One of the interesting features of the previous Heroes game was its extensive use of creature abilities. Every single creature had an ability of its own, a departure from the Heroes III system where some creatures were different in the statistical area only. We're not sure yet which path Heroes V will follow, but some of its abilities look promising. As a follow-up to the article on racial abilities a week ago, Ubisoft revealed today the special abilities of six creatures, one from each faction, and screenshots to show what they look like in action. The summary has been reprinted here.

The six abilities are variations of abilities that have been seen in previous games. However, the animations appear to be gorgeous, and will show you what your video card is capable of.

Heroes of Might and Magic V

Acid Breath - During attack creature damages not only the target but any other unit positioned directly behind it.

Aura of Magic Resistance - For all friendly units located on tiles adjacent to the creature, magic resistance increases by 30%

Pit Lord Summoning - Once during the combat creature can summon Pit Lords to replace its killed friends. Number of Pit Lords summoned depends on the number of creatures who use this ability (activated ability).

Shield Bash - At every attack creature has a chance to stun the enemy so they won't be able to retaliate and lose initiative (mechanical creatures are not affected).

Battle Dive - Creature performs delayed air attack on selected tile on the field, causing double damage to any creatures, including friendly ones, which happen to be on the tile at that moment. Following the attack, the creature returns to a randomly selected location on the field (activated ability).

Blinding Attack - When this creature attacks the enemy, there is a chance that it will blind it in addition to inflicting regular damage. Blinded creatures cannot move or attack, but regain sight if attacked.

Bravery - Creature always has positive morale (no less than +1).

Call Lightning - Creature fires a lightning bolt causing magical damage to selected target. Can be used for ranged attack when regular shooting attack is impossible or will only cause reduced damage (activated ability).

Caster - This creature can use a set of magical spells similar to those cast by heroes. Mana reserve is limited but always set to maximum at the beginning of combat. Spellpower depends on the number of creatures (activated ability).

Chain Shot - Creature inflicts damage to selected target and the three other targets nearest to it. Each successive enemy struck receives half the damage of the previous one.

Crystal Scale - Crystal Dragon is immune to direct creature killing abilities such as Harm Touch, Vorpal Sword, Deadeye Shot, etc

Cursing Attack - During attack a curse is put on the target, reducing the damage it can inflict. With each following attack the curse is renewed.

Dash - After using this ability creature misses one turn but is able to make turns more often (activated ability).

Deadly Strike - There's a 25% chance that this creature's attack will kill half the units in the enemy detachment.

Death Cloud - Ranged attack damages not just the target but all non-undead creatures covered by the Death Cloud (3 by 3 tiles) appearing at the hit point.

Demonic - This creature belongs to inferno. The Chain shot does not affect it but it is vulnerable to Holy Word spell

Double Attack - Creature strikes two blows at the target in a single attack.

Double Shot - Creature fires two full shots at the enemy instead of just one.

Elemental - This creature is not alive and cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic. Nor can it be resurrected or healed with First Aid Tent.

Elves Double Shot - Nothing can hinder creature from firing two full shots at the enemy instead of just one.

Energy Channel - If there's a creature with this ability in the hero's army, the hero will need 25% less mana to cast spells.

Enraged - This creature's attack increases during combat when any friendly unit dies (except resurrected creatures or creatures summoned to battlefield by magic).

Entangling Roots - Creature's attack entangles enemy with its roots and immobilises it. Creature can immobilise several enemies simultaneously, but the effect only lasts while the creature remains in direct contact with its victims.

Explosion - Creature damages all creatures around itself, but not itself (activated ability).

Fear - There's a chance the enemy attacked by this creature panics and tries to run to the edge of the arena to get as far away from the creature as possible, losing all initiative accumulated by this time. (Doesn't affect creatures immune to Mind-related spells).

Fire Breath - During attack, creature damages not only the target but any other unit positioned directly behind it.

Fireshield - When this creature is subjected to melee attack, its Fireshield inflicts a certain amount of damage to the attacker, regardless of whether it has counter-attack ability.

Living Creature - This creature is alive so it can be resurrected

Flyer - This creature can move on to any free tile on the game field during its turn, regardless of the obstacles in the way.

Fright Aura - All enemies positioned within 3 game tiles from this creature get their morale reduced by three units (doesn't affect creatures whose morale is always neutral).

Frightful Presence - There's a chance the enemy that attacks this creature panics and tries to run to the edge of the arena to get as far away from the creature as possible, losing all initiative accumulated by this time. (Doesn't affect creatures immune to Mind-related spells).

Harm Touch - When this creature attacks, it always kills at least one unit in any enemy detachment. It also lifts all positive magical effects currently affecting the unit (activated ability).

Immune to Air - Air Magic spells cannot harm this creature.

Immune to Blind - This creature cannot be blinded.

Immune to Cold - Cold Magic spells cannot harm this creature.

Immune to Earth - Earth Magic spells cannot harm this creature.

Immune to Fire - Fire Magic spells cannot harm this creature.

Immune to Lightning - Lightning cannot harm this creature.

Immune to Magic - Creature is immune to all magical impact (including friendly spells).

Immune to Mind Control - This creature is immune to mind-affecting spells.

Immune to Slow - This creature cannot be slowed down.

Immune to Water - Water Magic spells cannot harm this creature.

Incorporeal - This creature is incorporeal so any non-magical attack against it has only 50% chance of inflicting damage.

Jousting - Creature gets a 10% bonus to damage it inflicts during attack for each tile it covered on the game field before the attack.

Large Shield - Creature receives only 50% of damage from all non-magical shooting attacks.

Life Drain - When attacking enemy units, this creature can drain their health and use it to restore its own, or even to resurrect some killed creatures.

Lizard Bite - Creature attacks the enemy who is attacking neighbouring creature (provided it's within range), and inflicts half the regular damage.

Magic Attack - Creature hits all creatures in the line of attack with its shot, including friendly ones.

Magic-proof 50% - Attacking spells inflict 50% less damage to this creature.

Magic Proof 75% - Attacking spells inflict 75% less damage to this creature.

Mana Destroyer - Creature destroys some of the enemy hero's mana at the beginning of combat. The amount of destroyed mana depends on the number of creatures.

Mana Drain - When attacking enemy units, this creature can drain their mana and use it to restore its own health, or even to resurrect some killed creatures.

Mana Feed - Creature can transfer its reserve of mana to own hero (activated ability).

Mana Stealer - Creature takes some of the enemy hero's mana at the beginning of combat and transfers it to own hero. The amount of stolen mana depends on the number of creatures.

Mechanical - This creature is not alive (like all Golems) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic. These creatures cannot be resurrected or healed by First Aid Tent.

No Enemy Retaliation - Enemies never retaliate after melee attacks by creatures with this ability.

No Melee Penalty - No Melee Penalty

No Range Penalty - Shooter has no penalty for damage inflicted during ranged attack, provided the range is over half the arena.

Poisonous Attack - In addition to normal damage the enemy attacked will also be poisoned. Poisoning will cause a certain amount of damage during the next three turns.

Precise Shot - When shooting at close range (less than 3 tiles from target), creatures inflict heavier damage because the target's defense is not effective.

Random Caster - Creature casts a random spell at the selected target. Spells can be cast at both friendly (positive effect spells) and enemy (negative effect spells) creatures (activated ability).

Range Penalty -Shooter always inflicts only half the normal damage to the target but doesn't incur any penalty on melee attack.

Ranged Retaliate - Creature retaliates after enemy ranged attack with its own ranged attack, provided it is not blocked by enemy and has not used up all its retaliation attacks.

Rebirth - Once during the combat this creature can rise from the dead if killed. The number of revived creatures equals the number of killed ones.

Regeneration - Creature restores its health by 30 - 50 HPs each turn.

Repair - This creature can repair friendly mechanical creatures (Golems) and war machines (activated ability).

Resurrect Allies - Creature can resurrect killed allied detachment once during combat, provided the location where the detachment was killed is not occupied by other creatures (activated ability).

Rider Charge - For each game field tile covered by this creature during attack, the target's Defense is reduced by 20% (all the way down to zero).

Scatter Shot - Area-effect shooting: damage is inflicted to all targets (including friendly creatures) located within the selected area (3 by 3 tiles). The amount of damage inflicted to each creature is half the damage of a precise shot (activated ability).

Shield Other - All friendly creatures located on neighbouring tiles get only 50% of damage from non-magical shooting attacks.

Shooter - This creature can inflict damage remotely. When distance to target is longer than half the arena, the target suffers only half the normal damage. Shooter cannot use ranged attack when blocked by enemy creature. If there's no Ammo Cart in the army, the number of shots is limited by available ammo.

Six-headed attack - Creature attacks six adjacent tiles simultaneously, causing damage to all enemy creatures positioned there.

Spray Attack - Creature simultaneously attacks three adjacent tiles occupied by the enemy.

Strike and Return - Creature attacks and returns to its previous position.

Take Roots - When the creature receives Wait\Defend command, it gets 50% bonus to Defense plus ability to retaliate after all enemy attacks until the next turn.

Taxpayer - Every day the hero gets as many units of gold as there are creatures with this ability in all their armies and castles.

Undead - This creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.

Unlimited Retaliation - Creature always retaliates after melee attacks by enemies except when attacked by creatures with No Enemy Retaliation ability.

Vorpal Sword - Each attack or counter-attack by this creature is guaranteed to kill at least one unit in the enemy army.

War Dance Combo - Creature simultaneously attacks enemies located on all eight adjacent tiles. The targeted enemy gets normal damage, all others affected get half the normal damage.

Warding Arrows - This creature shoots charmed arrows: in addition to normal damage, there's a chance they might stun the enemy and delay their turn.

Weakening Strike - With each successful attack, the attacked enemy's Attack and Defense properties are reduced by 2 units (cannot get below zero).

Whip Strike - There's a certain chance that during a melee attack this creature will use one of the following spells, in addition to inflicting regular damage: Slow, Weakness or Berserk.

Hammers of Fate

Armored - This creature is resistant to all spells and effects that decrease Defense.

Berserker Rage - When this ability is used, this creature drops its Defense to zero for the time being, and has the same amount of Offense increase, then attacks the nearest target automatically without suffering the retaliation strike (activated ability).

Crossfire - The creature has the attack area shaped as a cross.

Magma Shield - When this creature undergoes a melee attack, the attacker suffers Fire damage in the amount depending on its attack's force.

Mark of Fire - When attacking, this creature has a chance to damn the target, which will result in all the Fire damage suffered by it within a certain period of time being doubled.

Paw Strike - This creature has a chance to push the target one tile aside and zero all the Initiative the target has accumulated.

Shield Wall - Damage suffered by this creature from enemy attack is 10% less per every tile the attacker walked to hit.

Stormstrike - Besides usual damage, this creature strikes the target with lightning (non-magical damage), which then hits another enemy creature if there is one standing next to the target, and further on, until the chain interrupts. The lightning's force is equal to that of the attack.

Stormbolt - Once per battle, this creature can attack any chosen target with Storm Strike (activated ability).

Wound - In a successful attack, this creature has additional chance to decrease the target's Speed (-50%) and Initiative (-30%).

Tribes of the East

Invisibility - An activated ability. When it is activated, the unit becomes completely invisible for the enemy until it performs an attack or takes a position in a tile next to an enemy unit. The stack attacked by an invisible stack can not retaliate. An invisible unit can not be the target of any target-specific effect, nor do mass spells work on it (but the area-effect spells and area effects do). Also, the Fire Trap spell can be applied to an invisible unit. Summoning spells and effects can be cast on tiles occupied by the invisible units, but the summoned effect/creature will appear on a random tile next to it. Unit movement routes can be plotted through the tile occupied by an invisible unit (i. e., its location can’t be found through failure to pass through a tile). When the movement is performed, if the invisible unit blocks the way and there is no other way, the moving unit stops right before it and performs a melee attack. For the player/AI who owns it, the invisible unit shows on the screen as semi-transparent. The ability works once per combat. The invisibility effect’s duration is 3 rounds.

Ride-by-Attack - a passive ability. If, while moving towards the target of its attack, the Raider passes very close to any enemy creatures, it inflicts damage equal to ¼ of its normal damage on them, and then continues its movement/maneuver without suffering any retaliation.

Acid Blood - every time the Hydra is hit, it splashes out some acid, covering four tiles in the direction of the attack. The damage of the acid is physical (the Hydra’s Attack and the target’s Defense skills are evaluated) and the damage equals ¼ of the Hydra’s normal attacking Damage capabilities.

Incinerate - the Dragon can soar up and give the target a specifically powerful blow of its fiery breath. The ability can only be used on a target that stands close to the Dragon. The damage inflicted is 50% greater, and the Dragon suffers no retaliation from its target.