[aaminoff]

I have lost an embarrassing number of Oreiads in my current MP game. (This is the one where I'm using a Virtue Dom10 pretender). Here are some of the ways:

I tried to be cute and combine a shock resist item (or was it Resist Elements?), Ironskin, and Resist Lighting. Somehow the math worked out that I was only 75% shock resistant. This was when I learned that resistance is a % chance to avoid the attack entirely rather than damage reduction. So eventually she killed herself with a shock wave.

Fatigue was occasionally a problem. I really don't understand why she persisted in swinging her frost brand instead of using shockwave when only at 60 or so fatigue.

Ulm's PD and troops are just that good. High enough morale, attack skill, and strength to produce enough 1-pt hits that mistform pops on a 1% per hit chance. This is probably the most common failure mode.

forgetting to script correctly or at all

trying to seduce, failing, losing the assassination battle. Once it was skellyspam, another time I was facing something really big.

As I am thinking back, I just realized something. I was scripting stoneskin, mistform, strength of gaia. The point of Str of Gaia being +nature and +regen. However, does the barkskin effect of Str of Gaia over-ride stoneskin? I don't think I have a recent battle to view to check this. Argh.

All in all, the thing about Oreiad thugs is that they are fiddly. My first ever MP game I was Helheim. I put firebrands & golden shields on Vanjarls and CTd them all over, and I was amazed at how well it worked. Whereas Oreiads I have managed to screw up in multiple ways. So I think an experienced player can make Oreiad thugs work, but newbs should think twice. Also, Vanjarls are recruit anywhere, and cheaper than Oreiads.