[Arryn]

Originally posted by Saber Cherry:
Yes, actually, it is that useful. How long do your mages Last? Mine tend to Last 20 turns or so, average, I estimate. Let's compare two 100 gold mages, with level-2 water magic. One scared, one non-sacred.

Normal: Total cost after 20 turns is 233 gold.
Sacred: Total cost after 20 turns is 166 gold.

So the sacred one is much cheaper, and gets whatever bless benefits you may have (possibly reinvigoration, air shield, life after death, quickness...). Much cheaper and potentially much better!

For research, 70% is a bit overpriced, of course - the breakeven point is 70 turns, which is too long. A 60% premium gives a 45-turn breakeven point, which might be a little more fair, considering the normal game length. But generally, as Zen mentioned, it is the cheapest mages that are used for research.

As always, Cherry, a well-reasoned reply. Thanks. It's much clearer now. I also liked the typo "one scared". I do actually have a mage with Battle Fright. heh

BTW, my mages Last well past turn 50 as I keep them researching and making items prior to that. I rarely send theme mages into combat. I use summons with magic skill for that. I also play on the Orania map, with indies at 5-7, so I have more time to develop.

With regards to using the cheap mages for research, I don't. Not until I can hire sages. The only theme mages I buy are the best ones. Each player has their own style.