Help to choose a pretender monster

[Chinese_Parrot]

Hello! I am a very bad player, but I would like to learn. So...

I have a thematic preference to play monsters over humans or human-looking things. And now I would like to choose 1 pretender, and learn the game first with it.

At this moment my top-list has: Drakon, Devourer of Souls , Celestial Dragon, Hunter Spider.

Which one of these would be the most powerful in the late game? Any tips about what would be the best spells and items to craft so the pretender works best? Any similar monstrous suggestions for pretender? Is this special ability to devour soul really useful, or just a gimmicky?

Thx for answering to these nooby questions! :)))

[Eldritch Gentleman]

Monsters are generally worse in the late game due to their lack of item slots compared to a titan or mage. You can have a very nasty monster, but it'll lose out to someone with armour, weapons, shields, etc, eventually. Devouring souls is actually quite powerful against certain units, since it cancels immortality and instantly kills them.

I'd suggest the Drakon- it has 3 head slots for crowns and magic helmets, in addition to the standard 2 misc slots. It has earth and nature magic, which are amazing bless paths to make it as durable as possible, and is a fantastic combat unit due to multiple attacks, sheer tankiness, and poison breath.

[Twogun]

i recommend the wyrm, just because it's really easy to use. fear, regen. and remember, your blesses now are on your pretender too(in your dominion).

SCs aren't as effective in MP, so remember that if you switch over. but they are really fun.

also, you'll learn a lot about the play systems. even SCs can be vulnerable.

[Sharpest Fangs]

Most of the monsters are not going to be particularly strong late game due to limited item slots, although against the AI they will probably do just fine, I guess it depends what you want them to do, devour soul is sort of gimmicky since it's overkill for most things but it lets you kill super elite units with ease, the problem is the AI doesn't make much use of these types of units and the Devour of Souls only has 1 attack.

Out of the ones you listed I think the Drakon is the best option if you just take something like earth 6, nature 5, and give him Hard Skin and Recuperation with his multiple attacks he should be able to kill most independent provinces easily. As far as spells cast all the defense buffs you can and he shouldn't die to any amount of normal troops that the AI will throw at you. Research enchantment 2 for Personal Regeneration, conjuration 3 for Summon Earth Power, and alteration 4 for Temper Flesh, and Elemental Fortitude.

As far as items give them either a Girdle of Might or an Amulet of Resilience from construction 4 so they don't fatigue out, although summon earth power also solves that problem, A Ring of Regeneration can boost survivability futher, you can also give a Copper Arm so your monster can actually use a weapon or shield, any misc item that gives a bonus attack like an Astral Serpent or Stone Bird is decent as well, for heads most monsters can only use crowns and most of them don't give anything they really care about, the most standout is probably the Wraith Crown since it makes them Ethereal.

A Drakon scripted to cast Summon Earth Power, Personal Regeneration, Temper Flesh, Elemental Fortitude, Attack/Fire - Closest/Rear, equiped with a Wraith Crown, Ring of Regeneration, and Amulet of Resilience can probably beat anything the AI will try against you.

[Uncle Al]

Once your initial expansion is done, I'd recommend an amulet of anti magic, or a starshine skullcap if you can wear those in crown slots, I forget if you can. Even against the AI you need to get magic resistance as high as possible. The AI is quite good these days at spamming nasty single target spells (paralyse etc.) at super combatant type units, and those type of spells are almost always resisted with magic resistance.

It's possible for even seemingly invulnerable units to get themselves killed if they're immobilised so long they reach the battle turn limit and can't rout because they can't move. If they can't get off the battle field they're automatically killed.

[Devin]

Good spells early on for monsters include mistform if you have air, or ironskin for earth, personal regen for nature.
I guess death can do skeletal body, which can help because pierce is a very common damage type.

Also note that when giving orders, attack means melee attack.
If you want to order a dragon to use breath from range, for example, tell it to fire.
I mean sure, dragons can also breathe in melee but if you can make someone wade through poison just to get to you, even better.

[Red_Rob]

I notice you listed the Hunter Spider as a Pretender - there isn't a Spider Pretender in vanilla but there are in a few mods. Are you running any mods, such as Dominions Enhanced or Extra Pretenders?

Mods can sometimes change the power level and abilities of some of the Pretenders, so the advice on how to use them might also change.

[Devin]

Originally posted by Red_Rob:

I notice you listed the Hunter Spider as a Pretender - there isn't a Spider Pretender in vanilla but there are in a few mods. Are you running any mods, such as Dominions Enhanced or Extra Pretenders?

Mods can sometimes change the power level and abilities of some of the Pretenders, so the advice on how to use them might also change.

MA Machaka has a sorcerer pretender with a spider as a second shape.
I wouldn't really count on it too much in a fight.

[Alkavi]

While I am a fan of Titans, I think Dragons would be my pick for monsters, due to their map flying. They can fly to thrones and forward bases you've set up in the world that I think It's just a useful thing to have on your pretender

[Chinese_Parrot]

Hello! Thx for answers. I tried a game with Drakon, but it was miserable, because it got cursed with "Shrink", and also it got some battle afflictions that didnt heal away! Is it normal that pretender gets this damaged permanently? :/

But i have also learned something. So, now i decided that i will main with EA Sauromatia, becuz they have a nice combination of living, undead and beast creatures. :)

So, next i try to decide a best leader for Sauromatia. One pretender that attracts me now is the "Raven of the Underworld", and i made a test game where it has 9 dead magic and 6 earth magic, 8 candles and some other stuff. Can the black bird god get insane hit points towards the late game, or is the hit point gathering a gimmicky?

[Mormacil]

Yes, it's the main argument against using pretenders in combat. Afflictions are hard to heal, certain spell effects and things like horror marks or curses are permanent.

The corpse eater ability is kinda gimmicky because corpses can be hard to get your hands on. Not all deaths lead to a corpse. In fact the most reliable way to get them is having your tax paying population die, not warriors on the battlefield.

[Uncle Al]

Originally posted by Chinese_Parrot:

Hello! Thx for answers. I tried a game with Drakon, but it was miserable, because it got cursed with "Shrink", and also it got some battle afflictions that didnt heal away! Is it normal that pretender gets this damaged permanently? :/

Yes. Without the 'recuperation' ability, expander pretenders almost inevitably pick up a career ending injury and get retired to the lab eventually.

Having regeneration, whether naturally by being a monster than has regeneration, through a bless or casting the nature enchantment 'personal regeneration' in battle, doesn't heal afflictions, but it does significantly reduce the chance of getting them in the first place.

If you don't mind mods you could also look at the amazing 'dominions enhanced' in the mods forum. Among the thousands of things it adds to the game is putting affliction resistance, disease resistance and recuperation on nearly all pretenders. Having your god die in the first year because you accidentally stood on a hidden disease causing magic site irritates the hell out of me, so I really like those changes!

[CHI LONG QUA]

A pretender with blood can cast Blood feast to remove afflictions.

[Chinese_Parrot]

Ok, i have now made a hero for Sauromatia.

Any ideas, is this pretender decent (screenshot of abilities):

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197994796890/home/