[Tuidjy]

> I'd put the Paths in order or usefulness underwater as Death and Nature, then
> Air, then Earth or Astral, then Water, with Fire and Blood being completely
> useless except for items or ritual summons.

Well, you may file this as "nation specific", but I was recently engaged in some
underwater fighting as Niefelheim in three games. Let see what I used:

1. The combination of Wolven Winter and Grip of Winter is a battlefield wide
killer, and even non-giant water mages can easily protect themselves, and to a
lesser extend, their troops. The only other battlefield wide killer is Foul
Vapors, which requires Water and Nature.

2. The Ice Elementals are a terror, even against SCs, because the minuscule
trample avoidance damage is enough to attract the sharks from Shark Attack.
And when it is not avoided... ouch! And even by itself Shark Attack is one
Hell of a weapon in the Water Arsenal.

3. For single target, direct damage Water Strike and Frozen Heart are great.
And it helps that any water mage can boost them with Water Power.

4. Water Ward and Water Shield stack. Have you seen the Defense on Water thugs
underwater? Slap a ring of water breathing on a disposable nature Skratti, and
he rips troops apart. Sure, he could get Quickness and Breath of Winter from
items, but that's fewer slots for MR and Reinvigoration.. and of course, good bye
shape shifting, in that case. He would have to cast outside of wereform.

5. Encase in Ice and Prison of Sedna work quite nicely if the scripts run out
before the enemy has broken. I admit to never scripting them, but I have
enjoyed seeing them used.

Let me ask you this. You ranked Air Higher than water underwater. All other
things being equal, would you rather have, underwater
A) One A4, three A3, five A2, ten A1, and one W4 mage and a bunch of troops or
B) One W4, three W3, five W2, ten W1, and one A4 mage and a bunch of troops
Assume that the SC/Thug/wimp ratios are constant.

If you went with the Air heavy option, consider what your guys would do to a
Water based SC wearing a Charcoal Shield and a Ring of Shock Resistance.