Units ans skills - once again

Lions

Swordsman
(current status - useless)
T1 - his usefulness is to close to skeleton for 23 points
T2 - Vivacity on unit with DOD 8 is rather useless. Rest are ok. (but T1 was still to weak/pricy)
T3 - Mighty blow is far more useful than quick strike but it have high cost of 6ap and Swordsman base TOU is already terribly low. Taunt is nice.

Archer
T1 - he definitely cant stay at this lev - to low STR
T2 - Accuracy is only option, Elusive is useful only as a alternative of cheaper Accuracy with elusive+AIM.
Sharpshooter should be changed for something better or its cost must be lowered by half or more.
T3 - both are ok

Mage
T1 - weak as hell
T2 - Seal of Danneran is to obvious choice, Scourge is to 0-1 even now - in future chances of confronting Acheron will be even lower - so spell should be changed for something more interesting.
T3 - lets say ok but Recovery looks much better for now
T4 - ok
T5 - Consciousness for something else.
additional spell would be nice on lev 2 or 4

Lion
T1 - lets say ok, i don't use him but it can be useful as i knew.
T2 - Mobile is obvious , survival should be replaced by someting new
T3 - Flurry works wrong, Sneak is weird and im not sure if its useful, Prudent - its only use would be stunning whole enemy army with ruthless
T4 - Implacable - one attack unit cant kill more than one unit in activation... assassin should be replaced.

Valkyrie
T1 - nice healer and desperate line of defense
T2 - so much obvious, she is to fragile for counteratack attempts.
T3 - obvious Fanaticism, Exalted should be changed
T4 - Martial Inspiration is upgrade to useless counteratack - and this is wrong. Incarnation of Justice can stay as a one use hard counter.
T5 - Piety is ok, im not sure why she would need master fencer... other than offensive stance Martial Inspiration.

Sparkling
T1 - Great map control unit, harasser and one use blocker
T2 - both skills are for filing last 1-3 ap in party
T3 - Healing is great, i never tested suicide attack

Knight
T1 - ok
T2 - ok
T3 - ok
T4... not ok - Implacable is pointless, Righteous should be replaced by fanaticism, Scourge Living Dead is nice
T5 One more skill is more than needed.

Chimera
T1 - probably ok
T2 - nothing with option of casting once per turn? Current Guardian Angel is tu much based about buffing Knight - it should work as before on non elites but with +4 or more PAR
T3 - Righteous on unit with Will 18 is terrible -1 STR, Scourge is ok
T4 - Strength of Virtue should be buffed and option to cast it on itself should be blocked. Others are ob but Mage replay is boring.
T5 - Focus is ok, Consciousness should be cheaper or changed.



Baronies of Acheron

Skeleton Warrior
T1 - Same as for Sparkling - great unit that fits almost any army composition
T2 - Feriocious is ok... but much weaker (counterattack) than for archer, Hard Boiled should be cheaper for him and Possesed is terrible for its cost (50% of unit cost) but replacing it by the acher Fierce would be great fot skeleton warrior purposes
T3 - Quick strike - normaly weak but with Ferocious starts to be reasonable, Martyr is great but i thing that it should have increased ap if Hard Boiled cost will be lowered (same amount)

Skeleton Bowman
T1 - cheap and very reasonable for its price.
T2 - Ferocious - great and useful - also cheap enough to keep bowman efficient against non armored targets. Possesed would be ok if cheaper and Fierce... fierce is weird - but imo can be useful. So Possessed should be cheaper or replaced - rest is ok
T3 - Double shoot is quite weak for a unit with low base Acc while slowing arrow is nice.. but weak against wolfens (high DOD VS low ACC) that should be its natural targets of this skill - so this cripling shoot is mostly legendary/elite hard counter with feriocious at T2.

Necromancer
T1 - ok - as for simple summoner it can be used even on T1
T2 - Morbid explosion is weaker version of Lions Seal... maybe it should have feriocious efect aded to explosion? Healing is ok but at this level terribly random. Third spell would be nice - maybe the old drain health spell ?
T3 - Only Mastery of Arcana that can make a big difference. Recovery is also nice option.
T4 - totally different spells but both nice
T5 - Once again Conscience <<<< Focus Damage orientated Necro will always choose Focus while summoner/healer wants to be cheap - so Conscience should be replaced.

Gargoyle
T1 - im not sure it he is useful - it can be strong but Crane is much less glass while having similar STR
T2 - Hard Boiled have once again really big price but without full DAM/TOU damage formula im not sure how helpful can Hard Boiled be to a Gargoyle. But i feel that more than expected.
T3 - Flurry - needs replacement, Sneak - sounds reasonable but its hard to say definitely, Dive bomb have to high cost imo for something slightly stronger from the Ruthless.
T4 - Both skills could be replaced

Priest
T1 - a Bit to hard to be cost effective
T2 - Inversion >>>> Aura - so aura should be replaced
T3 - Piety > Exalted
T4 - ok
T5 - ok but conscience could be cheaper

Paladin
T1 - first miracle seems like to much all in one for me but its nice and usefull
T2 - Aura is once again not useful (PAR is mostly not a problem for paladin especaly supported by skeletons) while Erosion is hell hard counter for mages
T3 - Exalted is once again not so much usefull while Loyal is great for some bands
T4 - Touch is in top3 spells while Transfer is nice but unfortunately obviously weaker than Touch
T5 - Master Fencer seems unnecessary for a unit with Acc 13 and honor of black paladin miracle while scourge looks nice.

Crane
T1 - ok
T2 - Hard Boiled >> Possesed (i'm not shure but something cheap as alternative could be nicer)
T3 - Counteratack = Taunt - nice
T4 - Fierce is only skill dependent on lower tier currently? i knew that bavck in 0.10 it was normal but now looks werid even it its forced by counteratack+fierce abuse , Scourge is nice and Implacable can be usefull but i would move it as a allternative on T5 and add something on T4
T5 - ok but one more option wuld be nice

Swordsman: You're thinking about this the wrong way: The swordsman is there to riposte enemy grunts; It's not actually there to attack them. He's there to hold a line, taking the punches it'll parry and riposte. YOu're supposed to use them to fill a gap and let the enemy try to punch them. Don't wound yourself while attacking them.
T1: It's Bravery also grants it +3 damage when it succeeds its fear roll, making it good in parry and attack.
T2: Give it Parry, and for 33 points it'll give a hard time with 14 PAR, as long as you haven't activated it.
T3: Taunt is better IMO, since the Swordsman is here to tank.

MAgician:
T1: weak as hell? What are you smoking, I want some. It has a Strengh 15 spell it can cast on the 2nd and 3rd turn then 5th and 6th. You call that weak? I call that a lot of damage!
T2: Scourge of the impure is there to keep a low cost Magician, when you don't run Sparks.
T3: Depends on how you use it. I use my Magician as a NUKE, and having, at level 5, a spell that does 27 DAM + Vulnerability at a 6 range is helluva fun.

Lion:
T2: Survival costs a lot, but it saves my hide quite often, especially when you go in agressive stance.
T3: Sneak is great since it prevents a riposte: It's great when you're facing a strong unit that has already activated, and you don't want to be hit back.

Valkyrie
T3: Actually I find both pretty meh...
T5: It's in case you go for Incarnation of Justice that Master Fencer is around. Also cool for Riposte, to be almost sure to hit.

Knight:
T4 is actually very OK. Implacable isn't useless but very situational, and the others are quite OK.

Chimera
T2: The effect is permanent and gives regen... It's fine.

the day before the open beta where we had access to 600 cyans i tried for fun the valkyrie with counterattack and martial inspiration...to my big surprise it ROCKED. I didn't have time to test it too much but with fanaticism, bravery and martial inspiration it can get to +5 DAM e with counterattack on it wrecks any wolven who tried to hit her (easily 30 damages without attacking on medium TOU wolven). Obviously you have to play her completely differently than the FA one...as this one is very good as an offensive unit...than a bunkering one. Unfortunately FA is so good that this little gem will be hidden

T1: It's Bravery also grants it +3 damage when it succeeds its fear roll, making it good in parry and attack.

+3 ?

T3: Taunt is better IMO, since the Swordsman is here to tank.

the problem is that Taunt totaly dosn't work with Parry

any time i see Swordsman in enemy band i knew that i have big advantage.

T1: weak as hell? What are you smoking, I want some. It has a Strengh 15 spell it can cast on the 2nd and 3rd turn then 5th and 6th. You call that weak? I call that a lot of damage!

15 dmg each two turns and lowered by each wound for 70ap ?
any archer can do more and at better range. Especialy when Primal deal exacly the same damage to knight as dam 11 archer.

T3: Depends on how you use it. I use my Magician as a NUKE, and having, at level 5, a spell that does 27 DAM + Vulnerability at a 6 range is helluva fun.

27? you sure that you knew how this unit works?

T2: Survival costs a lot, but it saves my hide quite often, especially when you go in agressive stance.

15% is 15% no more no less one or none use per game i would say.

T4 is actually very OK. Implacable isn't useless but very situational,

you need 3 dying units in a line... this don't happen

T2: The effect is permanent and gives regen... It's fine.

i tested this quite much - and its more complicated to cast/use than usefull.
Currently it can be eficient on knight only - and its wrong.

+3 ?

Yes. Look in game whenever an Alahan evades fear, on the bottom left.

the problem is that Taunt totaly dosn't work with Parry

Nor does the other skill, and it even reduces Toughness! But any hit that goes at a swordsman isn't going at something more interesting.

any time i see Swordsman in enemy band i knew that i have big advantage.

I have to agree, but that's because they don't fit my playstyle. The only melee untis I have in my Lion army are Sparks and a lIon.

15 dmg each two turns and lowered by each wound for 70ap ?

Same can be said about the archers you so praise, and it's not ever two turn: It's twice every three turns, then Once per turn starting from level 3. Damage will also grow exponentially as you chose your skills. My high level nuke mage can cast this three times in a single turn, and I tell you this really hurts helluva lot on those PoB and other bulldozers when you launch 3x22DAM rolls.

T3: Depends on how you use it. I use my Magician as a NUKE, and having, at level 5, a spell that does 27 DAM + Vulnerability at a 6 range is helluva fun.

27? you sure that you knew how this unit works?

15 will + Mastery of the arcana (4) + Focus (3) + 5 (on celestial scourge bonus) = 27. And adds vulnerability so if you save up 9 mana you can actually cast 27+vulnerability then add 15+4+3+3(vulnerability)=25 damage. That's why I call it a nuke. Sure, it doesn't do the full 27 damage, but it's a 27 damage attack.

15% is 15% no more no less one or none use per game i would say.

In my last game I had a lion with Survival Instinct, a spark and an archer against a mage and an archer. The mage failed two spells he used in the same turn. That would have killed it.

you need 3 dying units in a line... this don't happen

Your job is to make it happen. Use Chastisement of Light on the mage to weaken a pack of enemies once or twice on a melee and you can mop up easily. Easier with wolf though.

Swordsmen definitely have their uses.

1: Blockers with higher survivability than skeletons.

2: Encircle bonus units that stay in the game longer giving those healthy 15% to hit, 15% to parry to other units who might need them.

Can be great with KoL or the valkyrie counter-attack combo mentioned above. 2 or 3 swordsmen traveling with that valkyrie can boost his parry up by 6-9 points.

Agreed with the rest though, the skill costs on many low cost units are simply too high to be justifiable points-wise.

Yes. Look in game whenever an Alahan evades fear, on the bottom left.

checked
its +1 - as always

My high level nuke mage can cast this three times in a single turn

checked
frequency 2 - as before
+

5 will + Mastery of the arcana (4) + Focus (3) + 5 (on celestial scourge bonus) = 27.

and again checked
Mastery of Arcana don't affect spell DMG - only casting chances

Yes. Look in game whenever an Alahan evades fear, on the bottom left.

checked
its +1 - as always

Mistakes will happen.

My high level nuke mage can cast this three times in a single turn

checked
frequency 2 - as before

Really? Gotta check that, I'm pretty sure I used it three times on the same turn. Maybe a bug then.

5 will + Mastery of the arcana (4) + Focus (3) + 5 (on celestial scourge bonus) = 27.

and again checked
Mastery of Arcana don't affect spell DMG - only casting chances

No. The spell uses the will to base its damage, and Mastery of the arcana increases the WIL, and noticed an increase in Damage. Will have to test further. Either my observations were wrong, or the description is wrong.

What about the rest?

No. The spell uses the will to base its damage, and Mastery of the arcana increases the WIL, and noticed an increase in Damage. Will have to test further. Either my observations were wrong, or the description is wrong.

Devs confirmed once that this will be only +20% to cast bonus so i never bother to test that.

If you have a Mage with this - run training mission - cast one primal on sparkling, one on swordsman and write us the Values - and add if you have the fosus +3 bonus or not.

What about the rest?

and what can i say about Survival Instinct - You can say even that your lion soloed two PoBs - and it would be possible with a chances 1 to never - but possible... once ;P
For me 15% is nothing that i can count for and base my tactics about.

Your job is to make it happen.

I wish you a realy good luck to puting 3 dying Skyydancers unit in Implacable pursiut line ;P

I'm pretty sure that you have to consider also the unit TOU , other than your magician WIL.