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OG_Gleep
April 22nd, 2006, 06:03 AM
What summons in the bunch are worth the gems for Gift of Reason? I haven't played with blood much so all of the units are pretty unfamilliar to me.

Vicious Love
April 22nd, 2006, 06:29 AM
Ettins and baguettes.

Saber Cherry
April 22nd, 2006, 06:59 AM
None are worth GOR. Some are pretty nice, though, if you have high luck. The 'standard' ones are fodder, and you can pick out the good ones based on their size.

DominionsFan
April 22nd, 2006, 07:17 AM
Saber Cherry said:
None are worth GOR. Some are pretty nice, though, if you have high luck. The 'standard' ones are fodder, and you can pick out the good ones based on their size.




I agree. Btw...the luck scale affects this? I mean if you have high luck scale, you can get more/better units from cross breading? I never tested it myself.

Nerfix
April 22nd, 2006, 09:28 AM
Luck scale does affect it as far as I know.

Oversway
April 22nd, 2006, 11:13 AM
Has anyone ever done well with an xbreeding strat? It seems like you wouldn't get enough good units for the cost. Why not just do fiends or devils?

Wish
April 22nd, 2006, 11:19 AM
the province you are in also effects it. I think you get more spiders in swamps or what have you.

Saber Cherry
April 22nd, 2006, 08:06 PM
Slaves are so valuable, and crossbreeds so fragile, that I almost never crossbreed. However, they take no upkeep, so I occasionally crossbreed for patrollers. I rarely take Luck, though. Crossbreeding might work well for luck/turmoil Pangaea, since it can cast with native mages.

Gandalf Parker
April 22nd, 2006, 09:16 PM
I find them happy to get some unusual things to mix into an army. For times when my opponent has too much info on my armies makeup and might build one that is perfectly counter to it. I do the same with summon animals. Both give a variety that you can make use of if you properly assign them to the right units

OG_Gleep
April 22nd, 2006, 09:33 PM
40 units is nice when you need to bulk out your army quickly, for 20 slaves is not a bad deal. Most blood units are hard to mass, and cost over 5 slaves per summon. 1/2 a slave per summon, and massing is worth it to me at the moment.

How are the crap units with buffs?

DominionsFan
April 23rd, 2006, 04:53 PM
Nerfix said:
Luck scale does affect it as far as I know.



Yeah I made a search on the forum, and I figured it out also. I think xbreeding can be a good strat with a high luck scale, but I never tried it yet. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Oversway
April 24th, 2006, 11:08 AM
I'll try it out in an sp game with turmoil and luck scales. I may use Pan, although I wonder how many of the expensive non sacred mages I can afford with those scales. Mictlan might be a better choice.

Ygorl
April 24th, 2006, 11:48 AM
I don't think I ever managed to cross-breed a baguette.

shovah
April 24th, 2006, 12:42 PM
same here, basalisks and a few others but never baguettes.

Oversway
April 24th, 2006, 01:40 PM
After trying it out real quick, I think Pan might not be the best choice. With high turmoil, you are already pumping out tons of meanads: you don't need even more fodder. Marginon df may have more use for them.

Gandalf Parker
April 24th, 2006, 01:46 PM
Maenads are great but they are all the same attack/defense. Putting them in with cross-breeding or summon-animals helps alot

Saber Cherry
April 25th, 2006, 06:56 AM
Ygorl said:
I don't think I ever managed to cross-breed a baguette.



I think you have to bake them. If you try to cross-breed a baguette, the other people in the bakery might start rumors about you...

Ygorl
April 25th, 2006, 12:20 PM
I always suspected I was doing something wrong - though, I must confess, I was thinking more along the lines of needing a higher luck scale than of needing a bakery.

NTJedi
April 25th, 2006, 05:35 PM
Saber Cherry said:
None are worth GOR. Some are pretty nice, though, if you have high luck. The 'standard' ones are fodder, and you can pick out the good ones based on their size.

----------------------------------------------------------

Slaves are so valuable, and crossbreeds so fragile, that I almost never crossbreed. However, they take no upkeep, so I occasionally crossbreed for patrollers. I rarely take Luck, though. Crossbreeding might work well for luck/turmoil Pangaea, since it can cast with native mages.



If you're going to GOR any crossbreeding units do the Ettin. I also rarely crossbreed units because the blood slaves can almost always be spent better elsewhere, most of these units need food, most of these units are weak, and I recall the Unit Guide listing them as having a gold upkeep... unlike other units from blood magic.

Oversway
April 25th, 2006, 05:59 PM
I tried it out with marignon df, and I think it can be a fun sp strat but not worth it for mp. Even with high luck you do not get that many good units for the blood. The weaker ones are better than milia, but not by enough to spend your blood on them. I cannot think of a nation that would find them useful.

If you are playing for fun, the grotesque looks worthwhile to GOR, as well as the ettin. Maybe the chimera, draco lion, or cockatrice, since you are just playing for the heck of it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I was trying to think how to mod crossbreeding to be worthwhile. You could lower the blood slaves and/or research level, yet another way to generate fodder isn't that great. I'd rather see the units be more interesting. More protection would be a big help, most of them have less than 10. More abilities would also be a plus.

Arralen
April 25th, 2006, 06:33 PM
Sadly, everything with less than 15HP and 15Prot/15Def dies to fast for its interesting abilities to have that much of an effect.

Maybe if some of them had elemental resistances .. would be useful against battle spells.

But oc only if you get enough of them - therefore their number should be greatly improve to make the spell worthwhile.

Valandil
April 25th, 2006, 11:44 PM
I tried wishing for a "Baguette"
I just don't understand it. If you can cross-breed it (even using a bakery) why can't you wish for one? I think a baguette would make an excellant unit, if properly equipped with the Green Eye, Nethgul, and Carcator.

Saber Cherry
April 26th, 2006, 12:38 AM
Valandil said:
I tried wishing for a "Baguette"
I just don't understand it. If you can cross-breed it (even using a bakery) why can't you wish for one?



Therein lies the misunderstanding, which I just realized comes from the thread title. You cannot crossbreed baguettes! They only come from crossbreading. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Oversway
April 26th, 2006, 12:58 PM
Maybe if some of them had elemental resistances .. would be useful against battle spells.




One of the tentacled ones is immune to cold. But I agree, more elemental resistances or prot/def.

Ygorl
April 26th, 2006, 08:34 PM
There must be some mistake. I was sure that was how to get challah?

Still not convinced about the baguette.


Saber Cherry said:

Valandil said:
I tried wishing for a "Baguette"
I just don't understand it. If you can cross-breed it (even using a bakery) why can't you wish for one?



Therein lies the misunderstanding, which I just realized comes from the thread title. You cannot crossbreed baguettes! They only come from crossbreading. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Cainehill
April 26th, 2006, 11:56 PM
And you _have_ to involve me or you can't get sourdough.

OG_Gleep
April 27th, 2006, 12:31 PM
QM - Did you ever consider changing X-Breading? I was actually surprised by the unanimous sentiment on the subject.