Forge Bonuses

[SurvivalistMerc]

I am a bit confused on this and would appreciate it if a more experienced player could clarify which bonuses are cumulative with which.

Specifically...

ULM Smith/Inquisitor: 25% forge bonus
Dwarven Hammer: 25% forge bonus

(I know these are additive and that it takes 50% the normal cost to craft an item, rounded down. That rounding down often makes for a 60% reduction in item cost, which I really like.)

Cyclops Hammer: I'm assuming that this would be additive in a manner similar to the Dwarven hammer.

Spell: Forge of the Ancients: This supposedly gives a 50% reduction in gem cost.

Now...is this 50% achieved by multiplying the cost previous to it by 0.5? Or is it achieved by adding 50 to the total percentage reduction? If the latter, Ulm smiths would be able to forge gem-free with dwarven hammers once this spell has become active.

[Taqwus]

Never tried the global, but the Hammer of the Cyclops and the Hammer of the Forge Lord both act like a double-strength two-handed high-damage dwarven hammer i.e. total 75% off in hands of a Master Smith / Inquisitor.

[PvK]

Forge divides down the cost, but doesn't reduce it to zero!

However, it is an extremely effective bonus even so, especially combined with Ulmish smiths, dwarven hammers, and/or special forge sites. Bargain basement magic item bonanza, until it gets dispelled. Forge of the ancients also reduces the requirements to make more powerful items, which makes it possible to make items which increase powers, which is also super for Ulm.

PvK

[olaf73]

What exactly does 'more powerful' items mean? Better items without having to have researched them via Construction, (like artifacts at level 6 or something), or does everything you make have boosted effects?

olaf

[Teraswaerto]

Originally posted by olaf73:
What exactly does 'more powerful' items mean? Better items without having to have researched them via Construction, (like artifacts at level 6 or something), or does everything you make have boosted effects?

olaf

It probably means that the magic path requirements are reduced. If an item normally needed a mage with 3 earth 3 fire to make it, with the Forge a mage with 2 earth 2 fire would suffice.

[SurvivalistMerc]

Wow...that is quite a bonus. And it seems the gem cost is always rounded down, not up.

Thank all of you for your responses. This is something that is good to understand for someone who likes Ulm.

[Endoperez]

I remember fondly the time I could cast Wish in Dominions 1 for the first time... I wished for Dwarven Smith, empowered and gave him items until he could cast Wish himself, Wished for Magic few times and got Hammer of the Cyclops. I had Forge of the Ancients active, too... Robes of Invulnerability for only 1 earth gem...

BTW, I cheated in that game. I started with 15 provinces, few commanders in every one of them and all had the Djinn Lamp. I got about 20 Djinns, and wondered why they had such a low levels of magics...
My pretender was a Dagon with level 19 in every path, and my Prophet had holy-20... Have you ever seen an unholy-19 priest reanimate? You should, you really should. And think about Orb Lightning...

[ December 20, 2003, 17:48: Message edited by: Endoperez ]

[PvK]

How do you get an unholy-19 priest? By modding the map?

PvK

[Pocus]

yes thats that. And the better is yet to be known : you have also a +1 bonus level in mage paths that you DONT KNOW off !!

So to give a striking example, an astral 1 theurg can forge a fever fetish (fire 1 nature 1). Imagine what you can do with the right gems

[Pocus]

if you ever programmed in basic or anything else, then you can script. Something like

#commander "Archdevil"
#mag_fire 20

is rather straightforward I think.