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| -> Storm Demons are less of a combat unit and more of a battle magic. Each tosses str-based AN lightning bolts(10 per battle) fired with Storm-immune Precision 14, so when you are rolling in with 20-30 of them you can have a devastating magical assault before you engage in melee.
Summon Imps is a great way to win assassination/failed seduction/deathmatch battles. Agony is also a fear effect, so it has value beyond just weak attack. Send Lesser Horror/Horror is a great way to add in killers with low amounts of resistance against high numbers of attackers. I've had more than a little success with casting a few of these and only having a few mages and no troops on defense to cast battlefield spells or other large area magics. Sheer probability means that the Horrors will attack the vastly larger force(barring Horror Marks). Hell Power has a number of niche uses, so don't discount it despite it's great cost. Infernal Prison/Claws of Cocytus are the best way to defeat Doom Horrors. -> Yes, bloodletting takes out your blood slaves, but (assuming human level MR) it takes out the bad guys at the same rate. You don't have to kill 100% of the enemy troops for the army to be 'destroyed', killing 60% and routing the rest with heavy afflictions is, at least to me, destroying the army. This is very doable with 4 castings, which is more or less what your blood slaves will handle if you bring a few extra. -> Blood magic, is all about SCs. And that carries over into its battle magic too. While it does have a handful BE and AoE spells, the real power of blood magic on the field is for killing SCs. Life for a Life, and the go to hell spells are the best anti-SC spells in the game. -> Early on, I wouldn't underestimate summon imp. They have okay HP, they're hard to hit, and fly, which means they cross the battlefield and can stop the enemy army immediately for some time, which you can leverage for considerable advantage with the right units. -> Can someone please explain what is the "go to hell" spell? Infernal Prison and Claws of Kokytos. 10.11 Wish 10.11.1 Wish list * "Armageddon" : earthquakes and meteors kill 20% of the population and of the units in most provinces of the world. * "Army" : gives you 300 militiamen. * "Artifact" gives you a random unique artifact. This is pretty funny if that artifact exists, whoever has it gets a message that it disappears into a poof of smoke and your mage suddenly has it! If the item is cursed, the mage cannot remove it. * "(Artifact)" : gives you the said artifact... including those which aren't listed in the magical item manual or in the forge lists : Vial of Frozen Tears (+1 D,W), Sun Sword/Shield/Armor/Helmet (of Solaris - mostly awe, berserk, and magic resistance), Hammer of the Cyclops (50% forge, 37 damage), Precious (attack and strength bonus), Greenstone Armor (prot 17), Robe of the Sorceress (+1 S,D,N,B and prot 15), Crown of Karafagus (+1D and 1 mummy/t), Admiral's Sword (curses those it touches). * "Blood slaves" : you get 250. * "Broth" : same as "food" * "(Creature Name)" : you get the said creature. Like "hero", they lose all magic. However, if you can cast Gift of Reason, they still have secondary powers, so Arco Priestesses have heal, etc. * "Death" : guess what happens to the mage... * "Death Match" : a Death Match is scheduled next turn. * "Defence" : same as "power" * "Dominion" : your dominion increases slightly. * "Experience" : the caster gets 1000 experience. * "Fame" : same as "experience". * "Food" : you get 2 Cauldrons of Broth and 5 Endless Bags of Wine. * "Gems" : gives 25 of each gem type, including astral (that's 175 gems for the price of 100 astral), but no slaves. * "Gold" : gives you 3000 gold pieces. * "Hero" you get a random hero from any race. The hero shows up as a normal unit, but loses his magic skills since he is not a commander (if you cast gift of reason on him, he still has no spells available). You cannot ask for a specific hero however. * "Magic power" : the caster gets +1 to all magic levels, up to 10. * "No starve" : same as "food" * "Population" : brings more pop (+20%) in a random province you control. * "Power" : the caster gets +20 strength, +10 attack, +10 defence, +10 precision, and +50 hitpoints. * "(Pretender name)" : you get that pretender, with default magic and abilities (Daughter of the Land gets gems, Moloch gets imp, Ghost King gets ghosts, etc). * "Provinces" : a couple of provinces just convert to be yours. * "Strength" : same as "power" * "Supply" : same as "food" * "Troops" : same as "army" * "Weapons" : get a random weapon artifact. nothing
to die death match arena match arena game death game dominion divine power divine authority
physic
hitpoint hit point power magical power magic power magic skill magic master magic might ultimate power armageddon genocide world
everyone everything slaves blood
gems troops military
army militia
lands large
huge nation
supply supplies
broth wine
stop starv
populace enemies
friends peasants commoners kill leader fame experience combat skill fighting skill artefact artifact
something anything
sword staff
weapon gold money
wealth riches
silver copper
dough 10.11.2 Wish for a Demon Lord You should wish for Lord of Corruption (Belial), Lord of Hell (Belphegor), Goat Sun (Buer), Lord of the Plague Wind (Pazuzu). They will all appear as non-commanders and you need to GoR them. Once you wish for the first one, it's better to wish for blood slaves and summon the others. You will summon them as commanders and wishing for blood slaves gives you 250 girls. -> Are the demon lords worth wishing for? A good use of a Wish? If you want a SC then not. If you want them for their magic paths, stealth, or some other ability (automatic heat from hell, seducing commanders) they might be. -> Belphegor also generates blood slaves automatically, so I would wish for him first. He's the premier Blood caster in the game since he can follow an army and cast blood magic without having to stop to hunt or transfer blood slaves. 10.11.3 Worthy artifacts to wish for Article Author: Wraithlord "Gate Stone" - For teleporting an army. Note, build an army good for cracking open castles and use the artifact to quickly take over enemy castles. "The Chalice" - Heals afflictions. Even on undead. Good for the tartarians. "Soulstone of the Wolves" - Free cast. Summon pack of stealthy wolves. The werewolf leader has a number of uses - among them auto summon wolves. "Hammer of the Forge Lord" - 50% discount on forging items. Try to give it to a four armed critter (like the Kailasa and Patala pretenders) together with dwarven hammer for 75% discount! "The Ankh" - In combat your (live) casualties will return as undead. Good usage includes: --> Protect your brittle human troops and mages in big battles --> Summon some bog beasts and compose an army with a bunch of priests. Set the priest to sermon of courage. Setup a controlled battle. Should be 5-10 rounds. You should win at the end. For example, summon ghost riders on the province that army is at. The result, your priests would reanimate. Now they are upkeep free and can summon longdead warriors. --> Do same for expensive mages. Now they are upkeep free.
-> They are 0 upkeep -> They have 1000 exp. meaning they go to HoF and get heroic abilites -> Have flambeauxs -> eat undeads -> Caution, any item you give them you can't take back again
Gargoyle. Tartarianns. Tarrasques. Iron Dragons Abominations Vastnesses angels
Troll Guard (unit#1425): Comes with Regeneration All Slots available for items No Penalty for entering the water Lots of Hitpoints Good default MR = 14 Only Size_4 allowing larger stupid decoys to be the target of kill spells. 10.13 Basic Battle Tactics Article Author: Raiel Basic Battle Tactics This post is intended to be a compilation of strategies and ideas that new players will find helpful when setting up armies. The focus is on matching up mundane forces against independents, as is common in the first few turns (or more) of most games. Very few, if any, of these ideas are "original". Most have been gleaned from posts by the very generous and insightful veterans of this forum. I am NOT taking credit for these ideas, merely trying to string them all together and put them in one place for new players to reference. To the vets that have contributed the strategies: Thank you and please accept my apologies for not naming each of you! .............. 10.13.1 Abbreviations: HaA-C = Hold and Attack Closest HaA-R = Hold and Attack Rear HaA-A = Hold and Attack Archers A-C = Attack Closest A-R = Attack Rear A-A = Attack Archers F-C = Fire Closest GC = Gaurd Commander
.............. 10.13.2 Setup army Setting up a basic Army consists of four major decisions: * Group Composition "What type of unit will fill this group?" Consider carefully the points made by OmikronWarrior in post #7 of this thread when choosing which units to recruit.
Not just "How many units are in a group?", but also "How many squares, or portions of a single square, does this group fill?" * Group Placement "Where will this group start in relation to the rest of my army?" * Group Orders "What do I want this group to do?" Different combinations will yield groups designed for different roles:
.............. 10.13.3 Battle Plans: Archer Pull Place your commander in the middle and very back of the field with orders: Holdx5-SBT. Place an Archer Decoy with GC orders in the middle of the field, just a little forward of center. Place Line Holders or Attack Squads on one side and to the rear of the Archer Decoy. Place Flankers far to the other side and to the rear of the Archer Decoy; give one flank orders to A-C or HaA-C while giving the other flank orders to A-A or HaA-A. Bait-And-Switch (Against Light Infantry) Mimic the Archer Pull in every way but one: Rather than Flankers, use javelin-equipped Attack Squads or Line Holders, and set every group but the decoy to F-C. Enemy javelins will never be thrown, but yours will... Left (Or Right) Draw Pick a side you want to draw the enemy toward. Place your commander on the chosen "draw" side at the very back with orders: Holdx5-SBT. Place a (fast) Decoy toward the front-middle with GC orders. Place a Line Holder in the center with HaA-C or in the middle back area with F-C. Place Flankers or Attack Squads opposite of the chosen "draw" side, about half-way forward from the middle. Note that this plan usually breaks up the enemy's formation and spreads them out in a bit of a line, leaving them less vulnerable to missile fire. Thus, orders of F-C to any non-archer units are often less than optimal. Gauntlet Place your commander in the middle and very back of the field with orders: Holdx5-SBT. Place a Decoy with GC orders in the middle of the field, very close to (or at) the front. Place Line Holders with HaA-C orders behind and on both sides of the Decoy, leaving enough room for the entire enemy force to (hopefully) pass between them. Archers may be used instead of Line Holders, but if the Decoy breaks or somehow loses the attention of the enemy the results will be... unpleasant. Wait-For-It The purpose of this plan is to give your units the first melee attack; it can take much practice to use successfully on different independent enemy types. Estimate how far the defenders will have advanced in 3 turns (a little more than half-way across your side of the field for Heavy Calvary), and place your line holders just out of reach with orders to HaA-C. Place Attack Squads with HaA-C to the left and right of your Line Holders to help envelope the enemy. If the enemy has Archers, place Flankers with orders to HaA-A on the far side(s) of the field. Sacrifice A plan based on the concept that a pyrrhic victory is better than no victory at all. Use a Wait-For-It or Draw setup with the addition of a Pin Cushion group in the path of the enemy. Especially useful against any units using a variety of lance, as lances get a one-time bonus to their first attack that can often kill even the most expensive unit. Don't forget to take into account the auto-route (75% HP loss) rule. .............. 10.13.4 Closing Thoughts: The plans above, if applied against the correct unit types and deployed carefully, will usually win with minimal casualties against similar numbers and quality of independent units. But something should be mentioned about the DRN (Dominions Random Number)... it is the Great Demon Murphy dice-incarnate. When (not if) your high-morale Archer Decoy routes it will probably leave you in a nasty situation. I warned you.
10.13.5 Comments -> ano: You don't always need scripting your decoy to GC. HaA-C will work perfectly if you want your weak commander alive and just need to draw enemy to one side. Flankers set to A-A or A-R will crush archers and commanders once infantry goes to kill your decoy. As for elephants, tactics you called "Wait-For-It" is very important here. Independent elephants may be predicted while against good human opponent you usually need something more than good lineup. With elephants (as well as hydras) tactics of killing commander with flankers often works well. -> lingchin: I hardly ever have a problem with my elephants (though I do have problems sometimes with others elephants). I put them off to the flank, surrounding my H2 caster. Set them on hold and attack, while the H2 casts sermons of courage on them. Then, they attack rear. A holding force keeps the enemy busy in the center while this is done. Most of the time, the elephants actually get all the way to the rear commanders, or at least the archers, and wreak havoc. The sermon of courage gets their morale up to 12 (or higher, if they are experienced). That is usually good enough. -> OmikronWarrior: I've considered writing a 3,000 word article (meaning big, the exact number is unimportant) just on how to fight battles before mages are factored in. But I tend not to have the time and ultimately I doubt people would get a lot out of it as mages and SC's are so ubiquitous. I might as well give out some of the pointers. When choosing which troops to recruit: 1) Margins matter. The difference of +2 defense might not matter for a thug, but it can make a noticeable difference when the guys upfront are exchanging blows. Now, if there exists an across the board advantage (attack, strength, hp, etc.), then you are cooking with gas. 2) Zero Protection units die way to easily to be useful, no matter what the hp and defense stats. A protection of at least 10 is highly recommended unless the unit has correspondingly better HP. E.G. 20 HP for a protection of 7 and rising exponentially from there. 3) Attack values less than 10 are trouble, as a successful defense check completely nullifies damage. Be sure to actually click the attack skill as the figure shown does not take into account weapon modifiers or dual weilding penalties. 4) Units with two attacks are twice as nice, provided the attacks do not violate point 3. 5) Strategic movement of 2 is very important, except on some custom maps with a lot of forests and mountains where the extra movement is lost anyways. 6) Paying extra for the better unit is usually worth the investment as Dom3 combat tends to favor quality over quantity. The obvious exception is if the unit is expected to die quickly to enemy evocations. Then, by all means place some cheap decoys. 7) Size, for meelee smaller is better. When up against AoE spells or other types of attacks, bigger is better. Other Advice: 1) The engine has trouble handling archer/melee combo units such as LA Man's troops or javelin throwers. Set the unit to attack, and none will use their range weapon even if they are not in a position to meelee attack. Hold and Attack is similar, only they might use range weapons while holding if the enemy is in range. If you want a squad to do both, you really need to give it no orders. Alternatively, set them to just shoot closest. When a squad moves close enough, those on the front will move forward to engage in meelee. 2) Typical archers are near useless against high parry and high protection troops. PS, these aren't corrections Raiel, just my own observations piggy backing on your thread. -> Twaqus: I'll also note that ultra-cheap low-prot units like militia or R'lyeh's freespawn cultists can be useful as lance absorbers; the heavy cavalry's initial charge can be quite threatening to even well-protected (and generally more expensive) troops. Other things to pay attention to -- - If you have in mind particular spells, check their ranges... - Damaging auras. Friendly fire isn't. - Flyers essentially teleport, unless there's a storm going on, and some can even fly during storms.
10.14 Beyond the script Article Author: IlluminatedOne Well, I flagged this as a guide but it really isn't one ... yet. I hope that I becomes a guide about the general usage of mages with the help of players more experienced than me. It is mostly aimed away from setting up good scripts towards understanding the other mechanics that influence spell casting and strategic setup. I think when you have your mages ready and know what you are facing it is pretty obvious what to script, also the AI will retain some level of control, even controlling everything after round 5, so generally it's more important to understand how to allocate your resources. I've added some things that I think I know and asked the questions I deem important. If you have an answer or addition to this or want to correct me, please do so.
10.14.1 Gem Usage Gem usage is controlled by the AI - if the AI does not deem the enemy army a threat it won't use gems. But now it gets complicated - how does the AI determine if the enemy is a threat (hp on the field, number of guys, or is there some real estimation of the enemies strength considering things like attack/defense/magical factor - a short sidenote: the coolest thing would be if the battle was played without gem usage first. If that is lost or casualties are high the battle is redone but now with gems. )?
Friendly fire? Or is the enemy no longer considered dangerous after the first spell? Does the AI prevent the last mage from going unconsicious? Lastly what should the gems be used for? I think as there are only three types of battlefield spells (summons, buffs, large area) requiring gems the answers are easily given. Summons should mostly be used when facing thugs. Large area spells obviously waste their potential. Nature and death seem to be best to tie the thugs up while your mages deal the damage with cheap spells (or make them sleep). Elementals are best used when you can expect them to deal damage. If you can't it probably means your mages can't as well unless they have other paths. Against armies it's the other way round, 4 fire elementals will be cut down before they deal the same damage as a Flame Storm. If you need to tie the enemy up nature summons are good, though. Buffs are used when you have a large army present. Download 5.74 Mb. Share with your friends:
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