Eater of the Dead

[quantum_mechani]

NTJedi said:

Ether Gate is 90 gems, but it's easier to cast (conjuration_6 instead of conjuration_8) and you recieve some very powerful magic units and a powerful commander with magic paths.
I will gladly send one of my Ether Gate armies(90_gems) against two of your eater of the deads(100_gems).

That's a good point, it's a pretty unlikely occurance you would have the gems for eater of the dead and not ether gate. So that narrows it's margin of usefulness even further. I still rank the other spells as more useless, but not by a lot...

Oh, and yes, raven's feast at 5 gems is another excellent canidate.

[NTJedi]

Ravens feast should be moved as a level_1 spell where any level_2 air mage could cast with a cost of 3 air gems. Upon first reading ravens feast it sounds like a very useful spell.

Is it safe to say that "eater of the dead" is the worst summoning spell? Based on it's gem cost(50_astral), the difficulty casting the spell(4D/4S plus ConJ_8) and the creature which appears I would title "eater of the dead" as the worst summoning spell.

[KissBlade]

NTJedi said:
Ravens feast should be moved as a level_1 spell where any level_2 air mage could cast with a cost of 3 air gems. Upon first reading ravens feast it sounds like a very useful spell.

Is it safe to say that "eater of the dead" is the worst summoning spell? Based on it's gem cost(50_astral), the difficulty casting the spell(4D/4S plus ConJ_8) and the creature which appears I would title "eater of the dead" as the worst summoning spell.

Personally I don't even find Aquatic summons like Kraken worth the mage time ... that and I know there's some more crappy summons running around. Onis come to mind. =)

[Forrest]

This is a missed opportunity. Think of it.

A summons that becomes almost unstoppable then goes indy and has say a 60% chance to choose to attack your provinces. Leaving lifeless warped provinces in it's wake. Stopping it becomes your top priority but it is so useful that you summon it anyway.

A pain to program but it would be neat.

[Forrest]

It would have to become more powerful when it goes indy. Each province it eats should jack it's effect up. Till it starts destroying the provinces next to it. Gaining defences and attacks as it goes. Eventualy becoming a Indy pretender thug that has a chance to wipe out all life and unlife.

A new victory where the indy becomes God having laid waste to all others.

But a low level summons to start. Fraught with risk.

Can you see a multiplayer game with half a dozen of these eating the players in a unstoppable horror that could have been predicted and stopped if only the few had listened to reason.

I have read too much Lovecraft.

[quantum_mechani]

I should also mention that somewhere along the way it became a unique monster...

So even more reason to beef it up. This thing should give doom horrors a run for their money when it gets Unfettered.

[Forrest]

How about a insanity effect?

Non Holy commanders become useless in the provinces next to it at some point. You need blessed troops to go against it. Maybe protected mages.

A real nightmare that your normal troops run before. A worst case.

[Teraswaerto]

I think the Unfettered should have a global effect, madness, disease, ghoul attacks and plagues in all provinces, or something to that effect. Releasing it would be kind of like Wishing for Armageddon, or casting a spell like Utterdark. You could even extort people into giving you money or gems "or I'll release the Unfettered!". *manic evil laugh*

Kraken can be good since it's cheap in gems and packs a punch, in case you desperately need to get all the troops you can ASAP and there's nothing else researched. Not the best use of the mage's time if you have alternatives though.

[Shovah32]

I agree that the eater should get a huge boost. Since etherealness and high defence dont suit him he would need huge boosts in other stats so, for his final form how about this:
300 Health
30 Strength
20 Protection
15 Attack
5 Defence (a huge dead blob isnt exactly fast)
18 MR (otherwise he would be very easily killable, i would even consider raising it to the 20's)
30% Regen (for a total of 90 per turn!)
Recuperation
An AoE tentacle or 2, a few lifedrains and some sort of special attack.
Fear+15 (atleast)
Some sort of global effect

[Nerfix]

How about "Tentacle Rake" 3 attacks, armor piercing, 3 or 4 attacks with -6 str damage??

Another one would be it getting a Plague Cloud...