Direct damage spells
Direct damage spells is a term that typically refers to spells whose effect causes instant, direct damage to creature stack(s) on the battlefield instead of weakening their attack, defense or damage, controlling them, hindering their movement and actions or creating summoned creature stacks that attack them - aside from adventure map spells that make the army cross water, walk over mountains or transfer directly to any owned town, look at army sizes on the adventure map, look at shrouded parts of the adventure map and aside from combat spells that ressurect own units during combat or strengthen the army in other ways (like cloning them) or spells that change the battlefield, introducing fire walls, force fields or quicksand.
Many (and the most powerful single target spell Implosion) deal single target damage and damage to only a single stack, but there are also arcing (Chain Lightning), splashing (Fireball, Meteor Shower) and whole battlefield spells (Armageddon, Destroy Undead, Death Ripple) - Destroy Undead only deals damage to undead, a spell inbuilt immunity of the enemy that most spells except Death Ripple lack, although quite some creatures are immune to spell schools, immune to a level range of spells, immune to single spells or enjoy magic resistance - but none are immune to physical damage done by summoned creatures or the occasionally appearing Orb of Vulnerability.
Earthquake is a spell that works like Cyclops units (or the Catapult) would - it damages the siege walls and not units.
Quicksand is a spell that stops movement when a unit steps into it, Force Field makes part of the battlefield impassable, fire wall damages units that pass through it - those are not direct damage spells but battlefield related support spells that may hurt or hinder the opponent, but not instantly.
Damage spells can magically be evaded by casting Anti-Magic on units or having artefacts on the hero like Pendant of Negativity that makes the whole army immune to spells like Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning.
Magic Mirror can (up to a percentage of 40%) reflect hurtfull spells back to a stack of the enemy casters army.
Damage spells also cannot be cast in anti magic areas like the Anti-Magic Garrison.
While Orb of Inhibition cancels all spellcasting in combat, there are four orbs that enhance the damage done by a spell school by a bonus of 50%, which would be Orb of Driving Rain, Orb of the Firmament, Orb of Silt and finally Orb of Tempestuous Fire.
There is a secondary skill that makes unit resist magic like they were near Unicorns and there is also an artefact called Boots of Polarity that makes units resist magic.
First Level Spells
- Magic Arrow (one stack, Constant 10 and Spell Power*10 (Basic) / Spell Power*20 (Adv) / Spell Power*30 (Expert) damage)
Second Level Spells
- Death Ripple (all living units, Constant 10 (Basic), Constant 20 (Adv), Constant 30(Expert) and Spell Power*5 damage)
- Fire Wall (units going through the wall or pausing there, Constant 10 (Basic), Constant 20 (Adv), Constant 50 (Expert) and Spell Power*10 damage)
- Ice Bolt (one stack, Constant 10 (Basic), Constant 20 (Adv), Constant 50 (Expert) and Spell Power*20 damage)
- Lightning Bolt (one stack, Constant 10 (Basic), Constant 20 (Adv), Constant 50 (Expert) and Spell Power*25 damage)
Third Level Spells
- Destroy Undead
- Earthquake (Only targets Castle walls and towers)
- Fireball
- Frost Ring
- Land Mine
Fourth Level Spells
Fifth Level Spells
Spell tables
| Spell Name | School | Single Target | Bonus damage at Basic | Bonus at Adv | Bonus at Expert | Variable Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destroy Undead | Air | No, Whole Battlefield (Undead Only) | 10 dmg (1x) | 20 dmg (2x) | 50 dmg (5x) | 10 dmg / spell power |
| Armageddon | Fire | No, Whole Battlefield (Safe Spell immunity or likewise) | 30 dmg (0.6x) | 60 dmg (1.2x) | 120 dmg (2.4x) | 50 dmg / spell power point |
| Magic Arrow | *Any* | Yes | 10 dmg (1x) | 20 dmg (2x) | 30 dmg (3x) | 10 dmg / spell power point |
| Lightning Bolt | Air | Yes | 10 dmg (0.4x) | 20 dmg (0.8x) | 50 dmg (2x) | 25 dmg / spell power point |