LA Caelum

[Immaculate]

So, there's not a lot written about LA caelum and i find myself assigned them in my first MP game.

I dont care that my competition will read this thread and know how to counter what i field; i would rather have SOME idea of what i am doing with this nation then nothing.

So far:
1) use the mammoths for early expansion
2) get thunderstrike quickly

anything else? The ride the lightning guide doesn't work without the priest's awe ability (i tried it with the LA air casters and died to militia spears horribly )

[Gregstrom]

Thuderstrike can be a little awkward with LA Caelum. It'll take either rather a lot of air gems or (Staff of) Storms/Storm Power for all but 1 in 4 Harab Elders to cast a lot of them. You can do an OK skellyspam before that though. Your smiths are nice if empowered, but that costs of course.

[Immaculate]

I guess i don't know how to use gems...
i put them in the commander's inventory and then what?

[LDiCesare]

You put gems in the commander's inventory and script them the spells they are supposed to cast. For thunderstrike, you will get a lot of fatigue casting it, but 1 air gem raises your mage's level by 1, so he tires less.
The ai will use gems to reduce fatigue from spells you cast. Sometimes in a silly way, so you should be prepared to either give them lots of gems, and expect there's none left at the end of the fight, or give them just enough so they can cast the spells you want (for those like flaming arrows or magic duel which require gems, or the blood spells which require blood slaves).
It's often a good idea to give gems to a stealthy mule (scout) who won't waste them during the fight but remains in the same province as your mage and thus yoru wizards can repelenish their gem stock for next battle by taking them from the scout.
Oh, and skellypsam is spamming reanimate skeletons on the battlefield (1 death 2 mage can cast 3 of these before being too tired).

[Illuminated One]

LA Caelum is a really cool nation imo.
You've got death, earth and air. Their path's would be theoretically good for thugs, but they lack the power to survive melee.
Their is however a trick ... twiceborn and kill him.

Some other ideas (Try it in a SP game before using them, though).

Aim - Shadow Blast - Shadow Blast - Cast Spells
(preferably with Eye of the void and spell focus) from d2 harabs with 5 guards and 5 decoys. A highly mobile force that should be able to take undefended (i.e. PD only) provinces.
Summon Lammasthas, retreat - practically the same only that you have to fly in a scout the turn after to claim the province.

Summon Earthpower - Rain of Stones
against large human armies. Couple it with Life after Death, Marble Warriors and/or Fog Warriors to protect your own stuff but try to not have a large army there when using it. Unless you want to make your researchers undead (saves upkeep).

Bane Lords + hammer of the mountains + lychantrope's amulet + girdle of might
And someone to cast Earth Grip/False Fetters with Eye of Aiming/Aim should work against SCs.

Don't forget Skull mentors for research, I've made that mistake in my first MP game.

[Immaculate]

Oh do please keep going- this is good stuff.

Regarding the Lammasthas thing: that would kill the caster if there is no friendly province adjacent to the target right? Even if there is one in range of flight?

Thanks for all your suggestions.

[Squirrelloid]

The MA Caelum guides are likely to be more applicable, at least as far as non-caster ideas go. (They have rather different top tier casters, so that part won't work). Ie, Storm general thugs with some bodyguards and a pair of frost brands for anti-SC/thug duties, and they're even plausible as raiders.

EA Caelum guides (like the Ride the Lightning one) are going to be totally inapplicable because they depend on EKs.

[Trumanator]

If you're using CBM, don't forget Corpsemen. With a lightning rod they're ridiculously cheap, and can be great for filling out your armies. Plus, they're immune to Wrathful Skies

[Kuritza]

LA Caelum is maybe THE worst nation for a beginner.

They lack staying power, their non-capitol mages are not capable of anything serious, they have no astral and no blood, their capitol mages cant cast thunderstrike and shadow blast is not that hot in late age, with all the undead, etc etc etc.

[Humakty]

As for using the storm generals as thugs, does LA Caelum get any water mages natively ? (for the frost brands)