Slave Collar. . . unimaginable rage. . .

[Bob_Loblaw]

So I get a slave collar from a random event, ad build a worthless indep commander to stick it on so i dont accidently click it on my inventory and give it to someone. Well much later in the game my pretender comes over to the same province as commander to defend from attack, and commander dies and my pretender picks up collar and becomes feebleminded and useless.

Any way to get that damned thing off? My pretender was my only high level mage.

On another note, why is that item even in the game? No one in their right mind would build it unless they wanted to be mean and make enemy commanders pick it up. . . Which I assume is the only thing anyone does with it.

[Epaminondas]

Cursed items cannot be gotten rid of except by death, I think.

Two ways to prevent events like this happening:

1. Just throw the item away, as I do when I get items that I do not like.

2. Make sure that the commanders/mages whom you find valuable have the relevant equipment slots equipped, in case the commander with the cursed item dies.

[Meglobob]

The slave collar can be used to raise a units morale, so it does not retreat from combat. It gives +20 morale. A great hawk, with slave collar/medallion of vengenance or a scout/villian etc...

[curtadams]

Note - even if you accidentally put a cursed item on a commander you can just restart the turn. It's not irreversable, you just lose the work you've done so far on that turn.

[calmon]

curtadams said:
Note - even if you accidentally put a cursed item on a commander you can just restart the turn. It's not irreversable, you just lose the work you've done so far on that turn.

But not in this case. He wrote that his commander died in combat and his pretender get the item automatically. So this happens before the start of his next turn.

[Ironhawk]

Thats a kick in the tail man, sorry. The slave collar is certainly a questionable item. As for getting cursed items off your options are severely limited. The only ways I know of are:

1) Change Shape ability - if your pretender doesnt already have this (like a Dragon does, for example) you are out of luck

2) Die

If your pretender dies and you recall him he will lose 1 in every magic path he has. Rough, but probably better than a feeblemind?

[Agrajag]

There's also a transformation spell that should turn the caster to another form, hopefuly one that does not carry the cursed item.
Death isn't that bad though, Twiceborn at D2 (10 death gems) will ensure your mage return without harm to his magical skills. So will being immortal.

[Taqwus]

Should be noted that Transformation has the risk of causing death, and is irreversible... and to lose a misc item, you'd have to transform into something with no miscellaneous slots -- might be impossible as these are quite rare (Vastness comes to mind, but you can't transform into a Vastness AFAIK).

If you go with the Twiceborn route, try to die with a way that doesn't cause afflictions. You keep whatever afflictions you had when you become a Wight Mage (also an irreversible transformation).

Heh. Used to be that a dirt-cheap R'lyeh Void Lurker with Death, Water and Astral could cast Twiceborn, teleport onto a land province, "drown" since it's aquatic, respawn as a Wight Mage in R'lyeh, and survive because of the water magic. Now, merely having water magic doesn't let you breathe underwater, and Wight Mages are land-only.

[NTJedi]

Taqwus said:
Now, merely having water magic doesn't let you breathe underwater, and ....

Yes I'm shocked and a little sad this change was made from Dominions_2. Many computer opponents have a more difficult time invading the water provinces as a result.

Perhaps this will be changed back in a future patch or at least a game option given allowing water magic commanders/mages to enter water provinces as seen in Dominions_2.

[Cor]

I think the slave collar is reasonably useful with assassins at least until they fix the fleeing from assassination attempts. I have lost several assassins just because they got scared.