Aeirein

[Talinsword]

The Aeirein are an ancient race of spell casters who have mastered the magic of the heavens. Using their knowledge of space and the sky, they summon large meteors down to earth to wreak havoc upon their enemies.

Edits are in green

Name: Aeirein
HP: 30
Armor: --
Power: 18 (Affected by armor)
Range: 3
Block: 20
Movement: 3
Wait: 3

The Aeirein attacks exactly like a pyromancer. Targets 3 squares away, and affects all units in a 5-square star pattern around the target. Their attack however is much more powerful. Instead of briefly summoning flames, they call meteors down upon the area. Starting the turn after the attack, and for 3 turns afterwards, a hail-storm of meteors rain down doing 18 unblockable damage to all units in the area of affect. This damage is given at the end of the controllers turn.
On the first turn there is no obvious sign that a square will be hit by meteors, other than the Aeirein's animation. An opponent could guess which units are in danger and quickly move them out of the way. After the meteors start to rain down, the 5 squares are pretty much a death trap.

This attack does not require focus, as once the Aeirein starts to pull the meteors to earth, gravity does the rest. However, the Aeirein is never able to call more than one meteor storm at a time. If the Aeirein calls a new meteor while another is in affect, the new meteor replaces the old one with full turn length.

Example of the attack: Blue is friendly unit, red is enemy unit.
(YT)Your turn 1: Cast Meteor on knight.
(OT)Opponent turn 1: Nothing that has to do with the knight
YT 2: Nothing that has to do with the knight or Aeirein. Knight takes 18 damage from meteor.
OT 2: Nothing that has to do with the knight
YT 3: Assassin moves in to attack knight. Knight & Assassin take 18 damage.
OT 3: Knight moves away from meteor range.
YT 4: Nothing that has to do with the Assassin or Meteors. Assassin takes 18 damage.
OT 4: Nothing that has to do with the assassin or meteors.
YT 5: Meteors end. No damage.

The tactics of this unit are fairly simple. Create an area of the field that your opponent does not want to walk thru, no matter what. One could use this to block an enemy's retreat, forcing him to choose between risking more damage from your units, or taking meteors to the head.

This unit is also excellent against units with long wait times. A dragon who attacks, and then immediatly becomes targeted by the meteors is forced to take 2 turns worth of damage while it's recovery time winds down. In a battle between mages, this unit will always win. The 3 turn recovery on all mage units makes this unit very usefull at stopping a bomb.


~Talinsword

[Mithrandir]

I haven't read the unit yet, I'll read it in a second. But first, how in the heck do you pronounce the name?

[Cross Punisher]

25 HP is not effective enough for a unit that a gold would use with 2 turns for moving that needs to be within 3 squares of it's target.

In your example:Turn 1- Aeirein targets knight. Opponent sees nothing but the Aeirein summoning something.
Turn 2- Meteors rain down around knight. Knight takes 18 damage (-armor)
Turn 3- Friendly assassin walks in to attack knight. Knight and Assassin take 18 damage.
Turn 4- Opponent moves Knight. Assassin takes 18 damage.
Turn 5- Meteors end. No damage.
If the damage is done on the controllers turn as you said then there should be no damage done after turn 4 because thats during your opponent's turn. Possibly neither should it at turn 2.

[Devlin777]

The idea is intriguing, but since most golds have longer recovery, it's basically the equivalent of one massive hit on a stuck unit (but then you do have the option to ward it between meteor showers, so I dunno yet.)

With a bit of tweaking, this could be interesting.

[Talinsword]

Mith: Pronounce it eye-rien. Stems from greek for meteor or something else high in the air.

CP: The example I gave grouped the opponents turns in with your turns... Expanded, it would be something like this.

(YT)Your turn 1: Cast Meteor on knight.
(OT)Opponent turn 1: Nothing that has to do with the knight
YT 2: Nothing that has to do with the knight or Aeirein. Knight takes 18 damage from meteor.
OT 2: Nothing that has to do with the knight
YT 3: Assassin moves in to attack knight. Knight & Assassin take 18 damage.
OT 3: Knight moves away from meteor range.
YT 4: Nothing that has to do with the Assassin or Meteors. Assassin takes 18 damage.
OT 4: Nothing that has to do with the assassin or meteors.
YT 5: Meteors end. No damage.

As you can see from that expanded example, there are 3 turns of meteors after the first initial casting.


As to movement... I was fairly undecided weather it should be 3 or 4. If it's 3, the meteors would last until the same turn as the Aeirein could move again. And since he can't summon another meteor shower until the old one wears out, it seemed pointless to move him.. Although, now that I think about it... A move range of 3 for 2 turns wait does seem heafty... I'll change that down to 3 and perhaps allow him to replace the old shower with a new one...

Devlin: You're right, on a stuck unit (recovering or paralyzed) It's like one massive attack. As to the barrier... Yes, that is an option... But truely, how many golds do you see actually using a Barrier Ward that often? They're out there... Just few and far between. Perhaps this unit would change that. Who knows?

Any comments and suggestions would be great.. I truely enjoy hearing people talking about my unit. Good or bad. :)

~Talinsword

[Lonely Tylenol]

YT 2: Nothing that has to do with the knight or Aeirein. Knight takes 18 damage from meteor.
OT 2: Nothing that has to do with the knight
YT 3: Assassin moves in to attack knight. Knight & Assassin take 18 damage.
OT 3: Knight moves away from meteor range.

18 + 18 + 14 - 50 = 0 :p Knight doesn't move away from anything.

I like the concept of the unit, but I am very much torn on whether it is overpowered or underpowered. On one hand, using this on a mage bomb would most likely decimate any forces caught in the fray, as well as other units that would be hit with the 18 damage plus extra from that turn; on the other hand, it has limited range and is easily predicted, and in covering only five spaces, makes a very weak deterrent, except in the late game, where any damage prevented is precious; judging by the status of this unit, it would not last long enough to attack twice, let alone through the game.

In that sense, I suppose it is wise to say it is a little of both, and not in the best conceivable way of saying it, either.

[Talinsword]

18 + 18 + 14 - 50 = 0 :p Knight doesn't move away from anything.

Yah, yah, LT.. You caught me on math.. :p Now don't be bringing your edjumacation into here! I don't not want to see none of that no more!
(Note: If you understood the previous statement and all of it's negatives.. You are either a logical genius, or a redneck.. Check your front yard for cars on blocks and pat yourself on the back)

As to the rest, I suppose you could say every unit is over and under powered... A matter of usefullness during each stage of the game... If you want to piss people off early on. Having this unit up front could decimate a turtle, but would die very very quickly afterwards. And in late game, having this unit in combination with a frosty would allow for a 2 turn kill on a unit.. Which is fairly powerfull.

In my opinion, it's not too bad either way, under or over powered.. I suppose it all depends on how you wish to use it.

Anything you'd suggest as a change LT?

~Talinsword

[Lonely Tylenol]

Yah, yah, LT.. You caught me on math.. Now don't be bringing your edjumacation into here! I don't not want to see none of that no more!

The assassin would take thirty six damage and would die too. :)

Couldn't resist.

(Note: If you understood the previous statement and all of it's negatives.. You are either a logical genius, or a redneck.. Check your front yard for cars on blocks and pat yourself on the back)

Ugh, rednecks.

Anything you'd suggest as a change LT?

I will think about it... But offhand, the best thing I've got is to tie the meteor shower directly to the Mage, in a sort of semi Focus... When the Aierein dies, the Meteor stops as well.

[Cross Punisher]

18 + 18 + 14 - 50 = 0 Knight doesn't move away from anything. Actually he never said the damage wasn't effected by armor so the Knight could survive. ;)

[Talinsword]

Actually he never said the damage wasn't effected by armor so the Knight could survive. ;)

Very true, CP, and something I did miss..

I'm leaning towards, 'Yes, the damage is affected by armor'. Otherwise it'll be too powerfull in my opinion... So I'll go with that for now, and see what people think...

Thanks CP...

LT: I just thought of something... I remember Mith saying quite a lot of a times that a unit that is underpowered in the hands of a bad player and a unit that is overpowered in the hands of a good player, is a good unit.. Do you believe that with the Aeirein, this is the case?

~Talinsword

[Lonely Tylenol]

LT: I just thought of something... I remember Mith saying quite a lot of a times that a unit that is underpowered in the hands of a bad player and a unit that is overpowered in the hands of a good player, is a good unit.. Do you believe that with the Aeirein, this is the case?

:) You caught me.

Although I do think there are some tweaks you could do to make it less underpowering/overpowering.

[Talinsword]

Although I do think there are some tweaks you could do to make it less underpowering/overpowering.

I think I can quote Mith on this as well... (Is there anything you can't quote that man for?)
He said

"I don't think you can really know how a unit would perform in a real game unless it was introduced so you could play around with it"... "All we can really do in CAU is theorize."

Perhaps some armor and a tad lower HP would balance it out... Ability to be killed would be basically the same if I added 5 - 10 armor and took HP down to the original 25... But would allow people to put him into more high risk situations, weather accidently or purposely, there-by making him more usefull...

I'm not really sure on this...

~Talinsword

[Cross Punisher]

25 HP and 10 armor gives him 28 HP in reality so that just makes him weaker.

[Talinsword]

25 HP and 10 armor gives him 28 HP in reality so that just makes him weaker.
grrr... lol... stop correcting me... :p (I don't mean that) :bigsmile:

true though... and weaker is not what I'm looking to do.. Balance is...

I think I'm gonna let my brain sit and stop thinking about this for tonight...
Too much forums, too much CAU, not enough TAO... amazing, ain't it?

~Talinsword

[Mithrandir]

While I haven't yet found an exception to that quote, I'm not so sure that this unit is underpowered in the hands of a weak player.

[Talinsword]

I think that this unit could be underpowered in the hands of a weak player...
The Aeirein is a unit that is best used in conjunction with another unit that stops enemies from moving, or as a defensive unit to deject opponents from bringing in long recovery units like the dragon...

If someone were to move the Aeirein in to attack a knight or assassin that wasn't in recovery... They would quickly find themself down one unit and having done no significant damage..

~Talinsword

[Mithrandir]

It seems to me that this unit isn't so hard to use that it wouldn't be accurate to say that it would be underpowered in the hands of a bad player, unless it was a really bad player. It isn't like the furgon or something, it wouldn't take more than a rudimentary knowledge.

[Dangle]

I dont think any strategical player with a turtle would use this unit...I can see it as a pure addition to a Mage bomb setup simply becuase you get 3 attacks + all the other pyros attacks on those same squares which can result in 30+ unblockable Damage on up to 5 squares every turn for 3 turns which will kill any unit which doesn't move or get healed.