[ioticus]

apoger said:
>but who would risk an expensive astral-3 mage mind-dueling a 150 gold witch hunter?

Nobody... but you have to reverse that situation. If I have a bunch of Witch Hunters and I come up against a player fielding some very expensive/dangerous astral-3 mages wouldn't it be in my best interest to gamble on some duels?


Magic Duel is not an issue that you deal with all the time. It's more of an "Achilles’ heel" that gets exploited rarely, but when it happens it can be devastating.


When I play a nation that has astral-3 mages you can bet that as the game goes long, I am preparing a Magic Duel specialist. Eventually I get an astral-4 mage when a random skill comes in astral. Add on a Starshine Skullcap, Crystal Shield, Crystal Coin, Ring of Sorcery, and a level of empowerment... and I have an Astral-9 mage. Even if I face no astral opponents this is a potent mage. If I encounter an enemy army with a bunch of astral 2-3 mages... you can bet I'll be looking to engage with my astral-9. Teleport right to the front, and let the dueling begin! Of course this is not a common event, but I'm telling you straight up that games turn on such events when they happen.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that players should avoid using astral magic. What I'm saying is that Magic Duel is a consideration when doing so.

Isn't it true that magic items do not count for magic duels? Also, if you empower a mage does it count in a duel, or is only his original power counted?