Spellcasters Guide

drayath · Apr 15, 2010

I have been playing around as the Amerites recently and found it a bit of a trawl to use the Civlipedia to find out exactly what you get when casting different spells. So i've put together a little guide. Its core is a spell list combining all the info from the Civlipedia, but all spells have also been tested and in some cases abused by my 1000 xp archmage to see exactly what effects they really have, with some tips added.

Covers all arcane spells and abilities, including the master levels, based on Rise 1.22.2.

Written with a bit of an Amerite bias but most of it is applicable to any one using mages.

===========================================================

Rise Spell Guide

By Drayath - risespellguide@brightsoft.net

Updated to comments: Apr 15, 2010, 09:45 AM (page 1)

Feel free to us this as you will, though I'm not responsible for any mistakes that ends your 1000 year reign of power.....

===========================================================

General Magic

===========================================================

Mana Nodes

Quick recap on the rules for mana nodes

You only need access to one node of particular mana type (e.g. fire) to learn all levels of fire spells.
I.e. You need access to gain level 1 of fire, but to learn level 2 of fire only requires you have channelling 2 and fire 1. To learn level 3 you require channelling 3 and fire 2.

This means that if you have dispel (meta 2) you can cycle a few nodes between different types you your mages can learn more of them.

Note for Amerites what nodes you leave active is a bit more important as in addition to the passive bonuses (e.g. mind give +3% research speed per mind node) free spells your units get when built is based on the present set of mana you have (see sections below).

The benefits of multiple nodes of the same type:

If you have units with affinities the get a bonus to strength (normally +1) per mana node of the appropiate type you have.
All the passive bonuses are cumulative (e.g. 10 mind nodes would give you a total of +30% research speed)
If you have 2 nodes any new built units that are allowed to learn level 1 spells of that type and have channelling 1 get the spell (e.g. mind 1) for free. (e.g. apprentice, mage, archmage, spellsword)
If you have 3 nodes any new built units that are allowed to learn level 1 spells of that type and have channelling 2 get the spell (e.g. mind 1+2) for free. (e.g. mage, archmage, possibly spellsword)
If you have 4 nodes any new built units that are allowed to learn level 1 spells of that type and have channelling 3 get the spell (e.g. mind 1+2+3) for free. (e.g. archmage)

The free spell bonuses also apply when upgrading units, so if you have a few mana nodes, with careful use of dispel you can give a few level 1 spells to an apprentice for free, swap the nodes, give a couple of level 1+2 spells when you upgrade to a wizard, swap the nodes upgrade to archmage and give 1 or 2 level 1+2+3 spells for free. With 4 nodes + palace mana that is an extra 10 spell promotions for free (+3 free you normally get, plus Govanan teaching or the missing level 1 spells). That is a lot of xp saved on making powerful archmages.

Most races get 3 mana nodes from their palace, plus one for each of the religion capital buildings (e.g. The one built by a Great Prophet if you are a religions founder). If going a magic heavy route, in can be worth the investment trying to found multiple religions just for the extra mana.

The wild mana options adds extra mana nodes to the world.

The larger the world the more mana nodes. Mana node count scales slower than world size (at least in the present Erbus continent map), though there are more nodes on a larger world they will still on average be spaced further apart)

Once you have build a particular type of mana collector on a mana node, the only way to change the mana type is by first casting dispel magic (meta 2) on it. With wild mana enabled some to all of the mana nodes in the world will already be typed, so you can only build that type of mana collector in it until it has been dispelled.

If a mana node is typed (e.g. wild mana or a pillaged node) you can give yourself access to that type of mana be building a city directly on top of that node. This can give you access to mana types that you have not learnt the tech for. (e.g. you just have Knowledge of the Ether, or have not learned that particular type elemental/necromancy/divination/alteration/sorcery). The downside is you can’t change the mana type without getting the city destroyed (can dispel the present type, but no way to build a mana collector in a city to set the node to a typed node again)

===========================================================

Amerite Special Rules

===========================================================

School of Govanan

Affect arcane and normal units.

Add together the total number of manager resources you have, multiply by 3, this is the chance of a number built getting one free level 3 spell.
What spell you get is random chosen between the type of mana you have

3*death
1*fire
1*body
1*meta

18% chance of getting a spell

If you got a spell then 25% chance of death, 25% of fire, 25% of body, 25% of meta.

So more mana you have the better, but if you want to increase you chance of getting a specific spell have a few different types as possible.

----------------------

Mage guild

The Mage Guild works in the same way, with a

30 + ( 5 x mana count ) % chance of getting a level 1 spell

----------------------

Cave of Ancestors

Cave of Ancestors works in the same way, with a

20 + ( 5 x mana count ) % chance of getting a spell that may be level 1 or 2

Tip: Presently bugged, as it prevents the mage guild spell chance from working.

----------------------

If you are trying to get some your troops with additional spells, may be worth building lots of cheap warriors in a city with cave of ancestors and school of govanan.
If they get the spell you want, keep them (if city improvement spell may not even be worth upgrading them), if not mutate them. If it is a good mutation (possibly after dispels and curing) upgrade them to a useful unit type, or save them to merge into a flesh golem once you get a body 3 warrior or archmage.

----------------------

Apprentice Upgrades

One big special ability of the Amerites is they have a promotion that gives someone with channelling 1 the next level of channelling. This is designed to work with the Amerites ability to upgrade apprentices into ranger, spellsword, firebow or horse archer units.

If the apprentice learns the appropriate level 1 spells, buys the 'learn channelling 2' promo then immediately upgrades (might be able to buy promo after upgrade, not tested). Next turn the unit will gain the real channeling 2 promo, and it is now a melee/archer unit that can learn the level 2 versions of any level 1 spells it knows.

Spellswords can buy additional level 1 spell promos at any time, the other units can only buy the spell lines they had previously as apprentices or they are taught afterwards by Govanan.

The more promotions you spend on spells less you can spend on combat promotions to be careful to balance you xp spending.

Warning: If you buy the channelling 2 promo as an apprentice and do not upgrade, will lose it wasting a level up. Apprentices are not permitted to keep channelling 2.

If you have the necromancer trait, the upgraded units will be affected as they have channelling (+1 death combat, 5% chance a turn of becoming undead, free death 1 promo). Upside immune to fear, disease, wither, charm person, dominate, poison & death damage, +death combat, can learn the fear and cannibalize promotions. Downside if undead can't be taught further level 1 spells by Govanan, body promotions do not affect them (haste, regeneration). Managed carefully being undead mostly provides upsides, particularly if the enemy are using undead or poison heavy assassins against you.

drayath · Apr 15, 2010

===========================================================

Spell Guide

===========================================================

City Improvement Spells

===========================================================

Wall of Stone (earth 1)

Adds Wall of Stone building to city (25% defence bonus)
Remains while there is unit with the earth 1+ promotion in the city at the end of the turn.
Stacks with normal city walls, and does not prevent them from being built.
Allow free Wall Defender promotion (1 additional first strike, bonuses to range attack) to archer units as per normal city walls.

-------------------

Inspiration (mind 1)

Adds Inspiration building to city (+2 bulb, +1 Great Sage GPP)
Remains while there is unit with the mind 1+ promotion in the city at the end of the turn.

-------------------

Growth (creation 1)

Adds Growth building to city (+20% food stored after growth, +1 health from corn, rice, wheat, cow, sheep, pig, bison)
Remains while there is unit with the creation 1+ promotion in the city at the end of the turn.
Stacks with other food store and food health buildings (salt house, granary, smokehouse etc)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope (spirit 2)

Adds Hope building to the city (+1 happy, +4 culture, free courage promo (spirit 1) to units built in city)
Remains while there is unit with the spirit 2+ promotion in the city at the end of the turn.

Tip: Chances are the mage staying in the city already has spirit 1 so could cast on newly built units, but saves a bit of micro management.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dimension Gate (dimension 3)

Adds Dimension Gate building to the city (Can airlift +1 unit a turn)
Remains while there is unit with the dimension 3 promotion in the city at the end of the turn.

Tip: Stack with the captured hippogriff building for extra airlift fun.
Tip: Hippogriff weir lets you airlift 2 units, gives bonus happy, money and trade routes. Suggest sending out hunters with some mage support to capture some rather than wasting an archmage for this.
Tip: dimension 3 also gives you the free promotion Master of Dimensions (+1 cold, +5 teleport range) so not completely useless

-------------------

Wall of force (force 3)

Adds Wall of force building to the city (+25% defensive strength, level 1-3 enemy units cant enter the city)
Remains while there is unit with the force 3 promotion in the city at the end of the turn.

Tip: Combined with wall of stone to give an instant +50% defence to a newly conquered city wheile you heal up your attack force.
Tip: Level restriction can be useful, particularly if you scout out incoming stack of doom first. Might only be a few higher level units in it, and they are the ones you really want to kill (heros etc). luckily there are likely to be the only units attacking your wall of force defenced city, yah!
Tip: ha ha Mr pyre zombie horde, not looking so explodifying now...

-------------------

Birth (creation 3)

Adds 1 level to the city.
Does not require caster to stay in city afterwards.

Tip: Use to get quickly get larger cities up to the maximum there food will support. Ideal for getting additional specialists.
Tip: The slower the game speed the more useful this is as cities take longer to gain levels.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tree of Life (Master of alteration; force 3, body 3, enchantment 3, life 3, nature 3)

+5 health
+5 happy
+10 food
+4 culture
Remains while there is tree of life unit in the city at the end of the turn.

Tip: Essentially adds 5 to the max level cap for this city.
Tip: Comes with the Tree of Life unit (summoning) a 15 strength defensive unit.

Tip: Master of alteration; also gives a personal enhancement, and stack enhancement.

===========================================================

Terraforming

===========================================================

Scorch (sun 1)

Changes the terrain the caster is on:

snow -> tundra -> grass -> plains -> desert
marsh -> grass -> plains -> desert

Tip: If a city is on a hill change to plains for a free +1 production bonus
Tip: Change flatland next to a river to desert to produce floodplains for bonus food
Tip: Build yarts on tundra then change to grassland (+2 food) or plains (+1 food, +1 production)

-------------

Spring (water 1)

Reverse of Scorch (sun 1)

Changes the terrain the caster is on:

desert -> plains -> grass
temperate climate: grass -> marsh
arctic climate: grass -> tundra -> ice

Can use spring/scorch to change terrain to grassland while growing cities, and then to plains for extra production when they hit their target size.

--------------

Sanctify (life 1)

Remove hell terrain
Remove city ruins (lower Armageddon count when doing so)

Enable free warden promotion; Auto cast sanctify when needed.

--------------

Blaze (fire 1)

Adds smoke to forest/jungle tile (-10% tile defence)
Random chance (~3%) of smoke turning to fire.
Fire burns for a few turns adding smoke to all surrounding regions, and the process repeats in these.

forest -> forest + smoke -> fire -> burnt forest -> new forest -> forest -> (fol only) ancient forest

Tip: Couple of blazes outside borders of 'friendly' nations can harm their production for a long time as the fire keep spreading over their lands.
Tip: Any of my apprentices setting a blaze that spreads back to my lands will find their blood being used to put it out, you have been warned!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dispel (meta 2)

Changes mana in this square back to an untyped one and removes the mana node.
Remove haunted lands (range 1).

Tip: Only need the mana node to learn level one of a spell; If you already have level 1 can learn level 2 even if you don’t have the mana any more.
Tip: Cycle mana to get the magic tower with far less nodes, Amerites can do this early as they start with meta from the palace rather than requiring sorcery tech.
Tip: Similarly cycle the nodes to get Gonavan to learn all the level 1 magic to reach to you other units for free.

Tip: Also in buffs docs as remove bad promos from your units
Tip: Also in offensive doc as removes enemy buffs

---------------

Fertility (creation 2)

Changes crop resources on casters square: wheat -> corn -> rice -> wheat
Changes animal resources on casters square: cow -> sheep -> pig -> cow

Does not count as a spell cast; Can be used as many times as needed in one turn, and normal spells can be cast afterwards.

Tip: instead of using to get one of each resource type (for health purposes), see what your neighbours are lack and have spare. Now use fertility to get the extra resources they need, trade for the ones they have spare. You still have all the resource, but now your neighbours like you more!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drought (nature 3)

Can only be cast inside your borders.
Will not affect squares outside your border.
Use does not count as a spell cast, can be used multiple times in one turn
1st use: change square caster on from grassland to plains
2nd use: change radius 1 squares from grassland to plains (requires spell extension 1)
3rd use: change radius 2 squares from grassland to plains (requires spell extension 2)

---------------

Vitalize (nature 3)

Can only be cast inside your borders.
Will not affect squares outside your border.
Range is the level of spell extension the caster has.
Upgrades:

desert -> plain -> grassland
swamp -> grassland
ice->tundra->plain->grassland

If it upgrades a squares will also convert jungle to forest
Will not affect flood plains.

Tip: To convert grassland jungle to forest, use drought to convert to plains jungle, then vitalize will convert to grassland forest.
Tip: Quickly convert empire with vitalize (and possible leave for a bit for bonus city growth), then use drought (as can be used as many times in a turn as required) or scorch to convert required tiles back to plains for production bonus.

----------------

Frozen Lands (ice 3)

Range 2
Converts random selections squares within 2 range to for 10-20 turns (40% chance per square)

desert->plain->tundra->ice (reverts back to original not previous one in chain)

Tip: Pointless, ice 2 summon give you a unit that can cast this spell (automatically on death), and you send it on a suicide mission to do so unlike your mages!
BUG: in 1.22 setting temp terrain multiple time can make it permanent, against a AI player a minor skirmish in their lands with ice elemental's can cripple them for the rest of the game.

===========================================================

Special Spells

===========================================================

Trust (spirit 3)

Improves other leader liking of you to a maximum of +4 points.
Shows in the diplomacy screen as green: +4 "You Seem Trustworthy"

Tip: Not sure if this will do much to prevent war, but should help get trade deals.
Tip: Equivalent to cancelling out a lawful goods dislike of chaotic evil race.

--------------------

Wonder (chaos 3)

4-6 items from the following list.

If you are already mutated and not in or next to a city, and not next to the coast. Are not any really any particularly bad one.
If fighting the enemy tend to get at least 1 high level summon or offensive spell per casting.
If playing as the Balseraphas it is defiantly themic to use this as you sole offensive archmage spell

Spoiler :

===========================================================

Offensive Spells

===========================================================

Warning: Ranged damage spells that affect friendly WILL NOT GIVE a warning about this before casting. It will instantly start a war with any AI units hit, so be sure of who is nearby before casting.

All offensive spells ignore spell extension.

-----------------------------

Slow (ice 1)

1 range (ignore spell extension)
Only affect enemy units.
Affects all units within range, including naval.
Can be resisted.

Remove haste
Applies Slow promotion (-1 move, +1 terrain move cost, -40% withdraw chance, 30% chance each turn of wearing off)
Unit can be re-hasted but this does not remove slow promotion, just effectively cancels out the -1 move.

Tip: Use to prevent a stronger ship killing you while you use hit and run ranged attacks to lower its strength first.
Tip: Hunters trying to capture hippogriffs love to have along a mage with this spell. (or if Amerite having the spell themselves)
Tip: Combined effects means that a 3 speed (unhasted) unit is reduced to 1 square movement a turn.
Tip: If you cast on an AI Stack of Doom can slow it for ages as they remain together, so until separately worn off all units.

-----------------------------

Corrode (entropy 1)

1 range (ignore spell extension)
Only affect enemy units.
Affects all units within range.
Can be resisted.

Remove bronze/iron weapons.
Applies rusted promotion (-10% strength, removed in city with forge, or by enchant weapon (enchantment 1))

Tip: Useful equalizer if you have gone the spell/recon route, as summon & recon units don’t get the bronze/iron bonuses.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malistorm (air 2)

2 range (ignore spell extension)
Affects all units within range (including friendly)
Does not affect units on square cast on.
Can be resisted.

Lighting ranged attack, can’t reduce unit below 70% of its hitpoints.
Does ~15% per cast without bonuses (e.g. metamagic, Korlin’s legacy)

-----------------------------

Blinding Light (sun 2)

1 range (ignore spell extension)
Only affect enemy units.
Affects all units within range.
Can be resisted (+30% chance)

Add the held promotion to units (2 turns duration, can’t move via any means. E.g. teleport, escape, moving)

Tip: A wonderful spell to combine with assassins, let you do all the attacking.
Tip: Just make sure the casting mage does not get killed off by the units that resisted!

-----------------------------

Charm Person (mind 2)

1 range (ignore spell extension)
Only affect enemy living units (including animals and beasts)
Affects all units within range.
Can be resisted (+20% chance)
loyalty (law 1) adds +20% resist chance.

Unit can’t attack (20% chance of wearing off per turn).

Tip: A wonderful spell to combine with assassins, let you do all the attacking.

-----------------------------

Banishment (life 2)

1 range (ignore spell extension)
Affects all undead and demon units (including friendly)
Affects units on square cast on!

Holy ranged attack, can’t reduce unit below 50% of its hitpoints.
Does ~25% per cast without bonuses (e.g. metamagic, Korlins legacy)

-----------------------------

Dispel (meta 2)

2 range (ignore spell extension)
Affects all enemy units.

Removes all good, dispellable promotions from them (Everything in the buffs section plus a few other things; enchanted blade, haste, flaming arrows etc)

Tip: Also in buffs docs as remove bad promos from your units
Tip: Also in the terraforming docs as can reset a mana node

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wither (entropy 3)

1 range (ignore spell extension)
Affects all enemy living units.
Can be resisted

Poison ranged attack, can’t reduce unit below 60% of its hitpoints.
Does ~15% per cast without bonuses (e.g. metamagic, Korlins legacy)
Adds the withered promotion to all units (permanent unless cured, -20% heal rate)

-----------------------------

Dominate (mind 3)

1 range (ignore spell extension)
Only affect enemy living units (including animals and beasts)
Permanent unless caster dies.
Affects single unit within range.
Can be resisted (+10% chance)
Loyalty (law 1) will cause the unit to die rather than being dominated.

If the dominate is resisted you lose the spell (test: lose spell or lose mind 3?)
If the caster dies all dominated units are released back to their original owner.
Each caster can have a max of 3 dominated units, spell unavailable to cast if at the limit.
Dominated units can’t be deleted.

Tip: Seriously consider getting metamagic 3 for the -15% chance of enemy resisting spells.
Tip: Amarite mage have Kylorins Lecacy (-25% resist) and possible the arcane trait (-10% resist)
Tip: With all of them you should be guaranteed to get even a magic resistant hero (10% (dominate base) + 20% (hero) + 20% (magic resistant))
Tip: Dominated units can be added to a flesh golems (BUG: presently adds to golem and frees the unit)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Banishment (Master of Force, free promotion requiring; Force 3)

1 range (ignore spell extension)
Only affect temporary units

Destroys all affected units.

-----------------------------

Judgement (Master of Divination, requires; creation 3, law 3, sun 3, mind 3, spirit 3)

2 range (ignore spell extension)
Affects all enemy units.

Holy based ranged attack, can’t reduce units below 30% of its hitpoints.
Does ~60% per cast without bonuses (e.g. metamagic, Korlins legacy)

Removes the wicked promotion from affected enemy units.
Reveal all invisible units within range.

Tip: Master of divination also gives a personal enhancement, and a summon.

-----------------------------

Curse (Master of Necromancy, requires; dimension 3, chaos 3, entropy 3, death 3, shadow 3)

1 range (ignores spell extension)
Affects all enemy units.

Holy ranged attack, can’t reduce units below 50% of its hitpoints.
Does ~40% per cast without bonuses (e.g. metamagic, Korlins legacy)

Applies the curse promotion to all units affected (permanent; -1 strength, -20% strength, -40% resist to death & unholy)

Tip: Master of necromancy also gives a personal enhancement, and a stack enhancement

===========================================================

Personal Enhancement

===========================================================

Escape (dimension 1)

Returns the caster to the present capital city.
All remaining actions can be performed after the escape (teleport, move, attack, second spell cast if have ability)

--------------

Meta 1

+5 spell damage (direct damage spells e.g. Tempest)
-5% opponents spell resist chance

Tip: All gives a summon spell.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dimension 2

+3 teleport range

Tip: Can only teleport before performing any normal movement.
Tip: Can teleport after escaping back to capital

--------------

Water 2

Allow water walking (move on water, no combat penalty crossing river or attacking from sea)

Tip: If you have water walking you can only board ships in cities.

--------------

Meta 2

+5 spell damage (direct damage spells e.g. Tempest)
-5% opponents spell resist chance

Tip: All gives dispel (terraform/stack buff/offensive spell). That metamagic for you ?.

--------------

Force 2

+6 Ranged combat
+25% Damage cap
+1 range (allowing a to use the ranged combat ability if it could not before)

Tip: For mages no way to increase damage or damage cap other than via an archery speced great commander (or fluky mutation)
Tip: You can use a ranged attack and cast spells.
Tip: How to get an firebow with force 2
A) Hope you get the spell for free when built in a city with a cave of ancestors.
B)

Build an apprentice,
Train with force 1 (not require if you have Govanan to teach it later), ideally train spell extension 1 (can learn 2 later then).
Now use the channelling 2 promotion (i.e. the one you normal swear at as apprentice have channeling 2 removed if they get it). This adds a promotion that will turn into channelling 2 next turn.
Finally upgrade the unit to archer/firebow.
Next turn the gain channelling 2 promo will expire giving the unit channelling 2 which is allowed for any units that aren’t apprentices. (i assume this is what it is meant to be used for)
Now train force 2, your firebow now has a base 10/65% range 2 attack, can be promoted to 14/95% with great command bonus and council of Erbus promotions on top of that. Plus long range fireballs from spell extension.
Requires extra 3 promotions plus some cash (2 with Govanans help) plus any other mage skills like spell extension you want to give first.
Note: Firebow can’t learn level 1 spells, but if knows the level 1 and has channeling 2 can learn the level 2 version. Only way of getting additional level 1 spells is to give then to the apprentice first, or have Govanan teach them later.
Note: If you have the necromancer trait apprentice upgraded to firebow/archer will have all the pros and cons (+1 death combat, chance of becoming undead each turn, free death 1 promo). And once undead can’t be taught spells by Govanan.
Note: If you can get the Bow of the Long Sighted upgrades the range to 3.
Note: When trying to train up mages a few of these to get powerful enemies down to a few hit points and the trainee mage finish them lots of xp.
Note: Extremely powerful on ships, one high power range attack plus a fireball is enough to kill almost any ship. 2 range gives you the range to do the same to enemy units a bit away from the sea with almost no chance of retaliation.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lichdom (death 3)

This is an irreversible change to a unit.
Turns it into a Lich (1 move, 5 (+2 death) strength, undead) retains all spells and promotions.
Can only have 3 liches at any one time.

Undead; Not alive; Immune to death poison, disease, plagued, wither, fear. +25% resist unholy, -25% resist holy

Tip: Liches do not count against the archmage limit, so you can have 4 archmages, 3 liches and any channel 3 heros you can get hold off.
Tip: In practice don’t convert your heros as they don’t count against the limit anyway.
Tip: For the Amerites Liches are actually worst in combat than battlemages (6 str + broze/iron/mirthil + combat bonuses)

Warning: A unit that is already undead can't use this spell, this is of particular issue if you have the necromancer trait as this gives 5% chance a turn of your channelers becoming undead. Only real work around;

switch on all the unit start xp civics,
in a city that can build an apprentice a turn,
with a cave of ancestors build 7 apprentices (and keep building until you have 3 at the same time that are not undead).
Have Gonavon teach his spells, have the apprentices learn just enough other lvl 1 spells (or spell extension etc) to be upgradable to mages, pop your world spell (2xp +1 per upgraded mana node in the world). Try to have lots of other apprentices round when you do this.
This should give enough xp to upgrade 3 units to battlemages, get death 3 and become liches and the other 4 can get upgraded and stay as archmages.
Otherwise you will have to time it to an enemy attack to get the xp, or airlift the unit to the front line and hope you get the xp before becoming undead.

Tip: If (via school of govannan) you get a none archmage with death 3 don’t convert then to a lich as they will not gain the channeling III ability. Well unless you luck out getting it on an apprentice/priest, see if you can upgrade him to a archmage/tier 3 priest before he becomes undead, than lichify.

Tip: Also gives the summon wraith spell.

--------------

Enchant Spellstaff (enchant 3)

Can only be used if the unit does not have the spellstaff promotion
Gives the unit a spellstaff.

The spell staff can be activated at any time to allow the mage of cast a single extra spell that turn.

Tip: Not so useful in peace, but in war make sure you recreate the spellstaff when you can, and can give you an extra half an archmage for a turn where it might be useful.
Tip: Also useful for the 'crud i’ve used all my spells and just notice that bear standing next to me #snap# spellstaff, !SUMMON MEATSHIELD!)

--------------

Meta 3

+5 spell damage (direct damage spells e.g. Tempest)
-5% opponents spell resist chance

Tip: Also gives the summon Djinn spell.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Master of Ice (free promotion when you have ice 3)

+1 cold strength

--------------

Master of Dimensions (free promotion when you have dimension 3)

+1 cold strength
+5 teleport range

--------------

Master of law and sun (free promotion when you have law 3 & sun 3)

+2 visibility range
+1 holy damage
+1 xp per combat

Tip: One of the first masteries to specifically aim for, combined with the law 3 spell valor give +2xp per combat & +100% xp per combat. Makes getting further xp & masteries much easier.

--------------

Master of creation (free promotion when you have creation 3)

Can cast 1 extra spell a turn.
33% chance to fail to cast each spell and get miscast promotion (cant cast for 2-4 turns)

WARNING: the 2-4 turn casting block is a bug, until it is fixed do not get creation 3 as it cripples your archmage.

--------------

Master of force (free promotion when you have force 3)

+75% resist spell
Also gives access to the Dismiss spell (see offensive spells)

--------------

Master of mind and spirit (free promotion when you have mind 3 & spirit 3)

Immune to first strikes
+25% withdraw chance

--------------

Master of body and enchantment (free promotion when you have body 3 & enchantment 3)

+2 additional first strikes
+30% strength

--------------

Master of chaos and entropy (free promotion when you have chaos 3 & entropy 3)

+1 unholy strength
+30% resist holy
+30% resist unholy

--------------

Master of death and shadow (free promotion when you have death 3 & shadow 3)

Immune to defensive strikes
Ignore terrain defence

--------------

Master of earth and air (free promotion when you have earth 3 & air 3)

+1 move
+25% withdraw chance

--------------

Master of fire and water (free promotion when you have fire 3 & water 3)

+1 fire strength
Can heal while moving.

--------------

Master of life and nature (free promotion when you have life 3 & nature 3)

+20% heal
Double move in forest/ancient forest/jungle.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Master of Alteration (bought promotion requiring master of; force 3, body 3, enchantment 3, life 3, nature 3)

+1 strength
Also give access to the Might spell (stack enhancement)
Also give access to the Summon Tree of Life spell (summon)

--------------

Master of Divination (bought promotion requiring; creation 3, law 3, sun 3, mind 3, spirit 3)

+1 strength
Also give access to the Judgement spell (offensive)
Also give access to the Summon Holy Avenger spell (summon)

--------------

Master of Necromancy (bought promotion requiring; dimension 3, chaos 3, entropy 3, death 3, shadow 3)

+1 strength
Also give access to the Rise of the Wicked spell (stack enhancement)
Also give access to the Curse spell (offensive)

--------------

Master of Elements (bought promotion requiring; ice 3, fire 3, air 3, earth 3, water 3)

+1 strength
Also give access to the Shooting Stars spell (summon)
Also give access to the Summon Vyrhul spell (summon)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Protector (bought promotion requiring master of; alteration, divination)

+1 move
+2 strength
Immortal (if die reborn in capital, to kill must be killed a second time in the same turn)

--------------

Destroyer (bought promotion requiring master of; necromancy, elements)

+1 move
+2 strength
Immortal (if die reborn in capital, to kill must be killed a second time in the same turn)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Omnipotence (bought promotion requiring Protector and Destroyer)

+4 strength
Blitz (Can attack multiple times)

Tip: Now go and win the game should not be hard.
Tip: Just from the master level and above you have an extra: +3 move, +12 (+1 fire, +1 unholy, +1 holy, +2 cold) = +17 strength & immortality. Plus all the other benefits, and every spell in game to use, including the powerful master level ones.

drayath · Apr 15, 2010

Stack Enhancement

===========================================================

The promotion requirements are only checked when a spell is cast or if the unit is upgraded. Thus if you haste a unit, it becomes undead, it will retain the haste promotion until it is upgraded (assuming body 1 mage remains with it). If you are playing with the necromancer trait ensure you get body 1 and cast haste asap with your apprentices as they have 5% a turn chance of becoming undead.

Maintained spell remain up while there is a unit with the appropriate spell casting (e.g. law 1+) in the stack at the end of the turn

None of these affect summoned skeletons (death 1)

--------------------------

Blur (shadow 1)

Affect Stack, maintained otherwise 50% chance a turn to wear off.
Does not affect: golem, siege, naval

Immune to first strikes

--------------------------

Dance of Blades (chaos 1)

Affect Stack, maintained.
Does not affect: golem, siege, naval

+1 additional first strike

Tip: If you have to swarm a powerful unit to death with a suicide squad of weak units, this helps ensure they do some damage before dying.
Tip: Use on archers to make them a first strike monster (this, drill IV, wall defender is 6-9 first strike chances for 4 promotions)

--------------------------

Enchanted Blade (enchantment 1)

Affect Stack, permanent
Only affect melee and workers

+20% strength
+5% work rate
Removes rusted promotion (entropy 1 spell)

--------------------------

Courage (spirit 1)

Affect Stack, maintained.
Does not affect: golem, demon, angel, illusion, elemental, naval, siege, undead, animal

Immune to: shattered nerve, spooked, fear
+10% chance to avoid bad lair results, stacks with other lair bonuses (e.g. hero)
+10% heal other units in stack (as per medic promotion), stacks with medic promotions.

Tip: combine with medic in a stack and march for major on the move healing.

--------------------------

Loyalty (law 1)

Affect Stack, maintained (but spell always shows as being available to cast)
Does not affect: golem, navel, siege

Immune: Enraged, being captured
If unit would be converted it dies instead
+20% chance to resist charm person

--------------------------

Haste (body 1)

Affect Stack, maintained.
Slow spell (ice 1) removes haste.
Does not affect: golem, demon, angel, illusion, elemental, naval, siege, undead

+1 move
Removes fatigue
When removed unit gets fatigued (-10% strength) for a few turns or until rehasted.

--------------------------

Accelerate (force 1)

Affect Stack, maintained.
Affects siege and golems (including flesh golem)

+1 move
-1 terrain cost

--------------------------

Fair Winds (air 1)

Affect Stack, 5% chance a turn of wearing off
Affects navel (including air ships)

+1 move
+25% withdraw chance

--------------------------

Treetop defence (nature 1)

Affect Stack, permanent.
Only castable in jungle, forest, ancient forest (new/burnt forest?)

Fully fortifies any units allowed to fortify.
Fortify removed as per normal when unit moves.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flaming Arrows (enchantment 2)

Affect Stack, permanent
Only affect archers (not horse archers)

Gives unit +1 fire damage (does not give bonus to ranged damage)

--------------------------

Poisoned Blade (nature 2)

Affect Stack, permanent
Does not affect: animal, beast, arcane, discipline, archer, navel, siege

+1 poison damage

--------------------------

Shadowwalk (shadow 2)

Affect Stack, 25% chance a turn of wearing off
Does not affect: naval, siege, golem

Immune: defensive strikes
Ignore terrain defence bonus

Tip: ignoring terrain defence does not seem to be working, or at least not showing in combat odds or combat log.

--------------------------

Regeneration (body 2)

Affect Stack, wears off when unit fully healed
Does not affect: naval, siege, golem, demon, angel, elemental, illusion, undead

+10% heal rate
Can heal while moving.

Tip: If you have the necromancer trait any of you units with channelling are likely to be undead (5% chance per turn) and not affected by this spell.
Tip: Combined with Courage (spirit 1) gives the benefit of first aid + march without have every unit having to spend two promotions. And as a bonus works on arcane/discipline units that cant normally buy march.
--------------------------

Dispel (meta 2)

2 range (ignore spell extension)
Affects all of your units.

Removes a number of bad promotions from your units, including all received from enemy spells.

Tip: Probably does not affect the units on the same square as the caster.
Tip: Useful if you are mutating units as it can remove a couple of the bad effects.

Tip: Also in the terraforming docs as can reset a mana node
Tip: Also in offensive doc as removes enemy buffs

--------------------------

Mutation (chaos 2)

Affect Stack, permanent, once ever per unit.
Only affects living units.

Each of the following promotions has a 25% chance of applying (as per 1.22 xml). Lots more good than bad, but really want access to law 1 apprentice and ideally a priest for healing. Still means you have ~12.5% chance of having a unit turn barbarian on you.

If a unit already has a promotion the one gained from mutation will just be ignored (i.e. does not remove it, does not give you a different one).

Suggest not using it on experience units at the very least until you get dispel, Loyalty and Healing.
Suggest not using it at all if you cant beat the need to reload after bad results.

Of vast benefit to apprentice mages as cant normally most of these combat promotion. With extra strength, and ideally blitz & ambition makes getting more xp much easier, and make an ideal candidate for a later upgrade to a BattleMage.

Many of the promotions let you later buy further upgrades (e.g. If you get heroic strength 1 you can buy heroic strength 2)
The list of possible effects:

Spoiler :

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Valour (law 3)

Affect Stack, 20% chance a turn of wearing off
Does not affect: naval, siege, golem, demon, angel, elemental, illusion, undead, animal, beast

+1 xp from combat
+100% xp from combat
+10% resist magic

Bug: meant to give free xp/training in some way. Does not work.

Tip: Use to train up your mages to upgrade them. Slight issue if have necromancer trait as does not work once they become undead.
Tip: The only level 3 buff, and well worth training on at least one of your battle mages
Tip: Obviously as Amerites with School of Govanan keep an eye out for any unit that happen to pick up this spell for free

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wicked (Master of Necromancy requires; dimension 3, chaos 3, entropy 3, death 3, shadow3)

Affects Stack
Does not affect: naval, siege

+3 death combat
Enemies gain the withered promotion (perm, -20% heal) in combat with this unit

Tip: Affects nearly every unit in game.
Tip: Specifically does not affect summoned Skelletons (Get that thought out of your head of a Govanon taught army of death 1 necromancers each with a strength 7 skeleton by their side <grrr>)
Tip: Does however affect almost all other summoned units, including temporary ones.

Tip: Master of necromancy also gives a personal enhancement, and offensive spell.

--------------------------

Might (Master of alteration; force 3, body 3, enchantment 3, life 3, nature 3)

Affects Stack
Does not affect: naval, siege

+40% strength

Tip: Affects nearly every unit in game.
Tip: Does however affect almost all other summoned units, including temporary ones.

Tip: Master of alteration also gives a personal enhancement, and a summon.

drayath · Apr 15, 2010

Summoning

===========================================================

All summons get +10% strength per level of combat the summoner has
All summons get extra move based on the level of spell extension the summoner has (+1 per level of spell extension)
For permanent summons each caster may only have one of each type live at any time.
For temporary summons each caster can have as many as they like.

Most summons can use items, if you are using a stack of disposable summon to wear a powerful enemy down you can make use of this.

Pick the item up with summoned unit, attack, unit dies and drop item.
Next unit pick the item up with summoned unit, attack, unit dies and drop item.
Repeat until enemy dead or out of summons.
If enemy not dead either pick up the item with last unit and run, or pick up to defend with real units.
A plus damage item is good, but this works particularly well if you get a ring of striking (+1-4 first strikes)
Remember if you don’t kill it in one turn you are giving it free xp (for extra strength and healing on level up)

Each summoned race type has specific default abilities:

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear
Undead; Not alive; Immune to death poison, disease, plagued, wither, fear. +25% resist unholy, -25% resist holy
Demon; Not alive; Immune to death, unholy, poison, fear; +10% strength on demon terrain, +25% resist fire, -25% resist holy
Angel; Not alive; Immune to holy, poison, fear; +20% resist fire, +50% resist death
Golem: Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear; -5% heal in neutral lands, -10% heal in friendly lands

An affinity of +x fire means; For every fire mana you have unit gets +x fire strength (so +2 death affinity and 3 death nodes is and extra (+6 death) to the unit’s strength)
For the high level summon may be worthwhile having a couple of low level mages along to give them a buff between summoning and fighting (check unit type for what buffs will work).
Summoned units do not count as being build, so don’t gain any associated benefits (e.g. xp from civics, special promotions for building in city they are summoned in)
Each mage may one of each permanent summon it is allowed to cast, spell will then be disabled until the first of that type of summon is killed.
Permanent summons will die at the start of the next turn after their summoner dies. I.e. Keep the summoner safe. When going to war try to ensure they are not the weakest (enemy marksmen) or strongest (enemy hero of doom) unit in a stack. Assasin fodder can be a good use for the weaker temporary summons.

Instead of attacking with temporary summons, try leaving them on a forest covered hill, over a river from an enemy stack. May raise the strength of low level summons enough to do some good. Has the added benefit that it it wins one fight it will probably stop the whole stack moving for a turn as they try to stay together.
If trying to delay the enemy, park you summon just behind them. If it is the only unit they can attack they may well move away from you as they kill it. Border line bug exploit though, AI should ignore temporary summons unless then are blocking its path.
Temp unit make good city defenders too, get all the city defence bonuses, and can give enough number in defence to prevent the enemy from attacking badly damage good units.
This works with fireballs as well.

If your mage has the illusion/illusionist promotion (some unit and all caster of any leaders that have the illusionist trait) then all summons also get the illusion promotion automatically;

Illusion; Not alive; Immune to death, poison; Cant reduce an enemy unit below 10% of its hp; Unit will fully heal after any fight in which it lived; all summoned unit are illusions; 15% chance to miscast spells (spell fails, cant cast spells for 2-4 turns)

Probably not so useful in attack, but make excellent defenders. Unless attacker can kill them in one fight they cant win as they can't wear the units hp down.

-------------------

Floating eye (meta 1)

Temporary summon
Does not get bonus range from spell extension

0 strength
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
4 range (ignore all movement penalties), 5 visibility range, see hidden.
Works like hunters scout birds.

[*]Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

Tip: Do not use the rebase option, can doing nothing else this turn, and is deleted at the end of the turn.
Tip: Meta 1 also gives a personal enhancement.
Tip: These should be garenteed to be hit by assasins instead of the mage, but assasins may ignore strength 0 units.

-------------------

Skeleton (death 1)

Permanent summon (none), no maintenance.
2 (+1 death) = 3 strength
+20% strength vs archers
+1 strength for owning tower of necromancy (national wonder at necromancy tech)
+1 strength for having necromancy trait, and having necromancy tech researched.

Undead; Not alive; Immune to death poison, disease, plagued, wither, fear. +25% resist unholy, -25% resist holy

Tip: No buffs affect this unit.
Tip: Successfully defending against a skeleton give ~2xp to the defender.
Tip: The xp could be used (abused!) in a multiplayer game, have a temporary war and use summoned skeletons to 'train' opponents units. Can be done with hidden nationality units without war. Check what gentlemen’s agreements are in place for the game before doing things like this.
Tip: If the caster dies this unit will die at the start of the next turn.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pit Beast (entropy 2)

Temporary summon (beast)
4 (+1 unholy) = 5 strength
Each kill in attack or defence increase the time alive by 1 turn.

Demon; Not alive; Immune to death, unholy, poison, fear; +10% strength on demon terrain, +25% resist fire, -25% resist holy

Tip: Successfully defending against a Pit Beast give ~2.5 xp to the defender.
Tip: Can buy most combat promotions (which also cure it). To stay alive it needs to kill at least on unit a turn, this is much easier if you use the first 2 promotions to buy first aid and march, and also have units with medic and/or Courage (spirit 1) in the stack. Can get the subdue animal/beast promotions if you quickly need a unit with them, just need a couple of goblins to chew on to get the life/xp.
-------------------

Host of the Einherjar (law 2)

Temporary summon (discipline)
3 (+2 Holy) = 5 strength
Each kill in attack or defence increase the time alive by 1 turn.

Angel; Not alive; Immune to holy, poison, fear; +20% resist fire, +50% resist death

Tip: Successfully defending against a Host of the Einherjar give ~2.6xp to the defender.
Tip: Can buy most combat promotions (which also cure it). To stay alive it needs to kill at least on unit a turn, this is much easier if you use the first 2 promotions to buy first aid and march, and also have units with medic and/or Courage (spirit 1) in the stack. Can get the subdue animal/beast promotions if you quickly need a unit with them, just need a couple of goblins to chew on to get the life/xp.
-------------------

Ice Elemental (ice 2)

Temporary summon (melee)
2 (+2 ice) = 4 strength [+1 ice affinity]
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
+10% tundra strength
+20% ice strength
Immune to cold, -50% resist fire.
Can’t enter desert.
On death (combat, lifetime up, or manual delete) casts the !level 3! ice spell frozen terrain.

converts random selections squares within 2 range to for 10-20 turns (40% chance per square)
desert->plain->tundra->ice (revert back to original not previous one in chain)

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

Tip: Stupidly overpower, ice 2 give you a unit that can effective cast the ice 3 spell, and you send it on a suicide mission to do so unlike your mages!
BUG: as of 1.22 setting temp terrain multiple time can make it permanent, against a AI player a minor skirmish in their lands with ice elemental's can cripple them for the rest of the game.

-------------------

Fireball (fire 2)

Temporary summon (none)
0 (+4 fire) = 4 strength
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
1 movement (+flying, +spell extension)
flying (+1 move, no combat penalty from sea/river attacks)
Flat movement cost (all squares cost 1 movement point)
Immune to fire, first strikes
Can’t see or explore or capture enemy cities/units.
Can bombard city defences (10%)
Can cause collateral damage (can’t damage units below 70% of their max hit points)
Does not give xp to enemy when killed (~0.01xp)

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

Tip: The only normal spell that can bombard city defences and does not give the enemy xp on death.
-------------------

Spectre (death 2)

Temporary summon (melee)
3 strength (+1 death affinity)
+1 strength for owning tower of necromancy (national wonder at necromancy tech); tower also gives 1 death mana so an extra +1 strength from the death affinity.
+1 strength for having necromancy trait, and having necromancy tech researched.
2 movement (+spell extension)
Fear (on successfully attack removes all remaining units from defenders out of your territory)

Undead; Not alive; Immune to death poison, disease, plagued, wither, fear. +25% resist unholy, -25% resist holy

Tip: Fear can cause units to move an unlimited distance to get out of your territory, make just they don’t get move somewhere more dangerous to you! Apparently there is no code to send them to one of you borders next to a bunch of undefended workers and settlers....... however guess where they are likely to end up!
Tip: fear also stops units of lower level attacking, but as spectre dies at end of turn it is always level 1 so this is not much help.
Tip: Successfully defending against a Spectre give ~1.6xp to the defender (may increase as you bump up the spectres strength).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wraith (death 3)

Temporary summon (none)
6 (+3 death) = 9 strength (+1 death affinity)
+1 strength for owning tower of necromancy (national wonder at necromancy tech); tower also gives 1 death mana so an extra +1 strength from the death affinity.
Fear (on successfully attack removes all remaining units from defenders out of your territory)
Vile Touch (in combat opponent gets withered promo (-20% heal), I assume even if wraith dies, bit pointless otherwise.)

Undead; Not alive; Immune to death poison, disease, plagued, wither, fear. +25% resist unholy, -25% resist holy

-------------------

Djinn (meta 3)

Temporary summon (none)
1 strength (+1 affinity for ALL mana types)
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
2 movement (+spell extension)

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

Tip: When you first can get this often not worthwhile, but check back later after you have got more mana (vassal’s palace mana, rite of omagha etc.) as can become powerful, without having to focus on one mana type like the other units with affinities.

-------------------

Mistform (shadow 3)

Temporary summon (melee)
6 strength (+1 shadow affinity)
2 movement (+spell extension)
Hidden Nationality
Invisible

Tip: This unit is not undead
Tip: only hidden Nationality summon, can use to stop expansion of enemies (kill of settlers and worker of civs you are not at war with). Also useful to kill of friendly units nearby so it if safe to use area affect damage spells without starting a war.
Tip: Use in combination with Floating eyes to see enemy hidden units you might want to kill.

-------------------

Aurealis (sun 3)

Temporary summon (none)
6 strength (+2 sun affinity)
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

Tip: This is the only summon still to have a +2 affinity, e.g. for each sun mana you have the unit gains 2 strength.

-------------------

Earth Elemental (earth 3)

Temporary summon (melee)
11 strength (+1 earth affinity)
+1 base strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

-------------------

Water Elemental (water 3)

Temporary summon (melee)
8 strength (+1 water affinity)
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
Water walking

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

-------------------

Air Elemental (air 3)

Temporary summon (archery)
5 (+2 lightning) = 7 strength (+1 air affinity)
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
2 move (+spell extension, +flying)
Flying (+1 move, +1 vision, no penalty for river/sea attack)
Sentry 1+2 (+2 vision)
Immune lightning

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

If it wins in combat produces Lightning elemental, note it does not get any of the empower/spell extension bonuses as counted as summoned by air elemental, not the air elementals summoner:

Temporary summon (none)
0 (+4 lightning) strength
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
2 move (+1 for flying)
Flying (+1 move, +1 vision, no penalty for river/sea attack)
Blitz (multiple attacks)
Immune lightning,
Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear
Does not give xp when defeated.

Tip: Excellent for clearing out workers etc. kill defender with air elemental, then get 3 low strength attacks from the blitzing lighting elemental to kill workers/settlers.
Tip: Also make a good unit to summon as a city/stack defence. Archer so get wall defender promotion. Also each time it wins in defence create a lighting elemental, if it gets killed them the attacker also has to kill of all the lighting elementals to capture the city.

-------------------

Resurrection (life 3)

Permanent summon (melee)
Requires caster to be on graveyard
Take 7 turns to cast (all other spellcasting is disabled until timer is up)
Summons one of your civilizations champion units (for Amerites this is the Spellsword)
Grants the summoned unit 28 xp (enough for 5 promotions)
Destroys the graveyard.

Tip: For Amerites not really worth it as if you can build archmages you can build spellswords, and you usually have better things to do with an archmage. For those who need iron working for champions it may be very slightly more useful, if you have lots of magic, but of smelting techs.
Tip: In most cases probably still better to just rob the graveyard with a hero for the chance of tech or an item.

-------------------

Resurrection (life 3)

Permanent summon (special)
Requires civilizations hero (e.g. Gavanon for Amerites) to have been build, but be presently dead.
Returns you civilizations hero to life as if it was newly build (e.g. don’t retain xp, gained promotions etc)
Does not require graveyard to cast.

Tip: For Amerites don’t buy this in advance of your hero kicking the bucket. Hopefully if/by the time you need this a none archmage unit will have got the spell for free.
Tip: For hero’s that start with a free item, this DOES NOT create a second copy of the item!

-------------------

Flesh Golem (body 3)

Permanent summon (none)
6 strength
Give the Graft Flesh promotion to all living units in this stack.

Golem: Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear; -5% heal in neutral lands, -10% heal in friendly lands, Can’t learn any promotions with xp

Graft Flesh:

If the unit is stronger (base strength i assume) then the golem gains +1 base strength.
All promotions the unit have are given to the golem (no arcane spell or divine can be granted, but channelling can)
Unit is destroyed if the caster is killed.

Tip: Easiest way of getting mobility 2 is to have the cast have spell extension 2, but possible to add afterwards
Tip: There is no (easy) way of giving it the empower promotions aftersward, so try to ensure the summoner has combat 5. (best alternative is a combat 5 FOL priest summoning a tiger, and merging the tiger. Not tried this though.)
Tip: Don’t add an units that will add base strength promotions (strong, heroic att/def, poisioned blade) until last. Use the first set of units to add all the other promotion and get the base strength up by be merging units stronger than the flesh golem. (remember to ddl them weakest first). You can add the base strength promos on afterwards, but if you add them first you won’t have units strong enough to increase the flesh golems strength.
Tip: Can merge dominated units.
Tip: If you have level 3 Octopus Overlord speakers (tier 3), should be able to summon krakens and merge them with flesh golem to get up to 11 base strength for free (probably need to give golem water walking first)
Tip: Permanent buffs go across too; flaming arrows on a archer, poisoned blade on warrior. Merge both and the flesh golem will have flaming arrows and poisoned blade promotion.
Tip: Can use the same technique to give haste, dance of blades, courage. Remember you much keep an appropriate spell caster in the stack or they will wear off.
Tip: Use a worker to give the 3 hardy promotions (total +50% withdrawal and 5 defence strength)
Tip: Build cheap units of the different type where you get free xp (from civics, wonders, heroic epic etc) and use them to give all the basic promotions that don’t have many dependencies.
Tip: Merge in a level 3 priest to give it the medic 3 and the heal and cure disease abilities (it does not retain divine so can’t use divine spells)
Tip: If you have a highly promoted early game hero that is not really strong enough any more, you now have a use for them. Ideally you want them to have heroic offense/defence 2 & magic resistance.
Tip: Use mutation on a bunch of cheap units, dispel/remove the bad promotion you can. Delete any units with promotions you don’t want the golem to have (suggest don’t give it heavy). Should give you all the elemental resists, strong, cannibalize, blitz, mobility 1, light.
Tip: Make sure you get flanking 1+2 (with light and hardy 3 you now have 100% withdraw chance!)
Tip: Ensure you get mobility 2 and commando. (1 base + 1 haste + 1 light + 2 mobility = 5), Combine with a mage casting accelerate (+1 move, -1 terrain cost). Ensures you get maximum use of the blitz (6 attacks in grassland/forest, 12 attacks along enemy roads).
Tip: Remember to get iron weapons added.
Tip: DO NOT have a fort commander/tower mage graft flesh. They have lots of nice promotions but any unit with the influence promotion that ends the turn outside a fort it destroyed!

Tip: If the caster dies this unit will die at the start of the next turn. KEEP THE SUMMONER SAFE. I would suspect that upgrading the summoner will cause the same thing.

Tip: Without sacrificing a hero or any units to gain strength (plus 3 moderately promoted ones to get shock/cover/anti-mounted 2): 10/15 (+1 fire, +1 poison, [+1 death if have necromancer trait]) str , +280% str, +60% wood/hill, +60% city def/att, 4-9 first strikes, +50% resist all, blitz, water walking, 6 movement, 100% withdraw chance

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summon Shooting Stars (Master of the elements; ice 3, fire 3, water 3, earth 3, air 3)

A single casting of the spell summons FOUR shooting stars
Temporary summon (none)
4 (+2 fire, +2 lightning) = 8 strength (+1 air, fire affinity)
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
2 movement (+1 for flying, +spell extension)
Flying (+1 move, no combat penalty for crossing river/attacking from sea)
Always cost 1 move to cross a square.
Can bombard city defences (20%)
Can cause collateral damage (can’t damage units below 10% of their max hit points)
Immune to fire and lightning

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

Tip: Super upgraded fireball, and you get 4 of them per casting.
Tip: With spell extension to these get 5 flat cost move. This spell alone should let a mage take out stacks and cities. With twincast 8 shooting stars a turn.

Tip: Master of elements also gives a personal enhancement, and a second summon.

-------------------

Summon Vyrkul (Master of the elements; ice 3, fire 3, water 3, earth 3, air 3)

This spell takes 7 turns to cast.
Permanent summon (melee)
10 strength (+1 earth, air, fire, water affinity)
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
2 move (+spell extension)
March (heal while moving, +10% heal)
Loyalty (can’t be captured)
Magic resistant (+20% resist to elemental damage and spells)
Air, Water, Earth, Fire 3 (e.g. can summon the 4 tier 3 temporary elementals)

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

This unit can buy most of the normal melee promotions with xp.

Tip: Beeline combat 5 asap, as it gives the empover 5 (+50% strength) to all summoned creatures.
Tip: Make sure you have spell extension 2 (and ideally combat 5 if possible) when you summon this because if you have to delete/resummon it you will lose its xp.
Tip: If the caster dies this unit will die at the start of the next turn. KEEP THE SUMMONER SAFE. I would suspect that upgrading the summoner will cause the same thing.

Tip: Master of elements also gives a personal enhancement, and a second summon.

-------------------

Summon Holy Avenger (Master of divination; creation 3, law 3, sun 3, mind 3, spirit 3)

This spell takes 7 turns to cast.
Permanent summon (melee)
8 (+6 holy) = 14 strength
2 move (+spell extension)
March (heal while moving, +10% heal)
Loyalty (can’t be captured)
Sentry 1+2 (+2 visibility)
Perfect sight (can see hidden/invis, +50% vs illusions)
undead/demon slaying (+40% vs undead/demons)

Angel; Not alive; Immune to holy, poison, fear; +20% resist fire, +50% resist death

This unit can buy most of the normal melee promotions with xp.

Tip: Make sure you have spell extension 2 (and ideally combat 5 if possible) when you summon this because if you have to delete/resummon it you will lose its xp.
Tip: If the caster dies this unit will die at the start of the next turn. KEEP THE SUMMONER SAFE. I would suspect that upgrading the summoner will cause the same thing.

Tip: Master of divination also gives a personal enhancement, and an offensive spell

-------------------

Summon Tree of Life (Master of alteration; force 3, body 3, enchantment 3, life 3, nature 3)

This spell takes 7 turns to cast.
Permanent summon (none)
15 strength
+1 strength for owning tower of elements (national wonder at elemental tech)
0 move (+spell extension)
Loyalty (can’t be captured)
Vulnerable to fire (-50% resist fire)
Can cast the create tree of life building spell (city improvement)

Elemental; Not alive; Immune to death, poison, fear

Tip: Make sure you have at least spell extension 1 or this unit can’t move!
Tip: Lets you buff one city with a stout defender, plus a useful building (essentially increases the size cap of the city by 5 levels)
Tip: If the caster dies this unit will die at the start of the next turn. KEEP THE SUMMONER SAFE. I would suspect that upgrading the summoner will cause the same thing.

Tip: Master of alteration also gives a personal enhancement, and a stack enhancement

===========================================================

Phew, The End

-------------------

Written by Drayath - risespellguide@brightsoft.net

-- Sorry about the multiple post, hit the post character limit --

25Hour · Apr 15, 2010

You know, I've been wanting a current reference of some kind for the various spheres/spells-- this'll be tremendously useful. Kudos! :goodjob:

Swinkscalibur · Apr 15, 2010

I believe you forgot to mention two of the key features of a flesh golem.
1) The unit fully heals after each successful combat
2) The unit has a damage cap of ~90%

The first makes the unit that much more powerful, but the second means it cannot go on a one unit civ massacre. You will need some other units to mop up the wreckage.

Valkrionn · Apr 15, 2010

I'll be looking through all of this soon (Likely adding it to our Wiki, actually), but did notice one thing; Dispel magic didn't mention that it removes Haunted Lands.

drayath · Apr 15, 2010

I believe you forgot to mention two of the key features of a flesh golem.
1) The unit fully heals after each successful combat
2) The unit has a damage cap of ~90%

Just check this, and it is not true for a normal flesh golem (e.g. can kill unit, does not fully heal)

I suspect that you were playing the Savartalar who's mages are illusionist's (or another leader with the illusionist trait).

When you are an illusionist all your summoms are illusions (damage cap, fully heal after fight, few other immunities).

Will add a note to the beginning of the summons section about illusionists.

Dispel magic didn't mention that it removes Haunted Lands.

I then i have a bug report for you. Neither the haunted lands of dispel civlipedia entry mention this fact either.

Will add the change to the guide now.

odalrick · Apr 15, 2010

Swinkscalibur said:
I believe you forgot to mention two of the key features of a flesh golem.
1) The unit fully heals after each successful combat
2) The unit has a damage cap of ~90%

The first makes the unit that much more powerful, but the second means it cannot go on a one unit civ massacre. You will need some other units to mop up the wreckage.

That sounds like Illusion, not Flesh Golem. Were you using Svartalfar when you noticed this attribute?

@drayath
Impressive work.

Some things I noticed:

Dimension Gate: I think any city with an "airport" can be the target of any number of airlifts per turn. So that newly conquered tiny outpost can be reinforced by your entire civilization the same turn you take it.
I could have sworn Vitalize and Drought has a maximum range of three, but that could have been changed. Also the exact terrain upgrade for Vitalize changes by civilization.
Lichdom:
- The number of allowed Liches should be four, and Undead units should be able to cast Lichdom. Might be bugs.
- A Lich doesn't abandon you if you change civics, but retain the ability to cast religion specific spells. A former High Priest of Order can cast Unyielding Order in a devoutly Ashen Veil civ.
- World units cant cast Lichdom.
Shadowwalk: Apparently the tooltip "Ignores Terrain Defence" should actually be "Ignores City defence". The actual effect should work, it's just a misleading description.
All summons:
- Die if they start a turn without a master.
- Gain Hidden Nationality if Summoned by a Hidden Nationality caster.
Floating eye: Is actually affected by Spell Extension, just not very usefully. With Spell Extension you can rebase the unit and then do a recon mission.
Flesh Golem: Merge in a Hawk for Flying

Grey Fox · Apr 15, 2010

Nice work!

Tip: The posts could use some color, lists and indentations and such to ease reading.

dusckr87 · Apr 15, 2010

drayath said:
I then i have a bug report for you. Neither the haunted lands of dispel civlipedia entry mention this fact either.

The civilpedia has many entries that need to be updated.

Swinkscalibur · Apr 15, 2010

I was playing a the Calabim. Hmmm, was the flesh golem like that in the base FfH2?
I could have sworn it couldn't kill on attack. Oh well. Glad to be wrong in this case.

Valkrionn · Apr 15, 2010

Drayath, in case you don't notice the pm you should check your account; Access to the tester's group (and early Wiki access, so you can convert your guide

) awaits.

To all those who are asking for more documentation: The wiki is coming.

We've been working hard on it, getting it to look good, be easy to use, and informative... ALL material is included, not simply changed material, so we've got all civs/leaders/heroes/traits up, and working on them. Black_Imperator has contributed a massive amount, and we've found out how to have images link to other pages; No more will clicking a leader button on the civ page take you to the wrong place, as in the FF wiki.

No eta on it, at this point; Material in it is based on the test version, not the released on. So likely something coinciding with the patch (no eta there either; Semester's almost over, which means big papers) if we can get it polished enough first. Which means at least most content has to be in.

Camper Joe · Apr 17, 2010

This is EXTREMELY useful. I commend you, Sir! Now my magically inept person can (hopefully) excel!

Novos · Apr 17, 2010

Swinkscalibur said:
I was playing a the Calabim. Hmmm, was the flesh golem like that in the base FfH2?
I could have sworn it couldn't kill on attack. Oh well. Glad to be wrong in this case.

Let me guess. The Master of the flesh golem was Gibbon Goetia? He is an illusionist too

Swinkscalibur · Apr 17, 2010

Novos said:
Let me guess. The Master of the flesh golem was Gibbon Goetia? He is an illusionist too

That would be right. I didn't notice that fact.

Spellcasters Guide

drayath

Chieftain

drayath

Chieftain

drayath

Chieftain

drayath

Chieftain

25Hour

Some sort of lemur

Swinkscalibur

Prince

Valkrionn

The Hamster King

drayath

Chieftain

odalrick

Emperor

Grey Fox

Master of Points

dusckr87

Prince

Swinkscalibur

Prince

Valkrionn

The Hamster King

Camper Joe

Chieftain

Novos

Chieftain

Swinkscalibur

Prince

Similar threads