Rainbow Mages Worth It?

[Jam3]

I assume a rainbow mage is one trained in all schools? JC. Also can't you increase the skill with empowerment so you wouldnt neccessarily be stuck at 2 water all game.

You can, but Empowerment is in general a waste of gems. Water is an easy skill to increase. Robe of the Sea is (Water 3) and Water Bracelets (Water 1) are easy forging items to get higher up on the food chain.

Water also has the very useful Voice of Tiamat spell (if you have a decent number of water provinces on the map)

A Rainbow is one who has many magical paths, but not always "all". Fire and Earth are common, because you can Alchemize their gems, while Air has great items to forge. Astral is always good, and Nature has quite a few good items as well.

Rainbows are used for gem searching moreso than spell casting. Most spells they are regulated to are summons that summon a more focused unit that can stay in it's speciality element.

[void]

a ALL-4(but blood 0) Pretender is a funny one ^^
80% chance when you searching, sometimes you will find 3+ sites in an action.
it's so lovely...

Rainbow Pretender is a great smith too, with a omnipotent pretender, you can arm your combatants with lots really queasily equipment...

[PDF]

I'm a RM adept
I just think they're cooler, and more fun to play.
In SP they add to the challenge too, in MP they must be protected, but offer interesting diplomacy options, 'cause you'll have a use for any type of gems or item building ability : trade !
And you aren't stuck with low path level neither : don't empower (too costly), but build magic enhancing items of all kinds ! Those are generally available at Cons4 with path3 or Cons6 with path1. In the end your RB can have whenever he needs it level 5 in any path, cast potent spells or build powerful items.

OTOH I've been disappointed with "SC Pretenders" : bad research at start, not generally needed for early expansion, and too often getting afflictions or even get killed in battles ... High level magic don't give a big advantage until you have a good research.
Plus you have to invest heavily on them (items), it's too much in the same basket. Path9 blessings need heavy design investment, and are good for nations with many good sacred units, but ain't that much powerful with other nations.
Immortals are cool however, and some creatures such as Ghost King are a good compromise.

[General Tacticus]

I like Rainbows... A lvl 2 in most path is not that expensive (26 points by path with the "humans" pretenders), you can always skip some of them if you want... And later you can easily empower/forge your way to 4 in every path. The fact that I play on big maps is also a factor : searching by other means is either very time consuming (easily 5 or 6 mages that do nothing but searching) or expensive (Arcane Lore). And what if I have a 5 Death Gem income a turn which nobody but my pretender can use ? I can turn it into astral pearls, gold, empower someone, lots of possibilities...

I say, whoever wants to play Rainbows in Multiplayer, do it. More power!

But to those who already have and will in the future, don't ask why the nation with the SC is much larger and stronger than the nation with the Rainbow.

To each their own.

[PvK]

SC tends to have less research than RB, especially if SC is out playing war instead of studying at home. If RB chooses to use study to develop something that can stomp indies about as effectively as SC, then expansion may be nearly as good for RB, plus RB has a big head start on research.

All kinds of styles can work, or not work, depending on what you do and don't do with them. A RB mage who doesn't have a good plan, or who lets himself get killed, can be a lot worse than a SC, whose plan is pretty obvious. But there are some good and potent plans for RB's too - they're just less obvious.

PvK