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'''Hero specialty''' is a trait of a hero, which typically improves hero's performance in [[combat]]. Specialties can be categorized into four types: [[spell]]s, [[creature]]s, [[secondary skill]]s and [[production]]s. Production specialties do not affect in combat, but generates [[resources]] (except [[wood]] and [[ore]]) for the kingdom. Most of the specialties are unique, but there is also shared specialties. For example, [[offence]] is a specialty of [[Crag Hack]] and [[Gundula]].
'''Hero specialty''' is a characteristic of every hero that typically improves their performance in [[combat]]. Specialties can be categorized into four types: [[spell]]s, [[creature]]s, [[secondary skill]]s and [[Hero_specialty#Production_specialties|production]]. Production specialties do not have an effect in combat, but instead generate certain [[resources]] (except [[wood]] and [[ore]]) for the kingdom. Most of the specialties are unique, but there are also specialties common to several heroes. For example, [[secondary skill]] [[Offense]] is a specialty of [[Crag Hack]] and [[Gundula]], and the spell [[Resurrection]] is a specialty of [[Alamar]] and [[Jeddite]].


{{ab}} and {{sod}} expansions introduced [[Adrienne]], [[Dracon]], [[Gelu]] and [[Sir Mullich]], who have specialties that can not be categorized into any of the four above mentioned. Adrienne's specialty is [[fire magic]], which is a secondary skill, but it only allows her to start with with expert fire magic. Draco has [[enchanter]]s and Gelu has [[sharpshooter]]s as a specialty. The exception for both of them is, that Draco can "upgrade" [[Mage/Arch mage|mages]]/[[Mage/Arch mage|arch mages]] and [[monk]]s/[[zealot]]s to [[enchanter]]s, and respectively Gelu can upgrade [[archer]]s/[[Archer/Marksman|marksmen]] and [[Wood elf|wood elves]]/[[Grand elf|grand elves]] to [[sharpshooter]]s. Sir Mullich's has speed as a specialty, which increases combat speed for creatures under his command by +2.
Additonally, {{ab}} and {{sod}} expansions introduced [[Adrienne]], [[Dracon]], [[Gelu]] and [[Sir Mullich]], who have specialties that cannot be categorized into any of the four above mentioned. Adrienne's specialty is secondary skill [[Fire Magic]], which however does not work similarly to other secondary skill specialties, as it only allows her to start with expert Fire Magic. Dracon has [[Enchanter]]s and Gelu has [[Sharpshooter]]s as a specialty. The exception for these two is that Dracon can upgrade [[Mage and arch mage|Magi and Arch Magi]] as well as [[Monk and zealot|Monks and Zealots]] into Enchanters, and Gelu can upgrade [[Archer and Marksman|Archers and Marksmen]] as well as [[Wood and Grand Elf|Wood Elves and Grand Elves]] into Sharpshooters. Sir Mullich's has speed as a specialty, which increases combat [[speed]] for all creatures under his command by +2.


== Creature specialties ==  
== Secondary skill specialties ==
== Production specialties ==
Basically all secondary skill specialties (e.g. [[Kyrre]] with [[logistics]], [[Crag Hack]] with [[offense]] or [[Neela]] with [[armorer]]) work in a similar way. They all increase the secondary skill by 5% per level. The formula for the calculation is as follows:
== Secondary skill specialties ==
<!--
=== Calculation ===
<code><big> A &times; (0.05 &times; B + 1)</big></code>
Specialties of [[Sorcery]], [[Logistics]], [[Offense]], and the like have similar effects. They all increase the skill by a 5% per level. To calculate for this type of specialty, you must get 5% of the secondary skill's effect and multiply it to the hero's level, then add to the skill's effect. 
!-->
----
{| style="background: transparent; font-size: 125%;"
                 
|<pre>FORMULA:  A x (0,05 x B + 1) = BONUS
Formula = (.05*Secondary skill's effect percentage*Hero level+Secondary skill's effect percentage)


----
  where  A = Secondary skill's effect percentage
Example: Level 20 [[Crag Hack]] with Expert Offense.
          B = Level of the hero
----


.05*30*20+30 = 60, thus Crag Hack's army will deal 60% more damage. That means that he has gained a 30% increase to his Offense skill. It also means that he gained 30% more offense than any other character, aside from [[Gundula]] would have.
EXAMPLE:  A = 30%
          B = 20
         
          30% x (0,05 x 20 + 1) =
          30% x (1 + 1)        = 60%</pre>
|} From the example above we can see, that a level 20 hero who has 30% ability due their secondary skill (e.g. [[Crag Hack]] with expert [[offense]]) would actually gain +60% in total.


== Spell specialties ==  
== Spell specialties ==  
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* base damage * 0.03 * hero level / unit level
* base damage * 0.03 * hero level / unit level
This extra damage is in addition to the bless spell. For example, at level 18 Adela will provide a 54% damage bonus to [[halberdier]]s, 27% to [[marksman|marksmen]], 18% to [[royal griffin]]s, 13.5% to [[crusader]]s, 10.8% to [[zealot]]s, 9% to [[champion]]s, and 7.1% to [[archangel]]s.
This extra damage is in addition to the bless spell. For example, at level 18 Adela will provide a 54% damage bonus to [[halberdier]]s, 27% to [[marksman|marksmen]], 18% to [[royal griffin]]s, 13.5% to [[crusader]]s, 10.8% to [[zealot]]s, 9% to [[champion]]s, and 7.1% to [[archangel]]s.
Ice Bolt follows the same algorithm.
=== Other spells ===
Spell specialties work differently for the spells [[Haste]], [[Prayer]], [[Slayer]], [[Precision]], [[Stone Skin]], [[Bloodlust]] and [[Weakness]].  For those spells, the specialty adds a flat amount to the effect of the spell, based on the level of creature it's being cast on (higher bonus for lower level creatures).
Specialty in the [[Fortune]] spell makes it always give +3 luck, regardless of Air Magic expertise.
[[Ciele]]'s [[Magic Arrow]] specialty increases the damage of the spell by 50%, and [[Luna]]'s [[Fire Wall]] specialty doubles the damage of the spell.
== Creature specialties ==
Every creature from level 1 to 6 in every town, except gremlins, centaurs, pikemen, pixies, air elementals and medusas, has a hero who specializes in them. A creature specialty applies to both the upgraded and non-upgraded version of a creature. No heroes specialize in any of the [[neutral creature]]s, except [[Gelu]] and [[Dracon]], who specialize in [[Sharpshooter]]s and [[Enchanter]]s, respectively, although their specialties do not work in the same way as other creature specialties.
A hero's creature specialty affects a creature in three distinct ways.
First, regardless of their level, heroes bestow +1 speed on the creatures they specialize in for as long as these creatures are part of the hero's army. The speed bonus is applied both in combat and on the adventure map.
Second, heroes specializing in low-level creatures can carry deviating starting armies when recruited from taverns. Normally, heroes bring some level 1 creatures, and possibly some level 2 and level 3 creatures, but heroes that specialize in level 1 and level 2 creatures bring only the creatures they specialize in with them. Thus, [[Shakti]] may be hired with up to three groups of 30 to 40 [[Troglodyte]]s, and [[Valeska]] with up to three groups of 4 to 7 [[Archer]]s. Heroes specializing in a level 3 creature carry, as usual, level 1 creatures and possibly some level 3 creatures, but will also carry level 3 creatures instead of any level 2 creatures. Heroes specializing in a level 4 creature have a default starting army, except for [[Bron]], who may bring 4 to 7 basilisks with him, along with the usual 10 to 20 gnolls. Especially, Dracon and Gelu bring only enchanters and sharpshooters, respectively.
Third, a creature specialty affects a creature's attack and defense skill. If heroes specialize in a level 1 creature, they will double the base attack and defense skills of this creature every 20 levels, starting at level 1. Level 2 creature will have their base attack and defense skill doubled every 40 levels, starting at level 2, level 3 creatures every 60 levels starting at level 3, etc. Thus, when Lorelei reaches level 2, her harpy hags will receive a +1 bonus attack and defense, and their attack and defense will double from 6 to 12 in the next 40 levels. At level 42, her harpy hags will have 13 attack and defense, to which Lorelei's own attack and defense skill is added as usual.
The creature specialty from some campaign heroes, such as [[Mutare]] and [[Kilgor]], works differently in that they provide a fixed bonus — independent of their hero level — to the creature they specialize in. Moreover, unlike regular heroes, these two heroes specialize in creatures above level 6 (i.e., dragons and behemoths, respectively).
== Production specialties ==
Some heroes' specialties increase a kingdom's daily income. Production of one point of a [[Resource|magical resource]] per day is unique to one hero per resource ([[Rissa]] creates +1 mercury, [[Calid]] creates +1 sulfur, [[Sephinroth]] creates +1 crystal, and [[Saurug]] creates +1 gems).
Multiple heroes increase daily gold income by +350 (namely, [[Caitlin]], [[Jenova]], [[Aine]], [[Octavia]], [[Clavius]], [[Nagash]], [[Damacon]], [[Gelare]] and [[Grindan]]).
These specialties do not improve with the hero's level, and thus their usefulness may decrease over the course of the game as the impact of other specialties becomes greater. As a direct comparison, a level 1 [[Lord Haart]] will only generate a total (excluding any artifacts he may have) income of (1.00 + 1 *  0.05) * 125 = 1.05 * 125 = 131 (rounded) gold per day (for basic [[Estates]]), while at level 20 and with expert Estates, he will generate a total (again, excluding artifacts) of (1.00 + 20 * 0.05) * 500 = 2.00 * 500 = 1000 gold .
This effect remains in place even when the hero in question is garrisoned in a town and no longer counts towards the limit of 8 adventuring heroes. As hiring a hero only costs 2500 gold, this way of collecting magical resources may, depending on the situation, be preferable to building [[resource silo|resource silos]] for the cost of 5000 gold and 5 ore.


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[List of all the hero specialties]]
* [[List of hero specialties]]
* [[List of hero specialties (HotA)]]


[[Category:Hero specialties|*]]
[[Category:Heroes]]

Revision as of 13:19, 25 September 2018

Hero specialty is a characteristic of every hero that typically improves their performance in combat. Specialties can be categorized into four types: spells, creatures, secondary skills and production. Production specialties do not have an effect in combat, but instead generate certain resources (except wood and ore) for the kingdom. Most of the specialties are unique, but there are also specialties common to several heroes. For example, secondary skill Offense is a specialty of Crag Hack and Gundula, and the spell Resurrection is a specialty of Alamar and Jeddite.

Additonally, Armageddon's Blade and Shadow of Death expansions introduced Adrienne, Dracon, Gelu and Sir Mullich, who have specialties that cannot be categorized into any of the four above mentioned. Adrienne's specialty is secondary skill Fire Magic, which however does not work similarly to other secondary skill specialties, as it only allows her to start with expert Fire Magic. Dracon has Enchanters and Gelu has Sharpshooters as a specialty. The exception for these two is that Dracon can upgrade Magi and Arch Magi as well as Monks and Zealots into Enchanters, and Gelu can upgrade Archers and Marksmen as well as Wood Elves and Grand Elves into Sharpshooters. Sir Mullich's has speed as a specialty, which increases combat speed for all creatures under his command by +2.

Secondary skill specialties

Basically all secondary skill specialties (e.g. Kyrre with logistics, Crag Hack with offense or Neela with armorer) work in a similar way. They all increase the secondary skill by 5% per level. The formula for the calculation is as follows:

FORMULA:  A x (0,05 x B + 1) = BONUS 

  where   A = Secondary skill's effect percentage
          B = Level of the hero

EXAMPLE:  A = 30%
          B = 20
          
          30% x (0,05 x 20 + 1) =
          30% x (1 + 1)         = 60%

From the example above we can see, that a level 20 hero who has 30% ability due their secondary skill (e.g. Crag Hack with expert offense) would actually gain +60% in total.

Spell specialties

Bless

Bless is the specialty of Adela. It causes bless to be cast with increased effect, based on hero level compared to the level of the target unit (the bonus is greater when used on weaker units). Adela's bless specialty increases the damage of a unit using the following equation:

  • base damage * 0.03 * hero level / unit level

This extra damage is in addition to the bless spell. For example, at level 18 Adela will provide a 54% damage bonus to halberdiers, 27% to marksmen, 18% to royal griffins, 13.5% to crusaders, 10.8% to zealots, 9% to champions, and 7.1% to archangels.

Ice Bolt follows the same algorithm.

Other spells

Spell specialties work differently for the spells Haste, Prayer, Slayer, Precision, Stone Skin, Bloodlust and Weakness. For those spells, the specialty adds a flat amount to the effect of the spell, based on the level of creature it's being cast on (higher bonus for lower level creatures).

Specialty in the Fortune spell makes it always give +3 luck, regardless of Air Magic expertise.

Ciele's Magic Arrow specialty increases the damage of the spell by 50%, and Luna's Fire Wall specialty doubles the damage of the spell.

Creature specialties

Every creature from level 1 to 6 in every town, except gremlins, centaurs, pikemen, pixies, air elementals and medusas, has a hero who specializes in them. A creature specialty applies to both the upgraded and non-upgraded version of a creature. No heroes specialize in any of the neutral creatures, except Gelu and Dracon, who specialize in Sharpshooters and Enchanters, respectively, although their specialties do not work in the same way as other creature specialties.

A hero's creature specialty affects a creature in three distinct ways.

First, regardless of their level, heroes bestow +1 speed on the creatures they specialize in for as long as these creatures are part of the hero's army. The speed bonus is applied both in combat and on the adventure map.

Second, heroes specializing in low-level creatures can carry deviating starting armies when recruited from taverns. Normally, heroes bring some level 1 creatures, and possibly some level 2 and level 3 creatures, but heroes that specialize in level 1 and level 2 creatures bring only the creatures they specialize in with them. Thus, Shakti may be hired with up to three groups of 30 to 40 Troglodytes, and Valeska with up to three groups of 4 to 7 Archers. Heroes specializing in a level 3 creature carry, as usual, level 1 creatures and possibly some level 3 creatures, but will also carry level 3 creatures instead of any level 2 creatures. Heroes specializing in a level 4 creature have a default starting army, except for Bron, who may bring 4 to 7 basilisks with him, along with the usual 10 to 20 gnolls. Especially, Dracon and Gelu bring only enchanters and sharpshooters, respectively.

Third, a creature specialty affects a creature's attack and defense skill. If heroes specialize in a level 1 creature, they will double the base attack and defense skills of this creature every 20 levels, starting at level 1. Level 2 creature will have their base attack and defense skill doubled every 40 levels, starting at level 2, level 3 creatures every 60 levels starting at level 3, etc. Thus, when Lorelei reaches level 2, her harpy hags will receive a +1 bonus attack and defense, and their attack and defense will double from 6 to 12 in the next 40 levels. At level 42, her harpy hags will have 13 attack and defense, to which Lorelei's own attack and defense skill is added as usual.

The creature specialty from some campaign heroes, such as Mutare and Kilgor, works differently in that they provide a fixed bonus — independent of their hero level — to the creature they specialize in. Moreover, unlike regular heroes, these two heroes specialize in creatures above level 6 (i.e., dragons and behemoths, respectively).

Production specialties

Some heroes' specialties increase a kingdom's daily income. Production of one point of a magical resource per day is unique to one hero per resource (Rissa creates +1 mercury, Calid creates +1 sulfur, Sephinroth creates +1 crystal, and Saurug creates +1 gems).

Multiple heroes increase daily gold income by +350 (namely, Caitlin, Jenova, Aine, Octavia, Clavius, Nagash, Damacon, Gelare and Grindan).

These specialties do not improve with the hero's level, and thus their usefulness may decrease over the course of the game as the impact of other specialties becomes greater. As a direct comparison, a level 1 Lord Haart will only generate a total (excluding any artifacts he may have) income of (1.00 + 1 * 0.05) * 125 = 1.05 * 125 = 131 (rounded) gold per day (for basic Estates), while at level 20 and with expert Estates, he will generate a total (again, excluding artifacts) of (1.00 + 20 * 0.05) * 500 = 2.00 * 500 = 1000 gold .

This effect remains in place even when the hero in question is garrisoned in a town and no longer counts towards the limit of 8 adventuring heroes. As hiring a hero only costs 2500 gold, this way of collecting magical resources may, depending on the situation, be preferable to building resource silos for the cost of 5000 gold and 5 ore.

See also