Why can I cast spells only once?

[Diadem]

I encountered something very strange and frustrating in my current campaign game.

I'm at the Sylvan campaign now, the third mission ('The Defence'). When I attack the Necropolis city something weird happens.

It looks like my hero can cast every spell only once during the siege. After doing an earthquake that spell became greyed out, even while there were still arrow towers left. After one resurrection I couldn't do any others anymore, even though I definitely still had losses. Etc. With a magic build that is rather annoying, and disastrous in a difficult battle such as this one.

I tried it a few times, and it happened every time. I won the battle in the end, with about 3/4 losses, and got some artifacts, but none that can explain such an effect. No special necromancer buildings either, as far as I can see.

Is this a bug? Or some feature I'm not aware of? This certainly never happened to be before.

Difficulty: Heroic
Patch: 1.0

[Ya5MieL]

Perhaps you were facing Zoltan (necro hero)... his speciality can block spells you used for the rest of that combat.

[winterfate]

Exactly! Most people don't give Zoltan the credit he deserves. A blocked spell can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Otherwise, it's a bug (but then it'd be one I've never heard of...and I don't think the game can block off spells at whim ...I hope.).

[Diadem]

Ah, you are right. I was facing Zoltan.

How stupid that this ability is mentioned nowhere. You just see spells greyed out for no appearent reason. You can't even see you will be facing Zoltan before pressing the attack button.


That special definately seems overpowered. How am I supposed to win without insane losses if I can only resurrect once?

Is there any way to draw enemy heroes outside?

[winterfate]

AFAIK, not really. Enemy heroes only leave towns to expand, or attack weak heroes nearby. if you have a strong enough hero near the town, then the enemy hero is NOT leaving (it is logical after all).

That special definately seems overpowered. How am I supposed to win without insane losses if I can only resurrect once?

Well, Zoltan has a chance to block a spell. At higher levels he usually does, but not always. The higher the level of the cast spell, the harder it is for him to block.

Unfortunately, there isn't much to be done. You'll have to work around that ability somehow (he is probably, IMO, the peskiest necromancer in this game).

Good luck!

[DeejMaster]

Sacrifice a cheap Hero...Lure Zoltan away from the castle with a Hero you can lose, the have your Main Man waiting to attack after Zoltan takes out the sacrifice. You just have to make sure that the lamb is not so close to Zoltans' castle that Zoltan can make it back home after the attack.
You just make sure your Main Hero can still reach Zoltan.