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Heroes of Might and Magic IV General

Heroes of Might and Magic IV

by Harukaba

Heroes of Might & Magic IV was released on March 28, 2002 and had many major changes from Heroes of Might & Magic III. Heroes of Might & Magic IV is organized around the six types of towns; nature, chaos, death, might, life, and order. Each town is connected to two others and has a unique magic school aside from the might town. Each town has a might and magic hero but unlike Heroes of Might & Magic III, they don't have a specialty which makes each of them unique but instead every hero starts out with the same starting skill. When a hero gets two or more skills they will become an advanced class that provide a bonus. The logic behind this was to have the heroes start out the same but become vastly different as they gain in skills unlike the heroes in Heroes of Might & Magic III which start out different but end up with similar skills.

There is a total of nine skill classes the heroes can learn which has four skills; combat (archery, resistance, melee), nobility (diplomacy, estates, mining), scouting (pathfinding, seamanship, stealth), tactics (defense, offense, leadership), chaos magic (conjuration, sorcery, pyromancy), death magic (demonology, occultism, necromancy), life magic (healing, spirtuality, resurrection), nature magic (herbalism, meditation, summoning), and order magic (wizardry, enchantment, charm). Each hero can learn five skills each of which has five levels (Basic, Advanced, Expert, Master, Grandmaster).

The six campaigns introduce each of the towns and have nothing to do with each other and so there is no bonus level.

  1. The True Blade consists of five maps and is the Life campaign as Lord Lysander proves that Sir Worton isn't the last remaining Gryphonheart.
  2. The Price of Peace consists of eight maps and is the Order campaign as Emilia Nighthaven creates the kingdom of Great Arcan and defends it from being taken over by the Immortal King.
  3. Elwin and Shaera consists of five maps and is the Nature campaign as Elwin wins Shaera's heart and prevents the Elven kingdom from collapsing.
  4. Half-Dead consists of five maps and is the Death campaign as Gauldoth creates a new kind of Necromancer kingdom.
  5. A Pirate's Daughter consists of five maps and is the Chaos campaign as Tawni Balfour becomes Pirate Queen of the Gold Sea.
  6. Glory of Days Past consists of four maps and is the Might campaign as Waerjak unites the warring Barbarian tribes into one united kingdom.

Chaos Magic | Death Magic | Life Magic | Nature Magic | Order Magic

Italic text = Equilibris Mod.
NAME LEVEL COST EFFECT
Pathfinding 1 2 Pathfinding grants an army no movement penalty on the Adventure Map.
Speed 1 2 Speed increases a friendly target's speed and movement by 3.
Stoneskin 1 2 Stoneskin increases the target’s Melee and Ranged Defense by 25%.
Summon Leprechaun 1 2 Summons a number of Leprechauns based on the level of the caster.
Summon Sprite 1 2 Summons a number of Sprites based on the level of the caster.
Summon Wolf 1 2 Summons a number of Wolves based on the level of the caster.
Terrain Walk 1 2 Terrain Walk gives the target the ability to walk on all terrains without penalty.
Fortune 2 3 Fortune grants the target maximum luck.
Giant Strength 2 3 Giant Strength increases the target's Hit Points and damage by 25%.
Quicksand 2 (3) 3 (5) Creates a patch of quicksand, the size of which is based on the caster's level. All targets require a full turn to move through 2 feet of quicksand.
Snake Strike 2 3 Snake Strike gives the target the First Strike ability.
Summon Elf 2 3 Summons a number of Elves based on the level of the caster.
Summon Satyr 2 3 Summons a number of Satyrs based on the level of the caster.
Summon White Tiger 2 3 Summons a number of White Tigers based on the level of the caster.
Wasp Swarm 2 3 Wasp Swarm summons a cloud of wasps that distract the enemy target for one round. It has no influence on undead or mechanical creatures.
Anti-Magic 3 5 Anti-Magic makes the target immune to all spells for the duration of the combat.
Mass Speed 3 5 Mass Speed increases the speed and movement of all friendly targets by 3.
Necromancy Ward 3 5 Necromancy Ward prevents any Raise or Animate Dead spell from working for the duration of the combat. It affects all targets on the Combat Map, including dead ones.
Summon Air Elemental 3 5 Summons a number of Air Elementals based on the level of the caster.
Summon Earth Elemental 3 5 Summons a number of Earth Elementals based on the level of the caster.
Summon Fire Elemental 3 5 Summons a number of Fire Elementals based on the level of the caster.
Summon Water Elemental 3 5 Summons a number of Water Elementals based on the level of the caster.
Mass Fortune 4 8 Mass Fortune gives all friendly targets maximum luck.
Mass Snake Strike 4 8 Mass Snake Strike gives all friendly targets the First Strike ability. 
Summon Griffin 4 8 Summons a number of Griffins based on the level of the caster. 
Summon Unicorn 4 8 Summons a number of Unicorns based on the level of the caster. 
Summon Waspwort 4 8 Summons a number of Waspworts based on the level of the caster. 
Dragon Strength 5 12 Dragon Strength increases the target's Hit Points and damage by 100%. 
Summon Faerie Dragon 5 12 Summons a number of Faerie Dragons based on the level of the caster. 
Summon Mantis 5 12 Summons a number of Mantises based on the level of the caster. 
Summon Phoenix  5 12 Summons a number of Phoenixes based on the level of the caster.
SUMMON DEMON SPELLS
Summon Imps 1 5 Summons a number of Imps based on the level of the caster. All summoned creatures vanish after combat ends. Requires Basic Nature Magic and Basic Demonology.
Summon Cerberi 2 8 Summons a number of Cerberi based on the level of the caster. All summoned creatures vanish after combat ends. Requires Advanced Nature Magic and Advanced Demonology.
Summon Ice Demon 3 12 Summons a number of Ice Demons based on the level of the caster. All summoned creatures vanish after combat ends. Requires Expert Nature Magic and Expert Demonology to cast.
Summon Venom Spawn 4 18 Summons a number of Venom Spawn based on the level of the caster. All summoned creatures vanish after combat ends. Requires Master Nature Magic and Master Demonology.
Summon Devils 5 24 Summons a number of Devils based on the level of the caster. All summoned creatures vanish after combat ends. Requires Grandmaster Nature Magic and Grandmaster Demonology to cast.
Chaos Magic | Death Magic | Life Magic | Nature Magic | Order Magic
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Chaos Magic | Death Magic | Life Magic | Nature Magic | Order Magic

Italic text = Equilibris Mod.
NAME LEVEL COST EFFECT
Bind Wound 1 2 Bind Wound heals a number of points of damage based on the level of the caster.
Bless 1 2 Bless causes the target to inflict maximum damage.
Exorcism 1 2 Exorcism removes all negative spells from a single friendly target.
Holy Word 1 2 Holy Word does damage to a single Death creature based on the level of the caster.
Spiritual Armor 1 2 When cast on a friendly target, Spiritual Armor increases its Melee and Ranged Defense by 25%.
Summon Ship 1 2 Summon Ship causes a single ship to appear at the caster's present location on the Adventure Map.
Chaos Ward 2 3 The target of a Chaos Ward is 50% resistant to Chaos spells, and their Melee and Ranged Defense is increased by 50% against Chaos-aligned opponents.
Death Ward 2 3 The target of a Death Ward is 50% resistant to Death spells, and their Melee and Ranged Defense is increased by 50% against Death-aligned opponents.
Defender 2 3 Defender increases the Melee and Ranged Defense of all friendly targets by 50% when they are defending against an attack.
Heal 2 3 Heal cures a target of a number of Hit Points based on the level of the caster. Heal is also capable of curing Poison and Plague.
Heavenly Shield 2 3 Heavenly Shield can only be cast on the caster, giving additional Hit Points based on the caster's level.
Martyr 2 3 Martyr is cast on a friendly target. All the damage done to a second friendly target will then be transferred to the recipient of the spell. This effect lasts for the entire combat.
Mirth 2 3 Mirth gives the target maximum morale.
Nature Ward 2 3 The target of a Nature Ward is 50% resistant to Nature spells, and their Melee and Ranged Defense is increased by 50% against Nature-aligned opponents.
Order Ward 2 3 The target of an Order Ward is 50% resistant to Order spells, and their Melee and Ranged Defense is increased by 50% against Order-aligned opponents.
Retribution 2 (1) 3 (2) Retribution is cast on a friendly target. When the enemy attacks the target in melee combat, the attacker will take damage based on the level of the caster.
Song of Peace 2 3 Song of Peace causes an enemy target within the line of sight of the caster to become unable to attack or cast spells on the caster's army during the next turn.
Celestial Armor 3 5 Celestial Armor increases the Melee and Ranged Defense of all friendly targets by 25%.
Endurance 3 5 Increases an army's movement on the Adventure Map by 3.
Holy Shout 3 5 Holy Shout does a number of points of damage based on the level of the caster to all Death creatures.
Mass Bless 3 5 Mass Bless causes all friendly targets to do maximum damage.
Mass Healing 3 5 Mass Healing cures all friendly targets of a number of points of damage based on the level of the caster. It also cures Poison and Plague on all friendly targets.
Regeneration 3 5 Regeneration causes the target to regenerate a number of Hit Points every turn based on the level of the caster.
Mass Chaos Ward 4 8 Mass Chaos Ward causes all friendly targets to become 50% resistant to Chaos spells, and increases their Melee and Ranged Defense by 50% against Chaos-aligned opponents.
Mass Death Ward 4 8 Mass Death Ward causes all friendly targets to become 50% resistant to Death spells, and increases their Melee and Ranged Defense by 50% against Death-aligned opponents.
Mass Exorcism 4 (3) 8 (5) Mass Exorcism removes all negative spells from friendly targets.
Mass Fervor 4 8 Mass Fervor causes all friendly targets to gain maximum morale.
Mass Nature Ward 4 8 Mass Nature Ward causes all friendly targets to become 50% resistant to Nature spells, and increases their Melee and Ranged Defense by 50% against Nature-aligned opponents.
Mass Order Ward 4 8 Mass Order Ward causes all friendly targets to become 50% resistant to Order spells, and increases their Melee and Ranged Defense by 50% against Order-aligned opponents.
Prayer 4 8 Prayer increases the Hit Points and damage of all Life targets by 25%.
Divine Intervention 5 12 Divine Intervention removes a portion of the damage from all friendly targets.
Guardian Angel 5 (4) 12 (8) Guardian Angel gives the friendly target a number of extra lives based on the level of the caster. The number of targets protected depends on the level of the caster, and no target is protected more than once.
Resurrection 5 12 Brings a certain number of hit points of dead creatures back to life.
Sanctuary 5 12 While under Sanctuary, a friendly target cannot be attacked or affected by spells. No more than one target may be in Sanctuary on each side. If the target takes any action other than "defend", the spell ends.
Chaos Magic | Death Magic | Life Magic | Nature Magic | Order Magic
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Chaos Magic | Death Magic | Life Magic | Nature Magic | Order Magic

Italic text = Equilibris Mod.
NAME LEVEL COST EFFECT
Cancellation 1 (2) 2 (3) Cancellation removes all beneficial spells from the target.
Curse 1 2 Curse causes the target to do minimum damage in combat.
Disrupting Ray 1 2 Disrupting Ray causes the target's Melee and Ranged Defense to decrease by 20%.
Poison 1 2 Poison does damage to the target every round (starting with the current round) until combat ends.
Raise Skeletons 1 2 Raises a number of Skeletons based on the caster's level from any stack of dead creatures. The number of raised Skeletons cannot exceed either the Hit Points or number of the creatures. All Skeletons vanish after combat ends.
Animate Dead 2 3 Animate Dead raises a number of creatures based on the caster's level from any stack of dead creatures. All creatures vanish after combat ends.
Fatigue 2 3 Fatigue causes the enemy target to move at half speed and movement in combat.
Life Drain 2 3 Life Drain steals Hit Points from all Life and Nature targets, and then the caster gains a portion of the total Hit Points drained.
Life Ward 2 3 The target of a Life Ward is 50% resistant to Life spells, and their Melee and Ranged Defense is increased by 50% against Life-aligned opponents.
Mire 2 3 Mire causes the target to move at half speed on the Adventure Map during its next turn.
Poison Attack 2 3 The target's attacks in melee combat become poisonous. Anyone struck by the target will suffer the doubled effects of the 1st level Death spell, Poison. Spell does not affect undead, mechanical and elemental creatures.
Sorrow 2 3 Sorrow gives the target maximum negative morale.
Unholy Song 2 3 Unholy Song causes all Life targets to do 20% less damage and decreases their Melee and Ranged Defense by 20%.
Weakness 2 (1) 3 (2) Weakness causes the target to do 25% less damage in combat.
Aging 3 5 Aged targets do 25% less damage and their Melee and Ranged Defence is reduced by 20%. Speed and Movement are also cut in half..
Aura of Fear 3 5 Aura of Fear is cast on a friendly target, so enemy opponents cannot retaliate against the friendly target's attacks unless they are immune to Death, Fear or Mind spells.
Magic Leech 3 5 Magic Leech causes any spell cast by the target to cost double the Spell Points. Also, the caster of Magic Leech gains 1 Spell Point per 2 Spell Points used by target.
Mass Cancellation 3 (5) 5 (12) Mass Cancellation removes all beneficial spells from all enemy targets.
Mass Curse 3 5 Mass Curse causes all enemy targets to do minimum damage.
Plague 3 5 Plague causes all targets on the Combat Map, friend or foe, to come down with a deadly, damaging disease. It has no effect on non-living or Death targets.
Raise Ghost 3 5 Raises a number of Ghosts based on the level of the caster from any stack of dead creatures. The number of raised Ghosts cannot exceed either the Hit Points or number of the creatures. All Ghosts vanish after combat ends.
Death Call 4 8 Death Call targets a friendly or enemy target with dead creatures, raising a number of creatures based on the level of the caster. These raised creatures are placed under the control of the caster and vanish after combat.
Mass Sorrow 4 8 Mass Sorrow causes all enemy targets to have maximum negative morale.
Mass Weakness 4 (3) 8 (5) Mass Weakness causes all enemy targets to do 25% less damage in combat.
Terror 4 8 Terror causes a single target within the line of sight of the caster to lose its next 2 actions.
Vampiric Touch 4 (5)

8 (12)

 Vampiric Touch causes a friendly target to gain 1 Hit Point for every 2 Hit Points of damage they inflict.
Hand of Death 5 12 Hand of Death instantly kills a number of opponents based on the level of the caster. The target must be within the line of sight of the caster.
Raise Vampires 5 (4) 12 (8) Raises a number of Vampires based on the level of the caster from any stack of dead creatures. Raised Vampires cannot exceed the total Hit Points or number of the dead creatures, and the Hit Points raised are removed from the target stack. Vampires vanish after the battle.
Sacrifice 5 (4) 12 (8) First, Sacrifice destroys a friendly target. Then the caster selects a second friendly target who will recover twice the Hit Points of the destroyed target.
Chaos Magic | Death Magic | Life Magic | Nature Magic | Order Magic
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Chaos Magic | Death Magic | Life Magic | Nature Magic | Order Magic

Italic text = Equilibris Mod.
NAME LEVEL COST EFFECT
Bloodlust 1 2 Bloodlust causes the friendly target to do 25% more damage in melee combat for the duration of the battle.
Fire Aura 1 2 Fire Aura causes the friendly target to do minor fire damage in addition to its normal melee combat damage.
Haste 1 2 Haste gives the friendly target plus 3 to their speed and plus 3 yards to their movement. 
Magic Arrow 1 2 Magic Arrow casts a burst of magical energy that does damage to a single target within the line of sight of the caster.
Slayer 1 2 Slayer causes the friendly target to do 50% more damage against 4th level creatures.
Smoke 1 2 Creates a 3x3 yard cloud that reduces all Ranged Attacks through the cloud by 50%.
Sparks 1 2 Sparks casts a spray of magical energy that does damage to anyone in the three spaces in front of the caster. 
Confusion 2 3 Confusion causes an enemy target within the line of sight of the caster to lose its next action.
Fire Bolt 2 3 Fire Bolt is a powerful attack that does fire damage to a single target within the line of sight of the caster.
First Strike 2 3 First Strike grants a friendly target the First Strike ability for the duration of the combat.
Hydra Health 2 3 Increases the hit points of the target by 25% until the end of the next combat.
Mana Flare 2 3 Mana Flare reduces the spell costs for all heroes and creatures (friend and foe alike) by 2.
Misfortune 2 3 Misfortune gives a single enemy target maximum bad luck. 
Spell Shackle 2 3 Spell Shackle causes the enemy spellcaster to take damage for every Spell Point they use during combat.
Bloodfrenzy 3 5 Bloodfrenzy causes all friendly targets to do 25% more damage in melee combat.
Fire Ring 3 5 Fire Ring creates a ring of flames around a target within the line of sight of the caster that causes fire damage to all targets within a 1 yard radius surrounding that target.
Fireball 3 5 Fireball causes a 3x3 yard explosion of flames a round a target within the line of sight of the caster, doing fire damage to all targets within its blast. 
Lightning 3 5 Lightning summons a powerful bolt of electricity that does damage to a single target within the line of sight of the caster.
Magic Mirror 3 5 Magic Mirror reflects any hostile spell back against its caster at 1/2 strength. The hostile spell still affects its initial target.
Mass Slayer 3 5 Mass Slayer causes all friendly targets to do 50% more damage against 4th level creatures.
 
Cat Reflexes 4 8 Cat Reflexes gives a friendly target one extra attack.
Cloud of Confusion 4 8 Cloud of Confusion causes all enemy targets within a 3x3 yard radius to lose their next action. The target must be within the line of sight of the caster.
Implosion 4 8 Implosion is an extremely powerful magical attack directed at a single target within the line of sight of the caster.
Inferno 4 8 Inferno causes fire damage to all targets within a 5x5 yard area. The initial target must be within the line of sight of the caster.
Mass First Strike 4 8 Mass First Strike gives all friendly targets the First Strike ability for the duration of the combat.
Mass Misfortune 4 8 Mass Misfortune causes all enemy targets to suffer from maximum bad luck.
Armageddon 5 12 Armageddon summons a deadly magical storm that does damage to all targets on the Combat Map.
Chain Lightning 5 12 Chain Lightning does full damage to the first target it strikes, then strikes a second target for 1/2 damage, a third for 1/4 damage, a fourth for 1/8 damage and a fifth for 1/16 damage.
Disintegrate 5 12 Disintegrate is an extremely powerful magical attack directed at a single target within the line of sight of the caster. Targets killed by the Disintegrate spell cannot be raised or resurrected until combat ends.
Chaos Magic | Death Magic | Life Magic | Nature Magic | Order Magic
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Ability Name Creatures With Ability Ability Description
 
3-headed Attack Cerberus All enemies standing to the left, front and right of the creature are attacked simultaneously
Aging Ghost Chance of Aging during an attack. An Aged creature does less damage and has less defense.
Area Attack Cyclops The range attack strikes all targets, friendly or hostile, in a small area.
Berserk Berserker The creature must attack or move to attack every turn. They cannot wait.
Binding Mantis Creature Binds the last creature attacked. Bound enemies cannot move, but can attack, retaliate and cast spells. Bound creatures do half damage when they attack.
Blinding Unicorn Chance of Blinding an enemy during an attack.
Block Minotaur Chance of Blocking any attack, melee or ranged, every time.
Bloodlust Ogre Magi Can cast the Chaos Magic spell Bloodlust.
Bonuses at Sea Pirate Creature is faster and does more damage when fighting on a ship. Defense also increases.
Breath Attack Black Dragon, Phoenix Breathes fire which counts as a Fire Attack, and may harm creatures directly behind the enemy.
Chaos Ward Titan Creature is immune to Chaos Magic and takes less damage from Chaos creatures.
Charge Champion Creature does more damage if it charges for a long distance before attacking.
Cold Attack Ice Demon, Water Elemental Creature has a cold-based attack; Creatures with Cold Resistance take half damage from their attacks.
Cold Resistance Ice Demon, Water Elemental Creature is immune to cold-based spells and takes half damage from enemies with cold-based attacks.
Curse Mummy Creature's normal attack also acts as the Death Magic spell Curse.
Death Ward Crusader, Monk Creature is immune to Death Magic spells and takes less damage from Death creatures.
Devouring Sea Monster Chance of devouring an enemy whole with each attack.
Elemental Air, Earth, Fire & Water Elementals, Gargoyle Immunity to certain spells (such as Poison) that only work on normal, living creatures.
Fear Bone Dragon No retaliation & the creature struck runs away a short distance after the attack.
Fire Attack Efreet, Fire Elemental, Black Dragon, Phoenix Creature has a fire-based attack; Creatures with Fire Resistance take half damage from their attacks.
Fire Resistance Efreet, Fire Elemental, Phoenix Creature is immune to fire-based spells and takes half damage from enemies with fire-based attacks.
Fire Shield Efreet Has a fire shield that damages any enemy when they attack.
First Strike Champion, Dgn. Golem, Nomad, Mantis, W. Tiger In melee combat, the creature strikes first before an opponent can retaliate. Works while retaliating too.
Flying Air Elemental, Angel, Beholder, Black Dragon, Bone Dragon, Efreet, Faerie Dragon, Gargoyle, Genie, Ghost, Griffin, Harpy, Imp, Mantis, Phoenix, Sprite, Thunderbird, Vampire Creature can fly over obstacles, creatures, heroes, and castle walls.
Fortune Leprechaun Creature can cast the Nature Magic spell Fortune.
Giantslayer Halfling Creature does extra damage against 4th level creatures.
Hypnotize Mermaid Chance of taking control of an enemy opponent for 1 turn during an attack.
Immune to Magic Black Dragon Complete immunity to all forms of magic, friendly or hostile.
Immune to Visual Atks Troglodyte All abilities and spells that influence vision (like Blind and Stone Gaze) have no effect on creature.
Insubstantial Air Elemental, Ghost Creature's Melee & Ranged Defense are increased by 100%.
Life Draining Vampire Every attack steals life from the enemy and will heal & even resurrect dead Vampires.
Life Ward Devil Creature is immune to Life Magic spells and takes less damage from Life creatures.
Lightning Attack Thunderbird Every attack also summons a bolt of lightning to strike the opponent.
Long Range Ballista, Crossbowman Creature ignores all ranged attack penalties for distance.
Long Weapon Pikeman Creature can attack enemies that are a short distance away, double the normal range.
Magic Mirror Faerie Dragon Creature reflects hostile spells back at the enemy, the same as the Magic Mirror spell.
Magic Resistance Dwarf, Earth Elemental, Gold Golem Creature has a chance of resisting most hostile spells; takes less damage from direct damage spells.
Mana Leech Imp Creature drains 2 spell points from the enemy each turn and transfers it to a nearby friend.
Mechanical Ballista, Dragon Golem, Gold Golem Creature is not affected by morale, or by spells or abilities that only work on living creatures.
Mirth Satyr Creature can cast the Life Magic spell Mirth.
Multiple Attack Hydra Creature attacks all nearby enemies simultaneously.
Negate First Strike Dragon Golem, Pikeman In melee combat, the creature never strikes after an opponent, even if they have First Strike.
No Obstacle Penalty Ballista Creature does full damage to targets behind castle walls.
No Retaliation Cerberus, Harpy, Hydra, Naga, Sprite, Vampire When the creature attacks, the opponent cannot retaliate.
Normal Melee Centaur, Medusa, Orc, Titan This ranged creature does not suffer a damage penalty when attacking enemies in melee combat.
Poison Venom Spawn Living creatures struck by the attack are Poisoned and take additional damage every turn.
Random Harmful Spells Beholder When this creature attacks, it casts a random Chaos Magic or Death Magic spell on the enemy.
Ranged Ballista, Beholder, Centaur, Crossbowman, Cyclops, Elf, Halfling, Medusa, Monk, Orc, Titan, Venom Spawn, Waspwort Creature can attack at a distance; Does half damage in melee combat unless they have Normal Melee.
Ranged First Strike Elf Creature strikes first in ranged combat before a ranged opponent can retaliate.
Rebirth Phoenix Creature can return to life if killed; If all are killed and haven't used the ability, a portion will be reborn.
Regeneration Troll Creature completely heals all wounds at the beginning of each of its turns.
Resurrection Angel Creature can bring dead friendly targets back to life.
Shoots Twice Elf This ranged creature fires twice each time it attacks.
Short Range Orc, Centaur Creature's ranged attack decreases dramatically at long range.
Skeletal Skeleton, Bone Dragon Creature's ranged defense is increased by 100%.
Spellcaster Faerie Dragon, Genie, Magi, Water Elemental Creature knows a variety of spells that can be cast in combat (dependent on the target).
Stealth Bandit Creature is invisible at a distance on the Adventure Map to 2nd level creatures and heroes with Basic Scouting. Creature is invisible to adjacent 1st level creatures and heroes with no scouting.
Stone Gaze Medusa Creature has a chance of killing enemies instantly each attack; no effect vs. Undead, Mech., Elemental.
Stone Skin Gargoyle Creature's Melee & Ranged Defense by 25% in combat. Stoneskin spell has no additional effect.
Strength Behemoth Increases the creature's combat damage.
Strike and Return Harpy Creature flies back to its starting point after attacking.
Stun Squire Chance of stunning enemies for 1 turn every attack. Stunned enemies cannot take action or retaliate.
Summon Demons Devil Creature can summon Ice Demons
Taxpayer Peasant Creature generates 1 gold per day per creature in the stack in taxes.
Teleport Devil Creature can move to almost any point on the battlefield instantly.
Terror Nightmare Creature can cast Terror on an opponent; Enemies with Terror cannot take any action for 1 turn.
Toughness Zombie Increases the creature's hit points.
Two Attacks Berserker, Crusader, Wolf Creature attacks twice in melee combat. Second attack occurs after enemie's retaliation.
Undead Bne. Drgn, Ghost, Mummy, Skel., Vamp., Zmbie Creature is not affected by morale, or by spells or abilities that only work on living creatures.
Unlimited Retaliation Griffin Creature can retaliate against any number of attacks in one turn.
Weakness Waspwort Creature inflicts Weakness on its target each attack. Weakened creatures do less damage.
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Might

They aren’t too skilled with magic… and I have no clue how to provide magic strategy for a town that has no magic… other than the fact that Might is very powerful with a nature caster in the army, boosting already powerful units statistics.

Nature

Nature magic is primarily a stat beneficial magic, which is why it helps might so much. With spells such as Dragon Strength and Mass Speed, Nature units can become extremely devastating. In the early stages of the game, the summon spells are prevalent in the mage guilds, and can be helpful in fighting the crucial battles for mines. Keeping as many creatures as possible is crucial because of the limited number that you have and summoned units do not remain after battle regardless of their quantity at its conclusion, therefore they are expendable units that can be used up. This makes them good cannon fodder, for using up strong unit retaliations, and can greatly reduce battle casualties. As you get late in the game, 3rd to 4th level guilds, I prefer to not get summons however, because Spells such as mass speed, especially with a fast caster, are very deadly, as you can reach enemies from afar, and eliminate shooters quickly. However, summon spells can also be useful, especially if you do not have a fourth level dwelling by the time you have high magics. Nature has perhaps the third best 4th level spells, behind death and order. Mass Snake Strike is probably the second best 4th level spell in the game and although chaos has access to the spell as well, Mass Fortune puts Nature ahead so far as 4th level spells go. A nasty combination with a quick hero caster is to boost everyone stats, I prefer Mass Fortune, followed by Mass Snake Strike, because generally, you will not engage the enemy, other than your ranged units before the second or third round. However, when you gain access to 5th level spells, the casting scheme becomes completely different. Dragon Strength is a massive spell, which doubles a creatures HP and Damage. I prefer to save this for the units you would not want to lose, for example if you are fighting 3rd level units, casting this on Fairy Dragons is not the best idea, because you will doubtfully accumulate enough damage to lose one of the creatures, however if you have a group of Griffins that will be engaging often, you want to have a plethora of HP. While on the subject of Griffins, they can become the best 3rd level units with nature spells…kind of odd, because so can very other unit…but anyway, with unlimited retaliations, they are already very destructive, but if you add in Snake Strike, they are attacking their enemies before they can get attacked…. Then with dragon strength, you lose almost none and they become a solid 4th level unit with unlimited retaliations and first strike. Nature magic takes a long time to develop because the low levels can be frustrating, because most are summons. However Wasp Swarm can be helpful especially if you choose the route of elves. Run a hero around with the elves, limiting the enemy to just two stacks, and thus being able to wasp swarm one while dominating the other with your elf’s. Despite the lack of any form of direct damage spells, nature does have one of the best guilds. Nature magic is quite possibly the most underrated magic in the game (even through I never have room in my army for the creatures that are raised through their 3rd secondary skill - summoning). The biggest advice I can give when using nature is to have only one hero in the army, because natures last few levels of guilds are incredible, but the summoner will likely not be the best in your army until then, and the low level creatures can generally hold their own, especially with a few summons.

Death

I mentioned that Death was probably the best Competitor for tops in 4th level spells with order, because of Mass Weakness, Mass Sorrow and Vampiric Touch. The only problem with Death magic is that what I listed is about all they get. They have the potentially weakest 5th level spells (raise vampires, hand of death, sacrifice). Hand of Death can be unbelievable, because it kills a certain amount of any stack, but if you are fighting imps, where there are a million of them, its not the most useful spell ever…and is probably the only 5th level spell that is not good to cast in most situations. Sacrifice is worthless, especially late, when your army is comprised of good units, its more beneficial to cast Vampiric Touch, and thus gain back the health, without sacrificing your own dudes. Raise Vampires sort of stinks because they don’t stay after battles…so in essense, the Death spells are not very powerful…but as we all know grandmaster necromancy gains you vampires after killing living units. In my mind, that is the best secondary skill in the game. Free third levels, and good third levels at that. However, back to the spell combos in battle. I always start with mass sorrow, because the enemy will all go last in the next round, and have stat drops. Thereafter I will go for Mass Weakness, and just continue bashing their stats, thus making each attack of theirs do less and less to me, while mine do more and more to them. Death magic, as you would expect is the opposite of life, but in practice it is the opposite of nature, in that while nature provides self-help skills, death provides enemy-degrading spells, but of the same nature (no pun intended…), not in the form of direct damage, as chaos would.

Vampiric Touch is always a good spell, because it will give a unit (devils and bone dragons included) life drain. This is probably my favorite of the death spells, because it will work even fighting black dragons, which is very helpful, you can gain your health as you destroy them. I think that death magic is probably the second best overall considering the sub spells, in necromancy, but as for battle spells, it can be a disappointment other than the 4th levels (unless you grab demonology, summon devil is quite the spell…I will talk about this later…in magic/magic combos for you demonologists and arch mages.) Death magic is decent, and compliments their units well, but in terms of in battle usefulness, I vote it is not the greatest. (I will regret saying that the next time I get out of a battle with no casualties solely because of Vampiric touch though).

Chaos

Chaos is the only actual direct damage dealing magic (although many do have single spells such as ice bolt). The straight forward magic leaves little room for strategy, however there are some things that would leave questions, as every spell is not direct damage. Confusion is an example. However I feel that confusion is not the greatest spell because it takes your casters turn, and usually (especially once you develop an army) there are more than a couple stacks. However, Cloud of Confusion can take away the attacks of three units, which can be beneficial, and can work almost as tactics in Heroes 3, allowing you to place your units. If I get Mass Misfortune, it is always the spell that I will cast first, causing all enemies to be affected by bad luck will increase the damage of all your creatures, and the Medusas are already a powerful shooter, but with the enemy having bad luck it is even better. I tend to follow mass misfortune with either Bloodfrenzy or mass first strike (usually first strike, unless the enemy stacks are very slow and will not be engaged immediately). But an army with these three is already very powerful. Then comes the simple task of just taking out enemies with spells. Many of the high tier spells, such as implosion and disintegrate usually will eliminate a stack in a couple of turns, which can be very helpful, also the addition of magic mirror against fairy dragons is helpful. The only time I use magic mirror is against the fairy dragons, because of the quickness of dragons and nightmares, I can usually terrorize or kill the enemy hero before he can utilize his magic. Many prefer chaos magic, because it is one of the few that can take out multiple fourth level units in a turn...

... while still being able to demolish bigger, weaker creature stacks-which is the drawback of Hand of Death.)

Life

Life magic is the spell group that is most beneficial to its own units. Spells such as prayer only affect the life units, and can hurt you more than help you in some situations…(if the enemy is all life and you only have archers or something). However, the same can be said about Plague from Death magic and thus it cannot be weighed to heavily against Life magic. The 5th level spells for Life can be some of the best in the game, making potions of immortality obsolete, and allowing for you to organize your units in whichever way you see fit before battle and did I mention that they can add extra lives to creatures as well as heroes? The path in obtaining the spells is not bad either, because the first levels are very powerful especially early in the game, as healing units can prevent losses, or at least significantly reduce them, because the spells can usually refill the top stack to all that is left. This is not the wisest spell to cast on squires, who have very low HP, but can save crusaders and champions well. In the second level guild, Life magic has a lot of choices, and it would take a few towns to own gain access to all of them. However they can be very useful…Song of Peace is similar to wasp swarm, but it not as effective, as it allows the enemy to move, just not attack…this can be used in a similar method to wasp swarm though, walk around with just 2 stacks, so enemies will be limited to two stacks, and use a shooter to barrage them while they cant attack you. Defender can be a great spell, as can heavenly shield. The wards are always helpful. The individual are not nearly worth casting (in my mind) because you are going to use more than one unit, and spells such as bind wound, heal, and defender, and mirth (another good 2nd level) are much more valuable to cast. This does not hold true when you reach the good old 4th level mass ward spells. I will always begin battles with a mass ward (well in most cases at least…read on and ill explain), but lets continue to level 3 spells. After an abundance of level 2s, life has just 5 level 3s. Mass Bless may be the best 3rd level spell in the game, causing all friendly creatures to reach their maximum potential on each attack. Regeneration can also be useful, especially on a unit that will not take much damage and could regain most of what they accumulate. Mass Healing is another quality spell because it will heal all of you units, (Mass spells are great huh). This is not advisable however if only one of your units is being picked on (say you went Crossbowman, Ballista, Monk…for some reason…) and your 4th level is just being picked on…then it would be more beneficial since your shooters aren’t being touched to cast regeneration or save the spell points and cast bind would or heal. One of the few direct damage spell in the Life lineup is Holy Shout, which will damage all undead units, obviously this is worthless in 5/6 of the battles, but in that 1/6 it is a good spell to use. When I have all third level spells, and nothing above, I will start a fight with celestial armor, and that is something I may use later in the game, because it is a good defensive spell, even in late stages. Now we get to the level 4 spells. I said earlier that I begin all my battles with wards, that is assuming I have the ward of the creatures I am about to fight, and I will not engage them for 1 turn, which is about 75 % of the time. I have to add those stipulations because if prayer is in my arsenal as well, that is possibly the best life spell (considering your army is mainly life units and you are fighting a non-life army). If I will not engage them, then prayer is something that can wait a turn.

The other spell which I somtimes use first is mass fervor. If you have mass fervor, begin every battle with it regardless of the other spells in my book, because all of your units will act first in every round, and after having it for a game, you will be impressed with how much it helps when its taken away from you. Now after that…the 5th levels. All of these are healing spells … in a sense. The borderline on that is sanctuary, which makes your units invulnerable until they attack someone. I still begin with mass fervor however, because units under sanctuary cannot be affected by spells, and that is unfortunate when you have sanctuary casted. Sanctuary is a great spell, because you are able to position your units anywhere…Hero assassination anyone? You can gang up on one unit, or line up and take them down in a line. I find that Guardian Angel is an underrated spell, it gives extra lives to stuff, and although it takes a while to build, it is helpful in bigger battles, because you will not lose as many troops and thus damage will stay high as you keep the original stack numbers (it doesn’t add units, it just gives them extra lives). Divine Intervention does away with the expensive immortality potions (except the one to have on the caster so he wont die) because it can resurrect fallen heroes…so you can spread the experience. Life magic’s spells, in conjunction with resurrection, can be very daunting, (who needs to raise 3 vamps when you can resurrect 3 angels?) The only problem with life is that perhaps their best spell (prayer) is developed strictly for life and other towns will not benefit from it so you have to base your army on life units.

Notice that the Guardian Angel grants 6 extra lives…and that Divine intervention will heal 340 HP…and raise dead heroes…wow…not a bad spell book…

Order

My mother always told me to save the best for last, and so I will have to conclude the magic overviews with Order magic. Superiority in the spell section is not questioned because Order magic is so powerful. Based on mind spells, Order magic can do everything from push opponents around to making one “switch teams.” The first time I used hypnotize, my friend couldn’t believe that his hydras “switched teams…” Order has incredible fifth level spells, and even when you are cursing for not getting hypnotize, steal all enchantments is a great spell, and pain mirror is very powerful, despite the fact that it seems rather useless, it can be one of the more powerful spells against a large enemy, especially because it is something that people usually tend to forget, and not use in their attack strategy.

Accompanying the great 5th levels, are amazing 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st level spells. Displacement is perhaps the most powerful 1st level spell. Maybe powerful is not the right word, useful is probably better, because it can…no…will be used throughout the game, especially in siege combat. The wonderful second level spells are; Ice Bolt (decent direct damage spell), Slow (extremely useful, especially against armies of only ground troops-not ranged attacks), Create Illusion (hmmm great spell, use this more often, even in later stages of the game-because similar to summoning it just gives you expendable units…but you can get level 4s as soon as you get the dwelling, rather than waiting for grandmaster magic…great spell). Then we advance to the third level spells. A few of the most underrated spells in the game are contained in the third level guild. Teleport, especially if you choose nagas, with no retaliation is a great combination. Forgetfulness against the pesky shooters is great, working better than confusion because it eliminates ranged attack for the whole combat. Mass Precision, Mass Blur, and Mass Dispel also reside in the third guild, and Mass spells are always useful at least once during the course of a game. Banish pulls up the rear, as it can only be used on summoned stacks, but it can be a great spell if you are fighting the nature armies. No town has better 4th level spell either although Death does come close. Blind, Berserk, Mass Slow, and Phantom Image are the 4 spells in the 4th guild. Blind in reality eliminates one enemy for 3 turns, and can turn the tides of a battle, allowing you to eliminate a big stack and kill smaller groups then gang up on a big tough stack after it is un-blinded. Berserk, has been the same in every game, cast it on their shooter to eliminate enemy stacks at full range damage early, or cast it on a big stack to eliminate their smaller ones. Phantom Image is simply an upgrade of create illusion, use it the same way. Mass Slow, I always begin battle with mass slow, regardless of my other spells, because no one will reach me slowed (except for the devil – and evil sorceress in GS…) Therefore I can hypnotize later on in battle. The 5th level spells are all decent, but the best spell in the game, hypnotize is definitely the preferred spell of order wielders. Hypnotize puts an enemy unit under your control for three combat rounds…wow. Pain Mirror, reflects 50% of physical damage back at its attacker. Basically it is magic mirror but for physical instead of magical attacks. It is actually quite good, especially when fighting large battles with big stacks of creatures, it can be the deciding factor. Steal All Enchantments has the potential to be amazing, or worthless. It depends on whom you are fighting. If you are fighting Nature, Steal all Enchantments will probably be the best possible spell, because you will steal their mass speed and mass snake strike spells. However, against Might, a town without magic, it will be a rather useless spell. Hope this helps a little…stay tuned for magic/magic combos - why nature/death is better than nature/life.

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