PROPOSAL: New unit abilities

[LibrarianBrent]

Bladedance- Any time this unit moves, all units next to it are attacked once in close combat with no retaliation However, this applies to allied units as well, so you have to be careful how to use the bladedancer.

Hitandrun- Attacking takes up two moves for this unit, it can attack, then run back. All hitandrun units skirmish.

Nightvision- Nightvision units see one more square at night and one less square at day. Dawn and dusk are unaffected.

Silentkiller- This unit cannot be spotted except by units next to it. Definitely level 3 only though.

Fallback- If attacked, this unit doesn't fight back and instead runs back 4 hexes directly away from it's attacker, disregarding terrain, after the first swing. (Note that surrounded fallbackers will not fight back against any attacks. Don't use them in straight battles).

Craven- This unit can't attack. It will retaliate if attacked, but cannot strike itself.

Invulnerable- Only magic attacks can hurt the unit. (no player-controllable unit should have this, good for monsters)

[jyrierik]

Bladedance-When it moves (or when it fights)? In any case, without retaliation this seems to be way too powerful a feature to add. Even with retaliatory strikes it seems too powerful as written.

Hitandrun-A unit that is allowed to attack and then move could be interesting.

Craven-What would be the use of this "feature"?

Jyri

[quartex]

the one ability I was pondering recently for a scouting unit would be nightwatch. In levels with a shroud, how much is sight reduced by night? I realize only a few levels have a shroud, making the ability only useful part of the the time, and only at night, but it could be a nice ability for a chaotic nocturnal unit.

Hit and run could be a very interesting ability. D&D has a similar feat, Evasion is the name they use I think. You couldn't be able to run far, but i think it could be great for a fast lightly armed unit (like a thief, orcish slayer or similar unit).

[Sangel]

Sight isn't presently reduced by night. You can currently see all the hexes you can move to, plus one further, regardless of day or night.

Hit and Run has been proposed before, in the somewhat reduced form of being allowed to attack, then move, instead of just moving, then attacking. I like that idea.

[Jetrel]

Craven would be PERFECT for priests, I MEAN, (cough) white mages.


Very, very useful in the right hands.

[Dacyn]

Fallback- If attacked, this unit doesn't fight back and instead runs back 4 hexes directly away from it's attacker, disregarding terrain, after the first swing. (Note that surrounded fallbackers will not fight back against any attacks. Don't use them in straight battles).

Running through impassable mountains, deep water, and cave wall to escape being attacked! This has been rejected in another thread; are there any other ways this could work?

Craven- This unit can't attack. It will retaliate if attacked, but cannot strike itself.

->

Craven- This weapon cannot be used to attack. It can be used for retailation, but not for attacking.

Invulnerable- Only magic attacks can hurt the unit. (no player-controllable unit should have this, good for monsters)

in other words, it has 100% defense on all terrains? Maybe we should just fix that bug...

[Sangel]

"Craven" is not the right word for a Priest who won't fight. "Pacifist" is more like it.

At any rate, the White Mages do fight in Wesnoth - they smite Undead mightily!

[quartex]

Craven/Pacifist wouldn't fit in the theme of Wesnoth becuase Dav has said that all Wesnoth unit are fighters. We don't have bards, scholars, doctors, etc. becuase they are combat units. Those are the kind of units that would be pacifist. I think it's important that every unit can attack.

[SteelP]

I like those abilities, but craven shouldn't be for white mages, they are enough strong to attack... perhaps and advancement of the white mage with improved healing and no attack (2 branches, 1 anti-undead, 1 superhealer, 8 or 6 hp restored to any unit around them)?

Necromancy(should be only used for necromancers an any advancement of the dark apprentice, perhaps for a "to be" vampire): any time a unit is killed by the units that have this ability, the enemy unit becomes an undead unit under the control of the unit that killed it. Just like plague, but the result could be a skeleton, skeleton archer, zombie or vampire (if someone likes it and makes it, but these could only make vampires).

I think it's a very good idea this necromancy ability, because I'm feeling that undead are becoming just the same as any other race, and they should be really different: sheer numbers, strange difficult to handle and powerfull abilities and low damaging attacks (but poisoned, magical...). This could make playing with undead more challenging and fun.

[SteelP]

Also, Dave? said that there were few high level undead units (3rd level undead archer??? ), so a vampire would be really good and other high level unit could be a branch within the dark apprentices that gets necromancy (and loses close attack but gets a good ranged attack, or it would be nearly useless) and other with good close range attack, perhaps poisoned blade and a magical cold attack (black knight as and advancement of a dark apprentice?). It could also be given a melee attack to the dark apprentice so they have more chances of levelling and makes more sense the black night advancement.

What do you think?

[LibrarianBrent]

Fallback redux:

Fallback- When a unit with fallback is attacked, it will not retaliate. Instead, it will move one square directly away from it's attacker. If this move would take it into another unit, deep water, mountains, or cave wall, the unit fights normally instead.

[turin]

I actually extremely dislike all of these ideas... all of them are too complicated, pointless, or both.

but i realize that i am not a developer and they, not I, decide what goes in, regardless of whether it is right or not.

[LibrarianBrent]

Bladedance Redux:

Bladedance- Whenever a unit with bladedance moves next to ANY unit, friend or foe, it makes 1 close combat swing (NOT full attack) on the unit. Bladedancing units cannot atack normally.

[turin]

I can't think of any unit where these ideas would be interesting... just strange. I'm not explaining further, though, since i'm not going to get into a flame war.

[Dave]

I actually extremely dislike all of these ideas... all of them are too complicated, pointless, or both.

I'm not really keen on them either.

One idea I had a while ago which is kinda like the fallback idea is to have a unit which when attacking, will withdraw from the fight immediately if another blow would kill it. This ability wouldn't do anything when it's defending though. The unit wouldn't actually move though, it'd stay in place.

But, I really think we've got around enough abilities now without having to strain our brains to think of more.

but i realize that i am not a developer and they, not I, decide what goes in, regardless of whether it is right or not.

Actually you're a developer now turin. Remember how we had that discussion about giving you CVS write access?

David