I suck with Pythium ... please help!

[Balmoth]

This idea assumes you have a pretender with S4, D1 and/or A5.

An idea for the Pythium mid-game could be to aim for conjuration 6 and cast Ether gate. Expensive gemwise, but yields 15 hard to kill Ether Warriors. and a DDSSSS commander that besides being a good combat mage is definately SC material.

After this go for Conjuration 7 and put the air gems to good use in summoning the Queens of elemental air. These are fine SCs in my experience. But it might be a race to get these first. You might need to convert some gems to get them.

These should help you through the mid game

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Huzurdaddi:
The 1st two of these two schools have very powerful summons in the end game and air has very powerful battle magics. While Pythium has air magic it is only level 2, and it is on a very expensive unit.

Say it with me here: COMMUNION.

Yes, Air has very powerful battle magics, some of which require a fair level of skill to cast. Yes, the Pythiumians don't have as high an innate level of air proficiency as, say, Caelum or Vanheim. However, Pythium is ALL about the communion. Reaching any reasonably useful level of magic for all but the most ludicrously pathy spells is trivial for an Arch Theurg with sufficient communicants. The randoms, combined with the communioning, will let you use any spell in the game.

As for Air, you don't even have to worry about accidentally electrocuting your communicants: If the master casts Resist Lightning, all commslaves will be protected as well. Communion is fun.

This, of course, does not address the fact that your ritual-casting and forging ability is not that strong, but the right picks in pretender magics can easily circumvent this issue.

[Tuna-Fish]

Also, you keep asking for summons. Personally, I dont think pythium is a summon-nation, but instead they should base on a more conventional army with great battlefield magic. Just give those principes of yours mistform, luck, mass protection, whatever, and they become a force that even the most powerful SC's take frigging decades to kill. Then use them to shield your mages that can cast some real nasty damage spells with the help of communion. Even paralyse is very very nasty when cast by a mage that has effective astral of 8, and a spell focus...

I personally like a pythium strategy that has an e-10 cyclops as a pretender. He gives your mages, and most importantly, communicants, great reinvigoration, and also can cast the spell "enliven statues" with frightful efficiency when you slap on earth boots. Statues are very good sc-fodder, and when boosted by just a little they become very very hard to kill. Also, the cyclops can cast things like army of lead, blade wind with gazillion blades, and earthquake.
Just give him a load of gems and a staff of storms (to protect him), and perhaps some armour, and attack enemy army, cast earthquake twice, and flee: instant army-shredder.

Also, when you have army of lead up, earthquake is not really very harmful for you.

[Taqwus]

Hm, those Ether Lords might be nasty nether-dart machines when Communioned. Pricey for that 'tho; Lamia Queens might be more cost-efficient if you can get a Nature supply and caster.

[godofdun]

I haven't heard much discussion about the hydras/hatchlings, is there a way to make them useful? With their poison cloud and no real easy way to give ur troops poison resistence they seem to be more harm than help. And what about the gladiators? Has anyone found a way to make them usefull at all?

[Arryn]

godofdun said:
I haven't heard much discussion about the hydras/hatchlings, is there a way to make them useful? With their poison cloud and no real easy way to give ur troops poison resistence they seem to be more harm than help.

Mass Flight (Enchant-7 Air-4), send them into the enemy rear to wreak havoc. Or put them in your front center with missile troops along your flanks (well out of the path of any rout) and charge them into the enemy front supported by your missileers.

Then there's Serpent's Blessing (Enchant-7 Nature-4) which protects your whole army versus (natural) poison. (I haven't cast this spell myself, so I'm not sure, but it should protect against the hydra poison.)

[godofdun]

Arryn said:
quote]Mass Flight (Enchant-7 Air-4), send them into the enemy rear to wreak havoc. Or put them in your front center with missile troops along your flanks (well out of the path of any rout) and charge them into the enemy front supported by your missileers.

Then there's Serpent's Blessing (Enchant-7 Nature-4) which protects your whole army versus (natural) poison. (I haven't cast this spell myself, so I'm not sure, but it should protect against the hydra poison.)

Hmmm, yeah, thatd work, just seems very cost prohibitive compared to the mass principe idea, you can get 16 of those guys for the same price (350), even though itl take more turns. Would the hatchlings be better since they are better priced, even though they don't have lesser fear?

[Azhur]

Turns 1-10: Research alteration (all the way to 9). A proper pretender for this tactic has 7S (Oracle?). The use of AR is recommended always when possible. Use soul slay with your theurgs, while principes are doing their job in the front line. It's crucial to conquer first all the surrounding provinces to gain a good resource income. Since Pythium is mainly a resource-trusting nation, use of mercenaries is also acceptable.

Turns 11-20: Trade your gems (with the exception of astral and water) with other players for some astral-enchancing equipment. Start clam hoarding if you have a proper water gem income. Still keep up researching alteration. Try to avoid war against other players (keep em happy with gems and such). It's vital to seize provinces to find new magic sites and researchers. Library is always a nice surprise. What comes to your troops, stick with principes and threugs.

Turns 21-30: Now do everything to keep up with provinces and maintain a good gem income. Secure every corner with your principes and calm players to not to attack you. Use your everly Last piece of gold to buy new researchers, and build labs in such places where you can buy a leader with a research skill. Your pretender should have S9 by now (traded items with other players). Hope you have good astral income, since it's the most important source for the completion of this tactic. Teleport or move your pretender to some isolated province (near the player you'll be attacking), with low income and build a lab down there. Also remember to raise defence.

Turns 31-40: If you've played your cards right, you should have alt 7 by now. Players are becoming more and more hostile and actions must be made. Wait for alteration 9 to be completed and wish for doom horror. If you have good amount of basic troops in the enemy border, commence in. Little by little start bringing Doom Horrors into battlefields. Soon you might be able to give astral enchancing equipment to some hero and make him Doom Horror wisher No. 2.