Mind Hunt problems
 

I am playing a MP game as LA Ermor and I have a small problem: one of the players is a well-entrenched Ry'leh player with the capacity to cast 12 mind hunts a turn. What are the best defenses against this for LA Ermor? Freespawn leaders tend to die at a 50% rate when mind hunted, meaning I'll lose a lot of leaders fast if I am not careful.

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

The best protection against Mind Hunt is an astral mage.

Look for indies with astral magic and move/teleport them to provinces you want to protect and see how easy enemy mind hunters go feeblemind.

Mind hunt cost 2 astral gems so it hurts his gem base a little bit. Remember your freespawns would also die easily against arrow, earth elementar, ashen angel, etc.

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

Yes, Astral mages are a natural defense. A few other ideas: If you have gold to use, you could also recruit some scouts as temporary attack-catchers. You could also summon some cheap attack-catchers, such as Black Servants. You could also try to dodge to unexpected provinces. And/or cast domes...

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

Any easier-to-find indy sites with astral mages? I've noticed summoned mages are few and far between. For LA ermor, it's pretty much the Golem with direct astral. Naturally, a fair number of dusk elders get some astral as well, but with the loss of the couatl, things get kind of tough.

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

the only summonable astral mages are spectres (random), lamia queen (random or at least in dom 2 they could get astral) ether lords, and golems... tartarians (random).


the best inde astral is a sage though. either sages guild or library to make them - fairly common. there are also enchanters, sorceress, crystal amazons, iron order, seers

probably others I am not aware of.

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

Dusk elders can get astral, problem solved. Just stick an astral elder in each province with important commanders.

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

Surrender to Ryleh is another option....

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

24 astral gems for 6 dead freespawn leaders doesn't sound that bad a trade for Ermor.

Throw some offensive spells back to kill his casters.

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

How about the opposite question? I've yet - in dozens of attempts - to have a successful mind hunt, with astral mages ranging from astral 4 to astral 6, some with spell focii. I would think the odds would be slightly better than that... So far, all it has been for me is a costly "feeblemind self" spell.

Does anybody know the parameters by which defense against, and astral cord severing against, the mind hunt spell comes into effect?

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

According to the manual, any astral mage in the targetted province has a 40% per astral level of detecting and feebleminding the Mind Hunting mage.

-Max

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

Penetration doesn't help protect against enemy astral mages cutting the cord. It helps if you scout and deduce where the enemy has no astral mages before attempting the attack. The success rate can be pretty good if you know where there are vulnerable unprotected targets...

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

that helps, thanks.

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

How do you figure out what's there?

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

Well, one way is to only mind hunt in provinces which just had a battle, so you know exactly what's there. This is a pretty good way to put a stop to raiding by highly mobile/stealthy troops.

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

Yes, spies and scouts are a good way, and viewing combat replays is another. Note that if you have a scout in a province where other people are fighting, you get to watch the battle replay there, and the victim may tend to suspect his opponent if a battle is followed the next turn by attacks like Mind Hunt. If you look at the troops remaining in the last battle in a province, you can see who will probably be in there when your Mind Hunt will strike (assuming no other magic happens in between).

Other basic safety deductive techniques include using Mind Hunt against enemies who generally don't have astral mages, and attacking forces beseiged inside a castle (and when they run out of leaders, they'll rout when stormed).

Like assassination and other sneaky attacks, Mind Hunt can win a battle by removing an enemy commander as his force is moving to combat, so that the troops he was leading get left behind and an enemy army arrives at the battle incomplete...

Re: Mind Hunt problems
 

Since recruitment happens before rituals, it might be a good plan to avoid Mind Hunting in a Lizard province or anywhere else an Astral mage can be recruited.