Moving Immobile Pretenders

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Psitticine:
If you can teleport an immobile Pretender, you can always ferry troops to him/her/it via another mages, especially if you equip them with leadership-boosting items.

That sort of defeats the point, since now your troops are, effectively, being led by other mages.

Since the immobile cannot move anyway, any units in the province will be led into battle either when your fortress is stormed, or in conjunction with a $1 investment in a single point of PD to cause all garrisoned troops to fight.

The only drawback being that they'll start in the standard issue dogpile with no orders, since you can't organize them into squads....but you can get around that simply by organizing the IMPORTANT troops into squads, and leaving the rest in the dogpile.

Leadership value of immobiles, as such, is mostly irrelevant now. I hope the Sphinx got a LOT cheaper to compensate for its new total and complete immobility, since it's now even less useful than the originally cheaper immobiles.

[tinkthank]

Originally posted by Psitticine:
If you can teleport an immobile Pretender, you can always ferry troops to him/her/it via another mages, especially if you equip them with leadership-boosting items.

I have to agree with Norfleet. That would be missing the point altogether. I dont want the pretender to lead troops into battle; I dont want to make him a SC. But I want him to be able to ferry them around to friendly labs with his nice leadership skills.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by tinkthank:
I have to agree with Norfleet. That would be missing the point altogether. I dont want the pretender to lead troops into battle; I dont want to make him a SC. But I want him to be able to ferry them around to friendly labs with his nice leadership skills.

Schlepping the troops around by other mages defeats the point no matter WHAT you want out of him: A simple schlepper of massive quantities of troops, or a battle leader: Both are totally defeated if the immobile pretender cannot move with troops. The resale value on an immobile chassis goes WAAAAAY down as even magical mobility is stripped from it.

Originally posted by Sunray_be:
Cloud Trapeze should allow the pretender to move (with Air magic).

Correction : you were right, CT is not allowed.
Returning, OTOH, works perfectly...
Cheers

[GavinWheeler]

I never got this. If the Sphinx isn't supposed to be an 'immobile' super combatant, the teleporting rock par excellence, what on earth is the justification for its high cost? You don't surely plan a strategy that relies on having your home citadel stormed on a regular basis.

If we are to have two categories of immobile pretenders, those that can teleport around but not move on the battelfield or by normal tactical movement, and those that are totally rooted to one spot, it would make more sense for the cheaper ones to be rooted to the spot. And there is more of a thematic justification for pretenders like the Fountain of Blood or the Oracle to be rooted to the spot, as they are presumably reliant on adequate plumbing which cannot be teleported along with them!

For that matter, it could be cool have a pretender that was fully mobile on the battlefield, but could never leave his/her home province. Like a Genius Loci or similair spirit tied to a place.

[fahdiz]

Originally posted by GavinWheeler:
I never got this. If the Sphinx isn't supposed to be an 'immobile' super combatant, the teleporting rock par excellence, what on earth is the justification for its high cost? You don't surely plan a strategy that relies on having your home citadel stormed on a regular basis.

Didn't IW reduce the Sphinx's point cost significantly in 2.08?

For that matter, it could be cool have a pretender that was fully mobile on the battlefield, but could never leave his/her home province. Like a Genius Loci or similair spirit tied to a place.

Heh. That *would* be slick! "I am the Great Hama Dryad..."

[Peter Ebbesen]

Originally posted by fahdiz:
Didn't IW reduce the Sphinx's point cost significantly in 2.08?

Yes. It went down to 60. So now you have the choice between:

Sphinx, 60 points, 3 astral, 4 dominion, 500 hp, 30 protection, strength 20, attack 5, defense 0, leadership 125, one miscellaneous slot, new path 40, cannot teleport at ALL

Sacred Statue, 20 points, 3 astral, 4 dominion, 100 hp, 25 protection, strength 15, attack 5, defense 0, leadership 125, two miscellaneous slots, new path 40, can use the teleport spell.

Oracle, 0 points, 3 astral, 4 dominion, 10 hp, 25 protection, strength 15, attack 5, defense 0, leadership 125, four miscellaneous slots, new path 40, can use the teleport spell.

Unless your strategy includes being frequently assaulted in your starting castle, there is really no good reason whatsoever to spend 40 more points on the Sphinx than on the statue, and one can certainly question whether the Oracle might not be the best overall investment of the three due to its slots, so long as one gives it sufficient bodyguards. (Not much for teleporting an Oracle into a battle hotspot, though. Just a wee bit too frail)

[ March 15, 2004, 17:52: Message edited by: Peter Ebbesen ]

[fahdiz]

Yes...certainly doesn't seem like much of a choice, does it? Of all the immobiles, my Favorites would have to be the Sacred Statue and the Baphomet. With my particular playing style, I haven't really found a use for the Sphinx.