Do You Like to be Teased?

[Lord Diamond]

Some of us have been around since 2005. Trust me, your pace is nothing short of miraculous. Having a programmer of your quality and dedication is wonderful. Even when we complain about specifics, we remember how lucky we are.

[HeadHoncho]

Hear, hear! I echo those same sentiments about UM and the incredible programming job he has done!

[Ry Vor]

There will be some customization allowed in 3rd Cycle, starting with The Choosing. But not all cultural traits can be available as a customization choice, Flight, for example. But if there were 5 points available for customization, how many would you ascribe to the traits? Just comment on the ones you think are best or not worth choosing.

Cultural Traits:

Cunning: +15% bonus to Incite Rebellion (#320). +3 levels to max agent training. Agent training -1000 gold.

Oratory: +15% to Maintain Status Quo (#310) and Usurp Control (#330). +2 to starting Influence.

Industrious: +10% food and gold production and defensive value of all controlled PC’s. Increasing production or defenses -2k gold.

Stalwart: Immune to Fear and Chaos. 25% resistance to harmful magic (4000 magic damage would become 3000). +15 points leader promotion and emergence, -15 points leader and wizard death (improved survivability to combat damage and kill leader / kill wizard).

Trick of the Trade: Gets 25% more in a trade with another kingdom than the indicated amount (this does not come from the other player’s treasury). Agents have -10 points to being captured if above a 15 point chance. Sea movement 10 points less likely to be interdicted.

Foreknowledge: some kingdoms will have the short name or general location (region) of a specific artifact.

Trackers: Intrinsic L4 Recon of group area. Detects groups in Ambush, but not invisible groups.

Acuity: Never surprised, treat as entrenched.

Order: +2 to starting Influence. Controlled PC’s have 10 points intrinsic counter espionage in addition to any agent counter espionage, and intrinsic 10 points Maintain Status Quo. Research cost and Agent Training +1000 per level (i.e., a penalty due to the imposition of maintaining order).

Military Tradition: Better and more starting leaders, leaders promote at +10 points, emerge at +10 points, and have 10 points better survivability. Brigades advance in experience at 10 points greater than others from battle experience.

Devout: HP does not cost Influence. HP only gets Exhausted 25% of time (normally 50%). Enemies get -3 morale in controlled regions if they are Suspicious or -5 morale if Hostile per turn the group is in the region. Cost of Attract Maiden and Test for the Gift is 50% of normal. They gain the Lesser Angel and Avenging Angel spells. Devout kingdoms have -2 to maximum trainable agent level and +1000 to magic research cost.

Seafaring: +3 to starting quality, -2k gold to fleet construction. Interdict at 80%, own patrols interdicted only 50% of normal (so if normally patrols are interdicted 30% of the time, Seafaring nations would have theirs interdicted 15% of the time).

Flight: Great movement abilities, +20% attack value vs. PC’s. Recon own group area as L1. Patrols have 30 movement points.

Ruthless: Cause Fear (-10% to morale of groups or 10% to PC defense). +10% intrinsic status quo. +10 points to Threaten.

Riders: Patrols get 30 movement points. Cavalry values for these kingdoms are higher. +1 to emissary and agent range.

Adventurers: +10 points in Unusual Sighting encounters. Does not require a wizard capable of Light or Bridge where normally required. +10 points to leadership promotion and -10% to leader and wizard death in unusual encounters. +10 points to Rescue and Escape attempts.

Healing: Some kingdoms have the ability to reduce attrition to their groups. 3% attrition is eliminated automatically at the end of the turn to each group, and additionally the kingdom may issue a special order to a group to further reduce attrition by a further 5%. Leaders and Wizards that have a result of killed in battle get a “saving throw” which gives a 20% chance of surviving their wounds instead of being killed.

Foreknowledge: Kingdom has the short name of one or more artifacts on setup.

Magic Resistances (33% failure when targeted) and Magic Immunities (auto failure when targeted). Each independently assigned to kingdoms:
• Resistant to Sleep
• Immune to Sleep
• Resistant to Death Magic
• Immune to Death Magic
• Resistant to Battle Magic
• Susceptible to battle magic (+33% damage from battle magic)

[Jumpingfist]

Are all considered equal value? Or will some be two or three points and others 1?

[HeadHoncho]

What is death magic?

[Jumpingfist]

Acuity -I see as the weakest - just out of the rarity that it happens. Nice to have but not on par with others.
Tracker and Foreknowledge would be the next weakest. If it were a strong artifact perhaps but just an easy encounter not really worth a trait that can be stolen

Trick of the trade - can be easily abused especially if two kingdoms work together and both have it. I see standing orders generating 10k plus gold and food starting turn 1

Sea faring could also be standing order abused but maybe not enough to really matter.

Order may be the strongest if it is as written and not a %. Needing 16.5 political strength to effect a city in a friendly region. Or a prince with 21 influence. Impossible if he is an enemy.

I would also say being immune to something is much more valuable than resistant. 50% resistant to sleep can be annoying but immune to sleep is very strong

I like many of the others and think I would switch between them depending on my kingdoms strengths. Perhaps favoring Orator Cunning and Riders.

[Sinestro]

Simple HH. Death magic is well...death magic

[Ry Vor]

Let's assume they cost from 1 to 3 points each.  And a kingdom has 5 points to spend.

[HeadHoncho]

Haha Sinestro. It is a serious question, though, as I want to try to rank everything but that's the one thing I'm not sure of. Summon Death only? Kill spells? Summon Demon?

[Ry Vor]

All  of those.  Does that cover all Death Magic?