Moloch rout solution -> imps as bodyguards?

[von_Schmidt]

Just a quick suggestion for solving the issue that the Moloch routs as soon as his spawned imps die/rout: change the imps' hardcoded default command to 'guard commander' instead of 'attack closest'.

The Moloch will remain in play even if all the bodyguards bite the dust.

[calmon]

How to change it?

[Ivan Pedroso]

No this wouldn't work.

If the only participants on your side is a commander with bodyguards, the commander will rout as soon as the first bodyguard is killed (or perhaps only wounded). This has happened to me with a PoD with a skeleton-only bodyguard. He didn't get to summon anything before a "flying" triton caused everything to rout [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/mad.gif[/img]
(I then changed them to hold and attack closest and all was well )

[Reverend Zombie]

Ivan Pedroso said:
No this wouldn't work.

If the only participants on your side is a commander with bodyguards, the commander will rout as soon as the first bodyguard is killed (or perhaps only wounded). This has happened to me with a PoD with a skeleton-only bodyguard. He didn't get to summon anything before a "flying" triton caused everything to rout [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/mad.gif[/img]
(I then changed them to hold and attack closest and all was well )

So could the imps be put on "hold and attack," I wonder

[Sheap]

This won't work, but it inspired me to a solution that would: Ignore combat summon monsters when calculating a rout. That would fix imps, phantasmal warriors, skeletons, whatever.

[geo981010]

Ignoring Combat summons would un-neuter the Moloch, but would really change a whole lotta other battles.

After you have combat summoned a couple of unbreakable units (false horrors/skeleton/etc) to augment one of your large armies of mundane troops, you pretty much don't have to worry about the entire army routing off unless the summoned unbreakables all die. Individual Groups might flee after taking damage, but the entire army is pretty secure even if you only have a measly summoned skeleton or two in the back with a necromancer...

Though it does seem kind of silly that a group of cowards are somehow influenced by the morale of unbreakable units, both combat summoned ones and ones you bring into the battle. Why does mixing a single crippled claymen (so he doesn't engage anyone anytime soon) with a group of Hydras make them feel so confident?

[Ygorl]

To re-ask an earlier question, how is it even possible to set the orders for the automatically-summoned imps?
Thanks!

[Thufir]

Ygorl said:
To re-ask an earlier question, how is it even possible to set the orders for the automatically-summoned imps?
Thanks!

It didn't read like a question in the original post, but to answer it:
It's not possible.

There's been many discussions on this in many threads two of the most prominent are:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...=275451&Forum=,,,,f74,,,,&Words=Moloch&Searchpage=4&Limit=25&Mai n=275451&Search=true&where=bodysub&Name=&daterange =1&newerval=5&newertype=y&olderval=&oldertype=&bod yprev=#Post275451

And the ongoing poll thread where the bigger issues surrounding routing (and other things) are being discussed:
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...b=5&o=&fpart=1

[NTJedi]

One solution I see would be adding a new type of unit called imp guardians which are the same as regular imps yet they don't fly thus allowing them to stay alive longer.

[Pickles]

Is this whole thing just a thread to make the Moloch just like the other pretenders?
He is great as a support character or as an alement in an army of say devils. Why does he need to be any different?

Pickles