| Immolation (Spell) | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Realm |
 Chaos | |
| Spell Rarity | Uncommon | |
| Spell Type | Unit Enchantment | |
| Casting Cost |
 150 | |
| Combat Cost |
30 | |
| Upkeep Cost |
2 | |
| Research Cost |
 740 | |
| ||
Grants the target unit the  Immolation ability (a strength  4 Area Damage attack triggered as a Touch Attack). | ||
Immolation is an Uncommon Unit Enchantment belonging to the Chaos Magic realm. For 150 it may be cast on any unit on the overland map to envelop it in flames, granting it the 
Immolation Unit Ability. This causes the attacks of the enchanted unit to gain an added effect that is triggered as a Touch Attack, and delivers a strength 4 Immolation Damage attack. This attack becomes stronger in proportion to the number of 
figures in the enemy unit.
Alternatively, a cheaper version of the same spell may be cast for 30 during combat, in which case it will temporarily bestow the same bonus on a unit for the duration of the battle (with no permanent effects or upkeep costs).
Effects[]
Immolation bestows the unit with the Immolation ability, which, in turn, empowers its attacks with Immolation Damage. The ability is triggered using the rules and conditions governing Touch Attacks.
Immolation[]
- Main article: Immolation
When a unit possessing Immolation makes an attack against an enemy unit, it will perform an extra Immolation Damage attack with a strength of 4. This works as an added effect (Touch Attack), and will be triggered by dealing damage with the following attacks: Melee Attack, Counter Attack, Ranged Attack (any type), 
Thrown Attacks, 
Breath Attacks, and Gaze Attacks. Most notably, it does not trigger off other Touch Attacks, but it can trigger multiple times during the melee sequence for units that have one of the aforementioned Special Attacks.
Immolation Damage[]
- Main article: Area Damage
- Immolation Damage is the Area variant of Fire Damage, which means it is stronger in proportion to the number of
Figures in the enemy unit. It is delivered to each figure in the target unit separately, using its full Attack Strength. In turn, each figure can also make Defense rolls against it separately, using their unit's full Defense score, and no figure can be hit for more than its current Hit Points. At the end of the sequence, Damage is summed up and applied to the unit as a whole.
Immunities[]
- Targets possessing Magic Immunity or Righteousness are completely unaffected by Immolation Damage. Targets with Fire Immunity defend against it as if they had 50, and thus will almost certainly not suffer any damage either. In addition, the conditional Defense bonus granted by Bless, Resist Elements, Elemental Armor, and the Large Shield ability all apply against Immolation Damage.
Usage[]
Immolation may be cast during combat for a base Casting Cost of 30. In this case, the spell will only affect the targeted unit until the end of the battle - at which point it will dissipate.
Alternatively, Immolation may be cast on the overland map for a lasting effect. In this case it has a base Casting Cost of 150, and requires an Upkeep Cost of 2 per turn to maintain. Failure to pay this Upkeep Cost due to lack of Mana will cause the spell to dissipate. However, as long as the spell is paid for (and is not dispelled by a rival Wizard), the unit continues to enjoy its benefit.
Once the spell is in effect, the unit will glow with a Red aura, unless there is a more powerful spell also affecting it.
Immolation may be removed outside of combat by its caster by opening the unit statistics window and clicking on the enchantment's icon. This will bring up a confirmation dialog for releasing the spell. The primary reason to do this would be in order to remove the spell's Upkeep Cost, thus conserving Mana for other spells.
Acquisition[]
As an Uncommon Chaos spell, Immolation may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least one Chaos Spellbook. However, its availability during the game is almost never guaranteed.
Customized Wizards possessing 11 Spellbooks at game creation may choose Immolation as one of their starting spells, in which case it will be available for casting immediately on the first turn.
Wizards who possess at least 8 Spellbooks, or Wizards with 11 Spellbooks who did not select Immolation as a guaranteed spell, will be able to Research this spell at some point during their campaign. Wizards with fewer than 8 Spellbooks have a random chance of being able to Research it. The chance for this spell to appear increases with the number of Chaos Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay.
Immolation has a base Research Cost of 740.
With at least 1 Spellbook, the Immolation 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[]
Immolation is cast on a unit to make it stronger against enemy 
Multi-Figure units. Although it may inflict extra damage on enemy 
Single-Figure units as well, the true potential of this spell is only felt when the unit attacks (or is attacked by) an enemy Multi-Figure unit.
This is because Immolation delivers an attack against each and every enemy figure simultaneously, thus the more figures there are, the more damage the enemy unit may suffer in total. Therefore, units with Immolation cast upon them are exceptionally useful for taking on enemy Normal Units, which often contain upwards of 4 figures.
Because the Immolation Damage occurs simultaneously with the exchange of Melee Damage during melee combat, it's important to remember that the enchanted unit is still at risk. Therefore, the spell is best cast on tougher melee units, who can stand multiple attacks from enemy units. Single-Figure Fantastic Units and Heroes are often the best targets for this spell.
On the other hand, since Immolation is also triggered by both long- and short range attacks (, 
, 
, , , and Gaze Attacks), it can provide additional damage to any of these attacks. In particular, units with Magical ranged attacks and Breath attacks may make good targets for this enchantment, as these attacks are fairly difficult to enhance otherwise.
In addition, Immolation complements Gaze Attacks quite well, as they are both strong against Multi-figure targets, and Immolation Damage is 
Defense-based, allowing these units to exploit any weakness their targets may have before being dealt Counter Attack damage. Immolation can also trigger off of a Gaze Attack when defending against a Melee Attack.
Known Bugs[]
Immolation can be considered bugged, since it is triggered with every attack that the corresponding unit makes. This includes Ranged Magic, Boulder and Missile attacks, even though the attacker does not have to stand next to its victim to perform these.
For Thrown, Breath, and Gaze Attacks, the victim may have to withstand 2 (or more) separate Immolation attacks during a single melee sequence, as all of these attacks will trigger it in their respective phases. This is, of course, in addition to it also being triggered in the Melee Damage phase.