Spells that arguably break the game

[Verjigorm]

This was part of an MP Game thread (that I believe spawned this thread), but:

Just tested:

Lycanthropos' Amulet removes Disease affliction and cures "old age" when it activates.

Any mage you use it on becomes ritual-only due to the "Gone Berserk" effect, but since the disease disappears when it activates it actually makes a more robust ritual caster mage. I was using these on Crones with MA Man. The non-disease afflictions remain after transformation, so you might eventually want a healer, but this would make old age less of a concern for nations like Abysia. 2N required to make means that if all you have is Wolf Tribe Shamans you might have to empower nature by 1, but very worth the time. Any mage with a disease gets an amulet.

[Verjigorm]

Most sincere apologies on that last comment! I made an error in my experiment.

The Crone in question did, indeed, lose her "Diseased" affliction when she transformed into a werewolf. She also regained all of her hit points. However, I forgot that I had also cast "Gift of Health" which is a probable source for the loss of the affliction.

I will retest momentarily....

Retest complete. The transformation neither cures the disease nor restores any lost hit points or alter the age limits of the commander.

[Micah]

BoT could certainly go, it's an incredibly powerful spell under the right circumstances, it's very difficult to counter effectively (especially since overwriting doesn't help outside of then being able to kill the caster which then leaves an empty global slot...), and it doesn't serve as a vital counter TO anything (like mind hunt vs stealth.) Sea of Ice could also be given the axe.

Both these spells are able to effectively shut down the games of certain nations without necessarily painting a target on the caster's head from unaffected nations, which is a bad play mechanic (though great strategy...divide and conquer.) Most of the "balance" of these spells comes from the circumstances they need to be effective being rare, but they're both kind of stupidly overpowered in the right situation. The fact that they can't be overwritten REALLY makes it worse as well, since Dispel is a loser's game.

Everything else on the list adds a good amount of tactical depth to the game.

[thejeff]

Why is Dispel a loser's game? Just because you don't know how many gems went into it?

I got nailed by Sea of Ice in one game as EA Atlantis. The most frustrating thing about it was that my thugs & SCs could still retreat to underwater from coastal provinces, but were then trapped. No teleport magic on Basalt Kings.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally Posted by Amadamus

Yep Gandalf, it was important that i snuck arguably in there becasue it is simply that. At this point my premise has become, that, whilst it is important to retain the capacities these spells provide the player interms of drawing games to a conclusion, the means in which they (spells) are able to be brought to bear on an opponent is perhaps too easy and of consequence, significant damage can be done with minimal effort, which in my mind undermines the strategy and tactics of the game.

I find your ideas for modding the game to be very interesting.
I will offer some pros/cons however. Not on the specifics but on the general mod.

To change the way something is done in the game creates an effect curve IMHO. The more a mod becomes "you have to learn how to play the game this new way" the more difficult it is to get into. Its easier to remove them entirely and just set aside those strategies for a few games than to try and create another faction of heavily modded Dom3 followers.

[Micah]

Originally Posted by thejeff

Why is Dispel a loser's game? Just because you don't know how many gems went into it?

I got nailed by Sea of Ice in one game as EA Atlantis. The most frustrating thing about it was that my thugs & SCs could still retreat to underwater from coastal provinces, but were then trapped. No teleport magic on Basalt Kings.

Dispel is bad for a number of reasons.

First: You either guess high and waste gems, or guess low and waste gems and do nothing to the global. Overwriting is always a stronger play in terms of gem efficiency, since you can then guess high and get something out of it in the form of a stronger global. This obviously breaks down when the global doesn't care who cast it, which is why Sea and BoT are particularly problematic. (Ones like Utterdark at least have the distinction of guaranteeing world-hate, Burden and Sea don't have that balance mechanism depending on nation selection.)

Second: Pearls are worth more than other gems (specifically 2:1 once wish is available). Having to use pearls to dispel a non-pearl global at 1:1 is a losing proposition. Sea of Ice is again especially painful here due to using W gems. At low-level casts the low base cost makes up for some of the disparity, but once someone plows 200 extra gems into a global you're pretty screwed in terms of gem trade. Note that this exacerbates the first problem, since in addition to having to use more "expensive" gems you're also virtually guaranteed to waste a good chunk of them in the dispel roulette.

Third: It's reactive. The global has at least a turn to work before you can fling a dispel, meaning your opponent gets something out of their investment no matter what.

Fourth: There's now a big hole where that global used to be, meaning you might find yourself in the exact same situation next turn.

Think that hits most of the main points pretty well. Extra gems in dispels should count at 2:1, but that's a programming change that's unlikely to happen. Makes a ton of thematic sense as well, since breaking a spell down should be easier than putting it up. Regardless, as things stand, dispel is terrible. (Though sometimes still the best option due to being the only option.)

[chrispedersen]

Originally Posted by LDiCesare

Actually, it's pretty easy for EA Agartha but some people keep saying they're a weak nation. ..

Allow me to be the first to be included in 'some people'.

[Knai]

I'll be the second in that category. They have high earth, and that is about it. Oh, and amphibiousness. Yay.

[RadicalTurnip]

Originally Posted by Micah

Second: Pearls are worth more than other gems (specifically 2:1 once wish is available). Having to use pearls to dispel a non-pearl global at 1:1 is a losing proposition. Sea of Ice is again especially painful here due to using W gems. At low-level casts the low base cost makes up for some of the disparity, but once someone plows 200 extra gems into a global you're pretty screwed in terms of gem trade. Note that this exacerbates the first problem, since in addition to having to use more "expensive" gems you're also virtually guaranteed to waste a good chunk of them in the dispel roulette.

Well, you could always overwrite and then kill your guy off, if you don't want to waste the astral. With death and water, it's not too hard to get a D/W 3 up to D/W 5 with boosters, then cast, take the boosters off, and go kill him into someone's PD...Granted, still not a winning solution, but it could be better than the alternative.

Quick Anecdote: In a recent MP game I was steamrolling the last 2 opponents before I fought the other super-power, and so I put up BoT because I also had a pretty strong Gift of Health and I though I could summon some fairy queens for the difference. Well, after a handful of turns, I eventually realized after reading something on the boards: my enemy was LA R'lyeh. Their mages have thousands of years to go before they get old I quickly dispelled it (I had AN up too) and won because of my superior global and artifact position (and I think he gave up without really staying to duke it out).

[Lingchih]

Well, quoting Micah. Dispel is often the only option. It's not necessarily a good option.