Random magic modding, plus other questions

[odd_enuf]

I'm almost finished with the non graphical elements of my mod, and I have a couple questions.

1)I am trying to create a mage with linked random magic. I want them to have 2 levels in a random path (preferably any path except blood), with a 10% chance of having 3 levels in that path. Is there any way to do this?

2) How do you make a summoning ritual that summons comanders, instead of normal units?

3) I am trying to create an immobile commander with blood vengence. I stat copied the angel of vengence, set resistances back to 0, map move to 0, and the immobile flag. However, it didn't work correctly. It has flying. This allows it to move if its not a commander. As a commander, it must teleport, as I want. However, it can also move in battle instead of staying stationary. It also has the holy scurge, and is holy. Finally, the name is angel of fury, instead of Astral Mirror.

Idealy, i would like a create with blood vengence, magic being, immortal, immobile, immune to poison, need not eat, amphibion, blind, and attacking it horror marks the attacker. It should have no weapons, and no item slots. Am I doing this the correct way, is there any way to get it closer to what I want?

3) I'm getting a blank hero instead of the ones I want, I have gotten my multihero, but I get the blank one when I use #hero1 and #hero2 (as far As i can tell, its possible that only one of my heros is broken).

4) I want a unit whose only attack is mind blasts. However, when I add mind blasts i get a fist attack as well. (as a workaround, I have given it a phantasmal claw, the only weapon that made any sense)

5) finally, one of my troops refuses to use his custom weapon, he alwasy gets a fist. All of my other units use their custom items, and I can't figue out why its failing.
(Note, I want him to dual wield his weapon)
The weapon entry is:
newweapon 802
#name "Flame Blade"
#dmg 3
#att 3
#def 0
#magic
#rcost 1
#len 0
#armorpiercing
#end


The monster entry is:
#newmonster 2811
#name "Warrior of Fire"
#copyspr 124
#ap 12
#mapmove 2
#hp 11
#prot 0
#size 2
#str 10
#enc 3
#att 13
#def 9
#prec 10
#mr 13
#mor 12
#gcost 15
#rcost 1
#weapon "Flame Blade"
#weapon "Flame Blade"
#armor "Chain Mail Hauberk"
#armor "Helmet"
#nametype 106
#itemslots 15494

#end

[DrPraetorious]

1) Two answers to this question.

It's possible, but not presently supported in mods, to have linked randoms, like "50% chance of 2 fire,earth or air" but NOT, as far as I'm aware "100% chance of 2 fire, earth, or air and 20% of the same thing you just got".

In the current modding script, the only linked randoms are random-elemental and random-sorcery.

2) Change the effect to 10021.

3) I can help you with the name - you need to set the name *after* you copystats (ignore the modding manual.)

As for the rest - you'd need to copy a different monster with blood vengeance. I'm not aware of any others, I didn't see any in the unit DB but there's a new one, you could download it and search.

4) Post the mod-script and I can tell you what's wrong. Probably you're missing an #end somewhere, or you have the unit # wrong or something.

5) Try "#weapon 802" instead and see if that works. You don't get a "bad weapon" error or anything? Try moving the #itemslots to before the weapons, but I don't think that could possibly be it.

[Sombre]

1. You can do linked randoms (sort of) this way.

You give them a 100% random in E F A W or whatever. Then you give them #magicboost 1. That way whatever magic they get is increased by one level. As for increasing it by an extra 10% chance,.. don't think that's possible. If you gave them a 100 and a 10% in E F A W you might end up with a 2F2W or something due to the magicboost.

2. Summoning commanders is in the mod manual. It's just a different effect number from monsters.

3. You need to find a creature with blood vengeance who doesn't have flying then. The name is easy enough - just declare it after you use #copystats.

4. #hero1 1111 should give you unit 1111 as a hero. Not much that can go wrong there.

5. You could make a unit with a melee mind blast weapon and a ranged mind blast weapon - identical damage etc.

6. In the code you posted, newweapon is lacking the #. If it's not that, double check your itemslots to make sure he has two hands.

[odd_enuf]

Here is the current version of the mod. Right now, I'm just using whatever sprites are close to what I want, and the summons are all almost free.

There are 2 other questions I forgot before.

1) For the heroes, How do you give them a fixed name, instead of a random one.

2) The acher's arrow's sprite is wrong, instead of an arrow it cycles through other sprites, including gifts from heaven, and firebolas.

[Sombre]

1) You can give heroes a fixed name by giving them #nametype 29 or whatever, having declared a new nametype of that number containing only one name choice. How to do this is covered in the mod manual. Just search for nametype.

2) Really? I've never seen that. There's not much that can go wrong with flysprites either. My suggestion is to go to the missile weapon modding part of the mod manual and make sure you're using the right flysprite and animation length.