[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by DominionsFAN:

1. What is the best combination of magic schools to make a decent pretender? Take lot of astral levels? I read something about those magic duels but I don't understand it at all.

Most of the time you'll pick magic schools your national mages aren't proficient in.

Above all, if your nation sucks at air magic, pick air 3+, so you can protect your troops against lightning and shut down enemy fliers and archers by casting Storm or forging a Staff of Storms.

Earth 2-3 is useful to locate Firbog castles and forge Dwarven Hammers, and allows super combattants to cast Invulnerability on themselves (increases protection up to 30).

The air 3/earth 2-3 combo is cool as it allows you to forge Staves of Elemental Mastery, a nice enhancing item to have.

Fire and water magic have less to offer than the 2 other elemental schools - IMO. When I do choose them, I usually pick fire 3 (or only 2 if I have a bit of death magic), and water 2.

Astral magic is one of the most useful schools, if you're not afraid of being magic duelled.

Nature and Death are also interesting schools with powerful enchantments and conjurations, but nature and death independent mages (druids and Harab Seraphs) are not that uncommon, so you can skip these schools and still hope to find these in your starting area.

Blood magic is special, if you're not ready to commit to it seriously you'd better skip it completely. Since blood slaves aren't collected at magic sites, blood magic is more potent on maps with a low magic site frequency. Its main interest is the ultra-powerful summons you get at research level 4 and 6.

Magic Duel is an astral spell which have you confront an enemy astral mage. The most skilled mage usually wins, and the loser dies - plain and simple. That's why there's a race for astral supremacy in Dominions.

2. What is better? Recruit and summon the strongest armies what you can, or mass the weaker units?

Look at morale and protection first. Then look at the damage rating of your primary weapon - or at weapons with multiples attacks if your main enemy uses low-protection troops like flagellants.

3. Is it worth to take 6+ levels in a magic school -> Specialize? Or take 3-4 levels from more?

Usually the later, although I sometimes go with high astral (7+) because I'm a coward, or mid-high death to get the most out of reanimation and conjuration spells.

4. What is the purpose of Dominion strength?

(a) Without it you die.
(b) Higher morale for your troops in your dominion
(c) Increased stats for your pretender and your prophet.
(d) Keep Ermor in check! ;-)

With most nations a dominion of 3-6 is OK. A bit higher for cold/heat loving ones. Underwater nations often take it higher because it's harder for them to maintain a steady dominion unless they conquer several coastal provinces.

5. How the supply is working exactly? Is it good to build castles in all provinces? Castles are sucking the resources away from other provinces???

Supply is based on the population of the province you're in, its growth/death scale and its heat/cold scale. In addition nearby castles send supplies up to 5 provinces away, based on their administration value, as long as a friendly path can be traced to the province. Nature mages provide a few supplies to their troops. A few items and special creatures also do this.

6. How can I raise the amount of the resources in a province?

Lower unrest. Build castles.