Ranged Magical Attack

This article deals specifically with Magical Ranged Attacks. For an overview of how Ranged Attacks work in general, see Ranged Attack.

A Ranged Magical Attack (or "Magical Ranged Attack") is one of three kinds of Ranged Attacks available in Master of Magic. When a unit is capable of making a Ranged Magical Attack, its details panel will show the strength of the attack as a series of energy bolts. The same icon is used on this wiki to represent Ranged Magical Attacks and/or their strength.

Ranged Magical Attacks have two important advantages over other Ranged Attacks. Firstly, they are accurate at any distance, suffering no To Hit penalties based on the range to the target. Thus, a Ranged Magical Attack is as effective across the entire battlefield as it is when up-close. Furthermore, Ranged Magical Attacks are often stronger and much more common than Ranged Missile Attacks, and will completely bypass a target's Missile Immunity, if any.

On the other hand, Ranged Magical Attacks can be stopped very easily by targets possessing Magic Immunity. Also, there are spells meant specifically to block a unit's resistance to Ranged Magical Attacks of certain types.

Like all other Ranged Attacks, Ranged Magical Attacks may only be used a limited number of times per battle. For most units, this is a set number displayed in the unit's details panel, as it would be for a Ranged Missile Attacker or Ranged Boulder Attacker. Other Ranged Magical Attack units must pay 3 Mana out of their own pool for each attack, and thus are the number of attacks they can make is limited by the size of their (possibly dynamic) Mana pool.

Ranged Magical Attacks are the most common of all Ranged Attacks in the game, possessed by no fewer than 20 different types of Normal Units, 6 Fantastic Units, and 14 Heroes. Most of the Heroes possessing a Ranged Magical Attack may use a Staff or Wand to increase the strength of this attack.

Finally, for the purposes of this wiki, all direct-damage spells are said to deliver a Ranged Magical Attack against their target, since they usually follow the same rules outlined below. Therefore, the strength of such spells is also denoted by the energy bolt icon.

Ranged Magical Attack Properties[]

A Ranged Magical Attack is one of three different types of Ranged Attack in Master of Magic, with the other two being Ranged Missile Attacks and Ranged Boulder Attacks. There are several important differences between each of these attack types. The advantages and disadvantages of Ranged Magical Attacks are explained below - for an overall comparison, see Ranged Attack.

No Distance Penalties[]

The primary advantage of Ranged Magical Attacks is that they suffer no penalties based on the distance to the target. Other Ranged Attacks will suffer a To Hit penalty corresponding to that distance, making them weaker the further away the target.

As a result, Ranged Magical Attacks are exactly as useful when the target is all the way on the other side of the battlefield as they are when the target is immediately adjacent to the attacker.

Tactically speaking, this means that Ranged Magical Attack units can unleash this attack immediately at the start of the battle without having to close the distance first. It also means that enemy targets cannot minimize their damage by moving away from the attacker.

Overall, this results in an increased damage output for the attacker, compared to similar-strength Ranged Missile Attackers or Ranged Boulder Attackers. When going into battle against Ranged Magical Attackers, expect weak units to die or be seriously injured before they can even make contact with the enemy.

No Immunity to Missiles[]

Ranged Magical Attacks do not trigger a target's Missile Immunity (if it possesses one at all). Thus, units with a Ranged Magical Attack are often brought in to fight Missile-Immune opponents, where Ranged Missile Attackers would simply have no effect whatsoever.

Magical Damage[]

All Ranged Magical Attacks deliver Magical Damage to the target. Unfortunately this is a disadvantage, since Magical Damage can easily be stopped by several effects, such as Magic Immunity.

When a unit with Magic Immunity is struck by a Ranged Magical Attack, its Defense score is temporarily boosted to 50 for purposes of blocking this attack. This normally results in the attack delivering no damage at all to the target. The only exceptions occur when the Ranged Magical Attack is so powerful that it can actually defeat 50. Only powerful and highly-Experienced Heroes, augmented by powerful Magical Items, will be able to do this.

Furthermore, several spells and abilities will raise the unit's Defense against Ranged Magical Attacks by a small amount, reducing damage from such attacks. The most common example is Large Shield, though Resist Elements and Bless may also have some effect against particular types of Ranged Magical Attacks (see below).

Ranged Magical Attack Subtypes[]

When different units perform a Ranged Magical Attack, the animation of the energy bolt they fire may differ from that of other units. This is not simply a cosmetic difference, but rather indicates the Magical Realm with which the attack is associated. This is handy information for predicting the effects of various protective Enchantments. For instance, Bless or Righteousness will trigger against enemy fire associated with Chaos, but grants no protection against that of Nature or Sorcery. There are no Ranged Magical Attacks associated with Life or Death.

The following table explains briefly how to recognize a Ranged Magical Attack belonging to a specific Realm.

Ranged graphic	Realm	Animation	Units Using Animation
Sprite's shimmer	Nature		Sprites
Priest's sparkles	Nature		Serena, Elana, Priests, Shamans
Ice bolt	Nature		Jaer, Djinn
Green bolt	Nature		Greyfairer
Illusion ball	Sorcery		Zaldron, Aerie
Fire bolt	Chaos		Reywind, Malleus, Morgana, Aureus, Mystic X, Magicians, Warlocks, Efreet
Lightning bolt	Chaos		Yramrag, Warrax, Storm Giant
Death bolt	Chaos		Ravashack, Shadow Demons, Demon Lord
Drow sparkles	Chaos		Dark Elf Spearmen, Swordsmen, Halberdiers, Cavalry, Nightmares

Units with Ranged Magical Attacks[]

The game contains exactly 41 units that possess a Ranged Magical Attack. These are the only units that possess such an attack: no unit may acquire a Ranged Magical Attack under any circumstance if it does not have one by default.

Normal Units[]

21 of the Ranged Magical Attack units in the game are Normal Units from various Races. Shamans, Priests and Magicians all possess a Ranged Magical Attack. So do the majority of Dark Elf units - including the Warlocks and Nightmares - which get a Ranged Magical Attack as one of their racial advantages.

All of these units may make up to 4 Ranged Magical Attacks per battle. Since these units are all Multi-Figure units, their overall attack strength can be pretty high, and thus quite dangerous to opponents.

Normal Units acquire Experience over time, which slowly increases the strength of their Ranged Magical Attack. Some can become very powerful by the time they reach Level 4 ("Elite") or higher. The table below lists a unit's strength when it is still at its lowest Experience Level with no bonuses whatsoever.

Unit Name	# Figures	Default Attack Strength
Barbarian Shamans	4	2
Halfling Shamans	4	2
High Elf Magicians	4	5
High Men Priests	4	4
High Men Magicians	6	5
Lizardmen Shamans	4	2
Nomad Priests	4	4
Orc Shamans	4	2
Orc Magicians	4	5
Beastmen Priests	4	4
Beastmen Magicians	4	5
Dark Elf Spearmen	8	1
Dark Elf Swordsmen	6	1
Dark Elf Halberdiers	6	1
Dark Elf Cavalry	4	1
Dark Elf Priests	4	6
Warlocks	4	7
Nightmares	2	5
Draconian Shamans	4	2
Draconian Magicians	4	5
Troll Shamans	4	2

Fantastic Units[]

6 Fantastic Units may make Ranged Magical Attacks. Of these, the Sprites and Storm Giant may make up to 4 such attacks per battle, while the Shadow Demons and Demon Lord may make up to 8 such attacks per battle.

The Efreet and Djinn have personal Mana pools, and will spend 3 on each Ranged Magical Attack they perform. Note that the Efreet and Djinn may also spend Mana on casting spells, and so may not have any Mana left for performing this attack - use judgment to determine how to spend their Mana properly.

Unit Name	Realm	# Figures	Attack Strength	Additional Notes
Sprites	Nature	4	3
Storm Giant	Sorcery	1	10	Armor Piercing
Djinn	Sorcery	1	8
Efreet	Chaos	1	9
Shadow Demons	Death	4	4
Demon Lord	Death	1	10	Life Steal

Heroes[]

There are 14 Heroes in the game who possess a Ranged Magical Attack. Each of these Heroes is also a Caster, with his/her own personal Mana pool and the ability to cast spells during combat. Each Ranged Magical Attack performed by such a Hero requires 3 Mana from that pool, and cannot be performed if there is insufficient Mana left for it.

Fortunately, Heroes' Mana pools will gradually grow with Experience, thus allowing more and more Ranged Magical Attacks to be performed (that is, assuming the extra Mana is not used to cast more spells instead).

12 of these 14 Heroes are also capable of holding a Staff or Wand. Any attack-strength bonuses and/or To Hit bonuses on the item will improve the user's Magical Ranged Attack strength. Bonuses on Jewelry items also apply to the wearer's Ranged Magical Attack, if he/she possesses one.

Heroes gain Experience over time, and their Ranged Magical Attack strength increases at a rate of +1 per level. Furthermore, if a Hero possesses a Ranged Magical Attack as well as the Arcane Power ability, his/her Ranged Magical Attack strength increases by an additional +1 or +1.5 per Experience Level (depending on the strength of the Hero's Arcane Power ability). Such Heroes can eventually have extremely powerful attacks, which may annihilate entire enemy units shortly after the beginning of combat.

The Blademaster and Lucky abilities also influences the Hero's Ranged Magical Attack, but do so indirectly by raising the Hero's To Hit score. This helps the attack inflict more of its potential damage output. Note that the same bonus applies to all of the Hero's attacks.

The table below assumes each Hero is at his/her starting Experience Level, with no Magical Items, Hero Abilities or Random Abilities.

Name	Attack Strength	Mana Pool	Additional Notes
Aureus the Golden One	6	5
Greyfairer the Druid	8	7
Jaer the Wind Mage	6	7
Malleus the Magician	8	10	Arcane Power
Morgana the Witch	8	10
Reywind the Warrior Mage	4	5
Serena the Healer	6	7
Yramrag the Warlock	8	15
Zaldron the Sage	6	7
Aerie the Illusionist	5	10	Illusion
Elana the Priestess	8	12	Arcane Power
Mystic X the Unknown	5	5
Ravashack the Necromancer	7	12	Arcane Power, Life Steal
Warrax the Chaos Warrior	8	10	Arcane Power, Armor Piercing

Spells Delivering a Ranged Magical Attack[]

Each and every spell that delivers direct-damage is considered on this wiki to be delivering a Magical Ranged Attack. This is because, for the most part, the process of dealing damage from such a spell is identical to the process of delivering damage from a Magical Ranged Attack made by a unit. There are a few exceptions, but they still behave much more like a Ranged Magical Attack than any other type of attack.

Since all of these spells deliver Magical Damage, they will not harm a target that possesses Magic Immunity. Unless otherwise stated in the spell's description, the spell's attack must make To Hit rolls as though it was a regular Magical Ranged Attack, and the target may make Defense rolls as normal. A few spells alter this process, particularly spells delivering Doom Damage (in which case no rolls are made by either party) or Immolation Damage (which behaves very differently from any other attack).

Furthermore, many direct-damage spells have an adjustable attack strength; the more Mana is put into the spell at casting time, the stronger the attack. There is always a maximum limit on the amount of Mana that can be added (and thus, on the strength of the attack), and different spells may have different Mana to Attack Strength ratios.

Spells and Abilities affecting Ranged Magical Attacks[]

Icon	Name	Description
Attack Strength
	Black Channels	+1 (normal units become Undead)
	Black Prayer	-1 for all enemy units
	Mind Storm	-5 if unit hasn't Illusions Immunity or Magic Immunity
	Shatter	Attack is reduced to 1 if normal unit fails to resist
	Chaos Surge	+2 for all units associated with Chaos (Efreet, Chaos Channeled units)
	Chaos Node Aura	+2 for all units associated with Chaos (Efreet, Chaos Channeled units)
	Nature Node Aura	+2 for all units associated with Nature (Sprites)
	Sorcery Node Aura	+2 for all units associated with Sorcery (Storm Giant, Djinn)
	Darkness	+1 for all units associated with Death (Shadow Demons, Demon Lord, Undeads); Cloud of Shadow and Eternal Night have same effect
	True Light	-1 for all units associated with Death (Shadow Demons, Demon Lord, Undeads); Heavenly Light has same effect
	Arcane Power	up to +9 (up to +13 if Super Arcane Power)
	Flaming	+3 (if this Item Power is used on a Staff or Wand)
	Staff	up to +6
	Wand	up to +2
	Jewelry	up to +4
To Hit Modifiers
	Lucky	+10% (also: +10% To Block)
	(High) Prayer	+10% for all allied units (also: +10% To Block)
	Vertigo	-20% if unit fails to resist
	Warp Reality	-20% for all units not associated with Chaos (Efreet, Chaos Channeled units)
	Blademaster	up to +40% ( +60% if Super Blademaster)
	Staff	up to +30%
	Wand	up to +10%
	Jewelry	up to +20%
Non-listed Defense
	Magic Immunity	Defense is increased to 50
	Large Shield	+2
	Resist Elements	+3 against and colored attacks (all attacks except Zaldron and Aerie)
	Elemental Armor	+10 against and colored attacks (all attacks except Zaldron and Aerie)
	Bless	+3 against colored attacks
	Righteousness	Defense is increased to 50 against colored attacks
Other
	Invisibility	unit can't be attacked unless opponent has Illusion Immunity
	Mana Leak	each round, every enemy unit loses 1 ammunition (respectively 5)
	Blur	roughly 10 % of all enemy attacks will miss (regardless of hit roll)
	Invulnerability	absorbs the first 2 damage coming from each enemy figure; unit gets Weapon Immunity
	Immolation	every enemy figure is hit by a 4 Fire Damage attack (To Hit modifiers have no effect)
	Armor Piercing	halves enemy's Defense (rounded down)
	Illusion	reduces enemy's Defense to 0 (unless enemy has Illusions Immunity)

Note: Spells and Abilities (not Items) listed under Attack Strength and Attack Modifiers will affect any , , , , attack in the same way. Spells and Abilities listed under Attack Strength will also modify Doom Gaze (and have a certain effect on Death Gaze and Stoning Gaze).