Beginner's Guide to Shinuyama MA

[Shovah32]

I think fire 9 grants something like 15ap damage so there isnt a huge increase. My personal favourite buff(for anyone but particularly fun on immortals) has got to be phoenix pyre. Its not avaliable early(and therefore for expansion) but a script of phoenix pyre, summon earthpower, ironskin/invunerability, attack rear/archers is very effective with minimal equipment(fire/frost/shadowbrand, a basic shield, some reinvigoration items) and lots of fun.

[thejeff]

One amusing use for immortal death mages is to spam lammashtas. Sure they kill you eventually, but who cares? You're immortal.

Battlefield flight range is unlimited, but probably similar to the moral check for passing more forward groups that ground troops on attack rear get, sometimes you get distracted and attack a closer target. Anecdotal evidence suggests that starting farther forward helps.

Higher research, but soul vortex is good?

How about dom 9/10 for awe? Will also help spread dominion, always good for immortals.

With other immortal death mages, mostly liches, I've found skelespam is as good as anything at taking most indies.

[Shovah32]

thejeff said:
One amusing use for immortal death mages is to spam lammashtas. Sure they kill you eventually, but who cares? You're immortal.

Battlefield flight range is unlimited, but probably similar to the moral check for passing more forward groups that ground troops on attack rear get, sometimes you get distracted and attack a closer target. Anecdotal evidence suggests that starting farther forward helps.

Higher research, but soul vortex is good?

How about dom 9/10 for awe? Will also help spread dominion, always good for immortals.

With other immortal death mages, mostly liches, I've found skelespam is as good as anything at taking most indies.

Summoning armies is usually good for immortals but then again, most of them dont have encumberance which means they can spam the spells for a little longer. For an immortal with the sort of combat potential the kunshu has i find it better to use it in a combat role but early on before you have access to many buffs/items yes, spells like summon lammashtas and raise skeletons are very useful.
I cant belive i forgot soul vortex! Not only is it usually awesome but when combined with phoenix pyre it is absolutely amazing. Units with soul vortex rarely have fatigue above 0 unless fighting many lifeless enemies but with phoenix pyre raising your fatigue so quickly the drained fatigue from living enemies is extremely helpful.

[thejeff]

I find it hard to use immortals as SCs or even thugs. If you equip them enough to really fill the role, then you lose a lot of the benefit of immortality. Now you care if they die, since you lose the items.

Without gear, artillery or summoning usually works better.

[MaxWilson]

Hmmm, that kind of makes me want to try a communion with Ktonian necromancers, the ones with an Astral random.

<Communion Master, Invulnerability, Phoenix Pyre, Soul Vortex>
<Communion Slave, hold, hold, hold, attack>

It's probably less effective than just spamming Magma Eruption but it sounds like fun. The few times I've played with Phoenix Pyre I have been frustrated by the way afflictions accumulate, but I'll give it another shot here.

-Max

[MaxWilson]

In my experience, the best part of immortality is the recuperation from afflictions, especially since it works outside friendly dominion.

-Max

[Shovah32]

MaxWilson said:
Hmmm, that kind of makes me want to try a communion with Ktonian necromancers, the ones with an Astral random.

<Communion Master, Invulnerability, Phoenix Pyre, Soul Vortex>
<Communion Slave, hold, hold, hold, attack>

It's probably less effective than just spamming Magma Eruption but it sounds like fun. The few times I've played with Phoenix Pyre I have been frustrated by the way afflictions accumulate, but I'll give it another shot here.

-Max

Theres no point in putting soul vortex on communion phoenix pyres, they dont stick around long enough to use it(it is fun when the enemy stabs an old man and a block of his troops get blown up though).

[MaxWilson]

Wherefore no soul vortex? They should be at fairly low fatigue (40-ish?) after casting the above spells. I'm not sure whether the communion master needs to be on <attack> also, or whether the Soul Vortex will drain fast enough that one spellcaster will be permissible, but just mix the communion slaves with a bunch of militia or atavi infantry at the beginning and they should start their hobbling-old-man attack at close to 0 fatigue. Thereafter they'll gain fatigue only in melee or from dying, or from the Communion Master if he's not on <attack>. Soul Vortex will be leeching back fatigue at the same time, though, and if you have an E9 bless on top of that I can see them living a good long time.

I'd like Phoenix Pyre more if it did more damage, and this tactic is probably going to be less effective than just enchanting a few Flame Corpses and spamming Magma Eruptions, but hey! it's worth a shot.

-Max

[thejeff]

Make sure that communion master is on attack (or retreat!)

If he's casting, the slaves will do nothing.

[vfb]

I had fun with these guys in SP. I made an awake Dom9, F3E3D5 Bakemono Kunshu and used him to expand solo. Dom9 for Awe and hit points, D5 for fear, F3 for attack, E3 for a little protection, and it leaves you with only 4 wasted points.

Scales were: Ord3,Sloth3,Heat1,Misfortune2,Drain2.

Sloth 3 still let me recruit as many O-bakemonos as I had gold for, and they're a decent morale troop for another expanding army. One Uba crafted out skull talismans for a load of Mujina assassins, who can then kill most indy leaders. The leaderless indies will route when you send in a single unit (a scout will do, or a Bakemono shaman can hide and preach until the leaders are all dead). Watch out for lizard and amazon provinces, since they like to use bodyguards. Bodyguards = 1 dead Mujina prophet.