Re: Lower level summons?
 

I made good use (for my own standards) of drakes, scorpion beasts, prides of lions, wights, etc.

Hoarding or using now depends on the situation: how soon I need things, what else I need the gems for, which free casters I have available, research expectations, opponents, number of gems available, etc.

I think many of these are good for early-research situations. I agree that later in the research tree, there are summons which are fairly easy to summon which tend to be better and not much more expensive.

My current mod effort in progress makes the more powerful high-research items more difficult to cast in terms of expense and magic power required. I'm really liking the results so far.

PvK

Re: Lower level summons?
 

Just glancing through Edi's excellent unit reference, and here are some low level summons that appear to not be used too often.

Corpse Construct
Various Animals (from Summon Animals)
Bog Beast
Various Drakes
Kithaironic Lion
Lumber Construct
Bane
Scorpion Beast
Shade Beast
Revenant

Re: Lower level summons?
 

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
Vine Ogre Lumber Construct

Cost 1N 5N

Magic Path 3N 3N

Research conj 3 const 5

Hit Points 53 60

Protection 5 12

Morale 50 50

Magic res. 5 12

Encumbrance 0 0

Strength 18 20

Attack 12 8

Defense 3 7

Move(map/ap) 2/12 3/ 7

Attacks 2 fists 1 fist

Differing Forest Magic Being, Lifeless,
abilities Survival Never Heals
</pre><hr />

I can't imagine ever getting a construct for 5 times the cost, and that doesnt even take into account an ivy crown...

Re: Lower level summons?
 

The Lumber Construct is lifeless. That is worth something sometimes. But for x5 the cost? No thanks I'll go with the vine ogre.

However comparing anything to Vine Ogres is usually a no brainer. It is very hard to beat their price/performance.

Re: Lower level summons?
 

Mound Kings have been mentioned already as a useful ferry, but I am wondering if anyone has ever really exploited their unique characteristic: 4 strategic movement. Outisde of Vastnesses and horrors, I think these are the only summons which can move 4 provinces, and the cost is minimal: 3 death gems and 1 death required to summon.

This has to be insanely useful in some situation. Of course, they are hindered by not having feet, and thus are difficult to equip for flying (Stymphalian Wings and Magic carpets are possible), and there aren't any fast (4 movement troops) for them to lead across great distances. But you could easily summon a small squad, and send them places where you foe knows nobody can reach in one turn. The only question is what the best gear for them is...

Re: Lower level summons?
 

Bog Beasts are available for C'tis Miasma as starting spell, but I could not find a good use for them. They die pretty easily, but you cannot stack them with C'tis troops either, for Miasma is lacking 100% poison proof units and 50% resistance does not help at all against the bog beaste poisoneous aura.

Of course, one could stack them with VineOgres, but VineOgres are bad for Miasma, since they become diseased and suffer full from the effect (neither having a cold blooded, swamp survival or undead flag).

Maybe they are useful if they are buffed with some protection - or does anyone know some cheap meatshields that are both miasma &amp; poison proof?
(Raise Dead, of course, but Miasma's Marshmasters need SkullStaffs for spamming it...)

Re: Lower level summons?
 

Constructs? Claymen or clockwork horrors perhaps? Not that either are all that cheap.

Re: Lower level summons?
 

Claymen cast by W9E4 Daughter of the Land are surprisingly cheap... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif And you also get Reanimation, Raise Dead/Skeletons and (although these aren't low-level anymore) Undead Horsemen, Banefire Archers, Enlivened statues and Demiliches.

I would love to get W9EX and Golem Cult, but there aren't many nations that I play so that they benefit from Magic 1+ and Prod 1+... And I don't think there is any that benefits of Enchantment in those, or any which would benefit from W9EX or WXE9, or even W9E9 enough for it to pay off. Golem Cult-boosted Claymen and Enlivened Statued would be interesting, but the need for both production and magic is a killer that puts off all Earth nations... Ulm takes drain and has no blessable units, Vanheim and Pangaea benefit of both blessings but need sloth to pay for extreme pretender.

Re: Lower level summons?
 

Endoperez, what about Machaka? It's an earth nation (okay, earth/fire/nature(/death) nation), which has blessable troops, has resource-intensive troops, mages that benefit from magic scale and hot temperature scale for extra points. And benefits from Enchantment, IIRC Flaming Arrows is from that research tree.

...I'm not sure, though, how even they would affort such an expensive blessings...

Re: Lower level summons?
 

Machaka seems to be the one that everyone who has talked about clay/golem cult has thought of. It is probably the best, but its blessable hunter spiders are pretty expensive. Like you said, its tough to get both scales and high bless.