Power of Darkness

[toots]

Daft question - but can power of darkness only be cast on the unit in which the caster is situated? i.e. it cannot be targeted onto a separate unit.


thanks,

james

[Daeron]

Power of Darkness has no selectable "target". It boosts the unit the caster resides in.
So yes, only the caster's unit.

[Dalamar]

So keep that wizard expendable... or well protected!

[toots]

oh ok thanks, shame though. and a bit of a weird spell. good for the power dice though obviously.

[toots]

how do you guys use the spell? it seems completely pointless!

[Daeron]

It is quite pointless. I have not used the spell but intend to try it on a level 1 or 2 sorceress as a cheap strength boost.

[toots]

seems like it could be used at the end of a magic phase with a level 4 - cast on a 3+ i think, would generate 2 more dice to use. if she suffers a wound, she can use the other spell to absorb wounds back! that's just about the only way i could see it working.

maybe in a unit if there is a spell cast on it which requires strength tests.

[Dragon9]

Pointless? In my two towers list I try to take it unless there's something more pressing. A horde of Corsairs, frenzied, with AHW and S4 attacks is nothing to sneeze at. The extra power dice definitely help as well. You can use your PD to cast other things leaving PoD last, by that time hopefully your opponent has used his dispel dice. Cast PoD (I usually use 1 die, with a lvl 4 Dark you get it on a 3+, if you don't get, meh it was your last die), get more dice, try one more spell. It's a nice trick to spring on your opponent to get off that sorely needed Word of Pain, etc. It's a gambler's strategy, but it has paid me back in spades for using it.

[marcopollo]

Say your dark sorcerer in unit A casts it and then swaps places with a shadow sorcerer in unit B. Which unit gets the +1 strength?

[Calisson]

Say your dark sorcerer in unit A casts it and then swaps places with a shadow sorcerer in unit B. Which unit gets the +1 strength?

That's the unit where the sorcerer is. If the sorcerer changes unit, so does the bonus.

[Fr0]

Definitely not pointless. I normally put a sorceress in a unit of warriors to stab for more power dice anyway, so it's not really a bad side effect to get S4 elves.

You could always take Doombolt if you don't like PoD.

[MangoPunch]

Far from pointless!

Other than useful for the strength bonus (which you shouldn't underestimate), a lvl 4 or a 2 with sac dagger can give you on average more power dice, or it can greatly improve your chance of getting of a mid-level spell late in the magic phase - with any level caster. I wrote up a whole post with probability tables on how to use it: HERE

[toots]

can anyone explain how the strength bonus would be beneficial? surely the only context in which it's useful is in combat - and if you have a level 4 sorceress in the front rank of a combat, surely you're doing something wrong... (although maybe it's useful if a spell is cast on the unit which requires a strength test)

[Calisson]

Firstly, some sorceresses love combat:
- Well protected Supreme sorc on a CO, with Black Amulet, especially if she has soul stealer too
- Expandable Low level sorc on a CO, with the two signature spells (you can even get several of them in the same unit)

Secondly, some sorceresses don't mind their unit to go to combat:
- 5 wide unit with muso & pennant joined by a Shrine or a COB, a sorceress would be moved to 2nd rank.

[Dragon9]

can anyone explain how the strength bonus would be beneficial?

We're S3 elves. A+1 to strength is always beneficial.

[toots]

yeah that's obvious, but it can only be cast on the caster's unit - i.e. the caster must be in close combat for it be of use.

are we saying that the unit she's in has to be so damn wide that she's on a corner and so hopefully can't be attacked?

[Dalamar]

Caster with Black Amulet doesn't mind being in combat.
Other uses:
Enemy has Lore of Life and Dwellers
Enemy has Dark Magic and Black Horror
Enemy has Lore of Death and the S snipe
Enemy has Lore of Light and Net of Amyntok

That's just from the top of my head.

[Dragon9]

I tend to run her in a shrine unit in horde formation, so yes, you can keep her out of combat. Giving her a ward save helps too.

[toots]

guys - so sorry but it seems like i'm a bit slow on the uptake!

is it the done thing to try to cast this with a level four with ONE die, ie. on a 3+, if a 1 or a 2 is rolled, then use the sac dagger to increase that so that the spell doesn't fail? that way the caster can still cast for the rest of the phase and has a 66% of of rolling a 2 or a 3 for power dice produced as a result of using PoD.

that's what we're all doing, right?!

[Dragon9]

Not me. I use my level 4 with one die. Don't take sac dagger. But I do it as the last spell of the phase. If I don't get it off, no big deal. If I need to do it before the last spell, I use 2 dice.

[Pablo]

I would use the sac agger in that way. I use life and one dice the first 4 spells and if I fail, just add a dice. Works supperwell and puts a lot of pressure on the. Enemy.