Blood Slave/magic Questions

[tinkthank]

All of the things said so far are correct and good. I'll just try to put it in my own words too, in the hope that they match the original poster's.

Blood slaves (the virgins you found) are *functionally equivalent* to the other types of gems. Yes, you can pool them by "putting them in the lab". You can also carry them around with you (just like mages can carry around the other types of gems), they will be in your mages' inventory as little red "X"s, BUT (and this is the difference to the gems) they will stand around on the battlefield (and can get hurt too) if the mage carrying them gets into a battle.

Terminologically, you do NOT "sacrifice" blood slaves on the battlefield; you "use" them (like you "use" gems). You can think of it as a form of sacrifice, sure, but in this game, the terminus "sacrifice" is ONLY used for a special activity which ONLY *priests* of Abyssia, Mictlan and Vanheim can do: namely: sacrifice blood slaves in order to raise dominion. This is not done during a battle. It is a "special action" (like: "perform assassination" or "preach the teachings of God" or however it is exactly phrased).

The ONLY way to find blood slaves is to perform a "blood hunt" (which is also a special action) (with ONE exception: Mictlan gets 3 blood slaves per turn). AFAIK there is NO "blood slave source" similar to a gem site (but I may be wrong).

Is this helpful?

Originally posted by Endoperez:
Each sacrificed slave (more can be sacrificed per turn, propably limited by the priest level of the sacrificer) forces one "temple check", that is, each sacrificed slave spreads the dominion just as a temple in that province would.

Back to this question after some tests, and some experience with Mictlan. IMHO the chance to expand dominion with blood sacrifice is _very_ limited, and _much_ less than a ordinary "temple check".
1 ordinary temple check = probably 10% * maximum dominion (so you have 60% chance to gain 1 candle if your pretender has a max dom of 6).
1 slave sacrifice = probably 2,5% * maximum dominion (so the chance to raise dominion with 1 slave is only 15% with a max dom of 6).

If I understand correctly, the pretender alone, by his mere presence in the capital, has a bigger effect in the first turns than the possible 2 slaves sacrifice with a Mictlan Priest!
Can someone confirm this feeling ? TIA

Cheers

[ May 19, 2004, 14:18: Message edited by: Sunray_be ]

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by Sunray_be:
Back to this question after some tests, and some experience with Mictlan. IMHO the chance to expand dominion with blood sacrifice is _very_ limited, and _much_ less than a ordinary "temple check".

Are you sure that your sacrificers still have slaves on them when you submit the turn? They won't actually sacrifice any if you use the pool slaves button, but will grab some more at the beginning of the next turn.

If I understand correctly, the pretender alone, by his mere presence in the capital, has a bigger effect in the first turns than the possible 2 slaves sacrifice with a Mictlan Priest!

Your pretender only has a single strength 10 check with Mictlan, so no, even with your numbers he's still weaker.

Originally posted by Graeme Dice:
Are you sure that your sacrificers still have slaves on them when you submit the turn?

C'mon, yes, I checked my sacrificers every turn to be absolutely sure... it's not my first test with dominions you know

Your pretender only has a single strength 10 check with Mictlan, so no, even with your numbers he's still weaker.

No, I've made 3 tests with a dom10 pretender (a Manticore IIRC, on a large map and one opponent with dom1, so he could not influence my own dominion). Started 3 new games, then did nothing for 20 turns (no sacrifice, no move, no recruitment). I had no "festival" events. After 20 turns I had 4, 8 and 9 candles.

Then I tried the opposite : the dom10 pretender goes far away (so he could not influence the capital) and I sacrifice only 1 slave/t with the first Mictlan Priest. After 20 turns the dominion = 6 candles. Then I tried the same situation with another pretender, this time with a dominion of 6. After 20 turns (and 20 slaves killed -- I could have made 4 Fiends instead) the dominion was only 3. Tried again, the dominion was 5. Tried again, it was 4. No doubt, with dom6 the pretender was more useful than the sacrifices!

I can't understand why the manual says (p. 22) that "The Blood Sacrifice will spread dominion in the same manner as a temple but more powerfully".
The power of a blood sacrifice seems very weak, unless you sacrifice tons of slaves...

Cheers

[Pocus]

Originally posted by tinkthank:
The ONLY way to find blood slaves is to perform a "blood hunt" (which is also a special action) (with ONE exception: Mictlan gets 3 blood slaves per turn). AFAIK there is NO "blood slave source" similar to a gem site (but I may be wrong).
Is this helpful?

There is also the damned merchant site (on top of my head)

[Pocus]

I have to backup (or is it bake up ) Sunray on the issue. If one blood slave sacrifice is supposed to be equivalent in power of the dominions spread of one temple, then, unless I have been totally unlucky during several tests, and in at least a pbem as Abysia, I must say there is a bug in the formula. The effect is much lower than expected.

Do the check yourself, you will see.

[Cainehill]

Originally posted by Pocus:

quote:

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Originally posted by tinkthank:
The ONLY way to find blood slaves is to perform a "blood hunt" (which is also a special action) (with ONE exception: Mictlan gets 3 blood slaves per turn). AFAIK there is NO "blood slave source" similar to a gem site (but I may be wrong).
Is this helpful?

There is also the damned merchant site (on top of my head)

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Also, at least one or two random events give blood slaves / virgins.