Guide to Marverni

[fantasma]

Maybe the bloodhenge druids showed up because of the worthy heroes mod.

Anyways, you should empower a druid with nature to blood 1 if you don't get a druid hero with blood. Jade knives and blood stones are really too nice to miss.


>> I think this was supposed to read Order 3, luck 3, Heat 1, Magic 1, Growth 1

correct.

sorry about iron boars, I meant the regular boars, of course.

[st.patrik]

Originally Posted by fantasma

Marverni lacks thugs (except golems).
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.
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ad Boars: I like the great boar, but it is too late in research and summons only 10% / candle iron boars. That is not too impressive. But the greatest weakness is two misc slots only. I wish it had a head slot at least, but that idea got stamped in another thread ...

Just a detail, but I think the Great Boar can make a great thug.
Equip him a Ring of Regeneration and bring along a Stargazer to cast Body Ethereal and Luck, and you will have a regenerating size 5 trampler that will only hit by 1/8 of hits from mundane weapons. That's not even counting a bless. If you add in a Nature bless you get about 20% regen + berserk (for example).

I think that counts as a pretty decent thug.

[rdonj]

I almost don't know that I like trampling thugs. They can do a lot of damage quickly but it's much easier to bring them down because they're good at getting surrounded. Granted, being lucky and ethereal helps quite a bit with that.

[Sombre]

It doesn't summon iron boars, it summons regular sacred boars of marverni.

Iron pigs summons sacred iron boars and in cbm is a superb spell for marverni.

[Baalz]

No, they're not worthy heroes, they're Marverni non-unique national heroes which I guess Lch is unfamiliar with. They're B/N (don't remember the strength, but it's more than 1), and singlehandedly worth considering luck scales for as just one or two of these will open up a whole new vector for you. From blood sacrificing to boots of youth for your expensive mages, a little blood goes a long way.


As I've said elsewhere, specific pretender selection is a matter of personal taste, and there's enough leeway in what I lay out to give you room for variety. I've no doubt a blood fountain could be competitive, but personally I prefer to have my pretender doing things other than bloodhunting. Plus, Marverni is vulnerable to an early rush and needs a pretender to either be a SC or a force multiplier via flaming arrows, etc. People tend to discount the combat effectiveness of non-SC pretenders early on, but having access to a few crucial spells can certainly be much more effective than a poorly equipped SC in many situations.

Order - absolutely necessary
Luck - a good idea
Production - could be worse uses for design points, but not strictly necessary
Growth - a good idea - expensive, old mages.
Magic - a good idea
Temp - neutral, you need the gold and supplies

Basically you want everything, so you're gonna have to balance what you want to give up. There are several different competitive choices you could make, but as I mentioned originally I think it's a good idea to have your pretender get you into A/F.

[fantasma]

I chose the fountain for two rreasons:
first, I didn't know of the blood druids.
second, the fountain is cheap and let me chose the other things that are more important, like good scales and access to other paths.
fourth, I disagree that Marverni cannot do without the pretender helping against the rush. With level 3-4 research + 3 fortresses in year one, which they should pursue anyways, they can make a miserable day for the rusher (probably for themselves as well, though). It really depends whether fatigue, poison, mind burns or blade wind are needed.

But it could well be that I underestimate the early game vulnerability.

[Baalz]

Well, the problem (in my mind) is that in EA there are several things you need to worry about towards the end of year one. Double/triple blessed - jaguar warriors, palashankas, niefels, helherdlings, vans, etc, and you better believe that any of these guys sitting on a strong bless and seeing Marverni on their border is coming for blood. In this time frame (end of year one) you're gonna have a very hard time putting up 3 fortress, labs, temples, and affording the very expensive druids while also funding troops for indie expansion, which is when it really helps to have a powerful "free" mage to complement the paths of the few mages you do afford.

To be sure, you won't be rushed most of the time and in a worst case scenario you're pretty much screwed anyway, but I don't think its generally a good idea to not expect trouble until you've comfortably lined up enough guys to spam blade wind.

[thejeff]

Fatigue is also a big problem with trampling thugs or SCs.

[st.patrik]

You can always give him a Amulet of Resilience or Girdle of Might (both of which are easy for Marverni to make) if fatigue becomes a problem. Thankfully the Great Boar's encumbrance is low (2).

I find that a strong regen balances out the few hits you do get (through the ethereal & luck). The nature bless is nice for this, and for the berserk. Of course if you are fighting troops with magic weapons they become drastically less effective.

The positive side to trampling thugs is that they can kill or damage quite a few opponents in a single turn.

The only annoying thing about using Great Boars this way is that you need a support mage to cast Body Ethereal (and possibly Blessing).

[Sombre]

Wouldn't he just be soul slay, paralyse etc bait?

What's the mr on the boar?