Secondary Skill List

Key
Name - The name of the skill.
Description - A quick description of the skill.
Basic/Advanced/Expert - What the skill effect is the specified level.
Comments - My personal comments on each skill Other comments might be added as I get them..

Name	Description	Basic	Advanced	Expert
		Comments
Air Magic	Increases effectiveness of Air Magic spells cast by a hero.	Air spells are cast at basic level.	Air spells are cast at advanced level.	Air spells are cast at expert level.
		A must. With spells such as Fly, Haste, Dimension Door and Lightning Bolt, you'll want at least one hero to have this skill.
Archery	Raises damage done by ranged attackers in a hero's army.	Damage is raised by 10%.	Damage is raised by 25%.	Damage is raised by 50%.
		If you use a lot of ranged attackers, and prefer to kill from a distance, go for it. Otherwise don't bother.
Armorer	Lowers damage taken by a hero's army in combat.	Damage is lowered by 5%.	Damage is lowered by 10%.	Damage is lowered by 15%
		Meh. I dunno. If you play defensively, fine. Would probably also be very useful when defending a siege.
Artillery	Grants control of the ballista in combat and increases shots per round to 2 and gives a chance for double damage.	The ballista has a 50% chance to deal double damage.	The ballista has a 75% chance to deal double damage.	The ballista always deals double damage.
		Yeah, right. The ballista sucks anyway, maybe for a TINY bit of supplemental damage. Forget this unless you have a worse choice.
Ballistics	Grants control of the catapult and raises it's damage, shots, and accuracy.	Catapult does one shot with a 60% chance to hit the intended target. It has a 50% chance to inflict maximum damage. Until all siege walls are destroyed, the chance to hit arrow towers or the drawbridge is less than 60%.	Same as Basic, but the catapult fires twice.	Catapult fires twice and inflicts maximum damage, with a 75% chance to hit the correct target. Until all siege walls are destroyed, the chance to hit arrow towers and the drawbridge is less that 75%.
		Ehhhhh... whatever floats your boat. It can only be used in sieges, obviously, but the ability to take out those f---ing arrow towers at will is nice, even if the chances are low. But you can do without.
Diplomacy	Raises the chances of wandering creatures joining your army, and lowers the cost of surrender.	25% of fleeing creatures offer to join, and the cost of surrendering is lowered by 20%.	50% of fleeing creatures offer to join, and the cost of surrendering is lowered by 40%.	All fleeing creatures offer to join. The cost of surrendering is lowered by 60%.
		You might want to give this to a hero or two. Having the creatures join you is cool, but I do believe it costs a pretty penny (I wouldn't know, I don't use it.) The surrender cost reduction is nice, but you generally don't intend to surrender in a fight. But if you have to, and you have a pretty badass army (but facing an even more badass army,) well... it's better then retreating and losing all of those creatures.
Eagle Eye	Gives a hero a chance to learn spells cast by enemy spellcasters in combat.	Grants a 40% chance to learn spells uo to level two.	Grants a 50% chance to learn spells up to level three.	Grants a 60% chance to learn spells up to level four.
		Ehhhh, no. Build some Magic Guilds, or take over other towns. If you INSIST on having it, make sure the hero has Advanced Wisdom and preferably Expert Scholar, so you can share the spells you learn.
Earth Magic	Increases effectiveness of Earth Magic spells cast by a hero.	Earth spells are cast at basic level.	Earth spells are cast at advanced level.	Earth spells are cast at expert level.
		Like Air Magic, this is a must. Town Portal can save your life, Ressurection can be a big help, and Earthquake kicks ass in sieges. One hero should have this at the VERY LEAST.
Estates	The hero produces gold and adds it to your income.	Raises income by 125.	Raises income by 250.	Raises income by 500.
		Useful at the beginning of the game, Estates is probably a skill you want to get within the first month if possible. Espeically since you can be short on gold then (Espeically with recruiting), and all that gold adds up in the late game. If you're in the mid-to-late game though, pass it up.
Fire Magic	Increases effectiveness of Fire Magic spells cast by a hero.	Fire spells are cast at basic level.	Fire spells are cast at advanced level.	Fire spells are cast at expert level.
		Again, this is a must. Armageddon just rocks if you can handle it, Blind and Curse can be surprisingly useful, and Slayer can be fun if your opponent is like a Angel whore or something. Get it!
First Aid	Raises the effectiveness of the First Aid Tent and grants control over it.	Restores up to 50 health to the top creature in a unit.	Restores up to 75 health to the top creature in a unit.	Restores up to 100 health to the top creature in a unit.
		I really don't use this, as it heals crap and is only effective on the top creature of a unit (Moot point, since only the top creature would keep damage.) That tends to limit it's effectiveness unless you're dealing with creatures with less than 100 health. Pass it.
Intelligence	Raises a hero's maximum spell points.	Raises maximum spell points by 25%	Raises maximum spell points by 50%	Doubles maximum spell points.
		This is HIGHLY useful, especially for long trips without a town or magic well to recharge at. Also very useful if you love spells (Which you probably will) and see a lot of combat (Ditto.) This is especially useful since spell point regeneration is so crappy.
Leadership	The hero's units gain a morale bonus. Necropolis heroes cannot learn this skill.	Morale is raised by 1.	Morale is raised by 2.	Morale is raised by 3.
		Leadership is VERY good. Since it grants an inherent bonus to morale, and morale can have some very powerful consequences, wether positive or negative, you should consider it for your heroes. Maybe not all of them, but I suggest your main fighter have this skill. However, undead creatures are unaffected by morale, so if you use a lot of undead, pass it.
Learning	Raises experience earned from pretty much anything.	Raises experience earned by 5%.	Raises experience earned by 10%.	Raises experience earned by 15%.
		Like Estates, you might want to consider it in the early game, perhaps within three months, so you can let all that bonus experience pile up and it means more in gaining levels. Otherwise, you can put your skills into better use. I generally pass it up.
Logistics	Raises a hero's land movement.	Movement range is raised by 10%.	Movement range is raised by 20%.	Movement range is raised by 30%.
		INCREDIBLY useful in the beginning of the game, where your main job is to figure out what the hell is nearby. It loses it's usefulness as time passes, but doesn't decrease in usefulness like Estates. Get this for the Might heroes, especially if they don't have transportation spells. You probably won't regret it.
Luck	The hero's units gain a luck bonus.	Luck is raised by 1.	Luck is raised by 2.	Luck is raised by 3.
		This is a very nice way to max out your luck, and luck is good because it grants a chance for double damage. However, luck boosting items and places are common enough, and you can't go below neutral luck. This can be safely ignored.
Mysticism	Increases spell points regenerated each day.	Regenerate 2 spell points a day.	Regenerate 3 spell points a day.	Regenerate 4 spell points a day.
		Did I say Artillery was useless? No, this is even worse. The spell point regeneration is still crappy, and if you see combat a lot and use spells a lot, well the benefits gained are worthless. Find a magic well, get to town, or make better plans for your spell usage. Screw this, get Intelligence instead..
Navigation	Raises a hero's movement range in boats.	Range is raised by 50%	Range is raised by 100%	Range is raised by 150%
		I really only give this to one hero, who I want to explore the seas. The seas can be pretty safe all considering. Anyways, you can pass this up unless you're fond of navies. Most of the action is on land, so Logistics is more useful. You really only should give this to more of your heroes if there's a lot of water on the map, or water travel is important.
Necromancy	If the hero wins a battle, a portion of the enemy units will be added to the hero's army as skeletons.	10% of enemy creatures are ressurected.	20% of enemy creatures are ressurected.	30% of enemy creatures are ressurected.
		This is the bread and butter of Necropolis heroes. Skeletons (epsecially Skeleton Warriors) are actually pretty good, and with as many Necromancy enhancing items and buildings Necropolises have available, this is incredibly useful. Of course, you'll want to upgrade them. If there was a way to get Skeleton Warriors from Necromancy, well... that would be cool.
Offense	Raises damage done by melee attackers in combat.	Raises damage by 10%	Raises damage by 20%	Raises damage by 30%
		Very useful here if you have a lot of melee creatures (and you probably will,) this is an excellent skill for Might heroes of all types, and a great way to boost damage for Magic heroes too. I advise you give this to a couple of heroes, especially those who will see a lot of combat or defend from sieges.
Pathfinding	Lowers movement penalties when traveling over rough terrain. See "Movement costs" under "Terrain Systems" in Gameplay and Systems
	I give this to my primary explorers early on, and ignore it otherwise. Once you get Fly, Pathfinding gets CONSIDERABLY less attractive.
Resistance	Grants a chance that enemy spells cast in combat upon your units will outright fail.	5% chance of spell failure.	10% chance of spell failure.	15% chance of spell failure.
		This is a rather useful little ability, but the resistance is quite low, and doesn't stop spells not cast on your own troops. Considering that the support spells can be a lot more useful than direct damage, this ability loses some of it's luster. It can be passed up without regrets.
Scholar	Allows a hero to exchange spells with an allied hero durring trading sessions. Spells are traded automatically, and both heroes learn any spells that the other hero knows.	Teach and learn spells up to level 2.	Teach and learn spells up to level 3.	Teach and learn spells up to level 4.
		Give this to one hero and ONE HERO ONLY. Well maybe two if you have a lot of new heroes. It's not that it's not useful, an Expert Scholar can spread spells around pretty quickly if they have Logistics and movement boosting items... or better yet, transportation spells. But you really only need one, and giving this to more than one is a waste of good skills. Give it to your primary explorer and you don't have to visit every town unless you want all the level 5 spells.
Scouting	Raises the hero's view radius, which expands the area revealed as a hero travels into new territory.	Raises view radius by 1.	Raises view radius by 2.	Raises view radius by 3.
		Don't even bother. The view radius is fine, and if you're really eager to boost it, use a Speculum or Spyglass. MAYBE give it to your prime explorer, but otherwise, don't bother.
Sorcery	Increases the effectiveness of hostile spells cast by the hero.	Effectiveness of cast spells is raised by 5%	Effectiveness of cast spells is raised by 10%	Effectiveness of cast spells is raised by 15%
		I usually don't get it, but it's useful, especially if it boosts spell damage and you love spells like Armageddon. But you can do much better for damage with one of the elemental Orb items. shrugs Your call here.
Tactics	Enables you to arrange the hero's troop positions before combat. See "Tactics" under "Battle" in Gameplay and Systems
	Any fighter worth his name will have this one a few of his heroes. The ability to be able to close in on your opponent before you fight is very good, and smart unit placement can decide a battle.
Water Magic	Increases effectiveness of Water Magic spells cast by a hero.	Water spells are cast at basic level.	Water spells are cast at advanced level.	Water spells are cast at expert level.
		Like the other elemental magic skills, there's no excuse NOT to have it. Bless, Dispel, Water Walk and Teleport should be enough reason to get this skill. No excuses.
Wisdom	Allows a hero to use spells beyond level 2.	Can learn spells up to level 3.	Can learn spells up to level 4.	Can learn spells up to level 5.
		This is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL in the game. Every hero should have it if at all possible. There is no excuse NOT to have it, and anyone who neglects to get Wisdom for the amjority of his/her heroes is just asking to get his ass kicked. However, a spellbook is moer important, and there are some decent spells levels 1 and 2. But get this the first chance you get. Period, end of story, thank you drive thru.

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