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{{Header Nav|game=Dominions 3: The Awakening}} | {{Header Nav|game=Dominions 3: The Awakening}} | ||
[[Image:Dom3_TirnanOg_TuathaSorceress.gif|right|thumb|Tuathan Sorceresses are the most powerful mages Man has known.]] | |||
[[ | The Early Age "Land of the Ever-Young" exists as a nation ruled by a magical race known as Tuatha and their Sidhe descendants. The Fir Bolg, lesser descendants of the Nemedians, compose much of the population. The Sidhe and Tuatha are able to weave illusions to hide their true appearance. | ||
The Early Age "Land of the Ever-Young" exists as a nation ruled by a magical race known as Tuatha and their Sidhe descendants. The Fir Bolg, lesser descendants of the Nemedians, compose much of the population. The Sidhe and Tuatha are able to weave illusions to hide their true appearance. | |||
Tir na n'Og is a blessed isle surrounded by whispering mists. It is the home of the Tuatha, a highly magical race descended from the Nemedians who once warred with the Fomorians. The Tuatha have made themselves lords and masters over the Fir Bolg, a lesser race descended from the same Nemedian ancestors. With the aid of the Fir Bolg, the Tuatha attacked the Fomorian giants and almost succeeded where the Nemedians failed, but eventually the Fomorians proved too powerful and the Tuatha were driven back to their blessed isle. The Tuatha and their Sidhe descendants have turned to crafts, poetry and magical arts, but some have chosen the path of war and have become warriors and generals of great renown. The Fir Bolg, inferior to the Tuatha but still far superior to ordinary men, compose much of the population and serve as farmers and lowly warriors. | Tir na n'Og is a blessed isle surrounded by whispering mists. It is the home of the Tuatha, a highly magical race descended from the Nemedians who once warred with the Fomorians. The Tuatha have made themselves lords and masters over the Fir Bolg, a lesser race descended from the same Nemedian ancestors. With the aid of the Fir Bolg, the Tuatha attacked the Fomorian giants and almost succeeded where the Nemedians failed, but eventually the Fomorians proved too powerful and the Tuatha were driven back to their blessed isle. The Tuatha and their Sidhe descendants have turned to crafts, poetry and magical arts, but some have chosen the path of war and have become warriors and generals of great renown. The Fir Bolg, inferior to the Tuatha but still far superior to ordinary men, compose much of the population and serve as farmers and lowly warriors. | ||
''Tir na n'Og is inspired by ancient Celtic Mythology and folkloric tales of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Those tales describe the Tuatha De - the 'immortal people'. In medieval Irish myth, the Fir Bolg were the fourth group of invaders to settle in Ireland. Sidhe (pronounced Shee) is an Irish word that literally means a mound of earth, magical hills thought to be the homes of the Daoine Sidhe, or fae 'people of the mounds'. The banshee (bean sídhe), which means "woman of the sídhe", has come to indicate any supernatural woman who announces a coming death. A baobhan sith (Sith = Sidhe) is a type of female vampire in the folklore of the Scottish Highlands. The noble title 'Ri' means 'King' in Gaelic. This nation was added in the Dominions 3.06 patch.'' | |||
==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
Though Vanheim or Helheim steal most of the attention, Tir na n'Og constitutes the 'other' EA glamoured-nation; one of stealthy glamoured mage-priests, assassins and high-quality light troops. Combining Holy magic with an elemental Air/Nature combo figures prominently in it's diverse commander lineup. Tir na n'Og's national ''spell songs'' lend it's magi and troops staying-power in battle. | Though Vanheim or Helheim steal most of the attention, Tir na n'Og constitutes the 'other' EA glamoured-nation; one of stealthy glamoured mage-priests, assassins and high-quality light troops. Combining Holy magic with an elemental Air/Nature combo figures prominently in it's diverse commander lineup. Tir na n'Og's national ''spell songs'' lend it's magi and troops staying-power in battle. | ||
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==National Features== | ==National Features== | ||
===Units=== | ===Units=== | ||
Tir Na n'Og has two fundamentally different operational troop types: a 'mundane' variety comprised of ''Fir Bolg'' warriors, and 'stealthy' ''glamoured'' troops comprised of ''Sidhe'' and ''Tuatha''. There are no national cavalry units | Tir Na n'Og has two fundamentally different operational troop types: a 'mundane' variety comprised of ''Fir Bolg'' warriors, and 'stealthy' ''glamoured'' troops comprised of ''Sidhe'' and ''Tuatha''. There are no national cavalry units. | ||
====Fir Bolg Troops==== | ====Fir Bolg Troops==== | ||
Fir Bolg are essentially long-lived heroic humans. This effectively translates to +2/+3 extra points in each of the basic stats as compared to like human troop types (HP/Attack/Defence/Morale/MR) and a lifespan of 150 years. None of the Fir Bolg wear helmets, which makes them all somewhat under-armored even for Early Age. | Fir Bolg are essentially long-lived heroic humans. This effectively translates to +2/+3 extra points in each of the basic stats as compared to like human troop types (HP/Attack/Defence/Morale/MR) and a lifespan of 150 years. None of the Fir Bolg wear helmets, which makes them all somewhat under-armored even for Early Age. | ||
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The ''glamour'' ability functions like a ''mirror image'' spell; a mage gets 2 mirror images per air level, whereas a non-mage gets only 1 mirror image. The chance of being hit is 1 in (mirror image + 1). On a successful hit, the glamour is canceled and normal damage ensues. It appears that missile attacks first check vs the glamour, and if they hit then roll against a possible shield-block. Whereas melee combat first resolves attack-vs-defense, and if the attack succeeds, then checks vs the glamour (needs verification). This effectively means that whereas glamour serves well to protect in melee, it is quick to fail under intense missile fire. ''Air Shield'' (Alt-0) and/or ''Arrow Fend'' (Ench-6) serve well to preserve glamours from missile hits, ''Mist'' (Evoc-3) less so. | The ''glamour'' ability functions like a ''mirror image'' spell; a mage gets 2 mirror images per air level, whereas a non-mage gets only 1 mirror image. The chance of being hit is 1 in (mirror image + 1). On a successful hit, the glamour is canceled and normal damage ensues. It appears that missile attacks first check vs the glamour, and if they hit then roll against a possible shield-block. Whereas melee combat first resolves attack-vs-defense, and if the attack succeeds, then checks vs the glamour (needs verification). This effectively means that whereas glamour serves well to protect in melee, it is quick to fail under intense missile fire. ''Air Shield'' (Alt-0) and/or ''Arrow Fend'' (Ench-6) serve well to preserve glamours from missile hits, ''Mist'' (Evoc-3) less so. | ||
;Sidhe Warrior: Gold 25, Resources 12 | ;Sidhe Warrior: Gold 25, Resources 12 | ||
:Recruitable in any fortress; a mainstay trooper of any early-game stealth strategy. As a non-sacred front-line medium-infantry unit, their biggest downside is cost/upkeep and a rather underwhelming spear. Glamoured Sidhe warriors offer an early-game solution as missile magnets and/or melee blockers, and even vs spellcasters they effectively have 2 lives. But beware... they are by no means invulnerable! Massed missile-troops popping the glamour from afar is their bane, and once it is dispelled, they are merely an expensive Fir Bolg Javelineer wearing a helmet! Which begs the question: Is it better to buy 2 Fir Bolgs or 1 Sidhe Warrior? | :Recruitable in any fortress; a mainstay trooper of any early-game stealth strategy. As a non-sacred front-line medium-infantry unit, their biggest downside is cost/upkeep and a rather underwhelming spear. Glamoured Sidhe warriors offer an early-game solution as missile magnets and/or melee blockers, and even vs spellcasters they effectively have 2 lives. But beware... they are by no means invulnerable! Massed missile-troops popping the glamour from afar is their bane, and once it is dispelled, they are merely an expensive Fir Bolg Javelineer wearing a helmet! Which begs the question: Is it better to buy 2 Fir Bolgs or 1 Sidhe Warrior? | ||
;Tuatha Warrior: Gold 50, Resources 22 | ;Tuatha Warrior: Gold 50, Resources 22 | ||
:Your only national sacred troops are also capital-only. But with MM-2 and forestry survival, they can still generally get to where they are needed in an acceptable timely manner. They are EXPENSIVE for Size-2 foot troops, but wield magic spears (handy vs other nations' glamoured troopers and ethereal summons). Even so, they need a useful bless to justify the high price tag (see Pretender suggestions below). Like their Sidhe counterparts, their Bane is massed archers popping their | :Your only national sacred troops are also capital-only. But with MM-2 and forestry survival, they can still generally get to where they are needed in an acceptable timely manner. They are EXPENSIVE for Size-2 foot troops, but wield magic spears (handy vs other nations' glamoured troopers and ethereal summons). Even so, they need a useful bless to justify the high price tag (see Pretender suggestions below). Like their Sidhe counterparts, their Bane is massed archers popping their glamour from afar. | ||
====Provincial Defense==== | ====Provincial Defense==== | ||
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| 200 | | 200 | ||
|} | |} | ||
Economically speaking, Tir na n'Og can best improve it's gold income by building on ''farmland'' terrain. The high Admin of fortified cities both increases gold revenue in the province as well as brings in ''production'' from surrounding lands. This extra gold income will generally pay for itself within 2 years under positive scales. | Economically speaking, Tir na n'Og can best improve it's gold income by building on ''farmland'' terrain. The high Admin of fortified cities both increases gold revenue in the province as well as brings in ''production'' from surrounding lands. This extra gold income will generally pay for itself within 2 years under positive scales. | ||
===National Summons=== | ===National Summons=== | ||
;Contact Cu Sidhe: (Conj-3 N2, 10N gems) Summons a pack of 7 huge (size 3) green sacred fey hounds from the Land of the Everyoung. The Cu Sidhe serve as companions and hunters and often fight side by side with their Sidhe masters. They are stealthy, sacred and can be blessed. | ;Contact Cu Sidhe: (Conj-3 N2, 10N gems) Summons a pack of 7 huge (size 3) green sacred fey hounds from the Land of the Everyoung. The Cu Sidhe serve as companions and hunters and often fight side by side with their Sidhe masters. They are stealthy, sacred and can be blessed. | ||
The Cu Sidhe summons is a tougher creature than that of the Indy Cu Sidhe recruitable unit, with slightly better all-round stats and 150% more hitpoints. Their sacred status bestowing any pretender bless bonuses is likely why you would want to use them over other summons available early on for the same gem cost. They also have forest survival, stealth and MM-3, so they can get around the map like an improved stealthy cavalry when lead by a Sidhe Lord | The Cu Sidhe summons is a tougher creature than that of the Indy Cu Sidhe recruitable unit, with slightly better all-round stats and 150% more hitpoints. Their sacred status bestowing any pretender bless bonuses is likely why you would want to use them over other summons available early on for the same gem cost. They also have forest survival, stealth and MM-3, so they can get around the map like an improved stealthy cavalry when lead by a Sidhe Lord. On the down side, their greenness does not mean poison-resistant nor do they have a glamour, which seems a bit of an oversight for this nation. | ||
==Strategies== | ==Strategies== | ||
Kinda like the other two glamour nations, Tir na n'Og would certainly benefit from an F9W9 bless. But your sacred troops might be too few to justify that, and both sacred troops and sacred 'combat' commanders already have magic weapons even without a bless. | |||
===Expansion=== | ===Expansion=== | ||
Fir Bolg militia work fine vs light-infantry and for tribal indy expansion. Against anything with heavy armor | Fir Bolg militia work fine vs light-infantry and for tribal indy expansion. Against anything with heavy armor however they won't suffice. For that you'll need to bring in some Fir Bolg Axe Warriors or even blessed Tuatha sacreds with more punching power. | ||
Under Magic scales, Indy shamans offer great long-term value-for-money in research (see below), plus they are key in employing our national spell songs effectively. All of our national spell-researchers require forts, labs AND temples to recruit, which together represents a fairly high investment PLUS our magi do not come cheaply. So look for opportunities to build labs and temples on Indy tribal provinces without needing forts and start recruiting shamans as often as you can to launch research in the early game. | |||
===Combat Spellcasting=== | ===Combat Spellcasting=== | ||
{| {{prettytable| | {|{{prettytable|textcenter=1|sortable=1}} | ||
|+Common Spells for Thuggable Casters | |+Common Spells for Thuggable Casters | ||
!Self Buffs!!Army Buffs!!Offensive Spells!!Ri!!Sidhe Lord!!Sidhe Champion | !Self Buffs!!Army Buffs!!Offensive Spells!!Ri!!Sidhe Lord!!Sidhe Champion | ||
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||Yes* | ||Yes* | ||
|} | |} | ||
(*Only possible using ''Summon Storm Power'' during a storm and/or booster gems/magic or with appropriate random bonus magic paths.) | (*Only possible using ''Summon Storm Power'' during a storm and/or booster gems/magic or with appropriate random bonus magic paths.) | ||
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Army setup should incorporate a core phalanx of Indy shamans surrounded by Sidhe Champions, Lords and Tuatha. The shamans will thus be able to reinvigorate and heal the whole group using spell songs as the high-end casters unleash a constant barrage of spells. | Army setup should incorporate a core phalanx of Indy shamans surrounded by Sidhe Champions, Lords and Tuatha. The shamans will thus be able to reinvigorate and heal the whole group using spell songs as the high-end casters unleash a constant barrage of spells. | ||
===Research=== | ===Research=== | ||
====Research Costs==== | ====Research Costs==== | ||
{| {{prettytable| | {|{{prettytable|textcenter=2|sortable=1}} | ||
|+Ratio of Upkeep Cost / Research, per Turn under Magic Scales | |+Ratio of Upkeep Cost / Research, per Turn under Magic Scales | ||
!Commander!!Drain 3!!Drain 1 or 2!!Magic 0!!Magic 1 or 2!!Magic 3!!M3+1xp*!!M3+2xp* | !Commander!!Drain 3!!Drain 1 or 2!!Magic 0!!Magic 1 or 2!!Magic 3!!M3+1xp*!!M3+2xp* | ||
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===Scales=== | ===Scales=== | ||
'''Magic Scales''' Order and Luck scales favour benign random events, plus unlock the useful national hero Lugh. Magic scales is also recommended for the research bonus, as it makes your otherwise pricey magi more cost-effective researchers. | '''Magic Scales''' Order and Luck scales favour benign random events, plus unlock the useful national hero Lugh. Magic scales is also recommended for the research bonus, as it makes your otherwise pricey magi more cost-effective researchers. | ||
*'''Order | *'''Order 3 Sloth 3 Growth 3 Luck 1 Magic 1''' | ||
'''Drain Scales''' An alternative strategy would be to use a Drain scale to boost our excellent MR even further, and use Bean Sidhe with owl quills for research. This gives us balanced scales with an extra 200 design points to use vs the Magic scales listed above. | '''Drain Scales''' An alternative strategy would be to use a Drain scale to boost our excellent MR even further, and use Bean Sidhe with owl quills for research. This gives us balanced scales with an extra 200 design points to use vs the Magic scales listed above. | ||
*'''Order 1 Sloth 3 Growth 3 Luck 1 Drain 2''' | *'''Order 1 Sloth 3 Growth 3 Luck 1 Drain 2''' | ||
'''Misfortune Scales''' These scales combine much of the benefits of both suggestions listed above: a growth economy, good research and 200 build-points left over for a powerful pretender, though you lose out on ever seeing | '''Misfortune Scales''' These scales combine much of the benefits of both suggestions listed above: a growth economy, good research and 200 build-points left over for a powerful pretender, though you lose out on ever seeing Lugh. Low Misfortune is 'doable' though random unlucky events can prove brutal in the early game till your economy is large enough to absorb the hits, so it represents a gamble. | ||
*'''Sloth 3 Growth 3 Misfortune 1 Magic 1 (alternate)''' | *'''Sloth 3 Growth 3 Misfortune 1 Magic 1 (alternate)''' | ||
===Pretenders=== | ===Pretenders=== | ||
Tir na n'Og's troops are arguably at their best in the early game before research tips the balance of power. Even your least militia unit is better than most indy troops for expansion. Hence, an awake pretender doesn't really bring much advantages. On the other hand we want a decent bless to justify the high cost of our sacreds, and we need Scales that enable us to buy expensive magi to get the research machine rolling. Since your sacred troops and commanders already come with magic weapons, a Blood bless is an easy way to boost their damage output. On the other hand, if you plan on using Sidhe Lords as melee thugs in the early game, an Earth bless helps reduce fatigue (arguably the #1 Achilles heel of mist-formed thugs), although research and certain magic items can eventually cover this by the mid-game. | |||
Under '''Magic scales''': Order 3 Sloth 3 Growth 3 Luck 1 Magic 1 | |||
Under '''Magic scales''': Order | |||
*;Dormant Oracle, E4 S6 B4, Dom 6:Your sacreds get Re-invigoration, improved MR and Strength. Once awake, your Oracle can remote search for aStral sites, and together with Holy-sites found by your H2 priests, you can bootstrap into a modest pearl income. Dwarven hammers and earth booths are easy-access, which brings Earth magic to the battlefield mix via Tuatha Sorceress. For late game, you can get high-end Blood summons, or with S-boosters Wish for demonic ''Mandeha'' to lead your Tuatha armies... they auto-cast Darkness at the beginning of battle. | *;Dormant Oracle, E4 S6 B4, Dom 6:Your sacreds get Re-invigoration, improved MR and Strength. Once awake, your Oracle can remote search for aStral sites, and together with Holy-sites found by your H2 priests, you can bootstrap into a modest pearl income. Dwarven hammers and earth booths are easy-access, which brings Earth magic to the battlefield mix via Tuatha Sorceress. For late game, you can get high-end Blood summons, or with S-boosters Wish for demonic ''Mandeha'' to lead your Tuatha armies... they auto-cast Darkness at the beginning of battle. | ||
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*;Imprisoned Great Enchantress, W4 E4 S4 N4 B6, Dom 6:Similar to the previous build, but by relying on our hero Lugh the Long Handed and Tuatha Sorceresses for access to F and A magic, we can take a higher Blood bless. She generates her own S gems, useful for forging. | *;Imprisoned Great Enchantress, W4 E4 S4 N4 B6, Dom 6:Similar to the previous build, but by relying on our hero Lugh the Long Handed and Tuatha Sorceresses for access to F and A magic, we can take a higher Blood bless. She generates her own S gems, useful for forging. | ||
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