For KS (which is coming along nicely) and possibly for 4th Age I’m looking to introduce some new SNAs. Ideally I’d like ones that are varied in power, anything from relatively weak (eg Personal Challenge bonus), through medium (Commanders @ 40) to strong (Hire Armies @0 cost) that sort of thing.
So feel free to get your thinking caps on and come up with some ideas here. I’ll then collate them and ask you guys which you’d actually like coded into the game.
Clint
We suggest X, Y & Z and you plug them into the proper ‘historical’ background?
Some years ago I discussed Tolkien’s racial/racist beliefs. He suggests, implies or explicitly mentions racial characteristics in ME. I can understand why you would not want to go there, considering the sensitivity of the subject.
On safer grounds, the Dunlendings have been demonstrated to be Tolkien’s proto-Celts. The historical, cultural and linguistic similarities are strikeing. Hence we can make use of the ancient historians (such as Caesar) who observed them first-hand. On the first round of combat ‘Dunlendings’ get a one point strength bonus. On the second round of combat they lose one strength point. On the third round of combat they lose two strength points, etc.
Another one: Tolkien adopts the medieval belief that “the king’s hands are healing hands”. Part of being annointed by God. Hence, ‘Argeleb’ (or his equivilent) is always a M 10, with a heal true spell.
Clint - wasn’t a lot of this work done early in the KS process? I thought we already put a lot of SNA ideas out there - looking for more?
Ed - I like them both. Regarding the Duns, that’s 1 pt per Trooper, then…? 100 HI, whatever their final Str is calculated at (Com, Morale, Wea) then +100 for Round 1, then -100 for Round 2, etc…?
New - Army Str bonuses for specific Troop Types. So the Eothraim start with Cavalry…then they play by the same rules as everyone else. Give their Mounted troops extra starting Training, leaving the rest as “normal”, for example (Dwarf HI, Elven Ar, etc…)
Leadership Morale - every army being led by the “King/Leader/Nazgul” of the nation gets extra Moral and/or opposing armies lose some (unless oppositely balanced). Hmmm…extra rule for the whole program…or maybe just those leaders with a military tradition (ie not Akhorahil…??)
Some quick hits:
Sage - mage rank is doubled (or +20) for the purpose of learning & casting lore spells
Iron Rule - pop centers are more resistant to 498/525 and local militia is more effective at preventing agent action
Pathfinder - evasive movement has a higher chance of success in certain terrain (e.g. forest, swamp, rough)
Forged in Fire - increased bonuses to comm rank, morale and training when victorious in battle
Arms Supplies - all new recruits come equipped with bronze weapons and leather armor
Nice ideas DieHard. Here are some more presented in the same vein:
a. Ultimate Loyalty - ($8k) victims of kidnapping or capture in battle suicide within 1-5 turns if they are still held hostage.
b. Battlefield Promotion - ($20k, one nation per side in FA) - if army commander is killed, a new character is created on the spot as the promoted from ranks army commander with random Command Skill from 10-30 and much smaller chances of other skills. This eliminates agents as an army-killing force. The new character inherits no orders (i.e. anything the prior commander(s) would have done had they lived is lost).
c. Nationalistic Fervor - ($10k) - loyalty loss/increase scale increased one notch on the scale:
Current Nationalistic Fervor
Tax Rate Loyalty Loyalty
1-13 (+2 to +4) (+4 to +6)
14-26 (+1 to +3) (+2 to +4)
27-39 (+0 to +2) (+1 to +3)
40-60 (-1,0,+1) (+0 to +2)
61-73 (0 to -2) (-1,0,+1)
74-86 (-1 to -3) (0 to -2)
87-100 (-2 to -4) (-1 to -3)
Additionally, loyalty lost due to fall of a pop center is reduced one on the internal scale of pop center size (my presumption on current implementation)
well, the formatting got hosed. if you can’t figure out the table, let me know
A few more:
Manifest Destiny – +1 to PC loyalties per turn (tax rate still affects loyalty in typical way, this bonus just means higher tax rates can be sustained with less long-term affect on loyalties)
Secret Service – 500, 505, and 525 orders executed at emi rank +10 (or +20)
Dictatorial Leadership – 175/185, 300, and 460-494 orders at +10 (or +20) Comm rank
Fanatical Populace – camps placed at double normal loyalty
in the vein of the spirit mastery I can see having the weakness SNA as the easy version with 4K cost; sickness at the average with 8K cost; and curses at 20K cost…this would give folks more flexibility with mages.
I would also like to see the huge variety of new artifacts being more utilized and researched so that a nation could pick a Tomb Raider SNA which gives its characters a +15 to personal challenge rank in artifact encounters/NPC encounters resulting in combat. just a thought.
Might I suggest increasing the value of combat spells both defensive and offensive such that mages might actually enter combat more often?
To comment on other sna’s offered I think giving a +20 skill increase option for each character class is not overdoing it…agents are not the only class that is useable. So a +20 to command for threats or a +15 when challenged as an army commander? No commander wants to look bad in front of the troops. A +20 to emmies that are doubling enemies? A +20 to mage rank as stated in a previous posting for researching/casting lore spells.
I would like to see more army encounters that yield recruitable NPCs especially in Fourth Age as the freeps get Ents and Eagles and the DS get…what maybe a Balrog? How about fell beasts or mercenaries?
all done;;;I am getting off topic so just some things to look at.
have fun
jerry
Ah!! I have it! How about a Call E3 when you have a question SNA? Gotta be a technical question that involves some description that will require E3 to email you and give the correct information. I would take that as an SNA!
later,
Jerry
#25 Gm47
sorry ernie I had to jab you…even if you stay off the forums
My ideas …
Army Scouts
All armies for the nations get a free recon at the end of the turn.
Advanced Militia
Fortified pop centres gain an increased defence against agent actions
Improved Farming
Plains hexes with pop centres from that nation generate 20% more food
Improved Lumber Mills
Forest hexes with pop centres from that nation generate 20% more timber
Spy Network
Gain a free uncover secrets at 75 on a random enemy pop centre each turn
Low Keeled Boats
Navies with only transports may use minor rivers
Mountaineers
Armies can move to mountains for 2 movement points less than normal.
lots of cool ideas from folks!
A few more …
Improved Map Move
You can move your map up to 6 spaces with the Map Move order in the direction specified instead of just one.
Woodland Trackers
Army movement through forest hexes is reduced by one movement point
Hide Pop centre
Gain new lost list spell that will allow a mage to hide a pop centre owned by that nation. Only one pop centre can be actively hidden per nation by this method.
Excellent idea!
I will propose that these emails come with a summary with bold text at the end…
Nice one guys, keep them coming. I’d like to get to say 100 then we do a poll of ones that players would like to see implemented.
Clint
How about these:
Artifact Grasper - Nation’s mages of at least 40 rank can cast #412 Research Artifact for up to six (6) artifacts. The total number of arties allow is random, based on the natural Mage skill rank of caster. Effect randomly reveals primary ability of all arties, or all abilities of best arty in set.
Worm Speaker - Nation’s emmissaries of at least 40 rank that encounter a dragon get a “hint” as to possible means to recruit it or get away as safely as possible. Or they get the number of the next hex to which the worm will move.
Wight Lighter - Nation’s characters that encounter wights get a bonus against them equal to 1/2 best skill.
Current Swimmer - Nation’s commanders who’s icon is defeated at sea (in combat, or by krakens/pirates/accountants) has chance equal to command skill of swimming to shore. A roll is made for every 3 hexes distance swum…and result is played out in a little paragraph like an encounter.
Agenda Setter - The nation’s highest natural command rank character can, before turn 5 orders, select to fill an empty SNA with one from among a list of those available.
Death Ground Finder - The nation’s commanders can force an enemy to use a particular tactic for any battle in the hex in which the commander leads an army. This SNA would cancel itself out, if used by both nations.
You Shall Not Pass - A nation may, once during the game, have their best commander sacrifice him/herself, to defeat an encounter.
String, or Nothing - A nation may, once during the game, add 100 to one of their character’s challenge ratings.
James
Fleet Footed
+1 movement point for all of your nations characters
Artefact Hoarder
Each character may carry seven artefacts
Horsebowmen
Light cavaly get +4 offence and steel waepons for free, but may not have armour.
High Born
2 rolls on the character generation/improvement table. You only get the best result
Child of Sauron
1 character on the roster can never truly die. There is a 20% cumulative chance of that character reappearing at the capital or place of death with his full ranks at no cost. This only occurs as long as you are not on 21 characters.
(DS Only)
Sneaky Elves
No roll is made for a character bonus. For every 5000 sna gold all characters in your roster always get 5 stealth.
(Elf only)
Vigilance
Characters are spotted more easily in your pop centres
Fanatics
Militia are more effective at blocking and dealing with agents. They also act against emmisaries trying to influence away population centres
Natural Foragers
Food requirements for your armies is reduced by 50%
Engineers
20% reduced gold cost for capital infrastructure. That includes forts, bridges, harbor, ports, improving pops and making roads
Education
You can name characters at up to 40, but with a maximum of 30 in any 1 skill.
I attach no cost to these SNAs as they have not been game tested in any way. Some of these ideas could also have the parameters of the bonus changed too.
As with some ablilities other people listed, I like their idea or concept, but would modify them slighty. Perhaps we could vote on the ideas generated and debate the costs and percantages at the end?
Regards All
Mike
From a player
Double casting doesnt cost health
Bonus command rank only for the purposes of moving evasively or catching evasive movement
Bonus to steal gold and steal artifact
Always chose the right tactic in combat or never suffer the full negative of choosing the wrong one
All characters can double agent at rank 100
Immune to double agent
All skill gains from orders +1
Pops produce extra gold
Bonus loyalty gain to all pops +1/turn
How many are we upto now? 
Clint
Clint,
How are we going to get the list together to vote on these. Some of these SNAs overlap and most of them don’t have costs associated with them. Are we going to combine the ones that clash or just have them as options we can vote on? Are we going to give them an expected cost before we vote on them as the viability of an SNA will depend on the cost associated with it.
Gavin
There are 52 ideas posted here although a few of these cover the same ground. I have them listed in a spreadsheet.
Gavin