Happy Samhain! Latest Preview Update News

So, Happy Samhain to all who celebrate! It's the ancient Celtic New Years Eve as well, so time for some updates on the upcoming Druids mod preview.

I tried just about every possible way to implement a Druid class type of thing, and ended up settling on making it another type of Spellcaster. The main reason was for the UI on the right (where it shows your XP, level, etc).

I tried making a full-fledged occult, and discovered that there are big problems doing that (needing overrides and code that would break almost every update), then went with a half-occult, and could not come up with a reasonable way to display the current level and XP. One of the reasons I end up working on these previews for so long before I initially release them is that I might completely break it more than once. My testing Druids have had to start over 4 times, so far, because I changed how the class worked, lol.

So, Druids are another three schools of Magic. You do need to 'become a Druid', by finding one of the 3 Druid sages, making friends with them, and getting them to make you a Druid. You will become a spellcaster at the same time. If you are already a spellcaster, the Druid skills will just be added on. This route should make it pretty stable during patches and updates as well.

There is a separate spellbook containing spells from the three schools of Druidry, Bards, Ovates and Summoners. Each has different sorts of spells, but a Druid can learn all of them.  

Examples 

Druid singing a Bardic spell, 'Druidic Greeting' to a Fairy Pooka

Summoning a Pooka

Casting an Ovate spell, 'Fios Dubh' (reveals those with evil hearts)

Do not meddle in the affairs of Pooka, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

I decided to call the 'wild familiars' Pookas. It's an old Irish word for a mischievous fairy spirit. So I've been making sure that they are mischievous, lol. You can learn spells from them and gain XP if you make friends, but if they're not kept entertained, they leave. Or they might break your stereo. Or shock you or worse if you really piss them off. I'm also working on giving each type of pooka it's own characteristics.

They only stick around for a few hours unless you keep interacting with them, so you end up having to keep an eye out for them all the time to take advantage of the opportunity. It's a little like Pokemon, lol.

Other interesting bits 

Druids can use Campfires as Seance circles, which seemed appropriate. Druids also get an extra boost to Medium skills.

Druids can also discharge their magical charge into a plant, kind of like the reverse of how a Plant Sim can draw energy from a plant. The plant will evolve more when you do so.

It's up to about 77 Druid spells of various types, and I've tried to come up with ones that don't duplicate ones already available to spellcasters. There are other new features I haven't gone into here as well, like summoning intelligent Standing Stones called Menhir -- there's one depicted in the image at the top, intelligent Heirloom Cowplants that can produce Veggie Milk every day, as well as carry on a conversation, like the sentient Sacred Oaks. Druids can make Waybread (like Lembas bread from LOTR) from Magic Acorns with their hands (similar to powerbars from the rock climbing skill). I also have Cross-Quarter Festivals that anyone can go to working. I think there's probably more I'm forgetting right now, but it's coming along.

So, I think I'm done completely rebuilding the thing to work differently every week now, and can focus on cleanup, making sure it's using the right icons and labels, etc. I was hoping I'd be far enough along to get you a preview of this by Halloween, but I've been a bit distracted by the election here, to say the least.

Finally, I got the new pack today, and I think there are opportunities to add some integrations to several of my mods (Archaeology Kit, Family History, and a future one that's just a glimmer in my eye and a bunch of outlines right now... ).

That's all for now, and Happy Halloween!

As always, thanks for your support and feedback!