Re: Terrible Player.
 

In my tests, it does. Notice how Decayed units eventually start taking damage and turn into puffs of blood? It only happens once they catch Disease, and after that point they take 5 points of damage per turn. (You're right that it should be 60, but it isn't.) I only started liking Banefire and Wind of Death after I discovered this effect, and I think it's pretty neat.

I am not 100% sure that I've seen this happen to undead too, but I think I have. Call it 40% sure.

-Max

Re: Terrible Player.
 

Ok, that should get bug reported then, because disease isn't supposed to affect demons or undead.

Re: Terrible Player.
 

Should be tested first. Easiest way would be to mod in a weapon that causes disease and decay and have a unit with it fight a load of undead with very high maxage.

Re: Terrible Player.
 

I read a strategy guide for Ashdod that recommended an E10Nx bless and using Adons for expansion. Since an Adon naturally has Enc-5, the E10 bless gives him a net Encumbrance of zero, so he can fight all day....

Re: Terrible Player.
 

because with a net encumbrance of 1, he can still fight for 20 turns before crits even start to become a problem.

plus, there are so many other things that can cause fatigue. H2+/H-2+ builds are not uncommon, swamp, Rigor Mortis, Heat from Hell, etc.

The 'net 0 enc' is only a reality in the early game, and if you can't have a battle in the bag in 20 turns in the early game, you probably arn't winning anyway.

Going from X9 to X10 cost, what? at least 60 points (assuming you started off with like 3 in that path). Thats a beneficial tip of a scale, and maybe an extra magic path, which would have much bigger benefits (a few extra Adons, for example; much better than a few less with 'net 0 enc').

Re: Terrible Player.
 

An unbuffed Adon (<Bless, Hold, attack>) is actually pretty weak, since he has no helmet. But yeah, an E9Nx Adon could probably take most indy provinces before he starts taking crits, since the Holdx2 gets him back down to zero fatigue. When you add in Body Ethereal and Personal Luck, <Bless, Body Ethereal, Personal Luck, Hold, Hold, attack>, he's at 29 FP before he even starts his attack run, to say nothing of possibly needing multiple Blesses to cover any Ahimans he may be escorting. 29FP + 1 FP/turn makes me considerably more nervous than 24 FP, period. You're not neglecting any of the important scales like Order to get this.

-Max

Re: Terrible Player.
 

On Topic
---
Iry, I think we all actually appreciate the reports on your progress. Sometimes it becomes hard for most of us to remember what it was like to play Dominions for the first time. Reading about experience is really a highlight of my day. Thanks.

I'm currently educating a friend on how to play the game. In many respects they have some of the same problems you have. A lot of people are throwing advice around. I think my best advice so far to my friend has been this:

The core of the game is the grimoire. The magic system trumps all. In the end, your skill level is almost entirely dependent on your knowledge of the spells. After that it becomes a matter of solid tactics, resource management, and a whole lot of luck.

That said, good luck to you and happy hunting.

Disease Discussion
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Burden of Time makes disease twice as effective. Again, one year adds only one point of damage, not 12.

It might make sense to some people that magical aging would mirror actual ageing, but I think it makes more sense in its current form. I don't think of it as a manipulation of space/time, but rather a weakening or withering of the body. If it was a manipulation of time, then Burden of Time and Decay should rightly be astral magic, not death.

Re: Terrible Player.
 

Remember to use Early Age (EA) Abysia. That'll give you the best experience.

I have to second this advice. EA Abysia is a very straightforward nation. Your chief mages (Anointed) are powerful and not old. You have heavy infantry in an era that doesn't have a lot of heavy infantry, which usually gives you military superiority over most of your opponents. Lastly, fire evocations are heaps of fun, and all of your national troops are immune to any friendly fire. What's not to like?

The only "catch" to playing Abysia is how you mix your national troops with independent troops, like those tribal archers that you can hire in nearly every province. Here's the short answer: Don't do it.

The long answer is that Abysians all radiate heat. That heat is part of why they're so scary to fight in close combat. But the heat can also be a problem for any friendly troops who aren't immune to it. So if you recruit 50 tribal archers and group them around your Abysians, the archers will risk bursting into flame. Not good. If you're careful, you can use battlefield placement to keep any flammable troops away from your Abysians. Careful placement should prevent the problem, but it doesn't always work. Sometimes your guys move around, and suddenly your troops are spontaneously combusting like the Spinal Tap drummer. I usually don't bother with it. Abysians are plenty tough on their own, so you don't really need independent troops.

Happy BBQing! Let us know how it goes!

Re: Terrible Player.
 

No. Normally disease makes you lose 1HP per turn (maybe 2 in late winter).

BoT ages each unit one year every single turn. Once a unit is diseased, it will lose ~4HP per turn with BoT up.

Re: Terrible Player.
 

vfb, you misunderstand what I meant. When I said one year adds one damage, I meant one magically applied year, not an actual year. Trust me, I know that disease adds one point of damage a turn normally. I'm pretty sure you don't lose ~4 hit points a turn with BoT. If that was the case, then when you cast BoT against me and the others in Collider, I certainly would have lost that game to you.

The exact damage aside, it still remains to be said that you don't lose 13 HP a turn while BoT is up. So in the end I still stand by what I said.

Re: Terrible Player.
 

It's definitely not 12 (or 13) per turn, you are right about that. Sorry, you are correct I did not understand your initial post.

I just tested it in a mini-game, and an average of 4HP per turn was what I saw, once units got diseased. I was testing using MA Marignon, so maybe it's worse for units that are extra-old?

Re: Terrible Player.
 

BoT adds drn years per turn (1-6 that is) and takes away as much hp from a diseased unit, if I recall correctly.