Blood SCs

[jotwebe]

Originally Posted by Redeyes

One warlock's effect doesn't really matter.

It does force you to hand out more slaves than you would otherwise, since a wounded slave isn't a usable as a sacrifice anymore. So any that catch fire are useless.

It also means you're constrained to not give him bodyguards with heat aura, which is another annoyance.

It's true though that the main thing with blood slaves is that you should have a scout along and hand out slaves as needed, but that's the same with normal gems.

Concerning imps: they have two attacks, so they profit somewhat more than others from Blood Lust/Rush of Strength, but they won't if they're summoned after the buff was cast. Mostly I see them as a Summon Swarm that's not as good a distraction but with a small offensive potential.

[Amhazair]

Originally Posted by jotwebe

Mostly I see them as a Summon Swarm that's not as good a distraction but with a small offensive potential.

Oh, man. This takes me back to the days when Swarm was an almost full-proof SC killer. Don't actually quite remember how it worked, (Something with doing 1AN damage each, so not really counterable?) but boy, was it fun.

[brxbrx]

Originally Posted by jotwebe

It does force you to hand out more slaves than you would otherwise, since a wounded slave isn't a usable as a sacrifice anymore. So any that catch fire are useless.

It also means you're constrained to not give him bodyguards with heat aura, which is another annoyance.

It's true though that the main thing with blood slaves is that you should have a scout along and hand out slaves as needed, but that's the same with normal gems.

Concerning imps: they have two attacks, so they profit somewhat more than others from Blood Lust/Rush of Strength, but they won't if they're summoned after the buff was cast. Mostly I see them as a Summon Swarm that's not as good a distraction but with a small offensive potential.

You know, you would think that Abysians would have virgins of their own to sacrifice.

[krpeters]

Originally Posted by Immaculate

If the caster doesn't deem the threat worthy of using gems, then they'll just cast sabbath master, sabbath slave without using slaves.

In CBM, master/slave doesn't cost any slaves. In vanilla, *every* blood spell costs slaves. So my guess is that in vanilla the blood mage will keep casting "summon imp" as it feels it has to cast something and sees this as the least worst choice.

[JonBrave]

Originally Posted by krpeters

In CBM, master/slave doesn't cost any slaves.

Thanks, didn't realise that change (am playing my first CBM, SP). That makes a difference. On that topic, in CBM what is the deep significance of sabbath master/slave being Fatigue "99-" instead of "100-", please?

[rdonj]

The fatigue cost determines the gem cost of a spell. Each 100 requires an additional gem. So 99 is high enough that the casting cost difference is irrelevant, but allows you to cast without needing a slave.

[Bat/man]

That 99 fatigue cost seems like an improvement but it is really a terrible nerf.

It means that the AI can (and now - will) cast slave and master and fatigue himself out of a fight.

this can happen if
a). the blood mage has few spells researched.
b). No spells in range.

So, this makes scripting more difficult

It gets worse.

Even though the spell theoretically consumes no slaves - intermittently, it will in fact consume a slave.

This makes slave management more difficult.

Finally, it truly bolluxes up communions, reverse communions, and linebacker communions (qv).

if one of the mages that you intend to be communion slaves casts master it can prevent all slaves following it to *not* cast a spell. (remember all slaves cease casting upon the first cast by a master).

So, all in all, that 1% fatigue change is pretty huge change.

[Soyweiser]

A nerf? I thought it was pretty op. Way easier to make communions. Esp for b2+ nations.

[jotwebe]

On the whole it CBM helps blood sabbaths a lot. It's true that B1 mages provided by high PD can now mess things up, but if you place your dudes so that they won't have access to slave, there's nothing they can do after having cast sabbath master. And in vanilla, the slave costs for a big sabbath would be pretty huge.

Oh, and: Sabbath + Reinvigoration = Profit.

[Fantomen]

Originally Posted by Bat/man

That 99 fatigue cost seems like an improvement but it is really a terrible nerf.

It means that the AI can (and now - will) cast slave and master and fatigue himself out of a fight.

this can happen if
a). the blood mage has few spells researched.
b). No spells in range.

So, this makes scripting more difficult

It gets worse.

Even though the spell theoretically consumes no slaves - intermittently, it will in fact consume a slave.

This makes slave management more difficult.

Finally, it truly bolluxes up communions, reverse communions, and linebacker communions (qv).

if one of the mages that you intend to be communion slaves casts master it can prevent all slaves following it to *not* cast a spell. (remember all slaves cease casting upon the first cast by a master).

So, all in all, that 1% fatigue change is pretty huge change.

If you think it's a nerf you just don't understand how to use it. It is, in fact, a huge boost. All the problems you've listed are either imaginary, insignificant or easy to avoid.