Re: Frost Brand rules
 

Definitely only AI, I wouldn't try that against a human with any experience unless I knew where his mages were not. And actually, the same applied to the AI. If I knew there were any serious mages in an enemy army, I avoided it and raided province defense. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Frost Brand rules
 

I've been using Yomi in a recent SP game and I found myself using Shadow Brands a lot and a shields like Charcoal or Gold Shields. I'm wondering if there are any better 1 hand weapons I can mass produce for my Dai Oni (hopefully that are AP or AN). I'd do Swords of Quickness, but I've been using all my Water Gems making sure that they can have Jade Armor.

Okay, here's the basic plan for my Dai Oni SCs.

Hands: Shadow or Fire Brand and Charcoal or Gold Shield (Built by random Sorcerer)
Head: Wraith Crown (I gave a Dai Oni a Skull Staff so he can make these. He's the only one that can make them as of now.)
Body: Jade Armor (My pretender is the only one who can make these so far.)
Boots: Boots of the Behemoth (By Sorcerer)
Misc1: Pendant of Luck (I found a Castle Arcanum and now I have Wizards that make these.)
Misc2: Typically nothing, but occasionally I give them a Wall Shaker when I need them to take down a fort, or when I can get the gems. (Built by a Dai Tengu that showed up as a multi-hero)

They usually have no experience to start with. Anything I can do to make these dudes better?

Re: Frost Brand rules
 

Don't know if the boots are needed- you'll do fine with brands and fire shield. Similarily, you could forge water bracelet and then boots of quickness, replace the boots, and get some decent armor, or even a robe of shadows and cast invulnerability. Then use the second misc. for an immunity. Drop the wraith crown if you use robe of shadows, it's expensive. Horror helments are so much more fun. You can cast soul vortex and fire shield, so you don't need a dmage shield. I'd go with shield of gleaming gold, which goes nicely with the fear of helm.

Re: Frost Brand rules
 

What paths does your pretender have? You might want to script Bless too, since your Dai Onis are sacred and can bless themselves.

I've got an SP Yomi game going right now too, and have an S9N4 bless (monolith) for the MR, regen, and twist fate.

Right now I place the Dai Oni as far back as possible and script:
Summon Earthpower (for reinvigoration)
Bless
Fire Shield (if no Charcoal Shield)
(Mirror Image if the Oni has A1)
attack

I'll add Soul Vortex once it's researched. But these guys are pretty strong as is. I've got various equipment on them, crafted by mercs (obscuro)/indies when I didn't have necessary paths:

Frost Brand/Fire Brand/Shadow Brand/Snake Bladder
Charcoal/Valor Shield
Horror Helm
Displacement Chain/Rime Hauberk
Winged Shoes/Birch Boots (100% poison resist for bladder)
Lucky Pendant (sage guild)
Girdle of Might

The winged shoes are super-handy for getting to the right place to fight. And I haven't had an Oni need to flee yet, but it would help there too.

Re: Frost Brand rules
 

My pretender is a Great Sage with F3,W1,A1,E2,D3,S4. I found a Staff of Elemental Mastery in a random event and I gave him a Fire Skull and Water Bracelet I forged (F5,W3,A2,E3,D3,S4). I originally built him so he would help with the research and build some cheaper Water items I can use. I used the plan I had because I thought that a quickened, ethereal trampler would be able to just mow over armies in a few turns with just SV, Inv and attacks. I have been researching Evocation as well, so I can probably send them out with a bunch of Reinvigoration items and gems and have them spam stuff like Falling Fires.

Re: Frost Brand rules
 

For your dai oni consider:
Shadow brand, charcoal shield, horror helm, jade armour, winged shoes(Do they have enc? If so i would swap for boots of the messenger even if they have summon earthpower), lucky pendant, ring of regeneration.

If you have access to phoenix pyre(thats the name isnt it?) consider some minimal gear (shadow brand, charcoal shield, ring of regeneration) and then load him up with a huge amount of regeneration game.

Finally if your dai oni have protection spells and you dont mind them spending an extra round buffing consider having them cast X skin and give them a robe of shadows.

Good dai oni buffs: summon earthpower, stone/iron skin, invunerability, phoenix pyre, soul vortex.

Re: Frost Brand rules
 

Dai oni, AFAIK, have obscene encumberance- heavy samurai armor etc.