Anti SC spells

[Oversway]

nature also has charm

shatter is good earth spell against golems

does polymorph count for nature? I've never seen it used, much less against scs.

[Edi]

Oversway said:

nature also has charm

Indeed. And it can really ruin your day. I remember when I played a co-op game with Kaljamaha on the Small Faerun map with him as Vanheim, he summoned both earth kings, Father Illearth and a lot of other stuff and built at least half of the good artifacts. Sent both earth kings, equipped with all the goodies, against Earthmother in Gwynneth. With the result that his screen of chaff killed the wolves, didn't put a dent in the seasonal spirits and about that time the battle ended. Next report out of Gwynneth: "The army consists mainly of <list seasonal spirits>. It is commanded by Earthmother the Great Mother who radiates power. A huge King of the Mountains was also seen towering over the army."

Kaljamaha obviously wasn't pleased...

Edi

[Saber Cherry]

Gifts from Heaven is the best anti-SC spell, if you have a caster with high precision. But that's for SCs. Thugs can be taken out with militia and a Totem Shield, if there aren't very many of them. Blind is nice too, once you get it, and Drain Life is also very effective when in range. Sometimes I send a thug to the Arena, and when I lose to a mage, it's usually from Drain Life.

With regards to sleep, I don't recommend it because it has an MR save. I didn't think it worked on undead, but even if it does, undead thugs have high MR.

[quantum_mechani]

Saber Cherry said:
Gifts from Heaven is the best anti-SC spell, if you have a caster with high precision. But that's for SCs. Thugs can be taken out with militia and a Totem Shield, if there aren't very many of them. Blind is nice too, once you get it, and Drain Life is also very effective when in range. Sometimes I send a thug to the Arena, and when I lose to a mage, it's usually from Drain Life.

With regards to sleep, I don't recommend it because it has an MR save. I didn't think it worked on undead, but even if it does, undead thugs have high MR.

Spells like gifts from heaven and drain life are certainly preferable if you have access to them. But when you are behind in research or constrained by your magic paths, sleep + eagle eyes can become a very attractive (or even only) option.

[OG_Gleep]

I can never get the Eth Xbow to hit a SC.

[NTJedi]

OG_Gleep ...

Precision of the unit holding the ethereal crossbow

Shoot at the type of SC so if it's a flyer... set command for shoot flyer... if it's a larger tartarian set command for shoot largest.

Spells like eagle eye or aim help if that unit has them

don't bring a single commander with an ethereal crossbow... I would recommend 2 or 3.

[Morkilus]

How about disintegrate? In my SP game last night, I assaulted the Pythium fort and spammed disintegrate with Onyx amazons, and to my surprise and pleasure, it killed their Naga pretender in the first shot, even with a load of other troops around. And it makes a cool shattering noise

[OG_Gleep]

What about Charm/Enslave/Hellbind Heart? What kind of penetration would you need to have a good chance of success against the Royalty, or the blood pool (icedevils and up)?

Also a note on blind, I have been fighting Abysia in one of my games, and am using Ice devils to good effect. I have shrugged of multiple attempts to blind me. The majority of my casters in most games need boosters, spell boosters, or just meet the minimum requirements to cast the spell. Obviously all these spells become really effective when cast by your pretender who happens to have 9 of the required school.

But what about national/indie mages that needed don't recieve the bonus for surpassing the minimum requirements? Of the spells listed, how many mages do you need casting them to have a good chance at success?

[Morkilus]

I tried spamming Enslave Mind on Nah's AQ's to absolutely no effect, about three different times. They were all at the minimum path req, and got about 5 or 6 off before they died. Do you need to Communion and have a whole bunch of items to get this spell to work?

[shovah]

against things like royalty a heavy communion (or a 9 astral pretender with spell focus and rune smasher) or huge masses of spell focus+rune smasher weilders is required (try arco, a bunch of astrologers with spell focus, rune smasher, girdle of might, boots of the messenger and an e9 bless gives them a good chance of enslaving something and enough reinvig to spam till the cows come home)