Pretender Design

[Ctennyson]

Well, Zen, my point is sort of that not all Pretenders have 2 misc slots. Nataraja has 1, Divine Emperor has 4, Crone has 4, I am fairly sure I recall an SC with 3 misc, also, but heck if I remember which.

I have a pretty good general idea of which items go best on the pretenders, my biggest concern is creating the pretender in the first place. I dislike how some of em look, like the male Titan, so I dont like choosing those ones, and some of the ones I like, Female Titan, for example, seem to have much worse magical choices, depending on what I am trying to do. My biggest question is how everyone else values the slots themselves, not just what to put IN the slot. Would you rather have 4 hand slots and 1 misc, or 2 hands and 2 misc, no body, but 4 misc, or 1 body and 2 misc. Do you think the regular human form of the Sage is the best? Or prefer the Crones lack of a body but extra misc slots?

And I'd love input on the semi-caster/semi SC chars like Bog Mummy/Vamp Queen maybe even Skratti, how do you feel about them?

Originally posted by Ctennyson:
Well, Zen, my point is sort of that not all Pretenders have 2 misc slots. Nataraja has 1, Divine Emperor has 4, Crone has 4, I am fairly sure I recall an SC with 3 misc, also, but heck if I remember which.

If you can make a SC out of a Crone or a Divine Emperor, I'd love to see you try. Maybe the definition of a SC is what is missing here. The Natarajah has only 1, which is it's limiting factor.

I have a pretty good general idea of which items go best on the pretenders, my biggest concern is creating the pretender in the first place. I dislike how some of em look, like the male Titan, so I dont like choosing those ones, and some of the ones I like, Female Titan, for example, seem to have much worse magical choices, depending on what I am trying to do.

It's been said enough that the Great Mother falls into this aestheticlly displeasing choice. But in actuallity she is an incredible SC. Most of the Titans are very well suited to that role as well.

My biggest question is how everyone else values the slots themselves, not just what to put IN the slot. Would you rather have 4 hand slots and 1 misc, or 2 hands and 2 misc, no body, but 4 misc, or 1 body and 2 misc. Do you think the regular human form of the Sage is the best? Or prefer the Crones lack of a body but extra misc slots?

This is defined by what magics you have as much as what slots you have. The more you play the game the more you will fill in slots based on whatever lack of magic is availiable as well as the base gem/mage income to forge the items you need. I can't answer your question because it is far too broad to answer reasonably.

And I'd love input on the semi-caster/semi SC chars like Bog Mummy/Vamp Queen maybe even Skratti, how do you feel about them?

I'd consider the Vamp Queen to be a full fledged SC, the only reason she would ever seem to be a caster is if you had alot of points to use on her. A bog mummy makes a decent caster and a mediocre SC. His Immortality more fits him to Battlefield rocking spells in his domain. And the Skratti I don't particularly like. Though this is totally biased in my opinion since I don't play rainbows as they are in my mind, less competitive. I think on average I don't choose more than 3 Paths, and that is very rare and if I have the points to do it. It's much more common for me to pick a pretender that has 1 or 2 paths and either add a path or up the path point to where I need then spend my points on scales.

You might have input more to your playstyle by asking people who play alot of Rainbows and Heavy Point Pretenders.

[Ctennyson]

Well, I didnt actually say the Crone was an SC, but that aside, I know the question is super broad.

I did have the Divine Emperor with ungodly battlefield magic, after a couple of wishes, but once you start wishing, obviously the game is over, or next thing to it.

Skratti does have over 30 hp, decent prot, and 22 str 12 at 12 def, etc, so for 50 points, the Stats arent in the Titan arena, but they are WAY over lots of the other rainbows. The Skratti is as durable as most giants, which are fairly durable, and its paths are 10, seems like the best possible rainbow, highly durable. Of course, you only get to field it in an army where lots of other units are much tougher than it. The questions are certainly open to others also, including rainbow loving types.

For my part, I seem to like the hybrids more than anything, Ghost King and the like, tough with cheap paths, but the more I play, the more I seem to have order 3 - prod 3 and the less points that seem to go into the GK...which makes him much less useful as a caster/searcher, amd as an SC only, he's pretty lacking.

The game I am playing right now is with Atlantis and a Dagon, and he's been awesome, much like the Cyclops was when I used him. Again, though, beating the AI is sort of like beating a dead horse, it isnt like there are many strategies that can make you lose.

[Peter Ebbesen]

Originally posted by Ctennyson:
Well, Zen, my point is sort of that not all Pretenders have 2 misc slots. Nataraja has 1, Divine Emperor has 4, Crone has 4, I am fairly sure I recall an SC with 3 misc, also, but heck if I remember which.

While the Nataraja only has one miscellaneous slot, that is to my mind outweighed by the two extra hands, since you can get weapons and shields with an incredible range of modifiers. Unless you have very specialised needs for a miscellaneous slot, it is likely that you can find a sword or a shield that duplicates the effect (while also granting you a protection/defense bonus) - which still leaves you one slot ahead. If you go with the shields, it does make a rainbow armour pretty near mandatory, though, to gain some much needed reinvigoration.

The Nataraja with three shields and a faithful or dual-wielding Staves of Elemental Mastery (one of each type, making him impervious to all elements AND boosting elemental paths by +2) can make a most impressive caster in the mid-game to late-game, while still being able to play tank in the early game.

Probably my favourite for a 0 nation-point pretender strategy. Start as tank, end up as a super arch-mage.

[Ctennyson]

I really like the Nataraja as well, unfortunately its only available to 3 nations, and I don't particularly care for any of the 3. I can't stand Caelum, I hate Arco, and Tien Chi is ok, but nowhere near my favorite nation.

Some of the pretender to nation choices seem very random, to me, and unwarranted. Dracolich not in Ermor, but Green Dragon is? Cold Blooded Nagas in Vanheim's list? I'd love to mod which nations get which pretenders, too. Is it doable yet? I need a modding tutorial for this game.

[Psitticine]

I've had good success with the Vampire Queen and various forms of Lich. Their immortality makes them very good choices for battlefield pretenders. I tend to start them off in the back, working as spellcasters, but they can work very well when the enemy breaks my lines (especially as such enemies have usually become quite battered in the process.) In the early days of a game, I'll sometimes place them otherwise and have them use Hand of Death and other "contact" spells.

Their immortality means that even if they fall, every single troop they bring down first is a net gain. The free recruits the Vampire Queen brings in are just a bonus, IMO, albeit a nice one.