Corvus, Raven Host

[TheDeathstalker]

It seems to me the biggest question is how the ravens overall act and their role in combat, right? As it stands there seem several options for that.

1)Spell Components:
By far the most direct, yet possibly least interesting way they can be. Just circling Corvus (or whoever) until ordered to do something else by a skill. This opens up essentially all the doors that have already been mentioned, so not much more needs to be said.

2)Defenders/Tanks:
Essentially as Dusk mentioned, having them be high evasion tanks may be interesting, and opens up avenues for creative play that isn't quite as direct as "Eat him" or "Surround Me". You could (I guess) have different flock formations that you either cycle through somehow (inelegant) or have different buttons to set. You could potentially innately control who they focus on (you, ally, enemy, target point) and how tight a formation (or the max radius out they'll be from the target, assuming it stands still). They could be controlled out to a certian range (so that you can't just fire and forget). You could then have specific skills that deal with this such as follows:
Distraction:
(could have various forms, low cooldown cast/autocast or activated passive, hell, maybe even a passive) Causes the ravens to each create a small radius Taunt, effectively confusing any enemies within.
Wrack:
Causes the birds to fly dangerously, colliding with enemy units for the next X seconds, dealing Y damage and extending (Maim/Cripple/Bleed, take your pick) by Z seconds.
Feed
(again, can be nearly any form, depends on how you want to make it feel) Causes the ravens to steal X hp per second from nearby units and corpses. Heals the feeding raven first, then Corvus, then any other remaining wounded ravens.
The Birds:
Passively increases flock size by X, max control range by Y and evasion by Z. When used will teleport Corvus to the flock (or something like that...).

The real play aspect of this would be the precise control of the ravens, with the skills simply helping with that respect, not making things more difficult.

3)Something else:
Really, it could be anything... the sky's the limit when you're talking a flock of ravens wrecking stuff...

[LightburneR]

I think you're going in the direction of Myriad's Formation Innate, except with more emphasis on [ b]how[/b] they act in whichever formation rather than what gains they have, and personally, I prefer this. (For 2)

I dislike 1, very much, because I'd rather just drop the swarm concept entirelly and go with a "Point gain, Point is used for skill" system.

Perhaps the usual "formation-y" stuff, or I think perhaps being able to assign a role to each individual Raven.

Crovus has skills (whether Innate or must be Learnt), that assign roles to a specific Raven or maybe they are found on the Ravens themselves, for example:

Attacker
This Raven is able to attack for X damage.

Defender
This Raven taunts nearby enemies every Y seconds.

Scavanger
This Raven eats nearby corpses, healing the entire flock for X health.

Support
This Raven extends conditions inflicted by other Ravens by X seconds. (Or something)

Balanced
This Raven causes the entire flock to move X faster.

etc.etc. Ravens get a whole unique role on their own and each role will give something to the hero or the entire flock itself.

[TheDeathstalker]

Eeh, I don't really like the specialized flock bit, as you're not really talking a swarm of ravens if it's not... a swarm. In a swarm it's numbers, not specialization that make the difference. I feel that this would give the hero too much of a micromanagement feel to it, and that's just no fun to play (my apologizes to all those who love to micro for like... starcraft and stuff).

[LightburneR]

Eeh, I don't really like the specialized flock bit, as you're not really talking a swarm of ravens if it's not... a swarm. In a swarm it's numbers, not specialization that make the difference. I feel that this would give the hero too much of a micromanagement feel to it, and that's just no fun to play (my apologizes to all those who love to micro for like... starcraft and stuff).

It's basically a clicky thing (Or intended to be), you aren't going to have to micromange, because they will have an AI (hopefully), like Attacker will randomly attack, Defender uses Taunt at intervals, Scavanger works like auto-cast (Maybe a "Raise Dead"-based spell), Support and Balanced are obviously passive.

I know this isn't ladder and I'm not trying to make it that way :S, but I'm just throwing out random ideas.

[Oxygen]

Its all good, I'm thinking and considering; just somewhat busy with the new aom version right now, and really off, but it'll eventually come, realize that I consider each posts here, your writing isn't wasted, keep up and thanks