Why I would never recuit a priest smith.

[AreaOfEffect]

I'm somewhat of a fan of the MA Ulm faction to be honest. I have my own personal strategy that seems to work for me. Above all I don't want to sound like I'm not grateful for the additional love you've decided to give to MA Ulm. I am grateful. Having our own custom level 1 Holy priest is a welcome change and I might even recruit a Black Priest... maybe.

My largest contention is with the Priest Smith. I find I can't bring myself to hire even one of them. The fact that he is a poor leader and that he is magically weaker means that, for me, the master smith is a better choice for both at home and on the road.

I wouldn't hire one to stay at home because, to me, the most important quality of any smith is magic levels. The potential for an additional earth level, or a level in air or astral is much more important to me. The fact that the chance of that happening is so low means I need to be hiring a master smith as often as I can.

I wouldn't hire one for the road because it would induce commander fatigue. The fact that it is a poor leader means that in order for it to lead an army of reasonable size, I need to pair him up with some other commander. Also, again, magic levels rule. I would rather a smith capable of casting "Rain of Stones" then I would a smith who can bless himself. Besides, if I want reinvigoration I would rather cast "Summon Earth Power".

I could continue, but the real point is that there is just too much overlap. If the point was to boost the viability of Ulm, I think it would be best done by adding a more unique unit rather then a variant, even if that unit is not as powerful. That's my take, I could be wrong.