How do you use astral gems?

[alexti]

How do you use astral gems when they're in abundance?

For example, for nature, earth gems and water, there's plenty good summons. Death gems are good for both summons and Skull Mentors.

There're many good items requiring astral gems, but later in the game astral gem income is often larger then the forging costs (unless one starts making magic items for nearly every commander).
Sometimes I use them for the protective dome.

Hmm. I never have enough Astral Gems. More often this is because I use alot of high end combat creature. An Antimagic Amulet, Lucky Coin and Starshine Skullcap really starts adding up.

If I have the mages with the right paths, I also use alot teleporting and utilizing Gateway.

[ February 28, 2004, 16:49: Message edited by: Zen ]

[UNIVAC]

-The Wrath of God
-The Eyes of God
-Acashic Record
-Astral Summons
-....

[PvK]

There are tons of uses for astral gems. Items are only one. Not to mention they convert to other gems at 2:1. But you can never have too many - in late game I'd say it's good to keep a healthy number in case a wicked global enchantment is cast.

PvK

[Peter Ebbesen]

If, against all odds, there are no other obvious uses for the astral gems, Acasric Record having been cast on all your provinces, and your global Arcane Nexus granting you an obscene amount of gems per turn.... you can always open the ether gates and let it the ether lords and warriors. Summoning a few clans will eat up gems really, really, fast.

And if you do not need that either, then you can start wishing.

And if you do not have anybody with the magical power to cast wish, then you can empower somebody to do so. That should take a few gems as well.

But, really, astral gems are always useful for something.

[alexti]

Originally posted by Zen:
Hmm. I never have enough Astral Gems. More often this is because I use alot of high end combat creature. An Antimagic Amulet, Lucky Coin and Starshine Skullcap really starts adding up.

If I have the mages with the right paths, I also use alot teleporting and utilizing Gateway.

I do about the same items, but I don't teleport or Gateway (I guess I don't need it much because I usually play small maps)

Originally posted by UNIVAC:
-The Wrath of God
-The Eyes of God
-Acashic Record
-Astral Summons
-....

I've never had astral/air mage to cast The Wrath of God I'm not sure about The Eyes of God, but Acashic Record seems to be too expensive for what it does, which Astral Summons in particular do you use? In other paths summons seems to have better value per cost.

While there're many ways to spend astral gems, I was wondering about efficient spendings. I didn't find in astral anything as efficient as Well of Misery + Skull Mentors mass production in death path, for example.