Mind Hunting and Astral levels

[thejeff]

I think I read here somewhere that it'll actually target the higher S mage.

Easy enough to test I suppose.

[Illuminated One]

Well, I think it targets the highest s mage first, so I've always used mages with higher s than the SC in question.
Never got one cast at me though.

[chrispedersen]

Hard to statistically say.

My anecdotal last dozen mindhunts seems to agree higher s, then higher hp; magic duel.
In milkshake I killed a dozen or so Marignon's goetics.... and lesser astrals.

[OmikronWarrior]

Originally Posted by chrispedersen

Hard to statistically say.

My anecdotal last dozen mindhunts seems to agree higher s, then higher hp

Mind Hunt or Magic Duel?

[Sombre]

He must mean magic duel.

People get the names confused a lot. Most people say mind duel. It feels more like a mind duel than a magic duel.

[chrispedersen]

yeah I said magic duel at the end.. just couldn't correct it at the front because of time elapsed

[GrudgeBringer]

So if you need a level of 6 better than the casting mage to secure yourself from Magic Duel, then other than for Forging or cetain other spells (Arcane Nexas) ect there would be no real reason to put ANY Astral on your pretender as it draws duels...

Am I getting this right?

[TwoBits]

Originally Posted by GrudgeBringer

So if you need a level of 6 better than the casting mage to secure yourself from Magic Duel, then other than for Forging or cetain other spells (Arcane Nexas) ect there would be no real reason to put ANY Astral on your pretender as it draws duels...

Am I getting this right?

For pretenders you want to use as SCs, that is exactly right!

If you need strategic mobility on your pretender, you'd better go for Air and Cloud Trapeze. Low levels of Astral is just a sure way to get him killed if you send him against any race with Astral capability (or anyone who's found Lizard Shamans, etc.).

[thejeff]

Astral on the pretender is risky, but can be very useful.
Astral bless can be nice for some nations. Some of the immobile pretenders can get to S9 fairly cheaply, which pretty much eliminates the magic duel worry. High S levels allow for easy first round Mass Enslave attacks.

Lower levels of Astral are really nice for nations with little or no Astral magic. Forging Rings of Sorcery/Wizardry is one of the main keys to diversifying.

I also think the danger from Magic Duel is overstated. It's a threat certainly and really low levels of S should be avoided. With S5 or S6, anyone but nations with high S mages or cheap S1 mages aren't really a threat.

[Psycho]

If you take an immortal pretender you need not worry. And you could use him to magic duel enemy astral mages or SCs in your dominion.