Ant Charmer

[scb]

Here's another wierd-name unit. The point of this one is to be able to kill the frost golem (considered the most powerful unit) in the endgame, but not be able to beat a cleric (the most vulnerable, if not weakest, unit).

Ant Charmer (38 hp)
Blocking: 0
Armor: 0
Attack Range: 1 tile in all four directions (similar to assassin)
Movement: 2
Wait: 0
Attack Result:
Summons Ants on each empty tile around him. After the ants are summoned, you may then move each Ant once before the attack step ends. Ants only get turns during the Ant Charmer's attack. After the Ant Charmer dies, they are underpowered shrubs.

Ant (Dies when attacked)
Move/Attack Range: 1
Attack Power: 1 Unblockable
Wait: 0
No Defenses

An Ant can only move or attack in a single turn - not both. It does not have a move or turn step. If it attacks an empty tile, it moves there; if the target tile is occupied, it attacks there.
Ants do not block LOS, but can be hit by LOS attacks if they are on the target tile. Any unit can walk through an ant, even if the ant is paralyzed, but units cannot stop on spaces occupied by ants.

Tactics:
An Ant Charmer can threaten several focus units at once, or deal massive damage when the enemy cleric is dead (in the form of 4 damage to most enemy units per turn). It is best kept in the back to build an army while the opponent meanders about, scared of your frost golem :p

[Forest_Archer]

Seems extremely underpowered. Needs some explanation.

[scb]

Underpowered? I was afraid it would be overpowered. This unit can, from a dead stop, slaughter any number of knights alone... I'm not sure there's any unit that can beat it in the endgame. The cleric only draws, and that only if it is on an edge. A scout or mud golem might not have too much trouble taking it out, and any cleric-backed-up-unit won't die at least, but ants are like mobile shrubs to teleport units. Imagine having your shrubs able to swarm like ants!
Consider this unit a mixture between a poison wisp and a furgon, with zero wait... :eek:

Each attack, the ant charmer summons ants around it - like a furgon that ca nonly attack itself. After the ants are summoned, you get to move or attack with every ant ever summoned by your ant charmer (except the ones that got killed). They don't get anywhere fast, but there's so many that only a pyromancer or mud golem can keep up with the flow.

Should I make the unit more durable?

[Forest_Archer]

Oh, so it isn't focus?

I like it then, but the ants should be able to move and attack for a one-turn recovery time.

[deleryn]

If any unit can walk through an ant, including another ant, then it would be able to kill the cleric even if there's a lightning ward beside him in a corner. 4 damage/turn - 3 healing/turn = eventual run-out. Well, maybe the lightning ward would have to be killed first if attacking a square with multiple ants on it kills all the ants.

I'd almost be smarter for the cleric to run away, except that the battlefield isn't endless and more ants would acumulate.

It is certainly overpowered. Plus, nobody likes the idea of summoning expendable units. It should be 1 ant/turn if anything. At least there'd be some strategy in fighting for the mud golem kill so expendable ants won't swarm in.

[scb]

Ants can't walk through each other because the ant's movement is 1, and no unit (including another ant) can share a tile with an ant. When attacking a cleric that is simply on an edge, the three ants that attack him would not be able to move in the same turn, meaning 3 damage/turn - exactly enough to draw. The Ant Charmer would never be able to deal more than 4 damage/turn to any unit.

I would like to reduce this unit's drawing potential and give it more teamwork potential. Toward that end:
-Ants have a movement of 2. The Ant Charmer has a wait of 1 (which also affects the ants, since they move in its attack).
-Ants can move and attack in the same turn, just like any unit.
-Units can move onto the same tile as an ant, but doing so kills the ant and stuns the unit that stepped on it for 1 turn.

Do these changes sound good?