Death

Death Quick Reference
	Summoning	Unit Enchantment	City Enchantment	Global Enchantment	Combat	Special
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Common	Skeletons Effects: Summoning Target: n/a Research Cost: 20 Casting Cost: 25 mana Upkeep: 1 mana/turn Summons a group of 6 skeletons and binds them to the will of the wizard. Skeletons have missile immunity. Ghouls Effects: Summoning Target: n/a Research Cost: 130 Casting Cost: 80 mana Upkeep: 1 mana/turn Summons a pack of ghouls and binds them to the will of the wizard. Any units slain mostly by the ghouls arise after the battle to serve the wizard in his undead army.	Cloak of Fear Effects: Unit Enchantment Target: one unit Research Cost: 80 Casting Cost: 12/60 mana Upkeep: 1 mana/turn Surrounds the target unit with a fear-inspiring aura. Any time enemy units attempt to engage in melee combat with the cloaked unit they must first try to overcome their fright (on a per figure basis) before they can attack or counterattack.	Dark Rituals Effects: City Enchantment Target: friendly city Research Cost: 60 Casting Cost: 30 mana Upkeep: none Generates a frenzy of sacrificing to the gods of death, which doubles the power obtained from shrines, temples, parthenons and cathedrals. However, the rituals reduce the city population growth by 25% and increase the level of unrest by one.		Weakness Effects: Unit Enchantment Target: enemy unit Research Cost: 40 Casting Cost: 5 mana Upkeep: none Saps the strength from a target unit's creatures, who suffer a penalty of 2 to their melee, thrown and ranged attack strengths, unless the unit resists the spell at a -2 penalty. Black Sleep Effects: Unit Enchantment Target: enemy unit Research Cost: 100 Casting Cost: 15 mana Upkeep: none If the target unit fails to resist at -2, all creatures within are thrust into a deep sleep. The unit is unable to take any actions and any attacks on the unit automatically do maximum damage. Life Drain Effects: Instant Combat Target: enemy unit Research Cost: 160 Casting Cost: 10+ mana Upkeep: none Siphons life from a target unit and gives it to a spell caster hero or converts the drained life into mana for a spell caster wizard. Additional mana makes the spell harder to resist. Units destroyed mainly by Life Drain become Undead under the caster's control. Terror Effects: Combat Enchantment Target: n/a Research Cost: 190 Casting Cost: 20 mana Upkeep: none Casts a pall of fear on all enemy units. During every combat turn, each enemy unit must attempt (+1 bonus to resistance) to overcome the terror that grips it, or cower in fear. When a unit is cowering it cannot attack; however, the unit can still counterattack when it is defending against melee attacks initiated by the enemy. Mana Leak Effects: Combat Enchantment Target: enemy wizard Research Cost: 220 Casting Cost: 20 mana Upkeep: none All enemy spellcasters are drained 5 mana each combat turn. This includes the opponent wizard you are currently battling. Additionally, all units with magical ranged attacks lose one spell shot each turn. Darkness Effects: Combat Enchantment Target: n/a Research Cost: 250 Casting Cost: 25 mana Upkeep: none Drapes a shroud of darkness over the entire battlefield inspiring creatures of death, who gain one point each in attack strength (swords), defense (shields) and resistance (crosses). Creatures of life, on the other hand, are dispirited and lose one point each in attack strength, defense, and resistance.
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Uncommon	Night Stalker Effects: Summoning Target: n/a Research Cost: 560 Casting Cost: 250 mana Upkeep: 5 mana/turn Summons a night stalker and binds it to the will of the wizard. Night Stalkers are invisible, non-corporeal, and have the dreaded death gaze. Shadow Demons Effects: Summoning Target: n/a Research Cost: 800 Casting Cost: 325 mana Upkeep: 7 mana/turn Summons a group of 4 shadow demons and binds them to the will of the wizard. Shadow demons can plane shift and regenerate.	Lycanthropy Effects: Permanent Unit Enchantment Target: one normal unit Research Cost: 400 Casting Cost: 180 mana Upkeep: 5 mana/turn 'Curses' a normal unit with the effects of lycanthropy, changing them into werewolves with the ability to regenerate and weapon immunity. Black Channels Effects: Permanent Unit Enchantment Target: normal unit Research Cost: 500 Casting Cost: 100 mana Upkeep: 1 mana/turn Transforms the target creature into a vile undead being with +2 melee attack strength, +1 to missile attack strength, breath attacks, hit points, resistance and defense. Undead can not be healed or animated, but gain all the immunities of Death creatures. Berserk Effects: Unit Enchantment Target: one unit Research Cost: 740 Casting Cost: 30 mana Upkeep: none The target's melee attack strength is doubled and its defense is reduced to 0.	Wall of Darkness Effects: City Enchantment Target: one city Research Cost: 680 Casting Cost: 40/200 mana Upkeep: 5 mana/turn No enemy unit outside a wall of darkness may attack a friendly unit inside with a ranged attack, unless the enemy unit has illusions immunity.		Possession Effects: Unit Enchantment Target: one normal unit Research Cost: 350 Casting Cost: 30 mana Upkeep: none Attempts to change the allegiance of a normal enemy unit to that of the casting wizard. If the target unit becomes possessed, it fights for the casting wizard until combat ends. Note that fantastic creatures and heroes may not be possessed. Black Prayer Effects: Combat Enchantment Target: n/a Research Cost: 450 Casting Cost: 35 mana Upkeep: none The attack strength and defense of all enemy units is reduced by 1 and their resistance is reduced by 2.	Drain Power Effects: Instant Target: enemy wizard Research Cost: 300 Casting Cost: 50 mana Upkeep: none Drains 50-150 mana points from a target wizard's mana reserve. Subversion Effects: Instant Target: enemy wizard Research Cost: 620 Casting Cost: 100 mana Upkeep: none Creates a feeling of contempt for the target wizard in all other wizards, reducing relations by 25 diplomatic points.
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Rare	Wraiths Effects: Summoning Target: n/a Research Cost: 1120 Casting Cost: 500 mana Upkeep: 5 mana/turn Summons a group of 4 wraiths and binds them to the will of the wizard. Wraiths are non-corporeal and have a -3 resistance life-stealing attack.	Wraith Form Effects: Unit Enchantment Target: one unit Research Cost: 880 Casting Cost: 30/150 mana Upkeep: 3 mana/turn Target unit becomes non-corporeal. Non-corporeal units gain weapon immunity and the ability to move across any terrain at a cost of 1/2 movement point.	Cloud of Shadow Effects: City Enchantment Target: friendly city Research Cost: 1200 Casting Cost: 150 mana Upkeep: 3 mana/turn Summons a great cloud of shadow which surrounds the city as long as the enchantment is in effect. All combats taking place at the city are treated as though a Darkness spell has been cast. Evil Presence Effects: City Enchantment Target: enemy city Research Cost: 1040 Casting Cost: 100 mana Upkeep: 4 mana/turn A demonic presence enters the target city, destroying any power generated by shrines, temples, parthenons, and cathedrals. The spell has no effect if the city's owner can use death magic. Famine Effects: City Enchantment Target: enemy city Research Cost: 1600 Casting Cost: 200 mana Upkeep: 5 mana/turn Halves the food production of the afflicted city as long as the famine is in effect. If the city has an insufficient food supply, the citizens will begin to starve. Cursed Lands Effects: City Enchantment Target: enemy city Research Cost: 1700 Casting Cost: 150 mana Upkeep: 2 mana/turn Halves the production of a city.	Zombie Mastery Effects: Global Enchantment Target: n/a Research Cost: 1500 Casting Cost: 800 mana Upkeep: 40 mana/turn All normal creatures falling in battle become zombies at the end of the battle under the control of the casting wizard if that wizard is victorious.	Wrack Effects: Combat Enchantment Target: n/a Research Cost: 960 Casting Cost: 40 mana Upkeep: none Wracks all enemy non-death creatures with the powers of darkness. Each figure in every enemy unit must resist with a +1 bonus or take 1 point of damage.	Warp Node Effects: Instant Target: owned magic node Research Cost: 1300 Casting Cost: 75 mana Upkeep: none Corrupts the targeted magic node, cursing the controller and drawing out 5 mana from the wizard instead of generating more. Once warped, a node can only be returned to normal by a Disenchant Area or Disenchant True spell. Until then the node will continue to draw out magical power. Black Wind Effects: Instant Target: map square Research Cost: 1400 Casting Cost: 200 mana Upkeep: none All figures in each enemy unit within the targeted land must resist at -1 or rot away from a vile degenerative disease that slays almost immediately.
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Very Rare	Death Knights Effects: Summoning Target: n/a Research Cost: 2250 Casting Cost: 600 mana Upkeep: 8 mana/turn Summons a group of 4 death knights and binds them to the will of the wizard. Death knights attack with +3 to-hit, armor piercing and first strike. They also have a -4 resistance life-stealing attack. Demon Lord Effects: Summoning Target: n/a Research Cost: 6000 Casting Cost: 1000 mana Upkeep: 15 mana/turn Summons a demon lord and binds it to the will of the wizard. Demon lords can summon up to 3 lesser demons per combat, have weapon immunity, and have a -1 resistance life-stealing attack both in melee and at range.		Pestilence Effects: City Enchantment Target: enemy city Research Cost: 3500 Casting Cost: 350 mana Upkeep: 5 mana/turn Spreads a plague throughout the affected city killing one population each turn if the current population exceeds a 1-10 roll.	Eternal Night Effects: Global Enchantment Target: n/a Research Cost: 4000 Casting Cost: 1000 mana Upkeep: 15 mana/turn Covers the world in a blanket of darkness. Except for those cities protected by Heavenly Light, all combats are assumed to be covered by the spell of Darkness. Evil Omens Effects: Global Enchantment Target: n/a Research Cost: 4500 Casting Cost: 1100 mana Upkeep: 10 mana/turn All nature and life spells cost 50% more than normal to cast.	Word of Death Effects: Instant Combat Target: one unit Research Cost: 2000 Casting Cost: 40 mana Upkeep: none Each figure in one unit must save at -5 or be slain instantly. Death Spell Effects: Instant Combat Target: n/a Research Cost: 2500 Casting Cost: 50 mana Upkeep: none All figures in each enemy unit must resist at -2 or be struck dead where they stand. Animate Dead Effects: Instant Combat Target: one dead unit Research Cost: 3000 Casting Cost: 50 mana Upkeep: none Raises one slain enemy (not protected by magic immunity) or ally unit from the dead and places it under your control. The creature becomes undead, and is treated as a creature of death for all purposes. Animated fantastic units cost 50% more in maintenance.	Cruel Unminding Effects: Instant Target: enemy wizard Research Cost: 1850 Casting Cost: 250 mana Upkeep: none Target wizard loses 1-10% of spell casting skill permanently. Death Wish Effects: Instant Target: n/a Research Cost: 5000 Casting Cost: 500 mana Upkeep: none All enemy normal units on both planes must resist or be slain.

Overview

The Death Realm concentrates on combative spells to raise undead armies, curse and wither enemy forces, and gnaw away at rival empires. This color is so strongly antithetical to white magic that wizards are barred from owning Spellbooks of both types.

Black features Combat Instants, most of them Curses, that are either strong on their own or have synergy with other forms of attack, but using them repeatedly is extremely costly. The same goes for its line of big-ticket Town Curses. On harder difficulty settings, players find that these spells seem to get lost amid the AI's immense statistical advantages, though on the same token, AI-controlled black wizards can cause misery to the human player with them and are high-priority foes.

This realm shows its true quality for us through its Summoned units, which are exceedingly cost-effective either by way of being cheap themselves or by turning their victims into Undead under the wizard's control. Raised en masse, undead Normal Units are a powerful economic and military asset.

Description

Master of Magic's in-game documentation alludes to the existence of the Death Realm. This would be the underworld, a dark plane nestled deep below the realities of Arcanus and Myrror, populated by demons and lost souls. It is also certain from in-game evidence that a pantheon of evil gods exist here, who traffic in bargains and sacrifice.

While this plane cannot be entered and explored, it is the source of all Black Magic channeled by spellcasters, and home to all Fantastic creatures of death. These creatures may be bound to the will of a spellcaster with brute force. Revenants can also be assembled by necromancy, a branch of the realm concerned with putting mortal husks back into active service. When destroyed, these beings either plunge back into the Death Realm or into total annihilation.

The realm of the dead actively defies mortal understanding and prevents certain mysteries of the cosmos from ever being uncovered. Its magic governs the binding and purging of souls in containers, and the evocation of darkness, nightmares, and life-draining energy. Despite its key role in the cosmology of the game, hands-on study of Death Magic likely involves a great deal of cruel experimentation and is only practiced beyond the fringes of civil society, by wizards and cabalists.