Questions about magic system/quests

1. Not sure about that one. Spells should go up to level 5.

2. You can rush all the spell levels if you want to (although researching the next level takes longer than researching that level's spells), and you can still research the lower level spells.

3. I believe you have to use magic there. Also, note that when you have a squad, although it shows a combined attack total, they don't actually use that value (each unit rolls for it's own attack value, so divide the total by the amount of troops to get the real attack against).

Thanks Impinc I have added a new  question up there from a edit. Makes sense on the 12 unit great dukes attk was 487. 487/12=40 so they would still miss.

My current game shows me researching L8 spells but it's blank. I even tried the option to learn knowledge, instead of learn spells, but it comes back to same screen either way.

Is there a thread with a spell list somewere laying around?

I finished the game, and thru the in-game help guide I guess I had all the spells. I decided to try the spell of making thinking maybe this unlocked more spells. To my surprise it's victory condition, and game ends. So I reloaded from a save and continued on. I finally got to the end quest against the mad hermit and ya spells did him in, probably real hard to get over his 100 defense, and melee/bow him. The rest of that group I just melee/archered them down.

I think what is/was looping me is the fact these spells do so little damage, the heal spell is so worthless, and the fact it was offerning me higher spell levels made me think there was more spells. But there wasn't, I bum rushed the spell list so fast, and hard, I collected them all real fast, probably to fast compared to my first three games.

I still cannot figure out what is the difference between learn knowledge and learn spells but oh well. Some the of stuff in this game is not making sense so far, but I will get there.

Just thought I'd try to help, but when you mean "learn knowledge and learn spells", do you mean the choices to "increase knowledge" and learn spells?  If that's what you're talking about, I believe the "increase knowledge" is to go to the next level of spells.  What you start with are (as far as I understand it) level 1 spells, and so you have a choice between unlocking all available level 2 spells, or continue getting level 1 spells.  But considering that you already got to the Spell of Making, I think you already have a grasp of that, so sorry if this wasn't helpful 

the game really needs to make people aware that "increasing knowledge" and researching the next spell level are the same thing.

QUESTION about the warfare techs refined defense, and attack, and movement. It states +5% to each, plus one to movement. Does this apply to NEWLY conctructed units only? Do hero's get these benefits? Do units under construction get the benefits? Thanks!

New game and guess what? Pushing the spell books, and arcane knowledge etc. less due to playing a warrior type hero. And I am now on Level 4 spells and still getting them. Now I see how it works. You keep getting spell levels, even if you don't have any more spells to learn. I don't even have all the spell books yet, so this is going to at least L5, if not L6.

ArcElement- Seems Sethai is correct, it doesn't make a darn worth of difference. You don't get to stay on Level 1 spells once you go to L2, but if a new spell book is gained like earth spells, they open up, and you can then add those even if your already on L4 or L5. You can learn them faster, slower whatever. Now I get how this works, it's screwy but I get it.

Ah I see, sorry for the wrong info and thanks for clearing that up!    As for the refined warfare techs, sorry, I don't know...

This is a bit late, but I've tried refined defense, and all my previous units (Sovereign, heroes, and troops) all had the +5% defense boost (currently, it's at +15%), and I think it's safe to assume that all newly created units will get these benefits too.  This is in 1.19e.

Thanks for looking into it Arch-Element, I did the same finally lastnight, and saw it stack, I didn't get to try +attack though. Movement still not sure on that one yet. 

New question on Caravans, might as well ask in this thread instead of opening a new one.

What is the best way to do these? I have tried all caravans into the capital city, and I have tried capital to city2, city2 to city 3 etc. and so on. In a earlier game I noticed one caravan was getting +14%. That game was long one though over 300 turns, since then only +10% to gilders. Now it says it does something for food production, but I have not noticed any change in that. One last thing, it shows the road getting darker, and darker, once a caravan makes 30 trips, but I cannot tell what that does, if anything?  One last thing I have tried mixing caravans, each city can have 3, but once a few are destroyed by bandits having a hard time figuring were that caravan was coming from, going to to. Thanks again, for any answers.

3:  for the Hermit, try to get heroes with "cushing blow" or better yet, "savage strike", as these do damage regardless of defense.  Equip them with Elementiun Karazzans.

If you have the book, Xander can do it too.

Here's my opinion:

1. 1 caravan from each city to capital - capital builds all the gildar bonus buildings. In my 1.19d game I had 16 settlements, 1 route from each to capital, was maxing population in capital and built all the gildar bonues, was cranking out 1,100 gildar a turn from that city alone.
2. The other 2 caravans build road networks to cities nearest to that city
3. The routes upgrade after so many trips which increases from 10% to 15% to 20% (don't remember the exact #'s). So it is in your best interest to build the shortest routes possible so they upgrade faster (i.e. a road network from one side of the map to the other side will take a hell of a lot longer than a short trip between two close cities)
4. Caravans no longer do anything about food. That was a pre 1.1 mechanic as all caravans used to provide a food bonus instead of gildar.
5. Try making routes through your ZOC only and if you have uncivilized lands between cities try to civilize it by making another settlement or increasing the ZOC of cities. Unfortunately you will always have to micromanage caravans if you leave them traveling dangerous lands.
6. Agree that it is tough to manage caravans if they are constantly attacked - key thing here is to agressively manage monsters and try to only make routes through protected lands.

Try a custom sov who's bard and max charisma. If you focus on making all of your cities at least level 3 (if kingdom that means 2 huts) your ZOC's will push the uncivilized lands back a good deal. I hope this helps.

Thanks all for the replies

Cobol- Last game I had a hero named Nati I think with savage strike, WOW first time seeing her, she can laydown the damage, never got above claymore though, was doing like 185 damage a savage strike. Some mobs are immune to it, wish I could remember who though. Anyrate I had her, Rilas, and Qayid. Those three were impressive toghether. New game cannot find anyone of that group so far. Oh well. I don't have all the hero advances though either. She came on the final tech advance.

I have not seen Xander yet though. How does he appear? Hermit was really easy with my Bard/Magic User, just spammed that fire spell doing 20 to 8 hex area. Use earth/ice elementals, and the one that does 5 arcane to all- They did 23-24 damage to him out the gate. I wonder his HP though on ridicoulus level? 72 on normal setting.

AlLandmanragoran- Great tips thanks, If I had waited another 5 turns before posting I would have seen two caravans go to +14%, and 2.2 movement rate. Oh well. I won't be trying that all caravans to capital again. The three farthest I don't even think made one round trip to far. So this new game trying something different.

Capital-2nd city, and 2nd city to capital. Then further I get away I will just run it to closest conquered capital, or large city. I dont' want to get into running 3 caravans per city though, when they get hit, I cannot figure it out then. But I have gone to positioning a 4 unit of melee troops on the caravan road in wild areas. That works, but going to try your suggestion of just building a city in the wild and cut down the distance, and the bandit raids.

30 trips to +14%, and 100 trips to next level, but so far not done that.  In earlier games I wasn't paying attention to what these caravans actually did. Only on my 7th game so far.

+ Defense/attack and movement, got it down now, and I now understand what was looping me with it all. Inside your kingdom you get +10% leave your kingdom and it goes -10%. I didn't know that, and it make it look like it wasn't working, because I wasn't paying close attention again. Movement is for road movement, not combat movement. And again I now see the stack moves at the slowest units speed. I didn't know that either.

Thanks again all

Xander is a sovie in the book content.  Buy "Destiny's Embers".  Register the magic code you get with the book.  Go to Impulse and you should see "Elemental: Destiny's Embers" as something you can install.

Then Xander, Nym & others appear as sovie choices in the startup screen.

They are both fun, and there is some welcome variety in having to play the game with ZERO spell casting ability until the kids grow up.  Nym is super fast, but Xander seems much stronger overall.