Why not name it after some other gemstone, instead of calling it a'hardened amethyst vault' - after all, amethysts are not particularly soft, and a 'hardened' vault sounds like a bunker to hide in during an attack. Perhaps Sapphire, Diamond, Emerald, or Ruby Vault would be better, as the name fairly clearly indicates that it is better (since sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, and rubies are currently more valued than amethysts), while Hardened Amethyst Vault doesn't really sound like it's better than the Amethyst Vault. Or spend some time looking up gemstones similar to amethysts to see if there is another you like better.

Perhaps call these 'Noble Estates' or 'Estates'. Could also have a chance for 'Estates' to be available at level 3, which allow 'Noble Estates' to be available at level 4.

Perhaps call this a 'Rich Mine', 'Large Iron Seam/Deposit/Vein', or something along those lines? A 'Royal Mining Guild' or 'Imperial Mining Guild'? The 'Royal Mines' or 'Imperial Mines'? Royal versus Imperial being chosen with an eye to the faction-appropriate moniker.

Aside from that, perhaps some (or all) of these could be upgrades of current buildings - maybe the Prophet is (potentially) available at level 4 if you picked the Oracle at level 3, while the Gifted Miners' Guild is available (or can be available) at level 5 if you picked the Miners' Guild at level 4? Or perhaps as an incentive to pick a less tempting choice on a previous level - perhaps a Prophet will only consider blessing your Conclave with his presence if there is a professional Scribe in the city to take down his words?

Side note: Psionic Blast sounds like it will be fairly powerful for large units if you can get them to a relatively high level. If you make a full-size unit, that ability will deal about 88% of the damage of Flame Dart with a caster of the same level and no spell damage boosters, and you make no mention of any cost to using the ability. For a trained unit caster, that is a fair amount of power, especially if the only requirement to have it is that the unit came out of that particular fortress. It also seems like it might be more appropriate for a Conclave, but that is a bit debatable.

level 3 Fortress, Psionic Training:

I happen to like the infirmary myself; I usually reserve the abilities for my champions or henchmen.  I'd more appreciate some kind of infirmary augment that has a chance of healing injuries from stationed champions every season, a "Healer's Sanctuary" or something.
 
 

level 3 Town, Subsidized Farms  ( +20 faction food per grain):

That wouldn't be as good as Guild Warehouse, which is by far the best option at level 3.  It would be better at level 4, especially since influence is being removed (no idea what the embassy is going to be doing at that point).

I wish I could grasp how to make buildings.  I would make like, massive mirror towers that channel sunbeams on attackers and stuff.

A few possibilities:

Make buildings that grant non-conventional bonuses. For example, a level 5 conclave upgrade that gives mana equal to amount of prestige the faction has.

A fortress building that forces the population to work harder, granting 0.1 production per person.

A town building that lets you build the armory path (all the +armor when trained buildings).

Buildings that grant resources based on shards, such as +2 Metal per Earth Shard, or +0.5 grain per Water Shard.

Fortress building that increases trained attributes based on shards, such as +1 fire damage per fire shard.

While I'm not entirely sure what the code will be like, you could see if you could make a building that raises the taxes in the building (without affecting unrest).

Prestige is being removed in LH, isn't it?  Besides, it's so incredibly exploitable late game if your faction has the heroic trait and wanderlust (like Altar).  Just stay in your territory doing weak & medium quests over and over and you can get 100+ prestige easy.

I don't really see how additional production could help a dedicated fortress; in most of my games, by the time I start producing units, no matter how advanced they are it only takes 1-2 seasons to produce them.  I'd rather have additional hitpoint/attack modifiers.

A town with the fort improvement?  Yes, I could definitely make use of that!

Would the city with the improvement have to have the shard link to it to benefit?  It would be problematic with distant shards (especially if you built a new city closer to it afterward) but also might not make much sense for a city on one end of the map to instantly benefit from a shard you build on at the other end of the continent.

I would say that an improvement such as that one (increases attributes based on shards) is more appropriate to a conclave, but of course nobody should be training units at anything but fortresses later on.  Again, perhaps for balance reasons it should only consider directly linked shards (also would be incentive for you to build your towers and forge there for that direct benefit, presenting both a strategic risk of losing them all at once in exchange for the ability to produce highly effective units).

Is it possible to have a building that reduces the metal or crystal costs of troops produced in that city? Might be interesting for high level fortress (metal) or conclave (crystal). Possibly could call them 'Legendary Smithy' and 'Enchanter's Tower'.

You might be thinking of the 'earth forge', which is +1 earth shard and -50% production (labor) cost for armor.  I don't think there's anything that reduces the actual metal/crystal/horse/warg/influence/gildar cost for units.

I like this thread.

Menagerie:  Makes studded collars available in the shops...  or a random beast joins your cause.  Depending if could be coded.  Could offer a new beast every x turns or on next city level.

Secret Tomb:  While building your city, citizens unearth a powerful artifact.  Could be random, or a predetermined item.  Could be different levels with items that scale.

Logging trail:  lets the city unlock sawmill type improvements w/o being in a forest.

and/or:  cities next to a river get the log float or river logging ability that does the same thing.

Great Canal:  gives river buildings to nonriver city.

Sureshot academy:  All archers trained in the city go first in combat, are + 20 to accuracy and + 6 initiative. 

Temple of the War God:  All units trained in this city are Berserkers and get the Maul ability (and clumsy as well if you wish to balance a bit)

Looking forward to trying Varsis mod!

You could make it similar to the Binding Trait ability, gives a unit, then waits till the unit dies to give a new unit.

Go away, its a mod, if you don't want it, don't install it.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

Willie, Most of these are pretty simple for the AI to use.  Most of them are production bonuses.  Getting the AI to use them is as simple as setting the priority high.

They are not equally balanced for every faction, or even every play through.   If you are playing an archer army, the psionic blast ability is going to be completely useless to you.    The AI doesn't build predominantly archer armies though, so it isn't going to matter there.  If anything it will beef up a weakness in the AI.  If you have very few shards, building the Academy of the Arcane Arts is not going to be very valuable to you.

Have I playtested every one of these 100 times as each faction?  HELL NO.   And I'm not going to.  

Are they balanced?  Absolutely not.  You, or one of the AI players might get one of these in a playthrough, and it could alter your game some.  The idea is that they are rare.  Like finding a broadsword and a full suit of rusted plate in your first pass at the goodie huts.   Or start off as a fire mage, with 3 fire shards around your first city, get a -25% spell cost robe and a good staff right out of the gate.  Completely unbalancing.  The whole idea of this portion of the Varsis Mod, is to add some rare and slightly unbalancing abilities to the cities.  A portion of the game that currently offers no real excitement.   And yes,  I've faced off against a couple AI's now that made liberal use of the Psionic Blast.  It hurts.   In fact, it took one game I was handily winning, and turned it into a real fight.  My two superstacks got wiped out.

 As to the AI,  the AI in elemental is still in its infant stages.   it is growing, and has one of the best AI programmers I've seen who uses it for his pet project.  I believe it will become awesome.   But in it's current iteration, it is never ever ever going to beat a competent player. 

But here's the bottom line.   I'm making this mod for me.   I enjoy playing it.   I am posting it here, because others may enjoy it too, and not want to duplicate my work.  or may not be able to.   This is the whole point of making a game modable, and putting a forum up to support those mods.   As was stated by others, if you don't want to mod your game..... here's a novel idea..... don't.  If you don't wan't to use this particular mod, but want to use mods that have had thousands of playtest runthroughs..... well.... you might as well leave because I don't think any of ours offer that. 

for a town:

Sheriff's Department

adds city defender(s), reduces unrest

for a conclave:

Enchanters Workshop

reduces crystal cost of units, +research

for fortress:

legendary swordsmith

+piercing and blunt attack, +more cutting attack

can play with numbers depending on what level they are placed at.

paladinjb the latest iteration includes buildings similar to most of  your ideas.   I like them, and they seem to be popular.

To the idea of the mount deal for heroes, I really like that idea and I think I've found my level 4 town upgrade.

I can think of the pony mount, the warhorse mount, the lizard-thing mount (starts with an S)..... what else is out there?