Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

Dragon Helm. cheap, available early, gives another way to attack especially for commander types you have just standing at the back.

Bows. Same reasoning for stand-back commanders.

Boots of Flying or whatever they are. I tend to use it to move mages and commanders quickly. Mostly they put on the boots, fly to some front-line lab, take off the boots so the next guy can use them. but also not bad for making cheap "attack the rear" commanders

[ March 24, 2004, 13:13: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

The Summer Sword. Like a Cauldron but better & cheaper.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

For some reason, I really like forging Ivy Crowns and trying to make vine ogre armies as large as I can.

I also tried the Nethgul Last night for the first time. That seems like a fun item and worked really well in a couple battles for me.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

Black Steel Fullplate, Bracers of Protection :-)

The only reason i have earth gems.

And those Boots of Trampeling, when i am playing Jontunheim :-D

I do not use any items that boost my spellcasting abilities

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Ooooo...I forgot about Summer Swords. I really like them, too. I recall that two of them on a Lord Warden, with a full complement of Wardens and Knights [edit: not "of the Chalice"...what are Man's knights called?], is really spectacular. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ March 24, 2004, 18:36: Message edited by: fahdiz ]

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

Eye of aiming + wands/other missile weapons.

Turn scouts (or other cheap commanders with reasonable starting precision) into surprisingly effective artillery units. Add the flying boots, and they are also surprisingly mobile effective artillery.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

A Champion's Skull might be worth trying out.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

Ice Sword, the Cauldron and the Summer Sword are my favourites.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

rod of the phoenix is one of my Favorites also love the elemental armor

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

Well, I thought it might be fun to put just one level in every magic path, then equip my mage with rings of sorcery and wizardry, a staff of elemental mastery and a robe of the magi, before sending him off to find every magic site possible (except the holy ones, of course). I used all the spare points to pump up his Dominion (because he couldn't leave the lab until he'd researched construction 6).

As Pythium I had to take Air2 in order to manufacture all the items - can anybody do it without needing a level 2 path?

Also, why do two identical miscellaneous items not stack when two identical one-handed items do? Or is it only magic bonuses that don't stack? (I made two rings of wizardry but that was a waste - would two thistle maces stack?)

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

Keeping the list to 10-gem and under items, and skipping the +magic items, my Favorites so far:
- Clam of Pearls (10W): yummy +1 astral pearl/turn
- Bottle of Living Water: free Water elemental in battle
- Lucky Coin (5S) : 0 encumbrance sheild w/luck
- Sword of Swiftness (10W): 1h so can use shield, decent damage, 2 attacks
- Ice sword (5W): good damage, sometimes freezes opponents
- Boots of Quickness (10W): quickness!
- Horn of Valor (5N): gives standard +20, I think
- Owl Quill (5A)/Lightless Lantern (5F)/Skull Mentor (10D): bonus, upkeep-free, research
- Endless Bag of Wine (5N): indispensable +25 supply
- Bracers of Protection (5E): 0 encumberance +2 bonus armor
- * Dragon Scale Mail (10*): 1 encumberance, 15 prot, plus a 75% * resistance (* = Fire/water/nature)
- Black Steel Helmet (5E): 0 encumberance, 3 prot helm, great for mages early on.
- Longbow of Accuracy (5A): 14 dam, prec 30!, 45 range
- Winged Shoes (5A): flying

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

1 item that had me ROFL when I first read it
in the manual and still gets me when forging
is the concept of a Barrel of Air. Hoot mon!

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

that blood armor is nice for 40 slaves, there's nothing like a extra +5 mr and 1 extra bloodmagic to protect your bloodhunters from magic and hunt more efficiently at the same time.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

I'm quite fond of Spell Foci and Rune Smashers on mages who have to cast resistable spells.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

I am overly fond of "free" attacks and things, so tend to forge way too many Spirit Helmets, Lantern Shields... and of course, Lifelong Protection and Soul Contract, but those are well-known.

Oh, and in this Ulm (World) game, I gave Rods of the Phoenix to about every single commander that's not hidden in a fortress (having Forge of the Ancients and making them with Master Smiths wielding Dwarven Hammers, plus tons of Fever Fetishes, really makes that more affordable)

"These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

That might be some Judy Garland song, not sure, but as for DomII, these are some of the items which I just *love* to forge

- Rainbow armor. It's dirt cheap for what it is. I *love* to give my mages +MR AND reinvigoration, plus it offers protection to those shirt-wearers without much encumberance. Rainbow armor rocks.

- Lucky Shield. It's so darn simple and so nice.

- Sceptre of Command. A really useful item from the Bargain Basement.

I am purposefully not listing the ultra-groovy items, because we all know how much the gatestone and amon hotep rock. But what are some of your favorite items which are of a less spectacular variety?

I'd like some tips on Items Less Used But Ones I Have Previously Ignored, Me Git.

Thanks much

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Using an Armor of Souls on bloodhunters is an enormous waste of blood slaves. It takes something like 20 or more turns for the armor to pay for itself.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

Well, Endless Bags of Wine and Enormous Cauldrons of Broth are immensely helpful in most situations...and anything which increases reinvigoration (Girdle of Might, Amulet of...I forget, etc.)

I also quite like Elemental Armor.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned skull talisman yet... Mmmm... Probably my absolute favorite early item.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

not if it pays for itself by avoiding nightmares.

i also equip my bloodhunters with that airshield shield, and i play abysia.

so no seeking arrow, no nightmare to kill my bloodhunters O_o which leaves only wind ride to kill them(i have province defence always in my bloodhunting provinces where i have no army.)

i never bloodhunt in provinces that gives me decent money, so they need every Last bloodskill they got to get bloodslaves.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Actually, you don't. You only need a few hunters in any province with about 5K to 10K people. Like I've already said, it takes about 25 turns for that armor to pay for itself which makes it a supreme waste of bood slaves since you could have used them to build offensive forces of some kind. Your blood hunters are ultimately expendable, so you really don't need to protect them. If you find that they get targeted a lot, then put some scouts in their provinces.

Re: "These are a few of my favorite things..."
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Alternatively, you could just buy a score scouts for a fraction of the cost of one of your air-shielded bloodarmour clothed bloodhunters and order them all to bloodhunt for the same or a higher amount of bloodslaves per round. If anybody uses mind hunt or wind ride to kill your scouts, they probably waste more gems than your scouts are worth. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif