmen: Same for centaurs and chironean guards, maybe get rid of priests and change chironean guards into war-druid like cleric units for diversification and magical ranged power boost?

16) Draconians: Feel weak late game, could dragon mound help with this? Like giving air ships back transport, buffing doom drakes and saints?

17) Dwarf: Muskeeters are notoriosly strong for their reuirements/cost (6 unit and ultra-powerful thrown attack) and too similar to arquebusiers. Could they be changed to be more of a ranged threat with heavy artillery?

18) Troll: Turn chieftains into war-witchdoctors for a strong magical ranged option and support? I feel trolls need more options and ranged power boost late-game.

19) Xuanyuan: Auto crossbowmen feel weak for their cost/upkeep even with military workshop. Maybe give them 2 ranged attacks instead of the thrown attack to simulate auto-fire? Dragon horses feel lackluster too.

20) Rakshasa: Pool of repentance production boost on farmers is a tad too strong, decrease to 1/2 maybe? Building cost could be decreased as a result or life-steal could be boosted instead.

21) Hawkmen: High-prayer with altar of the sun is too strong, turn it into prayer maybe? Holy mothers overland speed could be reduced by 1 to reduce the ultra-efficient transport while combat speed could be boosted. Huichilobos feel weak (compared to tomahawks) considering their cost, maybe boost their thrown attack significantly, or play with other stats?

22) Ranger hero with quick casting is absolutely bonkers, this should be illegal

23) Plague item ability is way too strong, needs a big nerf.

[Suppanut]

Finally managed to beat the game at phantasm difficulty, yay! (I occasionally save-scum).

A couple of my thoughts/suggestions for this wonderful mod (I hope I'm not overstepping):

1) Alchemist retort being 2 picks hurts as I can't imagine playing without this retort, I modded it to be a 1-pick retort, but... Why not get rid of it and give everybody 1:1 mana-gold exchange? Magic weapon effect can be handed over to artificier retort (which I find lackluster as is).

2) I feel that too many units late game and repetitive combats bring down the enjoyment. I know mods like warlord-lite and uncluttered exist, but this is my to-go mod. I think 1/2 as many late-game units would be about right. How this can be done without affecting the balance too much I know not.

3) I feel the gap between starting and late-game units is a bit too much. I don't expect a couple of starting units to beat a late game unit, but not being able to hurt even for a single damage (especially if not prepared for the fight) feels bad. Can something like a min 1 damage on a hit be implemented, or a psuedo armor piercing for post-regular starting units?

4) Compared to the general difficulty enemy cities are weakly garrisoned and can be taken easier than expected (boosting starting units with min dmg would help with this). This makes (at least for me) ultra-aggression at all stages of the game a must or else the computer develops the cities too much and gets ahead quickly. This limited my playstyle to ultra aggression and I feel there should be more room for different playstyles.

5) Can a new early stage building for boosting overland skill be implemented? I couldn't cast even the basic city enhancements on most of my cities and summons due to the pressure of casting more immediate need spells and felt these spells were wasted. 

6) Threatening the computer to make money is a bit too easy, the amount could be lowered so that this shouldn't be a reliable source for income generation.

7) Some spells feel a bit too weak/strong for their level/cost: (lycantrophy (how about minerals to affect this as in the past?), warp node (too costly for what it does), tree of knowledge (maybe could be cheaper to research and cast for primitive starting races? Aside from conquered non-primitive cities only allows their race specific buildings), fire elemental (feels very weak even in chaos nodes), city curses/effects like earthquake, blizzard, fire storm, aether sink, inquisition (too costly to cast and research), clairvoyance (too costly and weak for its cost, maybe give true sight in combat and map), sacred ancient (stats should be boosted now that it's rare), earth elemantal (quite weak for it's level), abundance and gaia's blessing feel redundant together, why not make one of them buff the city, while the other works like night-shade anti-city curse and cancels city debuffs?. Hierophany is ait too strong for its level and cost, life-drain and syphon life enable to create a huge army quite easy, iron skin (feels a tad too strong at uncommon, maybe swap places with colossal strength?), nature embrace (a must have at phantasm due to rampaging monsters strength).

8) I heavily relied on casting life-drain and syphon life to create my own army (even late-game), I feel they are a bit too strong compared to regular summon spells. Undead units also don't have an upkeep cost. Maybe change places of reaper slash and syphon life and increase casting cost? Life-drain casting cost could be increased also. 

9) How about nature link to turn cleric units into fantastic units? (chaos, death and even life (with sanctify) have ways to turn units into fantastic. I feel nature deserves this).

10) Barbarians: How about changing spellserkers name into something like rage-mages (and give them rage ability along with magical ranged attack (altar of the storm can change this into armor piercing lightning) to diversify them from other barbarian units? Gladiators could have web as special ability to simulate nets? Also no university for barbarians (makes little sense).

11) Gnolls: Altar of the moon could buff the witch doctors and hunters with an additional health point maybe to make them competitive late game?

12) High elves: How can druids be more druidy, maybe have them cast nature spells only? Also rangers feel a bit weak for their cost/requirement, can they be buffed?

13) Lizardmen: Javelineers a bit weak for their cost/level. Required building can be lowered, or they could use some buff?

14) Nomad: Sipahis and cataphracts are a bit too similar, something like camel-riders (with pathfinding) could be introduced maybe to diversify and boost the army?

15) Beastmen: Same for centaurs and chironean guards, maybe get rid of priests and change chironean guards into war-druid like cleric units for diversification and magical ranged power boost?

16) Draconians: Feel weak late game, could dragon mound help with this? Like giving air ships back transport, buffing doom drakes and saints?

17) Dwarf: Muskeeters are notoriosly strong for their reuirements/cost (6 unit and ultra-powerful thrown attack) and too similar to arquebusiers. Could they be changed to be more of a ranged threat with heavy artillery?

18) Troll: Turn chieftains into war-witchdoctors for a strong magical ranged option and support? I feel trolls need more options and ranged power boost late-game.

19) Xuanyuan: Auto crossbowmen feel weak for their cost/upkeep even with military workshop. Maybe give them 2 ranged attacks instead of the thrown attack to simulate auto-fire? Dragon horses feel lackluster too.

20) Rakshasa: Pool of repentance production boost on farmers is a tad too strong, decrease to 1/2 maybe? Building cost could be decreased as a result or life-steal could be boosted instead.

21) Hawkmen: High-prayer with altar of the sun is too strong, turn it into prayer maybe? Holy mothers overland speed could be reduced by 1 to reduce the ultra-efficient transport while combat speed could be boosted. Huichilobos feel weak (compared to tomahawks) considering their cost, maybe boost their thrown attack significantly, or play with other stats?

22) Ranger hero with quick casting is absolutely bonkers, this should be illegal

23) Plague item ability is way too strong, needs a big nerf.

Thank you for feedback.

[lordvonhinten]

Some further elaborations:

1) Gnoll witch doctors could create covens (+2 units?) with altar of the moon, would synergize both thematically and mechanically with rage. Gnoll units may also get “pack tactics” instead of rage ability to distinguish themselves. Pack tactics could grant them tactical advantage when adjacent to other gnoll units maybe, or bonus units?

2) Dragon mound could enable doom drakes to do (psuedo) doom damage maybe? (instead of breath weapon)

3) Beastmen special building worker food bonus synergizing with animist’s guild feels a bit much (didn’t test this).

4) Xuanyuans could have samurais and ninjas?

5) Orcs could have goblins among their ranks maybe? (goblin assasins, bombers, techs?) Also ogres? Rakshasa Ogre Lords could be renamed as Oni Lords?

6) Any room for bard/skald support units? (Maybe for nomads instead of priests, or barbarians?)

7) A swarm-like unit for klackons maybe?

8) Halflings could have gnomes among their ranks maybe? That would also justify the research bonus they have (Gnome techs, illusionists (with a charge of vertigo, illusiory attacks).

9) Golems could get magic immunity with dwarf special building?

[Suppanut]

https://www.moddb.com/mods/caster-of-mag...nloadsform

Warlord mod Version 1.5.7.4 is released with new race join the frey.....Goblins!

Special thanks to WingsofMemory for Goblin race sprites.

Change log:
Races:
• New race: Goblin, fungoid people who more like pests than a race to engage with. Normal units gains +2 figures, and -20% cost, but -10% To-Defend.
Spells & Abilities:
• Combat Arcane spell that could not access by wizard now treated as ability and could not be countered.
• Disrupt renames to Sapping Wall and becomes Arcane ability and could not be countered.
• New Abilities: Budding Clones, new ability for goblin melee units to create clone of itself along with exp and permanent enchantment in combat. This ability not available for cloned ones.
• New Ability Perk: Submerge, unit is always on the the ground in combat if possible. Once on the ground, unit gains Fire Immunity, Lightning Resistance, Weapon Immunity, Missile Immunity. If the unit is flying in combat, the unit losing range attack and gains thrown attack of the same strength.
• New Ability Perk: Night Vision,
• New Ability Perk: Goblin Horde, all goblin units gains +3% To-Hit and +3% To-Defend for each goblin unit on the same side in combat. Multiple copies of this ability are not accumulative.
• New Ability Perk: Mechanical Expert, all mechanical units gains +20% To-Hit and +10% To-Defend. . Multiple copies of this ability are not accumulative.
• New Ability Perk: Junk Repair,
• New Ability Perk: Reinforcement Unit,
• Now spell picking at 0 book will be taken at random.
• Bug Fix: Have flying should not mitigate effect of Temporal Twist spell when coming together with Entangle spell.
• New Ability Perk: Pox Host, all goblins suffer -1 Attack, Armor, and Resistance while other types of units suffer -3 Attack, Armor, and Resistance.
• New Ability Perk: Primal Lord, the unit generates 24 power to owning wizard.
• Now AI would get x10 bonus strength of their Disjunction so their Disjunction is less likely to fail.
• Global Enchantment Resistance toward Disjunction reduces by sum of all Global Enchantment Rarity currently active in play/Number of Surviving Opponents. (more Global Enchantments mean less resistance for them toward Disjunction)
• Chaos’ Blessing is now generate 3 Power per volcano tile and 1 Power per mountain tile within city area.
• Chaos Embrace is now generate 1+(Number of Chaos Embrace in game) Religious Power for each rebel population not caused by Inquisition.
• Chaos Embrace now deal 1 damage for each 20% of percentage of rebel among city population to garrison units that owner does not have Chaos Embrace at the end of each Chaos’s Embrace’s owner turn.
• Bug Fix: Effects of spell involve number of Global Enchantment are not function until the end of turn.
• Effect of triple Warp Creatures’s effect moves from Chaos Embrace to Doom Mastery.
•
Units:
• Halfling Bowmen unit figures changes from 8 back to 6.
• Halfling Shamans unit figures changes from 6 back to 4.
• Halfling Disciples unit figures changes from 6 back to 4.
• New units: Refugees, mercenary version of settlers coming at free of upfront cost but have very expensive upkeep (3 gold and 3 food per turn) and units also much weaker and slower to move.
• Master Engineer Hero loses Counter Immunity due to Construct Catapult ability becomes innate uncounterable.
• Huntress Hero loses Counter Immunity due to Install Trap ability becomes innate uncounterable.
• Ranger Hero loses Counter Immunity due to Install Trap ability becomes innate uncounterable.
• High Elf Rangers unit loses Counter Immunity due to Install Trap ability becomes innate uncounterable.
• Gnoll Hunters unit loses Counter Immunity due to Install Trap ability becomes innate uncounterable.
• Engineers unit loses Counter Immunity due to Sapping Wall ability becomes innate uncounterable.
• War Trolls unit cost reduces from 240 to 220.
• Lizardman Bowmen unit’s AIProduction value reduces from 11 to 10.
• Simurgh unit cost decreases from 370 to 340, lair cost increases from 505 to 510, and spell charge increases from 3 to 5.
• Cloud Elephant unit cost increases from 400 to 550, and lair cost increases from 600 to 825.
• Fire Drake unit gains Fire Immunity, cost decreases from 400 to 260, and lair cost decreases from 800 to 390.
• Arch Liches unit’s To-Hit decreases from 50% to 40%, cost increases from 320 to 360, and lair cost increases from 480 to 540.
• All Engineers units and Combat Engineers unit gain Mechanical Expert perk.
• Dervishes unit’s Range attack reduces from 4 to 3.
• New unit: Goblin Refugees.
• New unit: Goblin Spearmen.
• New unit: Goblin Swordsmen.
• New unit: Goblin Bowmen.
• New unit: Hobgoblins.
• New unit: Goblin Warbosses. This unit has ability to lead Goblin Horde.
• New unit: Goblin Spider Riders.
• New unit: Goblin Tricksters.
• New unit: Goblin Rabblerousers.
• New unit: Goblin Hexers.
• New unit: Goblin Arsonists.
• New unit: Night Goblins.
• New unit: Goblin Mechaniacs.
• New unit: Goblin Poxbearers
• New unit: Doom Wheels.
• New unit: Goblin Gliders.
• New unit: Midget Submarines.
• Now unit record and display number gains from Power of Faith, Guiled, Immunized Magic, and Natural Resistance.
• Dwarf generic ships and siege units’ bonus change from +1 Heath to +3 Armor but cost +25%.
• Fire Giant no longer has innate Resist Elements.
• Ranger hero now gains only 2 MP per level to Compensate Quick cast ability.
• Sea Lord hero now gains ability to summon Sea Serpent on water tile and their status rise up to become Champion with 1200 Gold Cost, Upkeep 20, and 80 Fames requirement.
• Lesser Chaos Lord gains Primal Force.
• Lesser Gaia Lord gains Primal Force.
• Lesser Aether Lord gains Primal Force.
• Great Chaos Lord gains Primal Lord instead of Primal Force.
• Great Gaia Lord gains Primal Lord instead of Primal Force.
• Great Aether Lord gains Primal Lord instead of Primal Force.
• Arch Demon Lord gains Primal Lord instead of Primal Force.
• Seraph gains Primal Lord instead of Primal Force.
Items
• Bug Fix: Eye of Storm does not display tooltip.
• Plague Lord item power is nolonger spawn early, cost increase to 2000 and nolonger give -10% To-Defend and Heath debuff but give -6 Resistance to compensate
•
Buildings:
• Bug Fix: AI build unique buildings before Tree of Knowledge is cast.
• Bug Fix: Witches’ Convent and Altar of the Moon don’t curse enemy in combat or curse enemy on tile that should not curse.
• Witches’ Convent and Altar of the Moon’s curses now occur from the first turn of Attacker in combat onward.
• Bug Fix: Disrupt/Sapping Wall appear on unit without this skill outside city with wall.
• Bug Fix: Baray does not give Mariner perk to unit created from the city.
• Academy is now also grants +2 figures to Halfling Shamans and Halfling Disciples.
• Neutral city starting buildings list updated.
• Academy is no longer reduce cost of Settlers.
• Frost Club hall now also grants Armor Piercing to War Mammoth.
• Military Workshop is now granting Armor Piercing on base normal units with ranged or thrown without Armor Piercing instead of +2 Physical Range Attack strength or +4 Thrown attack strength.
• Military Workshop is now granting +4 Fire Breath to base normal units with Fire Breath instead of +2.
• Military Workshop is now also upgrade any defending units of the city with Physical Range, Thrown, Fire Breath Attack before combat.
• Dragon Mound is now also granting +1 Movement to flying units.
• Caravanserai is now allow surviving based normal unit to upgrade weapon to city level of upgrade after the end of siege combat.
Retorts:
• Bug Fix: Tactician gives +2 Armor instead of +1 Attack and +1 Armor in strategic combat.
• Tactician retort now allow to move first when attack (but defender still could cast spell first) as long as target tile is not opponent fortress or node defending by neutral player or opponent has unit with Primal Force or Primal Lord but cost increases to 2 picks.
• Due to cost of Tactician increases, Kongming nolonger start with Procurator retort anymore.
• Benefactor retort is now also display in combat info.
• Runemaster retort is now reduce casting cost of Arcane overland spells that not summon or enchantment by 50% and all others overland spells that not summon or enchantment or item creation by 25%.
Others:
• Time between each monster rampage becomes twice longer.
• AI have time between each monster rampage 3 times longer than human player instead of previously twice longer to allow breathing space for Myrran AI.
• Recruitment screen now display perk and upgrade unit would get upon created.
• Update AI production script to support Goblin race.
• Update AI select spell script to give consideration to combo exist in Warlord mod.
• Optimizes code for State of Rote effect on units.
• Optimizes code for True Light effect on units.
• “God Play Dices” scoring option now varies Resistance from -2 to +2 (nolonger -3) at rate 10%-20%-40%-20%-10%.
• Maintaining powerful global enchantment that not benefit to other wizard would reduce relation value and rise threat perception.

[WingsofMemory]

4) Xuanyuans could have samurais and ninjas?

If I am not mistaken the Xuanyuans are based on the ancient chinese, probably a thousand years or so before samurai existed?

I know it's a fantasy world it's all a blend of different histories and folklore together, but I imagine they might be out of what Suppanut desired for them. Granted I haven't seen anyone play the Xuanyuan in a long time, and I've never played the mod myself lol.

[Suppanut]

4) Xuanyuans could have samurais and ninjas?

If I am not mistaken the Xuanyuans are based on the ancient chinese, probably a thousand years or so before samurai existed?

I know it's a fantasy world it's all a blend of different histories and folklore together, but I imagine they might be out of what Suppanut desired for them. Granted I haven't seen anyone play the Xuanyuan in a long time, and I've never played the mod myself lol.

I don't want to add samurai or ninja due to I think they would not contribute uniqueness of the race beyond sprites. And this would make them too close to other races in the environment. Ninja would be too close in concept to Dark Elf's Nightblades while Samurais would end up become inferior version of War Trolls.

[Onyx Scarab]

Hello! So I downloaded the most recent version of Warlord Mod and it seems to be missing the WARLORD.ini file like previous versions.

[Suppanut]

Hello! So I downloaded the most recent version of Warlord Mod and it seems to be missing the WARLORD.ini file like previous versions.

Thank you for report. I have fixed it and reupload to the same link. you could download it again for its fix.

[occasionalplayer]

Goblins are a great addition. In terms of balancing, I need to think. 
Tricksters Trap-Spell does not trigger, at least not when I was playing. 
Totally agree with War Mammoths.