October 12, 2024, 10:34:19 AM

Author Topic: Archmage custom cards  (Read 35989 times)

jacksmack

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #15 on: December 29, 2016, 10:04:05 AM »
i'm intrigued by the abilities, name of the cards and the images.

Is this balanced at all?  - no idea. Its probaly very very hard to test.

silverclawgrizzly

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #16 on: December 29, 2016, 10:26:50 AM »
It's going to be a nightmare to test agreed. Still should be fun.
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JasonBourneZombie

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #17 on: December 29, 2016, 11:08:59 AM »
I honestly can't say for certain how balanced it is. I'm doing a fair bit of work trying to keep it balanced and keep various strategies, styles, cards in mind, but there's no knowing for sure until testing has taken place. Since mages don't get released 10 at a time, it will be a very difficult testing phase.

That said, I'm looking for feedback on mages to say whether they are balanced or not. Strategos has me worried because traited armor is new, having melee and ranged plus at the same time is new, the built in horn of gothos is new, and giving vigilance to a given creature is new. I expect each of these abilities to be cool, so the channeling got knocked waaay down.
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Coshade

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #18 on: December 29, 2016, 05:09:13 PM »
If these arch mages are going to be advanced versions of current arena mages, perhaps giving them a subtype of that mage would be a good idea. This let's you use currently existing mage only cards with these guys.

Or you could go the priest/priestess route and explain on the rules.
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Halewijn

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #19 on: December 30, 2016, 01:23:46 AM »
I agree with Coshade. It's probably a lot easier and more fun to create 1 totally unique and fresh Archmage that can be linked to the ability cards of the existing mages.
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JasonBourneZombie

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #20 on: December 30, 2016, 12:01:18 PM »
That is something I've been debating with myself. If the archmages need the punch, then by all means. I'm mostly afraid of unforeseen balancing issues. Let me mull over some use cases.
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JasonBourneZombie

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #21 on: December 31, 2016, 09:11:07 AM »
It's hard to say whether the archmages should have access to the regular mage only spells. Some are nearly useless like the horn of gothos and the demon mask. Those archmages already have keywords/abilities that make them redundant.

Equipment, even mage specific, is fairly weak. Every weapon should be rolling an extra damage at a minimum with stronger effects.

Some mage only spells combo too strongly, in my opinion, with planned upgrades. The dryad would have a vine tree like spawnpoint, and flooding the board with vines for cheap could be an issue. The Strategos headquarters isn't really designed to run fairly with a barracks. Both at once essentially turns a garrison post into two mana crystals. Spawnpoints are the likeliest source of issues, it seems.

Maybe some mages can be extensions of lower level mages, but I really need to watch that carefully.
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wtcannonjr

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #22 on: December 31, 2016, 09:19:27 AM »
One concept I had considered was providing the archmages with a 7th spell type - Transmutation. This allows you to add cards to the game that won't impact non-Archmage games.

These spells would be all Archmage only and offer a new arena experience. The idea was that archmages were able to change spells that were already cast by other mages or themselves. So for example, you might be able to change an opponents creature into a conjuration. Or a lesser effect might be to use large cardboard markers to change the effects on a spell in the arena. For example, transmute a Zombie into a living creature or change Bear Strength from Melee +2 to Upkeep +2.

Perhaps the Archmage should have a mana transfer ability that targets an existing spell to gain mana based on its cost and then changes it from permanent to temporary by adding X dissipate tokens. In this way you could destroy creatures without attack actions.
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JasonBourneZombie

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #23 on: December 31, 2016, 12:32:18 PM »
Here's a question for everyone. I've heard a few say archmages should be closer to capable of fighting 3 mages, some say they should have new training. I've avoided both of these because of complexity of design and because some mages would not appear due to certain logical combinations. The war and holy schools would fully combine under a paladin archmage, for example, meaning that the priestess and warlord would be largely redundant.

The one I've considered the most is the Lich. A lich would possibly have full dark and mind training, being something of an enslaver of minds, bodies, and souls, or dark arcane, having been a master wizard that strayed into the dark arts. In mentioning these ideas to others, the idea of either of these mixes seemed terrifying.

So the question is this: should archmages have even better stats, better training, or both?
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JasonBourneZombie

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #24 on: January 03, 2017, 06:40:59 AM »
Assuming that no one really has any really strong thoughts one way or the other then. I'll continue on as is later today. Dryad and Oceanid are coming up. Very opposed mages in a sense.
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JasonBourneZombie

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #25 on: January 03, 2017, 08:45:40 AM »
Here's the Dryad and Oceanid.

The Dryad is a nature spirit that takes on a humanoid form using various plants. It is a spirit essentially, and can travel through plants themselves. I see this as being a servant of Meredia, so it helps living things grow through the regen trait. The traited quasi teleport is a bit new, but felt right for this archmage. Regen 3 right out of the gate is a pretty cool ability for a mage, but is paid for largely by the flame +2. The Dryad is trained in level 1 water, so use of the raincloud and waterfall cloak is smart. Investing in the dragonscale hauberk is a good idea too.

The World tree is supposed to function similarly to the vine tree, only the Dryad does not use vines. Root tokens may only be placed in the World tree's zone, a root token's zone, or a zone adjacent to a root token's zone. The difference between a root token and a vine is that they are underground. They do not hinder, and may not be attacked. The world tree is a smidge stronger for using root tokens because the root system does not have to target something in the root token's zone. This means walls, tanglevines, etc can be placed a little more easily and aggressively. This mage really wants to pin enemies down in a zone by using walls and tanglevines, so this works well.







The Oceanid, by comparison, has a fair bit of immunity to being held down by way of the uncontainable trait. Like the Dryad, she is a classical spirit of nature, only she represents water. The Oceanid, like the Siren, has a mythology of being an enchanting singer and even a dancer, so she retains the song training, and gains the Enthralling Presence ability to let her capture the undivided attention of a target. She can move her terrain after it has been placed thanks to the Water's Course ability. This works quite nicely with her Spawnpoint which attaches to a water terrain.

The Ocean Shallows spawnpoint must be cast on a water terrain, which gives it a fair bit of restriction and protection up front. Enemy creatures moving to attack it will have to suffer the penalties of the terrain it is attached to. It has one of the most obvious sources of channeling of any spawnpoint thanks to the ability to ring it with water terrain. As the game progresses, you can shift your terrain to the spawnpoint to give yourself extra channeling, or once you have a fair number of creatures out, send them forward to bog down your enemies.






Next up is the High Marshall and Sage. Renaming Sage to Astral Archon due to a fellow playtester's advice.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2017, 12:44:36 PM by JasonBourneZombie »
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Milevan_Faent

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #26 on: January 03, 2017, 09:21:02 AM »
How are you making these card images?

silverclawgrizzly

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #27 on: January 03, 2017, 11:16:58 AM »
Beef them up btw. Meant to post this earlier.
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JasonBourneZombie

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #28 on: January 03, 2017, 11:22:09 AM »
How are you making these card images?

Archmage cards are made from a template I made in Photoshop. Definitely not an exact match, but you get the idea.

Spawnpoints are being made with the magic set editor and a number of resources I found in a forum post a long ways back.

Beef them up btw. Meant to post this earlier.

Anyone else? Gonna take a bit to change up things. Some archmages may straight up not exist when I'm done.
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Milevan_Faent

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Re: Archmage custom cards
« Reply #29 on: January 03, 2017, 11:24:23 AM »
How are you making these card images?

Archmage cards are made from a template I made in Photoshop. Definitely not an exact match, but you get the idea.

Spawnpoints are being made with the magic set editor and a number of resources I found in a forum post a long ways back.

Beef them up btw. Meant to post this earlier.

Anyone else? Gonna take a bit to change up things. Some archmages may straight up not exist when I'm done.

Bah. If you're using photo shop, I won't be able to apply it as easily to making my own cards into images for OCTGN.