Scrying Magic Sites from afar

[PDF]

I usually proceed in 2 steps :
- First I send "search squads" of 1-2 assorted mages (level 2+ in as much paths as possible) to search the most obvious magic-rich provinces
- Then I complete the searches with scrying spells, when I have a significant income, and now that we have a "repeating spell search" possible (even if not perfect).

There's a special case for Death and astral, as the spells only need 1 level, whereas manual search at level-1 is insufficient : here I use spells only if I don't have level 2+ mages (let's say I don't play an astral nation and find sage for example).
Usually, this way I'm pretty high in the gem income charts in MP, and waaaay above any AI in SP

[Teraswaerto]

I always start thinking "what if there's a level 3 or 4 magic site there" when I search by moving around a typical mage with some paths at levels 2-3. Yes, I know they are rare, but I just can't live with uncertainty, so I prefer the searching spells.

Also it's less micromanagement.

[Agrajag]

If only one in ten provinces turns out to have a fire site, which gives only +2 gems, than for an investment of 20 gems you get +2 fire, just as good as unnerfed dom2 clams

A bit more seriously, its just tedious to shuffel mages around all the time, and you can't have your pretender marching with your army all the time (because that will be too slow for early expansion, and too dangerous for later battles)

[Unwise]

As with everything else in a well-balanced game, it's a trade-off.

If you've got a fire-2 mage (with no other paths) then it is almost certainly worth it to use Augury: he will only search one site every two turns (at best) if you do it manually, and he will never find the best fire sites. As Agrajag noted, as soon as you've found two sites with Augery (for example), then the operation is self-sustaining.

However, if you have a high-powered mage (say F2A1N3), then it is probably a waste to have them cast Augery because you have a decent chance of finding more sites manually than only fire sites through the spell.

[Theonlystd]

Only takes 1,2 sites for the mage to start paying for himself from finds..


I rarly haev mages out and about searching

[Corwin]

When I have a choice, I rarely search with mages, unless I have mage with 3/4 in at least two scools of magic, whom I don't need for forging/summoning. Anthing less misses the best sites, or takes too long, or both. IMHO time is more precious resource than few gems early on.

[Graeme Dice]

Personally, I only search with mages if I haven't yet researched the site searching spells, or if the mage has a magical path where my nation cannot use the site searching spell without empowerment. I'll send my fire 1 Arch Theurgs running around the countryside as Pythium for example, before sending them into battle once they get diseased.

[Warhammer]

For me it depends on the setup. If I have a small area, and a couple of good mages, I'll have them scout it out. But, if I have a huge empire, I just automate it with the spells. That way I don't miss any areas and I make sure to get the best search possible. Plus, getting to Thau 2 when you are generating over 60 RPs a turn isn't a problem.