Earth Magic

The Earth magic school is one of the most useful magic schools with powerful offensive spells (Meteor Shower, Implosion), defensive spells (Slow, Shield, Stoneskin, Anti-Magic, Force Field), and utility spells (Animate Dead, Resurrection, Earthquake, Town Portal). Earth Magic is the best magic school to get for both Might and Magic heroes (in my opinion of course) and is even better when you have Wisdom because you get access to Town Portal which can turn a losing map into a winning one.

Level 1

• Type: Combat
• Duration: Instant
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 5 / 4
• Untrained / Basic: Target, enemy troop receives ((Power x 10) + 10) damage.
• Advanced: Target, enemy troop receives ((Power x 10) + 20) damage.
• Expert: Target, enemy troop receives ((Power x 10) + 30) damage.

There isn't a Magic Arrow spell that's specific to the Earth magic school and from my experience, the level of Magic Arrow that you use is the level of the highest magic school that you have. It's available in most Mage Guilds and is good for clearing out the low-level wandering stacks around your starting town. It's a cheap spell and useful in the early parts of a map.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: 1 Round/Power
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 5 / 4
• Untrained / Basic: Hand-to-hand damage delivered to target, allied troop is reduced by 15%.
• Advanced: Hand-to-hand damage delivered to target, allied troop is reduced by 30%.
• Expert: Hand-to-hand damage delivered to all allied troops is reduced by 30%.

Shield is a spell that's best used when the opposing army is made of mostly melee attackers since it won't protect against archers. Shield also works with your hero's defense and the Armorer skill so it's possible to significantly reduce the damage that your troops receive.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: 1 Round/Power
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 6 /5
• Untrained / Basic: Target, enemy troop's speed is reduced to 25% of normal.
• Advanced: Target, enemy troop's speed is reduced to 50% of normal.
• Expert: All enemy troops' speed ratings are reduced to 50% of normal.

Another great spell and especially so at expert version because Slow not only shortens the range that enemy troops can walk thus giving your archers more shots, but it also reduces their initiative so that you get a better chance to attack first. However, Haste overrides Slow and each stack gets a separate chance to resist Slow if it is cast at Expert level.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: 1 Round/Power
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 5 / 4
• Untrained / Basic: Target, allied troop's defense rating is increased by three against ranged attacks.
• Advanced: Target, allied troop's defense rating is increased by six against ranged attacks..
• Expert: All allied troops' defense ratings are increased by six against ranged attacks.

Just as Shield works to reduce the damage taken by melee attacks, Stoneskin works to reduce the damage taken by ranged attacks including Ballistas. Instead of reducing the damage by a percentage, Stoneskin instead increases your defense rating. This is less effective and it also doesn't work against Siege Towers which, if it did, would turn a second-rate spell into a first-rate one.

• Type: Adventure
• Duration: Instant
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 2 / 1
• Untrained / Basic: Displays the location of all loose resources on the View World Screen.
• Advanced: Displays the location of all mines and loose resources on the View World Screen.
• Expert: Displays the entire terrain, all mines and loose resources on the View World Screen.

On maps where resources are hard to come by, View Earth can be the key to building up your town much more quickly than you could otherwise. Instead of scouting around blindly, you will know exactly where they all are. At the advanced level, you can even get a hint where the enemy is because the mines will have the color of whomever flagged them. At expert level, you can see roads (among other terrain) which can give you an idea of where towns are located and how to get there. A very important spell with many applications.

Level 2

• Type: Combat
• Duration: Instant
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 10 / 8
• Untrained / Basic: All creatures (except undead) troops take ((Power x 5) + 10) damage.
• Advanced: All creatures (except undead) troops take ((Power x 5) + 20) damage.
• Expert: All creatures (except undead) troops take ((Power x 5) + 30) damage.

This spell is great for Necromancers because it won't affect their own undead troops, but due to its very low damage it is only good for taking out enemy scouts with multiple low-level stacks or low-level wandering stacks.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: Instant
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 8 / 6
• Untrained / Basic: Quicksand pits are placed in four random hexes. They are invisible to creatures unless they are on native terrain. Troops stepping on pit hexes have their movement halted for the current round. Once a pit is stepped on, it is revealed to all.
• Advanced: Same as Basic Effect, except that six pits are placed.
• Expert: Same as Basic Effect, except that eight pits are placed.

I don't like this spell very much because it's not really helpful. Let's say that all of my troops attack, and then the enemy's heroes attack with the last creature landing in one of my Quicksand pits. They are then stopped for the current round and the pit is revealed so that no one else will go there if the enemy hero has any smarts. Then the next round begins and the creature that was stuck is now able to move again, but it can't move until it's turn anyway. Furthermore, if the enemy has any troops that are native to the terrain all of the quicksand pits are visible. So I don't use Quicksand at all because the negatives far outweigh the positives.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: 1 day
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 4 / 2
• Untrained / Basic: Displays number of monsters in a wandering monster troop and whether or not the troop will offer to join the casting hero's army. Range is equal to Power or three, whichever is greater.
• Advanced: Same as Basic Effect, except an enemy hero's primary skill stats, and the composition and quantity of that hero's army can be viewed. Range is (Power x 2) or three, whichever is greater.
• Expert: Same as Advanced Effect, except an enemy town's statistics and garrison composition and quantity may be viewed. Range is (Power x 3) or three, whichever is greater.

Knowing the enemy is an essential part of combat because lessening the number of troops that you lose in a battle is very important. Many times I have skipped battles with wandering stacks since I knew that there were too many of them and they would not flee or join. Many times I have waited for another week's troops or used another hero before attempting to take over a town. I don't see this spell in Mage Guilds as often as I'd like, but it's very important to a good battle strategy.

Level 3

• Type: Combat
• Duration: Permanent
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 15 / 12
• Untrained / Basic: Reanimates ((Power x 50) + 30) health points worth of killed undead creatures in target, allied troop.
• Advanced: Reanimates ((Power x 50) + 60) health points worth of killed undead creatures in target, allied troop.
• Expert: ÊReanimates ((Power x 50) + 160) health points worth of killed undead creatures in target, allied troop.

This is absolutely the best spell available for both might and magic heroes that command the undead and a reason to get Wisdom. I don't know why there are two separate spells that brings back fallen troops but Animate Dead does have some advantages. Firstly it's a level 3 spell which means that it's more readily available in Mage Guilds. Secondly, the troops that are reanimated remain after the battle ends even if you just have Basic Earth magic unlike the Resurrection spell. Thirdly, it's a cheaper spell than Resurrection. This spell is absolutely a must-have for any Necromancer hero.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: 1 Round/Power
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 15 / 12
• Untrained / Basic: Target, allied troop can only be affected by level 4 or 5 spells.
• Advanced: Target, allied troop can only be affected by level 5 spells.
• Expert: Target, allied troop is immune to spell effects.

There are certain troops who are constantly attacked by magic spells, such as ranged and high-level troops, and others who have a weakness against some spells. The only way to protect these troops is to use Anti-Magic which will prevent them from being damaged from magic up to a level depending on your Earth magic level. The good thing about Anti-Magic is that it doesn't remove any of the spells already cast on your troops such as Bless, Haste, and Shield.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: Instant
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 20 / 17
• Untrained / Basic: Does damage to two, random castle walls during siege combat.
• Advanced: Does damage to three, random castle walls during siege combat.
• Expert: Does damage to four, random castle walls during siege combat.

Earthquake damages castle walls faster than the Catapult, and you don't have to take up a secondary skills slot with the Ballistics skill. Earthquake is also useful if the enemy destroys your Catapult and you need a way to destroy the castle walls.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: 2 rounds
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 12 / 9
• Untrained / Basic: A two hex-wide force wall is created at target hex. Movement through these hexes is blocked.
• Advanced: Same as Basic Effect, except the force wall is three hexes wide.
• Expert: Same as Advanced Effect.

I once thought this spell was useless until I played a custom game with just a stack of two Titans and used Force Field to protect them from the melee enemy troops. Force Field also works in blocking a hole in your castle wall to prevent the enemy from getting through. Unfortunately, it does have a few flaws such as not protecting against ranged attacks and spells and in only lasting two rounds. However, if you can place it in the right spot it will be a great help for your weaker troops from being mobbed by melee troops.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: 1 Round/Power
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 12 / 9
• Untrained / Basic: Damage from Earth Magic spells is reduced by 30% for target, allied troop.
• Advanced: Damage from Earth Magic spells is reduced by 50% for target, allied troop.
• Expert: Damage from Earth Magic spells is reduced by 50% for all allied troops.

Earth magic has two very powerful attack spells (Meteor and Implosion) that can seriously hurt your troops this spell can be very helpful in protecting your troops.

Level 4

• Type: Combat
• Duration: Instant
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 16 / 12
• Untrained / Basic: Troops in target hex and adjacent hexes take ((Power x 25) + 25) damage.
• Advanced: Troops in target hex and adjacent hexes take ((Power x 25) + 50) damage.
• Expert: Troops in target hex and adjacent hexes take ((Power x 25) + 100) damage.

I view Meteor Shower as an upgraded Fireball because they have the same range and almost the same spell cost, but Meteor Shower's damage is more than twice as powerful. If the enemy groups some of their troops (to protect their archers, for example) then Meteor will work to great advantage to damage many creatures for a relatively low cost. I would only use Meteor Shower if I can target two or more creature stacks at the same time.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: Battle (Untrained/Basic) / Permanent (Advanced/Expert)
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 20 / 16
• Untrained / Basic: Target, allied troop with dead creatures has ((Power x 50) + 40) health worth of creatures restored to life for the duration of the current battle.
• Advanced: ÊSame as Basic Effect, except that ((Power x 50) +80) health worth of creatures are restored permanently.
• Expert: Same as Advanced Effect, except that ((Power x 50 + 160) health worth of creatures are restored.

Resurrection is a powerful spell that brings back troops (except for Gargoyles/Obsidian Gargoyles, Golems, Elementals, Undead, Black and Gold Dragons) that have fallen in battle. One important fact to remember is that if you don't have Earth magic or if it's at the basic level, all resurrected troops will die again at the end of the battle. One tactic is to use Blind on the last enemy troop and resurrect your fallen troops after you experienced a difficult battle.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: 1 Round/Power
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 16 / 12
• Untrained / Basic: Target, enemy troop's morale rating is reduced by one.
• Advanced: Target, enemy troop's morale rating is reduced by two.
• Expert: All enemy troop's morale ratings are reduced by two.

Lowering the troop's morale gives them a chance to freeze and lose their turn except for Undead and non-living troops. If the enemy has maximum morale (3) then reducing it by two will leave them with a 4.2% chance of acting again instead of 12.5% and I'm sure you can think of plenty of other spells at this level that would do a lot better good.

• Type: Adventure
• Duration: Instant
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 16 / 12
• Untrained / Basic: Casting hero is teleported to the nearest allied town. 300 movement points are expended when the spell is cast.
• Advanced: Casting hero may teleport to any allied town with no visiting hero. 300 movement points are expended when the spell is cast.
• Expert: Same as Advanced Effect, except that movement point cost is 200.

Town Portal is my most favorite adventure spell because it lets you not only defend the towns you've taken over but also lets you quickly and easily replenish your troop strength. You can only portal to towns you own and allied towns. You can't portal to a town which has a visiting hero and if you don't have enough movement points left. The effectiveness of Town Portal is reliant on how many towns a map has, the more the better.

Level 5

• Type: Combat
• Duration: Instant
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 30 / 25
• Untrained / Basic: Target, enemy troop receives ((Power x 75) + 100) damage.
• Advanced: Target, enemy troop receives ((Power x 75) + 200) damage.
• Expert: Target, enemy troop receives ((Power x 75) + 300) damage.

This spell is very, very powerful and is great for high level creatures. Just point your cursor at the offending stack and, most likely, they will not be long for the battle. A most useful and utterly destructive spell.

• Type: Combat
• Duration: Combat
• Untrained Cost / Trained Cost: 25 / 20
• Untrained / Basic: A troop containing (Power x 2) Earth Elementals appears on the side of the casting player. Only one type of elemental can be summoned.
• Advanced: Same as Basic Effect, except that (Power x 3) earth elementals are summoned.
• Expert: Same as Basic Effect, except that (Power x 4) earth elementals are summoned.

Earth Elementals have a good deal of health so they are useful if you want to distract the computer while resurrecting or enhancing your troops. Unfortunately, they are extra slow so it will take them longer to get to the middle of the battlefield to be mobbed.