Games PC ETHERLORDS User Manual

USER MANUAL

Nival Interactive

January 1, 2002

CONTENTS
Prologue..........................................................................................................................................	3
What's included ...............................................................................................................................	6
System requirements ........................................................................................................................	6
Installation.......................................................................................................................................	6
Game Rules – Basic Gameplay.........................................................................................................	7
Territory Map (Strategic Mode).......................................................................................................	8
Combat (Tactical Mode)................................................................................................................	13
Global Spells .................................................................................................................................	19
Duel Mode ....................................................................................................................................	20
Main Menu....................................................................................................................................	21
Game Options (<Esc>-menu) ........................................................................................................	21
New Game ....................................................................................................................................	22
Game Screens ...............................................................................................................................	23
The Territory Map .........................................................................................................................	27
Combat screen ..............................................................................................................................	36
Multiplayer games..........................................................................................................................	40
How to Play Etherlords with GameSpy Arcade ..............................................................................	41
Credits ..........................................................................................................................................	43
Appendices ...................................................................................................................................	45

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Prologue

This is the world of the Etherlords. Ether is this world's most basic element, the source of all things. White ether flows from the center of the universe, the symbol of this world and its greatness, the source of its power. White ether is fickle and unstable, and its flow dissipates into four lesser types of ether to form the infinite variety of nature. These four types of ether are Chaos, scarlet like blood; Motion, the blue of the sky; Vitality, green like a fresh leaf; and Synthesis, black as scorched stones. Each plant and animal owes its existence to these ethers. Ether is more simply known as…. magic.

In this world, there are four intelligent races: Chaots, Kinets, Vitals, and Synthets. Each race is adept at using ethereal energy and each is primarily bound to one of the four lesser ethers. Some primitive creatures also have inborn magic, but they cannot develop their powers or acquire new aptitudes beyond their species’ inherent abilities.

One Etherlord rules each race with absolute authority. Life here passes in an unhurried way, following the eternal flows of ether. Using these invisible currents, the Etherlords summon heroes to build their castles, tame wild creatures, dig mines, create portals, and perfect their magical knowledge and skills.

As time marches on, the positions of the heavens slowly change. At last, there comes a moment when the prime celestial bodies become fully aligned with the center of the Universe. Flows of White ether suddenly rush toward the Earth and bring upon the Time of Changes. Now renewed in heroes' minds are the ancient legends of the White Lord, the Master of White Ether living at the edge of the world in the Temple of Time. During the Time of Changes, the old barriers no longer hold, and the road to the Temple of Time once again opens. According to legend, the first Lord to enter the Temple of Time will become the new White Lord, and the old Master will be banished to a far-distant and hostile world.

Thus ends the long-standing peace between the races. The Etherlords themselves do not enter the battle – their sworn heroes fight in their stead. Following their lieges’ orders, the races’ heroes engage in mortal combat, deriving strength from the influx of White ether. Those who are stronger and more adept in its use claim victory. Races forge alliances but they are often no more solid than the blurred border between light and shadow.

In the race to the Temple of Time, the Etherlords will require large stockpiles of natural and magical resources to sustain their war campaigns. Yet here, Fate lays more obstacles in the path of the battling heroes. The White ether flows have enraged wild animals. Evil spirits have risen from the grave; ghostly beings materialize in the intersections of the ether flows. On roads and trails, near gardens, mines, and towers, these creatures lurk waiting for unwary passers-by. Each creature is dangerous in its own unique way; withstanding their bites, blows, and sorcerous powers is a daunting task. Not every hero will risk such a conflict, but these monsters often guard resources or rare artifacts.

During this conflict, there is only one constant: heroes of any race always behave honorably. They never deign to engage in physical combat. All battles are fought using only sorceries, enchantments, and creatures the heroes summon up to assist them.

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The Four Races of the Etherlords

The Chaots, Race of the Ether of Chaos (red)

The children of Chaos are known by the scarlet sheen of their faces, which seem to be carved of rough stone. Chaots rely on their sturdy, powerful bodies and physical strength. Unruly by nature, few things cause Chaots any fear. All obstacles exist merely to be

swept out of their way. Chaots have learned to control the creatures as aggressive themselves, those that live by force and go in packs – rats, wolves, Orcs, Kobolds. Fire, lightning, lava, and earthquakes

– these are the Chaots' natural elements.

The Kinets, Race of the Ether of Motion (blue)

The most intellectual race, the Kinets have impassive faces and delicate, slender frames. While not immortal, they are long-lived and value life highly. Yet higher still do they value knowledge. "Strength through knowledge” is the main Kinetic precept. They find allies

among the creatures who also desire freedom and knowledge, from winged Aviaks to powerful elementals and Lamias. Kinets even control one of the most powerful creatures in the world of the Etherlords, the mighty dragons. The Kinets' natural elements are water and wind, snowstorms and floods.

The Vitals, Race of the Ether of Vitality (green)

The Vitals are attuned to nature. They feel and interact with life at a most subtle and basic level. Using the magic of animals and plants like no other race, their enemies often believe Nature herself takes the Vitals' side. The inhabitants of the forests, fields, and moors are

the Vitals' allies, from snakes and ticks to bees and mantises. Their prime element is the eternal cycle of life and death.

The Synthets, Race of the Ether of Synthesis (black)

Synthets are visually unmistakable. Leaving a bare minimum of living matter, Synthets replace most of their bodies with machinery, which gives them incredible endurance. They control many mechanical creatures of this world, from simple mechanical worms and

Veloses to pitiless mechanical cutters. Synthets dissolve the barriers between living and dead matter, reality and illusion, time and information.

* * *

Hail, Etherlord!

In this game, you are cast as one of the four Etherlords with an entire race at your command. Your ultimate goal is to become the White Lord by being first to reach the Temple of Time. The path to the Temple is filled with danger. Victory won't come easy – you must be prepared to fight. You must complete a number of missions, each in a new territory and each more difficult than the last, in order to reach your goal. Since each Lord derives his power from his Castle, you must protect your own while destroying the Castles of your enemies. Each mission has a major objective; you will be briefed on this

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before each mission starts. Generally, missions involve exploring territory, accumulating resources, developing magic, and destroying your enemies.

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What's included

User manual

Game CDs (2)

Box

Game Registration card

Etherlords T-shirt

System requirements

Minimal configuration:

Windows 98/ME/2000, DirectX 7.0 or higher

Pentium II 300 MHz

RAM 64 MB

AGP video-board with 3D accelerator, 8 MB onboard video RAM

Monitor supporting 800x600 dpi resolution

CD-ROM 4x

Sound card

Recommended configuration

Windows 98/ME/2000, DirectX 7.0 or higher

Pentium III 550 MHz

RAM 128 MB

AGP 4x video-board with 3D accelerator, 32 MB onboard video RAM

Monitor supporting 1024x768 dpi resolution

CD-ROM 32x

Sound card

At least 1.4 GB of free hard drive space are required to install the game. An additional 500 MB of free space is recommended for saved games and the swap-file.

Installation

Insert CD 1 into the CD-ROM drive. The Autorun menu will show up on the screen.

Note: If your CD-ROM Autoplay feature is switched off on your computer, the Autorun menu will not appear. In that case, run the Autorun.exe program from the CD 1 root directory.

To install the game, follow the instructions on your screen. The Autorun program will prompt you to choose a directory to install the game (default destination directory is C:\Program Files\Nival Interactive\Etherlords). After copying the game files, the program will check your DirectX version. If your DirectX version is older than 7.0, Autorun will offer to update it (you can also choose to install DirectX manually from the \DirectX directory on CD 2).

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The Etherlords program group will be created in the Start menu of your computer. It includes links to launch the Etherlords game, read the “Readme” file containing the latest game information, to uninstall the program, and to visit Etherlords online (www.etherlords.com).

Uninstalling the game

To uninstall the game, choose Uninstall from the Etherlords program group in the Start menu.

Launching the game

After installation, start the game either by clicking on the Start button in the Autorun program menu or by choosing the Etherlords program link from the Windows Start menu.

Game Rules – Basic Gameplay

This section describes main rules of the game pertaining to the campaign storyline and individual missions. Duel mode and Multiplayer games are described later in separate chapters.

Etherlords gameplay is divided into a strategic mode and a tactical (combat) mode. The strategic mode unfolds on the Territory Map whereas the tactical mode is played out on a separate Combat Screen. In both modes, gameplay is turn-based.

The Territory Map:

Each mission opens with a brief description of your goals. You are then transferred to the Territory map. The strategic part of the game occurs on this adventure screen, including exploring the terrain, gathering resources, capturing structures, and shopping for spells and runes you’ll need for combat.

After giving orders to your heroes, you end your turn by clicking the hourglass icon in the lower righthand corner of the screen.

Each game turn on the Territory map corresponds to one day. During a single turn, you can hire new heroes and make or dissolve alliances with other races. Through the use of special global spells, you can erect forts, attack enemy castles, defend your own castle, and challenge enemies in direct combat.

Enemies are also displayed on the Territory map. Enemies can either be heroes controlled by a competing race or neutral monsters living in the territory. Monsters usually guard access to various resources. When your hero enters combat, a warning sounds and you enter the Combat Screen.

The Combat Screen:

The tactical part of the game consists of “one-on-one” combat with your hero fighting an enemy in the battle arena. The two main combatants have no direct contact; instead, they cast various spells and summon creatures to do the actual fighting.

During a combat round, each side takes turns casting spells, managing resources, and defending against attacks. At the beginning of its attack phase, each side receives a random selection of spells from its Spellbook. The characters then selects and casts spells, either to summon creatures, weaken the enemy, or strengthen their own side. Summoned creatures are sent to attack the enemy spellcaster, who attempts to block the attack with his own creatures during his defense phase. Combatants alternate attack and defense phases until one or both sides have been destroyed.

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** Once combat begins, it cannot be interrupted without consequences. Saving a game is not possible while in combat. Surrendering merely concedes defeat, and your hero will be lost.

If your hero is defeated in combat, he is destroyed, but the mission does not necessarily end. With enough resources, you can summon new heroes in your Castle. Heroes can also be resurrected with the proper spell.

Depending on specific mission goals, you accomplish a mission by destroying certain opposing heroes, an enemy Castle, or completing other particular tasks.

Territory Map (Strategic Mode)

The Territory map is where all strategic events of a mission occur. Depending on the mission, heroes of different races (controlled by the computer or by other players) may be present on the map at the same time. At the beginning of each mission you'll usually control one or more heroes of the same race.

Sometimes you may be able to select your race; often it is pre-determined. You will play the same race until the end of the mission. Heroes may have a Specialization giving them certain powers. Heroes can acquire other Skills that you may select as they gain experience levels; this is discussed in more detail under the “Heroes' Parameters” section.

In the single-player campaign game, your allies and enemies are pre-defined. In multiplayer games, you can select the race you play and, in most missions, players can establish diplomatic relations with each other (see “Multiplayer Game”).

Castle

The main structure on the map is the Castle; each player has only one Castle. Heroes begin their mission here. Each Castle has a certain number of Structure Points and can be destroyed if it receives enough damage from enemy attacks. If your Castle is destroyed, your mission ends in failure. Conversely, in some missions, your primary goal will be to destroy an enemy Castle. In the Castle, you can also cast certain global spells like summoning new heroes.

Resources

To support heroes and buy new spells and runes, you need resources. There are eight types of resources found in the game. Seven of these resources will accumulate in your stockpile on a daily basis. One resource type is non-accumulating; any unused amount disappears at the end of the day. At the beginning of a mission, you receive small initial amounts of resources. Thereafter, you need to search for and accumulate resources yourself. Gathered resources belong to the race as a whole; individual heroes don’t own or carry resources.

Accumulative Resources: These are either plants or minerals. Plants grow in gardens, while minerals must be extracted from mines. When you capture a garden or a mine, you begin receiving a certain amount of that resource daily. Some resources you can freely pick up in various areas of the territory map, but beware – access to these deposits is usually well guarded! You can also receive resources as loot after winning a combat. Extracted and spent resources are measured in resource units.

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Plants (uncommon)	Minerals (rare)	Unique
Mandrake Root	Bloody Ruby	Frozen Flame
Black Lotus	Poison Emerald
	Smoke Diamond
	Star Sapphire

You normally need great quantities of uncommon resources (plants), so one of your goals should be to control as many gardens as you can and to develop them to increase their resource yield.

The demand for rare resources (minerals) depends on your race, since every race has its own preferred mineral (see chart below). When accumulating resources, you should consider the preference of the race you control.

Minerals (rare)	Favored by (race)
Bloody Ruby	Chaots
Poison Emerald	Vitals
Smoke Diamond	Synthets
Star Sapphire	Kinets

Frozen Flame is a unique resource whose deposits and mines are very rare and well-guarded. However, many uncommon and most rare spells will require this resource, as will upgrading your buildings, so it is worth your while to seek out these sources.

The non-accumulative resource – Ether. Ether can be found in Ether sources. Heroes initially need some amount of ether to create their Castle. As mentioned in the prologue, four types of ether exist and each source is shown in a different color on the map. As a rule, each race creates its Castle near a source of its preferred ether. Thus, ether of your own race’s type is fairly easy to find. You can also seize and control another race’s preferred ether source, but the ether income you receive from doing so will only be half of that received from an ether source of your own racial type. Seizure of an enemy’s ether can significantly complicate his actions. Ether units are called “ether quanta.”

Ether Balance. Each game turn, you receive a fixed amount of ether from your Castle and any ether sources you control. Most of your daily ether income is used to support your heroes. Hero upkeep requires a certain amount of ether quanta daily, and ether consumption increases the higher the hero’s level. Ether is also used to maintain ongoing global spells you have cast and to cast new global spells in the Castle (See “Global Spells” for details). Any remaining ether can be used to regenerate your Castle’s damage, if any. Any ether unused at the end of a game turn is lost; it does not accumulate like your other resources.

If incoming ether amounts dwindle (e.g. in case you lose one of the sources), these support processes slow down in reverse order. At first, Castle regeneration stops. Next, the casting of new global spell slows or stops. Third, ongoing global spells stop as well. If ether resources drop even more, your heroes won’t receive any experience but will still be able to act.

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Fortunately, the problems caused by lack of ether are reversible. Once you increase your ether resources or reduce ether consumption (e.g., canceling a global spell or dismissing a hero), the processes will begin functioning again.

Finally, White ether is not an ordinary resource. Heroes and enemies gain white ether through special ether channels only during combat; there are no White ether sources found on the map.

Your most important strategic objectives are accumulating new resources, increasing resource production by upgrading the structures where they are extracted, and capturing enemy resources. If you successfully achieve these objectives, you will be much closer to victory.

The Appendices include a summary table of all resource types and their sources.

Structures

Besides the Castle, gardens, and mines owned by each race, the map shows many other structures. Some of these can be captured and used by a single race, while others cannot be owned and all heroes have free access to them.

The spells and runes necessary for combat can be bought in shops. Shops are any structure used for trade purposes. Spells are sold in towers and labs, while runes are sold at portals. Small quantities of runes can sometimes be found for free from gnome merchants or alchemists’ wagons. Towers mainly sell summoning spells used to summon creatures during combat. Labs focus on other combat spells with shortand long-term effects.

Some structures can improve heroes’ abilities. For example, teachers and masters can impart additional experience or skills to a hero. Springs can temporarily extend a hero’s life or increase his mobility. A gnome-artificer can recharge artifacts found by your heroes. Finally, an altar can increase daily ether income, but only while the altar remains under your control. See the Appendices for the full list of structures used in the game.

Mines, gardens, and other structures can be upgraded up to two levels. With each level, the structures’ parameters improve. Daily resource production in mines and gardens increases, new spells become available in shops, and portals sell runes at lower prices. To upgrade structures you'll need to expend resources; the higher the level of the structure, the higher the resource cost.

Another structure is the fort, a tower wherein a hero can be garrisoned. A fort has enough space to accommodate only one hero. Forts provide a large enemy interception radius; any enemy passing within a certain distance of your fort must fight your hero in order to pass by. By placing your forts skillfully, an enemy will be unable to reach your structures or Castle unchallenged. Some forts may be found empty on the map, waiting for you or your opponent to occupy them, while other forts can be created by special global spells. Maintaining a fort you create with such a spell will cost a certain amount of your daily ether supply. An enemy cannot capture forts you create yourself, but such forts can be destroyed.

Spells, runes and artifacts

The only way to attack or defend yourself in the game is to cast spells. Each hero has his own Spellbook containing 15 spells. These may be different spells or multiple copies of the same spell. Early in the game, heroes will possess only primitive spells called cantrips; which require no special components to cast. For stronger and more complex spells, special components called runes are needed. Runes can be purchased at portals or, rarely, found at gnome merchants or alchemist wagons.

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Heroes can only purchase runes for spells that are in their Spellbook. The number of runes a hero can purchase and carry depends on his Resource skill. If a hero doesn’t have this skill, he may only buy up to 5 runes for any spell. The higher a hero’s Resource skill, the more runes he may have (See “Appendices, Hero Skills” for more).

During each combat round, you will see a set of randomly selected spells from your hero’s Book appear in his hand at the lower left-hand corner of the combat screen. Cantrips can be cast any number of times, while more complex spells can only be cast if you have enough runes. Once a spell is cast, it disappears from your hand for that round. When a hero has no remaining runes for a given spell, it will no longer appear in his hand each round; instead, other cantrips will be randomly selected. Thus, to keep a supply of your stronger spells available to your heroes during combat, you will need to replenish your rune supply between combats.

Spells and runes can be bought at the various types of shops by expending various resources. The cost and availability of spells depends on the type and level of the shop (See “Appendices, Structures”) and the number of spells of that type which you already own. The Bargain skill allows a hero to buy spells and runes at lower prices. Every shop has a “preferred” spell type that cannot be purchased elsewhere. For example, towers specialize in summoning spells. Portals work the same way – each portal specializes in runes for spells of a certain type. Runes for other types of spells will cost more.

The total number of spells in the Spellbook always remains 15, so when buying a spell, your hero must exchange it for another one from his Book. If you buy several identical spells, each successive copy will cost more. If you have several identical copies of a spell, the chances to receive that spell in your hand during any give combat round are increased. On the other hand, you can save resources by using the hero's Resources skill to buy more runes for one spell rather than purchase multiple copies of the same spell. However, the probability of this spell appearing in your hand during combat does not increase since it depends on the number of spells in the Spellbook. Part of your planning will be to decide how to balance and “finance” multiple copies of spells versus multiple runes for each individual spell.

When buying runes, you can either purchase a set of runes needed for all spells or just certain runes for individual spells, depending on how many resources you have. See the “Shops Interface” section for more on shopping procedures.

Artifacts are unique objects found only on the Territory map. Any hero who finds an artifact can keep it for his own use, pass it to another hero, or sell or swap it with another player (see the “Exchange Interface” section). Artifacts are only used during combat. Furthermore, several combat rounds must pass before an artifact can be used again in the same combat. The total number of times you can use an artifact depends on the hero’s Artificer skill. Artifacts are initially found fully charged. Once expended, they will slowly recharge over time or a Gnome-artificer can recharge them.

In addition to casting spells through individual heroes, you can cast global spells that work on the entire Territory map. See below for more on global spells.

The Territory Map and the Game Turn – Moving around

On the territory map, you issue movement commands to your heroes. To move, left-click on a hero, then left-click a location on the map. Be aware that heroes can cover only a certain distance during the day, depending on their Mobility skill. Sometimes it might take several days (turns) to reach a remote destination. A destination can either be just a point on the map or a specific object such as an enemy or structure. If an object is selected as the destination, you are instructing the hero to complete a specific

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task there, e.g. attack an enemy hero or a monster, pick up resources, capture a structure, enter a shop, learn from a Master, attack a Castle, etc.

Heroes can move to any specified point on the map provided they can see it and there are no obstructions. Some portions of the map are not immediately visible (the "fog of war") but will become revealed as the heroes explore the map. Heroes will always try to take the shortest route to a selected destination, bypassing enemies when possible. Should you wish to fight an enemy on the way to your eventual destination, you will need to direct your hero to the enemy first and enter combat before proceeding onward. Heroes move farther along a road in a given turn than they do crossing the countryside. Mountains, water reservoirs, forest, lava, some bushes, and all structures (except empty forts) are considered impassable.

Once you have selected all your heroes and their destinations for a given turn, issue the End of Turn command (by clicking the “hourglass” icon in the lower right-hand corner) to have your heroes execute your orders. Heroes with more experience will move first. Once you have ended your turn, any remaining ether from that turn is lost.

Before you end your turn, if you instructed a hero to attack an enemy but the enemy has since moved, your hero will change his route and still try to move towards the enemy, providing he is still visible. Otherwise, your hero will stay where he was and wait for your next command.

Enemies

Generally, your enemies are other players representing one or more Lords, depending on the mission. The Lords of the hostile races order their heroes to attack you and capture your structures, prevent your moving freely around the territory, and organize ether attacks on your Castle. In single-player mission and campaign games, the computer controls your enemies. In multiplayer games, you fight one or more human opponents. Remember, you will never actually face an enemy Lord but must instead face the heroes he controls. To destroy the Lord himself, you must destroy his Castle. On most maps, there are also neutral monsters to be overcome as well.

Area of interception. To attack an enemy, you must approach him. Every monster has its own “interception area,” a space of variable width around the monster, which, if entered by a hero, automatically triggers combat. Neither your own nor enemy heroes have interception areas; combat between them can only be initiated by direct contact ordered by a Lord. However, a fort controlled by a hero does have an interception area. Therefore, forts provide an effective means of controlling territory since a hero cannot pass by an occupied enemy fort without triggering combat. Building several forts around your Castle and important structures is an effective means of defense.

When combat begins, the game automatically switches to the tactical mode and the Combat Screen appears. Confrontations with enemy heroes and neutral monsters on the Territory map happen in essentially identical ways (see “Combat” and “Combat Screen” sections for more).

Diplomacy

In multiplayer games, players can enter into alliances with each other. In a campaign game, the game script determines alliances. Any party can terminate alliances at any moment. Any changes in diplomatic relations become effective on the next turn. Alliances exist exclusively between the two parties; your relationships with your ally’s other allies and enemies don’t change. Similarly, your ally will not be obliged to attack your enemies if they are currently not at war with each other.

All monsters are hostile to all players. There can be no alliances with monsters or alliances between monsters themselves.

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There are four types of alliances:

Ethereal Truce	Attacking the other party in ether or casting offensive global spells is not allowed.
	Helpful global spells act for both parties.
Land Truce	Attacking the other party’s heroes or structures is not allowed.
Shared Access to	Parties can buy spells and runes in each other’s shops.
Shops
Shared Field of Vision	Territory and objects seen by one party’s heroes or structures are visible to the other
	party too.

All alliances can be formed and terminated independently from each other. A party willing to make an alliance sends a proposal to the other party. This happens during one game turn. The receiving party may accept or deny the proposal or send a counter-proposal with a different offer.

Trade

In a multiplayer game, partners can send each other proposals to exchange resources, artifacts, or items containing global spells. You can trade with any partner regardless of his current diplomatic status. In the campaign game, the player can also swap or donate resources (for example, to help his allies).

Only accumulative resources (plants and minerals) can be exchanged; ether cannot be exchanged. Resources can be only exchanged for other resources. Artifacts or global spells can be traded for other such items or for resources, but you can only trade one artifact or global spell in a single transaction. The price of resources or artifacts is completely negotiable. Both sides agree on the price and strike a deal.

Similar to alliances, the party wanting to exchange resources sends a proposal to the other party. The other party receives the proposal within the same game turn. The receiving party may accept or reject the proposal or make a counter-proposal.

Combat (Tactical Mode)

The game switches to a tactical combat mode every time a hero enters a monster’s interception area or is directly ordered to fight an enemy on the Territory map. Combat takes place in an arena representing a section of the map. Throughout the fight, the combatants (heroes or monsters) stand at a distance from each other and never make direct contact, using only their spells or summoned creatures to fight. Combat ends when one or both rivals dies or surrenders. When combat starts, the time count on the Territory map stops; combat takes place on that same game day. A variation of tactical combat that happens according to the same rules but takes place in a special arena is “Ether combat.” It begins with the casting of certain global spells and doesn’t involve any direct confrontation between heroes on the Territory map (See “Global Spells” section for more).

Combat Phases

Combat proceeds in a turn-based fashion. There are two phases to each combat round: the attack phase (when you cast spells and attack your enemy) and the defense phase. The phases alternate as follows: your attack phase, the enemy’s defense phase, the enemy’s attack phase, then your defense phase. The combat round then ends and the next round begins.

Who attacks first? The first attack belongs to the hero who started the combat. The hero who remains on his own territory (terrain of "his" color) has the advantage over an enemy hero or

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E
B
Enemy’s hand
†
Field	O
†
Your hand
B
E

B – Spell Book, ♣ – Creatures' graveyard, E – ether, O – out of play

monster that happens to be on "alien" terrain. If combat occurs between a hero and a monster belonging to the same territory or if both are on “alien” territory, the monster has the advantage. If two heroes start combat on either "home" or "alien" ground, the more experienced hero will have an advantage. The combatant making the second move is compensated by receiving a sixth spell in his hand, while the attacker always starts combat with only five spells.

As on the territory map, there are two parts to each combat phase: issuing commands and automatic actions. During the first part of the attack phase, a hero can cast spells and give commands to subordinate creatures (e.g. assigning targets). Each side can summon up to 10 creatures to the battlefield. Some orders (e.g. Sacrifice) will be carried out immediately, while others (e.g. attacking an enemy hero) can only be executed after the “End of Phase” command is issued and creatures start acting independently.

Characters’ parameters in a Combat

All characters including heroes, monsters, and summoned creatures have a parameter indicating their health status: Life for heroes, Toughness for creatures. The value shows how much damage the character can sustain before being destroyed. If health reaches zero, the character is killed. Some heroes and creatures may naturally regenerate some health each turn; summoned creatures can only regenerate if their owner possesses the necessary ether.

A second parameter called Power applies only to creatures. The Power value shows how many points of damage the creature can inflict on an enemy within one combat phase.

Battlefield scheme and terms

To describe the game's combat process, we'll use certain terms usually applied to magic card games. The game zone can be presented as follows (arrows show movement of spells, creatures and ether from one area to another while the combat lasts; certain specific spells can trigger connections not shown on the scheme).

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E
B
Enemy’s hand
†
Field	O
†
Your hand
B
E

B – Spell Book, ♣ – Creatures' graveyard, E – ether, O – out of play

Spellbook: contains pages with spells; heroes always have 15 pages in their Book. Monsters usually have fewer than 15 pages, and the number of runes they may use is also limited. Some stronger monsters may have more than 15 spells. Cantrips can be cast any number of times. More complex spells can be cast only when there are enough runes available. Combat participants open their Books to a random page, so the spells they see in their hand during combat are selected randomly. You won't be able to open pages and use spells you've already seen in a given combat until you have read the whole Book. Then, if combat is still ongoing, you will open the book and begin reading again.

A Hand is a set of spells from the book available to you during the current combat round. During each round before the attack phase, one or more randomly selected spells arrive in your hand from your Book. If there are no runes left for a complex spell, cantrips of the same type will be substituted. When a new spell arrives, the spells shift in the hand from left to right. When a spell is cast, it disappears. You can use any of the spells in your hand during the attack phase. There are no restrictions on how long a hand you can have throughout the attack phase. When the attack phase ends, all spells to the right of the first 5 are dismissed. Thus, when the defense phase begins, there can be no more than 5 spells left in the hand. Most spells cannot be cast during defense phase. "Dismissed" spells are unavailable until the end of combat. Their runes, however, stay with the hero throughout the combat.

White Ether is used to cast spells from your hand. Ether comes each turn before the attack phase. The number of incoming ether quanta varies depending on the number of ether channels. During combat, ether flow may remain the same throughout or it may increase by 1 - 2 quanta a turn. This growth depends on the heroes’ levels. There are spells that add or remove the ether channels and capture some of the enemy’s ether. The number of ether quanta required to cast the spell is displayed on spells' tool tips. The numbers may change according to the conditions declared before the combat (see below for more). During the attack phase, spells in your hand that cost more ether quanta than you currently have remaining are grayed out.

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The Field is the arena where the hero, the enemy, and any summoned creatures are situated. This is where all combat takes place.

Creatures that die on the battlefield are sent to the Graveyard. Creatures may rise from the dead, either by special spells or their own abilities; they may then return to the field or be summoned again from the hand. Creatures are located in the graveyard in the order they enter, i.e. recent arrivals are at the top, while the “older” ones are pushed down toward the bottom. There are also spells which can permanently remove creatures from the graveyard and send them into the “out of the game” field.

The Out of the Game field is where dismissed spells and removed creatures go. All objects in this field remain unavailable until the end of the combat.

You can’t see the spells in your enemy’s hand; you can only see the number of spells, the amount of ether, the number of ether channels, and the number of creatures in his graveyard. The same information about you is available to the other players in a multiplayer game.

Beginning of combat

Additional combat conditions occur randomly that apply to both sides. For instance, more ether quanta may be required to summon a creature, or every few turns each side will receive an additional spell. These conditions are connected to positions of the stars in the sky; you'll be informed in advance while playing on the Territory map. These astronomical events may last for several days, affecting any combat occurring during that time.

At the beginning of combat, both sides receive 5 spells in their hand. The defender gets an additional spell on his first turn. After that, spells come in the usual manner before each side’s attack phase.

Your initial attack phase – summoning creatures

The attack phase starts with the arrival of randomly selected spells from the Book. If the hero possesses a special ability or Concentration skill, he will get an additional spell every few turns. A certain amount of ether quanta arrives through ether channels together with the spells. Whether or not you can cast a given spell in your hand depends on the number of ether quanta you possess; each spell requires a different amount of ether quanta. One additional limitation: you cannot summon more than 10 creatures to the field, even if you have enough ether. Further summoning spells in your hand will be grayed out. Some races have spells that can increase the ether quanta they receive in a combat round.

You can cast any spell in your hand in any order until you use up all your ether. If there is no ether left, you will have to end your attack phase. All new creatures will be placed on the starting line behind your hero. Most creatures will not be ready to act immediately once summoned and must rest until the end of that attack phase. There are a few creatures that do not need initial rest and can be given orders immediately.

When casting certain spells, you don't have to specify a target; these spells are pre-designed for specific targets only, like your own or enemy hero or all summoned creatures on one or both sides. Other spells require that you choose the target. Please note that many spells including “strength” and “hunger” can affect both your own and enemy creatures, so be careful about choosing a target for them – strengthening an enemy creature doesn’t exactly help your cause!

When the attack phase begins, you can order your creatures to attack the enemy spellcaster. Not all creatures are capable of attacking. Bodyguard creatures (walls) and some others can’t attack enemies. Furthermore, your creatures can’t attack enemy creatures; you can only affect them by casting spells. Creatures will fight one another only when being used to block an attack on the spellcaster (see

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“Defense Phase” below). Some creatures may be temporarily unable to attack, including those resting after being summoned or after acting in the previous phase, creatures you “sent to rest” in exchange for some useful action, or creatures resting under the influence of enemy spells. Restless (a special ability) creatures don’t require rest periods. Creatures possessing the Berserk ability will always attack, even without your orders; it is impossible to bring them back.

Creatures that receive an “Attack” command move up to the line of attack near your hero and wait there for the “End of Phase” command. You'll need to issue the “End of Phase” command manually by clicking the lower right-hand corner icon. Until you have done so, you may cancel any of your attack orders and return your creatures back to their initial positions.

Ending your attack phase, entering the enemy’s defense phase

After the End of Phase command, creatures summoned during this stage rise and become active, but you'll be able to issue them commands only during your following defense phase. It is now the enemy’s defense phase, where he defends himself and controls the game. You can’t make any moves until your enemy finishes his defense phase and his following attack phase.

To defend his hero from your creatures’ attack, the enemy can use spells and creatures as blockers. The enemy decides which creatures will act as defenders to block your creatures on the attack line and in what order they will block you. You can’t interfere. After the enemy gives his “End Of Phase” command, combat between your attacking creatures and the enemy hero’s defenders begins. Your creatures will try to attack the enemy spellcaster, while his creatures will be blocking your strikes.

If there are no defenders, your creatures will damage the enemy hero directly using all their power, then return to their positions to rest. The enemy hero can’t fight back himself, but if he has creatures to defend him, they will absorb the damage. A blocker that receives damage equal to his toughness value is destroyed and sent to the “graveyard.” If a blocker receives damage less than his toughness value, he fights back against your creature and damages it using all of his remaining power. Depending on how powerful the blocker is, your creature may be destroyed and removed to the “graveyard.” Some defenders may possess the First Strike ability; if so, then your attacking creature will receive damage first. If two creatures with First Strike ability meet, the attacker has the initiative and will strike first.

If a defender has the Regeneration ability, it will not die when defeated but will instead recover its toughness. This costs the owner a certain amount of ether; if the owner doesn’t have enough ether, the creature cannot regenerate and dies. If a defending creature uses Regeneration, it may not strike back at the attacking creature in the same combat phase.

The enemy can assign several creatures to defend against your attacking creatures in a certain order. In this case, the second defender receives only the damage leftover from the difference between your attacker’s power and the first defender’s toughness, if any. If the first defender has enough toughness to withstand your attack, the other defenders will receive no damage. Thus the attacking creature's power will be divided between the defenders. Conversely, if several blockers strike a single attacking creature, total damage against the attacker equals the sum of the individual damages caused by each defender.

Once the enemy’s defense phase is over, all creatures return to their starting points. Attackers will rest there throughout the enemy’s subsequent attack phase and your defense phase. Defenders, on the other hand, do not require rest. All surviving creatures have their toughness and power fully restored, with a few minor exceptions.

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The enemy’s attack phase

When the enemy’s attack phase begins, he also receives new spells and ether quanta. The enemy may then cast any spells he received and/or summon new creatures. Any creatures he orders to attack will move to the original attack line. Control now returns to you for your defense phase.

Your defense phase

Attacks can be resisted in several ways. First, there are a few special spells available during the defense phase, but you may not possess them, as they are rare. The most common defense technique is to use creatures as blockers. You can specify which enemy creature attacks should be blocked. You can use several blockers against one attacking creature, and they will block that attacker in the order you specify. By setting defenders against an enemy creature, the attacker won’t be able to directly damage your hero that turn unless it possesses the Trample ability – such creatures will cause hero damage equal to their remaining power.

Choosing defenders and their battle order is very important. By planning your defense correctly, your creatures will be able to repel, damage, and destroy attacking creatures and send them to the Graveyard. There are certain limitations to defending. Flying creatures can be blocked only by other flying creatures. Some creatures cannot be blocked at all. Any attacking creatures you failed to block will damage your hero. After you have cast any available defensive spells and given orders to your blocking creatures, you issue the “End of Phase” command.

Ending your defense phase

Once you click the “End of Phase” icon, the enemy attackers and your defenders begin to fight automatically according to the commands they received. Surviving creatures return to their initial positions and recover their toughness and power. The enemy attackers will rest throughout the following attack and defense phases unless they possess the Restless ability. Your defenders do not need rest and are combat-ready.

Your defenders may have Regeneration ability and will use it in combat if they receive damage equal to or exceeding their toughness. Regeneration costs a certain amount of ether, so you may want not to spend all your ether during your attack phase and reserve some for regeneration purposes during defense.

One combat round is now completed. Your new attack phase begins and the cycle continues until one or both spellcasters are defeated.

Ether disturbance

Prolonged combat and the constant inflow of white ether have an adverse effect on heroes. Starting after a certain combat round (hero's level + 9), during each following round both sides’ combatants will receive damage. While there is no way to prevent this effect entirely, it can be delayed if you have the Channeling skill. This skill will delay the onset of damage to your hero by several rounds, while causing such damage to occur earlier for your enemy.

End of combat

Combat ends when one or both combatants are destroyed.

If your hero is victorious, he will receive experience points that can be used to upgrade his level or acquire new hero skills. After victory over monsters, you may also receive loot, usually in the form of resources. The amount of experience and/or loot received depends on the defeated enemy’s level. If a hero has the Learning and/or Looting skills, he will gain more experience and/or loot from a victory.

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If your hero is defeated, you will have to continue the game without him, unless you have the global spell, “Resurrection.”

Global Spells

Aside from “ground combat,” the use of global spells is another route to victory. Your goal is to destroy or weaken the enemy’s Castle by means of an “ether attack.” Castles have structure points. When a Castle is attacked, it loses structure points as determined by the attacking hero’s level and his ether attack skill. A Castle is destroyed when its structure points reach zero.

You can use global spells to attack an enemy’s Castle directly, to challenge your enemy to "ether combat" (a combat in a special “ethereal arena”), or to defend your Castle from the enemy’s ether attack.

Ether combat differs from ground combat. In ether combat, heroes cannot die, experience points are not assigned, and artifacts do not change hands. In order to meet in the ethereal arena, heroes do not need to be located at the same point on the map. For ether combat to take place, the respective Lords each call one hero to attack and defend the Castle in question.

Some global spells (e.g. “Wrath of the Dead”) may still work after Ether combat, depending on the outcome.

Use of Global Spells

During a game turn on the Territory map, you can begin producing a global spell in your Castle (see the Appendices for the list of global spells). When the global spell is ready, it becomes available for casting. A certain amount of ether is needed to produce a global spell.

Instead of giving a hero a usual movement command, you can order him to start an ether attack on the enemy’s Castle using a global spell. Conversely, when there is an ether attack on your Castle, you can order your hero to defend it (producing the appropriate spell will not cost resources but will cost a few ether). In fact, you may want to assign an "ether defender" to your Castle in advance. If a hero is in an ether fortification, he has the advantage in “ether” combat.

Once the attacker and defender are appointed, “ether combat” starts and proceeds just like "ground combat,” with heroes using their Spellbooks and runes in the usual manner. However, at the end of combat, both heroes remain alive and return to their original positions.

If the Castle defender wins, nothing happens – he just resisted the attack successfully. (Please note that a global spell cast earlier may affect the outcome). If the attacker wins, the defender’s Castle is damaged according to the attacker’s power level and ether combat skill. Certain global spells cast on an attacking hero before ether combat begins may augment the damage he does to the Castle if he is victorious.

If a Castle loses all of its structure points, it is destroyed. Your Castle can regenerate structure points by using any ether remaining at the end of a game turn (see “Resources, Ether Balance” for details).

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