Magic Questions

[incognito]

What is the easiest way to get to Air 3 if all you have is an Air 1 mage? I realize empower is an option, but what about items? What Con do you need to build magic enhancing items for air? And can you build them if all you have is an air 1 mage, or must you empower them to 2 and go from there? Any methods to get to Air 4 from the same situation or even air 5?

Second question: are province attacking spells worth the time? For example, I cast murderous winter against a monster ermorian army holed up in a fort, but it does not seem to weaken them... or at least, they replenish troops fairly rapidly.. Any firsthand experience with this spell and its damage? Would I be better off casting it twice in a single turn, or is the castle protecting the troops from damage?

Last question: I am questioning the effectiveness of my archers as castle defense. Do their arrows get impeded by my castle walls? Incoming arrows seem to, but I wonder if the outbound do as well? Also enemy fliers seem to leap into our midst and my archers stop shooting altogether. Is this my imagination, even if they outnumber the enemy fliers by 10:1? Particularly nasty has been summoned monsters... Do my amassed (80+ units) cheapy archers stand a chance against a vastness in their midst?

Thanks for the help in advance

[Teraswaerto]

The Ermorian army is probably cold resistant, so Murdering Winter won't work too good. It usually hits about 50% of troops in a province, and will typically kill any humans hit.

[General Tacticus]

You need Air 3 and Con 4 to build the first air boosting items (Winged Helmet, Bag of Winds). The Tome of high Power is Air 2 but Con 8. Other possibilities : Staff of Elemental mastery (Earth 3 and Fire 3, Con 6; or Air 3 and Water 3, Con 6, there are two Versions) or ring of wizardy (Astral 5, Con 6).

I'd say the easiest way to get to Air 3 is empowerment, unless you have very high Con (in which case you should try to cast Forge of the Ancients, raise your Air to 2, and forge from there). The first mage to reach 3 can then forge Winged Helmets and Bags of Wind for the rest.

To reach Air 4 or 5, your best bet seems to empower to 3 and finish with items.


Regarding archers : targets are determined by squad, and being attacked in melee takes priority. So if one flyer attacks your 80 archers squad, all the squad will concentrate on that flyer and ignore any previous order.

[incognito]

Good point on Ermorians being cold resistant. Think I may be SOL. Does a castle impact how many hits you get with the spell or is it still 50% of units?

Thanks for the air tips, btw.

[tinkthank]

If you have higher skills in other paths, you can make one of either of the

- Staff of Elemental Power

also, you can make a

-Ring of Wizardry,
which is a handy thing to have. Since I like rainbow mages, I often go for one. Once your Air1 mages get high enough with it to forge other stuff, you can give the ring or the staff to someone else.
There are other items you can make to boost elemental paths which dont require air to make, but they all require high other paths.

[incognito]

Also forgot to ask if castle walls stop arrows, either going in or coming out? This could be huge since interior archers would peg the hell out of all guys coming in. That is, of course, unless you use flyers to assault them directly and ignore the castle walls

[Arryn]

Originally posted by incognito:
Also forgot to ask if castle walls stop arrows, either going in or coming out?

They do not.

[Norfleet]

The castle has no effect on the effectiveness of Murdering Winter, Flames from the Sky, Fires from Afar, or any such spells: Presumably, any protective benefit that the castle would provide is offset by the fact that everyone would end up gathered in the castle as well.

However, I don't think Murdering Winter is going to work terribly well against a bunch of cold-immune undead. Why not try a helping of Flaming Plasma Death instead, or maybe a drive-by priesting?