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ToE H5/HoF
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Skeleton Zombie Ghost Vampire Lich Wight Bone Dragon
Skeleton Archer Plague Zombie Spectre Vampire Lord Archlich Wraith Spectral Dragon
Necropolis Intro
The division between the Necropolis and the Inferno exists once again, and the benefits that come with being undead certainly make the Necropolis a formidable opponent. Described as a 'weaker' town in terms of might, the Necropolis creatures do have the speciality of being undead, and others, being incorporeal, which means they have no body. This should act in a similar fashion to Heroes IV's insubstantial, where normal melee attacks would deal considerably less damage. A feature that is seen throughout a number of the creatures in the Inferno is 'life drain' which helps rejuvenate hit points. Additionally, as undead units, they have no emotions, therefore are not affected by morale bonuses or penalties.
How to read this page
Most of the elements describing the creature should be quite familiar. However, if they're not, here's what you should know:
  • The Attributes panel presents the creature's attack, defense and such. Position your mouse over an element to display the tooltip if you're not familiar with the icon.
  • The Economics panel shows the cost of the unit, and its weekly growth rate.
  • Move your mouse over the abilities to show the description popup.
  • Casters have a spellbook: it opens as a popup to show the creature's spells. The little icon  next to the spell name represents the creature's mastery of that spell, ranked from None to Expert. Click on a spell to go to the corresponding spell page.
  • The Experience value is the amount of experience your hero will gain when killing one creature of that type.
  • The Power Rating is a global indicator of the creature power. It allows you to roughly compare different creatures, even if, of course, there's no such thing as a unique strategy and power ladder in Heroes 5!!
Necropolis - Level 1
Skeleton		 Skeleton
Armed with axe and shield, the Skeleton raises his bony arms to bring death to the living. High initiative allows Skeletons to strike first, but their rather fragile bodies cannot withstand much damage.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic..
554
  • 17
  • 20
Skeleton » Comment » Attributes
Skeletons are a quick level 1 walker, with fairly low Hit Points, and who also deal minimal damage. They have the Undead ability, as does the rest of the Necropolis, and they are also very cheap creatures when considering they are better than Peasants though they are 3 gold less - which could mean over 1000 gold in the long run.
Walker
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1 - 1
  • 10
  • 5
  • 4
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 1 Upgrade
Skeleton Archer		 Skeleton Archer
Armed with bow and arrow, Skeleton Archers strike from afar. High initiative allows Skeletons to strike first, but their weak frames can only withstand a little damage before collapsing.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. ShooterThis creature can inflict damage remotely. When distance to target is longer than half the arena, the target suffers only half the normal damage. Shooter cannot use ranged attack when blocked by enemy creature. If there's no Ammo Cart in the army, the number of shots is limited by available ammo..
1084
  • 30
  • 20
Skeleton Archer » Comment » Attributes
While a very small statistical upgrade (downgrade in speed), the Skeleton Archer obviously adds the ranged ability to convert the creature from an offensive walker into a back-line ranger. Skeleton Archers are very numerous, and still extremely cheap for level 1. An ammo cart wouldn't go astray.
Shooter
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1 - 2
  • 10
  • 4
  • 5
  • 0
  • 8
Necropolis - Level 2
Zombie		 Zombie
These rotten corpses are raised by the Necromancers in order to bring death to their enemies. Although they are slow and clumsy, Zombies do not feel pain or fear. This makes them frightening foes, and ideal cannon fodder.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. EnragedThis creature's attack increases during combat when any friendly unit dies (except resurrected creatures or creatures summoned to battlefield by magic).The increase is proportional to the killed stack relative power in the army..
10105
  • 45
  • 15
Zombie » Comment » Attributes
The Zombie is simply too slow to be of much worth in a Necropolis army. Their poor damage (equal to that of the skeleton archer) and shocking attack and defense values don't give much reason to waste (an albeit small amount) 45 gold on them. They have lost their toughness ability, even though their Hit Points are very good.
Walker
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1 - 2
  • 6
  • 4
  • 17
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 2 Upgrade
Plague Zombie		 Plague Zombie
These rotten corpses are raised by the Necromancers in order to bring death upon their enemies. Plague Zombies do not feel pain and can withstand a great deal of damage. In addition, their festering weapons can infect all living creatures with a wasting disease.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. Weakening StrikeWith each successful attack, the attacked enemy's Attack and Defense properties are reduced by 2 units (cannot get below zero).. EnragedThis creature's attack increases during combat when any friendly unit dies (except resurrected creatures or creatures summoned to battlefield by magic).The increase is proportional to the killed stack relative power in the army..
15150
  • 65
  • 15
Plague Zombie » Comment » Attributes
The Plague Zombie is only a small improvement over the Zombie, the enchancements being spread over attack, defense, initiative, and damage. Their added special is potent, but the amount of times the Plague Zombie will actually be able to attack is questionable, and doesn't justify their position in an army. The 65 gold cost does nothing to help their cause, either.
Walker
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2 - 3
  • 7
  • 4
  • 17
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 3
Ghost		 Ghost
Ghosts are restless spirits of the dead, forever bound to the Necromancer who has enslaved them. Their bodies are incorporeal, which makes them difficult to hit.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
FlyerThis creature can move on to any free tile on the battlefield during its turn, regardless of the obstacles in the way.. UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. IncorporealThis creature is incorporeal so any non-magical attack against it has only 50% chance of inflicting damage.There can be at most 3 hits/misses in a row on all Incorporeal stacks, after which the fourth try will be forced to miss (after 3 hits) or hit (after 3 misses). This counter is global (for all stacks), not tied to each stack..
20232
  • 100
  • 9
Ghost » Comment » Attributes
The Ghost's low statistics are largely due to its omnipresent Incorporeal ability, which is certainly excellent when it works. However, at present, it is based purely on luck, so if the ability does not kick in, your Ghosts are powerless to do anything about it, and fall easily. Its high initiative can keep it out of trouble, but not using its high-end damage would be a waste.
Flyer
  • 4
  • 4
  • 2 - 4
  • 10
  • 5
  • 16
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 3 Upgrade
Spectre		 Spectre
Spectres are restless spirits bound to the service of the Necromancer who has enslaved them. Their bodies are incorporeal, which makes them harder to hit. The chilling touch of these spirits can drain the mana of enemy creatures, restoring the Spectre with stolen magic.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
FlyerThis creature can move on to any free tile on the battlefield during its turn, regardless of the obstacles in the way.. UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. IncorporealThis creature is incorporeal so any non-magical attack against it has only 50% chance of inflicting damage.There can be at most 3 hits/misses in a row on all Incorporeal stacks, after which the fourth try will be forced to miss (after 3 hits) or hit (after 3 misses). This counter is global (for all stacks), not tied to each stack.. Mana DrainWhen attacking enemy units, this creature can drain their mana and use it to restore its own health, or even to resurrect some killed creatures.Mana drained is equal to the number of Spectres in the stack, capped to the actual Mana amount of the target. Additionally, as many Spectres are resurrected as the Mana drained (ie. Life drained is up to 19*Mana drained)..
29312
  • 140
  • 9
Spectre » Comment » Attributes
For a 40% higher cost, the Spectre is an interesting upgrade: 3 more Hit Points, almost twice more damage, and most of all the Mana Drain ability. While this may not be always useful, it is a clear must-have when facing spell casters. First you'll drain their spell points, preventing them from casting at all (especially useful against the slow Pit Lords), and second you'll revive killed Spectres in the process!
Flyer
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4 - 6
  • 10
  • 5
  • 19
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 4
Vampire		 Vampire
Necromancers who wish to cheat death become Vampires with ever-youthful -- but empty -- bodies. Any damage that Vampires inflict upon the living heals their own immortal forms. Gifted with hundreds of years of combat experience, they are so swift with their swords than none can retaliate against their strikes.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. No Enemy RetaliationEnemies never retaliate after melee attacks by creatures with this ability.. Life DrainWhen attacking enemy units, this creature can drain their health and use it to restore its own, or even to resurrect some killed creatures.Life drained is half the damage inflicted..
38518
  • 240
  • 5
Vampire » Comment » Attributes
Speed is an important factor with the Vampire, and the player is tempted to use it in an offensive sense, preferably against lower level creatures so that it can regain Hit Points lost against tougher enemies. No Retaliation is a superb ability to be coupled with a fast flying creature, meaning it can strike slower creatures without ever getting hit back later on in the battle.
Walker
  • 6
  • 6
  • 6 - 8
  • 11
  • 6
  • 30
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 4 Upgrade
Vampire Lord		 Vampire Lord
Some Necromancers, seeking powers beyond death, become Vampire Lords. Any damage that Vampire Lords inflict upon the living heals their own immortal, eternally youthful bodies. None can retaliate against their strikes, and with their ability to teleport, none can foresee from where they may attack.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. No Enemy RetaliationEnemies never retaliate after melee attacks by creatures with this ability.. Life DrainWhen attacking enemy units, this creature can drain their health and use it to restore its own, or even to resurrect some killed creatures.Life drained is half the damage inflicted.. TeleportThis creature can teleport itself on the battlefield, thus avoiding obstacles..
60739
  • 350
  • 5
Vampire Lord » Comment » Attributes
The Vampire Lord improves on almost all areas on the Vampire, and retains the excellent abilities the Vampire already had. Attack and Defense are increased by 50%, and the damage range is also increased to increase potency. A small improvement in Hit Points makes the Vampire Lord an excellent offensive creature in the Necropolis army.
Flyer
  • 9
  • 9
  • 7 - 11
  • 11
  • 7
  • 35
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 5
Lich		 Lich
Liches are powerful undead mages, seething with hatred for all forms of life. They bring plague to the lands they tread upon, creating dreadful Death Clouds to strike their enemies from afar.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
Large CreatureThis creature takes 2x2 squares on the battlefield.. UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. ShooterThis creature can inflict damage remotely. When distance to target is longer than half the arena, the target suffers only half the normal damage. Shooter cannot use ranged attack when blocked by enemy creature. If there's no Ammo Cart in the army, the number of shots is limited by available ammo.. Death CloudRanged attack damages not just the target but all non-undead creatures covered by the Death Cloud (3 by 3 tiles) appearing at the hit point.The main target receives normal damage, and all non-undead stacks around it receive 50% each..
701166
  • 700
  • 3
Lich » Comment » Attributes
Boasting great attack, defense, damage and initiative, the Lich is easily able to destroy enemy ranks, especially if they are packed in tightly. Where the Lich falters is in Hit Points and speed. Once engaged, the Lich's effectiveness has all but dissapated, and, especially due to its 2x2 size and poor 3 speed, it is not very manoeuvreable.
Shooter
  • 15
  • 15
  • 12 - 17
  • 10
  • 3
  • 50
  • 0
  • 5
Necropolis - Level 5 Upgrade
Archlich		 Archlich
Archliches are potent undead mages with an eternal hatred for all life. They can summon dreadful Death Clouds or cast curses and weakening spells upon entire enemy armies.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
Large CreatureThis creature takes 2x2 squares on the battlefield.. UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. ShooterThis creature can inflict damage remotely. When distance to target is longer than half the arena, the target suffers only half the normal damage. Shooter cannot use ranged attack when blocked by enemy creature. If there's no Ammo Cart in the army, the number of shots is limited by available ammo.. Death CloudRanged attack damages not just the target but all non-undead creatures covered by the Death Cloud (3 by 3 tiles) appearing at the hit point.The main target receives normal damage, and all non-undead stacks around it receive 50% each.. CasterThis creature can use a set of magical spells similar to those cast by heroes. Mana reserve is limited but always set to maximum at the beginning of combat. Spellpower depends on the number of creatures (activated ability)..
1001518
SpellBook WeaknessWeakness (4 Mana)
Causes the selected enemy unit to inflict less damage in combat. Spellpower determines ... DecayDecay (6 Mana)
Inflicts plague on target enemy stack. The stack receives earth damage each time it tak... SufferingSuffering (5 Mana)
Weakens the target enemy unit to decrease its Attack.
  • 900
  • 3
Archlich » Comment » Attributes
While worthy upgrades were observed on the statistical side of things, especially in attack and defense, the main addition to the Lich is the Spellcasting ability. While the spells may not be the best, it adds an extra element of strategy to weaken the enemy with Dark Magic spells. Its Hit Points still remain its Achilles' Heel, with a meagre 55. The ArchLich is still primarily a shooter though, as its Damage shows.
Caster/Shooter
  • 19
  • 19
  • 16 - 20
  • 10
  • 3
  • 55
  • 16
  • 6
Necropolis - Level 6
Wight		 Wight
Wights are tormented souls thirsty for revenge on all living creatures.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
Large CreatureThis creature takes 2x2 squares on the battlefield.. UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic..
1202180
  • 1400
  • 2
Wight » Comment » Attributes
The Wight is a powerful melee unit. Though it has average Hit Points, attack and defense values, and damage are all commendable. It is also quick around the battlefield, despite its size. Wights have the usual Undead bonus, but aside from this, they lack any specials, and are a relatively weak creature for their level. They are quite cheap, however.
Walker
  • 24
  • 22
  • 20 - 25
  • 11
  • 6
  • 95
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 6 Upgrade
Wraith		 Wraith
Wraiths are Death itself, nothing can endure their chilling touch and survive. Any enemy creature that fights them is drained of its soul-substance.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
Large CreatureThis creature takes 2x2 squares on the battlefield.. UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. Harm TouchWhen this creature attacks, it always kills one unit in any enemy detachment. It also dispells all positive magical effects currently affecting the aim (activated ability).The normal creature attack is unchanged. When Harm Touch is used instead, exactly one target creature is killed..
1552588
  • 1800
  • 2
Wraith » Comment » Attributes
The Wraith is a fair upgrade, the main change seen in increased average damage (5). The Harm Touch ability is useful only when the Wraith's normal attack does not deal as much damage, and is really only useful against level 6s and 7s when Wraiths are low in numbers. Other than those small changes, they are effectively the same creature as the Wight.
Walker
  • 26
  • 24
  • 25 - 30
  • 11
  • 6
  • 100
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 7
Bone Dragon		 Bone Dragon
Stolen from their graves and compelled to serve the Necromancers, Bone Dragons are formed from the skeletons of dead dragons of other breeds. The Necromancer lands have no native dragons, and so they are compelled to steal and create their own.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
Large CreatureThis creature takes 2x2 squares on the battlefield.. UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. FlyerThis creature can move on to any free tile on the battlefield during its turn, regardless of the obstacles in the way..
1663174
  • 2400
  • 1
  • 1
Bone Dragon » Comment » Attributes
As is inherent in being a Bone Dragon, the statistics will always be inferior to a living, breathing Dragon. The Bone Dragon demonstrates this, having fewer Hit Points than a Treant, and dealing less damage than a Pit Lord. The Bone Dragon would be an ultimate level 6 creature if it weren't for the respectable attack and defense ratings it has. It is, however, very inexpensive, at only 2400 gold and 1 Mercury, they are definitely value for money. Unfortunately, the Bone Dragon also suffers from a lack of specials.
Flyer
  • 27
  • 28
  • 15 - 30
  • 11
  • 6
  • 150
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis - Level 7 Upgrade
Spectral Dragon		 Spectral Dragon
No single type of dragon gives up its bones to form a Spectral Dragon. Instead, these fell beasts are composed of the bones of every breed of dragon, cunningly arranged into a single skeleton and infused with unlife by the sacrifice of a high-ranking Necromancer's soul.
» Abilities & Power » Economics
Large CreatureThis creature takes 2x2 squares on the battlefield.. UndeadThis creature is not alive (like all other Necropolis creatures) and its morale is always neutral. It cannot be affected by Poison-, Blind- or Mind-related magic.. FlyerThis creature can move on to any free tile on the battlefield during its turn, regardless of the obstacles in the way.. Cursing AttackDuring attack a curse is put on the target, reducing the damage it can inflict. With each following attack the curse is renewed.Weakness is cast with Advanced mastery..
2203905
  • 2900
  • 2
  • 1
Spectral Dragon » Comment » Attributes
The Spectral Dragon is only a slight improvement over the Bone Dragon in terms of statistics, and there are no standout abilities that make it worth the extra 500 gold and 1 mercury. Although it is a much more efficient attacker due to the increased damage (still dangerously low for a level 7), it is also a slightly better defensive option due to its increased Hit Points. It is easy on gold reserves, but no such luck with conserving Mercury. Overall, a very poor level 7 creature.
Flyer
  • 30
  • 28
  • 25 - 35
  • 11
  • 7
  • 160
  • 0
  • 0
Necropolis Analysis (by ThE_HyDrA)
Walker: 6
Shooter: 3
Flyer: 6
Spellcaster/-: 1

Total Orientation: The Necropolis's host of flying creatures enables them to traverse the battlefield quickly. Also due to their 2 different ranged attackers and high-level spellcaster, the Necropolis troops will be able to initiate their attacks earlier than other alignments. Their low combat statistics are compensated for by their undead (and, at times, incorporeal) state and their lower recruitment price.
This information comes from the Heroes V release version (v2.1).

Thanks to sfidanza for the work on this page.
Thanks to Lord_Crusader for the pictures!
Thanks to ThE_HyDrA for creating and looking after the Heroes 5 section of Age of Heroes!

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