Let me first apologize in advance if this topic has been discussed before, or if it just seems silly. If it helps, feel free to consider this a light-hearted mental exercise on the whole thug/SC issue.
Anyhow, here's the deal: in your opinion, who makes a better thug/SC, a Niefel Jarl, or a Yomi Dai-Oni?
Why do I want to compare these two? Well, they're both EA, cost 500 gold, and are death-enabled (for Soul Vortex), not to mention on the large size, strong, and with good HP. Oh yeah, and they're both sacred.
My two cents? Well, the Jarls're a bit bigger (size 5), have a few more HPs, and are much more likely to have access to a quality bless (N8 or 9, plus perhaps W?, E?, and ??). Only one in three will be able to cast SV w/o boosters, but that third can be used potentially 'as-is' - just script Blessing and SV, and send them to town. If you want, for extra kill power, a Frost Brand is a cheap 5 water gems.
They can also self-buff with Breath of Winter and Quicken Self. Or, if you wanted to save time and avoid your opponent mucking with their preparations, I suppose you could equip them with Boots of Speed and a Rime Hauberk, and get them into the action quicker. And as Niefelheim is an astral power, MR items are readily available, if you wanted to fully kit them out.
On the other hand, every Dai-Oni is Soul Vortex capable. Their equipment isn't so out-of-the-box capable though. Their armor is cumbersome (they'll rack up fatigue until they find someone to 'vortex' off of), they don't have a shield (unlike that nice Ice-Aegis the Jarls come with), and are unlikely to have access to a good blessing, seeing as how Yomi has no recruitable sacreds (does anyone out there design a pretender just to boost their Dai-Onis?).
Dai-Oni do have access to fire and earth magic though. Fire Shield, Phoenix Pyre, and perhaps even Iron Skin, could even things up tremendously.
They also have Fear - although there I have to wonder - certainly the Fear effect must increase their survivability, but in a thug/SC, I'd often rather have the enemy stick around to get killed, rather than just running off.
Of course, with their magic paths, Yomi has a lot more options when it comes to kitting out their thug/SCs effectively - Shield of Gleaming Gold comes immediately to mind, among other things.
But then, isn't it more cost effective to be able to send out a thug with little or no equipment (like the 1/3rd of Jarls who have D3), than to spend lots of gems to make an effective combatant?
I guess I personally feel that it's better, whenever possible, to spend gold, rather than gems, and therefore Jarls, at least those with D3, have the edge, being easier to use 'as-is'.
But maybe there are ways to equip a Dai-Oni, and/or script their fire and earth (and perhaps air?) potential into a more devastating combination? They do seem to have more choices. Oh, and I almost forgot, Oni do have that extra ethereal life too.
Dang, lots to consider...
Anyhow, thanks in advance for your input.
Jarl vs Oni
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