How to lose a pretender without even trying

[Lord Hammer]

Originally posted by SurvivalistMerc:
Maybe I am misremembering, slogan. Did you have both hands full? And were the things in your hands decent?

I certainly hope they were not indecent ...Sorry, couldn't resist .

[Truper]

Originally posted by aldin:
Well, had my Moloch pretender get banished the other night - fun It occurs to me that demonic and undead pretenders are curiously vulnerable, especially when you don't have other undead / demonic units. So now I know of two ways to lose a pretender rapidly:

1) Be undead / demonic without other undead / demons.
2) Take a small number of Astral spheres. (BTW, what's the fewest Astral you'd take with a pretender to feel reasonably safe?)

What other design choices need to be avoided if you don't want to risk your pretender disappearing in a sudden stroke?

~Aldin

Depending on how you're using him, there are lots of ways to lose a pretender fast There are a number of pretenders who can take indie provinces by themselves most of the time. Its sure nice to have the pretender out conquering at the same time as your initial army. But there are risks involved. If that province of woodsmen that you'd usually blow thru without a scratch happens to be lead by a druid, and that druid manages to successfully cast sleep... Or if you get surprised by a mage with death, and that mage gets lucky with decay... In Dominions, nothing is forever, and sometimes your time is remarkably short

[ December 31, 2003, 00:14: Message edited by: Truper ]

[PvK]

I've only ever won the deathmatch once, and that was when I wasn't even trying to win! Got a trident, although that is a very good magic item... even when it ends up on a priest!

Maybe you got something different because someone you killed during the tournament was carrying something else.

I do think the AI wastes too much on the arena. There isn't a whole lot to gain from it, if the prize is always that trident. Since it's "too the death", all but one of the opponents will die even if you don't bother to show up. The AI tending to send pretenders, prophets, strong units with items, etc., mainly just ensures that all but one of the AI's will lose a useful unit. Seems like they should usually just send a regular fighter type who isn't leading anyone at the moment, and only occasionally risk someone really tough (and good to keep alive).

PvK

[NTJedi]

Whats really bad about the arena is that usually Ermor wins because he sends a powerful necromancer which spits out tonz of undead.

[Karacan]

Not if someone else sends in a prophet.


Anyway, the easiest way to kill of your god is to research a teleportation spell and target a land province. If you're an aquatic being. Don't ask for details, please.

Originally posted by NTJedi:
Whats really bad about the arena is that usually Ermor wins because he sends a powerful necromancer which spits out tonz of undead.

That is generally not true. C'tis has better 'standard' necromancers than Ermor, not to mention a few other races with as good if not better paths 1 on 1. Soul Slay anyone?

[Vger]

Hi,

Another very quick way is paralyze. I've had this happen to me once and I've seen several AI pretenders die after being hit by that spell.

Also, if you whack a pretender with Mage Bane they die fast.

I'm begining to think those who say paralyze is too powerful have a point.


Vaya con Vastness,
V'ger gone

[Taqwus]

Taking an undead pretender with no other undead can also be harsh if there's an enemy nature mage. My Prince of Death came /very/ close to death after failing an MR save vs. Maggots; if he'd been hit a couple of times during the battle, that probably would have been it.

[Slogan]

My commander had a sword in the right hand and a shield in the other with one or two misc. the trident appeared in my right hand and the sword disappeared.

[Saber Cherry]

The trident always replaces whatever is in your first 2 hand slots. The replaced items go to the lab.