If the community is voting for consensus, then my vote is to always pull toward the Forcemaster using her ability.

Rationale: it creates the smallest amount of change to the way the Forcemaster ability worked prior to release of Mind's Eye. The ability still pulls a creature toward the swirling Galvitar Force Blade intent on slicing it to pieces but now the ability has an extended range and can be used over top of walls.

Quote from: DaveW on August 30, 2018, 04:41:57 PM

Quote from: Enti on July 08, 2018, 05:28:03 AM

Beautiful idea, if the cards would be available.

1x Galvanize
Show me another non-holy card that can remove corrodes.

Rust
Potentially also a second set of Armor

Disarm

And I have 2 chest pieces and a Disarm in almost every book...

Raincloud also removes Corrode or Burn markers.

Starting life would be lower than other mages - say 24.

Training would be low levels in several schools - say Level 2 in Nature and Level 1 in all other Primary schools, but no training in elemental schools. All non-Halfling equipment spells cost triple to include in spellbook.

Agile ability provides - Defense 7 x infinite. Pay 1 mana for each use. This represents the challenge of hitting a smaller creature and helps to balance the lower life total.

Stealth ability provides - Obscured and Tough -1 to represent higher difficulty of achieving effects/conditions on a small creature.

Why not use Sersiryx to help with channeling and casting curse spells? He is very flexible in switching to offensive mode if you pack extra flame attack spells at levels 1-2. He can even cast the Bloodthirsty Lust curse on friendly creatures for extra attack dice.

You might want to add Doublestrike and Triplestrike to the Negative column as they remain effective in dealing more than one damage per Attack Action.

So, would a Reverse Attack spell require the swarm to kill itself using the extra attacks based on its health with each attack dealing one damage off the swarm's health?

Looks like Nope. I just checked the wording in the top message and it says "may" for the additional attacks.

Quote from: wtcannonjr on October 15, 2018, 05:19:44 PM

Another option is to use Crusade Banner and then move forward saving your mana. By turn 3 you should be able summon two holy creatures of level 4 and level 3 for about 34 mana in total IIRC. This combo with your Paladin should be aggressive way to attack while your opponent may still be creating his economy.

But wouldn't that be a false economy for me?

By putting out the banner and using it on T3 I have spent 7 mana to save 4.
The full round actions I save by having the banner summon the creatures (allowing the mage to move up) will be countered by needing to use full round actions to bring the creatures up to the front line.
And I miss the opportunity to buff the creatures in the meantime.

Or am I missing something?

You can spend 2 move actions in the first round and cast Crusade Banner much closer to the opponent. You then have the option to close ranks and attack with the Paladin while accumulating mana or guard the Banner until it spawns. Ranged attacks have reduced chance to hit the banner (unless Flame damage), but you can adjust the zone you cast it based on your risk preferences. i.e. do you want to taunt the opponent forward to attack the banner?

The benefit is you spend 7 mana, gain 4 mana, gain an action to cast two creatures, and have two rounds of move actions to close ranks with your opponent for early attack options. Casting creatures with Fast or Flying or Ranged Attacks works best for getting them into the battle faster.

Another way to consider this question is to ask "How Important is the Cast a Spell action?"

After all, each mage starts with a physical attack ranging from 1 to 4 dice including mage abilities and the ability to take move and attack actions without spending any mana. If neither player had a spellbook, then the game rules still allow you to fight a battle to the death in the arena.

Ranking the mages based on physical abilities alone seems much easier when mana doesn't enter the picture.

How much mana would each mage be willing to pay to prevent the other player from taking a Cast a Spell action? It seems that the Arraxian Crown Warlock, Bloodwave Warlord, and Straywood Beastmaster would pay more mana to maintain there physical advantages while the other mages prefer to spend their mana on casting spells that improve their situation against stronger foes.