Would also make trained units interesting, if monsters didn't just bash entire groups at a time.

Don't get your hopes up, not because these people aren't really nice and fantastic at answering, just because I am sure they read all the posts, but only reply to posts where they have something to say.

They did already put up the big signs with "Feature Lockdown" above the Beta, which means most of the game won't change too much, I am unaware if this would be the case with this post, but it diminishes the chance of radically changing... changes.

THAT SAID, I do like the idea, I think it might make the game very interesting, I don't know but it just might give the tactical combat that OOMP to make it that much more interesting, but it would also mean having to look through spells and rethink a lot of the balance in the game.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

No.

(Disclaimer: I am not ) 

This idea, which rears its ugly head in forum post after forum post, presumes that heroes are just another unit type; along with trained units and monsters the third point of the triangle.  And so they should all be balanced against one-another.  Heroes kill monsters, monsters kill troops, troops kill heroes.  Just like Age of Mythology (and dozens of other games).

But heroes are not just another unit type.  They are the focus of the game.

The idea is very popular in the forums, though, so I'd expect to see something along these lines in the form of a mod at some point or another.  IMHO, a mod like that would suck a lot of the fun out of the game (see Elemental: WoM), but the great thing about mods is you can choose which ones you play with.

To my understanding this is a strategy game with rpg elements, not the other way around.  I could be wrong though?

I agree with Sweatyboatman on this. 

I disagree with sweatyboatman on this.

Heroes are A focus, not THE focus of the game. One should be just as competent in warfare if he/she chooses not to opt for a nuking super hero, however this simply isn't the case in this game.

Currently, a master fire mage will wipe out any army of whatever strength in both Strategic and Tactical level. (Pillar or Fireball)

In my opinion, the Strongest Hero should only be 2X stronger than the strongest unit(i.e. being able to barely kill 2 really really well upgraded troops at the same time).

However, this will without a doubt tick off many players.

Heres my proposed solution that I think is a good compromise.

Have the ability to assign Body Guards to your Hero. Your hero can only kill one soldier at a time, however, your bodyguards, can also kill too.

I.e.

If your hero deals 50 damage, while your body guards deal 10 damage, and you have 2 of them (forming a group of 3) attacks another with 10X3 health.

Your hero unit wouldn't be lamely only killing one of them at a time, and would instead killing all 3.

But heres how it differs from the original. Since your hero unit is now a UNIT of 3, the body guards that make up the extra health, can die. And when they do, so does your hero units ability to rampage.

Spells should be reworked in general, to prevent complete utter destruction of entire armies on the first turn.

But thats a different subject all together.

Would be fine if you add a way to Spawn new heroes. i.e. WoM

Yes, I guess it would need too much rebalancing at this stage, but thanxs for your consideration J

---  @boatman

Ah, but that is not artificial stone, paper, scissors – aka give units a bonus against a specific other unit. It flows more naturally.

First of all, champions are indeed just like other units (and that may be a problem of its own) in their basic mechanisms (HP, Level) the just have special “traits”.
My Idea is to incorporate the number of people in a unit more into the basic combat mechanism – games like hearts of iron have something like a “frontline” a limit how many soldiers can engage in a given terrain – this is a limitation with gives/forces more strategic thinking.  In our case it means simple a unit cannot kill more targets than soldiers it have in one round unless it has special “traits” like overkill.
A simple limitation - it could be used to bring more strategic choices into the combat of FE.
--> A unit of 7 weak soldiers could stand their ground against a unit of 3 strong fighters.

It could elevate the need to climb higher and higher with the damage output