Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

I'm playing MP against someone who is fielding a great many ethereals. It's almost like they appear out of nowhere. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif

He's also building lots of temples (and forts to keep me from easily razing said temples) ...which I suspect he affords by putting all his provinces at 200 tax, ...since he has a death dominion and therefore might as well.

{editorial}Note that *someone* became very irate when it was proposed that the ability to overtax be eliminated for the first two turns, ... whether the indignation and the strategy are related is not for me to say.. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif {/editorial}


But to the question at hand...

Obviously spells (and banishments!)are best, but are there any group buffs or other nonobvious strategies that allows normal (or even sacred)troops to hit the wispy types?

I don't have access to fire magic for flame arrow.

What are some other possibilites, preferably involving sorcery?

Note that research is at VERY hard, so exorbinant strategies in RPs may not be practicable. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

I think *all* sacred units when blessed should probably count as having "magic" weapons for this purpose,(esp against Soul Gate) but I suspect I'm finding the principle so attractive due to circumstance. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif


Rabe the Ghostbuster-Elect

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

If the problem are Wraith Legionaries, you could try to improve too magic resistance ... because their weapons hit on MR and not Protection, IIRC.

Herald Lance could be nice for solar rays and standard effect.
To earn money there're other possibilities:

Alchemy (rarely used)
Pillage (in that case used a lot I suppose)

[ May 02, 2004, 05:22: Message edited by: Cohen ]

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Ummm, what nation are you playing? People won't be able to think up something without information on your national mages/priests, gem production, and pretender information etc. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">It was meant more as a general question, but if it helps you to be concrete, imagine I am jotunheim with a nature-9 dragon.


Rabe the Really Really Coniferous

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

if the etheral units are magic, then you have some nice spells in astral to destroy them (opposition or a group of ether warriors for exemple).

If they are etheral and not magic and you dont have elemental spells, then you are better in summoning creatures that strike with a magic weapon. But you speak of being Jotunheim, so water or astral is always an option.

Tell us also what etheral units he has.

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

Easiest way to deal with masses of Ethereal units is to use Blade Wind. If you're Jotunheim that will not help though.

Alternatives: Anything with alot of attacks, preferably ranged (woodsmen, villans, etc) will null alot of the advantages of etherealness. By using swarms of ranged they will usually get hit.

2.) If you are running a 9-Nature Blessing, you can probably take a Herse or Jotun Jarl and give them a magic weapon (if they are undead, try using weapons with high attacks (Sword of Swiftness), if they are not, use wraith swords, no access to anything like that, use something that has a secondary effect)

3.) Mash with Gygja's with Dust to Dust (if they are undead) or Shadow Bolt/BLast (if living).

Nothing else I have really off the top of my head for masses of ethereal units.

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

lol fighting the mad castler http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

1. dust to dust. the real problem is that your research sucks nuts.

2. your herse are very tough. give them the cheapest magical weapons, en masse.

3. tons of indy priests. or Gode at 200 a pop. you almost have the income to do that.


though i liked zen's suggestion of hordes of really cheap archers. that seems like the best idea yet. And, as a bonus, their morale is poor so they might rout instead of dying when confronting his Queen Philennon.

[ May 02, 2004, 07:32: Message edited by: archaeolept ]

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

How can Dust to Dust be a problem, it's a Thamu 1 spell? If you can't get Thamu 1 before you are invaded by masses of ethereal even on Very Hard Magical Research, you are in for one sad game.

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

more a general problem w/ rabe's situation. w/ retarded research, he will have difficulty responding to norf's magic fueled tricks.

dust to dust itself should help out, at least if Rabe is Utgard. using gygjas would be a bit pricey; like buying Godes as banishers.

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

Can use Skratti's to battlesummon Imps too as well. Each Imp has 3 attacks I believe.

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

I'm fighting Norfleets soulgate ermor. Hard to tell whether I'm winning. I suspect not.

Usually I conquer the world diplomatically, but it's fun to have an actual WAR to fight, as opposed to just playing vulture to the carrion of others mistakes http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Yes, dust to dust and star fires are being used where possible, I was just hoping there was a way to get my lovely woodsmen/spearmen to contribute, I think it's interesting that there are no low-level buffs that grant "magic" or even anti-undead/demon weapons.

Seems like an omission.


Rabe the Jolly Green Lizard

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">That's because they *DO* appear out of nowhere.

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

Fire Arrows (Ench 4) is the "more affordable" ethereal-killer, as it gives magic weapons to all your archers http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif . Other "area fire" spells work well too, but a Nature-9 Jotun can't get anything in Fire however http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif ...well, if you've access to Astral (Utgard) the always-useful Star Fires work, but if you were you'd use Etherealness yourself I suppoe http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif !
With IW or Niefelheim frankly I don't have any idea except building magical weapons ... What ethereal stuff are you fighting ? If they aren't magical/mindless you can try to ruin their morale, etherealness doesn't help, if they are big baddies you can try to swarm them with Vaetti or Imps for example...

Re: Best way to deal with ethereals en masse?
 

Ethereal undead die to banishment just like all the other undead. Priests, priests, and more priests. Treat priests like a normal unit. Indeed, they are less expensive than many elite units, and being sacred, cost half the upkeep. I just finished a successful campaign against Ermor as Ulm, and I had about 10 priests for every normal commander, and as many as 20 per province. Just get some stable high defense units up front, and your priests will wear away at those armies.