Need Help in getting Aura-Emitters to stay put

[tinkthank]

Thanks both of you so far.

Wauthan, like I said, I gave him dispossed spirits as bodyguards, but obviously he doesnt treat bodyguards as troops behind which he can hide.

[Nagot Gick Fel]

I've never seen this guy show up in my TC games, but since he's immortal and so dangerous to use with your other troops I'd just send him alone into unclaimed provinces in friendly dominion - to soften them up a bit .

[Cainehill]

Alternatively, while I understand why you want him with the assault army, I'd probably set him in a laboratory that early. Turn 4, you don't have any decent spells researched for him to cast.

Also, I'm not positive - but I got the impression he can cause disease to troops in the same province with him, without having to get next to them on the battlefield.

So - I give him a nice province with a lab all to himself, and have him research and/or summon enough undead until he has his own army to fight with.

[Chazar]

I thought that Bodyguards dont count with respect to the order "stay behind troops". Hence you must set apart another unit under his command, which is not set to "guard commander"...

...but then this wouldnt help again, since this unit would have to be ordererd to hold and attack OR fire. So you could sacrifice an archer every once in a while, which is ordered to fire and is placed somewhere near him...

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Originally posted by tinkthank:
This could be applicable to any nation, but I'll make this specific for my specific problem:
Tien Chi S&A, early game: Get the Iron Crutch around turn 4. I'd like to send him out with my expansion team because he can schlepp those summoned Spirits with him and is a good searcher, also immortal in case things go wrong.

--snip--
Now I successfully conquered a few provinces, but my prophet, commander, and half my archers are diseased.
Is there any way to get him (and similar unhealthy-aura emitting units) to keep away from the rest of the troops? Must I tell him to attack? But then I dont want him diseasing my front line troops either....
what can I do (besides: keep him out of battle until he learns some ranged spells)?
thanks much in advance

This may be completely backwards, but once you have enough spells for him to be useful, bring only archers and put him in the FRONT set to casting self-shielding spells first and let the enemy try their luck getting anywhere near him... (Think Pythian Hydra and such...) As mentioned earlier though, +Dominion provinces only (a Manx Slinger with one lucky toss can ruin his forever...)

[Wauthan]

Okay this is a bit wierd. I fired up a quick game and soon had the immortal in question join. Putting him in the rear of the army didn't work. Sometimes he gravitates over to the larger group of archers anyway (because the archers move forward as the enemy rout). Bodyguards indeed doesn't work (not the first time I've given bad advice ).

Putting him in front of the army or on the flank with cast, cast, attack, attack, cast & spells made him disease the least amount of troops but he still blundered into some of the units.

The moral lesson is this: He's a complete jerk. The description doesn't lie the least. He's an immortal grumpy old monster that wants to make your life miserable. Stick him with immune units like the undead. Atleast they won't mind his endless ramblings about "wussy good-fer-nuffin gods these days".

[tinkthank]

Originally posted by Wauthan:
Okay this is a bit wierd. I fired up a quick game and soon had the immortal in question join. Putting him in the rear of the army didn't work. Sometimes he gravitates over to the larger group of archers anyway (because the archers move forward as the enemy rout). Bodyguards indeed doesn't work (not the first time I've given bad advice ).

Putting him in front of the army or on the flank with cast, cast, attack, attack, cast & spells made him disease the least amount of troops but he still blundered into some of the units.

The moral lesson is this: He's a complete jerk. The description doesn't lie the least. He's an immortal grumpy old monster that wants to make your life miserable. Stick him with immune units like the undead. Atleast they won't mind his endless ramblings about "wussy good-fer-nuffin gods these days".

heheheh ok! thanks much