Quote:
Originally Posted by Fantomen
Regarding dryads, those are quotes from some LA pan discussion. The trick being to combine the spellsongs with bodyguards of manikins(tune of dancing death) or dryad hoplites(tune of fear). Perhaps it could work with Tune of growth and minotaur bodyguards for earlier ages?
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Putting an unarmoured dryad up front in late age is calling for doom, no matter if you equip her with a shield or two. There are very few non-missile indies or PD's out there, and a single arrow hitting the dryad is all that it takes to destroy the whole group; I've tried it quite a few times, and I know it just doesn't float reliably. Unarmoured dryads should IMO stay the heck out from the frontlines.
In earlier ages centaurs and revelers are so marvelous, there is no need for minotaurs except when storming forts. The centaurs (both regulare and the white ones) have enormous staying power, the revelers are quite good too at staying alive (and lots of cheaper than the centaurs). However, if you are not using the centaurs or revelers in a sneaky raiding group, an indy commander with a bow (for example those light cavalry commanders) will be better than a dryad to lead the group (and in many cases I would take some indy sneaker or harpy to lead the group, rather than waste a dryad to the task).
In Late Age I use groups of Black Dryad + 6 dryad hoplites to expand early on, with everything set far back. The Black Dryad is scripted Bless x 2 (as she has just H1, she is likely to miss some of the hoplites else), Spells; she will start to fear the opposition which thus improves the survival of the dryad hoplites to nearly insane levels (fear + awe is just marvelous, and the dryad hoplites have excellent stats and good gear too to further improve their staying power), while staying well out of range of the hostile archers. The expansion groups can later on be grouped together for a really impressive central block of dryad hoplites.
In my opinion the dryads, to be thugs that is, really need decent equipment to make them shine. As such, they are not cheap thugs, but in spesific situations they really do shine (but still need the help of the berserking troops). As spell-casters in armies they are useful for other reasons, but that was not what this thread is about
