Race Designs & Strategies
 

Here are a few race designs & strategies for newcomers to Dominions 2. As I am a veteran of 1 whole multiplayer game, my ideas could be completely wrong or idiotic so please criticize to your heart's content. Other race designs and strategies are most welcome.

ARCOSCEPHALE (base theme)

Pretender: Nataraja
Magic: none
Scales: 3 Order, 3 Production, 2 Misfortune, 3 Magic
Dominion: 7
Castle: Wizards Tower
Other: Ceremonial Faith
Pts left: 5

Prophet: Priestess
Key Troops: Hypaspists (strat move 2), Astrologers, Mystics
Key Spells: Mind Burn, Paralyze, Soul Slay, Enslave Mind

Research: Constr 2 (goodies for Nataraja), Thaum 2 (Mind Burn), Conj 5 (Akashic Record), Constr 6 (starshine skullcap, banner of northern star), Thaum 3 (Teleport), Thaum 4 (Paralyze), Thaum 5 (Gateway, Soul Slay), Thaum 6 (Enslave Mind, Imprint Souls)

Notes: Magic is key. Research like crazy. Astrologers are capitol-only, so build Mystics elsewhere. Remember that priestesses can heal battle afflictions. Build enchanted swords for the Nataraja as soon as possible.


VANHEIM (base theme)

Pretender: Allfather
Magic: F4, A4, W4, D4
Scales: 3 Order, 3 Sloth, 1 Cold, 2 Misfortune (could benefit from 1 Magic)
Dominion: 7
Castle: Wizards Tower
Pts left: 5

Prophet: Vanjarl
Key Troops: Van, Vanjarls, Dwarven Smiths
Key Spells: Lightning Bolt, Orb Lightning, Mistform, Shockwave

Research: Alt-3 (Mistform), Evoc-2 (Shock Wave, Lightning Bolt), Constr 4 (Staff of Storms), Evoc-5 (Orb Lightning), Evoc-6 (Wrathful Skies), Ench-5 (Thunder Ward)

Notes: Research to Alt-3 and send the Allfather out to kill. Build a second Wizard’s Tower asap. Build as many Van as possible every turn. Convert your earth gems to gold. Give a Staff of Storms to each army. An alternate research strategy is to push for Conjuration 7, 8 and 9 asap. Conj 7 gives Air Queens and Wraith Lords, Conj 8 gives Earth Attack, which every dwarf with earth boots can cast, and Conj 9 gives Tartarian Gate, which the Allfather can cast with some effort. An alternate pretender design is to take Water-9, which is an excellent bless effect for the Van.


MACHAKA
(this is a variation of a design I found here, so credit belongs to xxxxxxxx)

Pretender: Virtue
Magic: A4
Scales: 3 Order, 3 Prod, 2 Heat, 2 Growth, 2 Misfortune, 3 Magic
Dominion: 6
Castle: Wizards Tower
Pts left: 5

Prophet: Voice of the Lord
Key Troops: Archers, Hoplites, Sorcerors, Black Sorcerors
Key Spells: Flame Arrows, Mass Protection

Research: Ench-4 (Flame Arrows), Conj-1 (Vinemen), Constr-2 (Ivy Crown, Dwarven Hammer), Constr-4 (Thistle Mace, Earth Boots), Conj-3 (Vine Ogres, Phoenix Power), Thaum-2 (site searching), Constr-6 (Skull of Fire, Lightless Lantern), Alt-6 (Blindness, Mass Protection), Evoc-3 (Magma Bolts), Evoc-6 (Magma Eruption)

Notes: Build Hoplites backed by archers, with a Black Sorceror casting Flame Arrows (requires 1 fire gem per cast, if the Black Sorceror doesn’t have 3 Fire you’ll need Phoenix Power or an extra fire gem). If you get 2 Death, cast Black Servants (Conj-1) and put a fever fetish on each. Have the Servants follow your armies around. Alternate research strategies: push for Alteration-6 quickly (mass protection is amazing, requires 3 Nature and 1 nature gem). Construction 7 is a good target as well (Forge of the Ancients is really fun with Machaka).


CAELUM (base theme)

Pretender: Ghost King
Magic: A4, W1, E3, D4
Scales: 3 Order, 3 Sloth, 3 Cold, 2 Misfortune, 3 Magic
Dominion: 9
Castle: Wizards Tower
Pts left: 3

Prophet: Seraphine
Key Troops: Seraphs, High Seraphs, Mammoths, Wingless
Key Spells: Quickness, Lightning Bolt, Orb Lightning, False Horrors, Frozen Heart, Wrathful Skies

Research: Alt-3, Evoc-2 (Lightning Bolt), Alt-6 (Frozen Heart, False Horrors), Evoc-5 (Orb Lightning), Evoc-6 (Wrathful Skies)

Notes: After Alt-3, Send the Ghost King out to run amuck. Build Wizards Towers. Build Seraphs and High Seraphs as fast as possible, as they are your primary offense. Expand with Mammoths & Wingless, at a 1:4 ratio. An alternate strategy is to build Caelian Archers, park them at the back of the battlefield, and cast Wind Guide (requires a Seraph and 1 air gem per cast). To distract the enemy, scatter individual archers around the battlefield so the enemy pingpongs around killing them while the main force cuts them to ribbons. (Credit to xxxxxxx for this really fun strategy).

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Interesting.
Why do you always take Wiz Tower as castle ? I usually find them too costly in design, and go either for a cheap Watch Tower or Mausoleum, an "administrative" 80 pts-castle, or a sturdy 60-pts Hill Castle. Maybe I miss something ?

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

I actually really like Watchtowers and Mausoleums, but I'm not sure how good they are in multiplayer, so I went for the Wizards Tower instead. Anything that takes > 2 turns to build or costs > 300 gold is too expensive and too slow for my taste.

My Abysia design uses Watchtowers, but I was reluctant to post it because it is a bit odd.

ABYSIA (base theme)

Pretender: Ghost King (yes, I'm insane)
Magic: 3A, 3W, 3E, 3D, 3B
Scales: 3 Order, 3 Production, 3 Heat, 3 Death, 2 Misfortune, 3 Magic
Dominion: 7
Castle: Watchtower
Pts left: 1

Prophet: Anathemant Salamander
Key Troops: Abysian Infantry (w/morningstar), Warlock Apprentice, Demonbred
Key Spells: Bind Devil

Research: Alt-3, Blood-3 (Bind Devil), Constr-4 (Sanguine Dowsing Rod), Blood-5 (Ice Devil), Constr-6 (equipment for IDs)

Notes: Build Warlock Apprentices as fast as possible, send 3 per province with pop 6k-8k to bloodhunt, set taxes to 0. At Blood 3 build Demonbred, have them cast Bind Devils. at Blood 5 have Ghost King summon Ice Devils. Alternatively, get Constr-2, build a Dwarven Hammer then build Soul Contracts. Constr-6 gives you Blood Thorns, which are essential for your IDs.

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Watchtowers are probably one of the most used fortifications in my MP experience.

GK is *very* common these days, even with Abysia. I use either GK or VQ with the occasional PoD w/Aby.

- Kel

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

ERMOR (Ashen Empire)

Pretender: Ghost King
Magic: 2F, 3A, 2W, 3E, 7S, 6D, 2N
Scales: 3 Turmoil, 3 Sloth, 3 Cold, 3 Death, 3 Luck, 3 Drain
Dominion: 10
Castle: Ermorian Citadel
Pts left: 0

Prophet: Censor
Key Troops: Dusk Elder, Archbishop
Key Spells: Burden of Time, Foul Air

Research: Alt-3, Constr-4 (skull mentor), Thaum-5 (Burden of Time), Thaum-6 (Foul Air), Ench-2 (Revive King), Ench-3 (Raise Skeleton, Raise Dead), Ench-4 (Behemoth)

Notes: On turn 2 summon a Dusk Elder. Have the DE summon Archbishops as fast as possible. Have the Archbishops set to Summon Longdead Horsemen. After Alt-3, send the GK to take provinces and site search. Have your prophet build temples in the first few provinces he takes (money permitting). Temples increase the number of undead you get.

The AI is not capable of dealing with Ermor, so even vs Impossible opponents it's a cakewalk. But very very fun!

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Your ermorsetup is SP only imo .
Taking drain with ermor is risky .
Archbishops for reanimating longdead horses are too expensive .

Dominion 10 is imo not necessary 8 is enough .
My research goals with ermor are :
1. conjuration 6
2. construction 6
then whatever i need .

Conjuration 6 gives you spectres , the best researchers for ermor + they give you lots of random magic paths so they can do a lot of forging as well .
Construction 6 gives you water bracelets to start clamhoarding with your W spectres you got meanwhile .

If you cast burden of time / foul air in a mp game you will have the whole map quickly against you . And those 2 spells don't have a huge effect in 2 or 3 turns and they will get dispelled very soon so if they Last longer then 3 turns i would extremely wonder .

My typical ermor ghostking is about like this :

Castle : ermorian castle
Dominion : 7
Sloth 3 , death 3 , turmoil 3 , cold 3 , magic 3 , luck 3

3F 3A 3W 4E 4S 4D 4N as paths .

This way i find like 90% sites , need only 1 booster to cast GoH , Lichcraft , Call wraithlord , forge of the ancients .
In lategame with a ring of sorcery , ring of wizardy and other boosters he can do almost any spell .
For wishing you need only to do 1-2 empowerments as well ( 1 if someone traded you a robe of the magi ) .

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Fascinating. I have never tried the Spectres; I'll have to give them a shot. I like the drain for the improved magic resistance, but yeah in multiplayer it would be a dumb idea. Wouldn't 4S be risky, or is Magic Duel overrated?

To be honest, I wouldn't dare take Ermor in multiplayer, simply because I'd be willing to bet Ermor is target #1 in most games without some unbelievable diplomacy.

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Well you don't bring your ghostking to fights normally .
He is "just" a sitesearcher , forger , caster + wisher http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif .
So almost no risk of magic duel .

If ermor is target #1 or not depends a lot on the situation + the players you play with .
Some players think that ermor should be taken out quick while others think this is unrewarding and wait .

If you have lucky placement in a corner of the map then your chances are excellent but even otherwise you are no easy prey for most nations .
I play them normally quite defensive + research orientated . Your troops are imo cool because you get them in such huge numbers from midgame on that they really matter . Sure the enemy has lots of means to kill them , flames from the sky , massed priests , wither bones , holy pyre , wrathful skies etc. etc. etc. .
But they are excellent against SCs + they are good for raiding + pillaging .
So in midgame you can easily do some 200-500 undead pillage armies which do scorched earth to the enemy .
By the enemy main armies they get easily mowed down but smaller armies they easily kill . You just conquer a province , pillage 1 turn and advance to the next .

If you start with e.g. 10 200 undead raiding armies the enemy will kill 1 or 2 every turn but until he stopped all of your raiding armies he needs at least some turns + you have destroyed a few provinces + kept him busy http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif .
The other advantage is that you force by doing this your enemy to do lots of anti undead armies which you can then easily defeat with not undead SCs which are normally not often used but in these special circumstances kinda good like firbolgs , harbingers , arch angels etc. in midgame and in lategame you can do everything anyways cause you clamhoarded .

Your normal troops still matter in lategame because you will get 500-1000 maybe even more / turn . You get them for free while 1000 undead still require some effort for the enemy to kill them .

In lategame you have then the advantage of still being able to take the lighter defended enemy provinces with your freespawns only + every province you get gets pillaged and you caste + temple it immediately .
This way your enemy has even in lategame 2 huge mali :
- He has few income cause it is hard to defend more then 5 provinces constantly against ermor and only a 2 turn Lasting loss leaves a totally pillaged province .
This way he has to use some of his gems to produce money or big parts of his national mages will desert .
- By templing + castling every province your enemy gets probably dominionproblems + needs to preach . With already reduced income this gets even more severe .

Your screens of AE freespawns have the huge advantage that they are all LL . So the standard SC with lifeleech has extremely bad chances to win against them . So the enemy has to build special anti ermor SCs but your knights of the unholy sepulrche have when massed even chances of defeating such SCs .

Most of the stuff i said is possible by your freespawns only http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif .
Tartarians , Wraith lords , Demi liches etc. are some of the best commanders in the game as well and most of them are imo also quite cheap .
Once you survive to midgame you are normally strong enough to give even 2 or 3 invaders at least a very long + tough fight .

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

I've found some rather nicely working designs (though not MP tested) that I like.

For Abysia, I like a Scorpion King with F4/E6, Scales Order 2, Prod 3, Magic 2 (as a rule, I do not like Misfortune) and of course the Heat 3, and using the standard castle. The E6 is especially nice because the most combat oriented mages (especially the ones used early on, the demonbred and the anathemants) are sacred, so they get an extra 3 reinvigoration. Dominion value is somewhere around 6 for this chassis, and it works surprisingly well. Researching Evo 3 (or at least Evo 2) quickly makes the SK a serious artillery support that can and will eat almost anything that gets through the infantry for lunch, and later can be used by himself to wipe out indeps. Especially good with Zen's pretender mod, because he gains a body slot for armor and mounted status so armor encumbrance is ignored for melee purposes (not spellcasting, though). I've been using this particular one for my first MP, and it was very good until an indie heavy cavalry gave him the mute affliction and made him only so much decoration for teh ~35 turns it took a faerie queen to heal him (I swear, took at least 25 turns before the affliction disappeared while my mindhunt feebleminded warlocks were back in action in 2 to 5 turns...)

For Vanheim, resources tend not to be an issue, but you still need some of them, so I use the basic fortress (30 admin). Haven't tried much yet, but the Allfather gives a solid pretender, and a blue dragon can give a nice water bless for the van and valkyries.

For Arco, switch the wizard tower to the 30 admin fort, give the Nataraja E3 (Summon Earth Power + Invulnerability rocks, though you can do that with E2 too). Magic 1 is enough, 3 points of that scale is too expensive a price tag for the benefits considering what else you can do with 80 points. Dominion score is around 5 or 6, don't really remember.

Edi

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

I can imagine that by midgame Ermor is darn hard to beat. Surviving to then is the trick. I found that versus 12 impossible AI opponents, I cannot wait for the freespawns. Archbishops summoning horsemen seem to work really well. Especially once you have a dozen Archbishops or more. Without those horsemen I just wouldn't have enough troops to expand with my usual berserker enthusiasm.

Do you limit your expansion and focus on research? I admit that's an approach I have ignored to date.

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Hey Edi brings up an interesting point: for multiplayer, what tends to be the most popular mods? I haven't played with mods so far, but it sounds like there are some pretty interesting ones. I like the sound of the mod that gives reinvigoration to the pretenders.

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Exactly i chose research over expansion .

In SP even impossible AIs have some trouble with your dominion + starving .
In SP even unequipped wraithlords beat huge amounts of AI troops + this is costless as long as fighting in own dominion .

The longdead horsemen are too fragile to be really good in MP imo . 1 archbishop costs even more then 1 duskelder though . Basically you could expand with your mages just spamming skeletons + a few undeads ( 30-50 ) .
This way you don't need your arch bishops .
I summon about 5 alcolytes during an ermor game for temple building and zero arch bishops .
I try to search my provinces as quick as possible to maximize gemincome and start clamhoarding as soon as possible too .

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

I would say that it's the other way around. Their undead troops evaporate against serious resistance, and anybody who's in the midgame should be able to put up fairly serious resistance.

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

I don't know about other people's preferences, but I love Zen's Conceptual Balance mods. Especially the pretender mod makes a lot of previously unattractive pretenders viable. The fact that the CB mods are all modular makes them perfect, one can pick and choose what one wants.

Edi

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Blood Thorns ? I largely prefers Hell Swords : more damage (so more drain), fire protection, plus Berserk+3 so you can pair your IDs without fear of rout !

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Hell Swords are ideal on low-end Thugs who can't buff themselves and/or you recruit en masse (eg, Jotun Herses). A Blood Thorn might be better on an Ice Devils: (1) it makes more sense to give full equipment to an expensive SC and the Blood Thorn allows him to wear another weapon or a shield, (2) ID have plenty of STR and ATT already so the marginal extra damage from the Hell Sword isn't that important, and (3) with a Hell Sword there's still a chance your ID will go berserk before casting Quickness and/or Breath of Winter.

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

well, hell swords are cheaper, and, it is true, the blood thorn is pretty sucky as a weapon - good enough against chaff, but not what you want if you end up in a duel w/ another SC.

but blood thorns are ideal for Magoth and Bifrons who both need time to cast a full complement of buffs and who can include astral weapon amongst them; making the blood thorn a rather frightening drain weapon http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

It rather depends what's on the off-hand, no? The shield 'Barrier', for instance, would be useful... or the Aegis, or a Magebane/Blood Thorn combo.

Or for a blood-mage SC who includes Leech or something like that in his script, perhaps.

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

The main drawback of a HS is no shield, but IMHO it only makes a real difference if you can afford one of the rare really good shields -Aegis/Barrier.
But the HS also "free" a slot with its 50% FR, so for example you can have any ID 100% FR with an Elem Armor, and an "additional" misc slot to use.
And about the high Att/Def of ID, it's true, but they often have to fight pretty good opponents, so the difference between damage 24 and 29 can really make a difference on a Prot 25 foe ...

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

So dual Blood Thorns != good?

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Not true. I've seen Hell Swords kill their wielders because they turned Berserk too soon. If you're counting on your ID's Breath of Winter to do most of the damage, you've got an issue to deal with here.

If the other slots are filled with resistance stuff, and you're facing a Botulf Barrage (tm), a Shield of Valor will probably be better either of these.

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

Nagot,
Sure I have less experience than you have, but I recently saw a good number of ID fights and not once did they fail to cast Quickness/BoW before fighting. Sometimes they were killed before (by spells) but the sword wasn't in the equation http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif.
Agreed on your remark about Shield of Valor, it should also work against Eth X bow and JMCs.
But I now wonder if a combo Athame + MageBane, or Faithful, or Firebrand isn't better, at least against other SC (not against hordes of chaff dying to BOW alone ..)

Re: Race Designs & Strategies
 

I have. Although I've yet to see an ID die because of this, I've seen a KOEF bite the dust once because of his own Hell Sword (he failed to cast Phoenix Pyre, which was his main objective). As long as your IDs aren't immune to everything, expect your ennemies to trigger their berserking with AOE or 100 prec damage spells they're not resistant to, or heavy missile fire, or fliers.

I note the 'before' - so indeed it would have been in the equation if these spells had only damaged them. QED http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Different situations ask for different answers, but I never take for granted the unique artifacts will be mine.