Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Vine Ogers is the best value for summoned troops in the game (both vanilla and CB 5.2). And Bane Lords for 10 or 15 gems are great Commanders. I am wondering what else people find effective. What are your top 5 gems vs output summoned units and commanders? If (_) Item(s) is needed, please include that in the overall cost when considering it and please include the item(s) with the commander.

Units
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Commanders
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Legions of wraith is a good spell if you want to get a strong army in a short time. I have no idea how many you get, but I remember them to be relativly cheap / much cheaper than the summon wraith spell

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

I imagine fire snakes are around slot #4 or #5 on my units list. Not because they're a particularly efficient use of gems, but because they're a particularly efficient use of fire gems. When your only alternatives are artillery spells, items, and inefficient battlefield boosts, there's something to be said for summoning. Or alchemy, I suppose, but I find the snakes more effective than most troops.

Clay men and mechanical men are definitely on the list as well, and everyone loves devils, ideally via contract.

As for commanders, there's definitely a vampire lord somewhere on the list, no equipment required. They make decent thugs, but their primary purpose is to muster immortal, flying, lifedraining goon squads, for all your defensive needs. Speaking of immortal units, wraith lords are... well, if they're on the list, they're #5. Very pricey, but useful for reinforcing defenses within your dominion, especially if you're the sort of undead nation that can't just cough up the gold for a few skeleton spammers. Spectres and lamia queens are on the list, too, for easy access to pretty much every path of magic. And you just can't beat the price tag on a Tartarian, even without the Gift of Health or the Chalice.

Edit: Hmm... odd how there are no ghosts on my list. I suppose I'll drop mechanical men down to #6 to make room for them. Always preferred specialized troops, anyway, it's just hard to say "no" to those across-the-board resistances.

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

is it not legion of wights? its a 6 death, high conjuration spell that gives you 20 wights. unmodded it was only 15-20 gems iirc but under cb 5.4 its 30 gems (still good for 20 wights)

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

I have a hard time filling out this list myself, reason I left it blank. Hopefully some of the Dom II wizards will chime in on what they like to spend their gems on to bulk out their armies.

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Far as the units go, lamias are pretty good when you have a high nature skill and nature income.

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

if you have a nature 10 naga (possibly with boosters) you get a huge number of lamias per cast and a good bless to boot (for pan its quite good)

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

living statues can also be plentiful, and they make a good "meat" shield

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Units:
1. Vine Ogres
2. Devils
3. Banefire Archers
4. large seasonal spirits (Summer Lions/Fall Bears)
5. Clay Men

Commanders:
1. Bane Lord (thug)
2. Ice Devils (SC)
3. Arch Devils (SC)
4. Specters (diversity + thug)
5. Lamia Queens (diversity)
6. Ivy Kings (ogre factory + thug)
7. Air Queens (SC)

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Points to Ironhawks list but replaces 4 with tarrasques and tries to figure out where to add tartarians

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Ironhawk, aside from Gaap and the astral AD, I can't figure out how the other devils are SC's ... can you make tell me a good strat in using them?

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

I'd probably go with Longdead cavalry instead of Claymen. They're fragile, but pack a nice punch.

It really depends on what gems I wind up with an excess of. I'm not fond of Claymen, but what else to do with all those water gems. Seasonal spirits the same way. Probably too expensive, but if you've got a high earth/fire income...

Faery Court, if only for healing.

Any mages who have paths other than what's needed to summon them. Nature gets you Lamias, which gets you death. Couatls get decent Astral, which can build boosters etc.
Even Draconians get you from Air to Nature if you haven't found druids.

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

they are all good moderatly equiped imo

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Give any arch devil regen, quickness, and decent prot via items. Probably +mr and reinvig as well. Script fireshield and attack (anything else?). They have great stats, high hp, fire immunity.

Edit: the above is with cb mods in mind...otherwise definitely want lifedrain.

For summons I agree with thejeff, it all depends on what gems you have. Summer lions I sometimes summon since its them or firesnakes, but I don't know that I'd pick fall bears over statues, mech. men, or heck maybe even crushers.

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

dragon scale armour (i love it), horror helm, boots of quickness, pendant of luck, ring of regen and maybe a wraith/hellsword (preferably hell unless vrs uber armour)

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Ice Devils are great - low encumbrance, large, high HP, high MR - wait, ALL their stats are high, ALL THE SLOTS, extra tail-attack, self-casting Quickness and Breath of Winter, goes underwater...

Try summoning ANY ice devil, making it your prophet, give it a few items, and sending it to fight in a cold (preferably friendly) dominion. Notice how it kills everything and takes no damage... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

what? even old "look ma, no hands"? i don't think so... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Also, in the CB mod, ID are definitely inferior to the AD. Still worthwhile, but not where my first bloodslaves go.

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Hey, no dissing mister Icicle Fist! At least under some CB-mod I had fun fielding him with a dragon scale armor, a luck amulet and a reinvig item plus some helmet. In cold 3 dominion the prot was, like, 34 or so, so the lack of regen didn't really matter in the fights I used him in.

Oversway: maybe it's obvious but Phoenix Pyre should be scripted if there's access. That and fire shield are pretty much the only fire buffs. You could always try to get off a flame eruption or immolation by attack, cast, attack, but that's trickery.

Especially coupled with regeneration and either life-drain weapons or large amount of reinvigoration phoenix pyre can be quite effective as well as possibly the most fun spell in the game.

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

See, you misquoted me! I said "try"... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I sent Nycafor to the arena, and he came out without a Trident. But it was worth a try http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif As Jurri said, though, he's quite a monster in Cold +3.

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Oh yeah, pheonix pyre - that is a good one. Although the last time I used it, it was with a bunch of communion-ing casters that were placed a little too close together...it didn't end well http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

besides fire shield also it's good to cast the spell which respawns him upon death... forgot the fire spell name(phoenix pyre?).

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

LoL I love this forum. Back on track though, anyone else have any opinions?

Re: Summoned Units - Opinions
 

Units
1.Vine Ogres
2.Devils
3.Fiends of Darkness
4.Mechanical Men
5.Longdead archers

Commanders
1.Spectres
2.Lamia queens
3.Black Servants
4.Arch Devils
5.Air Queens

(in the case of commanders I ranked not necessarily the best, but the ones I tend to summon most of)