[atul]

Originally posted by Targa:
Can just research and cast rituals/forge? Can't go out and fight (unless you teleport or something, then you have to be able to get back home somehow), can't go search for magic sites (unless you use akashic spell). What's the appeal? Thanks.

As an anecdote, my first ever dom1 game, a demo pbem with friends in very crowded Urgaia map. We just wanted to check the game out. I played Marignon with Baphomet pretender (the immobile flaming head). Didn't notice it was immobile 'till the game started, either.

About turn 10, my only army was sieging Abysian capital, and Caelum decided to start peacekeeping operation by flying his army of 50+ troops over my capital and storming the castle inhabited by the pretender and just few soldiers. The annoying fliers were ground to dust.

Soon after, when I was extracting my justified vengeage and conquering the Last Caelian provinces, the Abysian troops blocked my army's path back home and C'tis broke our peace treaty, marching his saurolich pretender and an army of 150+ lizards to my capital, breaking the walls at ease and storming it.

My Baphomet, the sole unit in castle at that time, singlehandedly and unequiped, wiped that army out of existence, and the skin of said treasorous saurolich decorates the wall of local public lavatory to this day.

Immobile pretenders have their uses, even when chosen accidentally. I don't honestly think other pretenders could have done the same.