Death Magic is a school of magic in Heroes of Might and Magic IV. Using these spells requires the hero to learn the appropriate level of Death Magic skill.
The hero can learn Death Magic spells by visiting Tower of Darkness magic guild in Necropolis towns, Hall of the Dead in Asylum towns and necromantic library in Academy towns. The hero can learn all Death Magic spells if they carry the Tome of Death, up to their level of expertise in Death Magic.
Spells[]
Level 1[]
Level 1 spells cost 2 mana to cast.
Icon | Spell | Category | Description | Blurb | Notes |
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Cancellation | Curses | Cancellation removes all beneficial spells from the target. | The knights spent a full day preparing for their attack, praying, casting spells, and polishing their armor. Pointless! But at least they died in shiny armor.OffBck | Cancellation ignores magic resistance. The hero can cast this spell even if they cannot see the enemy creature. This spell is inflicted by evil eyes. This spell destroys creatures summoned with create illusion and phantom image spells. An army with a hero equipped with ring of permanency artifact is immune to this effect. |
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Curse | Curses | Curse causes the target to do minimum damage in combat. | May your hair fall out and grow boils on your nose, limp with the gout and lose all your clothes. A hex on you!OffBck | Curse is inflicted by mummies and evil eyes. It can be cast by mages and a hero that has wand of curses artifact equipped. The hero can cast this spell even if they cannot see the enemy creature. The effect of this spell can be replaced by bless. |
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Disrupting ray | Curses | Disrupting Ray decreases the target's Melee and Ranged Defense by 20%. | I put this on a young knight once without him knowing it. He stupidly stood toe-to-toe with a skeleton thinking he could easily beat it. Boy, was he ever wrong!OffBck | Disrupting ray is inflicted by evil eyes. The hero can cast this spell even if they cannot see the enemy creature. |
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Poison | Curses, damaging spells | Poison damages the target every round (starting with the current round) until combat ends. | You have to agree , there is nothing quite as appealing as gloating over your enemy as they die ever so slowly.OffBck | Mages can cast this spell. It is inflicted by venom spawn, heroes with Ninja class, or a hero wearing Ring of the Cobra's Eye. It is also inflicted by a hero equipped with poison arrow artifact, but only for ranged attacks. It cannot be removed with dispel or exorcism spells, but it can be removed with heal or divine intervention spells. The hero can cast this spell even if they cannot see the enemy creature. |
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Raise skeletons | Summoning spells | Raise a number of Skeletons based on the caster's level from any stack of dead creatures. | Otherwise, the bones go to waste, don't they?OffBck | Mages can cast this spell. It cannot target creatures with necromancy ward spell, including a dead stack. |
Level 2[]
Level 2 spells cost 3 mana to cast.
Icon | Spell | Category | Description | Blurb | Notes |
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Animate dead | Summoning spells | Animate dead raises a number of creatures, based on the caster's level, from any stack with dead creatures. Animated creatures vanish after combat ends. | There is no greater way to convince your enemy that your army is invincible than tropps that refuse to stay dead.OffBck | Animate dead spell cannot target creatures with necromancy ward spell, including a dead stack. This spell can target dead mechanical and elemental creatures. The summoned creature is treated as undead. It can be cast by a hero that has wand of animate dead artifact equipped. This spell cannot target creatures immune to magic. |
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Fatigue | Curses | Fatigue causes the enemy target to move at half speed and movement in combat. It only affects living creatures. | Keep the enemy away as long as you can, and pick them off one at a time. One-on-one battle is for fools and knights!OffBck | Fatigue does not stack with slow spell. This is a mind spell. The effect of this spell can be replaced by haste and speed spells. It is cast by water elementals. The hero can cast this spell even if they cannot see the enemy creature. |
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Life drain | Damaging spells | Life Drain steals Hit Points from all Life and Nature targets, and then the caster gains a portion of the total Hit Points drained. | Their life energy may be pure and tasteless, but it sure feels good!OffBck | |
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Mire | N/A | Mire causes the target army to move at half speed on the Adventure Map during its next turn. | There is always a bigger fish, so if you run into one it is always good to have an escape plan.OffBck | Mire is only cast on the adventure map, it cannot be cast in battles. |
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Sorrow | Curses | Sorrow gives the target maximum negative morale. | Why are you fighting? You have no chance of winning. You barely know how to lift a sword, much less use it! Why not give up?OffBck | Sorrow also decreases enemy target unit's damage by 20%. This is a mind spell. It is inflicted by heroes with the Dark Lord class and evil eyes. The effect of this spell can be replaced by mirth spell. The hero can cast this spell even if they cannot see the enemy creature. |
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Unholy song | Curses | Unholy Song causes all Life targets to do 20% less damage and decreases their Melee and Ranged Defense by 20%. | I've seen monks try to cover their ears when they hear these haunting notes, but they just don't understant that your soul doesn't need ears to hear.OffBck | A hero equipped with Aiffe's mandolin artifact can cast this spell. ![]() |
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Weakness | Curses | Weakness causes the target to do 25% less damage in combat. | Most of those heroic types rely on their muscles to settle their problems. Sometimes, those muscles can give you problems!OffBck | Weakness can be replaced by bloodlust spell. It is inflicted by waspworts and evil eyes. It can be cast by water elementals. It can be cast by a hero that has wand of weakness artifact equipped. The hero can cast this spell even if they cannot see the enemy creature. |
Level 3[]
Level 3 spells cost 5 mana to cast.
Icon | Spell | Category | Description | Blurb | Notes |
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Aura of fear | Blessings | Aura of Fear is cast on a friendly unit, and prevents enemies from retaliating against the subject's attacks unless they are immune to Death, Fear or Mind spells. | They don't understand it, but their arms go rubbery and their throats constrict. Suddenly, I am their greatest fear, I love it!OffBck | Aura of fear is a mind spell. This spell cannot be cast on sprites, vampires, cerberi, harpies, nagas, hydras, bone dragons and a hero equipped with hideous mask artifact. An army with a hero equipped with badge of courage artifact is immune to this effect. |
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Magic leech | Curses | Magic leech causes any spell cast by the target to cost double the Spell Points. Also, the caster of Magic Leech gains 1 Spell Point per 2 Spell Points used by target. | This will make that sorcerer think twice about casting Lightning Bolt!OffBck | |
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Mass cancellation | Curses | Mass cancellation removes all beneficial spells from all enemy targets. | Their leader was cutting through my troops with his glowing sword. He was so laden with enchantments that we couldn't touch him. And then my necromancer finally joined the fray.OffBck | An army with a hero equipped with ring of permanency artifact is immune to this effect. |
Evil sorceresses can cast this spell. ![]() | |||||
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Mass curse | Curses | Mass Curse causes all enemy targets to do minimum damage in combat. |
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Mass curse can be replaced by mass bless spell. |
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Plague | Curses, damaging spells | Plague causes all targets on the Combat Map, friend or foe, to come down with a deadly, damaging disease. It has no effect on non-living or Death targets. | Sickness always cripples an army, unless that army is already dead.OffBck | Plague cannot be removed with dispel or exorcism spells, but it can be removed with heal or divine intervention spells. |
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Raise ghost | Summoning spells | Raise a number of Ghosts based on the level of the caster from any stack of dead creatures. The number of raised Ghosts cannot exceed either the Hit Points or number of the creatures. All Ghosts vanish after combat ends. | Trap their spirits to fight for you before they can flee the battlefield.OffBck | Raise ghost spell cannot target creatures with necromancy ward spell, including a dead stack. |
Level 4[]
Level 4 spells cost 8 mana to cast.
Icon | Spell | Category | Description | Blurb | Notes |
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Death call | Summoning spells | Death Call targets a friendly or enemy target with dead creatures, raising a number of creatures based on the caster's level. These raised creatures are placed under the control of the caster and vanish after combat. | The Undead attacked us from the rear! But only our own dead were behind us…OffBck | Death call spell cannot target creatures with necromancy ward spell, including a dead stack. The summoned creature is treated as undead. This spell cannot target creatures immune to magic. |
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Mass sorrow | Curses | Mass Sorrow causes all enemy targets to have maximum negative morale. | I was on a wall when sieging army threw down their weapons and turned away. Some of them were weeping. The battle was over - for them.OffBck | Mass sorrow can be replaced by mass fervor spell. This is a mind spell. Mass sorrow also decreases enemy units' damage by 20%. |
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Mass weakness | Curses | Mass Weakness causes all enemy targets to do 25% less damage in combat. | Endurance and strength are important in battle. The army that weakens first usually loses. I just help it along a little.OffBck | Mass weakness can be replaced by bloodfrenzy spell. |
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Vampiric touch | Blessings | Vampiric Touch causes a friendly target to gain 1 Hit Point for every 2 Hit Points of damage they inflict in melee combat to living enemies. | Everyone loves vampires, and sometimes they want to know what's it's like to be one.OffBck | Vampires, a hero with the soul stealer artifact equipped, and heroes with Dark Priest class have this ability. |
Level 5[]
Level 5 spells cost 12 mana to cast.
Other[]
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These spells cannot be learned by the hero, but are cast by other methods.
Icon | Spell | Category | Description | Blurb | Notes |
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Aging | Curses | Aged targets do 25% less damage, and their Melee and Ranged Defense are reduced by 20%. Speed and movement are also cut in half. | Aging is inflicted by ghosts and heroes with Lich class. Disrupting ray, weakness and fatigue (or slow) spells can also be cast on targets with aging effect. This effect does not affect undead, mechanical or elemental creatures. | ||
Cloud of despair | Curses | When thrown at a creature or space, all creatures within a 3x3 yard area get negative 10 to their morale. | Cloud of despair can be bought from an armory in a Necropolis town. | ||
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Terror | Curses | Terror causes a single target within a line of sight of the caster to lose its next 2 actions. | Whatever they fear - snakes, heights, spiders, or being buried alive - for a few moments they will experience this irrational terror in the worse way possible!OffBck | Terror is cast by nightmares, and costs 8 mana. It is also cast by dark champions. ![]() |
Summon ice demon | Summoning spells | Each devil can summon 1 ice demon. Summoned creatures disappear when combat ends. | Summon ice demon is cast by devils, and costs 8 mana. This is a different spell, compared to the one learned by the hero. | ||
Vial of blinding smoke | Curses | When thrown, all ranged attacks within a 3x3 yard area do 50% less damage. | |||
Vial of chocking gas | Curses | The enemy target does 15% less damage and their Melee and Ranged Defense are reduced by 15%. Does not work on Mechanical, Undead, or Elemental creatures. | Vial of chocking gas can be bought from an armory in a Necropolis town. | ||
Vial of poison | Blessings | Causes the user's attacks to become poisonous. Any target struck by the user in melee or ranged combat will suffer the effects of Poison spell. | Vial of poison can be bought from an armory in a Necropolis town. |