Seeking Arrow

GrudgeBringer · #1 April 16th, 2009, 11:28 PM

Seeking Arrow is a Armour Negating 8 pt hit on a commander.

I KNOW a lot of people use it but I have a couple of questions about using it and why.

It says it targets a 'Commander' since Mages (all magic users)Can direct troops (usually 10) are they considered a Commander?

8 points...what Commander/Mage can it kill with 8 points?

Maybe if it was 8 points damage AND an affliction ect it would be worth while.

I would LOVE to use it, I just don't see the upside.

Thoughts anyone?

Dragar · #2 April 16th, 2009, 11:33 PM

Yes it can hit mages. A commander can be hit by multiple seeking arrows in the same turn - they don't heal in between hits. So sending one arrow wont accomplish much except perhaps an affliction, but sending a swarm of them in can be very effective

Micah · #3 April 16th, 2009, 11:36 PM

Commanders are units with full scripts that can be issued orders (move, patrol, etc.), leadership doesn't matter.

Afflictions can be caused, though it's primarily a chest wound.

8 points won't kill much, but 16 will, use multiples. It's a pretty awesome spell in certain circumstances.

statttis · #4 April 17th, 2009, 12:09 AM

Some of the old human mages only have 8 hitpoints. Killing a powerful cap only mage for just a couple gems is awesome.

OoohSnap · #5 April 17th, 2009, 03:15 AM

I had a bad experience with Seeking arrow, once I was EA Ulm in a MP game. I was raiding enemy provinces with the stealthy commanders, I got spotted and the next turn I got "Arrow showered" and the next thing I knew was 3-4 dead commanders and several afflicted commanders and not enough of them to keep on leading my armies, they were stuck hiding in the province.

People tell me that if you give commanders shields or items such as the trinket which provides Air Shield. Seeking arrow has a chance to miss or not even affect your commanders at all.

Endovior · #6 April 17th, 2009, 04:01 AM

Seeking arrow is also really awesome under a death bless. Of course, you do need a mage-prophet or a shroud to pull off the combo... but once you've got that, you're basically shooting afflictions at people.

Agema · #7 April 17th, 2009, 05:38 AM

Bear in mind also that the damage carries through to the combat rounds, so if you target thugs/SCs and also attack them, they may be significantly weakened if not killed outright.

vfb · #8 April 17th, 2009, 05:51 AM

It's also a DRN damage roll as usual, so you've got a decent shot at killing 9HP and 10HP mages.

Jarkko · #9 April 17th, 2009, 07:55 AM

The damage is 8 + DRN

From that is reduced Protection/2 + DRN

Which means a seeking arrow can in theory kill a Sfinx. Would require over 100 (about 200 if it is sitting in friendly Dominion) straight rolls of "6" for damage while the Sfinx of course may not roll a single "6", so won't see *that* happen too often

To be evil, wear shroud of the battlesaint on the air mage(s) shooting the seeking arrows while you have a Death bless. Those who do not die are afflicted

In MP, fire as many seeking arrows as you can in one turn, prefereably at the enemy capital, and then continue what ever it was you were doing. Not only is it quite possible a target surviving an arrow gets hit by another arrow, but it is very pleasing to see (if you have a scout there) the enemy scrambling the mages out from the city (expecting a similar onslaught) on the next turn. At the worst you killed a few hostile researchers, at the best you ruined the enemy research for a few turns

Agema · #10 April 17th, 2009, 08:38 AM

It's armour negating, not armour piercing: 8+DRN vs. 0+DRN protection.

I'd be very circumspect about targetting the capital: any player with sense should have at least one dome of warding (if not two or three) up on vital provinces.