Dealing with Ocean Nations

[Zonso]

Hi, I recently purchased Dom3 and have been having a blast. What a great game! I normally play historical simulations but a friend recommended this and I haven't regretted it.

Anyways I am in a bit of a dilemma and am in need of some advice. I am playing Pangea on a map with a fair number of ocean areas. Oceania(AI) declared war on me several turns ago and it has been a source of frustration since! They have huge armies and can invade several of my territories at will and I can do little but respond afterwards. I have one province where I can build Ichtyids, and after building up almost 200 of the buggers along with a couple of Pans with the water breathing amulet, I did conquer one of their provinces. Only to be utterly destroyed the next turn by their combined 400+ armies!

So it is back to playing fire brigade on my territory. Worse now is Oceania has built Forts right next to my land provinces. I have no Water mages, no Water gem income and have yet to see any Merc Mages with Water. I am about ready to pack it in as it's turning into a losing battle of attrition(Pangean troops are expensive) and soon Oceania will get a foothold and I won't be able to push them back.

Any advice or strategy? Thanks.

[Tuidjy]

Pretty much the only way of dealing with 400+ armies is to build supercombatants
that can kill them by themselves. Against the AI, this should not be too hard.
Tell us more about your research, mostly about your summoning and forging
capabilities.

[Zonso]

Hmm, yes I was half-thinking that as I am currently researching towards Lamia Queens to get Bane Lords, but to be honest after the last big battle I am not so sure. I have a few Carrion Lords reanimating, but not in any sufficient numbers. Can undead go underwater?? I am new to the game so don't know all the ins and outs and unit capabilities. I have put up Mother Oak and Gift of Health and have Construction 4. I haven't been able to research much as the money has been going towards rebuilding my armies.

[Lingchih]

Don't worry too much about attacking them in the water. That will come in time. Beat them back off of the land (should not be too hard... Oceania's troops suck on land), and try to find some provinces that can recruit indy amphibians (Shamblers... etc.). In the meantime, empower some mages with water magic (use alchemy to get the water gems if you have to). Ultimately, you should be able to keep them off the land, and eventually have an amphibious army that can attack them.

[NTJedi]

Zonso said:
...
They have huge armies and can invade several of my territories at will and I can do little but respond afterwards.

... utterly destroyed the next turn by their combined 400+ armies!

... Worse now is Oceania has built Forts right next to my land provinces.
...
Any advice or strategy? Thanks.

Hopefully you have some death gem income... the undead armies can be gathered in great numbers and most undead can travel underwater. If you're stuck with only nature and earth gem income you'll have to focus on mechanical men.
You'll need time to build strong armies to march into those waters... hopefully you can hold your borders. SCs are an option as well yet make sure you can protect yourself before stealing underwater enemy provinces.

[vfb]

If you are playing EA, you could go for a dominion kill instead of trying to invade the water. You still need to hold off his armies on land, but the AI likes to park on your castles, and if you can fill one up with some chaff and strong animal summons it will take forever for your walls to come down.

EA Pan has half-price temples, jade knives (N+B Pans), and blood sacrifice. Temple up, catch a few slaves (B2 Pan or B1 with a rod), preach out a few red candles with your Dryads (even sneaking Dryads can do this in enemy provinces, set orders to retreat in case you are caught), and sacrifice everywhere with Dryads and/or indy priests wielding jade knives.

[Juzza]

You know what'd be a cool? a spell called "Boil The Oceans" though you'd have to incorporate a 'water level percentage' This would determine weather the water is Sea or Deep sea. Now as for the spell! Fire spell, level 9, in a fitting school of magic anyway, it slowly, boils the oceans away leaving wastelands in it's wake. All aquatic creatures die, and armies from the lands can walk in the now empty seas. The oceans would remain dry until the spell is dispelled or the caster dies. However, not all underwater nations has astral magic and the most vulnerable nation, to this spell would be early age Oceania which has nearly all aquatic unit, I'd suggest a water spell that envelopes one province totally in water, the spell would only be able to be cast while there there is a water percentage left in the province.

Oh, and sry it's a lill' off topic, but it would make it easy to take out sea nations eh?

Except if they dispel it, then wooosh!

[Endoperez]

That could've been done in Dominions 1. There the map would've actually changed, the blue (water) pixels changing into yellow (wasteland). In Growth dominion, the wasteland might even have changed into fields or forests. The maps were very ugly, though, so the current system is good enough IMHO, even if we won't get spells like that.

[Loren]

Endoperez said:
That could've been done in Dominions 1. There the map would've actually changed, the blue (water) pixels changing into yellow (wasteland). In Growth dominion, the wasteland might even have changed into fields or forests. The maps were very ugly, though, so the current system is good enough IMHO, even if we won't get spells like that.

Hey, I like this idea of growth/death scales slowly changing the province type!

I also think that in time LA Ermor's dominion should change the land into wasteland.

[Zonso]

Some good suggestions, thanks. I will try building up an Army of Undead which seems the only feasible option right now without easy Water access. I am playing MA so Pangea cannot perform blood sacrifices. I didn't know Dryads could preach safely in enemy territory, I will have to try that as well. Thanks again.