| Transmute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Realm |
 Nature | |
| Spell Rarity | Uncommon | |
| Spell Type | Instant | |
| Casting Cost |
 60 | |
| Research Cost |
 680 | |
| ||
|
Changes the Terrain Special in a targeted tile:
| ||
- This article is about the Nature spell called "Transmute". For the action of transmuting Gold into Mana and vice versa, see Alchemy.
Transmute is an Uncommon Instant Spell belonging to the Nature Magic realm. It may only be cast on the overland map. For the base Casting Cost of 60, it will change the Terrain Special in a targeted tile into another Terrain Special. It only affects specific minerals, other Terrain Specials may not be targeted.
Effects[]
Transmute alters the Terrain Special in a single tile. It can turn a Terrain Special beneficial to 
Production into one beneficial for 
Gold output, and can also perform the reverse effect (turning a Gold-oriented Terrain Special into a Production-oriented one).
The Transmutation[]
When Transmute is cast on an overland map tile, it will change the Terrain Special in that tile to a specific different Terrain Special. Below is the table of transmutations, including all Terrain Specials that may be affected by the Transmute spell:
| Mineral 1 | Mineral 2 | ||||
| Silver Ore | 
|
|
|
|
Mithril Ore |
| ( +2)
|
( +1 /  )
| ||||
| Gold Ore | 
|
|
|
|
Iron Ore |
| ( +3)
|
( -5% unit cost)
| ||||
| Gems | 
|
|
|
|
Coal |
| ( +5)
|
( -10% unit cost)
| ||||
Other Terrain Specials, such as Wild Game or Adamantium Ore, may not be targeted by the spell. Transmute will also not affect Encounter Zones, such as Towers of Wizardry, Monster Lairs, or Ruins.
Transmute is only beneficial when cast on a tile that is within the vicinity of a Town - it alters the bonuses this town gets from the Terrain Special in the tile.
Transmute does not affect the Terrain of the tile.
Usage[]
Transmute may only be cast on the overland map, for a basic Casting Cost of 60. It must be targeted at a tile containing one of the valid Terrain Specials, including Coal, Gems, Iron Ore, Gold Ore, Silver Ore or Mithril Ore. Other tiles may not be targeted.
The transmutation occurs instantly, accompanied by the visual effect of green sparkles. The tile is now considered to have its new Terrain Special, so nearby Towns will be affected immediately with the appropriate bonuses.
The new Terrain Special is permanent, and is not maintained by magic. Only the change itself is a result of the Transmute spell. The spell runs its entire course instantly, and therefore may not be dispelled after it has been cast, and does not require any Upkeep Costs.
You may cast Transmute repeatedly on the same tile, as many times as you wish. This can be used to undo a previous transmutation, thus enabling the wizard to micro-manage a nearby town's bonuses as necessary.
Acquisition[]
As an Uncommon Nature spell, Transmute may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least one Nature Spellbook. However, its availability during the game is almost never guaranteed.
Customized Wizards possessing 11 Spellbooks at creation time may choose this spell as one of their default spells before starting the game, in which case the spell will already be researched and available for casting immediately on the first turn.
Wizards who possess at least 8 Spellbooks, or Wizards with 11 Spellbooks who did not select Transmute 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 Nature Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay.
Transmute has a base Research Cost of 680.
With at least 1 Spellbook, the Transmute 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[]
Transmute is a good way to tailor the terrain around a Town to that town's specific purposes. For example, a unit production center will benefit more from Iron Ore, Coal and Mithril Ore than from Gold Ore, Gems or Silver Ore - so the wizard would be wise to change the Terrain Specials in the surrounding area to ones that would benefit the town's needs.