War Machine
War machine is common term used for when referring either to ammo cart, ballista, first aid tent or catapult. Basically they are all special combat units which are available in most of the battles. The only exceptions are creature banks and shipwrecks, where none of the war machines are used. They all have a special slot reserved just for a particular war machine.
Typically war machines except catapults are bought from blacksmiths, which sell different war machine depending on the town type. Additionally, war machines can be bought from an adventure map location called war machine factory, which sell all war machines except catapults. Stronhold has also special building ballsita yard, where a visiting hero can buy ballistas. All heroes have catapult with them, and if one is destroyed in the combat, a new one is automatically added to hero's catapult slot.
All war machines are immobile and unaffected by luck and morale with the exception of ballista, which can have a lucky strike. Also, war machines do not affect the hero's movement.
Usage
Ammo cart
| File:Mini Portrait Ammo cart.png Ammo cart | ||
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| Defense | 5 | |
| Health | 100 | |
| Cost | 1000 | |
Ammo cart provides unlimited ammuntion for creatures with ranged attacks.
Ballista
 Ballista
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|---|---|---|
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| Attack | 10 | |
| Defense | 10 | |
| Damage | 8–12 | |
| Health | 250 | |
| Cost | 2500 | |
| Shots | 24 | |
Ballistas are missile weapons that launches large projectiles to damage enemy troops, which basically makes them a ranged unit. Damage of the ballista is affected artillery and archery secondary skills, and of course the attack skill of the hero. Without artillery skill, the ballista will shoot independetly, but with basic artillery the player controls the machine in the same way he or she controls creature stacks. Artillery skill also enables ballista to shoot twice.
First aid tent
| File:Mini Portrait First aid tent.png First aid tent | ||
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| Health | 75 | |
| Cost | 750 | |
First aid tent heals a rather small amount of hit points of the top creature in target allied stack. The amount of health restored is affected by first aid secondary skill, which also gives the player control over the tent rather than being chosen by computer.
Catapult
 Catapult
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|---|---|---|
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| Attack | 10 | |
| Defense | 10 | |
| Health | 75 | |
| Cost | 750 | |
| Shots | 24 | |
Catapult only appears on the battlefield when attacking enemy towns with walls, which requires the town to have either fort, citadel of castle. Its main use is to attack walls and destroying them in order to enable ground troops to attack defenders. Catapult can also attack and destroy arrow towers of citadels and castles. The ballistics secondary skill enhances the performance of the catapult. Basic ballistics gives the player over the catapult making it possible to aim particual parts of the siege structures. In siege, catapult shoots after the arrow towers, but before any other troop.
Comments & debate
First aid tent as well as ballista are quite useless war machines. Even with a hero specializing them like Christian or Gem, neither one has much influence during battles. The damage of the ballista even with high level Christian or Orrin is typically measured in hundreds. As for first aid tent, it is mainly useful on 6th or 7th level creatures with lot of hit points. And even on them, it only manages to save one occasionally. The problem with ballista and first aid tent as well as with artillery and first aid secondary skill is, that there is always better options available. Rather than buying war machines, you could buy troops. Offense and armorer on the other hand are superior to artillery or first aid.
Ballista and first aid tent can be used to absrob damage from chain lightning, and the wandering creatures tend to attack war machines. However, war machines are also a (small) liability against dragons' breath attack, magogs' fireball attack or liches' death cloud. Specially against dragons they provide "free attacks".
Besides catapult, the only usable war machine is ammo cart. It is specially useful with master gremlins and/or medusas in the army, because they only have eight shots otherwise.