Caelum strategies

[SeditiousCanary]

Thanks to everyone for chipping in. Here are some things I didn't mention or have been mention that I would respond to:

Leaders: I'm making the High Serephs and Storm Generals to the exclusion of most other things. I make a few Clerics and Seraphine when facing undead stuff (which always just house me). I'm partial to Sages as well when I can make them.

Equipment: Sadly, this means nothing to me. The manual this game comes with is sadly crap (Doesn't help that I am a Technical Writer by trade). I can read what the screen tells me, but it's nothing more than flavor to me without some understanding of how weapon damage works, which weapons are bigger, faster, what have you. The manual doesn't speak to this at all.

Plinking vs Attacking: Attacking get my forces killed. Shooting helps prevent this, but the ground war is over quickly if the opposing army closes.

[Morkilus]

Here are some good docs; not sure how old they are.

Illwinter Site

[Endoperez]

SeditiousCanary said:
Equipment: Sadly, this means nothing to me. The manual this game comes with is sadly crap (Doesn't help that I am a Technical Writer by trade). I can read what the screen tells me, but it's nothing more than flavor to me without some understanding of how weapon damage works, which weapons are bigger, faster, what have you. The manual doesn't speak to this at all.

If you are speaking of the magic items, the weapons are usually only worth on a chassis (usually a summon) that is worth the gems to be used on the items. If you don't know the differences of the weapons your units are using, right-clicking them gives you the raw data. Also, right-clicking to unit's stat can give some information you mightn't have realized at all. E.g. Size modifier is hidden under Strenght, and size affects food consumption.

[Graeme Dice]

SeditiousCanary said:
I can read what the screen tells me, but it's nothing more than flavor to me without some understanding of how weapon damage works, which weapons are bigger, faster, what have you. The manual doesn't speak to this at all.

The mechanics of combat are outlined in the first section of the manual. At its heart, it's a check of 2d6oe + attack > 2d6oe + defense. If you hit, you cause strength+weapon damage+2d6oe-protection-2d6oe. All other modifiers work with this system.

All units act once per turn unless they have quickness. A unit can only attack one grid square per time that they act. If a weapon has multiple attacks, then all attacks from that weapon are applied to one of the units in the target square. If a unit has multiple weapons, then each weapon can target different unit in the target grid square. Every attack against a unit in one turn reduces the target unit's defense by one point.

Missile weapons must first make some kind of roll using precision to determine what grid square they will hit. This calculation is currently unknown. A missile weapon targets a unit in it's target grid square, and always roll an attack of 10+2d6oe > 10+2d6oe (Attack of 10 versus a defense of 10). The only modifier to the target's defense is the defense modifier on any shield that it carries (ie. 4 for tower shields).

The special properties of the weapons and defenses raise the number of possible interactions greatly. Armour negating weapons ignore the protection score for damage rolls. Armour piercing weapons half the protection score. Flails ignore the defense modifier from shields. I don't remember exactly, but I believe that Flambeau type weapons cause triple damage before the protection roll is subtraced. Life-stealing weapons return one half of the inflicted damage as hitpoints, and twice the inflicted damage as fatigue as long as the target is not lifeless. Ethereal causes 75% of attacks to miss, except from magical weapons. Luck causes 50% of all effects to not cause any harm. Mistform reduces damage to 10%, and lasts till hit by a sufficiently damaging single attack, or till hit by a magical weapon. Mirror images dissappear when the real target is struck. The number of images depends on the targets air magic level.

A probability chart for the open-ended dice rolls is available at:
Dominions Dice Roll Chart

If there are any other specific effects you are wondering about, just ask.

[Morkilus]

Wow, thanks G.D., that was the golden post of the week. I just wanted to add that equipment is only as useful as far as you can make up for a good unit's weaknesses. For example, there's no point in giving a Bane a Water Sword or lightweight scale mail, since he already has a Bane Blade and he doesn't get encumbered anyway. However, a Nifel Jarl might find use for these trinkets to replace the crappy weaponry he comes with. Almost anyone can use regeneration rings, lucky pendants, and quick boots. You can even make lowly commanders scary if you give them crane sandals and a skull talisman. Well, if not scary, at least funny and annoying.

[Wish]

give them lifelong protection also, then they become scary

[shovah]

try jotunheims neifelheim theme and make a bunch of jarls with lucky pendant and ring of regen in misc and hydra skin armour on body (replace with red dragon body if fighting marignon/abysia) and send a group of them out to stop people. with this a good main army is a bunch of single/double blessed ice giants with their blessing a mix of these: w9, e9, n9 each of these increasing their survivability alot (a great mothers e9 n9 bless give regen, berserk, extra protection and re-invig) and the best part is even un-equiped a niefel jarl prophet commandeing them not only can divine bless but can hold his own even if enemys manage to reach him (not to mention being able to cast good spells like fLLING FROST)