AbilitiesWML

[edit]WML Tags

A: abilities, about, achievement, achievement_group, add_ai_behavior, advanced_preference, advancefrom, advancement, advances, affect_adjacent, ai, allied_with, allow_end_turn, allow_extra_recruit, allow_recruit, allow_undo, and, animate, animate_unit, animation, aspect, attack (replay, weapon), attack_anim, attacks (special, stats), avoid;

B: base_unit, background_layer, berserk, binary_path, break, brush;

C: campaign, cancel_action, candidate_action, capture_village, case, chance_to_hit, change_theme, chat, checkbox, choice, choose, clear_global_variable, clear_menu_item, clear_variable, color_adjust, color_palette, color_range, command (action, replay), continue, core, credits_group, criteria;

D: damage, damage_type, death, deaths, default, defend, defends, defense, delay, deprecated_message, destination, difficulty, disable, disallow_end_turn, disallow_extra_recruit, disallow_recruit, do, do_command, drains, draw_weapon_anim;

E: editor_group, editor_music, editor_times, effect, else (action, animation), elseif, endlevel, end_turn (action, replay), enemy_of, engine, entry (credits, options), era, event, experimental_filter_ability, experimental_filter_ability_active, experimental_filter_specials, extra_anim;

F: facet, facing, fake_unit, false, feedback, female, filter (concept, event), filter_adjacent, filter_adjacent_location, filter_attack, filter_attacker, filter_base_value, filter_condition, filter_defender, filter_enemy, filter_location, filter_opponent, filter_own, filter_owner, filter_radius, filter_recall, filter_second, filter_second_attack, filter_self, filter_side, filter_student, filter_vision, filter_weapon, filter_wml, find_path, fire_event, firststrike, floating_text, fonts, for, foreach, found_item, frame;

G: game_config, get_global_variable, goal, gold, gold_carryover;

H: harm_unit, has_ally, has_attack, has_unit, has_achievement, have_location, have_unit, heal_on_hit, heal_unit, healed_anim, healing_anim, heals, hide_help, hide_unit, hides;

I: idle_anim, if (action, animation, intro), illuminates, image (intro, terrain), init_side, insert_tag, inspect, item, item_group;

J: jamming_costs, join;

K: kill, killed;

L: label, language, leader, leader_goal, leadership, leading_anim, levelin_anim, levelout_anim, lift_fog, limit, literal, load_resource, locale, lock_view, lua;

M: male, menu_item, message, micro_ai, missile_frame, modification, modifications, modify_ai, modify_side, modify_turns, modify_unit, modify_unit_type, move, move_unit, move_unit_fake, move_units_fake, movement_anim, movement costs, movetype, multiplayer, multiplayer_side, music;

N: not, note;

O: object, objective, objectives, on_undo, open_help, option, options, or;

P: part, petrifies, petrify, place_shroud, plague, poison, post_movement_anim, pre_movement_anim, primary_attack, primary_unit, print, progress_achievement, put_to_recall_list;

R: race, random_placement, recall (action, replay), recalls, recruit, recruit_anim, recruiting_anim, recruits, redraw, regenerate, remove_event, remove_item, remove_object, remove_shroud, remove_sound_source, remove_time_area, remove_trait, remove_unit_overlay, repeat, replace_map, replace_schedule, replay, replay_start, reset_fog, resistance (ability, unit), resistance_defaults, resolution, resource, return, role, rule;

S: save, scenario, screen_fade, scroll, scroll_to, scroll_to_unit, secondary_attack, secondary_unit, section, select_unit, sequence, set_achievement, set_extra_recruit, set_global_variable, set_menu_item, set_recruit, set_specials, set_variable, set_variables, sheath_weapon_anim, show_if (message, objective, set_menu_item), show_objectives, side, skirmisher, slider, slow, snapshot, sound, sound_source, source (replay, teleport), special_note, specials, split, stage, standing_anim, statistics, status, store_gold, store_items, store_locations, store_map_dimensions, store_reachable_locations, store_relative_direction, store_side, store_starting_location, store_time_of_day, store_turns, store_unit, store_unit_defense, store_unit_defense_on, store_unit_type, store_unit_type_ids, store_villages, story, swarm, sub_achievement, switch, sync_variable;

T: target, team, teleport (ability, action), teleport_anim, terrain, terrain_defaults, terrain_graphics, terrain_mask, terrain_type, test, test_condition, test_do_attack_by_id, text_input, textdomain, theme, then, tile, time, time_area, topic, toplevel, trait, transform_unit, traveler, true, tunnel;

U: unhide_unit, unit (action, scenario), unit_overlay, unit_type, unit_worth, units, unlock_view, unpetrify, unstore_unit, unsynced;

V: value, variable, variables, variant, variation, victory_anim, village, vision_costs, volume;

W: while, wml_message, wml_schema;

Z: zoom;

Abilities and their effects

There are two types of abilities: ones that apply to units (called abilities) and ones that only apply when using a particular attack (called specials or weapon specials). A unit may have multiple abilities and an attack can have multiple specials, but by convention only one weapon special should be assigned to any given attack.

The [abilities] tag

The following tags are used to describe an ability in WML:

• [heals]: modifies the hitpoints of a unit at the beginning the healer's turn
• [regenerate]: modifies the hitpoints of a unit at the beginning of the unit's turn
• [resistance]: modifies the resistance of a unit to damage
• [leadership]: modifies the damage of a unit
• [skirmisher]: negates enemy zones of control
• [illuminates]: modifies the time of day adjacent to the affected units
• [teleport]: allows the unit to teleport
• [hides]: renders the unit invisible to enemies

Any other name is valid (for example [dummy]), but will result in an ability that does nothing but report it's there. These tags still use the same common keys and tags as every other ability. Note: a dummy ability must have an id for the name and description to display.

Common keys and tags for every ability

• name: the name of the ability.
• name_inactive: the name of the ability when inactive.
• description: the description of the ability.
• description_inactive: the description of the ability when inactive.
• affect_self: if equal to 'yes', the ability will affect the unit that has it.
• affect_allies: if equal to 'yes', the ability will affect allies in the specified adjacent hexes.
• affect_enemies: if equal to 'yes', the ability will affect enemies in the specified adjacent hexes.
• cumulative: if set to 'yes', this ability will be cumulative with the base value for this ability.
• id: this ability will not be cumulative with other abilities using this id. Must be present if cumulative is anything other than 'yes'.
• [adjacent_description]: contains all four of the above keys, which are used when an adjacent unit receives the ability.
• [filter]: StandardUnitFilter If the unit owning the ability does not match this filter, the ability will be inactive.
• [affect_adjacent]: each adjacent unit that does not match this filter will not receive its effects.
  • adjacent: a comma seperated list of any combination of these directions: n,ne,se,s,sw,nw.
  • [filter]: a StandardUnitFilter.
• [filter_self]: if the owner of the ability does not match this filter, it will not receive the effects of the ability.
• [filter_base_value]: filters on the value before any modifications; uses the keys equals, not_equals, etc.

Extra keys used by the [heals] ability

• value: the amount healed.
• poison: can be one of slowed,cured.

Extra keys used by the [regenerate] ability

• value: the amount healed.
• poison: can be one of slowed,cured.

Extra keys and tags used by the [resistance] ability

• value: set resistance to this value.
• max_value: maximum resistance value. This value must be set in order for [resistance] to function.
• add: adds to resistance.
• multiply: multiplies resistance value.
• apply_to: a list of damage types; if left out, the ability applies to all types.
• active_on: one of 'defense' or 'offense'; if left out, the ability is active on both.

Extra keys used by the [leadership] ability

• value: the percentage bonus to damage.

Extra keys used by the [illuminates] ability

• value: the percentage bonus to lawful units.
• max_value: the maximum percentage bonus given.

Extra keys used by the [hides] ability

• alert: the displayed text when the unit is discovered. Default "Ambushed!".

Macros for common abilities

• ABILITY_AMBUSH
• ABILITY_CURES
• ABILITY_HEALS
• ABILITY_ILLUMINATES
• ABILITY_LEADERSHIP_LEVEL_1 to ABILITY_LEADERSHIP_LEVEL_5
• ABILITY_NIGHTSTALK
• ABILITY_REGENERATES
• ABILITY_SKIRMISHER
• ABILITY_STEADFAST
• ABILITY_SUBMERGE
• ABILITY_TELEPORT

The [specials] tag

The [specials] tag goes inside the [attack] tag. It can contain the following tags:

• [damage]: modifies the damage of a weapon
• [attacks]: modifies the number of attacks of a weapon
• [chance_to_hit]: modifies the chance to hit of a weapon
• [slow]
• [poison]
• [stones]
• [berserk]
• [firststrike]
• [drains]
• [plague]

Any other name is valid, but will result in an special that does nothing but report it's there.

Common keys and tags for every weapon special

• name: the name of the special.
• name_inactive: the name of the special when inactive.
• description: the description of the special.
• description_inactive: the description of the special when inactive.
• value: the value to be used. Applies to [damage], [attacks], [chance_to_hit] and [berserk] (the maximum number of combat rounds).
• add the number to add to the base value.
• multiply: same as value, except that this multiplies the base value.
• cumulative: if set to 'yes', this special will be cumulative with the base value.
• type: only usable in [plague], where it defines the unit type to be spawned on kill.
• id: this ability will not be cumulative with other specials using this id.
• active_on: one of defense or offense; if left out, the special is active on both.
• apply_to: one of self,opponent,attacker,defender,both. Determines who the effects of this special are applied to.
• [filter_adjacent]: StandardUnitFilter, which takes an extra key adjacent, which is used to specify which adjacent hexes to filter on. adjacent is a comma seperated list of any combination of these directions: n,ne,se,s,sw,nw.
• [filter_adjacent_location]: like [filter_adjacent], except that it filters on the locations rather than the units.
• [filter_self]: the special will only be active if the owner matches this filter.
  • [filter_weapon]: a standard weapon filter.
• [filter_opponent]: the special will only be active if the opponent matches this StandardUnitFilter.
  • [filter_weapon]: a standard weapon filter.
• [filter_attacker]: the special will only be active if the attacker matches this filter.
  • [filter_weapon]: a standard weapon filter.
• [filter_defender] the special will only be active if the defender matches this filter.
  • [filter_weapon]: a standard weapon filter.
• [filter_base_value]: filters on the value before any modifications; uses the keys equals, not_equals, etc.

Macros for common weapon specials

• WEAPON_SPECIAL_BACKSTAB
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_BERSERK
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_CHARGE
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_DRAIN
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_FIRSTSTRIKE
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_MAGICAL
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_MARKSMAN
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_PLAGUE
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_PLAGUE_TYPE TYPE
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_POISON
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_SLOW
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_STONE
• WEAPON_SPECIAL_SWARM

See Also

• UnitTypeWML
• SingleUnitWML
• ReferenceWML