Creative ways to use and abuse your priests!

Although I would have prefered Rome to remain historically pagan, games are for the "what if's" so I've begun a Christian Western Roman campaign that will attempt to retain the might of ancient Rome in the vestments of Catholicism. ~:eek:

Anyhow, I am trying to find useful empoyment for my priests (aren't we all?~;)). Priests are great when it comes to conversion, sure, but I am finding them rather useless on the battlefield. I know they do the chant thingee but I can't see any positive tactical use for 'em. ~:confused: Has anyone found them to be particularly effective other than with their hymms? Hmmm? ~D

Also how many priest are needed to secure a docile population?
Thanks.

Priests help with conversion?

That would make tons of sense, but I always assumed they didn't have any effect on the strat map. Then again, I only have limited experience with the ERE and even less with the WRE, so I haven't had much opportunity to experiment with this.

Tactically, you want to set up your priests behind your main lines and get them chanting. It helps your units' morale, but I'm not sure how big the radius of effect is. I would think any more than 2 priest units in an army would be overkill. Aside from chanting I wouldn't use them for anything else -- though when I'm assaulting a town, for some reason the AI likes to start out with my priests manning the battering ram. Erm, no thanks computer, I think those men of the cloth can wait this one out while my Comitatenses handle the sweaty ram work...~:joker:

CountMRVHS

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Originally Posted by KRALLODHRIB

Although I would have prefered Rome to remain historically pagan, games are for the "what if's" so I've begun a Christian Western Roman campaign that will attempt to retain the might of ancient Rome in the vestments of Catholicism. ~:eek:

Anyhow, I am trying to find useful empoyment for my priests (aren't we all?~;)). Priests are great when it comes to conversion, sure, but I am finding them rather useless on the battlefield. I know they do the chant thingee but I can't see any positive tactical use for 'em. ~:confused: Has anyone found them to be particularly effective other than with their hymms? Hmmm? ~D

Also how many priest are needed to secure a docile population?
Thanks.

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You have no idea what your talking about. Preists have 0 ziltch nada effect on religious conversion and the whole Roman empire was christian by 364 AD.

Indeed, the only units capable of conversions are Spies, Diplomats, and Generals.

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You have no idea what your talking about

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?

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Preists have 0 ziltch nada effect on religious conversion

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Jeeze, they're even less useful then I assumed. I know that characters have a conversion effect as well as the religious buildings, adjacent regions, etc, but I assumed that priests would have this effect as well. So, the only benefit of having priests is for morale boost on the battle screen.

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the whole Roman empire was christian by 364 AD.

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Apparently. But wouldn't it have been grand if it hadn't been overrun by the barbarians? This is what I meant above, that there was a Western Roman continuity unbroken by the disruption caused by invasions. How would have Rome developed?

Take the Eastern Romans and replace Greek with Celtic influence.

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Originally Posted by KRALLODHRIB

Jeeze, they're even less useful then I assumed. I know that characters have a conversion effect as well as the religious buildings, adjacent regions, etc, but I assumed that priests would have this effect as well. So, the only benefit of having priests is for morale boost on the battle screen.

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I find the morale boost a welcome addition to my armies on Hard and Very Hard battles, when you NEED the extra morale to prevent your frontline troops from breaking.

A useful army would be...

First line (spearmen and infantry)
Second line (priests for morale flanked by cavalry)
Third line (archers flanked by low-grade infantry)

This way, when your infantry engages the enemy, your priests will sit back and do their thing, while the cavalry protects them (and flanks any unit that looks like it might break through your infantry line), while the archers rain holy hell (fire arrows) on anyone stupid enough to try and flank your army (fire at will turned off). It's basicly a more expanded version of what Count just stated.
This works for me. I used to think using priests were stupid because you could add in an extra combative unit instead, but they have saved me from breaking (and losing) on more than one occasion.

I have been using them behind my comitatensis/spears line with flanking cav and mayber one or two missle behind-more to mop up roaming horse archers than any offensive role.

You do make a good point kekvitirae in terms of the subtlety of their usefulness. I am playing my campaign on H/H and find that their chanting may very well be giving me the added morale boost during the battle climax.
The comitatensis are rather tough to begin with but paired with the chanting they are even meaner than usual and seem to resist envelopment better. :knight:

Still, a strat map convesion effect would be more redeeming.

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Originally Posted by kekvitirae

I find the morale boost a welcome addition to my armies on Hard and Very Hard battles, when you NEED the extra morale to prevent your frontline troops from breaking.

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I realise that priest units are available earlier than First Cohorts, but are their morale effects comparable? If they are, I can see sound reasoning behind phasing priests out in favour of First Cohorts once they become available.

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Originally Posted by KRALLODHRIB

Still, a strat map convesion effect would be more redeeming.

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Maybe if they converted family members? I tried this with the Franks to see if I could effect conversions within the family. Alas, no. ~:mecry: