And double post but eh. I've got some ideas sorted out and planned for Arcana.
First of all, I set aside a self-PR for some stuff that's specific to the DDA version here:
https://github.com/chaosvolt/cdda-arcana-mod/pull/253 What I've got so far:
1. I finally looked into implementing a way for the restored ritual blade to feed off portals, like they can in the BN version! The current method entails altering any portals nearby into a crystallized version that can be freely disarmed for crystallized essence. Also absorbs absence cages and dimensional fatigue.
2. I implemented an effect that sets it so wielding the restored ritual blade, if you're a Keeper or a Paragon of The Veil, will make it kneecap those god-awful portal storms if you trigger it before it can start up fully. Basically it forces an early portal storm to immediately switch to a full portal storm, but resets its intensity to the default, makes it vanish way sooner than normal, and resets any deterioration to the intensity and duration of future portal storms.
3. Belatedly added essence and monsterpart drops to the various new freaky nether and portal storm critters.
Some other stuff I plan to do in that PR:
1. Still need to add a mod_tileset entry for crystallized portals.
2. Gotta update dialogue, mission, and readme stuff for any cases where the DDA version highlights how only the BN version of the blade can eat portals.
3. I might also see about looking at these weird portal storm and other new scenarios, and seeing which should logically have arcana-specific professions injected into them.
And on top of that, there's a few other things I was likely gonna do sometime:
1. Might see about making it so that the spells that explicitly affect "creatures of darkness" will affect not only monsters that die in sunlight (and related monsters), but also anything that's invisible in darkness.
2. After seeing how hilariously busted OP Critsybear's playthrough as a post-thresh Dragonblood can get (albeit with a version of Arcana old enough to lack some critical nerfs), I'm tempted to do what I did with Magic Signs and give Sanguine Marks a secondary side effect. In this case, most likely it'll be hunger to match the theme of Dragonblood mechanically.
3. I have a new arcanist profession I'm considering adding. Hint, currently of the three major factions, the Cleansing Flame and Sanguine Order are the only ones to have "advanced" professions that show up in non-standard scenarios.
4. I've still gotta consider making official patchmods. Mainly so the DDA version can have mod-compat itemgroup changes again, but this also lets me do some other things like give Magiclysm monsters death drop overrides, allow you to consecrate the Cata++ flesh weapons, use the cursed blade with Post-Human Combatives, etc.