Champions should have culture trait

[gilded moat]

In the Recent Mystic elves it was shown that you still had to take Attunement: Starblades on your leader despite being a champion and a member of that race / culture, i think it would be a nice touch vs the Wizard kings double cast ability and it would fit the theme of the champion being a leader of your peoples

[unkempt briar]

Yeah, considering they're Champions of the People it makes a lot of sense and felt weird and strange for them to not be part of the culture

[silk aurora]

I think they get them as hero skill unlocks

though yes, it is a bit strange that they don't get them from the start

[harsh forge]

On the other hand, it leaves more freedom. In the sense that if you ever decide to be a tyrant having enslaved a whole people, or a foreigner, savior of a nation (or whatever else), it makes everything possible without necessarily being limited to the only chosen race/culture

[real raven]

I mean champions are people that came from the culture, not invaded and enslaved. You can be a trrand champion but you would still be from that culture. The two examples work more like a Wizard King than Champion.

[cosmic igloo]

Ye, I agree witch kings shouldn’t get all race stuff directly. But champions should. If I understood this post correctly

[gilded moat]

Yep that's what i was meaning

[real raven]

It would make the Champions certainly feel more like they are from a culture

[cosmic igloo]

And the witch king already has its insanely op extra mana and casting points each level so I don’t think it would make champion to good either. It would just make more sense

[silk aurora]

wizard king can still get the ability from hero skill too

[gilded moat]

Thats why i recommended it more for just the thematic feel of being an actual champion of your people then any other thing

[blazing spear]

Yeah, I'm gonna +1 this idea, even though I worry about balancing

[gilded moat]

i dont think it would be bad champion doesnt have anything that affects combat at the moment does it?

Would be a combat bonus for picking champion, were witch king gets the double cast for its combat bonus

[unkempt briar]

I would say that i would expect the Champion would have to be nerfed for this change to take effect but i wouldn't mind that because the theme is important

[cosmic igloo]

Ye, maybe. But not necessarily as the witch king/queen actually can get the buff anyways

Would be cool for effect tho as you are “of the people”

And as you mentioned for the roleplay effect

[burnt terrace]

I did find that to be really weird. Are you able to get other cultures traits? Can a Feudal champion get cull the weak?

[blazing spear]

Doubt it

[normal hollow]

No, you only get research from your own culture. What might happen later on is that heroes from other cultures will join you, and those might need the trait because they are foreigners.

[ruby hearth]

I think having one free trait point for the leader put into a racial gimmick ability is not too unbalancing.
Wizard Kings could get the hero skill unlocked that is provided by their starting tome

[cosmic igloo]

Only if you already have that cultural trait

[deft surge]

Either ability might be mostly useless for the given character (a melee attack modifying ability for a magic blaster Hero, for example), which might feel a bit bad, I suppose. It would be thematic, though, I agree.

Perhaps simply give Leaders of both types a bonus skill point to spend at the start of the game, which could be spent on said ability if they wanted, and otherwise helps to slightly distinguish them as just a bit better in potential than regular Heroes.

[graceful fiber]

It is less about being useful, but more about flavour/imersion

Also as we are talking about cultural traits, the Wizard kings could also receive them. Eben if they are not of the same race they can be of the same culture.

[ruby hearth]

Yes, the idea is more to focus on flavor than power. it would also enocourage for the elader to play to type, without being a big enough factor to make it an automatic play.

[wooden sinew]

Flavor and theme is nice but I think keeping things more balanced and equal than not is preferable.

[unkempt briar]

Yeah but i think you could probably remove some of the Champion's current bonuses in favour of them having their faction's cultural ability

They're currently not incredibly exciting and flavourful i feel like other than a basic economy and relationship boost

[silk aurora]

so removing Champions' bonuses in favor of starting with a skill at level 1 that Wizard Kings will be able to just get anyway at level 2?

no flavor in the world would make up for how objectively bad and unbalanced that is

and Wizard Kings as they are already have pretty strong tactical advantages in the form of scaling casting points per level and being able to choose to cast twice in one of the turns in a fight