Sorry, I have been away from the Arcane Wonders forum for a long time.

The problem with a mana denial mechanic causing a NPE is because it is a tactic that only really works by screwing with another players tactics. Sure, people aren't mad if you banish a card or kill a creature in combat or by using a tricky spell up your sleeve, but if your main tactic is to keep your opponent from actually realizing their ability to play effectively, well, it feels like more a dick move than a smart one.

To put it into perspective, it would by like tying someone's shoelaces together stealthy before the 100 meter dash in the Olympics. The person who lost isn't really mad they lost, they are mad at how they lost and the victory is extremely hollow to a true athlete.

Maybe an easier way to counter a drain ability is to offer the ability to give it a choice of draining mana or health to the person being affected by it. It is nuisance, but it does allow you the drain to do something each turn so it isn't a waste for the person utilizing it and when the game gets down to the late game, losing that mana is far more tempting than losing that life point. That's just a thought. I don't know how much that will effect the game though, maybe one of you people who actually have Academy can try that as a variant and see if it helps out if the current play is troublesome.

An edlritch abomination focused type necromancer to expand on the illithid larva mechnic would be a nice touch or something to deal with heavy with the vampire theme, a lot of vampiric strike creatures  and the like.

Yes, and forgo summoning a creature, it can be destroyed with dissolve, and there are plenty of ways to minimalize the effects of it. It wouldn't be game breaking at all. Heck, a Warlock with Lash of Hellfire enchanted with the fast trait offer is just as 'game breaking' but it is something I have to shut down every other game because I have a friend who loves to play the Warlock. It would go a long way to improve the Joh Beast Master because when it comes to mobs she is drastically inferior to the original Beast Master with his quick summoning ability and it would play to her strengths a lot more.

Steampunk Gnome. Heavily focused on living conjurations like steam powered golems, clockwork hounds, and similar ideas. Give him a mobile spawn point like a walking fortress or something.

Unstable Necromancer variant. Turn the undead into living bombs. Plague bombs for zombies to poison folks and the skellys do bone shrapnel damage.

Muscle Wizard (forcemater variant). Unable to use equipment, but enchantments have double (both positive and negative) effects where applicable. His life and basic melee damage are high, his channelling is total garbage.

Got a question about the Altar of Skulls. Me and a buddy did a necro and druid run the other day and made up our rules to fill in the gaps on the fly for what we thought made the most sense, but an official ruling would be appreciated.

When the altar of skulls is activated, does the 2 direct poison damage to all living creatures on the board affect his plants that are conjurations and have life totals? Does it affect his vines?

We decided that it did because poison effects all living thing including plants and it was a way to effectively clear the board of his vines and plants. Not quickly at all mind you, but it did turn the tide greatly toward the end of the game. We decided any living thing with life total that was living would be affected by the poison markers be they conjurations or creatures, however, anything without a life total or non-living would not be affected. For example, his trees would get smacked by poison damage, however, a warlords barracks and towers wouldn't.

You know, keeping with the whole smiting of living things theme.

It would be nice to get an official stance on this if I ever do any kind of tournament play, but we will probably keep the local rules the same because it made the most sense thematically.

Oh, I was already going to do that with a piece of leather and a wood burner to mark the zones and what not. Was thinking about making a travel box out of wood with different removable compartments for the tokens, dice, cards, etc and putting the spell books wrapped up in leather at the bottom with the mage boards. Slap a lock on the whole thing and I should be able to make it a lot more mobile. Either burn or carve the box on the outside to and put a simple latch on it to give it some flare. Just some nice little down time creation stuff with a purpose you know?

Well, Dresden was good at fire and ice (ice being better now that he is the winter knight). He has employeed demons and spirits in the past as well as a multitude of fairies, but isn't a fan of any of them. A pretty good all rounder.

Given the thematic setting of Mage Wars though it wouldn't really fit to have a leather duster wearing wizard blast a werewolf in the face with a .44 revolver. Unless we were talking a Mage Wars Modern expansion. Giving my goblin a rocket launcher and having my elf archer with a .50 sniper rifle would be pretty nice. You could employ the walking techbane aspect of the Dresden universe to keep from pumping modern tech onto the wizards as well.