Re: Astral Combat Spells
 

Stiil +8, I meant rings of sorcery http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/redface.gif.

Nether Darts should be helped by penetration, and is blocked by shields(I hate abysian tower shields) but with the large number of effects, it is still far superior to nether bolt unless you are facing tower shields(and maybe kite shields).

Re: astral combat spells
 

Anecdotally, I've also found astral fires to be not as uber as you might think due to the relatively low damage output as compared to other evo spells. Considering how often you're fighting lower protection guys falling foo, magma eruption, etc. often wipe out big swaths of dudes and inflict reasonable damage against the moderately heavier ones while astral fires usually takes a couple of hits to kill anybody with more than 10 hp. Still, definitely has a niche though I didn't realize FR countered it.

Re: astral combat spells
 

I'm pretty sure that FR doesn't counter Astral Fires. Like Banefire, its not actual "fire".

The second tier Evocations are perfect when your opponent starts tossing in his mechanical men armies or has other immunities. A 50% Fire Resist with decent armor is basically like being immune to Falling Fires, but Astral Fires will keep doing some damage.

Re: astral combat spells
 

Astral Fire does not do fire damage (the tags are Armor Negating, Magic Resistance Negates and Works Underwater).

Re: astral combat spells
 

Oooo, I had forgotten to mention how it works underwater. In the sumo wrestle that is underwater combat, tossing down real evocations is awesome.

Re: astral combat spells
 

I know you asked for non-buff spells, but it's usually a good plan to toss down an Antimagic. It's only Enchant 4, 1 pearl, and it's +4 MR on all your troops for the entire battle, even if the caster dies. It's really a good plan to do this first if you are planning on casting Solar Brilliance/Tempest.

Re: astral combat spells
 

High MR isn't that useful against nether darts and nether bolts as it only protects from the feebelminding, at least that is how it works according to the manual.