telestic animate support group
 

Does anybody use Telesetic animation in MP? I have never seen one used by another player, or by the AI.

I love them. but I have an unhealthy facination with immobile units.

5 ast gems for a 40hp preist lv2 protect 12 , mr 18 and a head item slot.

I use them when my dominion is struggling.
I use them at chokepoints.
I some times empower them (in sp only)
I use them to make mummies with that unique crown
I have even been know to use them as makeshift watchers giving them spirit helms.


In short, I need help. I have a serious TA problem. Does anyone else feel my love of TA? Or are they just not good enough for MP?

Re: telestic animate support group
 

I too have an uncanny fondness for immobile units, but the only place I'd use the animates base game are to abuse reanimation for a few nations like ME Ermor. Perhaps in theory also useful in specialized dominion related situations, but I can't say I've ever actually encountered such a situation.

Re: telestic animate support group
 

Telestic Animate was useful for me in one MP game. I was playing LA Midgard and attacking Marignon. Marignon was on the border of LA Ryleh, and as the war wore on and I destroyed Marignon's temples, Ryleh's dominion started covering the area. I did not have many priests along with my armies, and did not have the spare gold for temples, so I used TA at Marignon's captured labs and created at least a few safe spots where my armies could wait without going insane. So, it is occasionally useful to be able to substitute labs and astral gems for temples and gold.

I suppose TA could also be useful if you are being mind-hunted and need some quick chaff commanders. At 18 MR the TAs seem like they would be good at soaking attacks.

Re: telestic animate support group
 

I find them useful for only 5 astral when facing enemy dominions and key chokepoints. I would never place the Amon Hotep helm on these immobile statues... waste of a good item. These statues are not worthy enough to wear spirit helms either.

Re: telestic animate support group
 

MA + LA Ermor can make good use of them. At just 5S for lvl 2 priest they can reanimate a serious amount of troops. They can buff the undead defenders as well with unholy power and wotnot. When you capture a high population province, 10,000+ consider casting one. 5S gems is cheap and its a alternative to using your death gems to summon a priest or buying lvl 1 indie priests.

Other reanimation nations like EA Lanka may find them slightly useful as well.

Re: telestic animate support group
 

Never really found a use for them, altough with Ulm Reborn's H2 mini smite they might be pretty nasty.

Re: telestic animate support group
 

Can they perform blood sacrifices if summoned by a nation that normally can? Might be a cheap alternative to Anathemants for Abysia doing a dominion push. They're also not capitol only, which could be handy for Mictlan (either hire a moon priest and teleport him there for almost as many pearls plus gold, or hire any L2 priest and have him spend several turns walking).

Also, unlike some nations' priests, TA won't drop dead of old age and require periodic replacement. Do they have any gold upkeep cost? Some nations have no L2 priest at all, or only an expensive and sometimes old priest-mage. Who wants to waste a Yaksha's or Nagaraja's time hanging around and preaching when they can just TA and move on?

If your nation can't reanimate or sacrifice, the TA might eventually be stuck without anything useful to do. But if it's 0-upkeep, who cares? Let it sit and SoC the province defense. You just have to summon it in a situation where getting the dominion up to friendly is worth at least 5 pearls to you even if you have no use for the TA afterwards.

Re: telestic animate support group
 

I agree Chris.

also I would be very suprised if there was an upkeep, seems unlikely.

Re: telestic animate support group
 

I use to raise dominion in conquered lands. With a temple they can get to five very fast. In late game, it's important.

Re: telestic animate support group
 

I think their purpose is that, for most nations, they are the only summonable priests. If you're doing teleport strikes and attacking with SCs and mages behind enemy lines, you may not have any way to establish a dominion/temple foothold in enemy lands. If you're someone like MA Man or Bandar Log, with all your mages as sacred non-priests, you're going to have lots of trouble recruiting mages in a newly-captured fortress. Telestic Animation, however, lets you bootstrap from Astral magic into priesthood.