It seems like the "readiness" skill works a lot. For example, if a Mountain Guard attacks a Fury, it gets a bonus before the first attack. And if a Hydra attacks after that, it also gets a bonus. If there's an infinite retaliate skill (like with Golems), the unit will keep getting the bonus before and after the attack. I was really surprised by this with Erling on the "Dragon Hoard" or "Dragon Utopia" map – it's designed for two players. I was playing on Veteran difficulty, and I reached the end in week 4 with a level 16 hero. I barely managed to defeat him. I decided to play as a hero, and Erling showed up in week 3 with level 22, readiness, Rune Harmony, Master Chaos, and Battle Spirit, while I was only level 9. Because of this, the Lizard doesn't move very well, and the Gnome gets a +25% movement bonus. It's more interesting to fight with the Gnome (just for future reference). Gnomes are cool, but they annoy me. Sorry for the off-topic.