what spells do you Never cast?

[Father Beast]

I got this idea while reading the "question" thread and learned how to preview my spellbook at the beginning of the game. it occured to me I could restart until I got the spells I really like waiting for me to research.

I started t realize that some spells are a lot more suited to my style of playing than others. some I can just do without.

For example, when playing as a Life Wizard, I rarely summon unicorns, and have never summoned angels or archangels. I have never cast Astral Gate. I figure if I can't get to the other side by the time I have that, I'm screwed anyway. I also have never had occaision to cast Tranquility. it just never seemed worth it

That's Life.

Arcane: I never summon hero or summon champion.

Chaos: no Chaos Surge, no Warp Reality

Death: Death Wish is too hard to gauge. subversion seems useless. possession also.

Nature: Natures Eye. Earth To Mud. Entangle. Never moved my fortress. Earth Gate would be useful if we had larger maps

Sorcery: Guises (duh). Great unsummoning usually fails, so I quit using it. never used creature binding. Spell Ward is too specific to be of much use

so, what about you guys?

[Rex Little]

Pretty much the same list as yours, FB, except that I'll summon Archangels if I can. I won't summon the really low-level creatures, like Skeletons, unless I need an emergency garrison of my fortress against an approaching raider. I never create magic items, since it usually seems like I find more than I can use. I never cast any of the Mastery spells (Zombie Mastery, Herb Mastery, etc.); by the time I get them I'm mopping up, and they seem like overkill.

[aaglo]

I think that move fortress is a sorcery spell (not nature), but I might be wrong on that one (atleast flying fortress is a sorcery...) .

I rarely cast summon spells, since I think that most of the summoned creatures are either too weak or too expensive (the exception being the Wraiths, and sometimes some creatures in tough battles - but not in world map).

But other than those, I think I've casted (and will cast) a spell if I need one.

[Father Beast]

Flying Fortress is a sorcery spell. Move Fortress is a Nature spell according to my spellbook.

Of course, my spellbook also lists Sky drakes as a rare spell, when it's very rare in actuality.


RL, I also have seen little efect from Zombie Mastery, and am thinking of crossing it off my list. But I find Herb Mastery Useful, since it is relatively cheap to maintain, if not to cast. I'm a bit slower on the conquest than you.

[bakalov]

Move Fortress is nature, Flying Fortress is sorcery.
Anyway I think it is a mistake not to summon heroes or champions like Father Beast proposed ... Creature binding is very cool if you get the proper staff ;-)

A little stupid question about earth gates: How do you use them? I always wondered ...

I completely agree about the low level creature summons. That's because I like playing warlord and my normal units are strong. May be if I play a Conjurer this may change.

[pchang]

If you play conjurer the real key is getting those "in battle" creature summons. You can take over the world with magic spirits if you can summon enough phantom warriors, phantom beasts, or elementals.

[DaveV]

I guess I play a pretty narrow game. I rarely play long enough to get most of the 3rd and 4th level spells, so I can't speak for most of them. I almost never use a summon on the strategic map, except for magic spirits.

The only arcane spells I do use are Magic Spirit and Detect Magic.

Chaos: wall of fire, shatter, corruption, immolation, warp creature, raise volcano.

Death: all of them. I always take at least one life book.

Life: heavenly light, probably some of the other city spells if I ever had them (NOT altar of battle, which is one of the truly game-breaking spells).

Nature: wall of stone, earth to mud, earth lore, nature's eye.

Sorcery: aura of majesty, wind mastery, vertigo.

[pchang]

Earth lore is one of the most useful spells. I use it if I get it.

[aaglo]

Yep, I use earth-lore quite often too.

[DaveV]

Does earth lore tell you what's inside the nodes and lairs? If not, I still don't see much point in it.

[aaglo]

no it doesn't. It just reveals the land & cities & unit in the area you cast it (the whole screen).
It's quite useful in the early game - lets you know where everybody are

[pchang]

If you can get to an enemy wizard early, you can take him out (a couple of units fortified with heroism or something similar) and it makes the game a whole lot easier. Earth Lore is one of the best ways to find an enemy tower early on.

[bakalov]

I like earth lore too. But while I do not get it too often, I always have some spirits scouting around ....

[pchang]

If you like chaos and conjuror, then hell hounds are almost as fast (though they can't cross water) and cheaper to cast.

[DaveV]

Conjurer reduces the cost of magic spirits as well as hell hounds; I think the only way to get cheaper hell hounds is with 10+ chaos books or 9 chaos books + chaos mastery. The best explorer is probably a draconian spearman, because of his range 2 scouting, but I generally use 2-3 magic spirits per plane. It's really important to me to find out what's inside all the nodes and lairs, so I can go after the easy ones.

As far as eliminating enemy wizards early: that definitely has a negative impact on your relations with all the other wizards, and may not be as easy as you imply. By the time the player can cast two heroism spells, an impossible AI will have summoned a bunch of creatures and have a pretty good powerbase for casting his nastiest spells (at 1/2 cost in his fortress city). Waiting until the late game means you can pick up more spells by repeatedly conquering the AIs' capitals, and you can maximize your ability to pick up those spells by conquering a bunch of nodes and lairs (aiming to pick up more spell books) before starting on the AI cities.

[pchang]

Even though the AI can summon lots of creatures early it has a tendency to send them out and leave the tower relatively undefended from time to time. Usually, I can just wait outside a few turns and then attack when he sends a stack out to attack me.

[pchang]

Also - every wizard pretty much declares war right after they we meet anyway so I see no downside to taking one out as early as I can.

[Father Beast]

Originally posted by bakalov

A little stupid question about earth gates: How do you use them? I always wondered ...

You have to have an Earth Gate in at least two cities for it to work at all. then you can teleport your units between any two cities with Earth Gates. Kind of like the Civ2 airlift.

[Father Beast]

DaveV, I don't know why you don't cast Wall Of Stone. It's a great way to put up city walls without your city having to go through the time and trouble.

[Father Beast]

Originally posted by DaveV
I guess I play a pretty narrow game. I rarely play long enough to get most of the 3rd and 4th level spells, so I can't speak for most of them. I almost never use a summon on the strategic map, except for magic spirits.

The only arcane spells I do use are Magic Spirit and Detect Magic.

Chaos: wall of fire, shatter, corruption, immolation, warp creature, raise volcano.

Death: all of them. I always take at least one life book.

Life: heavenly light, probably some of the other city spells if I ever had them (NOT altar of battle, which is one of the truly game-breaking spells).

Nature: wall of stone, earth to mud, earth lore, nature's eye.

Sorcery: aura of majesty, wind mastery, vertigo.

Wow! You Do play a lot differently than I do.

Arcane: Don't you ever cast SOM?

Chaos: Shatter is especially nasty a lot of times. it can render slingers useless.

Life: I just love Stream Of Life. perfect for expansionists. cast it on outposts and they become useful fast.

Nature: Like the others, I use Earth Lore to explore, and didn't I already mention Wall Of Stone?

Death: It's a LOT different, but a lot of fun, you should try it sometime.

Sorcery: Wind Mastery is one of my favorite spells. I learned to hate having jafar cast it, then I learned to love it when I'm playing.


Of course, you have proven yourself the superior conqerer in the comp games, so I shouldn't razz you too much.

[DaveV]

Originally posted by Father Beast
DaveV, I don't know why you don't cast Wall Of Stone. It's a great way to put up city walls without your city having to go through the time and trouble.

If you're going to build city walls, Wall of Stone is a great cost saving (60:300 gold with alchemist retort, 120:300 gold otherwise). I'd rather invest the production into a unit, which can be used offensively as well as defensively. I try to play an attacking game, and hope never to need city walls.

Originally posted by Father Beast
Arcane: Don't you ever cast SOM?

Not yet...

Originally posted by Father Beast Death: It's a LOT different, but a lot of fun, you should try it sometime.

Yeah, but I'd rather be fighting against the forces of evil than leading them. Call it a personal preference.

[pchang]

we are talking about the difference between a full on every move is important gamer and a more lazy gaming method (slow inexorable expansion and superiority). I only play the first way against human opponents. I have never found an AI that requires anything more than the lazy approach.

[Rex Little]

I never cast Wall of Stone; nor, for that matter do I build city walls. I suppose they might make a difference in rare cases, but usually when the computer attacks, either I'm strong enough to beat him without walls or he's strong enough to beat me with them. (Of course, when the computer's city has walls it's a big plus for the human player, because the AI will cower behind the walls and let you shoot him.)

I've used Shatter once in awhile, but I don't like to because it never seems to work. If I want to neutralize slingers, Warp Wood is cheaper and never fails.

I haven't cast Spell of Mastery more than once or twice in the 100+ games of MOM I've played. If the AI doesn't beat me early, I nearly always have the game won by conquest before SOM is researched, much less cast.

[pchang]

if you are out to maximize your score.