Equipment: which to use and what to avoid?

[chrispedersen]

Clearly the death item mentioned rocks - but it isn't necessarily so that owl quills are a bad idea.

If I have a small caster, something like a 1-2 path with 1-2 levels in each path, and a drain scale, so my net research is 5 or so...

spending one character action to add 3 build points is worthwhile (imo).

[llamabeast]

Avoid the crystal shield? It can be invaluable to my mind.

[quantum_mechani]

On a SC? It seems pretty overpriced and heavy for that position.

EDIT: Owl quills are pretty marginal in most cases, skull mentor have their niche, but lightless lanterns are even better.

[Valandil]

The question concerned items in general, not just scs, though.

Also, why avoid red/blue dragon but not green? Is poison res that much better than fire/cold?

[otthegreat]

Why not bane blades? They seem like a decent early weapon.

[quantum_mechani]

Valandil said:
The question concerned items in general, not just scs, though.

Also, why avoid red/blue dragon but not green? Is poison res that much better than fire/cold?

Hmm, I read it more as for building SCs, but in any case I'm not convinced on the crystal shield for any purpose. If you have the astral to forge one communions and power of the spheres can almost always fill the niche.

On dragon armor, really green armor is pretty bad too, but unlike the other two there are cases where you might totally lack access to armor with a decent protection value other that.

Bane blades are basically trinkets requiring more research. Most trinket weapons are slightly better in stats and the decay effect (in that context) is almost 100% useless. When equipped on a SC, weak things will die quickly anyway, and it's quite ineffective agaist enemy SCs.

[sector24]

I really like the Spirit Helmet even if it's not the most efficient helm. And of course I have to mention clams because no one else has yet.

[Lingchih]

The Crystal Shield is too heavy for anything but an undead commander who doesn't get any encumbrance to carry. I lost a good Gorgon by stupidly equipping one that I got in a luck event.

[vfb]

Green Dragon armour is not good because if you could make it, you could have made Hydra Skin instead, freeing up a misc slot and getting 100%PR instead of 75.

I build a few Horror Helmets if I'm not worried about being mind hunted, and I've got enough death gems. Don't build Skulls much unless I've gone drain-2. Snake Bladders plus Horror Helmets can be good for killing morale and stripping Glamor. Vine Shields are good if you can't make Charcoal Shields.

Armor of Souls is great if you can forge it and have the slaves. You can even squish the slaves with your Dwarven Hammer etc, unlike the contracts.

[Baalz]

quantum_mechani said:
Hmm, I read it more as for building SCs, but in any case I'm not convinced on the crystal shield for any purpose. If you have the astral to forge one communions and power of the spheres can almost always fill the niche.

I've had a couple times when crystal shield was quite useful. When you're one level short of that devastating spell (army of gold, weapons of sharpness, darkness, wrathful skies, fog warriors, etc.) and your caster doesn't have astral. True, this is a niche use, but one that I find comes up a decent amount of the time. True, a communion can sometimes fill this role, but being able to air drop in a single tough guy to cast earthquake/flame storm/etc., returning the turn the enemy army moves to attack you is not really possible to duplicate with a communion.