The machinations of battle

[TheBirthdayParty]

I've just recieved the game in the mail today and I've been trying to stick to one empire so I can figure things out, ie researching, searching, battles, etc. I've been using Arcosphale. And I've tried searching the forums. If its already there, just direct me please!
Please can someone help me out? I've typed a bit of a long post, but please do me the favor of reading through.

Anywawy, I'm not asking for help with strategy exactly, and don't tell me I should be using them as my first empire. I'm looking for someone to give me the basics for battle and defending. It seems the AI jumps on right away, say after 10-20 turns. Not just one empire, but all of the ones surrounding you. How do you discourage them from attacking so you can build up an army? I've tried increasing the defense of provinces to 20 while building an army also, but i keep getting mauled.

This also involves the actual battles that take place. For example, it seems that say 20 hoplites and some hearts companions going up agaist 30 dryads just can not damage the dryads(most recent battle, involved more, but going for basic principle). Now they're about the same in strength/precision/etc. except armour as hoplites. Yet none of my troops are adept at hitting them while they are adept at hitting me. I'm playing on the easiest setting. So could someone just give me a basic explination of combat/battles.


As well Astral spells do not seem to do much good for me in combat and scrying doesn't seem to help much either due to armies moving in and out of provinces so much. As well the AI seems to be able to march on many terratories without fear of being attacked by other AI. Where as if I do so they storm my terratories. From playing a couple of times it seems its better to research heavily in one path instead of spreading out your research points. I realize some spells may be better for some empires...but I'm trying to avoid gimmics in winning.

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

[PrinzMegaherz]

Some basic advice: Use province defense. This will definitly lengthen the period of peace before the AI starts coming for you.

[TheBirthdayParty]

PrinzMegaherz said:
Some basic advice: Use province defense. This will definitly lengthen the period of peace before the AI starts coming for you.

Did that. :/

[Duncanish]

I don't use dryads too much and I've never run across any, but if I recall they have the Awe skill, which means any unit attacking them has to pass a morale check or they won't go through with it. It's not that your units aren't adept at hitting them. Normally, they'd hit them just fine. But at the Last second, they kinda get caught up on how good lookin' the woman is and various other lecherous thoughts. Which is when the dryad takes the opportunity to beat him to death. A higher morale unit, like your other troop (I forget the name; has a shorter spear but higher base morale of 14) would have a better chance of getting through.

Province defense is fairly weak against any kind of determined attack. It's mainly there to discourage raiders and border skirmishes. 20 is the highest I'll ever put it and it crumples fairly easily for most nations.

Arcos is a good Astral nation. Key spells being Communion Master/Slave, Mind burn, Soul Slay, etc. A swarm of astrologers casting Soul slay repeatedly can do some serious harm...

[deccan]

You could always use elephants against dryads...

[Endoperez]

AI will look at your provinces, and if they seem to be weak it attacks you. You should have provincial defence of 11 in your border provinces, and often that is enough to make the AI conquer independets until it cannot reach them anymore. 11 is better than 10, because IIRC AI cannot make out the difference between 1 and 10, or 11 and 20. And between 21 and 30, but 21 would be too expensive in almost all cases...

And the reason your hoplites can't hit the dryads is their Awe ability. Click the icon of that ability, and it should tell what Duncanish just said. Hypaspists have higher morale, and will do much better. Against Awe +0 units with morale of 10 have 50% change of success. Against Awe +2 50% would take morale 12.

This is from Saber Cherry's old thread Dominions Dice Roll Chart.

Hypaspist has morale of 14, and Dryad Hoplite has Awe+0. If 2d6 open-ended roll is used, as for most things in Dominions, the Hypaspist has to score a differential roll over (10-14), or over -4. From row -5+ (-5 or more), wee see that the probability of a Hypaspist getting through Dryad Hoplite's Awe would be 86%.
I don't remember Hoplites' morale, but I think it's 10 or 11. At morale ten, the change to not be affected by the awe would be 54% (row 0+), and at morale eleven, change would be 62% (-1+). The 54% is quite close to the 50% member of the Illwinter said on the forum once.

Reverse-Cumulative Difference Statistics:
-10+: 96.554%
-9+: 95.373%
-8+: 93.822%
-7+: 91.805%
-6+: 89.194%
-5+: 85.852%
-4+: 81.605%
-3+: 76.281%
-2+: 69.830%
-1+: 62.391%
0+: 54.222%
1+: 45.773%
2+: 37.605%
3+: 30.165%
4+: 23.714%
5+: 18.388%
6+: 14.145%
7+: 10.802%
8+: 8.191%
9+: 6.174%
10+: 4.624%

[FaceLess]

Putting the strength of independents to 6 instead of the default 3 helped me a lot to keep the AI players at bay in the early fase. Province defense (in all provinces) at 11 helps as well

[Tuna-Fish]

Oh, you said astral spells dont help you much in comat, that just makes me wonder what exactly are you doing wrong

First choice would probaly be several battle fortunes or one will of the fates, depending on your research level. They roughly double the life expectancy of your troops. After that, try Doom, it halves the expectancy of enemy's troops.

To make bigger spells easier to cast, use starshine skullcaps, crystal coins, extra gems or the jackpot, banner of the northern star (or it's spell Version). Against AI, antimagic is less effective, but against human it is often very good.

After you have banner of the northern star up, make all those water-1 mystics you get to cast quickness/soul slay x4. Dont put w2 mystics in the group though, they will cast breath of winter and kill all your own mages .

Astrologers with the Banner up get effective s4 (as air magic is also in the game, astral magic is denoted with "s".), which is good enough for enslave mind, which can in certain situations be not just effective, but funny too. Oh, and dont forget to give spell focuses to you astrologers, they are relatively cheap, and that +2 penetration makes ALL the difference. The other easy-to-massproduce penetration item is f2 w2, and with a right kind of mystic and a booster you can produce them too, but they are a bit more expensive.

[Taqwus]

Don't forget to experiment with Communion, either.

And, at least for amusement value, try Gifts from Heaven. Merrrrrry Christmas! *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*