Useful Combinations

[SAAzuth0667]

It’s been a while so I am happy to see the changes to how trials and magic skill work. I've been experimenting with different archetypes of staff for the school and I think these are particularly useful.

(Initiate/Apprentice - Role, Race)

Nature/Fire - Outdoorsman, Shattered
This one is perfect for wandering outside your school and getting all of the far away plants. As Shattered, it won't get the conviction malus from being exposed to sporeshrooms, nor be attacked by trapdoor vines. It can go on a hunt and quickly produce the corpses your school needs. As a nice bonus it does well against underschool and fog enemies that attack your school thanks to the fire skill.

Earth/Air - Constructor, Any
This role functions as the primary builder for the school. It can get walls, floors and supports up in very little time. It can’t fight threats to the school so it should be limited in number as once the building is done the majority of its tasks are most likely going to be teaching or tending once its done building.

Air/Earth - Handyman, Any
This role is similar to the constructor but more focused on filling the rooms produced by the constructor with useful furniture and luxury items. Again, this role should be limited in number because its utility decreases once you become happy with your school’s layout and room structure.

Water/Lightning - Janitor, Any
This role is going to spend the majority of its time researching or cleaning your kitchens. Water is required for potion making but mass production of potions doesn’t seem to be needed. This mage will spend the majority of its time in the kitchen or animal rooms cleaning up messes if the students don’t get to it first. Otherwise, this is a great auxiliary researcher and gifted student summoner.

Lightning/Fire and Lightning/Water – Food Scientist and Clean Room Scientist, Human and Any
These are good to start with early on when you need a lot of research done but their utility falls off once the research tree has been completed. Which one you use depends upon what problems your school is suffering. If you can’t keep up with the messes go with the water apprenticeship and if threats are becoming a problem go with the fire apprenticeship. You’ll probably want to transition out of these into lightning apprentices with fire or water initiates once you’ve finished the research tree.

Fire/Lightning - Chef, Human
This role is a workhorse as the school runs on food. The kitchen should never stop operating because for some reason everyone in this game eats too much and food takes too long to cook. You’ll always have a need for this role as they can research and assist in summoning when someone else has the wok. Human race because anything fire benefits from the massive human mana pool and this role won't have to deal with nature hazards.

Dark/Dark – Reanimator, Raven
This role is probably the most important role as it keeps you stocked with quilted workers to fill in for tasks that your students and staff otherwise would have to do. It’s also very good at clearing out the underschool. You generally don’t need more than one unless you’ve got a croa/fog problem and need warders. Raven race because of the speed and power bonuses. These things can outright clear an encounter with a buffed miasma attack.

Anyone else find useful combinations?

[kaibioinfo]

Why using any staff for cleaning at all? This is the first thing I outsource to quilted.

[SAAzuth0667]

I like to keep one staff with water for potion making and since that isn't something done frequently they spend most of their time cleaning. You're right that you don't need staff to clean if you go heavily into quilted and there are student challenges that require cleaning as well. Its a problem of what do you do with a staff member that you need for making potions when you have all of the potions you want? The answer I came up with is they can teach and clean when they don't have potions to make.

[b...]

Lightning/Lightning Wolf. You can seal them in Hermitage for 20 days with a chest full bitter gruel and they'll finish all the research. Then fire them since pure lightning is usless

Fire/Fire Wolf - Hunter+Cook. Wolves have best relics for fire use: 3x hunt + 3x cook Bonus points for having them with "Exuberance" so they can equip hasty relics. They can supply high class food for entire school solo

[kaibioinfo]

I don't have to go "heavily" into quilted. Two quilted cleaners are usually enough. You need water mage also for healing. Besides that, you can keep let busy staff always do teaching.

Currently, Fire and Lightning are the only mage types you need constantly doing their job. All other elements are only necessary from time to time.

[SAAzuth0667]

Ah I see, I usually need between 5-8 quilted cleaners to keep my school clean by themselves. Its probably because I try to mass produce by using a lot of refining beasts and crafting stations that make mess. I'm also not very skilled when it comes to layout/space efficiency of school design.

[kaibioinfo]

Do you use "produce UNTIL" to prevent your beasts to overproduce? Because in my schools most of the beasts are idle most of the time, cause you can produce iron, stone and so on quite fast but you only need it occasionally.

[SAAzuth0667]

Yes, I use produce until but I am constantly running through refined materials as I make things for the school and redesign its layout.