[1.0] A RimWorld of Magic

[NatsuDragneell]

i don't use forums that often, so i don't really know how to post things, sorry for that

[Holvr]

A small idea. It might already very well be in the mod, but I haven't encountered it yet, so:

What about a magical version of drop-pod raids? Similar to elemental rifts showing up, there could be portals that'd open in the midst of your colony and spill raiders around (with a special condition that magical raids would ALWAYS have at least 1 mage with them to make sense of the portal).

It'd add a nice surprise party, as well as a way to keep the drop-pod raids in while going for low-tech playthroughs.

[Torann]

A small idea. It might already very well be in the mod, but I haven't encountered it yet, so:

What about a magical version of drop-pod raids? Similar to elemental rifts showing up, there could be portals that'd open in the midst of your colony and spill raiders around (with a special condition that magical raids would ALWAYS have at least 1 mage with them to make sense of the portal).

It'd add a nice surprise party, as well as a way to keep the drop-pod raids in while going for low-tech playthroughs.

I like the idea, I was thinking about adding something like this already.  It also gives me an excuse to rework the Arcanist 'teleport' spell to be less like a drop-pod and more like an actual, instant movement, teleport.

I wouldn't be changing drop pods or their events, just adding an additional, more fantasy based event. Drop pods themselves don't really make sense in a medieval/tribal playthrough so making another entry method that has some of the capabilities of a drop pod with a different graphic-set for magic would be pretty neat, and return some of the challenges/risks of enemies with that type of capability.

[Canute]

I like the idea, I was thinking about adding something like this already.  It also gives me an excuse to rework the Arcanist 'teleport' spell to be less like a drop-pod and more like an actual, instant movement, teleport.

About time ! It is still the best transport system together with the Cargo Pod transporter, but the drop pod loading and launch, with the explosion is a bit annoying.

Instead to load the pod, just anything around the caster get teleported.
Lvl 1 = 1 tile around (9 tiles), lvl 2 = 2 tile around (25 tiles), lvl 3 = 3 tile around (49 tiles).
Ok, mods like StackXXL would drastic extend the transport capacity with that system.
But at this way, there isn't any time pressure anymore to loadup the pod before it explode.

Edit:
I just capture an Enchanter.
Once he wake up as prisoner, he tryed to enchant, ofcouse it don't work since he don't own a weapon maymore.

[Nales]

I really like this mod, but I'm having a very hard time actually getting a balanced challenge with it, even when tinkering with the options.

- Mana Shield basically removes any risk as long as your mages keep some reserves of mana (and aren't utterly suicidal).
Suggestion: change it to absorb only a certain % of incoming damage (50% at most), and nerf the ratio to about 2 mana for 1 damage.

- Stoneskin is causing the same issue, especially when using multiple Geomancers.
Suggestion: Change its mechanics so that it works similarly to shield belts, absorbing a very low amount of damage (10 +2 per talent level?) and automatically regenerating over time. And possibly absorbing only part of the damage (like the Mana Shield suggestion)

- Shadow (Arcane Mage spell) gives an insanely strong buff, considering it can be permanently active. The mood penalty is a trivial issue that's easily counterbalanced by pomana fruit, syrrium, or just the bonus from gaining levels.

- Also about Arcane Mages, upgraded Teleport basically removes any need to actually move on the world map. I don't really mind the spell itself, but it shouldn't completely replace caravanning.
Suggestion: increase the cooldown to an extremely high value (1 real-time hour?), with a class talent to reduce it a bit. Also maybe increase the mana cost. The same should probably be done with the ultimate spell, Gateway.

- Pawn value not taking magical / physical traits into account. If all my colonists are level 50 mages or fighters, they should have higher expectations (due to all the quality of life skills), and raids should be much harder.
Suggestion: add a significant value bonus to pawns that have mage or fighter abilities (not including magically gifted / physically apt). Maybe 2000 + 50 per level?

- The previous point should be countered by enemies using spells, but in my experience they hardly ever use them, even with the "hard AI" option checked and a high "mage commonality". In my 2-years playthrough, I only saw them use spells a handful of times.
Actually, I would suggest overhauling the "all enemies can cast spells too" system so that only arcane factions can use spells. This would also diversify raids: tribals would have better numbers, outlanders would have high-tech gear, and arcane raiders would have spells and physical abilities.
In that case I would also suggest adding a "permanently hostile" arcane faction.

- Mechanoids and manhunter packs cannot use spells or physical abilities, making them too weak against a magic-capable colony. Could be solved by increasing pawn value based on their magic / physical traits, so that raid points are increased.

- Magicyte being farmable through planting makes it too easy to farm, especially since it's a bush that regrows by itself. I mean, I don't want all my colonists to be able to learn all of their spells on the first year. It also makes mining really slow at obtaining magicyte.
Suggestion: don't restrict or nerf the amount of magicyte from the plant, but add a drawback based on how many bushes you have on the map. My idea would be a new kind of raid events, where specific creatures (attracted to the plants) attack your colony and / or try to eat the plants. Raid points for this event would be determined by the amount of this plant you have on the map, rather than by wealth.
Basically, you can grow as much of the plant as you want, but you have to be ready for the consequences. This would also smooth out progression, as you'd have to limit the amount of plant grown at first, and gradually increase it as you get better defenses and spells... instead of planting 1000 cells on the first year to quickly craft the best stuff.

- Similarly, Pomana fruits are just too good. Eaten instantly, fills entire recreation bar, +4 mood with a global learning buff? Sure, the plant's yield isn't very efficient (although being a bush kinda counteracts the low efficiency) but again, you can plant as many as you like.
Suggestion: going with the above suggestion, make Pomanasyrrium plants also contribute in attracting magic monsters, so that you have to limit how many you plant (and find a balance between pomana fruits and magicyte).
Also, perhaps a bug : pomana fruits seem to be found an "undesirable" food by colonists, as they'll wait until they're really hungry to eat some.

- About gear, I would suggest drastically reducing the costs, market value, and bonuses of the high-end stuff like Robes of the Archmage. In my opinion it's just too out of line with vanilla gear. Reducing magicyte farmability would also make this a logical step.
One particular thing of note: Armor of the Valiant. It's "only" worth 2400$, even when made from Plasteel, protects extremely well, and only covers the Outer part, allowing to use Flak Vests or something in addition. (Also, is it really intended to require 500 gold? This alone is worth more than 2400$. Maybe a bug due to gold and silver amounts being multiplied by 10 when crafting?)
Finally, is it intended that the stuff I craft at the arcane forge is consistently Masterwork or Legendary? My crafters don't even have a very high crafting or intellectual skill. This makes plasteel-made Armor of the Valiant even stronger! (hello 200% armor on nearly the entire body)

- Gems not increasing the value of items is also an issue. Why craft the super-high-value Robes of the Archmage when you can just enchant an armor with a Major Gem of Wonder and get basically the same things without increasing your wealth, with actual armor as a bonus?

- Some items make it too easy to get money. Mana potions in particular are worth a ridiculous amount (with no selling penalty), considering how cheap and quick they are to make. Even if magicyte becomes less farmable, just 8 magicyte yields 2 mana potions, each being worth about 200$.
Suggestion: Reduce the market value of mana potions, and / or give them a selling penalty. There may be other items that are similarly too easy to farm.

Well that was a lot of stuff... again, this mod is fantastic and so much fun, it's just that I can't find a way to play a balanced game when I'm using it.

[Canute]

Nales,
that is a problem of nearly any mod.
A mod that add new superior weapons, maybe some raider use them but mosttimes not that quality like your pawn's use.
Ok, the balancing of this mod is even worser, because you can take more advance of the new skills then any AI would do.


@Torann,
can it be that you forget a jobdriver for cooking at the Magical heater ?
I could add a bill for simple meal's but noone want to do it.
And i can't select a cook, just "Any worker".

[TheJinx]

Well consider the usage of manaweave on things like robes of the archmage and the bonuses from it usually outweigh just enchanting some armour not to mention it also increases your pawns movement speed while armour decreases it. Also I feel that this mod offers you a lot of control in regards to balance I feel like downloading mods like more powerful faction bases or stronger raiders would help somewhat but I also have to add that the Arcane Fold faction isn't completely fleshed out and I like some of your suggestions in regards to the AI usage of fighter skills and magic

[Gwaheer]

I really like this mod, but I'm having a very hard time actually getting a balanced challenge with it, even when tinkering with the options.

Only way to get balanced experience is your own house rules. Lately, I'm, for example:

1. Not farm magicyte anymore, so I must be really picky with my crafting options. This is solving all problems with overpowered equipment.
2. Don't use teleport spell at all, because it completely remove all risks related to traveling
3. Don't use more than 1 of the kind of mages / fighters in my colonies. I prefer utility mages, my favorite is druid.
4. Stay away from trading things I feel unbalanced... On this front balance is much better after one of the last updates.

[Jan2607]

Torann, a few updates ago you lowered the ingredient requirements for mana potions (no Go Juice) so we can craft the potions early game. Why did you change it back to Go Juice as ingredient?
These potions are really helpful to survive mana drain events in early game.

[Torann]

Torann, a few updates ago you lowered the ingredient requirements for mana potions (no Go Juice) so we can craft the potions early game. Why did you change it back to Go Juice as ingredient?

I didn't, there are 2 recipe's.  One is made at the gemcrafting table with smokeleaf, psychoid leaves, and magicyte and the other is made at the drug lab with smokeleaf, psychoid leaf and go juice.

[Jan2607]

Oh yeah, I found it. Must have overseen it.

[Torann]

Updated to v2.3.3.0

Tweaks:

• Paracyte thornbush leaches mana from the atmosphere; each bush reduces mana regeneration by 0.66%
  
• Druid trait focus changed from tame/train animals to plants
  
• Mana potion market value adjust;
  
• Mana shield absorbs up to 10 damage per hit, excess damage will harm the target
  
• Fighters and mages add wealth to the colony; the higher the class level, the more wealth is added

Bug Fixes:

• The magical heater allows bills to be worked
  
• Compatibility for Giddy-up! - no longer despawns a mount if a flight ability is used
  
• Compatibility for Rimmu-Nation Weapons and ability users
  
• Crafted apparel correctly accounts for silver/gold crafting modifiers

[Paisdabr]

I found a bug where when you use a soul orb to steal an ability (mage/fighter), the pawn who got the ability cant interact with objects anymore (like haul objects or equip new weapons)

[Jan2607]

For some reason, Steam doesn't want to update the mod. I'm still on the old version. I tried it with closing the game, restarting Steam, unsubscribing the mod. Nothing worked.

[Canute]

Torann,
i got an idea about the magical heater and cooking.
Currently you can cook at the heater, which might be useful as mobile cooking for caravan too.
But it is hard to implement that the magical heater would work as fuel source for campfirel/Fueled stoves ?
So when the heater is next to them, they don't consume any fuel ?
Similar to the Cooking tools from Vegetable garden but give negative fuel consumation.
Hmm does that require a modcheck patch, so it worked for all VG cooking facilities too ?

I think that would be very handy on colder biome's on medivial playthrough.