Help - Newbie

[Goblin]

Thank you all,

So if I have Drain 3, I get -3 to all Research (per leader), +3 the all MR (including against hostile magic targeting the province) and I have 120 Pretender creation points up my sleeve.

Not that bad a deal - the research drain can be overcome by items that enhance research. Any objections to this analysis?

[Ygorl]

Items can be expensive, and you need research to be able to make them. Also, they work just as well in a high-magic dominion.
Knowing how to cast powerful spells is just so amazingly important that it's hard for me to convince myself it's worth taking drain. Every now and then I'll try it (say, with Niefelheim and a bless strategy - that means, a pretender with high magic in one or two paths, so that holy troops get awesome benefits when blessed) but it usually doesn't work that well except in quicker games.

[Goblin]

Another Question in relation to Pretenders and Magic - I remember reading someone’s comment a while back that they either gave their Pretender lots of Astral magic or none. Supposedly this was to avoid being involved in a duel...

Is it the case that if a leader has Astral magic that they can be targeted by powerful mages (with Astral magic) - even if they are not casting spells in that field at the time?

Kinda an important factor when putting together a mortal Pretender...

[Cainehill]

Goblin said:
Another Question in relation to Pretenders and Magic - I remember reading someone’s comment a while back that they either gave their Pretender lots of Astral magic or none. Supposedly this was to avoid being involved in a duel...

Is it the case that if a leader has Astral magic that they can be targeted by powerful mages (with Astral magic) - even if they are not casting spells in that field at the time?

If you take low-level astral, you might be ambushed while out site searching - mind dueling hit squad mages teleport in to try and take out your pretender. Also, someone might try an assassination with an astral magic assassin (mostly only an issue when R'lyeh is in the game), meaning you could be sitting "safely" at home and still get nailed.

Hence why a good rule of thumb is to take 0 astral, or 6+; immortal pretenders can get away with less, and I have occasionally taken something like 3 astral on a non-immortal rainbow myself, but that was on a fairly large map, non-wrap around, where I could park the pretender in the boonies where no one would find him.

[Cainehill]

Goblin said:
Thank you all,

So if I have Drain 3, I get -3 to all Research (per leader), +3 the all MR (including against hostile magic targeting the province) and I have 120 Pretender creation points up my sleeve.

Not that bad a deal - the research drain can be overcome by items that enhance research. Any objections to this analysis?

Drain 3 winds up being +1 to MR - I think it's plus or minus 1 MR for every 2 points of Magic/Drain, rounded down, so no effect at 1, and the same effect at 3 as at 2.

As far as using items to combat drain for research : it can be hard getting the level of construction needed to make those items if you take much drain. Also, owl quills, the only one available at construction 2, only give 3 points research for a cost of 5 air gems - very very not worth it, imo. The skull mentors give 9 for 10 death, but aren't available until const-4, while lightless lanterns (6 research for 5 fire gems) don't come until construction-6.