Alexander's ever-expanding Tome of Knowledge

[Pocus]

By the way, where is Alex? Not seen since more than a month...

[JaydedOne]

Just thought I'd bump this thread as it's been a month and I consider it one of the more useful/imaginative compilations out there for players looking to pick up a few new tricks.

I'd add some of my own, but I'm afraid I have to admit to not having had the time or experience to be anywhere near this creative yet.

[Nagot Gick Fel]

SACRIFICIAL LAMBS

(Actually I haven't tried this - yet. But I think it should work).

(1) deploy a bunch of communicants in the front line.

(2) have a communion master with blood magic cast Blood Vengeance. The more communion slaves, the better. Theoretically a +4 communion (ie, at least 16 slaves) should allow even a blood-1 mage to cast a level 6 Blood Vengeance. Anything but the most resilient troops should annihilate themselves on your communicants.

[Gateway103]

Curious, if enemy casts Wrathful Sky, or any non-directly damaging spells, Blood Vengenence won't work would it? Similarly, if they have high MR, BV doesn't work too well either I think...

And isn't BV Blood 9 spell? So you also need to bring a bit of blood slaves in addition to communicants.

-Gateway103

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by Gateway103:
Curious, if enemy casts Wrathful Sky, or any non-directly damaging spells, Blood Vengenence won't work would it?

I would think that it would, since the wrathful skies depends on the caster still being alive, so it's tied to them.

Similarly, if they have high MR, BV doesn't work too well either I think...

That's the point of using many communicants to boost the blood level of the caster so that it's more difficult to resist the effects of the blood vengeance.

And isn't BV Blood 9 spell? So you also need to bring a bit of blood slaves in addition to communicants.

You'd only need 1 blood slave to have it effect all the communion slaves.

[Yossar]

Does high level blood magic make blood vengeance harder to resist? I tried casting it with a Blood-5 caster and still got Blood Vengeance +0.

[st.patrik]

Time to add a humble addition to this august thread.

This isn't a new strategy, but something fun to do with THE PERFECT STORM.

People in the past have complained about the unique item 'sandals of the crane' - saying that they cannot conceive of a use for it. Well it seems to me that the sandals of the crane and the perfect storm go together like hand and glove. The problem with the perfect storm is that sooner or later the opposing troops are going to get to you - especially if you're facing fast-moving units. Equip your death dealing commander with the sandals of the crane and a couple of items to give high protection/defense and then sit back and enjoy the show, as the opposing army runs first one way and then the other, trying to catch up with your teleporting mage; meanwhile the wrathful skies is slowly (or not so slowly) destroying his army. Since the effect of the sandals of the crane is automatic, your handy-dandy mage can cast other things, either to speed the killing process, or to buff him or herself.

I tried this with a Virtue pretender equipped with a robe of invulnerability and said sandals, and the result was quite pleasing, although I'm sure that it would work with a crone as well.

needless to say this would also work with foul vapours, or any other damaging battlefield enchantment. one hint though - load up on reinvigoration items

[Pocus]

FORWARD, MARCH:

Not a combos per se, but something rather interesting to know:

The common behavior for troops with melee and missile weapons (ex legionaries) are to use them as infantry, and order them to hold&attack or attack closest.
It results often in the troop engaging the enemy, and firing a volley of pilum in a suboptimal manner (sometime they dont, sometime only the Last line fire, etc.)

Now use them as archers. Order your legionaries, or javelin thrower to fire. Just that, fire.
What will happen? If they have ammo and an enemy in range, they fire. Each time. Its a great improvement compared to the standard behavior.
If they dont have enemy in range, or dont have any more javelins, they move to close and engage the enemy. For archers it is somehow problematic, for legionaries, its what you want.

So try this order, you will see that you get far more pilums and javelins thrown, and they still act as infantry after.

As I said, a very small trick...

[archaeolept]

time to bump this classic. I checked who was Online, and it indicates what threads they are currently reading, and two were reading this thread...

[Vicious Love]

FLAMING EXPLOITS

Ingredients:


Thaumaturgy 1 OR Blood 1 OR COnstruction 4(Or was it 6?), Alteration 7, Conjuration I forget how much and am too lazy to check

1. One or more mages with (Astral OR Blood OR Communion Matrix) AND Fire

2. A billion communicants. Scouts or thugs with matrices will do, but astral/blood mages will likely be feebleminded ere the battle is through.

Optional ingredients include a relief-casting nature mage, Medallions of Vengeance and Inner Sun rituals, and a communion master capable of casting Breath of Winter, Soul Vortex, Invulnerability, Mistform, Mirror Image, and so on, and so forth. But especially BoW and Soul Vortex.
Sandals of the Crane on the communion master would be a beautiful, if potentially catastrophic, addition.


Instructions:


Script mage/s to Communion/Sabbath Master(Or give 'em matrices, to save precious time and queue depth), Phoenix Pyre, Summon Earthpower(Reinvigoration 4!), Fire Shield(Or Phoenix Power, then Fire Shield), Blink, then either cast spells or attack, depending on lifespan and number of communicants, and on whether a nature mage casting relief/communion master casting Reinvigoration is present*.
Spectate.
Avoid confrontation with 0 encumbrance, cold-, fire-, and Soul Vortex-immune foes.**



* Hold on, would this WORK? Would ALL communion slaves recover 100 fatigue?
Also, are there any spells beside this and Summon Earthpower which reinvigorate the caster?

** This strategy has never been tested, and may well be bollocks.