Assasins

[Nerfix]

What items to do give to your assasins? What assasins do you use(from commanders, not spells)? Are they worth it or am i better of just pumping out other units?

I'm making an Assasin guide so I'm looking for answers like a noob is.

[ December 09, 2003, 21:34: Message edited by: Nerfix ]

[aldin]

Well... you said you're looking for a n00b's view:

I don't use assasins. Wouldn't have a clue really. Only just now starting to think along those lines after having several frustrating combats which hinged on the AI having half a dozen mages. My initial thought would have been 'fully loaded' though, an item in every slot.

~Aldin

[Nerfix]

Perhaps "noobs view" was a wrong expression to use...

More likely:

I'm looking for answers like a noob is.

[Saber Cherry]

Heavy, heavy armor, since encumbrance is usually a non-issue.

Other than unit-generating items, I like giving assassins a ring of regeneration, a dragon helm (kills most enemies before melee range), a magic sword, and a magic shield.

What sword and shield? Not important, as long as they are cheap. Main Gauche, Sword of Sharpness, Ice Sword, Frost Brand, Lucky Sword are all good, as are Stinger, Enchanted Spear, and Thorn Spear (those are length 4). As for shields, a Lead Shield, Lucky Coin or Black Iron Tower Shield are nice.

Playing Marginon, I'd go with Fire Plate, Lucky Coin, Enchanted Spear / Fire Sword. The total cost (giving all gems a value of 15 gold) is 60+225+(3 witchhunter-turns = 15), or 300 gold. This is not bad for a unit that can slaughter many mages.

I find assassins to be not very useful without some equipment... slayers, bane spiders, empoisoners and star children are not included in that statement.

Regardless, the best use of an assassin is slaying mages. For that purpose, you need these properties: High MR, luck, high protection, and resistance to the elements. Elemental armor, therefore, is the best piece of equipment for an assassin. Lead shield or antimagic amulet, and lucky coin/lucky pendant/lucky sword, and an armor-piercing weapon (to take out bodyguards, and high-protection earth mages) would be all you'd need in addition to the armor.

Boots of quickness are also nice as they can get you to the target before it bLasts you from range.

But keep in mind that filling up all 7 slots with expensive stuff is not usually a good idea, unless you're making an invincible super-assassin that can summon skeletons and has a lifelong protection.

-Cherry

[aldin]

Originally posted by Nerfix:
Perhaps "noobs view" was a wrong expression to use...

More likely:

I'm looking for answers like a noob is.

Oh, sorry, misunderstood.

~Aldin (who is also very interested in the answers)

Assassins are always good to have a few of. They are delay tactics, especially if you can get them in a supply line of ferrying commanders.

Unless I've had assassins fail before because of Banishment, I usually equip at least one of the following.

Lifelong Protection
Eye Shield
Skull Talisman
Dragon Helmet
Medallion of Vengance
Bow of (Anything)
Faithful
Antimagic Amulet
Lead Shield

The only time I make a 'super' assassin is if I get an assassin that gets into the HoF with something decent (Like Quickness) or a Succubus.

[Keir Maxwell]

Prohpet assasins can work well as they can pray to get dominion high enough to be able to work without any magic items.

The skull amulet is an awesome item and can be enough by itself for basic work. Dragon helm etc is cute as are many other options but in general its best not to have to spend to much on equiping assasins as the return is generally not good enough.

Perhaps the best magic item is the contract of life long protection. One of those and a skull amulet and you have plenty to work with. An amulet opf anti-magic is perhaps the next thing to consider.

You need a few assasin to make them really effective. Assasins spend alot of time getting in postion so cheap assasins is probably the way to go. Assasins kill off leaders and making troops drop off from armies so the more of them you have the better they work. Assasins tend to work best in the first few strikes after which countermeasures can become serious. Vs the computer this is less of an issue and you can go for some fairly serious assasin abuse.

Cheers

Keir

[HJ]

I don't find assasins very useful, at least not against the AI. AI provinces almost always have provincial defense in place, and a decent amout of it, and therefore apart from the fun of using them, or an occasional lucky event of targeting just the right commander, they never gain you anything similar to getting a province without a fight. Sometimes they manage to stop an AI attack, or kill a merc commander, but those are defensive actions. On offense, they are not really useful.

[ December 10, 2003, 09:22: Message edited by: HJ ]

[PDF]

I'm trying them in my first (solo) game with Marignon :
Naked they're useless, comma
The first I equipped had a poisoned dagger and a basic BS Plate : after killing some indies basic Commanders he was smashed by a paltry Barb leader
The current experimental one has Fire Bola and Fire Helmet, and a Skull Amulet (the one that creates skeletons) and fares much better. I'll give him a Shadow Robe I think, maybe a Barkskin Amulet also.

[Pocus]

Some other points on top of my head, on assassins (in multiplayer, against AI you can do much more damages):

- forget about sending assassins into the heart of your enemy territory (unless he has sneak 30). You are better to set assassins ambushes by preplacing several unequipped assassins in a province which will soon be captured by the enemy, or an enemy occupied province near your lands, and where your enemy move troops. In the group, you can add 1-2 equipped assassins too (with the items mentioned by my fellows comrades).

- At the time you can afford to have 10+ assassins sneaking, you should tell you that even if 1 out of 3 manage to kill somebody important, then they are worth the cost. Generally you can kill mages which are scripted toward pitch battle, like a mage with a thunder ward / wrathful skies combo. Know though that with the improved tactical AI, perhaps dom2 will override better and will let the mage cast a lightning bold instead. Anyway, a mage killed, with items and/or gems is worth several lost assassins, so dont be dispirited by their lack of results. You win rarely, but when you win its like a jackpot. Another jackpot instance is when you kill a commander which lead important troops. It can lead to victory instead of defeat in the battlefied. Thats why assassins are nearly always worth their cost.

- decked assassins : you will equip an assassin only if it is of particular good value (good HP eg), otherwise forget about it. Exception, in the begining game against indeps, it can be worthy to add an item to your assassins so that they have no problems killing knight commanders or barbarians chief.

- Even if your assassins dont manage to kill anybody but scouts, they can be worth the cost, because it can forces the enemy to bodyguards with good units his important leaders. It is not uncommon to see a player react by adding 3-4 trolls, or knights, or lamias to protect a commander. Thats anyway units which wont be commited against you, so you have won something, even if you loose assassins regularly.
Assassins have an even higher value in games with high indep settings. They dont care if there is 6 commanders instead of 2. The province will ask for more time before falling, but is not harder. On the contrary your regular army will have to wait more turns to get the proper power to defeat high indeps settings.