General question for all (answer at your leisure):
- There are benefits and costs to each affinity. What is the most powerful Elemental Affinity, in your mind?
From a strategic perspective I'm digging Fire, as one basic Fire Attack Assist would boost your Attack by +4 (a specialist would grant +6). Weighing Attack Power versus Speed, it doesn't matter how many attacks you can get in, if you can't overcome your opponent's Defenses. A higher Attack means better odds of punching through shields, and a more reliable damage output overall. The cost in the most powerful Healing Assists is a small one, since Healing seems to play a bit role in combat.
The combat is balanced enough that no elemental affinity has any obvious advantage.
If you have a combat role, like a War Mage or a Battle Mage, it'd be a good idea to match your affinity so that assists to your primary attribute are maximized. So if you're a Battle Mage, or whichever one gives you a +2 bonus to attack, you probably want to pick Fire so that attack assists are doubled. JTF ran some tests in the last game where he concluded that stacking assists on one attribute are in general more effective than spreading them all over the place, so that's the logic behind that.
If I recall correctly, upping your speed can have some pretty drastic effects in combat. Not only do you get to attack twice a round frequently, but each time you get +4 to Speed you get +1 to Attack and Defense. Potent stuff. Best to choose Air if you're a Time Mage to maximize that. I'm not sure that little bit of information is documented in the rules, but that might not be surprising since there are little tidbits here and there that we have to keep reminding people about. For example, did you know there are no extensions?
And don't dismiss healing. The effect is constant, and attack rolls and defense rolls vary from -10 to +10, so there could be a few rounds where you don't get damaged at all, which means you get a steady stream of HP back, which could prove a critical advantage in combat. Choosing Water as your affinity might not be a bad idea, especially if you're a Warrior Mage and get that shiny +10 bonus to hitpoints.
If you're Cabal, though, picking Dark has some serious advantages. You risk detection, but the ability to shortchange any assist you give as well as not being vulnerable to double damage if your opponent picks your opposing element can be of pretty serious benefit.
But what are you worrying about combat for? You should be focusing on finding scum. You're not expecting to spend a lot of time in the ring, are you, Solifuge? Tower should be avoiding combat at all cost. Only the Cabal should be preparing to spend any amount of time in the ring. The only way out of the ring is through the Medical Ward, and if you're caught you want to take as many Tower wizards with you as you can.
Author
Topic: Wizard Duel 4 - Duel 7 - Game over! All Hail Criptfeind! (Read 52655 times)