Best setup for Acro-Multiplayer

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I'm not even sure "human" pretenders are good as Rainbows, a GK is quite better for a very few more points.

For example, to get a good base A3 E2 F3 W2 S3 D2 N2, and dom 6, scales at 0, you have :
Human mages cost 385 to 400
GK costs 428
Nagas cost 480
Master Lich costs 540 (with D3) and is immortal
PoD is at 560
Oracle is at 400, but is immobile and has very few slots so should have more paths.

The difference is thus in the 30-160 range (1 to 4 scales), and I'd rather have 3 scales less and a PoD than an Archmage...

[Alneyan]

Agreed; human Pretenders really shine if you prefer cheapness over quality, or if you need those extra points badly. The big problem is the Ghost King here: it costs almost the same as a human Pretender, but has much better stats and abilities (Ethereal, Amphibian, two elemental resistances, Stealthy, Chill, 35 hitpoints and 18 defence), *and* a base Dominion value of 3. The other Pretenders you mention seem more or less fine: they are more powerful, but cost more.

Some human Pretenders do have "perks" however, and those might be of interest... though opinions will vary.
- The Great Enchantress gives Astral pearls, and that may be helpful to get an Astral economy up and running, especially if there are few sites. Having Astral will compel her to reach at least level 5 or 6 in Astral however, and that won't come cheap.
- The Crone lacks a body slot, but comes with *four* miscellaneous slots, as many as the immobiles. That might be interesting if you need as many miscellaneous items as possible, for your spellcasting: for example, the Crone can carry the Rune Smasher, a Crystal Shield, a Starshine Cap, a Ring of Sorcery/Wizardry, the Green Eye and a Spell Focus, resulting in a +8 penetration bonus and +4 astral in battle (effectively +10 penetration). Whether this is of any interest is another matter. Nations that have the ***** Queen should forget about the Hag however.
- The Arch Druid is the only Pretender for Man having Recuperation and having cheap paths; it also comes with Stealth, making it possibly easier to protect. Hmm.
- The Master Alchemist for Ulm, if you want gold. Lots of it.
- The ***** Queen, besides making your opponents smirk, has some of the best stats of all human Pretenders, while still being cheap. Problem is, her Precision is of 5, so she won't be able to hit the broadside of a barn with a Lightning Bolt. Besides, she can Shapechange into a Hag, whose uses have been described above, without losing her magic (unlike the Dragons).

I cannot say I am all too interested in the other human Pretenders, like the Great Sage or the Frost Father. My own favourite in the above list is the ***** Queen, apparently the most sturdy of all human Pretenders, and yet able to shapechange into one of the best "hulls" for spellcasting. Not bad for a mere 40 points, I would say, but few nations have access to the ***** Queen.

[WraithLord]

Alneyan said:
I cannot say I am all too interested in the other human Pretenders, like the Great Sage or the Frost Father. My own favourite in the above list is the ***** Queen, apparently the most sturdy of all human Pretenders, and yet able to shapechange into one of the best "hulls" for spellcasting. Not bad for a mere 40 points, I would say, but few nations have access to the ***** Queen.

What is your opinion on the serpent king for ctis? - can also change shape, has poison immunity. how does he compare to other human pretenders?

[Alneyan]

I hate C'tis with a passion, so I have no opinion on their Pretender. The serpent form seems adequate, but it has very few item slots under this form (and a strategic move of 1 only).

Still, I would say it is better than something like the Archmage (and the other human Pretenders not starting with any magic path); it will be more expensive than those Pretenders starting with one path, however. I guess that would make the Serpent King a better choice than the other human Pretenders for C'tis. Keep in mind I have never played C'tis however, so that's only speculation.

[Glock30]

I agree with the routing comment Ironhawk. My rookie solution is to use the Preistesses (often more than 1) and have them cast Serm. of Courage on turn 3. This seems to work well for both Elephants and Chairiots. I keep regular troops way off to the side of the battlefield to avoid being trampled by any Ele. or Chair. that might be fleeing the scene.

Your thoughts?