Księga Czarodzieja (Book of the Sorcerer) - a Polish mod that adds factions.

No, balance isn't about conforming to standards; the goal of balance is to make the game interesting. If we give archers infinite retaliation, that's not an interesting unit at all. Because it doesn't work. If we give infinite retaliation and "cleave," that's not an interesting combination either. Because the abilities don't complement each other. The combination should look like something you'd want to try, and that's what makes it interesting, and that's what makes it cool, and that's what brings new possibilities – that's how balance should work. Whether certain creatures are equal or unequal is just the quantitative side of balance, but not the qualitative side.