Wind ride

[Tichy]

Question: Hopefully not answered somewhere else. How in the heck do you actually use wind ride? I've tried to use it to capture enemy commanders in AI games, but after casting it a dozen or so times on enemy provinces I only ever get the "so and so cast wind ride" message and nothing happens. (I've never tried it as a rescue mission, or to ferry my own commanders about.)

Thanks.

[MaxWilson]

Well, there have to be enemy (non-E4? mage) commanders in the province in question. The easiest way to ensure that they're there is to cast Wind Ride on a province you've just watched a battle in. (Technically it's possible that an enemy commander could Teleport out before you cast Wind Ride, but he certainly couldn't move out normally.)

Caveat: I've never actually cast Wind Ride so maybe there's a detail I'm overlooking.

-Max

[Micah]

The ai cast it on me once, my commander only went about a province or two from where he started, so maybe the whirlwind is just dropping off your opposition somewhere else within their own territory?

[Manuk]

did someone used this in Dom3? ive seen failed too. im sure that normal commanders were in that province.

[Ironhawk]

I havent tried it, myself. Its path cost puts it out of the category of general-use. And there are far more cost effective assassination spells available.

[Tichy]

Thanks, I'll have to try the battle reconnaissance trick, and target a province closer to the province from which it's cast. I thought it was like cloud trapeze, without a move-limit.

It seems like the use for it isn't assassination (provided you can get it to work) but to drop the enemy in the midst of a bunch of N-mages scripted to charm and steal him/her. But you may be right Ironhawk. I've only ever tried to use it when I've got an AI on the ropes already. No idea if it's got a MP use.

[Gandalf Parker]

Thats my favorite use. Dropping him into the middle of charmers. Get a commander you cant recruit, equipment you didnt have to make, AND you strand his troops in mid-march possibly even making them susceptable to an easy rout by attacking them with a scout.

If a large army is marching toward you then using this spell can stretch it out all along the marching path. Yes there are other ways to assassinate but this has nice double-advantage of taking from them and giving to you at the same time.

If you are real lucky you could pick up an extra prophet. It used to be that you could snag a pretender but they fixed that pretty quick back in Dom2. They may have fixed the prophet by now, havent used it in awhile.

[Foodstamp]

It seems like a very poor way to grab a commander if the province they get dropped in is random. Seems like it would take a lot of 3nature mages placed all around the target province.

Honestly, I can't imagine the strategy being used in multiplayer games. Setting it up, and then executing it would be close to impossible. Actually, it seems even in single player pulling this off would be about as likely as winning the lottery. Am i missing something on how the spell works? I haven't used it all because I rarely take air magic in any of my games. Is there methods to predicting the province the commander gets dropped in, or directing him your charmers?

[Gandalf Parker]

Unless its changed it wasnt a random drop when I did it. The description says that it will find a commander in the target province and drop him at the mage that cast it. For 10 air gems and being able to target anyplace on the map its isnt bad.

It also mentions that it doesnt work well on large commanders and powerful earth mages if that helps the original poster.

[Foodstamp]

That sounds pretty awesome. I am going to have to make use of that spell in the near future