Scaarion’s Expanded Classes

Inspired by Chivalrous Intentions, a further extension of classes, items, abilities, and units to exemplify certain diversities left untouched by the core game.

Current Content:
Human, Dwarf, and Orc unit packages.
Elf Units implemented, no descriptions for most, yet (testing balance)
Abralestiers and Repeating Crossbowmen.
Tower and Pavise Shield implemented

Many new unit abilities implemented

New unit properties available in the forge.

GOALS:
Key content includes:
Arbalestiers & Repeating Crossbows –
The rise of muskets did not come before the rise of the arbalest and other more advanced heavy or repeating crossbows. These have been introduced to allow a bit more competition with the notoriously powerful musket. Each race will favor one of the two options between Arbalests or Repeating Crossbows, both available from the creation of the master’s guild in a city.

Advanced Tier 1 – 3 Units –
A bit pricier than their normal counterparts, these units are lackluster for their expense without advancing their ranks. These units gain a few more abilities per level than their normal counterparts for between 20-50% more production cost, and are more competitive against higher tier enemies if advanced in rank. Further, these units require more advanced structures to be built in a city to produce. Each race will have new Tier 1, 2, and 3 infantry, archer, and support units, and new tier 2 & 3 cavalry units to complement their initial sets during mid and late game periods.

Racial Tier 4 Units –
The fact that rogues do not get a tier 4 unit by default and no race has its own tier 4 unit was something I found particularly inconsistent. Each of these prestigious races has more than enough history to justify their own racially unique elites that could contend with class trained units. As such, I took this opportunity to implement at least two Tier 4 units for each race modeled after their Tier 3 units’ playstyles. These units are each designed to compliment the base units and playstyles of the races, and to add some unique flavor to army customization.

New Class Units –
Each of the classes has quite a lot of goodness available to them, but are lacking some rather painfully obvious options for how to implement those units already available to them. Each class has gained one new unit of each tier (1 – 4) to truly compliment their army and playstyle.

New Navy –
Chivalrous Intentions did a spectacular job with so much, but one of my favorite things was the racial ships added to the game. However, I decided to take it a step further and added 2 new naval units per class to compliment class playstyle the same way That Human did for racial ship building.

New Items –
The number of items in age of wonders is astounding, until you realize exactly how many clone item functions there are among them. Some resistances are nearly nonexistant without RNG on your side, some abilities that can be added via custom item creation are nearly impossible to find in the world, and some are actually completely unavailable outside of campaigns or other mods. There may be some similarities with other mods, but I aimed to correct these glaring issues and implement them into the random loot drops. Don’t worry, balance was kept heavily in mind.

Further, these items’ abilities include those created for several of the classes, and such abilities have been added to the forge for custom item usage.

New abilities, skills, and spells-
This mod couldn’t be called expanded classes if I didn’t give some love to the classes beyond their unit choices. Several new class skills, empire upgrades, and spells have been added to each class to enable much more devastating interactions and beneficial upgrades to be gained through gameplay. I won’t list them all here, but I will list some of the key Avatar abilities I’ve included:

New Avatar Class Empire Upgrades:

Free Trade Markets T1-
Inspiring tradespeople and merchants to more freely peddle their own wares boosts the economy. All cities gain +10 base Gold Income.

Industrial Funding T1-
Better funding to traders, craftspeople, and guilds improves the production of the populace. All cities have -5 base Gold Production, but +10 base Production rate for more rapidly building units and structures.

Imperial Mint T2-
He who controls the coin controls the world. All cities gain +10 base Gold Production.

Public Education T2-
The availability of education is an important factor to uplifting a populace. With this empire upgrade, all produced units gain +1 starting rank, and all cities gain +10 research production. However, the cost of education takes its toll, all cities have -5 base Gold Production.

Arcane Colleges T3-
Allowing the practice of magic is a risky business without proper supervision and regulations, allowing for colleges of the arcane accomplishes exactly that. Support units gain +1 rank, cities produce 10 more mana, and each city grants +5 spell points to the leader’s spell point capacity. However, keeping these colleges funded reduces city gold income by 10.

Market Exchange T3-
Furthering the exercise of free trade to incorporate national trade and regulating goods & commerce increases each city’s gold income by 10. Further, gain +5 Gold per other empire the player’s empire has open borders with.

Specialist Training T3-
New training methods are implemented throughout the empire’s armies. This grants access to the advanced units available through this mod, and +1 rank to all irregular units produced.

Standardized Military T3-
All Archers, Cavalry, Infantry, & Pikemen have received standardized training, granting +1 starting rank. All Tier 1 & 2 units also receive +10 Health.

Advanced Equipment T4-
Better equipment means better survival rates for soldiers and lower costs of enlistment. All units receive +1 Melee & Ranged Damage and +1 Defense.

Officer Training T4-
Officer training includes all the basics of leadership, field exercises, and education for combat and tactics. All of the empire’s units receive +1 Resistance.

Heroic Governance T5-
Your hero has gained notable praise and popularity among their people. This empire upgrade adds +50 base happiness to all cities & armies, and +10 universal income (gold, mana, production, & research) to all cities within your empire.

Heroic Leadership T5-
Your armies are inspired by your hero’s great deeds. All armies receive +100 happiness, and all heroes receive the Heroic Leadership bonus which grants an additional +100 happiness, +1 Defense, & +1 Resistance to the army they are leading.

New Avatar Spells:

Lay Traps T1-
Lay traps at an army’s campsite. Target army suffers 3 physical, blight, & fire damage to all units in the stack.

Directed Efforts T2-
Seeking inspiration is difficult for some. This spell resets the available research for gold instead of mana and costs fewer spell points.

Political Propoganda T3-
Through widespread usage of politically geared propoganda, the empire maintains control. Grants +50 happiness to all cities and armies in the empire. (Strategic spell, sustained)

Subterfuge Operations T3-
Disrupt the populace of a target city, causing -100 happiness, -5 universal production, and increasing chance of uprising.

Siege Volley T4-
Lay down a volley of fire on target fortification, imposing -100 happiness and dealing 5 physical & fire damage to all units in target enemy city, settlement or fortress.