EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

DANG! sucker had 9 fire 2 earth 3 nature 4 death... YIKES! this was on turn 6 (arena battle) sure glad I didn't send my poor cyclops pretender in there lol. kinda seems to me that ermor is massively overpowered (yes I know about 5 billions priests casting banishment) because they can take ALL scales at max point gain without any hurting... (all the really bad events kill pop which doesn't hurt ermor at all.) Oh no! I lost 1/4 of my 0 pop whatever am I going to do hehe.

the number of priests you got to field to combat this is really insane. and being able to make a pretender that STARTS that good without taking ANY hit to your overall "domain" just doesn't seem right to me. does it balance in the end? maybe so... but I don't see it. I guess I've just never been able to field THAT many priests lol... (too lazy more like hehe.) oh well... still seems kinda whacked but I suppose since ermor doesn't win every MP game they gotta be balanced somehow. (probably because everyone gangs up on ermor asap http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif )

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

On a side note on turn 14 (indy 9) I have a cyclops pretender equipped with the following (and was wondering what people think of it as is it any good or am I really lagging)

Firesword, Charcoal Shield, Black Plate Helm, Elemental Armor, Boots of the Behemoth, Girdle of Might, Burning Pearl...

replacing girdle with amulet of resilience next turn and pearl with ring of regeneration turn after that. turn after that making scatata volturnus to replace the shield. only my pretender has the skills to make these so takes a while heh.

Any comments on whether that is a good idea?

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

Hi,

So far as your equipment goes, if you can, Robe of Shadows and Elixir of Life or some other resuscitation method, once you can forge them. There aren't any good helms, IMO, unless maybe you want to scare things and then Horror Helmet. Also, that medalion of missile avoidance (forget what it's called).

Some other weapons to look at (though yours is fine) is Elf Bane, Sword of Frost (I think, freezes opponents) and when you can, Mage Bane. Mage Bane is mucho work to get to, but it hacks up big summons and specials like nothing else I've seen.


Ciao,
V'ger gone

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

Yeah, being ganged up on is basically expected as Ermor. It's hard to be loved in the world when your objective is the extermination of all life.

If you kill one, you are a murderer. Kill thousands, and you are a conqueror. Kill ALL, and you are a GOD!

I'd keep the charcoal shield. The Volturnus only casts lightning bolt once/turn, whereas the charcoal shield gives you a fireshield that will burninate everyone tries to touch you. I've had combats won by a paralyzed SC that the enemy couldn't hit, and they all died by setting themselves on fire trying to kill him: It also seems that the autofire magic items won't fire either if you become paralyzed: I use a spirit helmet, and it stopped firing when I got paralyzed.

[ January 21, 2004, 03:56: Message edited by: Norfleet ]

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">hehe, yah I thought of that http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif atm not enough levels to forge the better stuff (have found no water gems sites at all yet. so some things will be tough... do have a dwarven hammer and ulm so that will help) I'm getting a REALLY slow start but this pretender helps in taking over the strength 9 indies... without him I lose up to 50 or so of 150 men but with I lose 0-10 hehe. I put him in front and they try REAL hard to hurt him but with 37 protection thier just using wishful thinking. (167hp in weaker domain areas.) I mostly use the ele armor to keep those indy mages from landing a lucky zapper or two on im and then it's call god for 30 years.

BTW it was turn 19 not 14 oops. started him with black full plate and black kite shield was slightly higher defense but not enough to outweigh the special protections. And yah... I like the amulet of missile protection but can't make it yet (not enough air) but I'm workin on it... Not used to playing without my rainbow mage... combat pretenders are nice but suck for forging http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">For Ashen and Soul Gate Ermor, the worst events are the ones that destroy your temples and labs. Without a lab, you can't summon any more commanders, and without a temple, your best troops will not be generated, and your dominion won't extend very far. Ermor's economy is virtually non-existant (It's not quite as bad for Soul Gate), so you have to really save to afford to build the temples, fortresses, and labs you need to keep your empire expanding.

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

Depending on the magic you have availiable I'd keep the Elemental Hauberk, Boots of Behemoth. From there it would really depend on what you are facing. Since the Cyclops tramples, he doesn't need a weapon for anything but defense. So I'd go 2 Main Gauges of Defense (+6 Defense each) since they don't add to encumberance (your real enemy). Put a Ring of Regeneration on him and probably an Amulet of Antimagic.

What I like to do with a Cyclops is put on Some Stymphalian Wings, Boots of the Messenger, Lucky Coin (If he can't cast Personal Luck), Starshine Skullcap (for MR), Ring of Regeneration, Amulet of Anti-magic and then either some defense or lightweight shields, Vine Shield and Eye shield are good for this purpose.

If you're fighting anyone who uses elemental magics heavily you can swap out a shield, weapon, or misc to fit the type of magic, or if you don't know and are afraid of magic heavy nations, take the Elemental Hauberk and use Boots of Behemoth, though it means you can't fly which makes you less of a threat.

If your Cyclops has access to Astral Magic he is even more deadly since you can have him cast Resist Magic, Astral Shield, Personal Luck, Body Ethereal and go to town and mess up most anything he finds with any sort of decent equipment.

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">sounds interesting http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I've got to try that out hehe.

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">You will need reinvigoration if you plan to trample lots, and although summon earth power gives you 4, it's always good to have more. You also might want to keep the charcoal shield as it will mean that any enemy that does hit you will take damage.

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

The image of a Cyclops with Stymphalian Wings, vine shield, two main gauche, flying through the sky and sqashing, entangling, and impaling enemies, is really hilarious!

Run away! Run away! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Umm... as for Ermor, at least in Doms I against the AI, it didn't take terribly many priests to defeat Ermor. Even as Ulm, using just Holy-2 indie-rasied priests, if I had 2-4 in each battle, I seemed to do just fine defeating even pretty large Ermorian attacks, mainly by banishment.

The problems occur when you aren't ready, and/or Ermor builds up to a really enormous size/strength, and/or the sun goes out, and/or there is a human doing intelligent things with them.

PvK

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

It's all a matter of preference. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif That's why I try to give my SC's items that do multiple things in order to try to use more effectively the slots I have. Because Cyclops already start with 3 Earth and good Protection, I try to focus on the things they lack. And they already have access to 1 type of reinvigoration I'd try to stop other things. I have found in my games, that MR is vital and if you don't have more than your base your SC is looking for a Vengance of the Dead or other nasty effect to slap him square in the face. Hence my suggestion of the Stymphalian Wings. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

If you really wanted to suck it up you could put on an Amulet of Resiliance instead of Amulet of Antimagic, but for me, I'd rather trample slower and be protected from Rituals and some of the more nasty spelsl rather than reinvigorating faster. Just a a playstyle choice. And most of the time my SC's are deep in enemy dominion so they have naturally lower MR.

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">hehe... actually I was mostly remarking on the massive power it was able to give it's pretender from the word go (BTW it was 9 fire 3 air 3 water 4 death I was wrong before hehe just saw it again in the arena.) that's what it had from the start... really does give it a massive boost being able to go fire 9 (or 9 in anything) so early I think.
As for it's armies I am doing strength 9 indies so it took me 5 turns just to take my first province with heavy losses. Everyone praises ulms armor but it doesn't seem to do squat for me... abysia's troops seem just as heavily armored and more skilled. Then again it could just be thier heat generation doing some extra damage :)anyway... I have no hope of hitting ermor before they get huge :/ I could do weak independants but then they just spread like wildfire and it's even worse hehe. Granted 1 ulm blackplate infantry is worth 5 longdead velites usually but when ermore can summon 40-60 longdead horsemen each turn from around turn 5 on It's a losing game. (pale riders spell is quick to gain and easy to cast.) again they are WEAK individually but in the hordes I was able to summon as ermor nothing could stand against em hehe. (indy that is.) thankfully the AI is too dumb to do that http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif but a prist can't banish that many at a time and longdead horse moves fast they'll hit your front line quickly. imagine a death 9 pretender casting that since it's 20+ summoned... yikes hehe. then again a death 9 has more fun things to summon http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif ah well... I KNOW there are balances but they seem all harder to use than it is for ermor to shrug em off. ermor can afford to lose 5-1 every fight and still come out ahead.

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I agree http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I like your suggestions. I used the resilience because it was available quick with my low skills in magic. (took mostly domain and castle strength so I can do some fun things with troops) i.e. 457 resources in capital hehe... lots of fun shiny black knights to run and stomp on things.

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">AIs get free pretender-points at higher difficulty levels, so it's not uncommon to bump into those massively, *ahem*, endowed pretenders. Just think of it as "The higher they are, the harder they fall." Well, not really. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

- Humer

Re: EEEK! Ermor pretender!!!! (SP)
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I think it's more like "The bigger they are, the louder the squish you make when they step on you."