Anti SC spells

[Cainehill]

Saber Cherry said:
Bow of... Botulf? Requires no MR save.

But doesn't do much against a true brute : well equiped tartarian, terrasque, etc. Gee - it can't cast magic, but it still has 400 HPs and is killing everything.

Vengeance of the Dead has an MR save, but you can cast it remotely to take advantage of your highest-astral unit with the most penaids. This will kill anything that cannot regenerate or reinvigorate fast enough to survive unlimited attackers, as they increase (by up to 2X) with each casting. I had a very, very high HP unit (...over 500) die to this by killing itself with its own Sword of Many Colors, along with several hundred opponents.

Using VotD I have been very unimpressed : about 12 castings, it never caused a battle. And the most recent time it was cast on me successfully : it targetted a lore master who I don't think had ever been in battle. He picked up a wound, but got a heroic ability from going into the HoF.

You saying that it doesn't matter so much the magic level, but anti-MR items helps it go through?

[Saber Cherry]

Bow of Botulf causes feeblemindedness, which decreases stats as well as nerfing casters. Most SCs in my experience buff before combat, but I haven't encountered any hostile Iron Dragons yet, for example.

MR-breaking items are much more important than magic levels, since each point of penetration is worth 2 astral levels. It's not a very expensive spell, either.

Assassination by Eye Shield / Totem Shield / Suicide Bomb / Bane Blade / Damned Dagger / Flesheater / Fever Fetish / Eye of Aiming - equipped assassin can be effective against some SCs.