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:
  • Boots of Speed
  • Equestrian's Gloves
  • Admiral's Hat (only in Shadow of Death)
  • Necklace of Ocean Guidance
  • Sea Captain's Hat

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. Artifacts increasing creatures' speed (like Necklace of Swiftness), the hero speciality of Sir Mullich and native terrain bonuses don't affect the base movement, but hero’s creature specialty does.

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 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, Watering Hole or Mineral Spring . 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. Watering Place works similarly and consumes all the remaining movement points but it also gives +1000 movement points for the next day.

Consumption of the movement points

Movepoints consumption

Terrain	%	Str. step	Diag. step
Dirt Grass Lava Subterranean Water Highlands	100%	100	141
Rough Wasteland	125%	125	176
Sand Snow	150%	150	212
Swamp	175%	175	247
Dirt road	75%	75	106
Gravel road	65%	65	91
Cobblestone road	50%	50	70
Favorable Winds	66%	66	93

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 (100 times square root of 2). Terrain penalty will increase this cost to 175% on swamp, 150% on snow or sand and 125% on rough or wasteland . Other types of terrain do not cause penalty. To move into a new tile hero must have at least as many movement points as the basic cost. The preceding is true with one notable, complex and buggy exception.

All creatures (except neutral creatures) have a 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 the following towns: Fortress and Cove whose creatures have swamp as native terrain, Tower whose creatures have snow, and Stronghold whose creatures have rough. Additionally, a hero can eliminate the sand terrain penalty if he has at least one Nomad on his army, because of their sandwalker special ability. Visiting a Trailblazer will reduce the penalty for wasteland to 75% until the end of the week. Also, the expert level of the 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 have a fixed movement cost.

If a hero moves from one terrain to another, the movement points consumption will depend on:

• Terrain ⇄ Terrain move - starting tile;
• Road ⇄ Terrain move - terrain tile;
• Road ⇄ Road move - starting tile;
• Water ⇄ Favorable Winds move - starting tile.

Diagonal move exception

If a hero has fewer movement points than the number of points needed for a diagonal move (basic cost 141 points), but at least the number of points needed to make a straight move (basic cost 100 points), it's still possible to make a diagonal move as the last move in the hero's turn. The above applies to both penalty and non-penalty terrains - so e. g. for the hero on a swamp the diagonal move is possible when the hero has fewer than 247 but at least 175 movement points.

The exception doesn't apply to movement on roads.

Due to the bug it also doesn't always apply to heroes on a penalty terrain if they lead armies comprised entirely of creatures native to that terrain. In this case the game oddly 'forgets' about the terrain penalty elimination and allows the last diagonal move only if the hero has at least the number of movement points needed to make a straight move calculated including terrain penalty. As a result the cheaper last diagonal move is generally unattainable for armies native to swamp and snow - because straight move with penalty costs 175 and 150 points, respectively, which is greater than at most 140 points remaining with hero in this scenario.

As a corollary to the above the cheaper diagonal move is possible for native armies of rough terrain - if a hero leading it has less than 141 movement points but at least 125 points. It's also possible if there are other than terrain nativity means of reducing penalty to movement, namely:

• Pathfinding skill
• Wayfarer's Boots

In case of the latter or Expert Pathfinding, the cheaper diagonal movement is possible in the same way as on non-penalty terrain. With lower levels of Pathfinding the last cheaper diagonal move for creatures native to penalty terrain is possible if the number of remaining hero's movement points is greater or equal to the straight move cost calculated after applying the skill. E. g. Advanced Pathfinding reduces the cost of straight move on swamp to 125 points, hence the cheaper last diagonal move for swamp creatures is possible when the hero has at least that number of movement points. On snow Advanced Pathfinding reduces straight move cost to 100 points, hence the cheaper last diagonal move for snow creatures is possible in the same way as on non-penalty terrain.

While possibility of using the diagonal move exception as a last move is limited because of the above bug, the same bug enables heroes with armies comprised solely of creatures native to the given terrain to move diagonally at a reduced cost of 100 points when straight movement cost calculated after applying Pathfinding skill (but not including native terrain penalty elimination):

• equals 125 and the hero has between 141 and 176 movement points left,
• equals 150 and the hero has between 150 and 212 movement points left,
• equals 175 and the hero has between 175 and 247 movement points left.

Movement points consumption when flying

Flying movepoints consumption table

Terrain	Fly			+ Basic Pathfinding		+ Advanced Pathfinding		+ Expert Pathfinding
	Air Magic*	Straight move	Diag. move	Straight move	Diag. move	Straight move	Diag. move	Straight move	Diag. move
Impassable Water **	bas: adv: exp:	140 120 100	197 169 141	not affected
Swamp	bas: adv: exp:	140 120 100	197 169 141	140 120 100	197 169 141	125 120 100	176 169 141	100	141
Sand Snow	bas: adv: exp:	140 120 100	197 169 141	125 120 100	176 169 141	100	141	100	141
Rough Wasteland	bas: adv: exp:	125 120 100	176 169 141	100	141	100	141	100	141
Dirt Grass Lava Subterranean Highlands		100	141	not affected
Dirt road		75	106	not affected
Gravel road		65	91	not affected
Cobb. road		50	70	not affected
* The spell effect without Air Magic skill is equivalent to the basic level of the skill. ** Favorable winds do not affect movement under the Fly spell.

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% (5% in HotA), advanced Logistics adds 20% (10% in HotA), and expert Logistics 30% (20% in HotA). 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 (+400 in HotA) points on land
• Equestrian's Gloves give +300 (+200 in HotA) 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.

External links

• Thread: How do the logistics and pathfinding skills work exactly?