Greetings All,
I was reading the 205 Use Combat Artifact order when I
realized that, as worded, a character does not have to be with an
army to use the artifact to aid in a fight. The order covers spells
for it specifically says that "in order for combat spell to affect
combat the spell caster must be with the army involved in the
combat". So am I to understand that if I have a couple of characters
lurking about in the same hex as an army that is about to do battle I
can have these characters use their artifacts to influence the
combat?
Assuming that a character not with an army can use the
artifact is the character factored in for damage purposes (almost
certain death)?
Greetings:
UCA is good ONLY for switching artifacts.
Lets say you are holding the Sword of the Great Wazoo (Identified as your
active weapon by the Checkmark next to it) and you wish instead to use the
Spear of Great Impalement as your active item. You need to use UCA to do so.
This is VERY relevant to some characters (like agents and nazgul) who
accumulate or own entire armories. UCA has no other purpose.
Now, to your next question. If you are in the hex, but not in an army, you
will have no impact on the army combat. If you have a magic item AND are in
the army, you will affect the combat. Spells do the same thing, with a few
possible exceptions. I cannot recall the wording on Summon Storms and and
the other adverse morale spell. Those MIGHT be castable outside of an army,
but I won't guarantee it.
Now there are very good reasons to be in a hex with magic items and NOT be
in the army. Guys in armies die if the army looses. Not all the time.
Sometimes they get captured. Sometimes they just shrug their shoulders and
go home. Characters in hexes can Weakness or Sickness enemies to death, or
do assassination, guard, steal, double, etc. orders.
Greetings All,
I was reading the 205 Use Combat Artifact order when I
realized that, as worded, a character does not have to be with an
army to use the artifact to aid in a fight. The order covers spells
for it specifically says that "in order for combat spell to affect
combat the spell caster must be with the army involved in the
combat". So am I to understand that if I have a couple of characters
lurking about in the same hex as an army that is about to do battle I
can have these characters use their artifacts to influence the
combat?
Assuming that a character not with an army can use the
artifact is the character factored in for damage purposes (almost
certain death)?
Any character with an army automatically uses his current combat
artifact in the battle. No orders needed.
The 205 order is when (say) Sting, +500, is your current combat
artifact (the one marked with a little check-mark by it on the
turnsheet) and you'd rather use the +2250 artifact someone
else handed to you last turn. This may also be important in
various encounters (some weapons have bonuses in particular
situations).
Usually it never comes up since a lot of characters never have
more than one combat artifact.
Greetings All,
I was reading the 205 Use Combat Artifact order when I
realized that, as worded, a character does not have to be with an
army to use the artifact to aid in a fight. The order covers spells
for it specifically says that "in order for combat spell to affect
combat the spell caster must be with the army involved in the
combat". So am I to understand that if I have a couple of characters
lurking about in the same hex as an army that is about to do battle I
can have these characters use their artifacts to influence the
combat?
Assuming that a character not with an army can use the
artifact is the character factored in for damage purposes (almost
certain death)?
--
"The King with half the East at heel is marched from lands of morning;
His fighters drink the rivers up, their shafts benight the air,
And he that stays will die for naught, and home there's no returning."
The Spartans on the sea-wet rock sat down and combed their hair.--A.E. Housman
Usually it never comes up since a lot of characters never have
more than one combat artifact.
I dunno, Tony. Some characters start with 2 weapons. Agents are
always picking up extras through asassinations, and commanders
sometimes acquire extras when they capture opponents in combat.
In practice it can be a darned nuisance. Right now my Noldo
characters are just clanking with Rings of Clear Complexion and
Swords of Orc Intimidation and the like. And then there are the
useless Evil-aligned Scimitars of Unsavory Eating Habits I've gotten
off of dead trolls.
Here are some tricks I've learned.
First, remember that orders are precious and you don't want to waste
a lot of them on artifact transfers. So try to arrange things so you
dish off a whole bunch of artifacts at once with one 360 order, and
preferably to a less important character who will have the spare
orders to transport and/or redistribute them one by one to recipients
who can use them.
Second, remember that the program automatically readies another
combat artifact of you lose or give away one out of two. So in effect
you can ready two artifact at once by passing a readied combat
artifact to another character who has none.
For example, suppose Blorgo the Slime-troll has the Nailfile of
Nastiness (+500) readied but also holds the Flail of Flatulence
(+1000). By passing the Nailfile to his unarmed chum Skuzzbuzz,
Blorgo can simultaneously raise his combat bonus and Skuzzbuzz's by
500 each.
I virtually always use this method to ready a new weapon; I don't
think I have ever used the Use Combat Artifact order.
