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| Raiding Warfare
I am surprised that so few of the strategy articles and threads have addressed this topic. For a highly mobile nation like Caelum, raids with small forces are IMO the most efficient way to wage war. The goals are three; cripple the enemy's economy, cut supply lines to his main army(ies), and avoid major battles if possible. Each raiding force should consist of 3 Arch Seraphs and 10 ice clads (with the Staff of Storms if possible), or one Ice Devil (with winged shoes). One of these forces can take on virtually any local militia you can encounter. By using many small armies, you will avoid the supply problems normally facing an army composed of fliers (unless you are fighting Ermor). Flying troops can strike three provinces deep into enemy territory, making it next to impossible for your enemy to defend more than a few of his key provinces. Also, very few nations will be able to have enough Air mages to counter more than a few of your attacks. Aim first at relatively large, unpatrolled provinces, you should be able to take 8 - 10 of those in one turn. On most maps, his capitol will then be in reach for most, if not all of your forces. Thus you can converge your troops on his capitol, don't however bother to stay there, just raise the taxes to 200% and leave one troop so the siege is not automatically broken. Next, take all the provinces adjacent to his capitol (this will reduce production in his home province - when he regains it. Also these are the provinces most likely to have been searched for magic sites.). Then, strike against any other castles he has, again converging your forces. Over these turns, you are likely to lose a few of your raiding forces that happen to run into one of his main armies. However, you will be quite capable of producing at least two raiding forces per turn, easily replacing troops faster than you loose them. Preferably use Ice Devils as they are very hard to counter when used in this way. In just 4-5 turns, you should control 75% of his provinces and have crippled his gold and gem income. Now it is be time to bring up your reserve (Temple Guards and Winter Wolves), pave the way with Wolven Winters and smash the remains of his nation. Hints and tips Look at the stats of blessed Temple Guards in cold +3 (and don't forget their 'magical' weapons). They can't keep up with your flying troops and are thus less useful for raiding, but they are the best reserve you can have. Winter Wolves are not that impressive - in neutral temperature. In Caelum's dominion they get +3 to hitpoints, strength, attack, defense (very nice together with ethereal), and movement. Their cold aura is also much more efficient in cold. If you've got the gems, don't hesitate to use them. A Storm General can be used to suicide-attack mages (Medallion of Vengeance) - also in a storm :). Quickness and Life Drain is a very potent combination on a super combatant. They'll not only kill twice as fast, they'll also heal twice as fast!! As suggested above, consider searching for magic sites immediately after conquering an independent province. Thus, if you take a province with 3 Arch Seraphs and ice clads, leave one of the Arch Seraphs to search and have the rest take a new province. This will slow your expansion somewhat (it is important that you keep producing new Arch Seraphs every turn!) but your searching will be much more efficient and magic sites will be discovered earlier. Trade for dwarven hammers - it'll save you tons of gems! If your opponent has gateway and/or fairy trod, make sure you don't make an attractive target for him. Only have small forces in provinces without a castle. If he feels pressured enough to spend gems and efforts to attack one solitary Ice Devil or three Arch Seraphs, you are probably quite well of. Bring scouts to soak up assassination spells Bring mages with astral to counter Mind Hunt (and always have antimagic amulets on your Ice Devils!!) 6.3 JOTUNHEIM Dominion design: Giants prefer Cold +2. They are cold resisitant and therefore will gain an advantage over non-cold resistant units fighting in cold climes. A positive Growth scale is important too (to feed the giants), even if your mage have some basic Nature power. It is to be noted that a scale of Cold +3 does not affect giants much and that the economic loss (-10% tax) could be partially negated by Growth +3 (+5% tax but more population). To the other hand, the colder weather will cause even more trouble to temperate neighbors, and will strenghten the Son of Niefel and his winter wolves - not to speak of other "Chill" creatures like Banes, Ghosts or Ice Devils. Furthermore, if you do not or can not take a positive Luck scale, some random bad events could make temperature drop anyway... Most players prefer Cold +2 and Growth +3 however and spend 40 more design points here. Jotunheim needs a lot of ressources, thus high Production. You are not too dependent on your capital (producing Norna and Longdead Giants), and could build cheap forward fortresses to flood your opponents. Predesigned Pretender: Bure, the Son of Niefel http://www.illwinter.com/gods/Jotunheim.html
Special Strategy * Jotunheim has powerful infantry and the resources to mass produce them. Giants are pretty solid and fast, and suffer thus few casualties after a rout. This makes an excellent local defence (province militia). * They are hungry however : each giant needs 3 supply points. Jotuns often have a penalised end game due to supply problems. * Good first spells : Curse and Luck. Jotun militia is probably the best in the game. For 15 GP, you get a Jotun Herse and 5 Jotun militia, and for each level of defence you get an additional 30 HP Jotun militia. After 20, however, you only get wolf riders, which are not worth it. 19 militia and a Herse is a fairly effective fighting force (for 190 GP), and only large armies will be able to defeat them. Units:
If you have the full version, you might want to try adding some vaettir or wolf riders to your order of battle, to help keep your Jotuns from being surrounded. Local troops could work for this too. I think it may just be that Jotuns are in a big rock-paper-scissors: their high HP and protection and good AP allows them to easily crush archers, but hordes of light infantry can surround and overwhelm Jotuns (surrounded troops have a defence penalty). To the other hand, the giants are so big they can't themselves overwhelm much of anything to get the defence reduction. Jotun Spearmen are probably the best flat-out infantry in the game. Their armor is quite high (18), and their HP are triple the average troops. Also, while their attack and defence are only average, their strength is so high that they usually kill even well armored troops with one blow. Their weapon length is 4 (behind only Pikeneers), so they are quite good at repelling anyone. Jotun Axemen do slightly more damage, but the negative to attack is painful, the negative to defence is bad too, and their reach is only 2. Jotun Hurlers are very potent second line fighters. With their strength of 20, the boulders do a total of 40 points of damage, which effectively kills any normal troop even with high protection. The short range is actually a bonus: this allows them to hit much more frequently. Some screens of Jotun spearmen, with a group of Hurlers directly behind, are excellent at taking out almost any force. This is even effective versus swarms of Knights as the Hurlers ignore their high defence values (range attacks ignore defence), and usually kill them in one shot. Remember that close combat giants can¿t benefit the surround bonus and so tend to have problems hitting high defence units. Woodsmen have a missile attack too. They even get one more missle attack versus the hurlers, plus they are much better hand to hand fighters (but less protected than axemen or spearmen). Hurlers are stronger versus super-high armor units. Woodsmen are better against medium or low armor, and will fare better in long fights where they are forced into hand to hand. However Woodsmen are one of the worst units in the game for a cost ratio - if their armor was better they might be worth it but as it is they die far too easily compared to Spearmen, and should be considered as special use troops. Keep in mind that you could use the Vaetti and Wolf Riders for stealth raids. It's not done often, but it's an option. Few players even consider the fact thet Jotunheim has a full complement of stealth troops.
When Jotunheim mages cast the spell reanimation about half the undead are giants too. So this is a much better spell for them than for other nations. When they cast raise skeletons/dead in combat about 10% of the summons will be giants. It's not amazing... but it's something extra. Seithkona and Norna are relatively cheap but very low HP mages. They are good for researching, and after evocation has been researched a bit, are incredibly effective support mages due to the spell Nether Darts. For only 90 GP, a Seithkona with a small infantry/undead screen can usually disperse dozens of troops with Nether Darts, and also is frustrating to enemies as they will likely be left feebleminded by this spell (even with the cheaper version, Nether Bolt). This is a great way to booby trap an arena deathmatch. Unfortunately, their low hit points make them vulnerable (they are not protected from cold BTW) so don't get too attached to them. If you have a very powerful Norna (good Hall of Fame bonus, lots of experience, etc), you can cast Transformation on her and probably will get a mage who will survive much longer. Note that any equipped items when you transform will disappear. Furthermore they can all help with communions, which can lead to some very impressive spell casting. Skrattis are expensive, but their skill in water magic is useful. Furthermore, blood magic can be very profitable: put a Skratti on find blood slaves, as soon as you get 5 slaves make a dousing rod, and then keep him finding slaves. With a decent growth rate, your population will increase anyway, and a single Skratti with a dousing rod in a populated area will generate 5-10 slaves per turn. Blood has some very effective summoning spells, particularly the summons that create monsters that can create monsters for free from then on: Bind Heliophagus, Bind ArchDevil, Bind Pazuzu, Curse of Blood. Many of the monsters these summons create are flying, which is of great use to Jotun. With Skrattis, Jotun can become a fairly large underwater threat. Create hordes of undead, particularly through Carrion Reanimation or the special Longdead Giants. In battle, having the Skratti cast Quickness, then repeatedly summon Lesser Water Elementals is a good general aquatic battle plan. Make sure he has bodyguards. Jotun Herses are the only sacred leaders who haven't priestly powers and so don't require a temple to be recruited. They can be blessed and their upkeep costs is less than the troops they're based on. Of course you can't replace all your Jotuns with Herses but you can often buy 1 Herse / 3 Spearmen in castles where you'd otherwise recruit 4 Spearmen and can't or don't recruit a magical leader. They are also expendable - a perfect choice for a early death arena : the almost guaranteed Hall of Fame bonus can be huge. Magic:
However, Jotuns definitely have a big advantage when forging magic items to enhance commanders, since giants are much tougher combatants than most other leaders. Nornas can forge relatively cheap equipment that can turn Jotun Herses into fearsome warmachines: Wraith Swords, Lycanthropos Amulets or even Barkskin Amulets are very effective to keep them alive and healthy. And if you have access to earth mages, Boots of the Behemoth on a few size 4 leaders can wreak havoc in the enemy ranks. National Heroes: # Angerboda the great hag (3 astral, 3 death, 3 blood + 2 nature) : "Angerboda, the Great Hag of the Iron Wood, is the oldest and most wicked of all giants. Her evil has turned her home into a forest of iron and ice. Her children are monsters born in the dark of the night. Angerboda has performed blood magic and necromancy for centuries and has taught her evil ways to the skrattis of Jotunheim. The Norns are her servants and they help her divine the past, the present, and the future. Now she has seen the impending arrival of the Illwinter and has come to aid the Great Lord of Jotunheim". # Sporsnjall the Wolf Lord (Wolfrider with standard) : "Sporsnjall is a Vaetti. He is skilled and well-known in the halls of the wolfkin, but to the giants he is but another goblin. Sporsnjall has decided to show his allies that small allies are as useful as big ones. Sporsnjall rides a white wolf believed to be the offspring of Angerboda, Mother of Monsters." 6.4 MAN
Man can expand early nicely thanks to the longbow, but later on it can't keep up so easily when things get magical and the Staff of Storms shows up. Dominion design : You can make temples for only 100 GP and monks for 30 GP. Therefore, you can increase your dominion fairly cheaply, and do not need a lot of candles to start with (3 seems a minimum however, especially on crowded maps). You also have a special patrol unit (the Forester counts as 5 soldiers when patrolling) and can support some turmoil. To the other hand, consider taking a fortress with a good administration % (like the fortified city), to drain that amount of resources from any neighboring province you own : you can only build your best troops in your home province ! Predesigned Pretender : Nimue the Great Enchanteress (aka the "Lady of the Lake") http://www.illwinter.com/gods/Man.html Units :
Consider recruiting heavier swordsmen (those with prot 15) in independent provinces instead.
Against Ermor, longbowmen are good at removing slower moving undead, but longdead horseman advance too quickly to be stopped by just archers. Longbows really rock until your enemy gets a Staff of Storms (makes all missiles ineffective): 2 volleys of arrows before anyone but fliers are in close combat usually ends the battle quickly!
Magic :
The Monk is a cheap, stealth level 2 priest however. There is also the Mother of Avalon, who's stealthy and comes with 1 air and 2 nature. Without pumping them up (and one more air level is cheap and worthwhile for the summon Lesser Air Elemental alone), they get False Horror, Orb Lightning (the bane of knights, especially knights of Ulm), Sleep Cloud (another Ulm killer), Swarm (good for keeping mages busy), Protection (10 protection, or +1, whichever is greater), Elemental Fortitude... None of which (except orb lightning) are exceptional, but very helpful. Combined with bards, who give a moral bonus when you're fighting outside your dominion, and monks who can stealth preach... Finally, there's the Crone of Avalon, who's not stealthy but comes with 2 air, 3 nature and a random pick. She is able to cast Storm (with one more air gem). Add two Crones (or a Crone and a Mother + Summon Storm Power) in your main army and you will be able to cast both Storm and Arrow Fend. The latter let you fire arrows in a storm - undocumented effect. Crones can also perform some interesting rituals : Call of the Winds, Call of the Wild, Awaken Vine Ogres, Faerie Trod, etc. If you are lucky with the random pick and get another air level, your crone could forge a Staff of Storms. Note that you will always have a shortage of magic-users (Daughters/Mothers/Crones of Avalons) as they can only be made in your capitol. Therefore, even a Daughter is not a disposable unit unless you find another place to summon powerful mages. Generally speaking, early expansion is not an option. Unless you find a sage site quickly, you will be behind in research and will run out of mages in a war. Expect to see your opponents sending assassins or "killer" spells like Earth Attack, Seeking Arrows, Mind Hunt, Vengence of the Dead, Flames from the Sky, Murdering Winter, etc National Heroes:
"The Knights of the Stone are a knightly brotherhood of heroic champions. Only thirteen members are allowed and only when one of their number dies will another valiant champion replace him. The knights sometimes aid the witches of Avalon. The knights are exceptional leaders and unequaled in battle prowess". * Brangwen the Blind One : blind mage with Nature 3, Astral 2 and Air 2. "Grangwen the Blind One is the oldest and most revered of all the witches of Avalon. She has lived for more than a century and was one of the first witches to study the hidden lore of the Tuatha. Although she is blind, it is rumored that she can see all that will happen in the kingdom" * Bernlad the Green Knight, a regenerating knight with full chain armor (prot 20) riding on a unicorn (ap 30), but with a poor leadership (10) "is a reclusive knight of whom little is known. He first appeared at a tourney nearby an old forest astride a great unicorn. He wore a shimmering green armor and claimed to be Bernlad the Green Knight. No one had ever heard of him before the tourney. The Green Knight is not a great commander, but is skilled in combat and has spells woven into his armor. Bernlad regenerates wounds and may heal his battle afflictions". * Rhianne "was just a girl when she fell in love with a young knight. The young lord was obsessed with the ideals of the knightly brotherhood of the stone and ignored Rhiannes wooing. When he was mutilated by brigands she decided to take revenge. She declared war on the robbers and slew them one by one with the unexpected aid of a unicorn. Astride her companion she has become the bane of brigands and is a welcome sight in the villages of the kingdom. Rhianne gets a bonus when patrolling provinces". She rides the fastest unicorn (AP 36). Her patrol bonus is huge, about +25! 6.5 PANGAEA In general there are very few players who can make real use of the capabilities of Pangaea : she is even very confusing to anyone who prefers the direct Ulm methods. Pangaea has some big advantages: stealth, superior numbers and cheap temples (half the cost of other nations, since they use sacred groves instead of buildings). Dominion design : If you have a high Turmoil and high Luck you gain more gold than with high Order, and it costs a lot less design points. Sure it forces you to patrol heavily, but you'd do that at some point anyway. With Turmoil+3, 50 fliers is a good target for 200% taxes while keeping unrest at a bearable level (as long as you have positive Turmoil there'll always be a bit of unrest) but patrols will end up killing people, so you really need +3 growth too. The things to keep in mind are when designing a dominion for Pangea are: * turmoil is what attracts maenads * turmoil generates unrest, but using flying units like harpies in patrols is a good mean to keep unrest low * both bloodhunting and quelling unrest with patrols kill people, and you're not Ermor * Pandemoniacs seem to be tailored to cast Crossbreeding rituals (Blood magic, level 3), and these are greatly improved by a high Luck scale * High Luck also gives you a greater chance to recruit your national heroes, and Pangean heroes are just too useful * Pangea's mages are rather poor at research, when you factor in their cost. Depending on your pretender choice a drain scale may be too much of a drawback to overcome * Temples cost 50% less to build, and stealthy Dryads are useful to keep an adverse dominion at bay - therefore there are better choices than increasing dominion strength too high when designing the nation Predesigned Pretender: Stheno the Medusa Download 5.74 Mb. Share with your friends:
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