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I know! But I've always disliked this optionality...
New here? I'm Roha — want a quick tour?
I know! But I've always disliked this optionality...
I am very sorry that in the battle with the OPPONENT, I end up with a negative result.
By the way, regarding the red orb, I had an idea: instead of simply banning it, reduce, for example, 50% of the enemy's magic damage.
There are many such artifacts. Spirit of Despair, Hourglass of the Ages, Shackles, Red Orb... even the Might of the Dragon Father! It all depends on the situation. And whether you turn the situation to your advantage or disadvantage is up to you before the battle or when skipping a turn!
...
Please tell me - if I have this amulet, why should I even equip it? Just to get hit in the head by Armageddon?
Sphere (medal) of Vulnerability. Features of its use in battle
Based on materials from huMMer (http://gdb.diaspora.ru/) Provided by Wight
As is known, HoMM III has a number of monsters that are not subject to the action of certain spells or types of magic. These monsters, as well as their properties, are well known, although some nuances are learned only empirically, since far from everything is indicated in the game manual and official NWC information. But that's only half the trouble. Real confusion begins when the "Orb of Vulnerability" artifact appears on the scene, which, as stated in the description, "removes the natural immunity of all monsters on the battlefield." This definition completely misleads the user.
"Natural Magic Resistance is a monster's permanent ""immunity"" to certain spells or types (or schools) of magic. This means that under normal conditions, neither side (neither the army leader, nor his opponent, nor monsters capable of casting spells) can cast them on this monster. Not to be confused with the ability to reflect hostile magical attacks with a certain probability* (dwarves, unicorns (aura), crystal dragons), the ability of golems to reflect part of the damage dealt by strike spells, as well as the ability of Magic Dragons to reflect a spell onto an enemy unit (Magic Mirror)
"
Below is a summary table (including AB and SOD monsters) by castle type and for neutral monsters
City Monster Immune to the following spells
Tower / Tower stone/obsidian gargolie Resurrect, Sacrifice
stone/iron golem Mind-affecting spells, Resurrect, Sacrifice, Fear
Giants/Titans Mind-affecting Spells
Rampart / Rampart Green Dragons All level 1-3 spells
Gold Dragons All level 1-4 spells
Dungeon / Dungeon Troglodytes/Infernal Troglodytes Blind
Red Dragons All level 1-3 spells
Black Dragons All spells
Inferno / Inferno Efreet/Efreet Sultan All Fire Magic spells**
Necropolis / Necropolis All monsters Bless, Curse, Sacrifice, Mind-affecting spells, Fear
Conflux / Conflux Firebirds/Phoenixes All Fire Magic spells
Elementals (all) Mind-affecting spells, resurrect, sacrifice, Fear
Additional immunity of various Elementals
Air/Strom Elementals Meteor Shower
Water/Ice Elementals Strike spells of water magic (Ice Bolt, Frost Ring)
Fire/Energy Elementals All Fire Magic spells
Earth Elementals Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Armageddon
Magma Elementals Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Armageddon
Magic Elementals All spells
Castle / Castle There are no monsters with magic immunity in these castles
Stronghold / Stronghold
Fortress / Fortress
Neutrals Azure Dragons All level 1-3 spells, Fear
Mummies Bless, Curse, Sacrifice, Mind-affecting spells, Fear
Gold/Diamond Golems Same as Tower golems
* - The Orb of Vulnerability completely neutralizes the effect of the secondary skill "Magic Resistance" in all its manifestations - all artifacts that increase resistance do not work, and Torgrim's specialization (Magic Resistance) also does not work.
** - all monsters immune to fire magic spells also take no damage from Fire Shield (whether cast on an attacking enemy unit or from Efreet Sultans). However, monsters invulnerable to level 4 spells (Black, Gold dragons and Magic Elementals) are affected by this spell.
Naturally, no one except the undead is subject to the Destroy Undead and Animate Dead spells, and the undead are not subject to Death Ripple and Resurrect. Golems, Elementals, Necromancer and Mummies are not subject to "fear" before Azure Dragons.
Effect of the "Orb of Vulnerability" artifact
First, let's start with the fact that the Orb acts differently for its owner and the opponent: the owner can cast previously non-working spells on both their own and enemy troops. Their opponent also gains the ability to cast previously non-working spells, but only on enemy units. Example: red has the artifact and attacks blue. Blue will be able to cast blindness on the opponent's titans, but will not be able to revive (bless, etc.) his own black dragons. This same principle applies to spells cast on one's own troops by monsters (Archangel, Genie, Ogre Magi, Enchanters, etc.) - only for the carrier do they start working where they didn't before.
Thus, the artifact carrier can equally successfully send previously non-working spells to both their own troops and enemy troops. Their enemy - only to the opponent's troops. In NWC's description, this is not mentioned even remotely.. In general, in my opinion, this is quite strange: for example, Recanter's Cloak and Orb of Inhibition act equally on ALL sides - which is exactly what is written. True, by analogy, say, Sphere of Permanence acts: the Dispel spell does not work only on your troops.
But that's not the main thing. From the definition of this artifact, it may seem that in its presence, ANY spells can be cast on ANY monsters. Far from it! Monsters partially retain immunity to some spells or their groups. I will try to provide a summary table again and show what happens when using this artifact. In the second column, for clarity, information from the first table is repeated, and in the third column, the spells are indicated to which a particular monster remained immune even in the presence of the Orb. A dash in this column means that the artifact actually removed all immunity of this monster and allows casting all spells on it. In the table, naturally, obvious things were not taken into account - the impossibility of casting Death Ripple and Resurrect on the undead, and the impossibility of casting Destroy Undead and Animate Dead on everyone else.
Monster Immunity Immunity with orb
Gargolies Resurrect, Sacrifice Resurrect, Sacrifice
Golems (all, including neutrals) Mind-affecting spells, Resurrect, Sacrifice Mirth, Sorrow, Resurrect, Sacrifice, Fear
Giants/Titans Mind-affecting Spells -
Green Dragons All level 1-3 spells -
Gold Dragons All level 1-4 spells -
Troglodytes/Infernal Troglodytes Blind Blind
Red Dragons All level 1-3 spells -
Black Dragons All spells -
Efreet/Efreet Sultan All Fire Magic spells -
Undead (including Mummies) Bless, Curse, Sacrifice, Mind-affecting spells Bless, Curse, Sacrifice, Mirth, Sorrow, Fear
Elementals (all) Resurrect, Sacrifice, Mind-affecting spells Resurrect, Sacrifice, Mirth, Sorrow, Fear
Phoenix All Fire Magic spells -
Azure Dragons All level 1-3 spells -
Additional immunity of various elementals
Air/Storm Elementals Meteor Shower -***
Water/Ice Elementals Ice Bolt, Frost Ring -
Fire/Energy Elementals All Fire Magic spells -
Earth Elementals Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning -
Magma Elementals Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Armageddon -
Magic Elementals All spells -
*** - all elementals remain immune to Mirth, Sorrow, Resurrect and Sacrifice spells. A dash means that various classes of elementals lose their additional immunity to other spells.
Some nuances of the Orb of Vulnerability's action
1. Cure and Dispel: Dispel is the first of two spells that does not fit into the "Carrier - on all, enemy - only on others" scheme. Thus, if the artifact carrier cast Mass Slow on an enemy who has, say, black dragons, magic elementals and "normal" monsters, then the enemy, casting Dispel, removes Mass Slow from all their troops, meaning they still cast a spell on such of their own troops that in a normal situation they could not. Attention! Cure does NOT work this way, and in our example Mass Slow would be removed only from those monsters in the enemy army on which this spell can be cast.
2. Armageddon. If this spell is cast by the artifact carrier, it affects everyone. If by their opponent - then it affects all enemies and only those of their own troops that it would affect without the Orb.
3. Fireball, Frost Ring, Inferno, Meteor Shower - all these spells work as follows: if they are cast by the artifact carrier, and their monster, who normally has immunity to them, falls into the hit zone, then he is affected. If cast by the enemy - on the contrary, the immunity of their troops to such spells is fully preserved.
4. Chain Lightning. Everything - exactly the opposite! If the "tail" of a Chain Lightning cast by an enemy can reach their, say, Magic Elementals, then it will successfully affect them. This is the second spell that does not fit into the artifact's same working scheme.
5. Fire Shield. The Orb has no effect on the action of Fire Shield in terms of dealing damage. That is, phoenixes, ifreets and fire elementals receive no damage from Fire Shield (either as a spell or from Efreet Sultans), both with and without the orb. In terms of casting Fire Shield, it differs in nothing from other Fire magic spells - that is, monsters on whom it could not be cast become available for casting in the presence of the artifact.
Changes in monster abilities
Dragon Flies - Gain the ability to cast Dispel and Weakness on all enemies previously immune to these spells. By the way, the presence of a Sphere of Permanence makes the Carrier's troops also invulnerable to Dispel from Dragon Flies.
Mummies, Black/Dread Knights - Gain the ability to cast Curse on all enemies previously immune to this spell, except, of course, the undead.
Fairy Dragons - Gain the ability to cast all combat spells on all enemy monsters. In the case where the spell is Chain Lightning, Meteor Shower, Fireball, Inferno, Frost Ring, their operation features are the same as if they were cast by heroes.
First, you need to gather the reconnaissance class + navigation!