Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

Hello, I just got Dominions 2 and I am playing my first game, well, actually continuing my demo game.

I am playing the C'tis and I the computer is Man.

Like most, I didn't read really anything before playing (except for some Online general info) and I think I am going okay. However, one thing I did know about was BATTLE AFFLICTIONS. And before I learned about them, my pretender has FOUR on him. I have about 180 turns until he dies of disease. The other afflictions make him useless.

This is how I figure to get out of this.

Empower a Marshmaster to Level 5 Nature. Research to level 8 (I think) and summon a Fairy Queen to heal my pretender. My pretender has no Nature skills (not that he can do anything with all his sickness)

Will this work?

Also, I read that the Chalice can help with Afflictions...how is that made.

Thanks for any help.

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

Or maybe it would be better to Empower to Level 5 and cast GIFT OF LIFE ?

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

I don't know much about C'Tis and its Marshmasters. So I can't judge how practical it is to empower one up to 5 nature and do all that research. It sounds awfully expensive, but if you can do it in a reasonable timeframe (you already ahve lots of gems, nearly there in research, etc.) then I think your plan will work. You could also try the Enchantment Gift of Health, which is only Level 5 but not as reliable.

If all this is going to take forever to do, however, you might want to consider deliberately getting your Pretender killed, and then bringing him back. Some of the afflictions, if not all of them, should go away when he is restored to life.

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

It's not strictly necessary to empower as high as level 5: There are items you can forge that will raise your effective nature magic skill, which are probably cheaper, and more portable, than actually empowering that high. A Thistle Mace wielded is +1 nature. Moonvine Bracelet, another +1. Treelord's Staff is +2, but it's a twohanded item, can't be stacked with a Thistle unless you have at least 3 arms.

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

I have enough gems, and I can Empower in to Level 5 in 2 turns. It will also only take to turns to research to Level 5 Enchantment. This will give me Gift of Life. Can four Affictions be healed in a decent amount of time?

To get to queen will take longer, I have to research from 2 to 8, but I can pump out researchers to help out there.

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I'm going to take a stab at figuring out the root of the problem. Since you're playing Miasma, I expect that you've picked a pretender that isn't cold blooded, undead, or a demon. If you've applied patch 2.11, then he probably doesn't have swamp survival. Your pretender is also vulnerable to the disease effect of the miasma domain unless he falls into one of those categories.

There are a number of ways remove afflictions, and you've identified most of them. However, I wouldn't empower a marshmaster, but instead have them build nature boosting items. These are available under the construction magic path. The cheapest of the items you are looking for are the thistle mace, treelord's staff, and the moonvine bracelet.

You should probably download the Summoned Creature Quick Reference, Magic Items Quick Reference, and the boosting items file from Sunray's library.

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

Thanks for the info on the items, I will go that route. I never though of that about the pretender, that he to would be affected by miasma. He has Waste Survival, but not swamp. Darn!

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

If your Miasmatic pretender cannot survive his own Miasma, he will just become diseased and die again. I'd say you can struggle on without him, or you can declare the game failed and restart. Up to you: Curing him, however, won't address the underlying problem if you're being diseased by your own miasma.

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

Keep the pretender alive, albeit crippled, is probably better than letting him die of miasma (unless you decide to restart). At the very least, a living pretender helps maintain the dominion (ever notice how quick your dominion in provinces decline when your pretender perishes?)

A Chalice can be made, GoH casted, or Faery Queen summoned. But if he's just going to get diseased again, might as well just forge a Ring of Regeneration, and keep the crippled pretender alive indefinitely doing nothing in a safe location.

Sure he'll accumulate more and more afflictions and become more and more useless, but hey, the people needs to know that their God is with them somewhere! Perhaps 50 turns later, you can post in the affliction record thread about a incredibly afflicted pretender, and set the record http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Have fun ^_^

-Gateway103

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

Gift of Health is the way to go. I had C’tis and found a nice Lab which produced Sages. I had a large number of them researching and until I got Gift of Health, they were dropping like flies. Afterwards, the situation became quite good, with only occasional problems.

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Can a Faery Queen heal herself or will she have to worry about getting diseased also?

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Can a Faery Queen heal herself or will she have to worry about getting diseased also? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Good question, she will have to worried about getting diseased, since she's not immune. Never played Miasma yet, so I don't know if the chance to get diseased is 100%. If not, then she can heal herself though.

If it is 100% however, then it depends on how system is implemented. If curing phase comes before getting diseased phase, then she would likely be near full health most of time (chance to heal her own disease is 25%, but she regains full hp after curing...), but she'll always be diseased. If it is the other way around, then she can be a full health without the affliction at start of a given turn.

-Gateway103

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

So, say I am able to cure my Pretender of all his afflictions...if I make him undead (assuming that is possible) to stop his weakness to Miasma, is there any inherit drawbacks to having an undead Pretender?

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Supposedly, casting twiceborn on him and killing him off will bring him back undead. Not sure if it would be worthwhile, but it's an option. The downsides to being undead are:

1) You can't cure afflictions with a fairy queen (I think. Patch description is a little vague.)
2) You can be banished by preists (I wouldn't worry much about this if you have a decent magic resistance)
3) There are many spells/items that work especially well vs. undead.

Advantages are zero encumbrance, immune to disease, and maybe a few more.

[ April 18, 2004, 00:20: Message edited by: Yossar ]

Re: Very New to Game, is this a sound course?
 

In case any of you are interested in what happened...I forged a Ring of Regeneration and gave it to my ailing Pretender. This stopped is slow death. After casting Gift of Life, in about 20-30 turns, all FOUR aliments were gone and not a one has returned. He is back to his ***-kicking self, deftling handing Man his own backside.