Artifact Question
 

1) Can artifacts change the course of the game (examples welcome)? I have so focused on Posts about rushing for air queen elementals, or getting to alt-3 in a hurry or getting con-6 even, that it never occurred to me to go for con-8 until very late game. In reading artifact descriptions, I think I may have missed an opportunity here, but would like first hand accounts of the difference they make and various strategies to employ them.

2) Specifically, gift of kurgi is cited as feebleminding its owner. How do you combat this effect? Are there other items whose curses/problems outweigh the benefits?

FWIW, I've scanned past threads on the topic but generally find them incomplete.

Re: Artifact Question
 

With the possible exceptions of the Ark (for dominion spread) and the Gift of Kurgi, I'd say no. The effects of most artifacts, while nice, simply aren't powerful enough to be that dramatic, and don't approach the power of some of the global rituals, which can and often do change the outcome of a game.

Re: Artifact Question
 

The thing about artifacts is that they are mostly combat-related weapons and armor and such. Those sorts of artifacts can only really help you if you have a commander that is capable of using them effectively in battle. The Mage Bane is an awesome weapon, for instance, but not all that scary if its being wielded by a Vanjarl.

Re: Artifact Question
 

Gift of Kurgi : Put it on a scout or some such that you don't mind being feebleminded. I'm not sure it changes the course of a game, but being able to send lesser horrors that _might_ be able to destroy PD and destroy a temple is kinda nice.

One of the Twin Spears is one which the 'benefit' outweighs the 'benefit', imo. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif Summoned a bunch of Lesser Horrors which inflicted the only casualties on my Jotun army.

The Chalice can definately have a huge game impact : healing that feebleminded Pretender, not to mention diseased troops, commanders, and other crippled SCs.

Some of the items that add magic power are great - only ... 2 give more of an increase than you could get from a ring of wizardry, but given that many nations can't get the astral mages / gem income to easily get RoWs, they can be great.

The Flying Ship and the Gate Stone: Both allow complete armies to be moved quickly (only 1 commander, sadly - seems commanders are too proud to ride on someone else's boat http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif ), at speeds of flight-3 and instant movement anywhere on the map, respectively. Similarly, Boots of Teleportation allow one commander to teleport anywhere, even without a laboratory.

Soulstone of the Wolves: A free Call of the Wild each turn lets you try to nail lightly defended provinces and temples; alternatively, it lets you get a free pack of stealthy wolves, and a free stealthy commander who can summon more wolves, each turn.

Most of the others, as Arryn said, are very very much combat oriented. Several can be _very_ potent on the proper commander, but you still need armies / very solid commanders to make good use of them.

Re: Artifact Question
 

To give credit where it's rightfully due, Vynd said it, not I.

Re: Artifact Question
 

The Soulstone of the Wolves is great fun in battle, because the free wolves -- which appear in fairly large numbers along the sides of the battlefield, including inside the enemy fortress if there is one -- can distract the enemy and thus save your own troops in addition to any damage they due to flanks and rear.

The Chalice is one of only two ways for removing afflictions on any lifeless commanders, the other being Gift of Health; most lifeless units aren't eligible for the other means, such as immortality and returning from the dead (Call God). This is particularly useful for somebody like R'lyeh who expects more feebleminds than usual...

The Alchemist's Stone gives a 50% income boost to alchemy with no limit on how much you benefit from it in a single turn, IIRC. For certain nations and strategies, this may matter a lot; e.g. (Dead) Ermor has few taxpayers and disproportionately needs alchemy, while Machaka is an obvious candidate for massing Fever Fetishes on cheap Mound Kings.

For a necromancer aspiring to create a Tartarian Factory, the Sceptre of Dark Regency gives +3 Death in a single slot for 40 death gems.


For objects with nasty side-effects, Kurgi and the Banefire Sceptre (which is just lovely in terms of how much damage it does) both summon Horrors with some frequency. The Forbidden Light is probably much worse. Some have a risk of own-goaling, like the Stone Sword and the Sword of Many Colors (neither should be wielded without MR boosters).

There are items whose value might be dubious; the Gloves of the Gladiator might count, as they occupy two weapon slots and, IIRC, the multiple attacks work in such a way that they can only be used on a single target per turn. The Stymphalian Wings -can- be a mixed blessing, in that it provides trampling which prevents the use of a possibly far more effective weapon attack on smaller monsters. Sty Wings probably shouldn't be given to a Tartarian, for instance, because at that point you can almost certainly afford a better weapon.

Re: Artifact Question
 

I thought the discussion was about unique artifacts?

With one notable exception: Tartarian Spirits (also Monstra depending on the magic they get). These haven't feet to put flying boots on, and they're quite slow on the battlefield. I like giving T. Spirits Stymph armors and Skull Staves, so they can fly on the map, and once they cast Invulnerability and Soul Vortex they're almost unkillable by regular armies.