Scripting spells

[magnate]

I've begun to experiment with combat orders, such as attacking archers, or targeting commanders (attack rear) etc. There aren't too many to get my head around, and I can just about manage it at the same time as experimenting with formations on the battlefield.

The problem really comes with spells. The computer tends to cast the same few spells over and over for all my mages - buffing, raise skeletons, etc.

There are guides to all spell effects, but I can't find one for exploring different combat spell tactics. Most of my mages are air/water/astral at the moment (Pythium base) - which are the good combat spells to use? I have researched levels 4-6 in most schools in this game (except Thaumaturgy & Blood), so I have a bewildering array of spells to choose from.

Next game I will play something different (Ulm/Earth or Pangaea/Nature or something), so it would be good to plan what combat spells I was going to research in advance.

Is there an educational resource for this that I haven't found yet?

TIA,

CC

[Tuna-Fish]

There's not a resource for it that I know of, I think there's definately room for some helpful fan with too much time on his hands. *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*

As for pythium bf magic strategies:
Every mage with some water magic can cast quickness, that is a VERY good battlefield buff. Have it as the first spell to cast for every mage not casting something you really NEED for the first round.

The real strength of pythian mages is in communion. There are very many spells whose effect gets better as your magic level increases, with one good example the spell "orb lightning". Use them and communion liberally. In addition to being able to cast quickened uber-orb lighning, communioned mages can easily cast all the best battlefield enchantments to keep your troops alive longer.

Communion tips: When there are multiple communion masters, keeping your communicants alive can be a real problem as the all the masters cause more encumberance to the slaves than themselves, and when encumberance is over 200, it starts to hurt the communicants. Methods to easily combat encumberance include:

1. Relief, an enchantment-6 spell. Have a communioned arch theurg with a nature pick, or just a druid, cast this once (or better, twice, with the help of jade armor, boots of quickness or the spell quickness) every round. After the spell scrip ends there is a good chance he will keep casting it if every spell he casted before was it.

2. Earth-10 blessing. This really helps pythium a lot, as all the communicants are sacred and natural reinvigoration-5 is a VERY good trait for them.

3. Summon Earthpower. In a communion, every communicant reveives effects of the spells casted on the master. (does this cout on hostile spells too?) An earth magic booster, summon earthpower (conjuration 3) also gives 4 reinvigoration. This is a rather cheap and effective way to combat encumberance.

Also, in big battles it's a good idea to protect your communicants by having one mage cast body ethereal, mistform and air shield.

So, now you got a big horde of good mages supported with an even bigger horde of communicants, what should you cast with them?

Direct damage:
Orb lightning
Thunder strike
Stellar cascades (one caster does no good, 4 quickened ones mean pain.. there are very few ways to protect from this one. Scratch that, there is NO way to protect from this one.)
Astral fires
Enslave mind
Paralyze
Soul slay
Lighning bolt
Gifts from heaven (earth arch theurgs)
Rain of stones (earth AT's, BE PREPARED FOR THIS ONE!)
Shimmering fields (very nasty one, only cast with mages near the front, one can easily annihilate an army)
Wrath of the skies (be prepared for this one! Thunder ward gives only 50% protection)
Falling frost
Ice strike

And for armyboosters, especially Fog Warriors and will of the fates. Fog warriors is very nasty, it's one of the "you gotta see it to believe it" spells. also protects mages rather well.
For battlefield summons, armies of phantasms, false horrors and living air.

Mists of deception casted by an archtheurg that got its random in air loaded up with all possible air magic boosters and using communion to boost it futher is also, "nice"

And that's only for pyhtium and I'm sure i missed something. Making a guide for battlefield spells just "might" be a little too much work. Gotta love this game!