Communions Bug

[vfb]

I wanted to confirm that a Crystal Matrix would boost a priest who only had H1 or H2, and no "real" magic paths, so I set up a test game with 16 communicants and a H1 priest.

Good news is it does turn my H1 into an H4.

But for some reason the H1 priest (Dumnacus the Vergobret) can cast 4 spells per round. I'm pretty sure I saw something recently on this, but cannot track it down with search. And it's not in the bug shortlist.

He's scripted for 5 * Sermon of Courage (since that's sufficient to test the H2+ boost, which is all I was really worried about).

But in the first round my Vergobret casts:
Sermon of Courage, Divine Blessing, Holy Avenger, Holy Avenger.

The opposing army finally gets to move, and then the Vergobret casts:
4 * Holy Avenger

Another move for the opposing army, then the Vergobret lays down a wicked quadruple Smiting, and it's all over.

No bless other than +2 Morale. I can't figure out why he can cast 4 spells per turn. Any ideas?

Here's relevant portions of the battle log, round 1:

...
This battle looks just like I have forseen^M
battle_incheck^M
rightplayer teamhp 174 max 174^M
Mrlreport (right): good0 broken0 autobreak0 turn0^M
com Dumnacus cast spell (favspell Sermon of Courage) (mayusegems 1)^M
est. choices 2^M
...
Eval: Word of Power score 5 (fat 0)^M
comp_castspell: eval Word of Power result 5^M
looser spell Word of Power (score 5)^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
castspell: cnr4 spl755 (Sermon of Courage) vis1 x46 y15 spldmg32768^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
Only got 0 mg^M
vis 0 xvis 0^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
Drain communion 16 mbrs^M
Fetch sample rawsound/chyme.smp 8bits^M
Loading /usr/local/games/dominions3/army9.trs at 4 (cs 880888)^M
Flushing trs file 3 from cache^M
RGBA2Tex 32 64 (8192 bytes alloced), alpha 1, comp 0, wrap 0^M
pixmode = GL_RGBA^M
blastsqr: unr418 x46 y15 aoe1 dmg32768 eff10 spc1086341120 as10218 al9^M
...
blastsqr: unr418 x49 y17 aoe1 dmg32768 eff10 spc1086341120 as10218 al9^M
com Dumnacus cast spell (favspell Sermon of Courage) (mayusegems 1)^M
est. choices 2^M
...
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
castspell: cnr4 spl758 (Divine Blessing) vis1 x46 y15 spldmg1^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
Only got 0 mg^M
vis 0 xvis 0^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
Drain communion 16 mbrs^M
blastsqr: unr418 x46 y15 aoe666 dmg1 eff10 spc1086357504 as10217 al9^M
...
hitunit 418 418 dmg1 spec1086357504 ba-1^M
com Dumnacus cast spell (favspell Nothing) (mayusegems 1)^M
est. choices 2^M
comp_castspell: eval Fire Flies result -1^M
...
looser spell Word of Power (score 13)^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
castspell: cnr4 spl757 (Holy Avenger) vis1 x46 y15 spldmg4194304^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
Only got 0 mg^M
vis 0 xvis 0^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
Drain communion 16 mbrs^M
blastsqr: unr418 x46 y15 aoe0 dmg4194304 eff10 spc1082146816 as10022 al9^M
...
looser spell Word of Power (score 10)^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
castspell: cnr4 spl757 (Holy Avenger) vis1 x46 y15 spldmg4194304^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
Only got 0 mg^M
vis 0 xvis 0^M
Dumnacus communion members 16^M
Drain communion 16 mbrs^M
blastsqr: unr418 x46 y15 aoe0 dmg4194304 eff10 spc1082146816 as10022 al9^M
...
----- turn 1 (rand 587)(check 605741463)^M
...

[thejeff]

Hmmm, no real idea, but a couple of things maybe worth trying:

Since you're set up for this, what are the results with fewer communion members? 2, 4, and 8.

Also, though it's probably not relevant, especially since bless wasn't cast first, there wasn't a W9 bless involved, right?
And no other quickness? Item or heroic?

[Edratman]

I do not know for sure, but I have noticed that when I have leaders equipped with the "Wand of Fire" (or whatever it is called) and they have the boots of quickness or heroic quickness they will fire the wand twice. A prophet will cast smite and then fire the wand in the same battle turn. I have yet to see my prophet smite twice in the same battle turn.

[vfb]

No heroic abilities at all.
No equipment except for a single Crystal Matrix.
No sacred bless at all except +2 Morale.

I tested with both Communicants (Pythium unit), and druids casting Communion Slave, as the slaves. I tested with 1 slave up to 32 slaves.

If there are at least 2 slaves, the H1 caster always casts 4 H2+ spells per combat round. The H1 caster is always a Vergobret in my tests, I suppose I could test with a vanilla H1 priest but I think the result would be the same.

With only 1 slave, the H1 caster only casts a single spell each combat round.


Edit: I then tested with an S1N1H1 Gutuater and 4 communicants. He only cast once per round. So it seems to be a problem with casters that have only H1+ and no other paths.

Edit Again: Whoops. The Gutuater casts one spell per turn until an arrow kills one of his communicants. Then he casts 2 spells per turn from then on.

[Morkilus]

Wow, that's pretty cool.

[Shovah32]

Look out LA Ermor ^^.

[cleveland]

Wonder if it's because holy spells are "0-" fatigue?

Perhaps the algorithm pumps out spells until the total fatigue is non-negative?

[Tyrant]

This is how communion and Holy magic have always worked and i assume it's on purpose. It does not work for regular magic.


Edratman-

Quickness does let you use spell casting items twice a turn. BoQ and Fireball Wand, Skull hat, Staff of Corrosion, etc is a very good tactic. Q does not let you shoot bows twice though, and if you try it with x-bows to get them to fire every turn the archer will go whacky and often charge the enemy with intent to use the crossbow as a club.

[vfb]

If it's on purpose, it's still broken, because an H1 mage gets to cast four H# spells per turn, but an H1N1 mage gets to cast only one H# spell per turn, at least until one of his communicants gets killed, then he gets to cast two H# spells per turn.

[Edratman]

Tyrant said:


Edratman-

Quickness does let you use spell casting items twice a turn. BoQ and Fireball Wand, Skull hat, Staff of Corrosion, etc is a very good tactic. Q does not let you shoot bows twice though, and if you try it with x-bows to get them to fire every turn the archer will go whacky and often charge the enemy with intent to use the crossbow as a club.

I know it is not supposed to. But I've seen it happen and last night I saw it happen 2 or 3 times. I am getting 2 casts of fireball(I think that is the spell) from the wand of leadership (or whatever it is called) on leaders with the boots of quickness. I don't know if it has always happened or not. I'm following more battles because I've just started playing MA Shinu and am using a new tactic for me.