How do you use the Imps' and Familiars' mana steal?

[Brisos]

Imps and Familiars always steal my heroe's mana. I just started the demon campaign and I can't seem to get my imps and familiars to do that.

The "skill" button, only allows me to use the gate ability.

I am pretty new to Heroes and overall rusty in the Homm series (I haven't played it since Homm2).

Does my hero need a skill? Do my imps/familiars need to learn the mana-steal skill somehow?

Another question: Can they use that ability on caster creatures as well as heroes? I am trying to take on a stack of water elementals and their casting is just wasting my cerebri away.

Thanks for your help.

[super-bone]

hello there

every battle each stack doing it only at their first turn of the battle a

[Panda Tar]

Hi there.

As long as I'm aware. that's just possible at the beggining of the first imp's (familiar's) turn. When I'll act the first time, he steals hero's mana. They don't steal any other foe's mana.

That can be really helpful when you gather many of them, because you'll steal huge amounts of mana from an enemy hero, which could cause trouble due strong spells.

That's all about it.

As fas as I know, that is.

[Brisos]

Do imps use the ability automatically? Kind of like the Healing Tent or Ballistae do?

Thanks for the info.

[Panda Tar]

Yes.

[PhoenixReborn]

Both imps and familiars steal mana. They can only steal mana from a hero. They can only do so on their first turn of the combat. Gated imps and familiars also steal mana on their first turn.

If you cerberi are getting crushed you might want to leave them off the battlefield.

[Lady Farquad]

... and you want to be careful at the tactics phase, remember water elementals cast frozen ring, ouch! pretty devastating if your units are together protecting your succubi