| Flight | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Realm |
 Sorcery | |
| Spell Rarity | Uncommon | |
| Spell Type | Unit Enchantment | |
| Casting Cost |
 125 | |
| Combat Cost |
25 | |
| Upkeep Cost |
3 | |
| Research Cost |
 560 | |
| ||
|
Changes a unit's Movement type to If the unit previously had a movement allowance of less than | ||
- This article is about the Unit Enchantment called "Flight". For information about the movement type itself, see Flying.
Flight is an Uncommon Unit Enchantment belonging to the Sorcery Magic realm. For 125 it may be cast on a unit on the overland map to allow it to Fly. This affects movement costs across the overland map, and prevents most non-Flying units from attacking it in Melee combat. Furthermore, the unit's movement allowance is increased to a minimum of 
3, and its scouting range to a minimum of 2. Flight must then be maintained with an Upkeep Cost of 3 per turn.
Alternatively, a cheaper version of the same spell may be cast for 25 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
Flight changes a unit's movement type to Flying. It allow the unit to cross Ocean tiles and move at a good rate regardless of Terrain features, and may also increase the unit's Movement Allowance both in and out of combat.
Overland Flight
A unit affected by the Flight spell will have an overland movement type of "Flying", instead of whatever movement type it had previously.
Flying units may move across any Land tiles as well as any Ocean tiles. Each tile moved costs the unit 1 Movement Point, regardless of the type of terrain. Only Roads and Enchanted Roads are treated differently, having a movement cost of 0.5 and 0 respectively as they do for all units.
If the enchanted unit is stacked with other, non-Flying units, the entire stack moves as though it is Walking or Swimming as appropriate. Only a stack filled with nothing but Flying units may continue to move as per the rules for overland flight.
Note that Non-Corporeal units enchanted with Flight must now spend 1 Movement Point per tile instead of their normal 0.5 Movement Points per tile. However, thanks to Flight, they may now utilize Enchanted Roads for free movement.
Combat Flight
During combat, a unit affected by the Flight spell is regarded as any other Flying unit, and thus obeys several (mostly beneficial) rules that do not affect Walking or Swimming units.
For one, a Flying unit may not be attacked by enemy Walking or Swimming units in Melee Combat. However there are several exceptions to this rule:
- Units possessing a Gaze Attack, Thrown Attack or Breath Attack may attack a Flying unit regardless of this rule.
- Units may freely Counter Attack to a Flying unit's assault.
- Ranged Attacks may freely target a unit regardless of whether it is Flying or not.
Flying units may move freely during combat on an Ocean tile.
Finally, several spell effects such as Cracks Call do not affect Flying units.
Movement Allowance Bonus
A unit affected by the Flight spell has a minimum Movement Allowance of 3, regardless of how much it had before this spell was cast. This only applies to units that had fewer than 
3 or 
3 before being affected by the spell.
This applies both during combat and during overland travel.
Note that a unit's Movement Allowance is only reset at the start of each turn (whether in combat or on the overland map). Therefore, on the same turn when Flight is cast, it will still have its original Movement Allowance - but it does begin obeying the rules regarding Flying units immediately upon casting.
Scouting Range Bonus
A unit affected by the Flight spell also has a minimum Scouting Range of 2, regardless of how much it had before this spell was cast. This only applies to units that had a 1-tile Scouting Range before being affected.
When it moves, the unit will now reveal at least a 5x5 tile area centered around their position. All non-Invisible enemy units within this area are also revealed.
Usage
Flight may be cast during combat for a base Casting Cost of 25. In this case, the spell will only affect the targeted unit until the end of the battle - at which point it will dissipate.
Alternatively, Flight may be cast on the overland map for a lasting effect. In this case it costs 125 to cast, and requires an Upkeep Cost of 3 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 not dispelled by any rival Wizard), the unit continues to enjoy its newfound ability.
Like all other Unit Enchantments, Flight must targeted at a friendly unit, whether in or out of combat. If the desired target is in an overland army stack, click on that stack to get a list of units inside it, and then select your desired unit.
Once the spell is in effect, the unit will glow with a Blue aura, unless there is a more powerful spell also affecting it.
If you've placed Flight on a unit, you may remove it by examining the unit's details and clicking the Enchantment's icon. 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 Sorcery spell, Flight may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least one Sorcery 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 Flight 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 Sorcery Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay.
Flight has a base Research Cost of 560.
With at least 1 Spellbook, the Flight 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
Casting Flight on a unit has many benefits as explained above. It can turn a unit into an excellent scout, allowing it to cross both land and oceans at high speed. During combat, the unit enjoys some protection from Walking and Swimming enemies, giving it the chance to maneuver easily and choose its own targets at leisure.
Enchanting an entire army with Flight can allow making quick assaults at enemy assets across an ocean or rough terrain.