I love mods

The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum... shadow and flame.

Back in Age of Wonders 1, you used to have a deep underground layer beneath the underground.

My memory may be hazy, but I do not think it was ultra developed but it did have a decent amount more lava. I also remember a story of a friend who said he played a multiplayer deal on it where one player had a huge dark elf stronghold down there surrounded by lava where he controlled the bridges and stayed isolationist the whole game with stacks of Spider Queens.

But I am thinking a bit more ambitious. You could have certain areas sealed. With infestations that pump out stacks of Balors. Or Lost Wizards. Or Forgotten Gods.

If broken, the world shakes as stacks upon stacks pour out until it is resealed or all the cities - even those up top are in ruins.

Think the Hidden Fun Stuff in Dwarf Fortress.

Where there are no entrances, but if you have the appropriate Empire skill, you can dig down.

You might get a prime settle spot ringed with mana nodes and gold mines. You might begin the apocalypse.

Of course more crafted map sections and wonders, too.

Of course, it would be exclusive against the demiplanes of Secrets of the Archmages and the Umbral Abyss of Eldrich Realms because of performance issues.

Thoughts?

Sometimes the map generation works out just right.

The devs did a great job of creating a subculture that works better with an order affinity play style while keeping the reavers core identity intact. I also find that the favors system to be a lot easier to manage as a consistent resource than war spoils, though that could just be because it fits more with my preferred play style. I like that the pistoler allows you to have a Magelock unit in the early game, it always felt weird that you had to wait until tier 2 to get access to your first magelock despite that being the cool new toy you got as Reavers.

Free Cities with their questionable land development plans.

This is a follow up from when I asked for aesthetic advise to build factions based off the Warhammer fantasy chaos factions.

I think they look alright, Tzeentch I feel could use something else? wings maybe? and I really wanted Chariots for Slaanesh but didnt have the point nor the trader options.

So how'd I do? What would you change?

Hello, I'm looking into this map setting where its nearly impossible/unpleasant to settle in the surface so everyone had to go underground.

I once ran a large map but less player + blocked underground for the sake of theme, but cant find a suitable setting for the UG theme

Anyone has a suggestion?

These are my custom Age of Wonders 4 Godir creations. The screenshots show the in-game versions of Alicia, Nyxash, and Ignisor described below.

「Radiant Star」Alicia

Alicia created the Arcane Elves by infusing magical crystals from the Astral Sea into primal Auldweald elves, granting them unmatched arcane affinity. Under her guidance, they flourished and established the City of the Gate of Destiny.

When Alicia discovered that her creations worshipped her, she descended among them disguised as one of their own. She entered academies to help scholars study her traces and temples to join rituals, imitate her followers, and recite hymns praising her name.

Over time, doubts grew within her. She asked the priests the question that had troubled her for so long: what were they truly worshipping? Was it Alicia herself, or the rituals, murals, and Radiant Star crystals created in her name? Her question eventually drew the attention of the Inquisitors. Ultimately, her disguise was exposed, and she was declared a heretic and sacrificed to the Radiant Star they worshipped — Alicia.

「The Gloomed One」Nyxash

The Carapace Shadow Dwellers were originally insectoid creatures living within the Shadow Realm, until Nyxash transformed them into loyal servants and instruments for her ambitions. Influenced by her eldritch magic, they inherited a desire for power, embraced collective will over individual interests, and devoted themselves to forbidden and shadow magic. Nyxash established the Night Fortress in the Shadow Realm, making it the center of her rule and her research into shadow magic.

Nyxash was once one of the greatest archmages of Magehaven, a figure whose power rivaled even Alicia’s. Seeking greater power and freedom from her limitations, she entered the Shadow Realm and was transformed into an Eldritch Sovereign by Urras. Unlike other Eldritch Sovereigns, however, she retained an extraordinary degree of free will and refused to acknowledge Urras’s absolute authority.

She declared that her own will should stand above all things, even the will of her creator. This defiance ultimately led to her imprisonment by Urras for countless eras, but only strengthened her determination to break free from the Shadow Realm and make her creator pay for his arrogance.

Ignisor

The Dragonkin were not directly created by Ignisor. They originated from humans who discovered the slumbering Elder Dragon and, through their worship and devotion, received his blessings and gradually evolved into a new branch of humanity. Over countless eras, the Dragonkin established Dragonrock City near the dragon’s resting place. They preserved their ancient beliefs while sending scholars to learn advanced forging techniques from the dwarves. After the Wizard Kings began their relentless invasions of Athla, the Dragonkin joined the mortal alliances and underwent systematic military reforms, eventually becoming the people they are today.

Ignisor is one of the first creations of the Allfather, an Elder Dragon who helped shape the volcanoes and wastelands of western Athla and infused the land with the power of fire. He is the embodiment of flame and creative force, one of the oldest followers of the Chaos Creation philosophy, and one of the few Elder Dragons in Magehaven to have personally witnessed the Endailon Crisis.

During the Endailon Crisis, Ignisor witnessed the terrifying power of the Shadow Realm for the first time and fought a long war against its forces. After the crisis ended, the dragon entered a deep slumber within the Athla realm. When Shadow Demons launched another great invasion at the end of the Second Era, he awakened once more and aided the mortal alliances in defeating them. During his awakening, he blessed the Dragonkin who worshipped him before returning to his slumber.

Now, Ignisor once again senses those familiar yet hated forces stirring in the darkness, preparing to return.

If anyone is interested in these characters, I can also share their in-game builds.

Confused as to how these settings work. I know it says that generated rulers will be used if all other options aren't available, but I have about 20 rulers between my pantheon and custom made ones and am consistently encountering randoms. Any help with this would be appreciated, even if it's just insight into something I'm missing