Modern Magic Guide

Modern Magic Guide
21:34:00 Nov 21st 23 - Konstant* (The Ancient Troll Toll):* This isn't a completely comprehensive Magic Guide. but it is enough for more new mages/players to get an understanding of the ins and outs. This guide explains what are Utility/Friendly Spells are and what they do, what Combat/Hostile Spells are and what they do, what a Magic City is and how to build one, and general guidelines as to how to protect your armies from hostile magic. This is a culmination of knowledge from many eras of VU and many, many different vets; I take little credit outside of compiling everything together for easy access. A list of magic spells, their associated magic levels, and what the spells do. Utility Scrolls: Spells cast on your own armies/cities or armies/cities belonging to your kingdom. Note: "MOP" is Magic Offensive Power, or simply Magic Power Level 1: Bless - increases the targets OP/DP by 0.01% of magic power used to cast Multiply magic power by 0.00001 (four zero's) to get rough Bless power 1,000,000 * 0.00001 = 10% Bless The above is a "rule of thumb", the accurate calculation is "Bless % = 0.0001 * (MOP ^ 0.5)" Level 2: Magic Protection - makes it harder to cast spells on the target Lowers maximum % on your army by 24% from both Utility and Combat Spells Level 3: Happiness - increases the morale in an army/city by 20% of army's/city's current morale Happiness cast on city with 50% morale will get you a city with 60% morale after the cast (50 * 0.2 = 10 + 50 = 60) Affects armies in target city as well Success based spell, so use as few MUs as possible to cast Level 3: Cure Plague - cures the plague of an army/city Affects armies in target city as well May take multiple casts (Check out "Defending Against Plague" in Forum in Guides to learn more Level 4: Stone to Gold - converts stone reserves into gold at a rate of 1:1 Each warehouse (WH) stores up to 30k gold So 2k WHs = 60,000,000 maximum stone > gold conversion Generally casting with 7-8k MOP is most efficient aiming at ~60% cast Level 4: Magic Weapons - gives the target army level 5 Military Science Only friendly spell of which you can merge armies and not lose the spell Minimum MW is 7t Level 5: Invisibility - renders the target invisible for X ticks depending on how much MOP used; if army moves after cast upon it will automatically become visible again Level 6: Army of the Dead - revives troops fallen in battles; if cast on city creates army with 100 exp T3 units relative to MOP Level 7: Control Time - advances target army/city forward a tick or two (Movement/training/building etc) depending on magic power used Minimum to move an army 1t is 2900 magic power Level 8: Ghost Warriors - Creates T1 - T5 permanent units Useless spell, do not cast Level 9: Armageddon - Starts the countdown to the end of the world (Cast on a city) If casting, break armies into groups of 30,000 MUs for maximum efficiency Combat spells: Offensive magic, cast on enemy cities or armies. Note: "MOP" is Magic Offensive Power, or simply Magic Power Level 1: Eye in the Sky (EITs) - gives you detailed information on the target city/army. Success based/cast with minimum MUs possible. Level 2: Crush Walls (CW) - destroys walls in the target city; has no effect on armies 77 MOP to destroy 1 Wall Level 2: Locust - decreases prep time on an attacking army; when cast on a city destroys city's food stores When casting on a preparing army, cast 3 times, Locust is wildly unpredictable and may not take effect at all Level 3 Anger - decreases the morale in the target army/city by 0.10% of magic power used to cast Multiply magic power by 0.0001 (three zero's) to get drop of target's morale 100,000 * 0.0001 = 10% Morale Drop 10% drop of morale is the most morale can drop per cast; the UI lies Level 3: Dispel Magic (Dispel) - removes all positive buffs of a target army/city. Success based/cast with as minimum MUs as possible. Level 4: Freeze - Stops army movement & stops production of buildings/troops in a city depending on magic power 1,240 MOP is minimum for 1t freeze; 56,499 MOP gets maximum 10t Level 4: Fog - removes line of sight of targeted army/city Level 5: Rain of Fire (RoF) - Kills troops in an army or sets fire to lumbermills/peasants if cast on a city After 100k magic power, kills a set 20% of units in an army Level 5: Earthquake (EQ) - destroys 40% of all buildings in a city 40k min MOP for 40% destruction rate Level 6: Steal Science (SS) - steals a science if the target has higher science; otherwise only removes targets' science Level 6: Teleport (Tele) - teleports the target army/city a random distance Level 7: Ownage - takes permanent control of the targeted army/city (Must be the same race) Success based Level 8: Plague - Starts a plague that kills peasants in cities Level 9: Summon Dragon - summons a dragon on a target city that will fly around the world plundering gold and eating peasants Max chance for each spell level Note: Actually getting "Max Chance" on a spell is incredibly inefficient and much more expensive. Aiming for ~85% of the max chance is typically the highest one should try to push it (especially with Combat Spells) All spells of a given level are subject to the same max chances (max Freeze chance is the same as max Stone to gold chance, for example): Level 1: Max chance = 100% Level 2: Max chance = 95% Level 3: Max chance = 89% Level 4: Max chance = 82% Level 5: Max chance = 75% Level 6: Max chance = 67% Level 7: Max chance = 59% Level 8: Max chance = 50% Level 9: Max chance = 40% Magic Cities: What Are They & How They Work What is a magic city (MC)? It is a city for the sole purpose of casting magic on KD-mates and enemies Why do I need one? Unless you're maging, you probably don't. If you are maging, because it gets you the best possible magic power that you can have. More magic power = better chances of success of spells. What do I build in an MC? Some homes and Magic Towers (MTs) What are Magic Towers (MTs)? MTs have 2 purposes: The first is to extend the range which your Magic Units (MUs) can cast at and the second is to boost the Magic Offensive Power (MOP) of your MUs. How much do MTs boost my MU's magic power? By as much as 50% How do I know if my MTs are at maximum efficiency? As long as MTs outnumber every other building in the city, you have the maximum boost to your MOP. For Example: 4k homes & 6k MTs = Full Boost 10k homes & 15k MTs = Full Boost 3 homes & 4 MTs = Full Boost What if my MTs do not outnumber every other building in the city? Then you get less than the full 50% boost, relative to how many more buildings are in a city compared to MTs. Why shouldn't I build armouries and lots of homes in my MC? If you do that, then you will have a much harder time keeping the total number of MTs > than every other building in the city. You should always house and train the majority of your MUs in an armoury city nearby. This of course isn't always possible, and some times putting more armouries and homes in your MC is unavoidable due to environmental circumstances. What is an "ideal" MC? Anything that allows you to have MTs > Other Buildings. That said, by mid/late era a typical MC has 10k homes and the rest MTs. This MC will house 250k MUs, which is enough for light casting and typically you won't fall too far below 10k MTs when casting. If you do, it's quick to rebuild them. Why don't I build a city with pure MTs, without homes? If you do that, you won't be able to rebuild MTs quickly enough. The amount of buildings you can build in a city is "Current # of buildings * 2", so if you do a lot of casting and reduce your MTs to say 2k, it will take a long while for you to rebuild your MTs in your MC, but if you have some homes you will never go below the home value. Example: 10k homes and 2k MTs allows you to build 12k * 2 = 24k buildings at once Note: Try to have at least 300k slaves by late era. Since slaves speed up the construction of buildings by 50% if you have a 10 slaves: 1 building built ratio, you can double the build speed of 30k MTs at once. MUs & Armies How Many MUs Should I Have in My Army? This depends on the time of the era and the skill level of any opponent mages which might be around. Below are suggested ratios of MUs: Units. OOP: 1 Unit: 0.1 MUs (that's 1k Units: 100 MUs) Early Era (Days5-14): 5 Units: 1 MU (that's 1k Units : 200 MUs) Mid Era (D15-21): 1 Unit: 0.5 MU (that's 1k Units : 500 MUs) Late Era (D22+) 1 Unit: 1 MU (that's 1k Units : 1k MUs) Note: If you have powerful units (Berserkers/Catapults/Archmages) I would recommend to triple the ratios above. For Nazguls increase the ratios by 7x at minimum. How do I Know I Have Enough MUs in My Army? Simple answer is if someone is able to cast on your army spells which you don't want cast upon it, then you don't have enough MUs. The above ratios are good protection from decently skilled mages, but a great mage can almost always get through your magic defenses. Is There a Maximum Amount of MUs to Keep in My Army? 350k MUs is typically enough protection from most mages. If you're facing an expert mage, as many as 500k MUs may be required. Ultimately, you have to choose between being highly protected from magic and having less military units or being better protected and less military units. That's a choice only you can make in your specific circumstances. Most Important of All: Keep "Magic Protection (MP)" on Your Army at all Times. Getting "rid" of MP is easy - simply merge armies. Keep in mind that MP will also decrease success %'s of Utility/Friendly spells as well.
17:58:09 Nov 22nd 23 - Mr. Existentialist: Does having MTs in a city increase it's magic defence if you have 0 magic science ? Great guide and thank you for it
18:07:31 Nov 22nd 23 - Percy* (Sir Chi The Sleepy):* Yes, each MT counts as 3 MUs for magic defense. Magic science does not influence magic defensive power (MDP) whatsoever, it only influences magic offensive power (MOP).
19:07:00 Nov 22nd 23 - Konstant* (The Ancient Troll Toll):* Addendum Magic Protection of Cities The Dangers of Magic to Cities There are are many hostile spells which are dangerous to cities, but one of the most devastating is the level 5 spell called "earthquake". This spell will destroy 40% of your total buildings in a cast. So if you have a 90k city, in one cast you would lose 36k buildings, if you have a 200k you would lose 80k in one cast. Additionally, your cities can be "teleported" with a level 6 spell, which could teleport your city outside of your core, and hence it will be isolated and easy to conquer. I have personally seen entire KDs get devastated by just these two spells alone to the point that they had no hope of ever recovering. How Should I Protect My Cities From Hostile Spells? Train MUs, and put them into your city. Should I Build MTs into my Cities? Unless you are a mage, or anticipate some sort of long range casting, MTs are an inefficient way to defend your cities from magic. Only OOP - in the first 4-7 days of the era - can 500-1000 MTs help defend your cities. In this case it's more efficient since you're not using peasants. In simple terms, MTs take space from your cities, and so do homes. 1 home can house 25 MUs. 25 MUs > 1 MT in magic protection, hence building 1k Homes + putting 25k MUs in those homes is more efficient than building 1k MTs in your city. How Many MUs do I Need to Adequately Protect My Cities? As always this depends on the skill level of the mage you are facing, but below I have suggested MU counts per city sizes. If a mage is devastating your core, you could double or even triple these numbers. 200k - 200k MUs Minimum Note: 200k's are a prime EQ target, as 1 cast can put the Human player back more than a week in rebuilding efforts. Don't skimp on your MUs in your 200k. 78k - 90k: 25k by Mid Era (Day 18) and 50k Late Era (D30+) 40k - 50k: 15k by Mid Era and 30k by Late Era Less than 40k: 10k by Mid Era and 20k by Late Era Note: These totals won't 100% protect your cities from all hostile spells, since a talented and determined mage can eventually overcome any amount of magic defenses if given time. However, the above amounts will ensure that any damage that may be caused will be drastically lowered. Instead of having your entire core lose 40% of all of its buildings, it might just lose a few K here or there due to it being dramatically more expensive to cast upon. Advanced Magic Protection Do the above, and then also cast the Level 2 Spell "Magic Protection" on your cities. At the spells highest strength it will give you 48t of protection. It will automatically lower the % of any spell attempted on your city. This means a mage has to "Dispel" your Magic Protection first, and then attempt to cast whatever their goal cast is. This dramatically increases the cost of casting on a core, and may even completely dissuade any hostile magic. You do have to recast it every time it runs out, but it's a very small price to pay for a safe core/econ.
09:44:12 Nov 23rd 23 - Edi* (Sir Edi The Great):* If enemy preps and they need 10 hours to max prep, you cast locust several times, is it possible for 10 hours to increase or always is max 10 hours no matter the locust?
13:39:24 Nov 23rd 23 - Percy* (Sir Chi The Sleepy):* Locust is a purely RNG cast, it’s very hard to predict what it’ll actually do. For this reason, we usually “double tap” each time, given it’s a relatively cheap spell anyways; and cast as frequently as needed. Enemy is able to prep above the max prep time, and locust doesn’t care about max prep, only current prep. For example: if max prep is 10 ticks and they prep to 30, single cast may only drop them to 20, second cast to 15, then third cast to 9. Could be each cast did way more (up to 50%), or way less (it’s done nothing before), totally an RNG’ed result.
17:17:56 Nov 23rd 23 - Dark Spawn* (Sir Dementor):* He asked if enemy needs lets say 20 hours of prep to kill his city, if we locust will enemy require more than 20 hours. And that is a no, the maximum prep needed does not change, locust does not affect it. By the way locust only cuts half the prep anyways so if you did 2 hours prep, it gets down to 1, but does not go to 0 cause it can't cut 1, Only does half the prep.
01:45:46 Nov 24th 23 - Konstant* (The Ancient Ancient):* Addendum 2 Plague is now a level 10 spell rather than a lvl 8 spell.
16:09:57 Nov 24th 23 - Penguin* (Clown Husky The Good Boi):* Wait wut ownage is level 8. Is zeta on drugs now?
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