Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

As there are more and more players here who don't have any experience with DOM1 and little with DOM2, as they just got the game, I though I could shed some light on some of the more obscure aspects of DOM, which aren't found in other games in a similar fashion -

GIFT OF REASON this time

This spell (thaumaturgy-4, nature-4, 20gems) makes a commander from any unit.

Some examples .. (I'll add some as I try them out)

Living Statue
+ Low cost, full set of slots, high natural protection.
- Too low hitpoints for a real supercombattant, very low "tactical speed"

Troll

Sea Troll

Re: Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

IMO, there's little reason to GoR a troll or a sea troll as you can just summon a troll king/sea king for about twice the gems and get not only the king but a bunch of minions as well. And you don't need to know Thaumaturgy either.

Re: Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

Your casting each time? As far as I know, what you see isnt much different than what is in the AllView game. Basically it makes every unit into a commander. (oops hope that doesnt ruin your fun). I wonder how those nature spirits would do...

[ February 23, 2004, 20:55: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

Re: Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

Let's see. 20 nature gems and 1 earth gem for a Troll commander.... OR... 45 earth gems for a Troll King with better stats and earth-3 (able to summon more Trolls or Troll Kings) AND 15 ordinary trolls.

Of course, if you have some unique situation that really screams for a regenerating commander, the Troll might make sense, but in just about any scenario I can envision it makes more sense to GoR something that you cannot easily summon a better instance of.

Re: Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

.. let's see, folks:

Troll King

Devil
Crusher

.. and before you ask, yes, I had an insanly amount of nature gems to burn in that game. So I looked around for some fun things ..

[ February 23, 2004, 21:41: Message edited by: Arralen ]

Re: Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Um, mightn't it instead be 20 nature and 60 (?) gold for a Troll commander? This would allow one to justify one's choice of Troll over Troll King based on an absence of Earth mages. Not necessarily a great rationale, but still...

Re: Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

Funny. The only time I use this spell is when I want to "promote" an exceptionally experienced unit. Usually they pop right into the Hall of Fame as an added bonus. Five star Elephant with Heroic Endurance anyone?

Re: Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Um, mightn't it instead be 20 nature and 60 (?) gold for a Troll commander? This would allow one to justify one's choice of Troll over Troll King based on an absence of Earth mages. Not necessarily a great rationale, but still... </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">It might indeed by 20 nature and 60 gold, assuming that one found one of the rare provinces in which Trolls can be recruited. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

In which case, assuming that I wanted a Troll for the regeneration in the first place, I would probably rather spend 10 nature gems on a ring of regeneration for some other commander than use 20 on giving a Troll Gift of Reason, come to think of it, but I guess that is a question of style. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

okay, this is only for fun, it wont be really good BUT try to do a few crossbreeds. Sometimes you get big foul spawns with like 4 armor piercing claws. now give them the gift of reason and hope you equip with 2 misc and one armor. now you really have a SC, esspecially given a strong dominion and Gift of Health. They arent really THAT strong, but i always liked the idea of a giant mutant attacking with tentacles and stuff !

Re: Fun with ... GIFT OF REASON and Super Combatants
 

Some of the void summons are fun this way.
GoR'ing a Vastness is a mixed bag, however. While you gain a formidable magical commander who has 10 strategic movement, he also is an astral-3 mage which opens up a vulnerability to Magic Duel.
A GoR'd Iron Dragon can be great fun. A GoR'd Wailing Lady with a Black Heart would make a nasty assassin, albeit it's not THAT strong -- needs armor, more hp would be nice. An area-1 save-or-die length-6 attack is spiffy however.
GoR'ing is also handy if you enslave enemy commanders, as they should get their magical paths and equipment slots back.

(Edit.) Oh, and of course, if you cast Tartarian Gate, GoR the result if it's not already a commander and esp. if you have ways to heal the not uncommon Feeblemind. A male Tartarian Titan appears to come with 7 points of magic in a 3-2-2 pattern, a nice buy for the cost.

[ February 24, 2004, 18:05: Message edited by: Taqwus ]