Help with nature or Tien Chi/Jotunheim water magic

[PvK]

Yes. Water Bracelet is Water-1, 5 water gems, minus any construction bonuses.

Note that all TC mages, even the cheap ones, have Water-1, so can make those bracelets, or just go around casting Quickness, then Frozen Heart and repeat.

Oh Bottles of Living Water are also good "immortal" units, which also work underwater. They are also good for winning assassinations and arena combats...

PvK

[Oversway]

Falling Frost is a great battlefield spell. For the most part it is better than Falling Fires, I think because for frost the aoe increases with magic levels where fires does not. Either that or damage.

I havn't been able to use Bone Melter very effectively. One aoe and it is not effective against etherial and I think has a magic resistance save. It has 'weird' paths to boot. Compared to most other spells at that level, not so great.

I'd say cloud spells are at their best during siege battles, when troops get clogged at the gates and stay in one place for a long time.

[Endoperez]

I recall someone having fun with W10 Son of Niefel. Breath of Winter and Falling Frost had awesome effect, and with its great path power even quickness-casting would be nothing Messenger Boots couldn't deal with. And now that I think of it, Sailor's Death would have awesome penetration bonus.

[Saber Cherry]

Oversway said:
Falling Frost is a great battlefield spell. For the most part it is better than Falling Fires, I think because for frost the aoe increases with magic levels where fires does not. Either that or damage.

Damage and AOE both increase; AOE 5+ and damage 17+. Quite devastating even cast at minimum level! Unlike Falling Fires it is not armor piercing, but it does work on Devil and Imp hordes. However, Water does not have a spell like "Summon Earthpower" to help boost path levels on land, so it is hard to cast.

As far as Faerie Queens and their freely summoned Faeries go... I love the Faeries! You get a lot of them and their ranged attack is devastating on anything (living) without a very high MR. Plus they're handy fliers.

[Huzurdaddi]

Saber Cherry said:
Damage and AOE both increase; AOE 5+ and damage 17+. Quite devastating even cast at minimum level!

I'll second that! It is the battle spell that I use the most often with Pythium. I use it far more than such well regarded spells as thunderstrike, orb lightening, and lighting bolt. It is a great spell.

[HotNifeThruButr]

I think Falling Frost has armor negate whereas Falling Fires is either normal or just armor piercing. Falling Frost is also 1+ damage while Falling Fires starts at a lot more.

[Saber Cherry]

No, you're thinking of Freezing Cloud versus Fire Cloud.

[Ballbarian]

In almost every game, if I don't have water national water mages, I recruit indy water mages and make water bracelets to boost them to level 3, cast summon sea king and using bracelets and robes boost them to level 5. I then equip the sea kings with bottles of living water and boots of quickness and set their combat orders to cast falling frost. I send them out in pairs with retinues of sea trolls set to hold and attack. I then supplement the troll force with high end summons (depending on my other available paths) preferably living statues. On land these armies are very effective against the ai. Just be sure to keep your sea kings spread out / separate from other commanders and troops in case they cast breath of winter which kills the summoned trolls very quickly!

For my style of play this works well because I almost always use a rainbow pretender for site searching and end up in late game with tons of unused water gems. The availability of the water gems insures that I can take water provinces when needed as well.

It's also worth noting that the sea kings generate their own supply of water gems. Also, if the force needs reinforcements, just stop the advance, build a lab, and have them summon more sea trolls (1 water gem per troll).