Heroes V war machines: prices, control and Ballista damage
Four machines from the Tribes of the East 3.1 manual: mastery, control abilities, prices in eight towns and specific hero profiles. Tables and the initial example remain available without JavaScript.
A hero can have at most one machine of each type, using dedicated places outside the seven creature stacks. The baseline rule includes at least a Catapult; individual missions can have their own setup. Numbers follow the cited 3.1 manual.
Where to buy and what it costs
Adventure-map factories use standard prices. Each town offers one type at its standard price and charges triple for the other two. The table uses ordinary prices without specialty changes. Catapults are not bought this way.
A shooting machine whose base damage uses the hero’s Attack plus Knowledge.
Standard purchase
1,500 gold
Initiative
10
Shots
100
Table values by War Machines mastery; ability HP doubling is separate
Value
None
Basic
Adv.
Exp.
Base HP
250
350
450
550
Attack
5
10
12
15
Defense
5
10
12
15
Base damage / arrow
2–3 × M
2–4 × M
2–5 × M
5 × M
Mastery, ability and control
War Machines mastery changes the table values. The separate Ballista ability enables target selection, adds a second shot per action, doubles HP and restores the destroyed machine after combat. Ownership or Basic War Machines alone does not substitute for that ability.
Decisions for the next battle
First distinguish insufficient damage, inability to select a target and danger to the machine itself. Havez and Deleb list a Ballista in their manual profiles, but their starting skill lists do not themselves list the Ballista ability. Evaluate Deleb’s triggered Fire effect separately from an ordinary arrow hit.
Triple Ballista adds a third shot and requires Ballista. Runic Machines adds +3 machine Initiative; the base Initiative table excludes that perk. Further perks ↗
Heroes explicitly listed with this machine (9)
These links come from each profile’s Army & Spells section, rather than equipment recommendations. Check the hero’s actual manual-control ability separately.
A support machine with three healing actions; it waits when no stack needs healing.
Standard purchase
500 gold
Initiative
10
Healing actions
3
Table values by War Machines mastery; ability HP doubling is separate
Value
None
Basic
Adv.
Exp.
Base HP
100
200
300
400
HP per heal
10
20
50
100
Mastery, ability and control
First Aid enables manual recipient selection, recovery of fallen stack members, doubled tent HP and restoration after destruction. Advanced War Machines adds cleansing of weaker curses including Weakness and Slow; Expert extends cleansing to Dark Magic curses through level three.
Decisions for the next battle
Before healing, identify an eligible surviving stack and check whether it can withstand the next enemy hit. Treat three actions as a limited resource. Plague Tent changes use against enemies and is separate from ordinary healing; the manual sets its damage to the corresponding healing value.
Heroes explicitly listed with this machine (7)
These links come from each profile’s Army & Spells section, rather than equipment recommendations. Check the hero’s actual manual-control ability separately.
Maintains friendly shooters’ ammunition at maximum while the cart remains present.
Standard purchase
750 gold
Initiative
10
Table values by War Machines mastery; ability HP doubling is separate
Value
None
Basic
Adv.
Exp.
Base HP
100
200
300
400
Defense
5
5
5
5
Extra shooter Attack
+0
+1
+2
+3
Mastery, ability and control
Basic, Advanced and Expert War Machines add 1, 2 and 3 Attack to shooters, including the Ballista. This modifies a shooting unit’s attack attribute rather than adding the same flat HP damage. The Catapult ability doubles the cart’s HP and restores it after destruction.
Decisions for the next battle
Compare the likely shooting battle length with your creatures’ actual ammunition. Ordinary reserves start decreasing once the cart is destroyed. Do not add the cart bonus to Hero_Attack in the Ballista multiplier; a unit attack bonus and the base damage multiplier are different calculation stages.
Heroes explicitly listed with this machine (10)
These links come from each profile’s Army & Spells section, rather than equipment recommendations. Check the hero’s actual manual-control ability separately.
A siege machine against walls and towers, included in the manual’s normal hero starting rule.
Standard purchase
Normal starting rule; not sold
Initiative
10
Table values by War Machines mastery; ability HP doubling is separate
Value
None
Basic
Adv.
Exp.
Base HP
1000
1100
1200
1300
Defense
10
10
10
10
Fortification damage
150–200
200–300
250–400
300–500
Chosen fortification section
Not specified
30%
40%
50%
Mastery, ability and control
The Catapult ability enables manual selection of a fortification section, a second shot and doubled HP. It also strengthens and restores the Ammo Cart. The destroyed catapult itself is restored after combat for free under the baseline rule. Brimstone Rain can add a third shot.
Decisions for the next battle
When controlling the catapult, compare opening a passage with removing a shooting tower. The main tower cannot be targeted before both side towers are destroyed. The manual gives a 30/40/50% chance to hit the selected section at Basic/Advanced/Expert; this does not guarantee the whole intended sequence.
Heroes under the baseline rule (113)
Page 306 establishes a Catapult under the normal hero starting rule. This list does not confirm identical inventory on entering every campaign.
M = hero Attack + hero Knowledge. The result is one arrow’s base damage before target Defense, protection, specialties and further effects. Evaluate Deleb’s Fire effect separately.
Havez and Deleb have different War Machines mastery in their listed starting profiles; neither starting table lists the Ballista ability. A preset therefore does not automatically enable manual control.
Manual example: Attack 7, Knowledge 4 and Advanced War Machines give M=11 and base damage 22–55.
Do not add the Ammo Cart bonus to M. Compare the machine’s table Attack/Defense and actual damage against the target separately.
References and further reading
Our explanations use the 3.1 manual, pages 133 and 306–308. Listed equipment links to the exact hero profiles; distinct campaign forms have their own records.
