Hydra Tamer

[acesman]

I just started a game using Sauromatia, and recruited a Hydra Tamer. As far as I can tell the unit has no real purpose, did I miss something? I had hoped he could provide an occasional Hydra, but so far, nothing.

[calmon]

The only thing is that the tamer has a 100% Poison Resistence which helps against the Hydra Poison Clouds which appear arround the hydra on the battlefield.

[CogDissident]

I usually load him up with an item to give aura-courage, a battle standard or something, and maybe armor, and send him in right next to the hydras and hydra spawn. Hydras have suprisingly low morale for something that is really hard to kill.

[Corwin]

CogDissident said:
I usually load him up with an item to give aura-courage, a battle standard or something, and maybe armor, and send him in right next to the hydras and hydra spawn. Hydras have suprisingly low morale for something that is really hard to kill.



Maybe it's because in the past their insane regeneration allowed them to live through siuations where they would prefer to die rather than suffer... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[acesman]

I see, this is a unit for LEADING Hydras. They are rather weak, and have no protection at all. Definitely a unit in need of a lot of items to be ready for combat.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Or make sure he's behind his charges so he doesn't get hit...
When I tried to use Hydras (this in Dom2 so it might not work as well) I'd put the Tamer all the way at the back line scripted Attack*5 (he'd get to the equivalent of the front of "your" formation box by this time), Retreat. The Hydras would be all the way forward on Attack Archers. Cavalry would run up, get poisoned, kill selves chasing down retreating Hydras. The Legion would then show up and find a nearly empty province.
After Construction 2 I'd stick a Longbow of Accuracy on him. Placed on the center of the formation box, scripted to fire closest.
Fun, but less cost-effective than simply getting the right gear on an Assassin and dropping all the commanders.
That, and the Hydras would get scattered around the surrounding provinces.

[NTJedi]

acesman said:
I see, this is a unit for LEADING Hydras. They are rather weak, and have no protection at all.


By default it should be wearing the hydra skin armor... this tamer obviously spends most his life around these beasts it's only natural for them to use the hide of the hydras which died.

[Ygorl]

Well, you can't just wrap yourself up in some old dead skin and hope it does as well as a suit that's magically enchanted... It takes some real nature skill to keep that stuff from just rotting and sloughing off.

I love useful posts... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[NTJedi]

Ygorl said:
Well, you can't just wrap yourself up in some old dead skin and hope it does as well as a suit that's magically enchanted... It takes some real nature skill to keep that stuff from just rotting and sloughing off.




These Hydra Tamers spend their lives working, training and living among these beasts. During this lifetime I'm sure it's not as hard as you think to find a nature mage.
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Gandalf Parker]

I thought that they also had a bonus in keeping the hydras from routing?

[Cainehill]

If so, it's an invisible bonus. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif It'd really be nice if there were more unit icons depicting abilities, so players could have a better idea if something in a unit description actually means something, or is just flavor. (Or - a bug in the description remaining from Dom2 or another era's version of the nation.)

[Anaconda]

Gandalf Parker said:
I thought that they also had a bonus in keeping the hydras from routing?



So do they have this or not?

[Aezeal]

Or make sure he's behind his charges so he doesn't get hit...
When I tried to use Hydras (this in Dom2 so it might not work as well) I'd put the Tamer all the way at the back line scripted Attack*5 (he'd get to the equivalent of the front of "your" formation box by this time), Retreat. The Hydras would be all the way forward on Attack Archers. Cavalry would run up, get poisoned, kill selves chasing down retreating Hydras. The Legion would then show up and find a nearly empty province.
After Construction 2 I'd stick a Longbow of Accuracy on him. Placed on the center of the formation box, scripted to fire closest.
Fun, but less cost-effective than simply getting the right gear on an Assassin and dropping all the commanders.
That, and the Hydras would get scattered around the surrounding provinces.

--> if you givethe hydra's guard commander that last problem wouldn't be there anymore.. and the hydra's (who can take a beating and deal damage) could then attack all those poisoned troops... seems good to me (nad just leave the commanders standing in the back, no need to move forward

[Corwin]

Anaconda said:

Gandalf Parker said:
I thought that they also had a bonus in keeping the hydras from routing?



So do they have this or not?



I doubt it.

[capnq]

Aezeal said: if you givethe hydra's guard commander that last problem wouldn't be there anymore.. and the hydra's (who can take a beating and deal damage) could then attack all those poisoned troops... seems good to me (nad just leave the commanders standing in the back, no need to move forward

If you script any unit to guard commander, the unit will just walk towards the commander and not attack anything until the enemy comes to them.

[Wick]

Only if the commander is still on the map -- Aezeal's final command was "retreat".

[Aezeal]

nono
Just
1. commander (hydra tamer) in the back doing nothing in particular (a (cross)bow might be nice)
2. hydra's in front with guard commander command, maybe even in different groups to make it spread out nice along the map

they'd get a trail of poison to weaken the enemy and then, surrounding their commander wait there to kill the rest...
that is what I meant, what part is not possible?
To me it seems the most economical way to deal with most basic, non magic armies even if they are large.

[otthegreat]

The only problem is against armies dominated by archers.

[Dedas]

Use counter archers with poison on the flanks (to keep away from the hydras).