Scouting¶
Ravens are spell-bound messengers that outpace everything.
Send them on a Scout mission to look at a rival stronghold; only ravens can scout. They need
Muster Hall 3, Pathfinding 3 and
Spycraft 2, and cost 1,000 runestone each.
Effective ravens¶
Your Spycraft against the target's decides how many of your ravens count:
Effective ravens = ravens + d² when your Spycraft is higher, ravens − d² when it is lower (d = the difference between the two Spycraft levels).
Spycraft counts the lore level, + 2 with the Archmage, + 1 with the full council and + 1 in an Order of Blades.
What the report shows¶
| Effective ravens | The report shows |
|---|---|
| 1 or more | Resources |
| 2 or more | The army, including allied reinforcements |
| 3 or more | Fortifications |
| 5 or more | Buildings |
| 7 or more | Lore |
Every report also shows the target's Order and when the stronghold was last active.
Interception¶
The defender's units may catch the ravens:
Interception chance = ravens × units stationed ÷ 4 × 2^(target's Spycraft − yours) %, at most 100%
- Units stationed include support and immobile units and allied reinforcements, but not fortifications. A stronghold with no units never intercepts.
- Each Spycraft level the target has over you doubles the chance; each level you have over them halves it.
- Intercepted ravens are lost (you still get the report). They leave spoils worth their runestone cost times the world's spoils share, and count as renown destroyed for the defender.
The defender knows¶
The scouted lord always receives a Ravens sighted report with your name, where the ravens came from and the interception chance, whether or not they were caught. While ravens fly towards a stronghold, its lord sees them coming in the alert banner.
Scouting counts as an attack: protections apply.