Hi! Version 1.9 has just arrived. It's mainly cleaning up the mess from R2P, but I've also managed to add a few things and fix a few old ones.


Landless Witches

In R2P we get the opportunity to explore a new level of gameplay, so naturally a new space for witches and mages is also created. Of course, I didn't manage to fill it entirely, but we have a new camp purpose and new camp structures (forgive me if one of the buildings differs in graphical style from the others).
I have also prepared a few contracts specifically for witches. They are rare because there are few of them, and some require special conditions to appear. They can also vary in difficulty compared to regular contracts. Experienced witches and mages possess skills and knowledge unavailable to ordinary people, and when something is unavailable, it is often valuable. Therefore, rulers might reward you with a pouch of gold even for a simple curse, not to mention a healing spell... Sometimes a single spell can complete the contract.
On the other hand, novice witches may encounter difficulties. For example, 'Task For The Healer' contract can be successfully completed if you are a physician, herbalist, or can cast an aura enhancement, but the optimal result will be guaranteed by a healing spell. If you don't have these spells/traits, the contract will result in automatic failure.
The matter becomes even more complicated, as you might encounter contracts that are difficult even for a mage. Be careful with the contract you accept, as in the worst case, a lack of specialized/magical skills could result in your death.
Landless witches still need some love, so I hope to add more contracts in the future.


Artifacts

'Ring of life is OP!' - said every regular character.
'Ring of Life? I don't need it' - said every immortal character.
Both statements were somewhat true, so the ring needed changes. Although I have nothing against powerful artifacts, I care about maintaining balance - if the ring is to be available from the start of the game, it cannot grant such large bonuses. It has been nerfed now, and its functionality has been changed. At the moment it has some nice modifiers, still slightly extends life, and allows mages to cast a more powerful version of the healing spell.

A small rework also affected the Ancient Singularity, the second most powerful artifact. However, this time I didn't change its functionality; I simply made its activation more difficult and it now requires unlocking and completing a special project. The decision to study the singularity still exists, and completing the associated event chain will give you hints on how to unlock the special project.


The Ultimate Spell

This is nothing new, of course, but it has been refreshed a bit.
I like the idea that a mage can attempt to cast an incredibly complex and powerful spell, but it might fail and cause a disaster. I also like the vision of a group of mages coming together to combine their powers and achieve something they couldn't accomplish individually. Both of these concepts are reflected in the new version of the Ultimate Spell.
The effects of the spell have changed only slightly, but the casting process looks different now, as it is based on a new scheme system which implements group spellcasting. Every mage with 75+ secret knowledge has access to the Ultimate Spell, but the chance of casting it (scheme potential) is 0% by default, so the involvement of other mages as scheme agents is crucial to ensure a chance of success. Using the Mage Summit can still be useful in this case, as you can demand the support of other mages as a speaker, which will make it easier for you to invite them to cast the spell together later. However, remember that a 90% success chance also means a 10% chance of failure, which could result in the death of all casters, including you. It's not worth casting the Ultimate Spell unless you are very desperate or very confident in your abilities.


Other stuff

• There are small changes in alchemy, especially drinking potions is now not a decision but a self-interaction.
  
• I have deactivated the system of automatic rivalries with other mages, but with the help of magic triangulation it is possible to declare rivalries in exchange for a small chance of obtaining claims on artifacts. We'll see how this works out.
  
• I limited Baba Yaga's aggression in terms of territorial expansion. I wouldn't mind if sometimes the old lady wanted to conquer her region, but I don't want that to be the rule ;)
  
• 'Be a witch' game rule may be adjusted to start a game with a source trait.
  
• All kings and emperors can now appoint a court mage - I wanted to give ordinary rulers any possibility to protect themselves from your spells (although finding a good court mage will probably be impossible for most anyway)

I'm not sure if all the issues have been addressed, so stay vigilant, and let me know if you find any problems (old or new).
I still have some ideas to introduce and mechanics to improve... well, and we also recently got a new inventory slot, which will probably need to be filled with something ;) So I think one day we'll see version 2.0. Meanwhile, have fun and see you around ;>