A player’s third choice at the start of the game is selecting a faction. Faction choice has a powerful impact on your strategy.
Arcane:
At the beginning of each friendly player’s turn, player has a 40% chance to gain a random scroll.
Ascendants:
Beginning turn one, every four friendly turns, all friendly units gain +1 attack; Beginning turn two, every four friendly turns, all friendly units gain +1 defend; Beginning turn three, every four friendly turns, all friendly units gain +1 movement; Beginning turn four, every six friendly turns, all friendly units gain +1 vision.
Bearkin:
At the beginning of the game, 20 bear dens are randomly placed on random hexes throughout the map; Bear dens are only visible to friendly player; The first time friendly player gains vision of any bear den, generate a giant bears unit in that hex and friendly player takes control of that giant bears unit.
Briarfolk:
All friendly cities are surrounded by briar terrain. Briar terrain costs 12 movement points per hex. All friendly units receive the special Briarwalk skill. If a friendly city is captured, all briar terrain around the city reverts back to previous terrain type. Like all terrain, flying units are not affected by briar terrain; All friendly units gain +15 combat in briar terrain.
Chaos:
At the beginning of each turn, all friendly units that were produced in friendly player's capitol (on any turn) gain +1 combat and +1 movement.
Citadel Imperium:
All friendly cities gain +4 to city walls; Price of city walls upgrades for all friendly cities is reduced by 35%; Player starts the game with eight heavy infantry units and these eight heavy infantry units cost no upkeep (all other heavy infantry units cost upkeep as normal).
Conquerors:
Any time a friendly stack captures a city, all units in friendly stack that captured city gain a permanent +2 combat and +2 movement; Any time a friendly stack captures a city, friendly player gains 200 gold; Any time friendly stack captures a city, friendly player gains +10 prestige.
Dark Ones:
All enemy units and cities receive -2 vision; Gain one charge every four turns (maximum six charges); Use one charge: All enemy units and cities receive an additional -2 vision until the beginning of friendly player's next turn.
Disciples of Dreadhorn:
At the beginning of every fourth turn, friendly player creates a dreadhorn unit at friendly player's capitol.
Dragonkin:
At the beginning of every 8th turn, friendly player creates one dragon unit of player's choice at a friendly city.
Dwarves:
Friendly player’s capitol starts with a Forge city building; Friendly player's "Forged" blessing provides a +5 combat bonus instead of a +2 combat bonus.
Earthsplitters:
Start game with one charge; Gain one charge every 10 turns (Maximum 3 charges); Use one charge: Destroy city walls in target visible enemy city.
Elves:
All friendly units reduce the movement point cost for all non-grassland terrain by -2 (minimum cost of 2 movement point per hex on non-road terrain). All friendly units receive +1 movement; All friendly units receive +1 vision.
Evolutionists:
Anytime a friendly unit is affected by an enemy effect (e.g., non-targetable physical effect, targetable magic effect), at the beginning of friendly player's next turn, that unit permanently gains immunity to that type of effect; All friendly player army types cost +30% gold to produce; Friendly player's total unit upkeep cost is increased by 30%.
Fargazers:
Start the game with two charges. At the beginning of every three turns, friendly player gains one charge (no maximum charges). Use one charge: Target friendly unit gains a permanent +1 vision. Friendly player may sacrifice a unit with at least one charge to gain permanent vision of the hex friendly unit was sacrificed in plus permanent vision in a hex-radius equal to the sacrificed friendly unit's vision. If the sacrificed unit had detection or truesight, these apply to the permanent vision.
Geomancers:
Start the game with three charges; Gain one charge every four turns (maximum eight charges). Use one charge: friendly player may transform any visible hex into any non-water terrain. This terrain transformation is permanent.
Gnomes:
At the beginning of every friendly player’s fourth turn, create one gnome unit of any kind in friendly city of player’s choice.
Head Hunters:
Any time friendly player kills an enemy or neutral unit, gain X gold, where is is based on the build time of the unit killed: 1-turn-to-build: 5 gold; 2-turns-to-build: 10 gold; 3-turns-to-build: 20 gold; 4-turns-to-build: 40 gold; 5-turns-to-build and more: 80 gold; Any time friendly player kills an enemy hero, gain Y, where Y is equal too 100 * the level of the enemy hero (e.g., gain 500 gold for killing a level 5 hero).
Infernals:
Beginning on turn 10, at the beginning of each enemy player's turn, destroy one random, non-hero enemy unit; Beginning on turn 30, at the beginning of each enemy player's turn, destroy two random, non-hero enemy units; Beginning on turn 50, at the beginning of each enemy player's turn, destroy three random, non-hero enemy units.
Juggernauts:
Units produced at friendly player's capitol have +1 hitpoints; Units produced at friendly player's capitol have -6 movement.
Lepers:
Gain one charge every two turns (no maximum charges). Use charge: Target friendly unit permanently gains one of the following: equanimity, focused, immunity, impervious, mindful, or resilient.
Lords of Industry:
Every three turns, friendly player gains a build charge (No maximum charges). Use one build charge: Target army being produced in target friendly city has one turn removed from its current build time (e.g., if unit had one turn left to build, it would be immediately generated; if a unit had two turns left to build, that would be reduced to one turn).
Martyrs:
Any time a friendly unit is destroyed, friendly player's capitol permanently increases its income per turn by X, where X is equal to the friendly destroyed unit's build time. Friendly player begins the game with four martyr units.
Mobilizers:
When a friendly unit is produced at a friendly city, that unit gains +10 movement and +10 combat until the beginning of friendly player's next turn.
Nomads:
All friendly cities produce -65% gold; All friendly city buildings cost +65% to produce; All friendly units gain +8 movement.
Pathfinders:
All friendly units move at 2 movement point per hex in all terrain except water; All friendly units gain +4 movement; All friendly units receive -1 hitpoints.
Psionics:
Each time an enemy unit attempts to move, or attempts to use a skill or ability, that unit has a 2% chance of being stunned until the beginning of enemy player's next turn. Each unit may only be affected by this one per turn (e.g., If a unit moves one hex and is not affected, or if the unit uses an ability or skill and is not affected, that unit may not be affected again until the beginning of enemy player's next turn).
Resurrectionists:
Anytime a friendly unit is destroyed within a friendly city (while defending friendly city), that friendly unit has a 50% chance to be resurrected at the end of the battle; This effect only occurs if the friendly city is not captured during the battle that friendly unit is destroyed.
Sabetours:
Friendly player may build the Saboteur unit.
Shadows:
All units produced at friendly player's capitol that do not have stealth or invisibility have stealth; All units produced at friendly player's capitol that normally have stealth by default (e.g., advanced scout) have invisibility instead; All units produced at friendly player’s capitol that normally have invisibility receive a +4 movement bonus.
Stoneskins:
Start game with two charges; Gain one charge every six turns (maximum six charges); Use charge: All friendly units (global) gain equanimity, focused, immunity, impervious, mindful, and resilient until the beginning of friendly player's next turn.
Subterreneans:
Friendly player begins the game with three cities placed randomly throughout the map; Friendly cities may only produce units that take one or two turns to build; Friendly cities may not build city buildings; If friendly player captures an enemy city, all city building improvements are destroyed upon capture.
Syndicate:
Reduce the cost of all player controlled spies (including spies purchased in enemy and friendly cities) by 30%; Subtract -3 from all friendly spy rolls; Add +3 to all enemy spy rolls.
The Nexus Continuum:
Friendly player's capitol city begins with a wormhole within it; Friendly player gains one charge every fifteen turns (no maximum charges); Use one charge: Friendly player creates a wormhole at any visible hex (wormholes are indestructible); Wormholes last for the duration of the game; Friendly units may move between wormholes at no movement cost.
The Veiled:
All friendly cities have invisibility.
Turtlekin:
Friendly capitol may move two hexes per turn (only one hex if moving onto water or mountain terrain); Friendly capitol starts with +25 City Walls; Friendly capitol starts with an extra army production slot.
Vanguard:
At the beginning of friendly player's turn, friendly player may select one friendly stack (global) to receive the Vanguard bonus until the beginning of friendly player's next turn; Vanguard bonus: Friendly stack receives +15 combat until the beginning of friendly player's next turn; If stack with Vanguard bonus is destroyed, friendly player loses the game.
Vengeful:
Any time enemy player wins a battle again friendly player, all units in enemy stack that won the battle receives a permanent -2 defense.
Visionaries:
Gain 2 charges at the beginning of each friendly player's turn (no maximum charges); Use one charge: Gain true sight of target hex (global), and every hex adjacent to target hex, until the beginning of friendly player's next turn. This ability may be used on hexes not currently visible..
Architects:
All friendly city building costs are reduced by 40%; This reduction does not apply to city walls.
Ashborn:
When friendly player razes a city (either a friendly city or a just captured enemy city), generate a fire elemental unit in that city’s ruins; Friendly Fire Elementals generated in this way (but not friendly Fire Elementals built in cities) have +1 hitpoints. Friendly player does not lose any prestige or gold when razing friendly cities.
Behemoths:
Gain one charge every seven turns; Use one charge: All friendly units in target friendly stack (global) gain a permanent +1 hitpoint.
Captivators:
Any time an enemy unit comes within five hexes of a friendly city, that unit has a 20% chance to be stunned until the end of the turn; This effect can only occur to each specific enemy unit once per turn (e.g., if the enemy unit comes into vision radius but the chance to be stunned fails, the unit may not be affected by this effect for the rest of the turn). This % chance is doubled for friendly player's capitol (e.g., capitol has a 40% chance to stun enemy units).
Children of Sol:
Gain one charge per turn (Maximum four charges): Use one charge and choose one of the following: Target friendly stack gains +6 combat until the beginning of friendly player's next turn; Target friendly stack gains +6 movement until the beginning of friendly player's next turn; Target friendly stack gains a permanent +2 combat; Target friendly stack gains a permanent +1 movement and +1 vision.
Clairvoyants:
Beginning on turn ten, at the beginning of each friendly turn, friendly player has a 50% chance to reveal the location of one randomly selected, not currently visible, enemy hero; All friendly heroes gain +4 bolster.
Crimson Cult:
Any time friendly player kills an enemy or neutral unit, gain one Offering charge. Use 6 Offering charges: Target friendly stack (global) gains +1 combat and +1 movement until the beginning of friendly player's next turn. Maximum of 120 charges stored.
Devourers:
Anytime friendly stack captures an enemy or neutral city, each unit in friendly stack has a 35% chance to permanently gain +1 hitpoint; Any unit that gains a hitpoint in this way receives a permanent -2 movement points.
Dominion of the Butterfly:
Friendly player gains one charge every three turns (no maximum charges). Use one charge: Target friendly city (global) may not be attacked, affected, or targeted by enemy units or abilities until the beginning of friendly player's next turn.
Dreamwalkers:
Gain one charge every four turns (no maximum charges); Use one charge: Target enemy stack is stunned until the beginning of friendly player's next turn.
Eaglekin:
At the beginning of every fourth turn, friendly player generates an ancient eagle unit at target friendly city. Any friendly ancient eagle unit created in this way does not have an upkeep cost. Friendly player begins the game with a Giant Eagle unit.
Echoes:
Any time a friendly non-echo unit is destroyed, at the beginning of friendly player's next turn, create an Echo unit in a random hex adjacent to the hex in which the friendly unit was destroyed.
Empire:
Friendly capitol generates an extra +10 prestige per turn; All friendly cities generate +2 prestige per turn.
Fanatics:
Anytime an enemy or friendly unit is destroyed in a battle, all friendly units in that battle receive +2 combat until the end of battle. This bonus can stack up to a maximum of +24 in any battle.
Frostbound:
Anytime an enemy unit kills a friendly unit, that enemy unit receives -1 movement until the beginning of friendly player's next turn. Anytime an enemy stack wins a battle against friendly player, all units in enemy stack receive -1 movement until the beginning of friendly player's next turn. These movement penalties can stack.
Gilded Legion:
Friendly player may pay 50 gold to permanently increase the combat of target friendly unit currently within a friendly city by +1 (Maximum bonus of +25 combat; Cost for heroes is 200 gold); Friendly player may pay 100 gold to permanently increase the movement of target friendly unit currently within a friendly city by +1 (Maximum bonus of +15 movement; Cost for heroes is 400 gold). Unit must be within the city to receive these bonuses but unit retains these bonuses permanently, even after leaving city.
Gravitors:
Gain one charge every three turns (No maximum charges); Use one charge: Target stack (friendly or enemy) is moved to target hex adjacent to target stack. If this effect is used on an enemy stack within a city, it requires two charges instead of one.
Horse Lords:
All friendly units gain +8 combat on grassland terrain; Player begins game with four light cavalry unit and two heavy cavalry units.
Ironclads:
Friendly units produced in friendly player's capitol receive +8 defense.
Keepers of the Forest:
All friendly cities are surrounded by forest terrain; At the beginning of each friendly turn, each forest hex on the map has a 10% chance to transform one random, adjacent, non-forest hex into a forest hex; All friendly units move in forest terrain at the cost of one movement point per hex; All enemy units add +2 movement points to the cost of moving in forests; All friendly units have stealth when in forest terrain; Friendly player may not build goblin lumberjack unit.
Lords of Flight:
All friendly flying units gain +6 movement; All friendly flying units gain +8 combat against enemy flying units.
Lucky Ones:
Gain one charge every three turns (no maximum charges). Use one charge: Reroll the last battle and select the battle outcome you want (between the first battle outcome and the rerolled battle outcome). Player may reroll the same battle multiple times if desired and if charges are available.
Merchants:
All friendly cities generate +20% income; Friendly player begins game with an additional 500 gold.
Multidimensional:
Once per turn, one friendly unit may teleport from one friendly city to another friendly city. This teleportation does not use of that of that unit's movement points; Gain one charge every seven turns (maximum four charges). Use charge: Target friendly hero and all units in hero's stack (global) are teleported back to friendly player's capitol.
Orcs:
All friendly units gain the Waaaagh skill.
Waaaagh: On friendly player's turn, unit may use the Waaagh skill. When unit uses the Waaagh skill, unit gains +8 attack and +8 movement and that unit is destroyed at the end of friendly player's turn.
Propagandists:
Anytime friendly stack wins a battle, one random friendly city gains +1 city wall bonus and +3 gold income; This bonus is doubled if the battle won captured a city.
Ratkin:
All friendly units gain +9% ambush and +9% disease.
Runemasters:
Gain one rune charge per turn; Use one rune charge: Place true sight rune on target visible hex (global); True sight runes have the deep invisibility skill; True sight rune grants friendly player truesight on target hex, and all adjacent hexes. Use one rune charges: Place a stun rune on target visible hex (global); Stun runes are invisible; If an enemy unit or stack moves onto a hex with a stun rune, all unit in enemy stack is stunned until the beginning of enemy player's next turn and destroy stun rune.
Scholars:
Player begins game with Scholar's Ring item; At the beginning of each friendly player's turn, reveal to friendly player the location (under fog of war) of one undiscovered ruin.
Scholar’s Ring: +6 movement; +10 bolster
Starborn:
Start game with three charges; Gain one charge per turn (maximum ten charges); Use one charge: Target friendly stack (global) gains ONE of the following: +4 combat until the beginning of friendly player's next turn; +4 movement until the end of the turn; +2 vision until the beginning of friendly player's next turn.
Stormlords:
Gain one charge every four turns (no maximum charges); Use one charge: Destroy enemy unit at the front of target enemy stack (global). Charges have no effect against enemy heroes.
Summoners:
Start game with two charges; Gain one charge per turn (no maximum charges); Use one charge: Create one familiar unit of any type (familiar aggressive, familiar defensive, familiar mobile) at target friendly city.
The Monolith Order:
At the beginning of the game, randomly place eight monoliths on the map; Friendly player may activate a monolith by having a friendly unit on the monolith hex (if friendly unit leaves or is destroyed, the monolith becomes unactive); Each monolith activated by friendly player grants all friendly units (global) +3 combat and +1 movement; Enemy players gain no benefit from activating monoliths.
The Relentless:
Any time a friendly stack wins a battle, all units in friendly stack gain +6 movement until the end of friendly player’s turn.
Tinkers:
At the beginning of every friendly player’s turn, each Tinker city has a 33% chance to generate a random potion. Player begins the game with three random potions. All friendly units that do not have the "Carry" skill may carry one potion.
Undead:
Friendly player beings game with six Lich units.
Vaultkeepers:
At the beginning of each friendly player’s turn, friendly player gains X gold, where X is equal to 20 * the turn number (e.g., 20 gold on turn 1, 60 gold on turn 3, 200 gold on turn 10).
Vikings:
Any time a friendly unit is destroyed by an enemy player or neutral unit, gain one Valhalla charge. For every 50 Valhalla charges, all friendly units (global) gain +1 combat (e.g., if player has 300 Valhalla charges, all friendly units will receive +6 combat; if player has 600 Valhalla charges, all friendly units will receive +12 combat).