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Advisor Sorcery Buggy Feature
As of Master of Magic v1.31, Call Lightning is known to be malfunctioning in at least one way. Please read the Known Bugs section below.
Call Lightning
CombatEnchantment CallLightning
Realm Icon NatureNature
Spell Rarity Very Rare
Spell Type Combat Enchantment
Combat Cost Icon Mana 60
Research Cost Icon Research 3,000
Effects
Every turn, between 3-5 Magical attacks are made against enemy units on the battlefield. Each attack has a strength of Icon Ranged Magic 8 and is Armor Piercing.

Call Lightning is a Very Rare Combat Enchantment belonging to the Icon NatureNature Magic realm. For Icon Mana 60 it may be cast during combat to give a lasting effect, whereby anywhere between 3-5 Magical attacks are made against various enemy units on the battlefield each turn. Each attack has a strength of Icon Ranged Magic 8.

Effects[]

Call Lightning randomly strikes several enemy units each turn with a medium-strength Magical attack.

Lightning Strikes[]

As long as Call Lightning is in effect over the battlefield, at the end of each of its caster's turns the game will fire between 3-5 magical attacks at random enemy units.

The game first rolls a random number to determine the number of attacks made. The limit is between 3 to 5 attacks, regardless of how many enemy units there are on the battlefield.

Each attack will randomly select one enemy unit that's still alive. The attack comes from outside the battlefield.

The lightning strike is a Icon Ranged Magic 8 attack delivering Magical Damage. It is considered a normal Magical Ranged Attack, and obeys the normal combat rules. Therefore, each of the Icon Ranged Magic 8 points has a 30% chance of delivering 1 point of damage to the target, giving a statistical damage output of 2.4 per bolt.

Each bolt delivers Armor Piercing Damage. Therefore, the enemy unit may block this attack using only half of its Icon Defense Defense score (rounded down), as per the normal Ranged Combat rules. For example, an enemy unit with Icon Defense 10 is only considered to have Icon Defense 5 for purposes of blocking damage.

Units with Magic Immunity do not suffer any damage from the lightning strikes.

Since each lightning bolt chooses its target randomly, it is quite possible for the same enemy unit to be hit repeatedly by all lightning bolts - especially if it is the only unit remaining on the battlefield.

The lightning strikes occur at the end of each one of the casting wizard's turn, before the other side gets to move its units.

Usage[]

Screenshot CallLightning

An enemy unit being hit by a lightning bolt generated by the Call Lightning spell.

Call Lightning may be cast during combat for a very high Casting Cost of Icon Mana 60. It will take effect as soon as the casting wizard's turn ends, and at the end of each subsequent turn for that wizard.

The lightning bolts striking enemy units are shown on screen as long blue streaks of electricity, as seen when using the Lightning Bolt spell.

After casting the spell, its icon will appear in the "Enchantments" window underneath the casting wizard's name. The spell will remain in effect until the end of battle, or until dispelled by the opponent. Since it does not carry on after the end of the battle, Call Lightning has no Upkeep Cost.

Acquisition[]

As a Very Rare Icon NatureNature spell, Call Lightning may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least Icon Nature3 Spellbooks. However, its availability during the game is not guaranteed unless the Wizard acquires at least Icon Nature10 Spellbooks.

Call Lightning may not be acquired at the start of the campaign regardless of how many Spellbooks the wizard possesses. It must either be Researched during the game, or acquired through other means.

Wizards with Icon Nature3 to Icon Nature9 Spellbooks have a random chance of being able to Research Call Lightning during the game. The chance for this spell to appear for research increases with the number of Icon NatureNature Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay. With Icon Nature10 or Icon Nature11 Spellbooks, the spell is guaranteed to appear for Research at some point, if it is not already available for casting.

Call Lightning has a base Research Cost of Icon Research 3,000.

With at least Icon Nature3 Spellbooks, the Call Lightning spell may be acquired as a reward for winning encounters in creature Lairs, Towers, et cetera, or when conquering the Fortress of a rival wizard who has already researched this spell.

Strategy[]

Call Lightning can cause a great amount of damage to enemy units, even those with decent Icon Defense Defense scores. The longer the spell is allowed to run its course (i.e. the more turns are spent while it is in effect) the more damage it will do, so stalling the enemy by any means (or evading it with fast-moving units) can mean that a battle may be won simply through the use of Call Lightning.

This spell also works well in unision with Entangle and Earth to Mud, keeping most opposing units from attacking your forces while they are slowly picked off.

Known Bugs[]

Call Lightning is potentially dangerous to use as it is known to crash the game occasionally. You would be well-advised to save the game prior to any battle if you like to use this spell or encounter rival wizards who like to use it.

In v1.31, Icon DeathWraith Form (whether Enchanted or gained through an Item) grants total immunity to this spell. The bolts will never target the enchanted unit(s). Insecticide corrects this by re-appropriating this feature to its likely intended target, the Magic Immunity ability instead. This works in favor of the caster, as the bolts are wasted on Magic Immune units anyway: they will take no damage from them whatsoever.

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