This is an interesting proposal. Technology versus magic is a great theme; this could be an opportunity to explore creativity among players.

As I understand your proposal so far, Ingineers basically use alternate types of card, with technology themes rather than magical ones. Presumably, ingineering schools would be mutually exclusive with magic schools so that cards from one cannot be used in the other.

But even with alternate schools (and please correct me if I am misinterpreting your proposal), Ingineers use basically the same mechanics as mages, in terms of playing cards from preconstructed spellbooks (toolboxes? workshops?) to accomplish their goals. What if this was used as an opportunity to explore a different but compatible mode of play?

Lately, I have been working on modular spells, and the idea of a nonmagical tinkerer (the association that the word "ingineer" brings to mind is a sort of eccentric inventor/scientist type) would be a perfect thematic opportunity to design a character that fights using ingredients that are put together in novel combinations rather than precomposed objects.

What do I mean by this? Let's take your proposed school of Composition, specifically the part related to chemicals. You could represent these with "potion" cards that have specific effects. Each potion is unique, and distinct from other potions.

Alternatively, you could have "ingredient" cards which may be combined to create an object with an effect determined by the cards that comprise it. I think you might be getting at this; you mention:

Items used by Ingeniers trained in composition include containers with chemicals in them, a variety of tools and gadgets for taking things apart and putting them back together, sometimes including things like hammers and screwdrivers. They can sometimes even steal materials from their enemies to build new items.

But rather than thematic scavenging and recombining of resources, what if the entire play of an ingeneer was based on putting things together? You could build steampunk machines out of mechanical parts, create potions out of ingredients, and breed weird abominations to fight for you. Each object that you brought into play could be comprised of several ingredients from your toolbox; you could even create recipes/blueprints with your ingredients and then field multiple copies with a generic placeholder card.

Basically, I am suggestion that this "Ingineering" concept adopt modular card mechanics to further distinguish it from the magical style of dueling. Without incantations, attack spells, or enchantments (though traps might play a role), the focus would be on creativity over tactics (obviously tactics would still have a place, though). It seems to me like it would fit the spirit of what you are trying to accomplish.

I think 38 might be too high for the Crusader. Fully trained mages are level 6 creatures and have a lot more life than a non-mage. If he does not use magic he is not a mage. Merely not being trained in a particular school of magic does not make him "antimagic", especially if he still can cast spells. If he were really against magic and those who use it he would not cast spells and could not participate in the Mage Wars without some sort of viable alternative to magic.

I should probably make a comment regarding the intended theme of the crusader: he is anti-magic, but this does not mean that he does not use magic. Murkh and his disciples are somewhat hypocritical; though they condemn magic in all its forms, they are willing to tolerate its use in their quest to eradicate it. Murkh in particular was one of the most powerful mages of his day, although he (presumably) hated the self contradiction in his work (I think Murkh would probably be either pure arcane or arcane/war). But to destroy something, you first have to learn how it works, and it is difficult to be anti-magical without being magical. The crusader is capable of using spells, but his magical training focuses more on the suppression of magic than its use, hence the lack of training in any school. Enchantments are the most magical thing possible (objects of pure magic), so he eschews them out of loathing and zealotry.

I came up with some ideas a while back for non-magical Arena fighters. Aside from the giant, who would probably be innately powerful and not have much need for tech, all the other ideas I came up with were for Ingeniers, who use technology to win their battles. I thought of 3 main schools of Ingeniering: Life, Chemicals, and Geography.

http://forum.arcanewonders.com/index.php?topic=13083.0

Good ideas. Non-mage fighters could definitely be interesting, although there are some compatibility concerns (presumably mages would not be allowed to use non-mage tech, so it would be like a spinoff of Mage Wars that was still compatible with the rest of the game, using the same mechanics).

Also, I think the boomerang should be destroyed when its attack is cancelled by a successful defense, and should take a round to recharge after use, so that the boomerang has time to come back.

An excellent suggestion, I will implement that next time I update the card (regarding destruction upon successful defense). Regarding recharging, I don't think it is justified thematically (I think the boomerang would probably return by the next round given the time units of the game), and I don't think it is necessary for balancing, so I will probably hold off on that.

I think with the FiF release, she will become a bit weaker b/c of all the new fire attacks and creatures that come out, but for now, she is IMO one of the best mages, behind the various Wizard builds obviously.

Not necessarily - In a fire-themed expansion, I am hoping for some cards that protect against fire, which I would immediately add to my druid deck, regardless of cost. It might not all be bad news for her.

How about Altar of the Iron Guard? After all, there can be only one.

Also, note that unlike other spells that let you steal enemy spells, this one is a quick spell (compensated by the fact that you need to control the zone), and you don't have to pay the full cost if you choose not to recast the stolen conjuration.

I guessed right!

But it is so much more...

Quote from: Wildhorn on March 03, 2014, 08:22:21 AM

Now I wonder if I will include this to my priest spellbook. 5 SP is quite alot.

Perhaps, if you used 2x Wardstones and didn't cast/reveal this enchantment until near the end of the game with a 2x Fireball round for max effect?

Sure, but why waste spellpoints on fireball? Use the staff or a pillar of light and go for the autoburn (with chance of stun/daze as a bonus)! Then they can't even stop you with flame resistance. I can see this as a fun end-game strategy for the priest.

My guess: An incantation spell that lets you take control of an enemy conjuration. The cost might just be twice the cost of the conjuration, or it might be increased/reduced based on how many enemy/friendly units are in the zone, or it might depend on other parameters. But I definitely think it will involve taking control of a conjuration.

Edit: I suppose it could also work as an enchantment, similar to Mind Control.

Subtype plant would make it cheaper, but I find this spell to be pretty useful as it is. For 5 mana at 2 range you get an attack of 4 that bypasses obscured and cannot be reflected back to its caster, with piercing and a decent chance of a bleed. It might even be too good at 4 mana. And the use of a vine marker isn't really much of a problem; by the time I find myself attacking with my druid, I have generally reached the point at which I have more vine markers than I know what to do with!