Mind Hunting and Astral levels

[GrudgeBringer]

Question...
I know S5 is good for late game as it is about where you want to be to protect yourself aagianst spells.

What i would like to know is...do I need to take S5 on my pretender BEFORE the game to aquire the protection, or can I take S4 and use a Cap to bring it up to 5 and will it do the same thing?

I was worried about it being like blesses, but S5 doesn't give that extra bless which made me wonder if I gould get by and spend the points elsewhere.

Thanks

[Trumanator]

I'm not sure I understand your question. S5 is for the most part only really good for pretenders w/3 misc slots, as it means they can wish, whereas most w/full slots need S6. If your talking about mind hunt protection, then I think S3 is all you need to catch them 90% of the time. If you're talking about magic duel, then obviously more S is better, but boosters wont help you, its only you're base that matters. I'm not sure how it works w/empowerment though.

[Illuminated One]

You mean magic duel I guess?

S1 is enough to protect from Mindhunts.

Magic Duel however works like this iirc:

Enemy base Astral (boosters are not counted) + d6 >= Your base Astral + d6 => you're dead

So even a S5 mage can die against a S1 mage. The chance is about 8%. Against a S2 mage the chance is about 16%.

[Trumanator]

S1 _does_ protect you from mindunts. However, IIRC its only something like a 30-40% chance of catching the hunter. Certainly sufficient to deter the majority of mind hunters, but against say, Arco, who will just heal them up again, or someone with the chalice, it might not be enough. If you want to guarentee protection, S3 is what you need.

[Calahan]

Magic Duel only takes the base Astral path of the affected mages into consideration. Increasing Astral via boosters or communions has no affect on the magic duel mechanics. Although when it comes to the Pretender, you are of course not limited by your starting Astral level at the beginning of the game, as you can always empower to higher levels. The only fixed things regarding magic paths in the design phase are the bless effects.


Edit: The below only applies to being safe against S1 mages. Sorry for any confusion it caused. Have not edited the below as it appears in thejeff's post below.

You need a base Astral of 7 to be completely safe from Magic Duel, if my info is correct.

[Trumanator]

Uhh, I would assume that an S9 pretender would kill an S7 w/magic duel?

[thejeff]

Originally Posted by Calahan

You need a base Astral of 7 to be completely safe from Magic Duel, if my info is correct.

To be completely safe from Magic Duel from S1 mages. 1+6 < 7+1
If your enemy is willing to burn S3-4 mages to kill your pretender, it's hard to be completely safe.

[Calahan]

Yes, many apologies, S7 only protects you from S1 mages. There is no such thing as being completely safe from Magic Duel, as it all depends on the Astral levels of the mages involved. A difference of 6 or more is required to offer safety.

[OmikronWarrior]

Does anyone have any experience using "decoys" mages again Mind Duel? Some nations have cheap S1 mages that can be recruited en masse and placed on the battlefield with a high value Astral Pretender. If Mind Duel preferentially targets lower Astral mages due to greater liklihood of success, it'd be a great boon. So, anyone with any experience?

[Sombre]

I believe it's either random or will go with the higher hp. Doesn't seem to go for the lower S level.