Poison Golems, Harvesters, and Bane Venom Q's.

[Uh-Nu-Buh]

I like Harvesters, and in an SP game I finally tried out a Poison Golem. Not sure what to think. Here are my non-pluses:

1. It isn't stealthy
2. It doesn't seem to heal, even in a lab.
3. It is a killing dynamo on the battlefield.
4. It dies after taking 2-3 provinces.
5. Because it is non-stealthy, the disease/poison effect is only effective against your own population....

I can't see any way to make this interesting and fun fellow an effective part of my military apparatus. Am I missing something?

In a similar vein--I equipped a Harvester with a Bane Venom charm. I can't tell if it is twice as effective or not. How can you tell how much chaos and destruction your Harvesters and Bane Venom charms are wreaking?

Thanks!

[Shovah32]

Not sure how to tell how much damage they are doing but make a new game, get 1 harvester with a charm and 1 without then place them in 2 different provinces with the same population.

Why is your poison golem dying after taking 2-3 provinces? Is he unequipped or something? I find them very strong although my opinion may be a bit off as ive only tested them once, one was ethereal, lucky and had a charcoal shield. The other was lucky, had huge prot, quickness, decent defence and the aegis(the artifact that gives gorgon style petrification)

[Uh-Nu-Buh]

Shovah32:

pop dge--gotchya. Have you tried doing a Harvester Bane Venom combo to double the effects? I just wonder if it works. I also wonder how much of the enemy army I am killing in addition to his population....

poison golem--he rocks, but he doesn't heal, so he dies. As a thug he is severely limited. As a pop killer, he only damages your own population, so I prefer the Harvester or any stealthy unit with a bane venom charm.

[Shovah32]

Just make the golem raid provinces you wont keep ive never noticed him not healing but i dont remember him beings hurt so...

[Taqwus]

Astral Window gives you population estimates. Useful to know where to send Black Deaths, Volcanic Eruptions, Tidal Waves and Harvesters if you're the sort of evil chap who's inclined to do that.

Haven't tried both Harvester and BVC -- my usual BVC holders have been cheap Black Servants, when I'm not sadistically "gifting" them to an AI through messages.

[Uh-Nu-Buh]

Thanks Taqwus.

I still would like any tips anybody has for the Poison Golem. How to heal it would be nice (labs don't seem to work). Expensive unit, powerful unit, but seemingly very awkward....

[mivayan]

If the poison golem doesn't heal fully beteen fights like most units, you've found a bug.

The banefire shield causes decay on attackers with ~10 or less prot, which might sometimes be usefull.

It looks like a decent lategame SC to raid enemy provinces, if you think the normal golem is too vulnerable to an enemy S10 pretender's mind duel for example.

[Uh-Nu-Buh]

It could be a bug, but consider:

1. I've only tried one poison golem.
2. I sent him into combat with an independant province.
3. He got 3 afflictions from that combat, and half his hits were gone.
4. I moved him to a lab province. He never healed.

Bug? Or because of his afflictions? Or should his afflictions have been healed in a lab since he is a magical construct? I dunno.... Expensive to experiment with it so I may never know.

[Vicious Love]

Was one of his afflictions disease, by any chance?

Creatures with both the "never heals" and "magical creature" flags only heal in labs. Creatures with only the former simply never heal (though lifedrain should work, as should regeneration, if they're not lifeless. Not sure about other healing spells).