I was playing around with thugging, and I thought I had a pretty good build going. It was pretty cheap, and did a great job of chewing up 200 troop AI armies. Then it ran into a dozen Clockwork Horrors and got chewed up and spat out
I'm looking for advice on how to improve it--cheaply!
Here's the build:
Golem (30 S)
Vine shield (10 N)
Shield of Gleaming Gold(5F 5E)
Starshine Skullcap (10S)
+3 pearls
Script: Resist Magic, Body Ethereal, Astral Shield, Astral Tempest, Attack Closest
Note that Astral Tempest is only 4S and one pearl in CBM1.7
So, against the usual AI-horde-o-crapola, after casting, the Golem stands around protected by Awe, Vines, and paralysis, waiting for the Tempest to kill off 50% of the enemy so they rout, with 25% more dying on the way off the field. I was initially quite pleased.
Then the AI happened to have a dozen clockworks horrors; they ignored the Awe and Paralysis and chopped my Golem into chunks of clay. Arrrghhh!
So what's an effective defense? I've looked at the armors available; I doubt that P-18 Chain Mail of Displacement will be enough to do the job, and a Robe of Invulnerability is way too expensive. The Black Steel Full Plate (P22) is tempting, but the -5 to Def would probably cause more hits than I like. I also want to save my E gems for more golden shields.
What else is good at stopping these critters? Meat shielding is not an option; my Golem is teleporting in to wherever I can find a horde to chew on.