Playing more and more, I find that some game aspects could be slightly altered for "realism" sake. Or immersion sake, if you prefer. I don't know if the following suggestions can be implemented in a mod, though.
- Exploring a site at no cost. It's cheap to explore a site at no movement cost but the usual hex's terrain cost. In some other games, exploring does cost MP. What if only Irregulars, Rogue heroes, and Partisan units could enter and exit a site at will? All the other units would either spend a fixed MP value, half max MP, or the remainder of MP, to do so (on top of the terrain cost if they move to the site's hex as well). Personally, I think it would give an added interest to scout units, and force me to take note of whatever site I already explored.
- Standing over lava at no cost. I find it quite odd that any floating or flying unit is able to camp over lava pools, underground. I figure LotR's Great Eagles over Mordor. They wouldn't have liked to stay there forever. What if any non lava walking, non-fireproof unit would get a morale loss when moving over lava terrain? I already posted about a Scorched Heat status that could be applied to such units, and perhaps a morale loss is more easily moddable.
- Being instantly cured from a disguting stench. What is quite cheap as well, is the fact that when you kill the source of some harmful effect, the effect immediatly disappear. I'm specifically thinking about Disgusted status and "Stinky" ability. It's so easy to close a stinky unit, kill it (being disgusted during the attack), and feel the atmosphere instantly purified. Look, even a dead goblin should stink for a while! What if the Disgusted effect would last at least until the end of current combat round, or even until the end of next combat round? The same attention could be payed to the Drenched effect that stops at the moment when the rain stops.
- Being miraculously protected/affected by some uncontrollable combat evokation. How do you explain the fact that only allied units are protected against ranged attacks thanks to Rogue's Smoke Screen? If this a summoned mist as in Excalibur movie, it should affect any unit, and of course allow the Rogue's assassins to close their targets while taking less damage. (Shadow Stalkers could even benefit from an extra protection). All the other combat spells/abilities are quite clear on how they are controlled by the caster (thus selecting targets) or just unleashed elemental forces that blindly strike any unit/location. However, I think there might be some other candidates for a change: some city defensive upgrades with AoE, and other AoE effects spreading around targetted enemies (Chaos Rift?).
- Cosmic Happenings affecting both surface and underground layers. You can have misty clouds falling even underground (Falling Clouds). I don't know if it's possible to have a cosmic event affecting only one layer. If so, I'd make underground a relatively safe place when cosmic happenings are clearly atmospheric. Conversely, there could be a Tremor Cosmic Event that would target only units on the underground layer, for a few turns (a bit like the Thunderstorm, outdoors).
- Confused status. This status is caused by a disease attack (e.g. from a Toadstool Faerie). Currently, it drains 20 casting points from heroes and leaders for 2 turns. What if, it would also prevent any unit from using some of their spell-like abilities? If not possible to sort abilities between "spell-like" and non "spell-like", perhaps then sorting between rechargeable and single-use would be possible? It would make sense if a mentally confused unit can't temporarily use innate but complex mental processes, on top of not remembering true spells.
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