Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

I'm trying to do the following with an S9 mage:
Cast teleport, script Magic Duel x 3 + Returning (cost: 5 gems).
I give 6 gems to my mage.
End result: The very first magic duel uses 3 gems, which means, the mage will be unable to finish the script. I suppose giving him 12 gems might cut it, but it's kind of inefficient.
Is there any way to coerce a mage into doing what the scrit says?

I mean, the ai could read the script, check the number of gems required, and make sure it doesn't shoot itself in the foot on first turn of the battle.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

As you say, the only solution with the current game code is to give your mage enough gems that he won't run out even if he goes nuts with fatigue reduction gems.

And even if you give him enough gems, you can still get into trouble. If the opposing army only has 3 leaders, and they are all astral mages, you can rout the opposing forces. If the enemy is routing, gem usage can get turned off, so you: teleport in, fire off your magic duels, and now your immobile god (for example) is stuck in an enemy province with no way out, until you build a lab or the enemy attacks so you can actually cast returning.

It would be really nice if the combat scripting menu had just one more command, "Always cast a specific spell" And then no matter what happens: assassination, scout discovered in province, army attacks, your side routs, the enemy routs; if that action slot is hit and your mage has enough gems, he casts the spell.

I see what you mean about conserving gems so that the first 5 scripted spells can be cast, that would be nice too.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

Actually, magic duel seems to be quite speical, in a bad way. Usually, mage doesnt use additional gems if his magic path is high enough. I mean, if you give a D3 SK an extra death gem to cast a soul vortex, we wont use it - he will get 40+ fatique instead (which is a bad thing).
But for a magic duel, mages tend to consume additional gems for some reason, so 'magic duelx2, returning' script fails quite often.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

This thread brings to mine a question thats been filtering through my mind. Does anyone know how the AI chooses targets for Mind Duel? Will it pick lower level astral mages to maximize chances of a successful duel, or will it pick a "monster" target such as a Seraph first?

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

I think its random - any astral mage on the battlefield.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

I haven't worked it out, but I know that in my first ever MP game, as Sauromatia against T'ien Ch'i, I recruited a whole load of soothsayers to magic duel the enemy celestial masters. FrankTrollman (for it was he) brought along his high-astral Lord of Plenty, and every single one of my soothsayers killed himself trying to magic duel it.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

If it works like other instakill spells, it'll tend to go for high-hp targets first. If so, seraphs would be a high-priority target.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

Now I just hope I gave him enough gems... I'm wondering whether my test of 11 gems had been with 2 or 3 magic duels scripted before the returning... I hope 12 gems for 3 duels + returning will be enough.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

magic duel will target the highest astral mage first.

thus, if you give your pretender 1 astral, but always keep him around a bunch of s2 mages, he should be safe :)

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

If it is an MP game that hasn't hosted yet, you can always submit a new turn file.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

12 gems should certainly be enough. The AI really shouldn't be using extra gems in this situation, but whateva.

I have made a couple builds w/ S1 pretenders, planning to always have them hidden amongst my mundane mages,... but they never quite make it to the finish line :p

/me is scaredy cat

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

Magic Duel doesn't always go after high hp targets. I had my god casting magic duel at llama's skink priests and slann in a game, and while most of the time he went after the slann, once or twice he chose to magic duel skink priests instead, even without said priests being stacked together in a group.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

as I stated above, magic duel goes after the highest astral targets, not the highest hp targets.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

Oops, somehow I missed that.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

Highest astral with or without buffs, which don't count for magic duel?

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

As we're on the topic I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere that Communions don't work for the purpose of magic duels, can someone confirm this?

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

confirmed. nothing affects your duel chances other than your base astral level.

The only question, I think, is whether paths lost due to some changeshape count or not... ie if you took an astral 2 dragon, in dragon form it would have zero astral - can it be mind dueled? and, if so, what level of astral does it have? Perhaps there is a similar issue for mute or feeblemind - I think that the level is your current showing one (ie. you have no astral if feebleminded), but I am not sure of this and have not tested.

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

I don't know about hidden paths (dragon shape...). Could be fun to have an S2 dragon that cannot be targetted by magic duel in dragon shape.
I confirm that the gem use by an S9 mage is 3 pearls/casting.
So 3 * Magic Duel + returning = 11 pearls instead of 5.
(Too bad I could have scripted a fourth duel... Will be for my next target...)

Re: Magic gems, magic duel and returning
 

Another thing about S lvls, I think when it comes to intercepting mind hunts only base s lvl effects it. Pretty sure I had a 3S mage (cap+coin) in a province and he never intercepted any of the 3 mind hunts that came in.

But I am not 100% on this, so if anyone can confirm or deny?