Editing Speed (section)

== Speed modifiers ==
There are several modifiers that can affect creatures' speed values during combat. Modifiers that affect speed throughout the combat and which cannot be cancelled are terrain, artifact and hero specialty modifiers. Additionally, spells can have increasing or decreasing effects on creatures' speed values. Creatures fighting on their [[native terrain]] receive +1 to their speed (and +1 to both [[attack]] and [[defense]] skill). There are three artifacts that affect the speed of all creature's in a hero's army:
* [[Cape of Velocity]] gives +2 to speed
* [[Necklace of Swiftness]] gives +1 to speed
* [[Ring of the Wayfarer]] gives +1 to speed.

Many heroes have a creature specialty, which gives one specific creature type (and their upgraded version) in a hero's army +1 to speed during combat. For example, [[Edric]] the knight has [[Griffin]]s as his special ability, which means that [[Griffin and Royal Griffin|Griffins and Royal Griffins]] fighting in Edric's army receive +1 to speed increasing the Griffins' speed to 7 and the Royal Griffins' speed to 10. Additionally, [[Sir Mullich]] has speed as his hero specialty which means that all creatures in his army receive +2 to their speed values during combat (in {{hota}} Sir Mullich is banned by default for balance reasons).

Three spells can affect the speed of creatures: [[Haste]], [[Slow]] and [[Prayer]]. These spells affect the speed as follows:
* Haste
** +3 to speed for a single creature stack with Basic [[Air Magic]]
** +5 to speed for a single creature stack with Advanced Air Magic
** +5 to speed for all allied creature stacks with Expert Air Magic
* Slow
** reduces speed for single creature stack by -25% rounded up with Basic [[Earth Magic]]
** reduces speed for single creature stack by -50% rounded up with Advanced Earth Magic
** reduces speed for all enemy creature stacks by -50% rounded up with Expert Earth Magic
* Prayer
** +2 to speed for a single creature stack with Basic [[Water Magic]]
** +4 to speed for a single creature stack with Advanced Water Magic
** +4 to speed for all allied creatures stacks with Expert Water Magic
Note: Prayer also gives bonuses to attack and defense.

Additionally, [[Brissa]], [[Cyra]] and [[Terek]] have Haste as their hero specialty, which means that they can cast Haste with increased effect, based on their level compared to the level of the target creature stack. [[Loynis]] has Prayer as specialty, which works in a similar way. There is no hero that has Slow as their specialty.
* Haste or Prayer specialty
** +3 to creatures on level 1–2
** +2 to creatures on level 3–4
** +1 to creatures on level 5–6
** No additional bonus for creatures on level 7.

In the best case, the maximum speed bonus from all these modifiers is +16, or +7 in the first round of combat before the spells can be cast. A stack of Phoenixes led by Sir Mullich on their native terrain and with the best magical help available would therefore get a speed of 37. In similarly favourable conditions, the slow Dendroid Guards would get a speed of 19, making them tied with [[Azure Dragon]]s or [[Archangel]]s (which have the same native terrain).
Heroes with a specialty in [[Haste]] or [[Prayer]] can potentially give more movement than Sir Mullich to low-tier creatures (level 1 or 2), and equal him for mid-tier creatures (level 3-4). A stack of [[Sprite]]s, [[Obsidian Gargoyle]]s, or [[Harpy Hag]]s, with expert Haste and Prayer cast by Brissa, Cyra, Loynis or Terek, will have their speed increased from 9 to 21. With the three speed artifacts and the native terrain bonus, they reach 26.