Thanks everyone for the answers! Let me respond sequentially and ask some follow-up questions as well:
Ironhawk,
*Yes, Pathos had a real high MR when he died. In fact, I may have undercounted his MR. He has a base MR of 14, and he had plus 4 from the Solaris helm, plus 4 from anti-magic trinket, and I had cast the Astral magic battlefield MR buff as well. So imagine my surprise when he went down with a Mind Blast.
**I really like Astral Shield and Body Ethereal on my Prophet thugs. But I am aware of the Magic Duel danger. So what's the comfort zone that I need the Prophet thug to get to in terms of Astral magic levels? I usually aim for 4-5--is that sufficient for SP?
Taqwus,
*Thanks for the 75 percent number for Ethereal. I wanted concrete information like that.
Endoperez,
*I agree with your comment that "Units with low hitpoints are pretty easy to kill." That's why I played Jotunheim almost exclusively in DII. Less micromanagement needed when your prophet has over 100 points with high dominion.
**What is Heavenly Choir? I don't see such a summon in the DIII units list on Sunray's website. I was actually referring to Angelic Host summon, which gives you a much weaker Archangel and apparently 5 angels. I believe this is what I remembered from DII as well.
But you as there is a much more powerful angel with more minions? Could you give me more info? So it's that one 77-HP monster and 12 lesser angels?
***Why are Golems used more often than the aforementioned summons? I confess fantasy games are "make-believe" for me, and I just cannot imagine I'd ever employ things like Golems, Devils, or the undead. That's why I limit myself to the so-called "good" creatures, and often humanoid at that.
Yes, I deliberately tie my hands late game!
Nerfix,
*So what are the nasty damage spells against which MR is useless?