[LordArioch]

I decided to quickly throw together such a pretender with the magic levels and just run him around blindly seeing how many str 5 independent provinces he could capture. I think I got maybe 10 before he died.
The problem with that particular setup as with most SC I've made is the fatigue. Some spell that targets a unit and makes a chest wound would be really effective against pretenders without enc 0.
My manticore picked up a chest wound and that took him out. Still, I think I see that the key elements of the design are from the astral magic.
(Body Ethereal, Astral Shield, Personal Luck)
This same astral magic leaves him somewhat exposed to mind duels.
Also attack rearmost, in my experience, is probably inferior to attack archers if you suspect your opponent has archers. Attacking the rear of the enemy melee troops isn't usually as good as hitting the archers who might very well be near the mages.

But I'm not an expert so feel free to point out where I'm wrong.

[ November 03, 2003, 20:40: Message edited by: LordArioch ]