what the heck are my Communion Slaves doing?

[alexti]

To my knowledge, helping master to cast spell requires slave's attention in that round, so if you want your communion slaves to be active, script the master to cast some spells and then attack (or do anything else but casting). I still couldn't make communion slaves to advance though.

[Peter Ebbesen]

Zooko said:
I just watched a battle and painstakingly transcribed every spell cast by my mages, and what their fatigue was after each turn. I have several questions:

1. Why did the Communion Slaves not cast any spells?

Because slaves just stand around stoned unless an enemy unit moves into close attack range of them.

2. Why did the Communion Master go out of script on turn 5?

Because there were no valid targets for immolation near him?

3. Why did a couple of the slaves change their minds and cast a couple of spells at the end of the battle (turn 18).

Because some enemy unit moved into attack range of the slaves triggering them? The slaves who began acting ought to be those closest to this hypothetical enemy unit.

4. Why does the fatigue get distributed unevenly?

5. Why does the fatigue get distributed differently when the Communion Master casts a spell on one turn than when he casts the same spell on the next turn (turns 6 & 7, turns 9 & 10 & 11, turns 14 & 15, turns 16 & 17)?

I wish I knew. I guess it is randomly determined for each spell cast how to divide it amongst the slaves. (Apart from their own spell encumbrance, which is always added in full)

6. Why does the Communion Master cast worse spells like Banishment or Solar Rays instead of better spells like Holy Pyre?

Because Banishment is a low fatigue spell with a very strong effect for high holy levels, and communion had boosted his holy skill? Against lots of troops, high level banishment is better than high level holy pyre. Against a few troops, holy pyre is better. And then again, perhaps it was just to be contrary.

7. Why do my mages sometimes recover as much as 8 fatigue per turn? (4 is due to Summon Earthpower)

Because you regain 5 fatigue each round your fatigue is >=100

Hmm. Wish I knew the answers to 4) and 5)

[Graeme Dice]

Peter Ebbesen said:
I wish I knew. I guess it is randomly determined for each spell cast how to divide it amongst the slaves. (Apart from their own spell encumbrance, which is always added in full)

Not always. With enough communicants, everyone involved only gets 1 fatigue apiece per spell.

[Zooko]

alexti said:
so if you want your communion slaves to be active, script the master to cast some spells and then attack (or do anything else but casting). I still couldn't make communion slaves to advance though.

Err, what are the other options? "Stay behind troops"? I always figured if I told him to stay behind troops then he would cast spells anyway (as long as he was behind troops). Oh, does that mean *immediately* behind troops? As in -- follow troops around? That would be interesting..

[alexti]

Zooko said:

Err, what are the other options? "Stay behind troops"? I always figured if I told him to stay behind troops then he would cast spells anyway (as long as he was behind troops). Oh, does that mean *immediately* behind troops? As in -- follow troops around? That would be interesting..

The obvious one is retreat. Another sort of option is to get killed, that in the case when you're bringing disposable weakling mage just to cast buffs. Stay behind troops will not work I think; the mage will still try to cast spells.

[Zooko]

More communion questions:

I have six mages. (I hope my enemies from the Argitoth MP game aren't reading this thread.)

I could make one be Communion Master and five Communion Slaves. This wouldn't give the master any more magic path boost than four Slaves, but it would spread the fatigue out a bit more.

Or I could make one be Master, four Slaves, and one neither.

Or I could make two Masters and four Slaves. Now if I did that, would each Master get a +1 boost and spread the fatigue among two Slaves each, or would each one get a +2 boost, and spread the fatigue among all four slaves?

[archaeolept]

the latter. however, in any battle not excessively short, the slaves will have a good chance of being killed off due to fatigue. it helps if you have a nature 3 mage casting relief.

[Zooko]

General fatigue question:

Why did my Magus go from fatigue 0 to fatigue 45 after casting Body Ethereal. I double-checked and there were no extra fatigue effects such as "excessive heat". His encumbrance was listed as "6", and his spellcasting encumbrance was listed as "6". Body Ethereal is listed as costing "20-" fatigue. It is an A1 spell and my Magus has A1.

This is kind of irritating. If there is some reason why he gets extra fatigue then the game should tell me what it is!

P.S. I'm irritated because I scripts my Magi to do Body Ethereal, Luck, Body Ethereal, Communion Slave. However because the spells inexplicably cost twice as much fatigue as expected, they tired out and didn't cast Communion Slave, thus screwing up my tactic.

[Zooko]

the latter. however, in any battle not excessively short, the slaves will have a good chance of being killed off due to fatigue. it helps if you have a nature 3 mage casting relief.

Well my Communion Masters can cast Summon Earthpower. I think that will help a lot!

Question: does the +1 Earth that Summon Earthpower gives to the Slaves have any effect on their fatigue? That is, in general, do the magic path levels of the slaves have any effect on Communion?

[Graeme Dice]

Zooko said:
Why did my Magus go from fatigue 0 to fatigue 45 after casting Body Ethereal.

He has a spellcasting encumbrance of 6 and is likely sitting in a drain dominion. That's assuming that there are no fatigue causing effects in play.