Champion's Trident

[Arryn]

I just observed an AI pretender (Vampire Queen), equipped with the Champion's Trident from the deathmatch arena, cast 2 spells on the very first turn of a battle. She has no other items, nor any water magic. The Trident says it gives 2 attacks per round, but my understanding was that this was only when using the weapon in melee, not granted by merely holding it. So my question is this: does this special weapon indeed confer the eqivalent of the Quickness spell, or is this a bug? Also, if the weapon does provide Quickness, do other weapons that provide multiple attacks also confer those extra attacks when casting magic, as this weapon appears to do?

[Norfleet]

I believe that the Trident does, indeed, grant quickness. Something to offset its otherwise lack of appeal combined with cursed status, I suppose.

Other weapons, such as the Sword of Swiftness, do not: I'd know, the SoS is one of the standard items I often use.

[Norfleet]

Additional note: I do believe that the inherent quickness of the trident means the Tridenteer will actually attack *4* times per round: The Trident grants 2x attack, IIRC, in addition to Quickness.

[Saber Cherry]

Trident gives quickness and attacks 2*2x, so it is quite potent... though it is best on spellcasters, being 2-H.

[Arryn]

Thanks, Norfleet & Cherry. I can only hope that one of the other AIs in my AAR permanently offs this undead b**** before I have to deal with her. Yeah, right, like that's likely given she's immortal, and AIs aren't exactly swift at handling such critters.

[Norfleet]

Fortunately for you, AIs aren't exactly adept at USING such critters, either.

I, on the other hand, use them ruthlessly.

Last game, Navrunner, after discovering that they simply would not DIE, finally threw in the towel after more of them started appearing.

Yeah, they're real nasty. That's why I like 'em.

[PhilD]

Originally posted by Norfleet:
Fortunately for you, AIs aren't exactly adept at USING such critters, either.

I, on the other hand, use them ruthlessly.

Last game, Navrunner, after discovering that they simply would not DIE, finally threw in the towel after more of them started appearing.

Yeah, they're real nasty. That's why I like 'em.

OK, this is not the first time I've seen you talk about your VQs, but I don;t know what they look like.

What kind of gear/orders do you give them?

[Wauthan]

Originally posted by Norfleet:
Fortunately for you, AIs aren't exactly adept at USING such critters, either.

I, on the other hand, use them ruthlessly.

Last game, Navrunner, after discovering that they simply would not DIE, finally threw in the towel after more of them started appearing.

Yeah, they're real nasty. That's why I like 'em.

Now that's a happy poster.

Since you seem to have experience with using immortal units I wondered if you know how to make them stay alive? I thought vampires look way too good on paper but when I actually used them they didn't seem very immortal at all. In fact I never got even one of them back when it died even when I lost it in a positive dominion.

[Psitticine]

Have you checked in your home province? When Immortal units die in a friendly Dominion, they'll reappear eventually in your capital.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by PhilD:
OK, this is not the first time I've seen you talk about your VQs, but I don;t know what they look like.

What kind of gear/orders do you give them?

I tend to use a Rainbow Armor, Spirit Helmet, Charcoal Shield, Antimagic, and Boots of Quickness. Against meat targets, I go weaponless for the snacking, against hardened targets, I go with something like a sword of swiftness.

Combined with the VQ's innate abilities, this covers etherealness, quickness, a fire shield, and a hat that shoots stuff up while I cast: Then I go with the orders of Mirror Image, Personal Luck, Mistform, Resist Magic, and some other situationally determined spell. All of the equipment involved is fairly inexpensive, and combined with spell selection, creates a real terror.

And now that I've told you all this, I have to think of something else.