Fire Bolt | ||
---|---|---|
Realm | Chaos | |
Spell Rarity | Common | |
Spell Type | Combat Instant | |
Casting Cost | 5-25 | |
Research Cost | 60 | |
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Strikes the target unit with a 5-25 Fire Damage attack. |
Fire Bolt is a Common Combat Instant belonging to the Chaos Magic realm. It may only be cast during combat, and must be targeted at an enemy unit. For 5 the spell will strike the target with a Magical Bolt delivering 5 points of Fire Damage. Up to 20 additional Mana points may be spent increasing the strength of this bolt, with each 1 adding +1.
Effects[]
Fire Bolt launches a powerful bolt that delivers Fire Damage to its target. The spell may be cast with additional Mana input to increase damage proportionally.
The Bolt[]
When Fire Bolt is cast at an enemy unit during combat, a magical flaming bolt will swiftly descend from the sky and strike that unit. The bolt delivers Fire Damage to the target based on the amount of Mana the casting Wizard invests in the spell.
The minimum strength of the bolt is 5. This value is used when the spell is cast at its base Casting Cost of 5. Each additional 1 spent on the spell increases the strength of the bolt by +1, for a maximum possible potency of 25.
The Fire Bolt is considered to be a Ranged Attack originating from off-map (i.e. not from any of the units on the battlefield). It does not suffer any To Hit penalties for range, so each 1 strength point has a 30% chance of inflicting 1 Damage Point to the enemy unit. Therefore, a minimal Fire Bolt delivers about 1.5 on average, while a fully-powered Fire Bolt delivers about 7.5 on average.
The enemy unit may block this attack using its Defense score, as per the normal Ranged Combat rules.
This attack delivers Fire Damage. Therefore, targets possessing the Fire Immunity, Magic Immunity , and/or Righteousness suffer hardly any or no damage from the Fire Bolt. See Immolation Damage for an explanation how these immunities apply.
Usage[]
Fire Bolt may only be cast during combat, for a basic Casting Cost of 5. It must be targeted at an enemy unit. While you may target any enemy unit, units possessing the Fire Immunity ability are not affected by the spell - wasting valuable Mana.
The casting Wizard may add up to +20 to the spell's Casting Cost in order to increase its potency. Each 1 beyond the spell's base cost of 5 will add a +1 bonus to the strength of the attack. The casting Wizard may not spend more Mana than he has in his Mana pool, nor spend more Mana than his current remaining Spell Casting Skill allows.
Fire Bolt is shown on screen as a small ball of fire with a flaming tail, flying down from the sky and impacting with the targeted unit. Damage is dealt immediately on impact.
Acquisition[]
As a Common Chaos spell, Fire Bolt may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least one Chaos Spellbook. However, its availability during the game is not guaranteed unless the Wizard acquires at least 7 Spellbooks.
Customized Wizards possessing up to 10 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 with 11 Spellbooks are guaranteed to have this spell available for casting as soon as the game begins.
Wizards with 6 or fewer Spellbooks who have not chosen Fire Bolt as a guaranteed spell 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. With −3 Spellbooks, the spell is guaranteed to appear for Research if it is not already available for casting.
Fire Bolt has a base Research Cost of 20.
With at least 1 Spellbook, the Fire Bolt 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[]
Fire Bolt is the most basic direct-attack spell in the Chaos Magic repertoire. It is useful for hurting units with a low Defense score, and is somewhat better when more Mana is invested into it.
Later on, Chaos wizards may prefer switching to the more powerful direct-damage spells available to them, such as Fireball, Lightning Bolt or even Doom Bolt, as these tend to get better results. Fire Bolt, however, remains a cheaper option for emergencies.