A Poisoner's Guide to LA Pythium

[Twan]

Mages refuse to cast Poison Resistance on themselves if they are already at 50% or above poison resistance. Additionally, spells which confer poison resistance (like Serpent's Blessing) have no effect on units with 50% resistance already.

Ohh never noticed that, but it's true.

I find rather strange that a mage starting with 50% PR ends weaker against poison than a mage starting with 0 (when the 2 can cast the spell).

If it's wad, it's hum.... a very strange design decision.

[Aezeal]

Now I'm experimenting with a A7 (and i take that over A6 cus it gives extra effect and I had the points for it) and E6 and I notice that while I now totally chew through anything which shoots heavy cavalry is getting nastier.. I think the heavy attack bonus and AP from F9 makes a huge difference here.

Maybe Fire and air (on a nice immortal phoenix chassis) might be a nicer way to go.

Also the mages seem to be a weak point in the strategy.. sometimes falling to stray arrows (before bless is up) autorouting the hydra's and then in early expansion you have to wait till another mage gets there to start again...
not to mention that any huge army will still be lethal in the end.. All cash goes into hydra's but you need more mages out with the armies then other nations early in the game (less research) and you still those 2-3 hydra armies might not be all that against an opponent trying to take you down. (I'd like to test it in a MP game though when I find my "perfect" bless for the hydra.)

Without bless I'm not yet convinced (as OP) that hydra's are worth all the effort and cash with LA pythium except for maybe one early expansion/anti-SC protection. (and since I'm not all that impressed by the rest of the nation that would just mean it's a weak nation over-all)

[Ironhawk]

Aezeal, I'm surprised at your comment that LA Pythium could be a weak nation. You were playing in the game Epotara where I devised the strategies laid out in this guide - the game which I then proceeded to win with the Serpent Cult against great odds. I think in your efforts to find this "perfect" bless you are overlooking this?

[LDiCesare]

Ironhawk said:
Nope, you cant use Acolytes in this way. Mages refuse to cast Poison Resistance on themselves if they are already at 50% or above poison resistance. Additionally, spells which confer poison resistance (like Serpent's Blessing) have no effect on units with 50% resistance already.

False. I did it and it works.

[Lingchih]

LDiCesare said:

False. I did it and it works.

Immaterial. Serpent Priests should lead Hydras, nothing else.

[Twan]

LDiCesare said:

False. I did it and it works.

In fact it's just a question of spell AI priority, it seems individual resists cast by a mage with 50% resistance can often be overwritten. But it's not a rule.

[Aezeal]

Maybe if you have more spells it'will cast those.. if it's not full prove it's quite dangerour to mess around with though

[Ironhawk]

Twan said:

In fact it's just a question of spell AI priority, it seems individual resists cast by a mage with 50% resistance can often be overwritten. But it's not a rule.

Hmm, interesting! So LDiCesare, how did you get the game to cast it then? It refused in every attempt I made. The result was 100% PR?

[LDiCesare]

I probably didn't have any other spell to cast except blessing, since I researched for that spell and it was in the early game.
Later I use serpent priests anyway.

[LDiCesare]

I checked with some research. The only other spells the mage could cast on its own are elemental fortitude and heal, I tested all other available spells and the acolyte still casts resist poison on 1st round.
Now, if you give him gems he may do silly things with them, but that remains unlikely.
So acolytes are very good to lead up to 10 hydras, as you want them to move every turn early on, not pausing to site-search/preach/whatever, to just take on armies. Serpent priests only offer faster bless, which amounts to zilch, for an additional 120 gold + upkeep (about half an hydra!).