A question about bless effects

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by apoger:
Thanks for the list, but I have some questions...

>Fire 9 - Flaming Weapons

What is the effect of flaming weapons?
Extra damage? Armor piercing? Ignites enemies? Extra damage versus undead? Hits ethereal?

Guess: same as 'Divine Armaments'? Ie, ignites enemies and - I think - bypass etherealness (I'd like to have someone confirm or infirm this).

>Air 4 - Air Shield (20%)

What is 20% of an air shield?
20% damage reduction to missiles? 20% chance of nulling a missile?

Guess: the latter.

>Water 9 - Quickness (50%)

The spell quickness doubles actions. What is 50% of quickness?

Guess: probably works like the 'Heroic Quickness' ability - ie, AP +50%, and a 2nd action every other turn.

>Death 9 - Life after Death

Sounds interesting.... what is it?

Guess: like the LAD battle enchantment? (Turns friendly non-undead casualties into Soulless)

>Nature 4 - Berserk +1

What does +1 berserk do? Just +1 to strength/morale/attack once damaged?

Guess: probably -1 DEF too, and 99 morale.

>Blood 9 - Death Curse

Like the spell "curse" or is it something else?

No idea, but it sounds frightening... Maybe a melee Version of 'Anathema', curses only enemy holy units? Or - shudder - a melee 'Decay'?

Sorry for the hassle... but this stuff is very interesting and a bit more description is called for. Thanks!

Indeed - but from what I've read so far, I'd be tempted to pick many paths at +4 skill and have the lesser effects stack.

[johan osterman]

All effects come into effect as soon as a unit is blessed.

The lvl 4 bless effects will increase at lvl 6 8 10, the ones in the +1/+2 range will increase 1 by 1 for every other level, I do not recall how much the airshield increases. Berserk is now a variable stat so berserk +1 means you will get +1 to str att prot and -1 def. Berserk +4 means you get att str prot +4 def -4. Berserks now also incurs a small fatigue penalty every turn (2). Quicknes 50% means you have a 50% chance of getting an additional action, works like the hall of fame quickness effect. Prophets are constantly blessed.

[ October 16, 2003, 11:17: Message edited by: johan osterman ]

[Vodalian]

Wasn't it so that empowerment doesn't affect blessing effects?

[st.patrik]

Originally posted by johan osterman:
All effects come into effect as soon as a unit is blessed.

The lvl 4 bless effects will increase at lvl 6 8 10, the ones in the +1/+2 range will increase 1 by 1 for every other level, I do not recall how much the airshield increases. Berserk is now a variable stat so berserk +1 means you will get +1 to str att prot and -1 def. Berserk +4 means you get att str prot +4 def -4. Berserks now also incurs a small fatigue penalty every turn (2). Quicknes 50% means you have a 50% chance of getting an additional action, works like the hall of fame quickness effect. Prophets are constantly blessed.

Sounds cool... and thanks by the way for the info Daynarr - I guess I got nature and earth effects back to front.

Now here's the question: does berserk make you berserk? i.e. aside from the stat modifications, does it make you forget what you were doing and charge toward the enemy? I have this vision of a bunch of white centaur archer/priest commanders getting blessed and then running toward the advancing Ulmish infantry in a fit of berserk rage, only to get decimated.

[st.patrik]

I really wonder how this will work out - how viable it will be to have high-magic pretenders (and therefore many bonuses). I'm picturing Black Templars belonging to a pretender with 10 in Astral and 10 in Earth, charging into the enemy with 13 mr, 29 prot., constant reinvigoration, and twist fate for the first hit! (this is assuming, btw, that black templars have much the same stats as black knights)

*edit - if this sounds skeptical/complaining, it's not intended to be; I'm just thinking out loud

[ October 16, 2003, 13:42: Message edited by: st.patrik ]

[Pocus]

Originally posted by st.patrik:
I really wonder how this will work out - how viable it will be to have high-magic pretenders (and therefore many bonuses). I'm picturing Black Templars belonging to a pretender with 10 in Astral and 10 in Earth, charging into the enemy with 13 mr, 29 prot., constant reinvigoration, and twist fate for the first hit! (this is assuming, btw, that black templars have much the same stats as black knights)

*edit - if this sounds skeptical/complaining, it's not intended to be; I'm just thinking out loud

IMO if you are ever capable of reaching such high levels in magic, then your economy will be so crappy that you wont be able to afford a single templar

[Psitticine]

Yep, there just aren't enough points to do that and not mess yourself up in every other way.

I was testing the demo Last night with a Vampire Queen who was leading Arcocephale. I was able to give her Death 10 and Blood 4, but had to take a few negative scales and a lower Dominion strength than I like. I did get a fairly decent fortress, but the points had been stretched pretty thin. If I had gone for a cheaper pretender (The Vampire Queen is quite powerful and, thus, rather costly) then I would have been able to have a higher second path or possibly added a third path without sacrificing so much, but to get two 10s with a Pretender means draining away from everything else.

It can be an interesting strategy, and I'm not saying it isn't worth it to go ahead and try it, but the penalties to everything else certainly balance your blessing power.

I often take a lower-cost Pretender and equip them with one level 9 and two level 4 paths. That's powerful but not overwhelming, and I don't have to take too cheap a dominion or fortress.