Tips for newbs - just add

[Dedas]

Endoperez said:

What do you mean "waste"? Faster research is faster research, even if your researchers are also good in fights. There might be better options, but that doesn't make this one weak or wasteful, just not-quite-optimal.

Also, people tend to forget that Magic 3 gives several other benefits than just research points. For example:

• * 30% less fatigue when casting spells in combat.
  
  * -1 MR (actually good if your troops/mages have high MR and the enemy has low).
  
  * Some spells effectiveness rely on magic scale.

Pushing that magic scale into enemy lands (with dominion) could benefit your invasion a lot. It is also a good thing to have if attacked in some cases.

[mathusalem]

use boots of quickness to double the effect of items with spell (acid staff, Tempest, Sceptre of Corruption, Rod of Pheonix, Herald Lance, Rod of Kurgi, Sword of Justice, Crossbows & Bows, Crown of Overmight, Wand of Wild Fire, O'al Kan's Sceptre, Sun Slayer, Standard of the Dammed, Winter Bringer, Skull Standard)

ex : a non-mage commandant can cast 2 drain life per turn with boots of quickness and a Standard of the Dammed

Awaken Sleeper are great for this purpose : high precision and lot of hit points

About Combattants and low level paths
1 level in Water is good for quicken self
1 level in fire for fire shield
1 level in astral for luck / body etheral
1 level in death for reanimation
1 level in nature for protection / forge food / eagle Eyes
1 level in air for aim
2 level in air for mistform
3 level in death for soul vortex
1 level in blood for blood Vengeance



In blood :
Blood Boil is the only battle spell usable without slaves (1b & 1f)
Agony is really useful with High level caster, Harm too.
Infernal Prison or Claws of Kokytos are usefull for casting under astral corruption or to send to hell big horrors

[MaxWilson]

Dedas said:
Also, people tend to forget that Magic 3 gives several other benefits than just research points. For example:
[list]* 30% less fatigue when casting spells in combat.

Well, sort of. Depending upon the mage and the spell, the base encumbrance cost can be a significant fraction of the spell fatigue cost, and Magic scale doesn't help with that. For instance, if you're in a Communion, IIRC *every* communion slave takes encumbrance fatigue for every spell he participates in. In that case, you might as well be in Drain dominion because encumbrance is 80+% of your fatigue anyway. Magic helps when you cast big expensive spells on your own, not so much when you're casting cheap little spells like Cloud of Death.

-Max