Indeed, they seem way too powerful compared to other faction traits, even though they cost 2 faction points to get. Compared to the pioneer unit building an outpost you can put it down instantly, you don't need to walk there and you don't have to tap into population/city growth, which is a really big thing considering how slow cities generally grow. 50 mana is too cheap.

My suggestion would be to add mana upkeep once they are placed, but they maintain the ability to be placed anywhere outside enemies borders. I think 1 mana per turn should be sufficient to reflect their huge advantage, and additional 50 mana as payment and 1 mana as upkeep for every upgrade. The upgrade is instantly built instead of going through city production. That would make it far more strategic to place them and it would even seem "realistic" in the established world that you have to pay mana to maintain and upgrade this magic construction.

Too many outposts early on do stifle your development.  I think it's fine.  It's powerful, but that+Scrying pool are the useful Pariden traits.

Since expanding your zone of control is THE most important aspect of the game for a start, I think 2 faction points for an instant-on-the-fly-no-city-growth-impeding-50-mana-costing outpost ist way too cheap, yes. I don't think the problem is the pioneer cost, we had a much bigger problem before when they only needed gold and/or production time to build. Expanding your zone of control should be a dilemma and it works pretty fine with the current mechanic. This important dilemma is bypassed by the Arcane Monolith in a big way.

I still think that a mana upkeep of 1 is very reasonable in line of gameplay and scenario considerations. You can get quite a lot of things early on that increase your mana income, especially if you play a magic sovereign and faction and if you generate a map with lots of shards. The synergies between talents and traits work very well here. It simply shifts the resources that you need for expansion away from the Civilization approach to the Magic approach, it perfectly encompasses the culture behind magical sovereigns/factions like Procipinee/Pariden and it offers a unique playstyle.

shhhhh.

Don't tell them.

Pariden needs something powerful.  Don't change it.

Arcane Monolith gives you an area in which only you can build a city. The strategy is that you put it down in the area you want because of valuable tile yields, resources and choke points, then no other faction can place a city/outpost there and you are safe to get it or block the AI from getting through an area altogether. The game is all about map control from the first season on because it is heavily resource-based, all the other mechanics become important later on after you established your territory.

Attunement, Adepts, Meditation, Staff of Souls, Shards. That is more than you need to get lots of Mana early on, even if you don't change the map settings to dense shards.

give them +1 mana upkeep cost

give them an upgrade that neutralizes the +1 mana upkeep that can be unlocked mid game somewhere in magic tech tree

thx 

Oh so in order to use AM with ease i have to spend 2 talent points for staff and attunement (2 mana per season = 25 seasons fo 1 AM). Ever tried to get a kill hit with 4 dmg staff ?

For meditation you first need essence, then you need sacrifice spot for enchantment (you can use soverigns call or food enchants you know for population and simply train pioneers)

Shards... well with normal set up you might get none of them to your first city. Its kind a luck thing. And first lvl of building yields 1 mana per season.

Adepts its 1 time bonus for 40 mana, not steady income. And its onother racial strength point plus to 2 points for AM itself.

Now consider hero/unit enchants, casting while in battle, city enchants cost also. You might get no shards to starting location and what then ? More than enough - i dont think so. In middle game - yes i do, on early stage - nope.

And if i need so many rely on getting shards, spending 3 points of racial strength, taking 2 talents to get mana so all this AM stuff could go id rather just take you know lucky, quick, master scouts and simply go with pioneers To make pioneer takes less time than gather 50 mana especialy with some food management and some food buildings and city enchants, growth can get boosted easy as well.

Yeah AI cant build within AM area, but it can build next to it and flip it later. All what can AM, pioneer also can + city. All those advantages you mentined about axpansion can be taken by pioneer OR AM, thats why i think AM is fine, it does not give any exceptional options only part of pioneers.

I'd rather say "conveniet", because you dont have to lead your pioneer to building spot, thats the only good part of AM for me personaly. Its not adding dilemas, but you'r loozing 2 points of other racial traits, which could give you more advantages in combat for instance.

Again while we play against AI it does not matter what you pick. If LH would be online then i think id never pick AM, because you know, any non AI player can quickly kick your ass out of territory if he sees there anything worth to take and no AM will prevent them to do it. Even more if you put it then i can simply retake it without wasting my own pioneer or mana.

The upkeep cost goes too far the other way and makes them effectively worthless. Who'd pay two points for a trait that, if you actually use it, would cripple your early game mana?

Just give the spell a casting restriction of 20 tiles from your sovereign.

That'll cancel out any global abuse.

I agree that outposts are too expensive outside of arcane monoliths.