I've always viewed fireballs as arrows (that are on fire, just a little bigger). Attack mages, if possible, from a cover position, such as one in the forest. Immortal Blood pulled that on me in my first battle, and it svcked ass.

Throw missiles of any type at them. Distract them with those. Or, attack them with two separate things. Use your own mages if you have any. If you have Thu'um, use it.

Throw tar at them in barrels. Even if they shield the barrels from themselves, the barrels will break, causing tar to go all over them AND their hands, preventing them from casting spells.

Use turpentine as well. Have your men even take cover behind a wall or a trench, etc.

Those are my thoughts on the subject.

~~~

Also, I think EVERYONE would have battlefield assassins. Battlefield assassins aren't guys in black hoods. They are mobile infantry soldiers assigned to kill the enemy general.

Apparently this has already been used, but I would like to bring up the point of mounted mages, light skirmisher cavalry. Solves the whole location problem, at the cost of visibility and stability.


Also, I'd like to bring up the topic of sqauds of conjurers as well. I know these probably aren't very new ideas, but I'd like to hear some thoughts on how to best use them. I would think getting a small unit of extra infantry, especially Daedric infantry, in a certain place at the right time could really do some damage. Easy flanking that no one could ever anticipate, and without the problem of loss of soldiers. Or if you got some Deadra that could also cast destruction spells, you could have a huge rain of fireballs with less effort. Just throwing the idea out

Used it once myself, and though it did work, I don't think even 100 Deadra, even the most powerful ones, will do much in a several thousand men scale of battle.

They may be able to be summoned literally on top of the enemy in an attempt to disrupt the ranks and possibly aid in breaking the line. The best situation I would see them in is a retreat situation, in which they would act as a guard to the enemy while your men, or general, ran off.

I've been wondering whats the deal with the Senche-raht. Are they basically the elephant of the TES world? Or do they have intelligence enough to speak, ect, ect?

And how big are they?

Have you considered, the men are also magic users? Why does the Empire Rule Tamriel? The Reason is that Tiber Septim conquered it with Walk-Brass. A time-breaking tower-god. The Imperial Battlemage is usually one of the most powerful mages in service to the Empire, capable of effecting the entire battlefield with their spells. The imperial battlemages that were trained on the Empire's SPACE STATION were some of the best battlemages. The nord power of Thu'um lets them achieve things like crashing gates and murder, and it is little more than magickal screaming. Simply put, the men have magic.

Also, you should know this by now, but Elves are genetically, physically, and mentally inferior to men.

Lol, Vodus would have loved hearing that!

I love Elf hate.

Allow me to put in my two cents if you would, Magic should not be nerfed. I am not a fan of magic by any means but believe that with making it a bit rarer (Mages not being anywhere near as common as usually portrayed) it adds a certain mystique that makes actual magic much more enjoyable. In this regard I fully support magic being super powerful, and would hope that the Tongues can knock down my walls and the Psijiccs can sink my fleet.

With writing a story along with friends comes maturity however, who wants to roleplay with someone who makes the story aggravating by having mages who do everything in a cheap way, it makes it far less enjoyable. There is a certain point when competetion may outdo the enjoyablity of the story itself when things get this way. Magic being rare makes it a bit more feared, respected. It also allows the truly creative to enjoy their characters much more as not every boy and his mom know the same spells the character casts.

Darkom, I do not believe the Psijicc order would enter the war as combatants as it is out of their nature to do so. They are advisors to all Kings and leaders, not just the Dominion. They simply try to keep good men in power.

Blademaster,
There is nothing in TES that says elephants do not exist, but the Senche Raht I believe stand at the height of two altmer? And are just as intelligent as any other Khajiit.

They are intelligent enough to understand speech, I believe, but I do not think they can speak Imperial themselves. Tamriel Rebuilt artists have been kind enough to make some http://www.tamriel-rebuilt.org/forum/files/senche_193.png for us.




I am in complete agreement, I was kidding when I mentioned bringing them into the RP :shifty: But really, I have no intentions of doing so, I believe I have plenty of mages already. They have participated in wars in the past, though only in the most dire of circumstances. Unless their policies are being changed by the influx of new recruits, which I shall not go to the trouble of saying they have.

Besides the fact that TR isn't totally cannon...

I've always imagined the Senche to be sort of a more "muscular" Siberian Tiger, which stands at about 13 or 14 feet and weighs quite a lot. They'd have to be big enough to support a rider.

With those, mounted battle tactics would change. Unlike horses, they can understand orders (though they can't give them). They know fear, etc.

I'm eager to see you make the Dominion a completely unique, and un-stupid faction.

Yes, I made that word up. Along with Religiousity.

I suppose that's true actually. And I suppose Hammerfell would be their habitat because of the climate? Isn't Elsweyr (sp?) fairly hot, dry and plain-y. (I can make up words too)

And this brings me to another question about something I saw Person From Anticlere employ in SoS. I can't remember what they were called but they were basically walking hunks of earth? Whats the "low-down" on those bad boys?

EDIT: Thanks for the info as well Darkom!

Ah yes, Kagwola, although we called them Lutemonsters or Desert-Walkers. They're a TR concept. I myself RPed them to be quite a bit larger than the largest of elephants in our world, also far more peaceful and less prone to going crazy. They were mainly mobile troop platforms, although one has to consider the impact on morale a critter like that could make, not to mention those unlucky enough to get caught up under its feet as it takes a stroll around the battlefield.

They are canon enough for me Besides, it's just an artist's concept, for convenience. The Senche are about seven feet long (as they are quadrupeds), while the Senche-raht are roughly fourteen. Senche might be able to support a rider, but I think they'd be better off on their own, while the Senche-raht would be more heavy cavalry style.



I hope not to disappoint then I'm not the most experienced with this, so any tips would be most welcome. Thanks.



For one thing, southern Elsweyr is all rain forest, while the north-central portions are desert/wasteland. The northern portions are almost Cyrodiil-like forest/jungle, depending on who you're talking to However, I think that elephants would be unlikely in Elsweyr for nothing else other than the predation/competition of Senche and other large animals there. I'm not sure if there is any place in Tamriel with a savannah-like climate, though Hammerfell seems a good candidate.

Always happy to copy and paste stuff from the UESP

Err. Why'd you quote me? I'm not controlling the Altmeri Dominion.

Also, didn't Beniamus use elephants in SoS...? IIRC

Yes.

Of course thats TES: The Immortalblood timeline.

Ah yes, thats what they were called. So they are rather docile creatures that you can place a bunch of missile troops (or mages for that matter ) on and basically it gives your guys a height advantage like the Mumakil from Lord of the Rings, if I may reference that?

So you could, theoretically, mount artillery for siege's then? Or carry troops like a tower, and let them jump onto the wall? Also, how fire prone would they be, unless they are completely made of rock, mud and dirt?

First of all: from the many different perspective out there in libraries and gamestop, the mage is different in every single eye. It seems to me - from the perspective of Oblivion as that is all that I have attempted to play from the TES series - that magic is basically predominant in the world of Tamriel. The Mages' Guild and Arcane University are huge clues that magic is wide-practiced and wide taught. There is a mage guild in every city, and it seems that there are the simplest of spells out there for even the beginner. But there is also the factor of mana (Magicka in the TES realm), which every (I want to say person, but there are more than just people out there) thing has. Even beginning as a berserking Orc with no intention to cast one spell, there was enough mana tucked away inside the Orc to cast a simple fireball spell.

So I conclude the fact: magic is not rare. Even the simplest of hacking-slashing no-minded fools seem to be able to cast a spell or two. And if one really got into the practice of it, there is no telling what a mage can do (please be reminded that this is all drawn from Oblivion).

So, I would imagine that mages would be in armies, yes. A great deal of them.

But: do mages really like to fight? In my Oblivion studies (more like noticing than studying) I've found that mages would rather be cooped up in their guild halls and in underground lairs. Why? Research, perhaps, necromancy. Not many mages are out there exploring and itching for a fight. You don't see any mages in the Imperial Army Recruiting Center. So you have to take into account: does the army (or ruler) force mages into the army? Mages seem to not like the sunlight, so why would they want to join the army?

So, I just think these are some things that need to be taken into account when trying to figure out what mages would be in the army, and of what magnitude.

That is Oblivion.

Oblivion gameplay is not necessarily lore cannon. In fact, many wars are fought that do not involve much magic at all, or at least Eastern Magic. Redguards, Nords, even Khajiit, Argonians, etc.

The Imperials and Altmeri used battlemages in their army, notably the Imperials.

Actually....in Lore, you get the feeling magick is even more wide-spread than it is in the games, and capable of FAR more varying and powerful effects.

Nordic witches are dangerous I think (UESPWiki mentions one controlling central Skyrim), atleast I have heard of some powerful ones. And I that everyone who is decent in magic is put in as a boot wizard (Hil the Tall, that is my evidence). They are perhaps not the best but they are pretty many of them.

Was just talking to one of my "buddies" on this one:

"I preffer the approach that while maybe many people could do magic, the best they can do is a fireball that needs to be used three times on a [censored] rat. And by the third one they'll realise '[censored], I should've whacked it with a stick or something'. If magick was so all powerful and widespread there wouldn't even be swords or bows or whatever. Why do you need a steel object of some sort if you can [censored] lightning out of your fingers?"

This is when we start drifting into game vs. realism. A single fireball, regardless of how powerful, would still be able to light things on fire. Why can't we do that in the games? Balance.

Perhaps because not everyone bother to learn magic? Its not like everyone can do it. Its also a process which requires thinking. Lots of it. And lots of imagination for some of its schools. Like illusion.
You can either just whack a mans head in with a stone (mundane). Or you can fire off a bow from afar (magic). Same result, different methods and uses.

Magic isnt so widespread as your friend seems to belive. He seems to think you just think "Fireball, Rat" in your head an whoops! There a fireball came flying!
The book "Water Breathing" is a VERY good example of how to do magic.

But not all is so complicated. There are some very easy stuff. But most people can survive very well and very comfortable without using magic ever. Not everyone goes around killing people.

Damn it.

That is what I am arguing! Is that IT ISN'T WIDESPREAD! Also, a bow isn't magic. This is my [censored] point. You're literally arguing my argument against your other one.

"IF MAGIC WAS WIDESPREAD..." >.>

I remove myself from this [censored] argument.

PS: My "friend" I am referring to is from this forum, and is a well respected member of this forum. All of you know him.

I think we have lost something in translation. Widespread to me doesn't mean everyone can use it, but that magick pervades most aspects of Nirn. The Sun itself, Magnus, is a big gaping hole to Aetherius that is constantly leaking out creatia, which filters down to Nirn as magic, which is used by the people to use magick.

Everyone has the potential to use magick, but it takes refinement and practice (in-game: skill points and stats) to actually harness the magic from the sky to create magick. Daggerfall probably had the best example of this. If you didn't build your character as a mage, there is little chance you would ever be able to cast decent spells, but if you did invest in the right skils and such, you are a spellcasting machine. Now translate that to a realism version of Nirn.

The Mages Guild was created by Galerion so that everyone could use magick (an action he later came to view with regret). So look at it this way. Everyone has the potential to learn magick, so they go to a master/mages guild/whatever to learn. Then, depending on their dedication and natural ability, they can become a mage of varying power. Now, the most widespread teachers, Mages Guild, wants money, so only people with money/connections would be able to enroll and learn magick, which shunts aside people who don't have the capital. The Unwashed Masses.

Any person can become Syrabane, it's just a matter of whether they want to.

As for magick pervading most aspects of Nirn, just look at alchemy. The reason plants have the properties they do is not because of some inherent bit, but because the magic that came down from above gave the plants their properties. Alchemy is just taking those magic properties and distilling them into a magick potion.

A more proper thing we should be talking about when it comes to RPs is just a matter of balance and fairness.