c'tis themes

[Chris Byler]

Originally posted by licker:
While its true that DTombs doesn't 'require' a destructive domain, it is so fricken expensive (200 points) that if you want to do anything with magic on your pretender you almost have to take a destructive domain, or at least a domain with negatives.

Though in fairness, DTombs can handle alot of negative scales fairly well...

Miasma is interesting, though maybe a poor selection for MP since your domain effect is going to tick off your neighbors, probably worse than Ermor ever did. I've been fooling around with it for fun though, havn't quite figured it out very well yet though

I think what he meant by "destructive domain" is the way Dom I Ermorian dominion kills people really really fast. Like thousands of deaths per turn. No amount of death scale can match the killer dominion.

Desert Tombs does not have this kind of killer dominion, however, it does require heat 2 (which is 1 more than C'tis's preferred heat) and death 2 (which nobody likes, although C'tis can tolerate it better than most).

Scales with Desert Tombs:

Order - you can get some commanders by summoning, although it is expensive. A lot of troops are undead and cost no maintenance. Desert Tombs C'tis probably needs gold less than most nations (although that isn't saying much).

Productivity - you don't need it. Default C'tis can get away with some sloth (IMO) and Desert Tombs even more so. A substantial part of your forces come from summons or unholy priest reanimation, and a lot of the rest are low-resource anyway.

Heat - at least 2 heat is required. If you have a strong fire-using pretender you might want to take 3 to boost your fire summons, but C'tis (even DT) gets no fire mages. I would have liked to see an undead sauromancer with (say) death-3 fire-2; low versatility and they lose the nature magic, but it would give them a use for their fire gem income, and potential Banefire/Reanimate Archers/King of Banefires access. Oh well, I guess you can still do this through the right pretender.

Growth - at least 2 death is required. You might be able to get away with 3, but 2 is already cutting into your income and supplies for your living troops (you get most of C'tis's normal troops in addition to the unholy undeads) - in addition to your heat penalty.

Fortune - what you should do in fortune depends on what you are doing in order and magic. Misfortune synergizes really nastily with lots of other scales (not only negative ones) - you can already get a lot of droughts and plagues, if you have magic you get to be overrun by vinemen and other magic beings too.

Magic - really helps. Desert Tombs keeps the Shaman who is a cheap sacred researcher - they benefit a lot from a magic scale. Also, the fatigue reduction benefits Sauromancers and Shaman on the battlefield (there are death evocations now, in addition to the lesser undead summons and, if you're reckless enough, Lammashtas). On the other hand there is the magic resistance thing (and of course point cost - it may be easier to get a good blessing if you're not putting points in scales).

I like magic scales in general because they let me stay competitive in magic while sending a good number of mages out to search (and thus get a higher gem income). C'tis gets a powerful mage at a good price, and Death magic may be better on the battlefield in Dom II, so they are well placed to benefit from an emphasis on magic. But if you just have tons of gold (literally - Dom II's monetary unit is the pound of gold), you can recruit enough mages that it doesn't matter whether you take magic or drain.


On the whole - I like Desert Tombs for the ability to get both holy 4 and unholy 4 priests (not counting prophets - btw, making a DT unholy priest your prophet makes him a stronger unholy priest). They get a nice unholy undead, although it's a one per turn reanimate on a commander that costs 23 death gems. C'tis can normally get into the water without too much trouble but the increased emphasis on undead makes it even easier (although the unpriests don't have inherent amphibian or poor amphibian, so you may want a water pretender to forge them some items if you expect entering water to be important to you).

Unlike Dom I Ermor, they don't have a bootstrap problem (need a Dusk Elder to summon a Dusk Elder) because a Sauromancer can be recruited for gold and cast all their special summons.

On the other hand: it costs 200 points (pretty steep) and requires some significant negative scales. Your bless effects will probably be rather limited because of the high point cost of the theme itself (which in turn somewhat limits the usefulness of the tomb wyrms). No nature gems in the capitol (although you still have Nature-1s to search with, and maybe a Nature-2 if you buy enough Sauromancers - this will get you onto the booster forging track for Nature, without empowering). Hard to find an effective use for your base fire gem income unless you get a fire Sauromancer early or have a fire skilled pretender (which is therefore recommended - heat 2 works nicely with this too). I don't think losing the Swamp Guards is a big factor but some may disagree.


I haven't played Miasma yet, but unlike Dom I Ermor, its effects stop when you lose dominion, so I would expect it to be both less potent and less irritating to neighbors. On the other hand its defensive benefit can't be countered by supply items, but only by undead or constructs. I really wouldn't want to try seiging and storming a Citadel or Hill Fortress (let alone a Mountain Citadel - this seems made for Miasma, since it has to be sieged for a long long time and then has lots of poison sling missile towers when they try to storm) in a Miasma dominion.