Movement
This article refers to the movement of heroes on the Adventure Map. For the movement of creatures in combat, see speed.
Movement refers to a hero's capability to travel on the Adventure Map. At the beginning of each day a hero has certain amount of movement points, which are consumed as the hero moves on the map. Moving from one tile to another consumes movement points at different rate depending on terrain, roads and direction of the movement. The hero cannot move any further, when he has no movement points or he has too few of them to move to the next square.
Moving on the map from one square to another consumes hero's movement points. The amount of reduction depends mainly on the direction a hero moves and the terrain. Moving diagonally on the map consumes 1.41 (square root of 2) times the points compared to moving vertically or horizontally. Moving on swamp, snow, sand or rough terrains consumes hero's movement points more than other types of terrain. This is called terrain penalty.
The movement points of heroes are completely renewed at the beginning of each day. They cannot be stored or preserved over to next day. The amount of movement points depends on many factors, but mainly on the speed of the slowest creature in hero's army and possible Logistics/Navigation secondary skill.
It should be noted, that in original manual of Heroes of Might and Magic III, movement refers to the method of moving, which is either flying or ground. The main difference between these two is, that flying creatures can fly over obstacles (e.g. walls) while creatures moving on ground must go around them (if able).
Initial points at the beginning of the day
| Creature speed |
Base movement |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1500 | |||||||
| 4 | 1560 | |||||||
| 5 | 1630 | |||||||
| 6 | 1700 | |||||||
| 7 | 1760 | |||||||
| 8 | 1830 | |||||||
| 9 | 1900 | |||||||
| 10 | 1960 | |||||||
| 11 or more | 2000 |
The movement points of heroes are renewed at the beginning of each day, and the exact amount given depends on the following factors:
- Logistics or Navigation
- Hero specialty Logistics or Navigation
- The speed of slowest creature in hero's army
- Adventure Map locations:
- Stables (also a Castle specific structure)
- Lighthouse (also a Castle specific structure)
- Artifacts:
The main factor for movement affecting all the heroes is the slowest creature in the army. Every hero has a daily base movement of 1900 points, which is reduced if the hero has a creature with speed lower than 9, and increased if it is higher but no more than up to 2000 points. The effect of the slowest to the movement initial movement points creature can be seen in the table on the right.
Heroes with Logistics gain extra movement points on land, while heroes with Navigation gain extra movement points while in a boat. Heroes with Logistic or Navigation specialty further increases this bonus bonus depending on their level. Stables gives +400 movement points per day for a visiting hero for the rest of the week, while each Lighthouse the kingdom controls gives +500 movement points over water (in a boat) for all the kingdom's heroes. While visiting several Stables is not cumulative, owning several Lighthouses is. Both structures are also Castle specific buildings, but work in a similar way as the Adventure Map locations.
During a single day, a hero can gain additional movement points by visiting Fountain of youth, Oasis, Rally Flag or Watering Hole. They all give certain amount of points for the rest of the day or until next battle. Their effect is not cumulative, but if there happens to be chance to fight nearby, they can give their movement (and other) bonus several times per day. Additionally, Swan Pond can consume all the remaining movement points when visited effectively ending the hero's movement for that day.
Consumption of the movement points
A hero consumes the movement points while moving on the map. The basic cost for moving horizontally or vertically is 100 points and 141 points for moving diagonally (square root of 2 times 100). Terrain penalty will increase this cost to 175% on swamp, 150% on snow or sand and 125% on rough. Other types of terrain do not cause penalty. All creatures have one native terrain, which means that if a hero is moving on a terrain with terrain penalty, and all the creatures in hero's army are native to that terrain, the terrain penalty is eliminated. This basically concerns three towns: fortress whose creatures has swamp, tower whose creature has snow, and stronghold whose creatures has rough as native terrain. Additionally, a hero can eliminate terrain penalty of sand if he has at least one Nomad on his army, because of their sandwalker special ability. Also, expert level of Pathfinding secondary skill completely eliminates terrain penalties.
Moving on roads is also an exception to terrain penalty rule. No matter where the roads are laid, they always reduce the movement cost from the basic costs (100 or 141). Dirt roads reduce these cost to 75%, gravel roads reduce the costs to 65% and cobblestone road reduce the cost to 50%. This means, that traveling on dirt roads consumes 75 points, traveling on gravel road consumes 65 and traveling on cobblestone consumes 50 moving points. As for moving diagonally, traveling on dirt roads consumes 106 points, traveling on gravel road consumes 92 and traveling on cobblestone consumes 71 moving points.
Calculation
M = (B + L + A + S) × T
, where
M = movement points
B = base movement
L = Logistic/Navigation bonus
A = Artifact bonus
S = Stable/Lighthouse bonus
T = Terrain penalty
Base movement is a hero's number of movement points before any bonuses from secondary skills, artifacts, or adventure map locations are included. On water, base movement is always 1500. On land, it is determined by the slowest creature in a hero's army. Base movement is as low as 1500 when the slowest creature has a speed of 3, and as high as 2000 when it has a speed of 11 or more (see table). Base movement is calculated only at the beginning of each day. As a result, heroes cannot earn movement points during the day by transferring their slowest creatures, nor do they lose movement points when receiving even slower creatures.
Two secondary skills, Logistics and Navigation, increase a hero's movement. Basic Logistics increases base movement on land by 10%, advanced Logistics adds 20%, and expert Logistics 30%. Basic Navigation increases base movement on water by 50%, advanced Navigation adds 100%, and expert Navigation 150%. Logistics and Navigation do not affect bonuses from artifacts and adventure map locations. This bonus can furthermore increased if the hero has Logistics or Navigation specialty.
Heroes gain additional movement points when wearing certain artifacts at the beginning of a day.
Boots of Speed give +600 points on land
Equestrian's Gloves give +300 points on land
Necklace of Ocean Guidance gives +1000 points on water
Sea Captain's Hat gives +500 points on water.
Furthermore, Stables gives +400 movement points per day for a visiting hero for the rest of the week, while each Lighthouse the kingdom controls gives +500 movement points. When all these area summed up, it is multiplied with (possible) terrain penalty. And that is how the initial movement points for each day is calculated.