dealing with Illithids?

[MythicalMino]

ok, what is the best route to take when fighting against Illithids? I had a foot hold in the seas, but R'Lyeh's Illithids stomped me back out....This is the first game i have ever played vs. R'Lyeh....so I really have no idea in how to contend and eliminate them....

Any suggestions? (oh, playing as Abysia, with my Pretender being: Fire-5, Air-4, Nature-4 Lord of the Desert Sun)

Thanks

[HJ]

From my limited experience with them - use a lot of cannon fodder (or should that be mind fodder?). Also, battlefield enchantments seem to work great, such as Heat from hell, and then hit them with Falling fires. You can summon powerful blood creatures to cast them as Abyssia, and you troops will be heat resistant. Likewise, you can use blood summons that can fly and hence attack archers with them after your mind fodder takes the bLasts at first. Crossbreeding spawns make a good mind fodder.
I've fought them as diabolical Marignon fairly succesfully, so I guess a lot of these things could apply here as well. But then again, I'm no vet.

[ November 23, 2003, 20:51: Message edited by: HJ ]

[PvK]

Mindless summons.

[SurvivalistMerc]

Be careful with the mindless summons if you don't have a commander immune to their mind bLasts. Because...they will mind bLast only that which is susceptible to them.... If you lose your commanders, you're toast.

That is actually one of the hints you see while waiting your turn.

My trick...on land...is archers. The nice, cheap, 8 gp variety works well. Plenty of minds. And they can actually make them retreat. Just not underwater.

What I'm doing to fight them right now is...summoning sea trolls. Then taking some extra light infantry cannon fodder/mind fodder types with me. It's working like a charm. I'm going to see how much illithids cost after I take over their capital. Hopefully. I've already killed their stupid wyrm god twice. Hehe. His magic skills really take a beating when you kill him.

[Taqwus]

Note that if you don't have a mindless commander, nature magic's Gift of Reason will let you take a mindless unit and make him into a mindless commander. Then the illithid soldiers have just their tridents, basically.

[PvK]

Yes, or use an undead commander.

[Shael]

oke use summer lions put a an undead commander (you should have access) put some cannon fodder in front (undeads ??) to block those lobos (they will have hordes)
abyssia has major problems in sea bouth in accessin there and staying and like 90% of the spells that abyssia can access cannot be casted under water

if r'yeht &/ atlantis are in game i would not advice to enter the seas
just drive em off the land and build temples you surely have the possibility to build more temples than they eventually their dominion will run out and they will die

[MythicalMino]

yeah, that is my plan now....to push them off the continent, and back into the seas....but, I may have come to this conclusion too late, as they now have 2 110 troop armies sitting on my border (1 on land, the other in a sea province).

Also, I have to contend with Vanheim to my south (they have attacked me now, seiging one of my castles....)

But, yes, I am just going to try to beat them on land, and push them back to the water. Only problem is, I am the only nation they are next to :-( If they are wanting to expand anymore, it has to be through me

[Taqwus]

Another note is that every Starspawn has Astral; holy Starspawn have astral-1 (2 if the random falls on astral) and the pure-mage Starspawn have at least Astral-3. That can give them access to Opposition, Enslave Mind, Mind Duel et al. Keep that in mind if you bring in astrally skilled commanders or magical units.

[SurvivalistMerc]

Taqwus, that was a good suggestion about using gift of reason. Because I was thinking that it would give them a mind and make them vulnerable. Good to know that it doesn't.