Editing Combat (section)

== Order in Combat ==
Combat proceeds in rounds. Each hero can cast one spell each round.  Each round is divided into three phases:
# Initial & defend
# Morale & wait
# Wait

These three phases occur every round in this chronological order. In the initial phase, all creatures move in order determined by their [[speed]]. The creature with the highest speed value moves first. If two or more creatures on different sides of engaging armies have the same speed value, the creature on the army which did not have the latest chance to act will act first. And if it is the beginning of the battle, the attacker will have the initiative.

A creature may wait during the initial phase, in which case the creature moves instead during the wait phase. However, due high [[morale]] a creature may receive another chance to move right after the initial move. In this case, if the creature waits it will move again during the morale & wait phase (before the wait phase). In contrast to the initial phase, creatures in the morale & wait and wait phases move in reverse order, slowest speed value first.

A creature may defend during the initial phase, their extra morale phase, or their wait phase. Doing so grants them a 20% bonus to their [[defense]] rating (after bonuses and spell effects) and skips the rest of their turn. A creature cannot gain a morale phase after defending in their initial phase.

If two or more creatures on different sides of engaging armies have the same speed value, the creature on the army which did not have the latest chance to act will act first. This rule will apply in the same way throughout all three phases. However, there are two exceptions to this rule.
# In the first round of combat, the attacker will have the initiative.
# During a siege (town with at least [[Fort]]) the attacker will always moves first at the beginning of the round if the fastest creatures are tied.

Note that this rule in the morale-wait/wait phases leads to a situation, where the player that acted last "wins" the tie in a way, because during the wait phase, one usually wants to move later in the phase, not earlier.

If two or more creatures on the same side have the same speed value, the creature that started in the leftmost slot, will always move first. Or in other words, the unit that started  nearest to the top of the screen (before [[tactics phase]]), will move first.