Re: Anti SC spells
 

I dunno. Combine the Eagle Eyes boost with Aim or Wind Guide, and you can count on most of the arrows hitting an Ice Devil sized target at medium range. That would at least put a sizeable dent in your run-off-the-mill SC, assuming he isn't Air Shielded. Which he is.

Re: Anti SC spells
 

Indeed. And it can really ruin your day. I remember when I played a co-op game with Kaljamaha on the Small Faerun map with him as Vanheim, he summoned both earth kings, Father Illearth and a lot of other stuff and built at least half of the good artifacts. Sent both earth kings, equipped with all the goodies, against Earthmother in Gwynneth. With the result that his screen of chaff killed the wolves, didn't put a dent in the seasonal spirits and about that time the battle ended. Next report out of Gwynneth: "The army consists mainly of <list seasonal spirits>. It is commanded by Earthmother the Great Mother who radiates power. A huge King of the Mountains was also seen towering over the army."

Kaljamaha obviously wasn't pleased...

Edi

Re: Anti SC spells
 

Should work as well as vs. anything else.

Re: Anti SC spells
 

Gifts from Heaven is the best anti-SC spell, if you have a caster with high precision. But that's for SCs. Thugs can be taken out with militia and a Totem Shield, if there aren't very many of them. Blind is nice too, once you get it, and Drain Life is also very effective when in range. Sometimes I send a thug to the Arena, and when I lose to a mage, it's usually from Drain Life.

With regards to sleep, I don't recommend it because it has an MR save. I didn't think it worked on undead, but even if it does, undead thugs have high MR.

Re: Anti SC spells
 

Spells like gifts from heaven and drain life are certainly preferable if you have access to them. But when you are behind in research or constrained by your magic paths, sleep + eagle eyes can become a very attractive (or even only) option.

Re: Anti SC spells
 

I can never get the Eth Xbow to hit a SC.

Re: Anti SC spells
 

OG_Gleep ...

Precision of the unit holding the ethereal crossbow

Shoot at the type of SC so if it's a flyer... set command for shoot flyer... if it's a larger tartarian set command for shoot largest.

Spells like eagle eye or aim help if that unit has them

don't bring a single commander with an ethereal crossbow... I would recommend 2 or 3.

Re: Anti SC spells
 

How about disintegrate? In my SP game last night, I assaulted the Pythium fort and spammed disintegrate with Onyx amazons, and to my surprise and pleasure, it killed their Naga pretender in the first shot, even with a load of other troops around. And it makes a cool shattering noise http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Anti SC spells
 

Yes disintegrate works too... I recommended this in a previous post as well.

Re: Anti SC spells
 

Believe the Ethereal Crossbow has an MR check, so many SC types will be able to ignore it, especially as the items that aid in overcoming MR only affect actual spells that are cast, and not weapons / attacks with MR effects.