Suggestion for a mod-nation. Would require a patch

[HoneyBadger]

This is a suggestion for a mod that I'd like to see in the game, but that I don't think can be currently implemented, and that I really don't have the time to do any time in the forseeable future-so if anyone else wants to do it, feel free to.

Just do me the favor of letting me know you're interested in it, and please don't put my name on it or use the name "Gaea-Ivy Kingdom" without asking and getting my permission/approval. The reason for this is that I'd really like to get a version of this Nation that's pretty close to what I have below, and if nobody else does it, maybe someday I'll get to it.

Gaea-Ivy Kingdom (EA Mod Nation).
This is meant to be a balanced nation similar yet diametrically the opposite of LA Ermor.

Like Ermor, all units are summonable and like Ermor, you gain units with Dominion-spread (in this case, carrion-creatures). This is the main part that I think can't be implemented right now. A nation-mod for "Gaia, Ivy Kings" could still be built and balanced with this ability taken away.

Ideas for units:
The primary unit for Ivy Kings is ofcourse the Ivy King-identical to the summon that everyone else gets, except you get a sacred version.

Other summonable units include 'Dryads' (sacred, immobile-can move in battle, but not to other provinces, wield vine-bows in battle)- 'Dryad Priestess' (as Dryad but N1, E1, holy 1, unarmed-your only national priest unit.) 'Hamadryads' (elder, meaner and tougher versions of Dryads-mobile, sacred, can go berserk (3), wield thorn-spears in battle) 'Hamadryad Captain' (as Hamadryad, but has N1, E1, B1. weilds thorn staff) 'Carrion Pans' (like Pans, except undead, Death 1, Nature 1, r1 nature, death-produces undead, mindless versions of Maenads called 'Furys'-singular form-"Fury"), 'Tree-Kings' (like Tree-Lords, but younger, sacred, and in the prime of their power-Nature 4, Earth 4, r1 nature, earth, r2 nature, earth. Better physical stats than Tree-Lord. Requires Enchantment 9 to summon), 'Drinkers' (Gaian version of dark-vines, except they're amphibious commanders with blood 1, nature1, r1 blood, nature. r2 blood, nature, and resemble seaweed. 'Thirsters' (Gaian version of dark-vines, identical to Dark-Vines except they're amphibious, resemble seaweed, and can be summoned under water) 'Iron Weeds' (immobile, no attacks, but lots of HP, protection, and regeneration/heal affliction, with N3) 'Snap Dragons' (immobile, giant Venus flytrap-bite attack, 2 sleep-vine attack) 'Caryops' (Huge-size 6-tough,immobile cactus, naturally spikey, poisonous armor-not vulnerable to fire or cold, unlike the rest of Gaian units. Can attack with spikes any being that gets within 1 range- good for defending your Dryad archers and spell-casters.). 'Vine-Titans' (very large, tough vine-creature, a degree more powerful than a normal vine-ogre, and beings which summon extra vine-men and vine-ogres also summon additional vine-titans.)

Weaknesses: no national recruits, units are vulnerable to both fire and cold, and have only one type of priest who is immobile.

Magic paths would be blood, nature, earth, and death.

There would be atleast two national Pretenders.

"Eldest Child of Gaia"
Looks like an ancient, immobile tree with a face on it. paths of nature 1, earth 1-40 to improve, 4 dominion, immortal (cut it down, it grows back somewhere else)-and unlike most immobile Pretenders, the ability to defend itself with it's 4 branches. 3 misc slots.

"Green Mother"
This Pretender looks like she should be immobile, but she's not. She's basically a mound of earth and stone, covered in greenery, that's been sculpted (landscaped) into a huge female face, long, viney hair, and upper body.
She can attack with a strong bite and sleep vines, she tramples (size 6) and she has Nature 1, Earth 1, Water 1(120 to increase). She heals-both her own afflictions and the afflictions of others. Very tough to kill. No slots.

[DrPraetorious]

It's true that you can't have dominion spawn units automatically, HOWEVER, you can your recruitable forces spawn units within your dominion.

So, you could have a sacred ivy king who also has #domsummon1 (vine man)
#domsummon10 (vine beast)
#domsummon20 (vine ogre)

Would that work for you?

[Sombre]

Domsummon10 wouldn't work.

The game only recognises #domsummon, #domsummon2 and #domsummon 20. I think #domsummon10 would just be interpreted as #domsummon.

The modding manual sort of suggests ds10 would work, but trust me I tested this and it doesn't.

[Foodstamp]

I've already made this mod

I call it "Gaea, Cradle of Forests"

My version is a bit different than yours. In my nation, the only commanders not bound to the home province are Nymphs and Dryads. The nymphs seduce commanders to lead the nation freespawns (Forest Zealots). Other magical freespawns include vine ogres, vinemen, fairies, and Sylvan Beauties (Weaker Nymphs) which must be led by your standard nature summoned commanders or seduced magic leaders.

The nation is not balanced for vanilla. It is a challenge to win playing Gaea because the nation expands so slow, but the AI ignores the 0 movement and uses the nation pretty good.

If your interested in my version of this type of mod, let me know and I will send it to you. I am hesitant to release it to the public just yet because I want to look over it once more for typos and glitches.

[HoneyBadger]

I definitely am interested in it, and I'd like to see it.

Maybe we can work something out where your version is the middle era, where mine is the early era? Just because-as far as I've heard and understood-Ivy Kingdom is a part of the early "historical background" of the game, and because mine's meant to balance Ashen Empire "across the ages".

I was kind of going for a nation that, while strong in a lot of ways, would be flawed enough in areas that it would be obvious why they died out, but they certainly don't have to. If you would like to use some of my ideas to balance yours out for vanilla too, please feel free, Foodstamp. I always like to see mod nations balanced for use with the ones the Devs create, just because it kind of helps eliminate the stigma against player-creations not being "canon"
.
A late-era nation of just vine men, plants, and druids would be fun to play with, actually, if someone wants to do that-maybe with vinemen becoming organized along the lines of a Roman war-machine, just to complete the Ermorian cycle? Gaia's Revenge, anyone?

I'd be really happy if you wanted to make this mod, Foodstamp. I have complete confidence that you'd do a great job.

[HoneyBadger]

By the way, Foodstamp, I have an idea for a really different Native American mod that you might be interested in-providing you have the time and inclination to do another one.

[Foodstamp]

Honeybadger, I just posted the mod I created in another thread. Feel free to use ideas from my mod to create your mod as I think my ideas and yours were running along the same line.

As far as the Native American mod your suggesting goes. I am open to ideas concerning such a mod but honestly, I am kinda burned out on modding North American mythology. I think next on my agenda is wrapping up the Master of Magic mod and doing a few fantasy oriented mods instead of mythology based ones.

I am currently working on a new water nation called "Mesothalassa". At the moment, I am not satisfied the theme is fleshed out entirely to my liking but the basic premise is that the nation is waterbound (Tritons) that use death magic and mastery over golem construction to become amphibious as the game progresses.

I am still happy to hear your ideas on a Native American mod, send me a private message or respond to this thread if you would like some feedback.

[HoneyBadger]

Well, it seems (and this can be looked up easily on the internet) that there are lots of stories and legends about a race of giants in North America. These stories are very interesting, because they're coming out of the 19th and early 20th century, from settlers, rather than from pre-Columbian times.

Apparently, there were gigantic humanoids (between 7 and 12 feet or more tall) in Tennessee, Ohio, Kansas, Wisconsin, California, Indiana, Minnesota, and New York. They share other traits than bigness, too. They almost universally had a double row of teeth (this trait comes up again and again) and usually red hair-although some legends tell that the red haired giants displaced other black haired giants. Lots of skeletons were apparently found-especially skulls, and with artifacts, like stone axes.

So, I was thinking, why not a giant Native American influenced nation? Kind of shine a light on these rather interesting stories. I can provide more details about this, if you or anyone else is interested.

Here's one link:

http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/N.Am/N.Am.html

I typed "Giants in North America" in Google to find it.


It might be that the scientific community is doing some covering up, because I've read quite a depressing few accounts about these discovered bones "disappearing" into various institutions.

Maybe it's a conspiracy, maybe the whole thing is just made up, but usually there's an element of truth in such a broadly-told lie.

[HoneyBadger]

P.S. Beware that some of the sites which relate these stories have a religious agenda-namely linking the bones to Biblical stories of "giants in the earth" and "Nephilim".

I don't have such an agenda, I assure you, so please feel free to take such claims with as much salt as is to your taste.

[VedalkenBear]

... odd. I would find it much more unbelievable that the settlers who you refer to, being overwhelmingly Christian in their religion, would _not_ relate these stories to something they were more familiar with (i.e., the Nephilim).

As far as a nation goes... how would this be different from the giant nations we have already or will soon have?