Brainstorming Nation Strategies

[Ferrosol]

Originally Posted by Dragar

W9N5 looks like a shaky SC to me for a non-immortal pretender. Earth and astral are pretty key for the required self-buffs in my opinion.

I once used W9 on an SC pretender, Son of Niefel for Utgard, as he also has cold power and a cold aura. The synergy was good and I had the smattering of other schools required to make him very tough to kill. I've never really considered it viable for another chassis

For what it is worth I agree with you but I was just trying to suggest a pretender that combines good enough scales with a bless and some SC potential. Personally I would probably go with some sort of awake pretender and ignore your sacreds. The question is which awake pretender do you go with? I have a hard time looking past a Prince of Death in that it gives you access to death magic (the one magic path you are really lacking)and makes a decent SC in his own right.

[LDiCesare]

EA T'ien Ch'i
-W9F9 bless for warriors of the four elements (they can rush).
-Water demon Summons. Berserk, sacred.
-Fire demon Summons. Fly, hurl fire wheels.
-Flying celestial masters casting acid bolts/rains.
-Communions for celestial masters and late game battle spells or reverse communions.
-Use pretender for flaming arrows when he awakens/breaks free.
-Use Internal alchemy to save your best Celestial masters from old age (but beware madness).
-Empower one of your death mages to start ramping up death path to get access to late game death magic.

[Kref]

Any giant nation:

Game mechanic's doesn't allow place a unit "between" two single squares.
So, 4 and 5 sized creatures make formations with the same density of units per square as 6 sized creatures.
It means it is possible to add 1-sized creatures to the squads of 5-sized creatures in a rate of 1:1, 2-sized creatures to 4-sized creatures in a rate 1:1, and 1-sized creatures to a 4-sized creatures in a rate 2:1.
I've just discovered that and didn't tested, also I didn't read this in guides. Testing is needed to discover reasonable mixes for giant nations. I think that it can increase the durability of giants by reducing amounts of blows at them per turn. I suppose small beings with high defence would suit better for such mixes.

[Swan]

LA Marignon
-your crossbowman are pretty good for their price, with 10 AP dmg every 2 turns. also the mace allow them to damage something before being killed.
-you have stealth preacher, they can be pretty annoyng.
-your H3/H2 priest are worth double to spread your dominion in another dominion, so dom killing is a choice.
-flagellants + high inquisitor + B9 bless= high damage kamikaze ready to curse your enemy SCs; but is a drastic choice.
-chartmaker is a random pick only mage, so it can be recruited without a lab.
-the paladin is a pretty nice thug, imo, just add some misc items and a brand and he's ready.
-sailing commanders allow you to surprise attack

[Redeyes]

I'll point out that Paladins only are available in the MA, LA Marignon doesn't really have a proper, recruitable, thug chassi.

[Squirrelloid]

I think he meant MA. At least, iirc inquisitors are MA also. (The inquisition has ended by LA).

Ok, the sailing commanders are LA. Maybe he's just confused?

[Gandalf Parker]

Since this thread was already resurrected:
on the comments about how to deck out a Pan Assassin one of the things I push for is Charm or Hell Bind. If the assassination fails, you can still turn the commander to your side. If it works you either end up with a commander + equipment (and taking him down 1 commander at the same time), or you get another combat where the commander attacks his old followers. Both spells require gem/slaves but luckily with Pangaea you have flying scouts which makes refill deliveries very easy to manage.

Having a full army stealthed nearby can make for a quick move-in and setup house in the midst of the enemies territory forcing him to shift armies away from the provinces nearer you.
(works best in big map games)

[Knai]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Parker

Since this thread was already resurrected:
on the comments about how to deck out a Pan Assassin one of the things I push for is Charm or Hell Bind. If the assassination fails, you can still turn the commander to your side. If it works you either end up with a commander + equipment (and taking him down 1 commander at the same time), or you get another combat where the commander attacks his old followers. Both spells require gem/slaves but luckily with Pangaea you have flying scouts which makes refill deliveries very easy to manage.

When did they add gems required for Charm? I currently have the original, unpatched version of the game, and Charm doesn't need gems. Since I do the same thing with EA Arco, using the Oreiad. Given that Seduce basicaly never works she is an assassin anyways, and scripting Mistform/Charm/Lightningbolt/Spells has a decent success rate.

[Swan]

ops, seems like i forgot to split the post in MA and LA

[Starshine_Monarch]

More on LA C'tis

If lying dormant isn't really your thing, with CBM C'tis also has access to the very thematic Lord of the Gates pretender that can easily be turned into an early game SC. Try this build on for size:

Awake Lord of the Gates
A2 E3 D5
Dom 9 O3 H3 L-1 M1

Like I said before, Magic 1 is sort of a luxury. A helpful luxury, but still ultimately something you won't really need in the end with so many research boosters going around. You can trade out Magic 1 and instead take Dom 10 for +2 to your Awe or buy E4, A3 or D6 if you're so inclined.

The Lord of the Gates is meant to supercharge your expansion so that you have more gold to spend on more forts and thusly buy more Sauromancers with which to climb up the research ladder faster. Awe and Fear is a great combination, and his basic weapon creates even more fear with each swing. Once you dip into Alteration, this guy becomes quite formidable as he can now lay down Ironskin, Summon Earthpower and Mistform early on, protecting him against lots of things. With Air magic also comes the ability to Cloud Trapeeze, allowing him to show up wherever he's needed most. The Shades and Shade Beasts he generates are ethereal and can block for him while he's buffing up, as well as providing some chaff for him to eat when he puts down Soul Vortex. (Shades are not lifeless, but I haven't tested if SV works on undead at all)

The Lord is no slouch in the lab either. He's really the only guy you have that can give you the Dwarven Hammers you need to build your Skull Mentors. He can also make a pair of Earth Boots for an Earth random Sauromancer so that you can start off Gnome Lore. With D5, the Lord of the Gates is already able to summon Tartatians with just a Skull Staff and Skullface. No expensive Empowerment needed. This is of course after he or one of your D4 Sauromancers uses those to put up Well of Misery. If you can find a province with your old buddies the Lizard Shamans, a (relatively) cheap 30 gem empowerment will give them all they need to forge a Thistle Mace and Moonvine Bracelet, so you then have someone to cast Gift of Reason on your Tartarians. With a Cap and a Coin, this Shaman can also forge the Chalice if you somehow manage to get to it first.

With the magic you put on your LotG and a few boosters, he's also quite a nice combat mage (As if you need any more of those). In addition to the stuff any Sauromancer can lay down, minus the Fire Evocations, The Lord can cast fun stuff like Wailing Winds, Wind of Death, Marble Warriors, Army of Gold/Lead, Earthquake, Rain of Stones and Weapons of Sharpness.