Age 54 Potential Changes Rev II

[Twyla]

After reading what a lot of others have had to say (and weighing things accordingly), here's what I believe to be an equitable balance:

The Races

Avian
-20% Attack Time
+40% Thievery Damage
+1 Defense Specialist Strength

- 10% attack gains
No Access to Stables

Spell book: Town Watch, Fanaticism, War Spoils (Removed Vermin)
Elite: 8/3, 800gc, 7.0NW

Since the Devs are aiming towards a bit more hybridization, I worked towards making Age 54's Avians the Thievery counterparts of Age 53's Elves. Like Elves, they retain their 6-point Defense Specialists - freeing up a bit of room needed for Thieves.

Also, their Elite has been revised comparable to an Elf. Whereas an Age 53 Elf Lord is 7/3, 600gc, and 6NW - 8/3 and 6.6 NW when mounted - the Avian would be 8/3 (same) and 7.0NW (vs 6.6NW) but 200gc more expensive to compensate.

While I still disagree with reducing Avian's attack time bonus - particularly by that much - such a reduction would be a tolerable trade-off with the Thievery mod and revised Elite.

Dwarf
+ 20% BE
+ 30% Spell Damage (Instant Spells)
Free Building Construction
Can use credits to raze buildings

+ 50% Food consumption
Accelerated Construction not available

Spell book: Quick Feet, Fanaticism, Fools Gold, Clearsight
Elite: 7/4, 750gc, 6.25NW

Apart from the -25% TpA mod, Age 53's Dwarf wasn't bad. Adding the Magic mod and improving the offense of their Elite (which the Devs already did) is plenty in that department. Only change needed is a slight tweak to the NW of their Elite.

Elves
+50% Magic Effectiveness (WpA)
+1 Mana Regen in War
+1 Defense Specialist Strength

Spellbook: Clearsight, Pitfalls, Reflect Magic, Amnesia, Nightmare (Removed Mage's Fury)
Elite: 7/3, 600gc, 6NW

If Elves are to remain viable as A/Ms, they need to retain their Age 53 Elite. Apart from that, a slight tweak to their Spell Book is all that is needed.

Faery
+30% damage on Spells and Ops
+30% WPA and TPA

-10% Population
-2 Offensive Specialist Strength

Spellbook: All racial spells
Elite: 3/8, 1000gc, 7.5NW

So far as I'm concerned, the Devs nailed this one - nothing I can think to change on it.

Halflings
+50% Thievery Effectiveness (TpA)
+1 stealth
-50% thief cost
Homes are twice as effective (BR subject to DBE)

-25% Birth Rate

Spellbook: Invisibility, Town Watch, Mystic Aura, Aggression
Soldiers: 2/2
Elite: 5/6, 550gc, 5.75NW

Halfers were moderately well this Age though, with losing the Population and Recon bonuses, they need something to compensate. Making Homes more effective for them (16 extra pop vs 8) offers similar increases while doing so at a price. They keep Aggression (for their 3/1 Soldier tactic) and also gave them Mystic Aura - appropriate for the jammy lil buggers and a modest boost.

Humans
+10% Population
+40% damage on Spells and Ops

Spellbook: Greater Protection, Tree of Gold, Fountain of Knowledge, War Spoils
Elite: 6/6, 700gc, 6.75NW

At a bit of a loss where Humans are concerned, as they now have no clear-cut role - then again, one of their classic hallmarks is versatility. Increasing their Elites to 6/6, combined with their Population bonus, grants them that flexibility.

Orcs
+20% gains
Can train elites with credits

-50% damage on Spells and Ops

Spellbook: Bloodlust, Fanaticism, Aggression, Shadowlight, War Spoils (Removed Reflect Magic)
Elite: 9/2, 850gc, 7.5NW

Removed Reflect Magic, as it makes no sense for any Race which does not have a propensity for magic. War Spoils, however, is an appropriate replacement.

The Undead
-50% Offensive losses on attacks you make
Successful land attacks convert specialists to elites
Spreads and is immune to The Plague
No food needed

- 25% science effectiveness

Spellbook: Greater Protection, War Spoils, Animate Dead, Chastity (Removed Town Watch)
Elite: 9/3, 1000gc, 8.0NW

Town Watch is simply not an appropriate spell for Undead - as with Orcs, replaced with War Spoils.


The Personalities

The Merchant
+30% Income
-50% Money Losses on Plunder Attacks
Immunity to all Income Penalties (Riots, Plagues, etc.)


The Sage
+ 25% Science effectiveness
-66% Losses on Learn Attacks
Immune to The Plague


The Rogue
+1 Stealth recovery per tick
Access to all thievery operations, including 3 unique to rogues: Greater Arson, Assassinate Wizards and Propaganda
Thieves Dens are twice as effective (subject to DBE)


The Mystic
Access to Meteor Showers and Mage's Fury
All Guilds and Towers are twice as effective
+50% Spell Duration (For Duration Spells Only)
+1 Mana regen in War


The Warrior
+1 General
+15% OME in war
Enhanced Conquest range


The Tactician
Gain 50% more Specialist and Building Credits
-15% Attack Time
Accurate Espionage (in war)


The Cleric
- 50% Your Military Casualties (on attack or defense)
Animate Dead spell always active

All of these are near-perfect as presented, so... Yeah, here they are - again. :p Only change made was adding Mage's Fury to Mystic, where it rightly belongs.

The War Hero
+50% more bonuses from honor
-50% draft expenses
Immune to Dragons
Units sent to fight Dragons cause 1 additional damage each

This one really drew my attention in an odd direction...

War Heroes are, well, heroes! They're famous (or infamous), so the +50% Honor Effects is quite suitable. As people are more eager to join a War Hero in their various enterprises, the decreased expenses for drafting made sense as well.

Decreased training times, however, didn't make sense. If anything, they'd be liable to increase due to the extra time needed to weed out the fanboys who got in over their heads.

And then it hit me... "Why do we need to cower in the presence of a Dragon?!? OUR leader is a great WAR HERO!!" That courage also extends to the troops sent to kamikaze against Dragons - they're actually EAGER to die in the service of a War Hero, each troop inflicting 1 extra point of damage against an enemy Dragon.


Well, there's my nickel for this go-round...