Balance for random uniques

[lukep]

Restrictions on random unique enemies would make them much more internally consistent, and able to use all of their talents. My suggestions:

-Restrict classes based on weapon type used (including the base monster)
This would prevent combinations like berserker/archer from wasting half of their skillset, or a brawler combination not being able to use those skills at all. Also applies to base monsters without the appropriate slots (eg. ant arcane blade) or using weapons by default (eg. minotaur archer).

-Magic/antimagic restriction
They shouldn't be able to have antimagic and use magic at the same time. Seen on a unique orc mage hunter.

-Prevent redundant talents from different classes
eg. Corrupted Strength and Dual Weapon Training to help prevent unintended behaviour later on.

-Limit the skill level of various skills
The worst one that seems to be working as intended (IMO, that I've seen so far) is Summon Spider, which attacks for about (0.16 * summoner willpower * raw talent * effective talent) nature damage over 5 turns. At level 15 (15 points at 1.00 mastery) and 90 willpower, it is over 3000 damage from a summon in a single attack. Other summons are not as bad. Unnatural body also adds 3% resist all per level, potentially leading to high values. Some (but not all) could be fixed by my idea from an older post of limiting talents to 5 points, with unrestricted mastery, making it more similar to the player.

-restrict some of the base creatures
It isn't very thematic to be fighting a random unique "thalore" or "human" in High peak, and some others, like oozes and headless horrors can be buggy or difficult to fight at all. Restrictions should not be against powerful base monsters like radiant horrors or forge giants, instead targeting ones that are different from the norm (and perhaps those without weapon slots as well).

[Grey]

They should also not be allowed talents which are sustains that root them to the spot (Aim, Last Stand).

I'd personally say that anti-magic shouldn't appear at all on random enemies. Instead there should be Ziguranth patrols on the world map that only attack magic-based classes.

Edit: Patrols would attack archmages, corruptors, reavers, doomed, temporal wardens and chronomancers. Not alchemists and arcane blades, since that's a bit mean for new players. Patrols would stop if Zigur is destroyed in the anti-anti-magic quest.

The reason why anti-magic shouldn't be on random uniques is because they'll ultimately be teamed up with magic types. Also it's a fairly exclusive clique, and the idea of anti-magic orcs is a bit wrong.

[lukep]

I think that Aim and Last stand are fine...if AI for them is fixed.

As for antimagic, I don't know if it can be gained as a class ability, but it is available to orc summoners and mage hunters through their base mob, not unique bonuses.

For antimagic patrols, I would exclude Doomed, as Hate is not a magical resource.

[Hedrachi]

Also it's a fairly exclusive clique, and the idea of anti-magic orcs is a bit wrong.

I'm gonna have to disagree with this particular point. If there's only one way to get antimagic going in your body (by drinking that potion, refined however it needs to be), then the orcs could easily have discovered antimagic separately from the Ziguranth. Or alternatively, given that the lore says the Zigur were founded before the Age of Pyre, they could have either convinced the Zigur to let them join, or tortured the information from one of their agents before being "locked away" in the East. There's also a fair deal of implied infighting between the prides, it makes sense that the melee-oriented prides would have some form of antimagic to deal with attacks from the magic-oriented prides. Alternatively, as an army facing people that might ask the Shaloren or Angolwen mages for help, they'd need antimagic as an edge against them.

I personally like the challenge of antimagic orcs, though I can see the problems it'd bring about against classes that only deal 1 or 2 types of damage.

[Grey]

Hmm, valid point - anti-magic and Zigur need not go hand in hand. After all the Rhaloren and the orcs discovered blood magic separately. Some natural creatures may even have inherent anti-magic (especially those lineages that survived the Spellblaze).

[darkgod]

Oh yes antimagic is not zigur exclusive at all, it's a raw force of nature.
Some people even managed to combine it with magic, they just were not fanatics like the Ziguranth