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Vertigo
UnitEnchantment Vertigo
Realm Icon SorcerySorcery
Spell Rarity Uncommon
Spell Type Unit Curse
Combat Cost Icon Mana 25
Research Cost Icon Research 400
Effects

The target unit is inflicted with the following ill effects if it fails a Resistance roll:

  • Icon ToHit -20% with any attack;
  • Icon Defense -1 Defense.
Units with Magic Immunity or Illusions Immunity may not be targeted by this spell.

Vertigo is an Uncommon Icon SorcerySorcery Unit Curse. For Icon Mana 25 it may be cast on an enemy unit during combat. The target may make one attempt to Resist this curse as a unit. If it fails to do so, it is inflicted with penalties of Icon ToHit -20% To Hit and Icon Defense -1 Defense until the end of the battle or until Vertigo is dispelled.

Units possessing the Ability IllusionsImmunity Illusions Immunity or Ability MagicImmunity Magic Immunity abilities may not be targeted by this spell.

Effects[]

Vertigo can reduce an enemy unit's potential to both inflict and block Icon Damage damage, unless it succeeds a Resistance check (with no extra modifier) when targeted by the spell.

To Hit Penalty[]

Once a unit has been successfully inflicted with Vertigo, it receives a To Hit penalty of Icon ToHit -20%. This applies to any Conventional Damage attack made by the unit, with the exception of those that inflict direct Icon Ranged Magic Spell Damage. In other words, it affects Icon Melee Normal Melee Attacks, all three types of Ranged Attacks (Icon Ranged Bow, Icon Ranged Boulder, and Icon Ranged Magic), Icon Thrown Thrown Attacks, and Icon Breath Fire Breath; but not Ability Immolation Immolation, or spells and spell-like abilities such as Ability FireballSpell Fireball Spell.

This means that whenever the unit makes an Attack Roll, its base Icon ToHit 30% chance to inflict a point of "raw" Icon Damage damage with each die is reduced to only Icon ToHit 10%. This applies to every Icon Figure figure in the unit, and is cumulative with all other modifiers Icon ToHit To Hit, although it's worth noting that the grand total chance may never be reduced below Icon ToHit 10% per die, even if multiple penalties apply. For units that only have the default Icon ToHit 30% chance, this translates to a total effective reduction of 66% in the amount of Icon Damage damage they cause! This can render even a powerful unit largely unable to cause any significant amount of Conventional Damage to its enemies during combat.

Defense Penalty[]

While affected by Vertigo, the cursed unit also suffers a Defense penalty of Icon Defense -1. This means that each Icon Figure figure has one less die to use during any Defense Rolls made in an attempt to block incoming Conventional Damage. This increases the average amount of Icon Damage damage that the cursed unit takes from such attacks. Since Icon Defense Defense can't go below zero, this effect will be ignored if the target's score is already Icon Defense 0.

Usage[]

Screenshot Vertigo

A unit of War Bears affected by Vertigo.

Vertigo may only be cast during combat. It has a base Casting Cost of Icon Mana 25, and must always be targeted at an enemy unit that is not already under the effect of this curse. The target gets exactly one chance (as a unit) to Icon Resist Resist the effect with no default penalty, although if Vertigo is cast by a Hero, this may be improved by Magical Items bearing a Icon SpellSave -Spell Save enchantment. The curse will last until the end of the battle, until it is dispelled, or until the target unit is destroyed; whichever occurs first. While the spell is in effect, the cursed unit will have a Icon Sorceryblue rotating spiral shown above it, as seen in the image to the right.

Vertigo may not be targeted at units possessing either the Ability IllusionsImmunity Illusions Immunity or Ability MagicImmunity Magic Immunity abilities. The game will refuse to target such units, asking the player to pick another target instead.

Acquisition[]

As an Uncommon Spell of the Icon SorcerySorcery Realm, Vertigo may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Icon Sorcery1 Spellbook. With none, the spell can naturally not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it.

The base chance for Vertigo to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 10% (with Icon Sorcery1 book), which gradually increases with the amount of Icon SorcerySorcery Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With Icon Sorcery8 or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of Icon Research 400, although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, and/or Sorcery Mastery Retorts; or a bookshelf containing Icon Sorcery8 or more.

Vertigo may also be selected as a starting spell by players who allocate all of of their picks into Icon SorcerySorcery books when creating their Wizard. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins.

In addition, Vertigo is available as a Hero spell. It is known by both Valana the Bard, and Aerie the Illusionist, although it's worth noting that neither of them can actually cast it at their initial level. Valana needs to become at least a Icon ExpLevel 4 Champion (level 5) to use Vertigo, while Aerie will have enough Icon Mana Mana at Icon ExpLevel 2 Captain (level 3), or possibly even at Icon ExpLevel 1 Myrmidon (level 2), if one of her Random Abilities is extra Icon Mana Mana. Of course, they can both gain more by equipping appropriate Magical Items.

Strategy[]

Vertigo can significantly reduce a unit's combat effectiveness, and at the same time make it easier to destroy. Unfortunately, due to allowing the target to make its Resistance roll with no penalties, Vertigo may need to be cast several times before it can affect a unit - and units with high Resistance scores are completely immune to it.

When Vertigo is cast on one of the player's own units, it may be best to try to distance that unit from combat as much as possible, as it is now more vulnerable to the enemy, and won't be able to do a lot of Icon Damage damage anyway. Another alternative is to seek to dispel the Vertigo as soon as possible.

Known Bugs[]

Vertigo is a Unit Curse, which all suffer from a bug or concept flaw in the latest official game version. Whenever a dispel type spell targets this curse, it will bypass making a dispelling attempt, and instead remove the curse automatically. This is corrected in the Unofficial Patch 1.50.

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