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thugs-and-supercombatants [2020/05/19 00:02] cactusowl [Important Spells] |
thugs-and-supercombatants [2022/12/21 17:01] (current) cactusowl |
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======Thugs and Supercombatants====== | ======Thugs and Supercombatants====== | ||
- | FIXME: add examples | + | Thugs and supercombatants are the " |
+ | |||
+ | These are usually thought | ||
+ | |||
+ | While the difference between a thug and a supercombatant is somewhat vague, generally | ||
====Thugs==== | ====Thugs==== | ||
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* A commander, recruited or summoned... | * A commander, recruited or summoned... | ||
- | * ...that can take on [[province | + | * ...that can take on a specific sort of enemy asset (most commonly |
+ | * ...usually | ||
* ...in a way that's relatively resource efficient. | * ...in a way that's relatively resource efficient. | ||
As you can probably tell this covers a very wide range of possibilities. In many ways, a thug is a " | As you can probably tell this covers a very wide range of possibilities. In many ways, a thug is a " | ||
- | Thugs can range in " | + | Building thugs requires three things: |
+ | For instance, a common thug task is capturing provinces defended only by [[province defense]]. As an example, a typical chassis for this is the ?? | ||
+ | Thugs designed to fight chaff need a way to survive and a way to kill. Survival often is based on layered defense: high protection, high defense stat, glamour, mistform, regeneration, | ||
+ | |||
+ | However, thugs can do other things too. A common role is as elite-killers, | ||
+ | |||
+ | It is critical to script thugs for the tasks they will perform. Spells like ??Quicken Self?? may be extremely helpful against other thugs, but detrimental against troops (where they will result in you fatiguing out faster). Especially when you expect opposition from things other than mundane chaff, understanding your opposition is critical so you can prepare countermeasures. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Thugs can also be " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Thug chassis vary in " | ||
====Supercombatants==== | ====Supercombatants==== | ||
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* ...by investing significant resources. | * ...by investing significant resources. | ||
- | Supercombatants are usually something that will come about in the late game, once the most powerful summons, buffs, and constructions have been researched. Usually only a few specific creatures have the stats and abilities needed to properly fill this role, such as the arch angels, ?? | + | Supercombatants are usually something that will come about in the late game, once the most powerful summons, buffs, and constructions have been researched. Usually only a few specific creatures have the stats and abilities needed to properly fill this role, such as the arch angels, ?? |
SCs are difficult to make work in Dominions 5 - in the prior games they were easier to make and harder to kill. Due to a variety of reasons this is no longer the case. Nowadays an SC needs to be tailored to the threat they are facing - making sure to have high [[fire resistance]] versus Abysia or high [[magic resistance]] versus Bandar Log for example. | SCs are difficult to make work in Dominions 5 - in the prior games they were easier to make and harder to kill. Due to a variety of reasons this is no longer the case. Nowadays an SC needs to be tailored to the threat they are facing - making sure to have high [[fire resistance]] versus Abysia or high [[magic resistance]] versus Bandar Log for example. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ====Designing Thugs and SC' | ||
+ | |||
+ | A thug or SC needs to do three things: kill whatever it needs to kill (or scare it off), not die in the process, and move around the map. One of the major advantages of thugs is the ability to mix and match equipment to achieve various goals, in combination with the innate abilities of the chassis. | ||
+ | |||
+ | What you use will depend on what you need to do, how much you want to spend, and what gems and paths you have. Vaettiheim will equip most of its thugs with Frost Brands, not Fire Brands -- simply because you don't have the gems or the mages to make Fire Brands. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Here are some of the more commonly-seen items: | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Fighting PD ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Thugs, particularly light ones, spend most of their time whacking province defense and chaffy infantry. This is best done with AoE weapons. | ||
+ | |||
+ | You need a way to kill them, and you need a way to not die in the process. | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ??Frost Brand?? ({{gems> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ??Fire Brand?? ({{gems> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ??Snake Bladder Stick?? ({{gems> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ??Mace of Eruption?? ({{gems> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ??Horror Helm?? ({{gems> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * Magic: Summoned elementals or ??Soul Vortex?? can wipe out PD reliably. In some cases, ??Fire Shield?? can also clear them out. | ||
+ | |||
+ | You also need to not die to PD or light enemy squads in the area. The best way for any thug or SC to survive is to layer defenses, so that anything that gets past one must deal with another. This also makes you more robust to certain counters: if you rely solely on a high Protection statistic to not die, then some mage will wander by with ??Lightning Bolt?? and you'll be sad. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If your base chassis doesn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ??Armor of Knights?? ({{gems> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ??Copper Plate?? ({{gems> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ??Chain Mail of Displacement?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | * Dragon scale mail: High resistance value, low encumbrance, | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ??Rainbow Armor?? ({{gems> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * ?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Killing Enemy Thugs/ | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you need to chop up enemy big stuff, you're looking for accurate high-damage attacks. Some items that do that well are ?? | ||
+ | |||
====Important Spells==== | ====Important Spells==== | ||
- | Thugging and Super Combating | + | Often your challenge |
===Self Buffs=== | ===Self Buffs=== | ||
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??Liquid body?? and ??Temper flesh??: Both provide all [[physical resistance]]s, | ??Liquid body?? and ??Temper flesh??: Both provide all [[physical resistance]]s, | ||
- | ??Hell Power??: Hellpower provides a host of stat boosts to a caster, +att, def, mr, etc. which are all extremely valuable | + | ??Ironskin??, ?? |
+ | |||
+ | ??Soul Vortex?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ??Summon Earthpower?? | ||
??Flying Shield??: Grants [[protective force]], giving a 50% chance to add 20 [[protection]] on any attack. This stacks plainly with regular prot making it able to almost completely negate a lot of attacks on already high prot thugs. | ??Flying Shield??: Grants [[protective force]], giving a 50% chance to add 20 [[protection]] on any attack. This stacks plainly with regular prot making it able to almost completely negate a lot of attacks on already high prot thugs. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ?? | ||
+ | |||
+ | ??Phoenix Pyre??: The reincarnation effect can be very powerful on SC's with substantial reinvigoration. | ||
===Fluffer Spells=== | ===Fluffer Spells=== | ||
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??Body Ethereal??: makes the subject [[ethereal]], | ??Body Ethereal??: makes the subject [[ethereal]], | ||
- | ?? | + | ?? |
??Legions of Steel??: +3 prot to all armor is good for anyone wearing armor and invaluable for prot stacking tactics. | ??Legions of Steel??: +3 prot to all armor is good for anyone wearing armor and invaluable for prot stacking tactics. | ||
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=== Anti-Thugs === | === Anti-Thugs === | ||
- | In contrast to the 'vine shield and brand' loadout that excels at killing mundane troops, other items are superior at rapidly killing single strong targets. For instance, a ??Sword of Quickness?? or a ??Holy Scourge?? is inferior to a ??Frost Brand?? at killing mundane troops, but will often kill a single beefy target more quickly. | + | In contrast to the 'vine shield and brand' loadout that excels at killing mundane troops, other items are superior at rapidly killing single strong targets. For instance, a ??Sword of Swiftness?? or a ??Holy Scourge?? is inferior to a ??Frost Brand?? at killing mundane troops, but will often kill a single beefy target more quickly. |
Thus, if you know the characteristics of enemy thugs, it is often possible to design and script your own thugs to kill them more efficiently. | Thus, if you know the characteristics of enemy thugs, it is often possible to design and script your own thugs to kill them more efficiently. | ||
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=== Anti-Thug Elites === | === Anti-Thug Elites === | ||
- | Some thug defenses are readily bypassed by elite non-commander units with high MR, magic weapons, and good stats. For instance, a few ??Living Mercury?? will splatter most thugs. Wights and some blessed sacreds can do this as well. Leading small groups of these around, possibly with a mage to buff them, can do a good job of repelling raiding thugs. | + | Some thug defenses are readily bypassed by elite non-commander units with high MR, magic weapons, and good stats. For instance, a few ??Living Mercury#2515?? will splatter most thugs. Wights and some blessed sacreds can do this as well. Leading small groups of these around, possibly with a mage to buff them, can do a good job of repelling raiding thugs. |
=== Catching Thugs === | === Catching Thugs === | ||
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If you are anticipating thugs that may use magic phase movement to jump on you, one anti-thug squad can cover two provinces, since you'll fight them whether they jump in the province you are starting in or the one you are moving to. | If you are anticipating thugs that may use magic phase movement to jump on you, one anti-thug squad can cover two provinces, since you'll fight them whether they jump in the province you are starting in or the one you are moving to. | ||
+ | |||
+ | =====See More===== | ||
+ | [[baalz-zen | Zen and the Art of Thugging]] by Baalz |