Heroes of Might and Magic III

Game process

Game world

Adventure map

Resources

Objects on the map

Artifacts

Grail

Heroes

The main parameters

Secondary Skills

Specialty

Magic

Spell Classification

Spells

Magic Points

Magic Points

To cast a spell, the hero must spend a certain amount of magic points, or mana. The maximum amount of magic points a hero can have depends mainly on one of his primary skills, knowledge. Under normal circumstances, a hero's magic points are equal to 10 times the knowledge value. In some cases, the hero may have more points - for example, if he has the "Intelligence" skill. As a rule, every day the hero restores one point of magic, but this process can also be accelerated. Having spent the night in a city where there is a Mages Guild, the hero can restore his base mana in one day. Some artifacts and objects on the adventure map help restore mana.

The main source of spells are the Mages Guilds - special buildings that can be erected in cities. A Mages Guild can range from one to five levels and contains several spells of the appropriate levels. For example, a 4th-level Mages Guild typically has 5 first-level spells, 4 second-level spells, 3 third-level spells, and 2 fourth-level spells. While the Mages Guild Level 1 is quite cheap and available in all cities, getting it to level 5 requires a lot of rare resources. Some cities are limited to 3rd or 4th level, and the city of the Tower has a special building that increases the number of spells in the Guild. There are other ways to get spells: visit special buildings on the map, find spell scrolls, etc. The Literacy skill allows heroes to teach spells to each other, while Vigilance allows you to learn spells that the enemy used during the battle.

Spells

Spells are affected by the Wisdom skill. Without this skill, the hero can only learn 1st and 2nd level spells. Depending on the level of development - basic, advanced or expert - "Wisdom" allows you to learn spells of the 3rd, 4th and 5th level, respectively.

The main source of spells are the Mages Guilds - special buildings that can be erected in cities. A Mages Guild can range from one to five levels and contains several spells of the appropriate levels. For example, a 4th-level Mages Guild typically has 5 first-level spells, 4 second-level spells, 3 third-level spells, and 2 fourth-level spells. While the Mages Guild Level 1 is quite cheap and available in all cities, getting it to level 5 requires a lot of rare resources.

Spells cast on the adventure map usually change the hero's ability to move around the map (for example, the Fly spell allows the hero to fly over obstacles, such as mountains and bodies of water), or provide the hero with information about the world around him for example, the Vision spell) allows you to find out the exact number of enemy units even before entering the battle).

• Blessing spells. Example: Stoneskin spell increases the unit's defense level, making it less vulnerable to enemy attacks, while Healing removes the effects of curse spells and restores health points.

• Curse spells. Example: the spell "Blind" for some time deprives the selected enemy unit of the ability to act.

• Attack spells. Example: The spell "Armageddon" deals extensive damage to all creatures on the battlefield (except those that are naturally immune to this spell).

• Auxiliary spells. Example: the spell "Teleport" instantly transfers the selected unit to another place on the battlefield, and the spell "Resurrection" allows you to return to life some of the dead creatures.

Conventionally, the spells of all schools of magic can be divided into several groups. The spells used in combat are more numerous and varied, although some are highly specialized and rarely used.

Spell Classification

There are four schools of magic in Heroes III: earth, air, water, and fire. Each school has its own set of different spells (with the exception of the Magic Missile and Vision spells, which belong to all schools at once). Each spell belongs to one of five levels, which are a measure of its power: 1st level contains the simplest and most common spells, 5th level contains the most complex and usually requires a considerable investment to cast them. By developing the skills Earth Magic, Air Magic, Water Magic, and Fire Magic, the hero can quantitatively and qualitatively increase the effectiveness of spells of the corresponding school. Some heroes already have one spell in advance, matched to their specialty. For example, the hero Solmyr initially knows the Chain Lightning spell and has advantages when using it, consuming less magic points and dealing more damage.

Magic

As in most fantasy worlds, magic plays a fundamental role in the Heroes of Might and Magic universe. Magic in Heroes III is primarily in the form of spells that heroes can cast on the adventure map and on the battlefield; in addition, spells can cast some creatures in a limited way. In order to learn and cast a spell, the hero must have a spell book (if it is not available, he can buy it at any magician's guild located in the city). Along with an army, spells can play a key role in combat. With their help, you can make an enemy unit petrify, blind, deal direct damage to it, protect your warriors, and much more. Magic is not a universal weapon in the game: its use may be limited or completely excluded by the properties of certain creatures, the effect of artifacts, anti-magic garrisons on the map, or terrain properties.

Creature Specialties. A hero with this specialty gives +1 to the attack and defense of a certain creature when it is in his army. The action of the specialty begins when the hero reaches a level equal to the level of the creature itself. For example, the heroine Shiva has the Rukh specialty: Rukhs are level 5 creatures, which means that at level 7, the Rukhs in her army will receive +2 to attack and defense and +1 to speed. Some heroes have non-leveling specialties that always give the same bonuses to certain creatures.

Skill Specialties. Such specialties repeat one of the secondary skills, increasing its effect by 5% for each level of experience of the hero.

Spell Specialties. A hero with this specialty casts one specific spell with greater efficiency, which increases with the hero's experience level.

Specialties that bring resources. Fixed specialties that work regardless of the level of the hero: every day one or another hero brings additional resources to the player's treasury.

• Creature Specialties. A hero with this specialty gives +1 to the attack and defense of a certain creature when it is in his army. The action of the specialty begins when the hero reaches a level equal to the level of the creature itself. For example, the heroine Shiva has the Rukh specialty: Rukhs are level 5 creatures, which means that at level 7, the Rukhs in her army will receive +2 to attack and defense and +1 to speed. Some heroes have non-leveling specialties that always give the same bonuses to certain creatures.

• Skill Specialties. Such specialties repeat one of the secondary skills, increasing its effect by 5% for each level of experience of the hero.

• Spell Specialties. A hero with this specialty casts one specific spell with greater efficiency, which increases with the hero's experience level.

• Specialties that bring resources. Fixed specialties that work regardless of the level of the hero: every day one or another hero brings additional resources to the player's treasury.

Spell Specialties. A hero with this specialty casts one specific spell with greater efficiency, which increases with the hero's experience level.

Specialties that bring resources. Fixed specialties that work regardless of the level of the hero: every day one or another hero brings additional resources to the player's treasury.

Specialty

A specialty is an individual property of each hero, inherent in him from the very beginning of the game and in most cases progressing with an increase in the level of the hero. Specialties can be divided into the following types:

Creature Specialties. A hero with this specialty gives +1 to the attack and defense of a certain creature when it is in his army. The action of the specialty begins when the hero reaches a level equal to the level of the creature itself. For example, the heroine Shiva has the Rukh specialty: Rukhs are level 5 creatures, which means that at level 7, the Rukhs in her army will receive +2 to attack and defense and +1 to speed. Some heroes have non-leveling specialties that always give the same bonuses to certain creatures.

Skill Specialties. Such specialties repeat one of the secondary skills, increasing its effect by 5% for each level of experience of the hero.

Secondary Skills

Secondary skills are also the most important characteristics of the hero, determining his skills in various aspects of the game. Secondary skills first appeared in Heroes of Might and Magic II, but in the third part, their list was significantly expanded. A hero can learn a maximum of eight secondary skills. Each skill has three levels of development: basic, advanced and expert. Secondary skills serve different purposes and act differently depending on their purpose. Magical and combat skills are manifested directly in battle, general skills - on the adventure map. For example, the "Wisdom" skill, which is basic for most magic heroes, allows you to learn spells of the 3rd, 4th and 5th levels - depending on the level to which the skill is developed; the combat skill "Shooting" increases the damage of shooting units in the hero's army as a percentage. And the Logistics skill increases the maximum distance that a hero can travel on an adventure map in one turn.

The main parameters

The main parameters of the hero determine the strength of his army in battles and the effectiveness of his spells. Each hero has four main parameters.

• The hero's attack is added to the attack of all creatures in his army, which allows them to deal more damage.

• The hero's defense is added to the defense of all creatures in his army and allows you to take less damage from the enemy.

• The power of magic determines the effectiveness of the hero's spells. For example, for spells that deal direct damage, the power of magic determines the amount of that damage. For spells like Blind, the spell's strength determines how long it lasts, while for Resurrection, it determines how many health points are restored.

• Knowledge determines the hero's maximum amount of magical energy points: their number is equal to knowledge times 10 (a hero with zero knowledge has a minimum of 10 energy points).

The hero can increase his parameters with the help of artifacts, as well as by visiting various objects on the map. In addition, by earning experience, the hero increases his level. Upon receiving a new level of experience, the hero is awarded +1 point to one of his main parameters. The choice of parameter is determined randomly, but the probability of obtaining magical parameters (magic and knowledge) is higher for mage heroes, and non-magical ones (attack and defense) are higher for warrior heroes. In addition, upon reaching a new level, the hero is given the opportunity to choose one of two secondary skills. An upgrade to an existing skill and a new base level skill may be offered. If all skill slots are occupied, then the game simply offers two upgrades to choose from, or only awards a point to the main parameter.

Heroes

Heroes are the main component of Heroes of Might and Magic III. Heroes move troops around the world map and cast spells during the battle. Thanks to the parameters and skills of the hero, creatures in his army can gain a significant advantage over the enemy.

The hero can increase his parameters with the help of artifacts, as well as by visiting various objects on the map. In addition, by earning experience, the hero increases his level. Upon receiving a new level of experience, the hero is awarded +1 point to one of his main parameters. The choice of parameter is determined randomly, but the probability of obtaining magical parameters (magic and knowledge) is higher for mage heroes, and non-magical ones (attack and defense) are higher for warrior heroes. In addition, upon reaching a new level, the hero is given the opportunity to choose one of two secondary skills. An upgrade to an existing skill and a new base level skill may be offered.