Indy commanders with magic items

[Saxon]

Some indies are pretty tough, but it is usually in relation to your nation. If I am playing SP without Ermor and then get a Indy 9 of undead, I may not have the right armies to take them. I have noticed the Indies have more variety and decent mages than in Dom II, which is a nice touch.

[Endoperez]

There are few special provinces with special defenders. Usually it's just an Adept of Pyriphlegaton (Fire mage), few Abysian Infantriess and perhaps a Salamander or two, but few that guard unique items are usually tougher. The report will be pretty clear in those cases.

Here's a short list of some more common province types that are tougher to take, or have worse enemies:
Knights and Longbowmen, Elephants (with militia and slingers), Dark Vines (with some Bloodhenge Druids), Shark Knights, Amber Clan Tritons... and Devils. If you see Devils in an independent province, be afraid! Soul Contract the item gives one devil per turn. If an independent commander starts with it, the province will be FULL of Devils. Flying, trident-wielding, nasty Devils.
Because events can now afffect independent provinces, it's theoretically possibly for them to be affected by events. Independent attackers that would take control of your province join its original defenders. If Knights and/or Barbarians have joined forces with units that don't fit the theme, the provinces can be very hard to take. Also, beware Bogus the Troll. He attacks randomly, and he and his merry men have devastated many armies indeed.

[Hullu]

When commanders rout into a dead end (die after routing), are their items gone for good?

And isn't that the case every time an independent commander routs?

[thejeff]

Yeah, they have to actually be killed on the field.

If they get away, you don't get their stuff.

[freykin]

Hardest one I have run into so far was a lich, wearing a crown I've never seen before that let him create mummies.

I wasted so many troops on him just to try and get that crown for myself ><

[Gandalf Parker]

For some reason I always thought that it made a difference that you had commanders near them when they died. I havent tested it, it just seemed that combat commanders that charged in had better results than the ones that stayed behind. Or maybe I just wanted it to work that way.

Anyway, I often had mounted commanders or flying commanders set to attack rear when I knew there was a magic item I wanted.

[Shovah32]

I dont think being near them helps but flying/mounted units have a better chance of catching and killing them before they flee the battle. As endo said if you see a province with devils it probably has a soul contract so, if you plan on evert taking it do it asap (on bigger maps ive had to fight indys with 100+ devils)

[Ironhawk]

freykin said:
Hardest one I have run into so far was a lich, wearing a crown I've never seen before that let him create mummies.

That is probably Amon Hotep, an artifact crown.

[Taqwus]

Nah. It's Katafagus the Lich, and his crown is named after him. Amon Hotep is nicer, at least for a mage (MR -and- Invulnerability in a head slot -- saves body slot for rainbow armor, robe of shadows, Calius, souls, what have you, robe of the archmage if you're feeling lucky ).

Those Cyclops... that hammer was the Hammer of the Cyclops, and it's unique -- but there IS a unique forgeable 2-hd hammer with the same forge bonus. No, you don't get free forging if you give both hammers to a Nataraja mage.