Air Dome

[Executor]

Did anyone notice that you can cast multiple Air Domes over the same province?

Did anyone notice that ALL those air domes have effect in protecting the province?

So for example in CBM where air domes are only 5 gems and are upkeep free, meaning they don't need aditional gems like fire or water domes, still with it's 80% chance of stopping a spell, you are not limited to a single dome but to as many as you can cast, say 10 domes, and they all have a protective effect, meaning you knock out a single 5 gem dome and there are still 9, with 80% chance of stopping the next spell and so on.Their effects don't stack but casting several 5 gem domes is rather cheap, and a damn good way to protect yourself.

Oh yeah, and there's something I forgot, it's not just the air domes, but all of them.

I'm not sure if that's how this should work.

[Micah]

The additional gem domes don't break, so you only need one in a prov, I don't see any imbalances. If you want to burn 50 gems per province stacking up multiple air domes I think you've pretty much already lost that battle, especially since a spell still has a 20% chance of getting through since only one dome is actually checked, so it doesn't make you any more resistant to the heavy artillery spells (flames from the sky and murdering winter) than a single dome would.

[analytic_kernel]

Maybe 10 is a bit extreme, but having a spare or two in waiting could be handy.

[Executor]

Originally Posted by Micah

The additional gem domes don't break, so you only need one in a prov, I don't see any imbalances. If you want to burn 50 gems per province stacking up multiple air domes I think you've pretty much already lost that battle, especially since a spell still has a 20% chance of getting through since only one dome is actually checked, so it doesn't make you any more resistant to the heavy artillery spells (flames from the sky and murdering winter) than a single dome would.

Depends, in late stage of the game people usually concentrate most of their troops and mages in a few forts and protect them with all kinds of domes.
And with the air dome being the cheapest and most effective, stops 4/5 spells cast, having more than one surly is an advantage. How much does flames from the sky cost? or any other spell you need to break the air dome? VoD is the cheapest and yet you'd be using 15 gems on average to take out a 5 gem dome.

But also what if you only have the ability to cast nature dome with Pangaea for eg.? Casting a few more would be safer.
With Cealum also.

[PsiSoldier]

If someone attacked your domed province with say 10 spells and the 3rd one got through your dome would the remaining 7 have to do a check vs. your remaining Domes? Or would they no longer have to make a check vs. Air Dome for that turn...

That might be the actual strength of having multiples up regardless of the effect that they dont stack as far as stopping power.

[Executor]

Yes they would have to make checks against the remaining domes, until all the domes are down.

Tried it with arouse hunger, first one stopped, second passed and shattered the dome, third stopped, and so on, but I'm not sure it that one that does shatter the air dome if it get trough, but I am certain the remaining spells make checks.

Just tried it, the one spell that passes and shatters the dome does hit the province.

[Micah]

You misunderstand, the big gun spells wouldn't be used to take down the domes, just to get one cast through (taking the dome out is incidental at that point). If your opponent has a pile of mages/boosters in a single province it can be well worth it to suck up the gem cost to lob in 5 flames from the sky. It will leave you far, far ahead in terms of economic damage. Taking out just 3 tart-casting liches (skullface, ring of sorcery, and skull staff) is 155 gems worth of gear in S and D gems (after hammers). 3 Flames from the Sky is 175 F gems, which is already a worthwhile trade. If there is a pile of mages with dwarven hammers and other boosters forging away as well you're going to clearly come out ahead.

[Executor]

Originally Posted by Micah

You misunderstand, the big gun spells wouldn't be used to take down the domes, just to get one cast through (taking the dome out is incidental at that point). If your opponent has a pile of mages/boosters in a single province it can be well worth it to suck up the gem cost to lob in 5 flames from the sky. It will leave you far, far ahead in terms of economic damage. Taking out just 3 tart-casting liches (skullface, ring of sorcery, and skull staff) is 155 gems worth of gear in S and D gems (after hammers). 3 Flames from the Sky is 175 F gems, which is already a worthwhile trade. If there is a pile of mages with dwarven hammers and other boosters forging away as well you're going to clearly come out ahead.

Yes I know, I understand, just having two air domes and a astral dome changes things a bit.
For example the first flames from the sky knocks down the air dome, but gets stopped by the astral dome, that still leaves the second one both the air dome, again, and the astral dome, now if this is indeed how domes work, it's a bit advantageous.

Another example, one province with one air dome, against a province with 3 air domes facing 5 flames form the sky.
The very first flames from the sky knocks down the air dome and hits the province, and logically all the other do too, since no domes are protecting the province no more, but in the second case there are still two domes that can "possibly' stop the remaining 4 flames from the sky from completely killing everybody.

[K]

One of the many reasons I don't like CBM is that the philosophy of making everything useful and used cannot be reconciled with actual game balance.

So yeh, if you play CBM feel free to magic-proof all your fortresses and chokepoints from ritual magic instead of just one or two.

[quantum_mechani]

I should point out the 5 gem air gems are an artifact of a less-than-current version.