Empowerment

[geo981010]

Originally posted by Zen:
Empowering is something you can afford to do in SP games, I'd keep away from strategies that revolve around putting 50 Gems into a unit that doesn't fully equip them in MP.

I really sadly agree with this - it's fun for SP, but not worth it when you examine the cost 95% of the time with the exception of Blood or maybe a level 2 empower (usually to get to a certain construction item to go beyond that, and then hit the summons. Cheaper in MP to trade if you can!). You can almost always constuct items for far cheaper than even minor empowers, and if you know the spells to use you can usually get a summons path to a better mage for cheaper. Maybe if you are really awash in gems from an opponent's land and don't have any random magics or find any good indies for it... otherwise if you are planning on something you should get the necessary magic in your pretender.

I have to wonder - should empowering your pretender allow him to improve his bless effects? If the current magic is higher than the original, the current magic becomes the new bless effective level (to prevent dying from changing blessings). I don't see that as being abusive, since increasing a bless effect means spending at least 60 gems, potentially 110 to gain a level 9 blessing. Mostly it would just be fun in single player, though a rainbow mage focusing on Astral could really Wish for some great bless effects.

Also, I'd love a random event that empowers one of your mages! For nations like Ulm with fixed magic paths, this would be pretty cool and a reason to take a good luck scale.

Edit note:added the note about empowering to level 2!

[ February 20, 2004, 15:43: Message edited by: geo981010 ]

[Taqwus]

It might be interesting if there were a heroic ability which reduced empowerment costs ('heroic versatility'? 'heroic magical aptitude'?) for that commander, or a very rare magical site that had a similar local effect.

[Vger]

Hi,

One bonus of the Nat if you give him any paths is that they make a fantastic smith. They can hold the Dwarven Hammer and Hammer of the Forge Lord. (Or if you wish for it, Hammer of the Cyclops and HoFL.)

Of course, that benefit only applies if you empower them or pick paths, but it is something to consider.


Ciao,
V'ger gone

[aldin]

Hmmm, it'd make an interesting unique pretender concept (or possibly a bonus for the Freak Lord or somesuch) to have one of their effects be cheaper empowerment costs (-10 perhaps, or 20% discount?)

~Aldin