Qs about Temperature Scales

[Tough Guy]

I am a newbie and still a little confused about temperature scales. Some races "prefer" certain scales.

Caelum prefers Cold +3. What des this mean? When making a Caelum pretender should we make them cold +3?

What if we don't? Do they just get a bonus at cold +3 but no penalty at heat??

[Wauthan]

Extracted from Saber Cherrys "Newbies and Confused People - Look Here!" sticky thread above:

Heat/Cold - For every degree away from a race's preferred temperature, a heat or cold scale decreases tax revenues by 5%, and supplies by 10%. These scales also affects the strength and fatigue of fire and water spells - fire spells generate more fatigue and can be less effective in cold provinces, and vice versa. These scales also affect the stats of and heat- and cold-attuned units (like Summer Lions and Winter Wolves, which get strength, attack, and defense bonuses or penalties). Heat scales also decrease protection provided by ice armors (used by Caelum, for example). Temperatures away from a unit's preferred level increase fatigue in combat (all humans prefer a neutral scale), and cold-blooded creatures are extra-sensitive to this. Lastly, heat and cold scales affect the strength of heat and cold auras emitted by some creatures.

The Heat/Cold scale can vary depending on the season, so keep an eye on the time of year if you use hot or cold units, fire or water magic, or big armies with supply problems.

[Tough Guy]

I understand the effect of the scales but what does "Caellum prefers cold +3" mean?

Is this the exact same as temp scale +3?? What happens if I make a Caelum pretender without tipping the scales?

Should a Caelum pretender shift the scales towards cold +3??

[Wauthan]

Cold +3 is the same as temp scale +3. It means that if you make a pretender with scale 0 then all your provinces will take 15% gold and 30% supply penalty. Your national troops will fatigue faster as well. All other troops, including all noncoldimmune summons, will suffer less fatigue however.

I recommend taking cold +3 for Caelum together with a substansial Dominion in order to get the most out of your nations units, taxes and supplies (and remember that flying units eat more supplies than groundpounders). It also means that you can use your dominion as a weapon since the cold will hurt those nations that dislike cold.

This means your nemesis is the Abyssians and Machaka who rely on heat scales. If you claim a province with heat +3 Caelum will take a whopping 30% tax cut and 60% supply loss. Your units will not be able to fight very well in this scale. But the reverse is ofcourse true for Abyssians that try to invade your dominion.

[Psitticine]

It means you want to take a Cold 3 setting on your scales when you design your Pretender. If you don't, and instead stick with the default Cold/Heat 0, you'll be three steps away from your nation's preferred temperature and suffer a 15% income loss and a very painful 30% supply loss. Your opponents will also be happier, since it would normally be they who took those penalties when trying to take one of your provinces. Since moving away in either direction from Heat/Cold 0 gives you points instead of taking them, you would also be shortchanging yourself design points that could be spent elsewhere.

On a side-note Caelum versus Abyssia can be an interesting Dominion-shoving match because of the temperature effects. Abyssia likes heat, so they have even more of a penalty fighting in Caelum's cold, but Caelum has similar penalties fighting in Abyissa's heat, so the temperature (as altered by the Pretenders of the two nations) becomes a vital thing.

[mivayan]

I understand the effect of the scales but what does "Caellum prefers cold +3" mean?

The temperature scale ranges from heat3, to heat/cold0, to cold3. Most nations prefer heat0 and get -5% income from a province if the temperature scale there is heat1 or cold1, -15% if it is heat3 or cold3. Caelum prefers cold3, and only if the temperature in a province is cold3 will they get the normal income from that province. If the temperature scale in the province is heat0 they lose 15%, if the temperature is heat3 they lose 30%.

Should a Caelum pretender shift the scales towards cold +3??

Yes since you get income and supply penalties otherwise.