NAF – New artifacts with unique properties.

Want to be a balance advisor? ;)

There's not much to advise on here, just the main points:

1) 2,500 is the cost for 1 stat point.

2) Multipliers of 70%, 50%, 35%, etc. (a coefficient of 0.7) for each secondary effect that does not directly synergize with the primary effect (for example, attack + luck + morale + initiative are synergistic because they work in the same direction, increasing damage per unit of time, while attack + defense or magic + knowledge are not).

So, a hypothetical artifact with +6 to all stats should cost 6 * 2,5 * (1 + 0.7 + 0.5 + 0.35) = 15 * 2.55 = 38,000, rounding is acceptable.
For penalties, apply a multiplier of 50% immediately if there is no synergy (instead of 70%).
Examples:
- Marcellus' Skull (+5 to magic and knowledge, -2 to morale), value = 5 * 2.5 * (1 + 0.7) - 2 * 5 * 0.5 = 16,000.
- Holy Sandals (+1 to all stats, luck, and morale), value = (6 + 5 + 2.5) + 2.5 * (0.7 + 0.5 + 0.35) = 17,000.

3) Effects of +1 speed or +10% initiative should be valued at 10,000 (like +4 stat), it is desirable to keep such things in relics, as well as the claw with +1 damage (10-12,000).
Examples:
- Ogre Club (+5 to attack, -5% to initiative), the initiative penalty is synergistic because it reduces the DPS, which is increased by the attack, value = 5 * 2.5 - 5 = 7.5 thousand (can be 7 thousand, it doesn't matter).
- Ogre Shield (+5 to defense, -5% to initiative), the initiative penalty is not synergistic, i.e., it is calculated with a 50% multiplier, value = 5 * 2.5 - 5 * 0.5 = 10,000.
The increased value of the shield shows the fact that this artifact is important primarily for mages, for whom the initiative penalties for troops are almost irrelevant, whose main task is to endure while the hero kills with magic. At the same time, the club is not particularly attractive to either a mage or a warrior, because the initiative penalty contradicts any aggressive tactics using attack.

4) Effects with a penalty to initiative should be valued higher, at least at a rate of 10/9 = 1.11 for a -10% penalty (11,000) and 10/8 = 1.25 for a -20% penalty (25,000).

5) Additional spells for artifacts should be valued by comparing them to the cost of magic tomes:
- 10,000, minimum relic for a 5th-level spell.
- 6,000, minimum major for 4th-level spells.
- 3,000 for level 3.
- 2,000 for level 2.
- 1,000 for level 1.

6) The cost of +1 luck = 6,000, +1 morale = 5,000.
7) The cost of -1 luck = 5,000, -1 morale = 6,000 (5,000 if it's a penalty to your own troops, not the enemy's).
8) The cost of 10% resistance (boots) = 5,000.

Artifacts in the original do not quite correspond to this pricing policy; many are imbalanced in terms of price, and often in terms of rarity, such as cheap and easily accessible artifacts for luck, morale, speed, initiative, and complex stats (Forgotten Armor for an overpriced cost).