Psyche and Illnesses

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There are many units in the game that can test the mental capabilities of your units, or inflict them with a vile disease. Regardless, these affects can seriously hinder your units and render them all but useless. There are four metal conditions referred to "psyche effects" and two Illnesses. They all use the same core mechanic and as such, a unit can not have any more than a single psyche effect or any more than a single illness at any one time. However, a unit can have a psyche effect and an illness together.

Such conditions are not permanent and will eventually wear off. At which point, all affects associated with them will immediately be removed, with the only exception of lost HP through poisoning.

Some units even possess special resistances or weaknesses to illnesses and psyche. This comes down to their racial tag. These will be mentioned in each field below, but the big ones are that Titans, Undead and Constructs are immune to all illnesses and psyche. In addition to that, units belonging to the neutral side (those that aren't owned by any playing side) completely ignore this mechanic - making them immune to all psyche and illnesses as well.

Illnesses
There are only 2 illnesses but these have a much longer lasting effect than psyche conditions. A unit can only have one illness at a time, so being poisoned will grant an immunity to disease and vice verse.

Poison


Poison is the more common of the two illnesses, with three races even specialising on inflicting it. A unit suffering from poison will display a green skull above their head or in their profile when selected.

Duration: 10 minutes.

Effects: Prevents HP regeneration and decreases HP by 1 point per second if their HP is above 12% of their max HP amount. If a poisoned unit is placed in a tower, their HP will instead decrease by 2 points a second.

Manipulating Poison:

The Swarm have access to the research Melkor's Curse which doubles the HP lost from poison across the map (-2 instead of the usual -1).

The Poison spell Rot causes units suffering from poison to have their HP taken straight down to the 12% mark if it were higher.

Racial resistance/weaknesses:

Dwarf, Lizard and Insect units have +5 resistance against poison.

Wood Elven units have -5 resistance against poison.

Undead, Orcs and Constructs are outright immune to poison.

High Elven units have no resistance what so ever - automatically failing all poison checks.

Click the button on the right to see a list of all the units in the game that deal poison, in order of the strongest poison to the weakest.

Assassin: Strength 20

Wasp: Strength 15

Scorpionman: Strength 15

Queen Spider: Strength 15

Spider: Strength 12

Blackguard: Strength 10

Scorpion: Strength 10

Snakeman: Strength 7

Quasit: Strength 7

Dark Archer: Strength 6+

Chameleon: Strength 6

Kobold: Strength 6

Lizard Rider: Strength 5

Harpy: Strength 5

Dragonfly: Strength 5

Snakepriest: Via Poison Cloud spell

Disease


Less common but more annoying. There's only a single race which can reliably use disease, with only one other race possessing diseased military units. A unit suffering from disease will display a red cross above their head or in their profile when selected.

Duration: 10 minutes +15 seconds per Plague Pile on the map.

Effects: Prevents HP regeneration and decreases combat and speed by 1 point per a few seconds based on the victim's resistance stat. (Need clarification on exact formula.) Units suffering from disease can pass it on with their own melee attacks, treating the disease as being strength 5.

Manipulating Disease:

Each Plague Pile on the map increases disease duration by +15 seconds and the strength of all diseases by +1.

Plaguelord Heroes have access to the skill Contamination which decreases the time it takes for a diseased unit's combat and speed to decrease.

The Poison spell Rot causes units suffering from disease to have their combat and speed taken straight down to  1.

Racial resistance/weaknesses:

Dwarven units have +5 resistance against disease.

Undead, Orcs and Constructs are outright immune to disease.

High Elven units have no resistance what so ever - automatically failing all disease checks.

Click the button on the right to see a list of all the units in the game that transmit disease, in order of the strongest disease to the weakest.

Slime: Strength 7

Goblin: Strength 7

Wolf Rider: Strength 5

Zombie: Strength 5

Plague Priest: Via Plague Cloud spell

Contracting an Illness
While there are spells that can inflict an illnesses, the common way is via direct contact from a unit carrying it. Upon each melee attack from such a unit will have a chance to inflict their illness onto the stricken target (provided it's not a building). The chance of this is based on the strength of their illness vs the resistance stat of the struck target. The higher the resistance stat of the target over the strength of the illness, the lower the chance of the illness being inflicted. Some units have additional protection from illnesses (and psyche) via their racial tag, making the chance more or less likely.

A unit carrying an illness is also immune to what ever illness it carries. So a unit that deals poison, for example, can not in turn be poisoned.

A unit that becomes inflicted with a disease can also pass on the disease to other units via its own melee attacks. The strength of the disease in this case is 5.

There are a few ranged attacks that can cause an illness, or more specifically, poison. The same principle applies here to, each time the projectile hits a target, the strength of the poison is once again compared to the resistance stat of the target. The only real difference is that the strength of the illness on a ranged attack is dependent on the missile's damage value - the strength is equal to half the damage amount.

The Poison spell Poison Gate automatically inflicts poison on all newly summoned units.

Curing an Illness
While illnesses will eventually wear off once their duration has elapsed, the Healing spell Cure and the Poison spell Antidote will immediately remove an illness and its effects.

The units White Mages, Unicorns and Archons all have the Cure spell.

The High Elves and Wood Elves can research Elcor's Balm, which allows their Healer / Healing Orb to cast a map-wide spell that removes illnesses off any healed unit.

Minotaurs (including their hero) can eat wild animals to cure them of all illnesses (as well as restoring 20 HP).

Heroes can quaff a healing potion to immediately cure them of an illnesses (as well as restoring HP). All heroes start a battle with four of these but can purchase more at shops.

Protecting against Illnesses
Since illnesses are dependent on their victim's resistance stat, increasing this helps protect against all illnesses. Also, as resistance stats vary from unit to unit, different units will therefore have different chances in combating illnesses.

From Heroes
Heroes can increase their resistance stat with their Dexterity - each point in Dexterity will increase their resistance by +1.

Undead, Fey and Plaguelord heroes, as well the hero classes Daemonslayer, Healer, Shaman and Thief, all have access to the Warding skill, which offers +1 resistance to your whole army per point invested in the skill.

Heroes with access to Poison Magic can cast the spell Poison Immunity which grants them temporary immunity to all illnesses.

Heroes can also equip a multitude of items that increase their resistance.

From Races
The Knight race have access to the research Order of the Dragon which adds +10 resistance to all of their units.

The Dark Elves have access to a research trio in Black Ward which, once all have been researched, adds +9 resistance to all of their units.

Dwarves and Minotaurs have access to the research Dwarven Brew. Any unit under the influence of this automatically passes all illness and psyche checks. However, this will not remove any conditions they were suffering prior to the ability's activation.

Psyche
Psyche effects are more plentiful but don't last as long as an illness. However, removing a psyche condition is much more limited than removing an illness, usually leaving you with the only option of just waiting it out.

Fear
The most common of all psyche conditions. A unit suffering from Fear will display a red skull above their head or in their profile when selected.

Duration: 45 seconds.

Effects: Reduces attack speed and damage by 50%.

Racial resistance/weaknesses:

Daemons and Wood Elves have +5 resistance against Fear. Undead, High Elves, Dark Elves and Constructs are outright immune to Fear.

For Orcs, the duration is 50% longer (67 seconds).

Click the button on the right to see a list of all the units in the game that emit fear, in order of the most intimidating to the least.

Giant: Strength 9 / Range 8

Ancient Treant: Strength 9 / Range 5

T-Rex: Strength 8 / Range 5

Vampire: Strength 8 / Range 5

Treant: Strength 8 / Range 4

Elephant: Strength 6 / Range 6

Banshee: Strength 5 / Range 5 (Can also cast the Scare spell)

Minotaur King: Strength 5 / Range 5

Naga: Strength 5 / Range 5

Air Elemental: Strength 5 / Range 5

Earth Elemental: Strength 5 / Range 5

Fire Elemental: Strength 5 / Range 5

Water Elemental: Strength 5 / Range 5

Wyvern: Strength 5 / Range 5

Salamander: Strength 5 / Range 5

Hydra: Strength 5 / Range 5

Cryohydra: Strength 5 / Range 5

Pyrohydra: Strength 5 / Range 5

Terror
Terror has the biggest impact of all psyche conditions as it renders your units unable to fight. However, only Dragons and Titans emit Terror. A unit suffering from Terror will display 2 red skulls (one above the other, slightly misaligned to show the one beneath) above their head or in their profile when selected.

Duration: 15 seconds.

Effects: The unit is unable to attack and will be forced to move away from any enemy unit or building it sees.

Special: Units that emit Terror are also immune to all other psyche conditions (excluding those from spells).

Racial resistance/weaknesses:

Wood Elves have +5 resistance against Terror. Undead, High Elves and Constructs are outright immune to Terror.

For Orcs, the duration is 50% longer (22 seconds).

All Dragons emit terror at strength of 5 / range 5. All Titans emit terror at strength 10 / range 5.

Chaos
Chaos is rare but not particularly effective when compared to the other conditions. There are only 3 units in the game that cause Chaos. A unit suffering from Chaos will display a red icons of arrows above their head or in their profile when selected.

Duration: 30 seconds.

Effects: Reduces the armour stat to 0 and removes all bonuses the unit has, reverting its stats back to the base amount for its level.

Racial resistance/weaknesses:

Minotaurs and Insects have +5 resistance against Chaos. Undead, Daemons and Constructs are outright immune to Chaos.

For Orcs, the duration is 50% longer (45 seconds).

For Minotaurs, the duration is twice as long (60 seconds).

Click the button on the right to see a list of all the units in the game that cause Chaos, in order of the most influential to the lest.

Doom Knight: Strength 12 / Range 6

Daemon: Strength 9 / Range 9

Slayer Knight: Strength 9 / Range 5

Awe
Awe is the rarest of all psyche conditions, with it being present on only 2 units in the entire game. A unit suffering from Awe will display a grey and blue eye above their head or in their profile when selected.

Duration: 30 seconds.

Effects: Reduces attack speed by 50% and removes the unit's ranged stat - causing it to attack in melee only.

Racial resistance/weaknesses: Undead, Daemons and Constructs are outright immune to Awe.

For Orcs, the duration is 50% longer (45 seconds).

For Dark Elves, the duration is twice as long (60 seconds).

The only units that emit Awe are Unicorns at strength 7 / range 5, and Archons at strength 10 / range 8.

Passed Check
When a unit is forced to take a psyche check but passes it, it'll temporarily be immune to all further psyche effects A unit that has passed a psyche check will display a white circle with the Knightly lion within above their head or in their profile when selected.

Duration: 30 seconds.

Effects: Grants immunity to all psyche conditions.

Contracting a Psyche Condition
Psyche conditions use a very similar formula to illnesses with one main exception - psyche conditions can be inflicted in a radius around the unit that emits it as a posed to direct contact. Every unit that emits a psyche condition will have a ranged stat to go along with the strength stat. This range works in the same way as any other ranged stat in the game, by using the terrain cells for measuring (1 point of range refers to 1 terrain cell).

When an opposing unit wonders within this range, they'll be forced to take a psyche check using the very same rules as taking an illness check. The psyche condition will have a strength which will be compared to the victim's resistance stat. The higher the resistance stat is over the strength of the psyche condition, the less likely the unit will be affected. However, once a unit has rolled against and passed a psyche check, it'll gain a Passed Check icon - making it immune to all following psyche checks, regardless of strength or type.

Like with illnesses, a unit that emits a psyche condition will in turn be immune to that condition, but only when it's emitted passively from another unit. Spells which inflict psyche conditions will still affect units that can also inflict them (unless they are racial immune to them).

The Illusion spells Scare and Awe inflict Fear and Awe respectively on enemy targets within the caster's command radius. These spells ignore the usual rule of units being immune to what ever psyche they emit, allowing these spells to inflict conditions such as Fear on to units such as Dragons. The Illusion sphere also has the Dragon Fear spell which summons an illusion Dragon that emits Terror in the same way any normal Dragon would - following all normal rules.

Recovering from a Psyche Condition
Psyche conditions will automatically wear off on their own accord - after their duration has elapsed. Fortunately, psyche conditions don't last very long and will go as quickly as they come.

Heroes with access to Ice Magic can use the spell Calm to immediately remove all psyche conditions from your units within your hero's command radius.

Protecting against Psyche Conditions
Since psyche conditions use a unit's resistance stat in the same way as an illness would, everything mentioned above in Protecting against Illnesses applies here as well, with the exception of the Poison Immunity spell.

In addition, Heroes with Healing Magic and Mystics have access to the White Ward spell which grants temporary immunity to all psyche conditions.

Trivia

 * Terror also reduces a unit's attack speed by 50%, but since a unit suffering from Terror can't actually attack, this effect is redundant.
 * In past installments, Fear and Terror would reduce a unit's movement speed as well, since speed and attack speed back then were directly linked.
 * The Poison Gate spell can inflict poison on units that would normally be immune to poison, such as Wasps and Undead creatures. However, they won't suffer any effects but still keep the condition.
 * Because a Passed Check grants immunity to all psyche conditions, a unit can be made immune to more potent psyche effects by first encountering an opposing unit with a weaker psyche condition to provoke the Passed Check.
 * Back in WBC2, Succubi were planned to emit Awe but the trait was dropped for release. However, in WBC2 and early versions of WBC3, the help box info still states they do.
 * Early versions of WBC3 has the help box info claim that Slimes transmit both disease and poison, despite only possessing disease. However, a unit can only store a single entry for a psyche / illness so it would have not been possible to carry both, not without a specific code exception just for this unit.
 * Blackguards aren't stated in game of having poisoned attacks. (They have strength 10 poison.)
 * Ghouls are stated in game of having diseased attacks, but yet they don't. However, it seems more likely that this isn't a typo but instead a bug with the unit not possessing disease.
 * Ghouls have a specific exception to make them immune to disease. However, as they carry the Undead racial tag, they are already immune to disease. This gives them an unnecessary double immunity.