What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

Just curious what items people like to make to put on their commanders at carious stages of the game. Not really talking aboutyour pretender as I have rad a lot about specific strategies there. Just your regular commanders that are combat capable.

Early game I like the Frostbrand I think it is (the cold sword) and shield of valor. I am much less clear about which armors/shoes/other pieces are supposed to be good. I tend to forge a lot of Jade armor, but can't tell if it's too good or not.

Would love to hear from some of you vets on what the best items to forge for combat are.

[ April 06, 2004, 17:09: Message edited by: Austen ]

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

The Blood Thorn is very nice: life stealing attack with room left for a shield.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

Ring of Regeneration
Shield and Helm (cant remember names) that auto cast lightning in addition to commander's regular attacks.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

I'm fond of the Boots of Stone, for a low-encumberance way to give a battlemage half-decent prot and save the armor slot for perhaps a light armor (dragon scale, air/earth-based armors, robe of shadows, etc). I also like to give astral combat mages a clam to cut down on gem micromanagement if I can afford to (may not have the water income or mages). For others, I might use the messenger shoes for the reinvig.
Elemental armor is excellent if you have the earth/fire mages for it and can spare the encumberance.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

Question about Crystal Shield . I put one on my Fire 2/Blood 3 prophet and it is supposed to add one to each path but as I read the description closer it said for battle only. Doh! Anyways, how does one plan out tactical spell usage for someone with that thing on? It will not list the extra spells in the cue for battle so I can't plan ahead for the extra paths. Am I just at the mercy of the computer on that one? Thanks in advance for any answers.

[ April 06, 2004, 18:20: Message edited by: Anglachel ]

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">The crystal shield adds 1 to the levels that your mage already has. This will make him a fire 3, blood 4, holy +1 mage in battle. You are able to script any spell that your mage has a chance to cast in battle. The ones that you can't cast without some kind of boost are grayed out, but can still be selected.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

I make as many dragon helms as I can. Very handy for commanders that are going to just stand in the back. And skulls to summon undead.

The misc items that fight for themselves I like to add to my important mages. saves paying support for bodyguards.

All fo the above are also very handy for assassins

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

Etheral Crossbow. In a multi it's the ultimate pretender killer in the hands of a skilled marksman.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

Personally, I'm a bit partial to the Bow of War, especially if they already have decent Precision or the Heroic bonus. Not the greatest weapon in the world, and it's two-handed. But it's friggin' awesome after throwing in Fire arrows, Wind Guide, and Arrow Fend. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">There's a MR save to avoid the damage, so it's actually no more dangerous than soul slay. It's advantage is that it's cheap to make and can be given to many commanders instead of what might be a rare astral 3 mage for your nation.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">BTW, does Bloodthorn cause less damage (and therefore healing less health and fatique) than Wraith Sword? I assume it does, but I would like to confirm it.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">BTW, does Bloodthorn cause less damage (and therefore healing less health and fatique) than Wraith Sword? I assume it does, but I would like to confirm it. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">For being a two handed weapon that doesn't give a bonus to blood magic, it better do more damage.

Wraith sword:
9 damage 2 attack 3 defense 3 length

Blood Thorn:
4 damage 2 attack 0 defense 0 length

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">There's a MR save to avoid the damage, so it's actually no more dangerous than soul slay. It's advantage is that it's cheap to make and can be given to many commanders instead of what might be a rare astral 3 mage for your nation. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">You can also choose your targets better. Of course you also have to hit, it only fires every other turn, and can't have it's MR penetration boosted.

I've never had much luck with Ethereal Crossbows, and now typically forge something else with my Astrals.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

I'm field testing a mounted hero with:

Sword of swiftness
Charcoal Shield
Rime Hauberk
Spirit Helm (the one that fires bolts)
Enchanted Trident (the one that fights around you)
OPEN slot (haven't decided yet but probably a ring of regen)

I'm gonna send her into the thick of combat and see what happens.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

Luck and antimagic talismans are also good, inexpensive uses of an empty misc slot. Depends on the expected threat and existing strengths of the unit.
Hell Sword is fun; like the Wraith Sword it's 2-HD, but in addition to life drain it gives berserk and fire resistance. Plus, for devils of the flaming variety it's more thematic, although they admittedly don't benefit much from the fire resistance bonus. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">BTW, does Bloodthorn cause less damage (and therefore healing less health and fatique) than Wraith Sword? I assume it does, but I would like to confirm it. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">For being a two handed weapon that doesn't give a bonus to blood magic, it better do more damage.

Wraith sword:
9 damage 2 attack 3 defense 3 length

Blood Thorn:
4 damage 2 attack 0 defense 0 length </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Yes, but does it change the ammount of life/fatique you gain?

In other words - the Life Draining attack - is it just fixed additional "effect" like different "poisons" on weapons, not related to the ammount of damage you cause, or does it directly related to damage?

[ April 08, 2004, 02:01: Message edited by: Stormbinder ]

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

It is a percentage of the damage inflicted.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Do you know how much of the damage inflicted is chaneled into life increase and fatique reduction?

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Do you know how much of the damage inflicted is chaneled into life increase and fatique reduction? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">From the "Melee Power Rankings Chart" thread.

"A life drain attack regains damage*2 fatigue and damage/2 HP. It also causes damage/2 extra fatigue on the target. Only lifeless units are immune."

Note that lifeless units are not immune to the damage caused by life drain as far as I can tell, but do not provide any fatigue or damage healing.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Do you know how much of the damage inflicted is chaneled into life increase and fatique reduction? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">From the "Melee Power Rankings Chart" thread.

Ok, thank you.
"A life drain attack regains damage*2 fatigue and damage/2 HP. It also causes damage/2 extra fatigue on the target. Only lifeless units are immune."

Note that lifeless units are not immune to the damage caused by life drain as far as I can tell, but do not provide any fatigue or damage healing. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Do you know how much of the damage inflicted is chaneled into life increase and fatique reduction? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">From the "Melee Power Rankings Chart" thread.


"A life drain attack regains damage*2 fatigue and damage/2 HP. It also causes damage/2 extra fatigue on the target. Only lifeless units are immune."

Note that lifeless units are not immune to the damage caused by life drain as far as I can tell, but do not provide any fatigue or damage healing. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Ok, thank you.

Re: What are your favorite combat items to forge?
 

My favorite type equipment:

Lucky Coins (fatigue 0 Shield that gives Lucky)
Spirit Helms (on as many people as I can)

Rods of the Phoenix (ditto, if they aren't combatants at all)

Rainbow Armor (have more reinvig than (2*Enc), increase your MR (by the text, at least)... low prot, tho, so not for people with better armor)

Shields of Valor (5/4/1 shield with an additional air shield on it)

Elemental Armor (very helpful to stop elemental attacks against you)

I'll post more as I think about it, but those are on my top list http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif (I didn't think Boots of Quickness really need to be mentioned http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif )

Wyatt