Magic

The Winds of Magic reserve

In battle the army shares a Winds of Magic reserve. Every caster in that army spends it. The reserve changes with the winds where the army is standing on the campaign map, and with skills and items that say they change the reserve. A second caster does not bring a second pool.

The battle UI shows the reserve and each spell's cost before you cast. Read that cost on the spell. A cast you cannot afford does not happen.

Dwarf rune magic is the exception. Runes do not spend the army Winds of Magic reserve. The rune belongs to the rune character. Overcasting a rune into a Master Rune can miscast, in the same way a spell can.

• Dwarfs
• Thorgrim Grudgebearer

Lore names

The eight winds used across many wizards are the Lore of Light, Heavens, Life, Beasts, Metal, Death, Fire and Shadows. From Update 6.1, Kairos Fateweaver's Fragments of Sorcery can swap a Lore of Tzeentch slot for the matching spell from those eight: Life or Death, Metal or Beasts, Light or Shadows, Heavens or Fire.

Race lists sit beside those winds. Katarin casts Ice magic. A Frost Maiden is trained in Ice or Tempest. Mother Ostankya uses the Lore of the Hag. Gelt and the Cathayan Alchemist use the Lore of Metal. The Astromancer uses the Lore of Heavens. Elspeth uses the Lore of Death. Mannfred combines Vampires and Death. The Fay Enchantress brings Life magic. Ulrika can cast the Lore of Shadows. High Magic and Dark Magic are further spell lists. Teclis is the High Elf spellcaster lord. Malekith fights and casts for the Dark Elves. Nagash casts the Lore of Undeath, and the books he carries can add spells from Light, Death, Vampires and Nehekhara.

Khorne's armies are built to fight in melee. Skarbrand is not a wizard of the eight winds. Read any spell-like action on the unit card as a bound ability, and build the force around Bloodletters and the charge rather than a winds reserve.

• Kairos Fateweaver
• Tzarina Katarin
• Mother Ostankya
• Frost Maiden
• Balthasar Gelt
• Alchemist
• Astromancer
• Elspeth von Draken
• Mannfred von Carstein
• The Fay Enchantress
• Ulrika Magdova
• Teclis
• Malekith
• Skarbrand
• Bloodletters of Khorne

Overcast

Many spells have an overcast. It spends more of the reserve and is the stronger version of the cast. It can miscast. A miscast can injure the caster and nearby units and can interrupt the spell. The battle UI shows the chance on that cast.

Overcast when the stronger effect changes the fight in front of you and the caster is not standing inside your own infantry. A support cast wants your troops in the area. A damage cast wants the enemy there and your troops out of it.

• Choosing a second caster

Support casters and damage casters

A support caster keeps a line fighting or sets an enemy up for the troops you already have. Life magic, as with the Fay Enchantress, and a Patriarch's blessings are that job. Metal and Heavens, as with Gelt, an Alchemist or an Astromancer, mix buffs and harm. Read the spell you are about to cast: the tooltip says whether it helps a friendly unit or strikes an enemy one.

A damage caster is there to break a target. Elspeth's Lore of Death and Kairos's Tzeentch casting are built around that. Mannfred can do both, and can also fight. Malekith is an armoured lord who casts as well as fights. The army still has to win the melee. Magic creates time and damage for the regiments; it does not replace a front line.

Ikit Claw is a spellcaster whose campaign is also the Forbidden Workshop and weapons teams. Mazdamundi is a Slann spellcaster behind Saurus infantry. In both cases the caster wants the troops in place before the expensive cast. Keep the reserve for the moment the lines have actually met.

• The Fay Enchantress
• Patriarch
• Elspeth von Draken
• Kairos Fateweaver
• Ikit Claw
• Lord Mazdamundi
• Saurus Warriors
• Campaign economy