Elven Enchantress

[Jetrel]

Okay you monkeys - I need some help coming up with names for the sorceress/enchantress branch of the shaman (and possibly a rename of the shaman, because I really don't like that name being used for any elf, let along a inexperienced female one. Shaman seems to me to be more of a witch doctor, something that would become animal in nature, rather than faerie).

I will be making the graphics for these things as soon as the muse visits me (and it will, very soon in fact - I have the little blighter on a chain). Short of getting killed, I expect to have this unit done in a few days.


So, here are some ideas - the best I could dredge up from english was Enchantress, Sorceress, and Thaumaturgess.

Dryad and Sprite, et all will not work, as they are being saved for *another* unit I may work on, and besides I am thinking this unit should stay somewhat corporeal.

Witch is out, for obvious reasons, and I don't like herbalist.



Other ideas I have come up with, in my usual role as the "carnicero de lenguas", are:

Wys is middle english for wise, and is the ancestor of the first part of Wizard.

Wysava - Ava being a mutation of Eve, and an occasional name in places.
Wys'hramn - hramn being germanic for raven
Wyslinde - linde is either germanic for snake, or for "soft/tender" which seems adequately feminine. Could also be related to the spanish linda - "beautiful"

Brighid - Irish name - means "exalted one" - used for the celtic goddess of fire poetry and wisdom.



So, start coming up with suggestions, and keep in mind this unit will end up looking something vaguely like Galadriel et al.

And give me a warning if any of those names I pulled up actually mean something else... (somehow, wysava is echoing in my mind as though I have seen it somewhere else. I would like very much to know where)

[Dacyn]

what does this unit do?

[Jetrel]

what does this unit do?

It is a branch of the "shaman" that abandons healing capability for vastly improved offensive (and likely defensive) capability, but, elven magic user style.

My plans were for her to have both the same thorn and entangle attacks, though with more powerful versions of them.

At level three, I would like her to have the faerie touch attack. At level four, I would like her to lose the thorns attack for some sort of "ranged faerie touch" attack - possibly a cold attack.

Also, I was thinking of giving this unit a magical version of the entangle attack, at level three or four - or perhaps giving her more than two iterations of the thing - the primary purpose being to make that attack more likely to get the one-crucial-hit it needs to have it's effect. Hell-maybe if we forgo the magical version, she could have four iterations of it at level 4. Who knows.

Anyhow... part of this is in response to the "elvish tracker/outcast/whamachacallit" that was being worked on - a large part of the reason that that unit was created was because a number of people (myself included) felt that the shamans/et. al. were too fragile to be used for entangling in the heat of combat. Certainly, they are somewhat vulnerable on plains.


To that very end, perhaps the enchantresses could, as they get to level three or four, gain a slightly different movetype that makes them a bit less easy to hit on, say, grass, or something, not unlike the thieves.

Part of why I am making this unit is to fill that niche, the other is that I feel the elves need a recruitable unit with a powerful magical attack - an analogue to the human great mage line. And besides the point - elvish sorceresses just sound like a cool idea to me anyways. I wouldn't mind seeing a powerful elvish sorceress that actually, um, wore clothes

[Dacyn]

It is a branch of the "shaman" that abandons healing capability for vastly improved offensive (and likely defensive) capability, but, elven magic user style.

"Elvish Mage"
although I don't see why 'dryad' and 'sprite' are invalid; if the units that you're working on get in then we can change the name of this one.

[Elvish_Pillager]

vastly improved offensive (and likely defensive) capability

This if any unit should get a melee slow attack. That way, you could improve its defense without worrying about HP or defense of resistance or anything. Then, we would have a mage who *really* kills Heavy Infantry!

[Jetrel]

It is a branch of the "shaman" that abandons healing capability for vastly improved offensive (and likely defensive) capability, but, elven magic user style.

"Elvish Mage"
although I don't see why 'dryad' and 'sprite' are invalid; if the units that you're working on get in then we can change the name of this one.

no, this is a female-only unit, like the shaman/druid/shyde

part of why I don't like the name shaman

those units are pretty fricken' obviously not male. Someone could go ahead and make male versions of them, but I am not in support of it.

[Jetrel]

vastly improved offensive (and likely defensive) capability

This if any unit should get a melee slow attack. That way, you could improve its defense without worrying about HP or defense of resistance or anything. Then, we would have a mage who *really* kills Heavy Infantry!

intriguing

[Dacyn]

no, this is a female-only uni

???
why does this unit being female-only mean that my name doesn't work?

[Eleazar]

I think the L1 of the unit should be simply, "Elvish Healer"
It's not a fancy name, but it's not a fancy unit--yet.

I haven't played that much yet, (i've just gotten across the ford of Abez while still in good shape) but..

I think an alternate branch for the shaman would be cool.
"enchantress" and "sorceress" seem to me to be about equal in weight, but "sorceress" frequently has and evil connotation.
"Thaumaturgess" sounds like a higher level.

perhaps: "Healer">> "Enchantress">>"Thaumaturgess" -with "healer" replacing "Shaman"

Though it seems odd that the unit would loose the healing ability. Perhaps it's healer abilities just don't increase from L1 as the unit focuses on more aggressive things.

[Neoriceisgood]

Yes, it becomes a fast mage or something.

[Bander]

I like the Idea of it keeping heals and getting a slow melee ranged attack as it progesses in levels. Perhaps Healer > Elementalist with melee slow > Scorcerer.

You might have to rework the lv1 one verson of what it is now so that both branches will flow better.

By the way, this is the most Kick Ass Free game I have ever played and I can't wait to see it finished. Great job so far guys!

[SteelP]

I hate Thaumaturgess, wich, wysava, Wys'hramn, elvish healer (too simple), but I like a lot your other names.

If another branch of the shaman is made, I think you should make the shaman stronger; now is quite difficult to level up a shaman so you get a healer; if you get healers and powerful mages, you will have to split your effort (and it's a harder effort than using mages) between the two branches, so you won't have enough healers, and you won't have enough whatsisnames (your warrior branch).
I suggest this branch is a new unit, perhaps with 3 levels, or, if you want to do this a branch of the shaman (I think this is the right thing to do), you should make shamans easier to level up (mages can attack nearly any 1st level unit, shamans only badly damaged, <5hp units if not used for slowing trolls&co), so elves get enough healers and enough mages to be useful.
Perhaps you could raise the cost of the shaman, 20 gold or something like that, and give their ranged attack better chances to heat, perhaps even magical (or make their ranged attack more damaging with the same % to hit). Or you could make their xp needs lower...

[Neoriceisgood]

The difference is simple: mages start out as fighters, and are therefore easier to level up; however shamans start as healers and therefore aren't necessary to level up.

[Jetrel]

no, this is a female-only unit

???
why does this unit being female-only mean that my name doesn't work?

because we would call it "magess", if it was female, not "mage lady" or "female mage" or something silly like that. And most likely, the magess will be used for the female permutations of the human mages.

No offense to Francisco, who is somewhat unsure about the use of the increasingly archaic gender endings in English (which he is for obvious reasons - most native speakers of english are as well), but the "Vampire Lady" should be called "Vampiress". That is an accepted and valid term, and flows a lot more easily. These endings don't get used all too often, but with the words I do use them for, I have seen them used in that manner before.

The difference is simple: mages start out as fighters, and are therefore easier to level up; however shamans start as healers and therefore aren't necessary to level up.

Though, one of the interesting catches is that shamans take only half of the experience to reach their first level that mages do. Once they get that first level, they have a magic ranged attack, and life gets much easier for them.

I hate Thaumaturgess, elvish healer (too simple), but I like a lot your other names.

It is worth noting that Thaumaturge meant "Miracle Worker" back in Roman times.

Though "Elvish Healer" is quite simple, I must say that practically anything, including it, is better than "shaman". Shaman is fine for the orcs, but terrible for the elves.



Conjuress And then I realized - hey, I could go from "enchantress" to "Arch-Enchantress" or likewise "Arx Incantrix". hmmmm.

[SteelP]

If you make two branches of a unit, one third level and the other fourth level, that unit MUST be "easy" (at least not nearly impossible without strange tactics) to level up, if not all those high level units won't be seen in the game (and I'm talking about campaigns, in multiplayer would be impossible). I think that if shamans remain as they are now, this will damage the elves, not help them, as a lot of effort will be distracted from leveling up to "curers".

Also, perhaps this could be a level 3 branch (not level 2), and while shades get "cure", the other branch gets only "heals", but better attacks.