Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

It depens how many sacred units do you plan to field ... if you are playing with ulm, as example, you don't need too much to bless you units!

Liga

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Exactly. Or if you're playing Man (especially Last of the Tuatha), Marignon, etc. a bless strategy can make all the difference. What nation are you playing, Cohen?

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

Ulm, Abysya or Marignon ...

but Marignon could have Fires of Faith and scales combo

Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

What do you prefer? And why ...

I'm very undecided about, if pumping scales like growth, production, and so on, or pumping Pretender's magic to have better bless effects.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I almost never use a Blessing strategy, even with nations that get good Sacred units.

Most nations can only recruit their Sacred units in their home province, which can be very far from the front lines in a long game (and most of my SP games are on very large maps).

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">With Marignon I think blessings are quite useful. Not Ulm, and I dont think Abyssia. But like many things in this game it depends on your playing style. If you USE the sacred troops alot for Marignon then adding blessings can be useful. If you are having more fun with fire-magic items added to assassins then probably not.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

Iron Faith Ulm deserves to be tried at least once with a mondo blessing, 'though. Black Templar knights with flaming weapons, oh my! ('tho 75% lightning resist might be handy instead, given how Orb Lightning and similar is probably among the easier ways for certain nations to get past the Black Steel).

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Marignon almost begs for a high-blessing strategy. True, the Knights of the Chalice can only be recruited in the capitol, but the sacred Paladin heavy cav commander can be recruited in any fortification, as can the flagellants - extremely cheap fragile sacred militia with very high morale.

Swarms of them with Fire-9 (easy for Marignon to get with the Phoenix or the Flaming Head pretender, among others) are pretty potent - lots die, but then the others crowd in and lay waste.

Seems like heavy air, water, or earth blessings would likewise be good, all for differing reasons.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

Why hasn't anyone yet mentioned Vanheim? Te nation with the best overall blessed units in game and they can buy them outside home too.

Vanheim with water-9 gives the vanir so ridiculous def value that almost nothing ever hits them, fire 9 means that the Vanir that usually lack on the punch side get very high att and flaming weapons. Also, their weapons are long, and everyone knows that combo of flaming & long & very high att is VERY useful...

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I thought the max damaged on repels attacks is caped at 1? Do you mean that things like flaming weapons are exception from this limitation? If so, are the other exceptions? (like would poisoned weapon poisen attackers on succsesefull repel attempts?)

Also another unrelated question - how excatly fireshields, wine shields, and astral shields effects work? Are they trigered on any attack that lands on target? (no matter if it casue damage or not) Or just any melee attacks against protected target?

And what protects against these shield effects? I know MR helps vs vines and astral shiled. What about fire shield? (other than fire resistanse of course)

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

I don't think you have any defence against Vine Shield. I think that it casts Tangle Vines on the attacker... but don't know for sure. Maybe I should try that.

The damage from repel is just a 1 point, but if 8 points of armor-piercing fire damage are given besides it as they are for normal attacks... *shudder*! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

On the other hand... I could see need for pike-wielding sacred unit. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">According to the devs, repel shouldn't trigger any "special" attack neither from weapon nor bless. In fact, repel is a special attack all for itself and doesn't use the normal attack code. It's a sub-part of it.

A.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

It sure does trigger poisoning, and some of the whips are really effective because of it. Like the rat tail whip on a trampler. I just assumed it triggers the fire damage as well. I also think it triggers lighning damage on lightning spear, but not sure. I'll test it a little later but I'm on a bit of a hurry now.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

Yeah, do some thorough testing with different weapons and units, please ..

johan osterman posted here :
There is a one point dmg max from successful repell attempts, but this is not a regular attack (code-wise) and would probably not use any specials of a weapon such as poison or fire, perhaps even magic (vs ethereals). Not sure though.

Personally I haven't seen any "special effect" from repel .. would be interested to see a big test run .. maybe it only works with certain weapons etc.

A.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

Tested quickly with Gandalf Parker's Mini map. Results were conclusive: When repelling, no magic effects take place, not even poisoning, regardless the hint in the manual.

Tested with:
Wine Whip
Rat tail
Fire brand
Lighning spear
Thorn spear

Wielded on a black lord (or Raterik) with lead shield (to get def down), burning pearl and a girdle of might, tested against hordes of harpies. Several succesful repels that caused only 1 point of damage were seen for each of the weapons.

Just to be sure, also tested on Vanheim Vanir with fire 9, still no effects.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Great, thank you for clarification Tuna-fish. I expected that much but wasn't 100% sure, so it's good to know.

What about my question (read below) about different shields and what triggers them(any attack, or attack that lands, or attack that lands _and_ cause damage), and what saves aginst them? Aslo is there a firmula on how fast target can break free from vines? I know it's supposed to be related to strength somehow, but don;t know the details.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

Bump - I still would like to know answers to my questions about 3 different shield-type protection (astral, fire, vine - read below), as well as what is the formula for the unit to break free from vines.


Also I have question about fire9 blessing - I've read that it is separate fire-based "armor-piercing" attack (damage 8 if I remeber correctly) with no str bonus. Is it so?


Also is it the same way as "Flame Arrows" effect work - meaning each arrow effectively strike twice with regular attack and fire AP attack?

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I just had some harpies swarm some atlantis infantry (you know, those with the poisoned sticks). All atlantians died in the first round, but there was poison damage to some harpies.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

The atlantians have pointy poison armour, if you have a short weapon you risk touching it when attacking.

Re: Scales or Blessing Effect?
 

Bumping an old thread with some unanswered questions of mine - read below pls.