Mastering Magic: Restoration Spells

Good morning gamers,

We're continuing our "masterclass" series on magic today by looking at spells that regrow heroic stats (Might, Will, Fate, and Wounds - which is technically not a heroic resource, except that heroes tend to be the only ones with more than one of them . . . though not always . . . if you ignore monsters . . . and Half-trolls . . . you get the idea though).

We've already looked at spells like Sorcerous Blast, Immobilize (and all its lil' friends), and auric spells - all of which are included in the casting arrays of some of the best casters in the game (Saruman and Gandalf in all their various forms). The spells we'll be looking at today - Blessing of the Valar, Renew, Refreshing Song, and Strengthen Will - might not look like much, but in many ways, they have a tendency to be the go-to spells for those turns where "you don't have anything to do." Their impact, however, can be game changing.

What Do These Spells Do?

Two of these spells do the same thing as each other, just targeting a different heroic resource: Blessing of the Valar restores 1 Fate point that was previously spent (or D3 Fate if channelled), while Renew restores 1 Wound that was previously lost (or D3 Wounds if channelled). Since many heroes have 2 Wounds and 1 Fate point, I doubt either of these spells would be channelled much - plus, one-out-of-three times you channel it you get the exact same result as an unchannelled version . . . so why take the risk of wasting a Might point (see my post from February 2019 on magic and my post on wasting Might points for more info)?

Refreshing Song restores 1 Might, 1 Will, 1 Fate, AND 1 Wound that were previously spent/lost. This spell currently can't be channelled (neither caster who has these spells has Heroic Channelling - and neither has any Might anyway), but if it could be channelled, it would restore all lost Wounds (which makes it pretty much like Renew - which you probably won't channel). This is a really powerful spell (even unchannelled - I think it's the best spell in the game) because it can refresh 4 stats simultaneously. If used on a caster (who is likely burning through Might and Will to cast channelled spells, and possibly also Fate and Wounds if he's being attacked), you can turn 1 Will point from Tom Bombadil or Goldberry into more than one heroic resource on someone else. This is great!

The final spell is Strengthen Will, which on paper looks to be the Will-equivalent of Blessing of the Valar and Renew. But there's a key difference: 

Strengthen Will doesn't restore a Will point that's been lost in the fight - it gives the target a Will point.

This small difference allows the target model to have Will if they didn't start with any Will OR allows them to increase their Will above their starting amount. This is a key difference and goes into the strategy of some of the heroes who have this spell.

One final note on these spells: they can all be cast on the caster instead of a different model nearby (since all models are considered friendly to themselves). This is huge, since getting Will points back on a caster, restoring Wounds on an expensive hero, or regrowing Fate points on an important model is huge. The exception to this is casting Refreshing Song, since the casters who have these spells can't be affected by magical powers.

Who's Got These Spells?

These spells are specialist spells - very few models have them (and two of them are limited to a single army list, extending our list of spells that are exclusively-owned in MESBG, kind of like Sorcerous Blast). 

"My mirror is amazing . . . except it does what my spell does . . . only it gives you more Fate . . . if you need that sort of thing . . ."

Blessing of the Valar is only owned by Galadriel (Lothlorien version), which makes taking the Mirror of Galadriel a bit redundant if you ask me (less so if you've allied in some beat-sticks from the Fellowship or Rivendell). Now that volley fire isn't a thing, this is less necessary early in the game, but can be very useful in keeping models alive against siege engines, magical attacks, or after a round of melee combat has just not gone well. It is also very useful in Maelstrom fights, where a host of archers might pop up behind your position and Galadriel (or a nearby hero) suffers a wound.

"We left our forest to babysit these kids and their pets?!?!?!?! Guess we can make them better at doing whatever they do . . ."

Tom Bombadil and Goldberry are the only people who have Refreshing Song (which is good, because that spell is THE BEST spell in the game - needs to be exclusive). Tom also has Banishment, but for Goldberry, if you're planning on casting on a given turn, this is your go-to (only) move. These casters are also unable to cast this spell on themselves (because, again, they are not affected by friendly or hostile magical powers).

Healers are us

Renew is available to both Radagast the Brown and Elrond (both of which can be allied into most factions Conveniently - if not historically). If Lindir is near Elrond (and Radagast isn't sitting on an eagle), both have access to a free Will point each turn, which means this spell can be cast for free each turn (if you have nothing better to do with your Will, that is - both of these casters have great spells they can use in its place).

"Let me see, who do I help today . . . the guy with only 1 Will point? Or the guy with only 1 Will point?"

Strengthen Will is limited to Gandalf (both versions) and High Elf Stormcallers (who, let's face it, are probably casting Call Winds - more on this spell later in the series). This spell is killer for Gandalf in either form (but especially Gandalf the Grey, who faces higher casting difficulties than Gandalf the White and so can benefit greatly from having additional Will points). While restoring his own Will is good, casting this spell on allies of Gandalf is good as well, such as heroes with innately low Will stores - like Boromir of Gondor - and important warrior models - like banner-bearers or models sitting on objectives.

How Do You Use These Spells Most Effectively?

These spells seem simple to use, but they actually require a lot of finesse - not in the actual casting of them, but choosing whether to cast them or not (and when to do so). As such, here are some guidelines for their most effective use:

• Spend enough Will to cast the spell with a 50% reliability;
• Know the difference between spells that restore resources and spells that provide resources; and
• Don't channel these spells (if channeling is even an option).

1) The 50% Success Guideline

In our previous posts on Sorcerous Blast and Immobilize, we've talked about the "Rule of 70%", which basically means that we want to be able to cast the spell three-out-of-four times (which is about as reliable as things get in this game). This makes sense for spells that could be resisted because you're targeting an enemy model and want the spell to go off (why waste resources, right?). 

It also makes sense for channelled auric spells (like Blinding Light) because you risk wasting a Might point if the spell doesn't work (or two Might points if you need to boost a roll to cast the spell successfully). Recall that we lowered our threshold to 50% for auric spells in our last post because they can't be resisted and we're okay with a 50/50 chance of getting something off on ourselves (but throw an extra die if you channelled the spell).

The restoration spells, however, try to give a resource to a friendly model. As such, we're weighing the cost between taking resources from one model in order to give them to another model. So, we want to lower our threshold for success to 50% to allow the caster to spend as few resources as possible. Most of the models in this list have a free Will point each turn to cast these spells (Galadriel, Elrond near Lindir, Radagast the Brown, Gandalf the White/Grey) and can reach this 50% rule by just using their free Will point (which basically turns a free-non-permanent Will point and turns it into a permanent resource). Only Gandalf the Grey has a 50% chance of success on just his free Will point - the others all have a 67% chance of success.

Other models will have to spend 1 Will to give some kind of resource to another model (Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Elrond not near Lindir, Radagast on Great Eagle, High Elf Stormcallers). In the case of Tom/Goldberry, you cast Refreshing Song on a 2+, so you should succeed almost every time on a single die (I don't think I would throw two dice at a Refreshing Song UNLESS you need to get the resources on someone or they'll die - even then, I'm not sure). The High Elf Stormcaller would need to spend 2 Will to restore 1-3 Will on someone else with a reasonable chance of success (we'll talk about him more later).

2) The Difference Between Restoring and Providing

Most of the spells in this list restore resources that have been spent already in the battle. Casting Renew on someone who is at full health does nothing, casting Blessing of the Valar on someone who is at full Fate does nothing, and casting Refreshing Song on someone who has spent no Might, Will, or Fate and has suffered no Wounds does nothing. This is straight-forward and obvious.

"Do I need a reroll this turn? Or a reroll on priority this turn? Or more Will on the guy who gives people Will? Or should I just be selfish and give it to myself?"

But Strengthen Will provides Will BEYOND the starting Will pool (even allowing models who started with no Will to gain a Will point OR D3 Will points if channelled). So how do you use this spell differently? Here are a few ideas (using Gandalf as an example):

• If Gandalf the Grey is included in a Thorin's Company list alongside heroes like Oin the Dwarf (who uses Will points for a banner-like reroll) or Balin the Dwarf (who uses Will points to reroll priority rolls), cast Strengthen Will early in the game while you're maneuvering towards your opponent on these heroes with just your free die to potentially give them more Will points than normal before they need to spend those Will points.
• If Gandalf the Grey is included in a Fellowship list alongside heroes like Boromir of Gondor, Legolas Greenleaf, or Gimli, Son of Gloin, cast Strengthen Will early in the game while you're maneuvering to make these heroes harder to neutralize with magic (and, if Frodo isn't alive or wasn't brought in your list, to pass Courage tests).
• If Gandalf the White is included in a Minas Tirith list alongside Denethor, Faramir, or any hero with 1 Will, cast Strengthen Will early in the game on these heroes to make them better at passing Courage tests and potentially resisting magic (if you're concerned about magical resistance, you probably want to cast Fortify Spirit, which we'll cover in a later post).
• No matter what list you bring Gandalf in (Grey or White), if no one "needs" Will at the moment and you have no spells you "need" cast, cast Strengthen Will on Gandalf himself. As I've already said, all of these spells can be used to target the caster, but no one is likely to benefit from Will points as much as Gandalf in any list he's in.

Denethor: "I'm not going to lie, I don't like you . . ."
Gandalf: "Mutual, I'm sure."
Denethor: "Great - glad we settled that. Now give me some more Will!"
Gandalf: "No thanks, feeling selfish today."

While it may seem like a semantic difference, the value of Strengthen Will is greatly increased because it allows you to do more while you're maneuvering. For someone like Gandalf the Grey, you know that you'll be wanting to use lots of Will once the fighting gets going, so being able to bolster yourself ahead of time is a really great idea.

3) Why Not Channel?

I talked about this in a previous post on magic (and on my Top 5 ways to waste Might points), but it bears repeating here: I don't think boosting the results to D3 is a good use of a Might point, since 33% of the time, you'll get the exact same result as a normal spell when channelling. If the boost was D3+1, you'd always see a bonus from channelling, but as it is now, you're paying a Might point to have the potential (and really, a decent likelihood) of getting more from your spell at the expense of Might. But you also might get nothing (one-in-three successful casts). For me, this isn't worth it . . . most of the time.

Channelling a D3 spell is a good idea when it makes your targets do something - like channeling Banishment against 2-Wound Barrow-Wights or 3-Wound Shades.

There are some spells (Banishment and Drain Courage - both of which will be covered later in the series) where I recommend channelling the spell, but this is for one reason: the threat of these spells will either a) save you Will spent in the long-term, or b) it will force your opponent to spend Will points that he needs for something else to make sure your spell doesn't succeed. A channelled Banishment (D3 wounds against a spirit model) can one-turn kill a Barrow-Wight (67% chance if not resisted) or a Shade (33% chance if not resisted) and has a decent chance of killing a Ringwraith too (forces them to pass Fate rolls regardless of how many Wounds are dealt because they only have 1 Wound). You can also deal up to 3 wounds to Sauron, which would cause a Barad-Dur list to break normally (though even a single Wound will give you victory points in most scenarios for wounding the enemy army leader). More generally, this spell can also sneak at least 1 Wound on other enemy army leaders, like Gulavhar or the Balrog. We've spoiled some of the discussion on this spell here . . . sorry. 

These kinds of models will definitely feel the need to throw Will at this one spell - Will they may have kept in their store if they felt like they could weather a single Wound. All of these models have huge benefits that come from their Will (Barrow-Wights cast Paralyze, Shades penalize dueling rolls for hostile-non-Angmar models, Sauron casts spells, Ringwraiths stay alive with their Will in addition to casting magic).

Drain Courage is most dangerous when you go from being wounded on 6s to wounded on 4s by models with Blades of the Dead (or making it harder to charge terror-causing models).

Drain Courage works similarly: while your opponent might be okay losing 1 Courage, if a hero risks losing 2-3 Courage points, even a C7 models runs the chance of "only" being C4 (effectively C3 since most models with Drain Courage also have Harbinger of Evil/Ancient Evil, which applies a further -1 penalty). If there are models with Blades of the Dead in your force, this could be REALLY bad, but even if Blades of the Dead aren't on the table, knowing that a Ringwraith can cast the spell again on another round (or another Ringwraith could cast Drain Courage on the same turn) is scary and could force Will points to be spent to keep the hero's Courage up (and make a Transfix go unchecked later in the game).

So why not channel any of the restoration spells we're looking at today? Because they're augments - so you don't need to force your opponent to resist the channel. I also feel like Might is better spent on "more certain" things, like boosting a Dueling roll where you go from losing to winning/tying (or boosting a Wounding roll to make sure someone dies). While getting +3 Will points could be great for Gandalf, he's so strapped for his Might store already that I don't think it's worth it (especially because you may only get 1 Will when you channel).

There is another reason, though: sometimes, there's no reason to channel the spell. If you're playing a pure Lothlorien list, only Galadriel and Celeborn have more than 1 Fate point (and depending on your point level, you might not have both of them). The heroes who are likely to be taking damage (Haldir, Rumil maybe, Captains) will all benefit from regaining 1 Fate point (but not regaining more than 1 Fate). 

Similarly, Radagast can restore 1 Wound to a model that had lost it previously with Renew each turn. While you might have lost 2 Wounds on a hero/monster with 3 Wounds, if you're allied into another list (like Rivendell), most of the heroes you'll be working with have only 2 Wounds. Restoring 2 Wounds on a hero would certainly be worth it if they had 2 Wounds to regain, but the question again becomes whether casting a healing spell more strongly is a good use of Might (or even worth it). Did the hero lose on a bad roll? Could you restore a single Wound and save the other Wound for the next Wound?

When Do You Use It?

The utility of each of these spells is pretty simple, actually: look at your roster and see if anyone who is/could be within range can benefit from the spell. The key question is not so much "Can I use this spell right now?" Rather, I think the key question is, "Is now a good time to cast this?" Most of these casters have other spells that vie for their attention:

• Galadriel has Blinding Light and Immobilize/Command besides Blessing of the Valar;
• Elrond has Wrath of Bruinen besides Renew;
• Radagast the Brown has lots of spells besides Renew (Terrifying Aura, Aura of Dismay, Immobilize, Panic Steed, and Nature's Wrath);
• Tom Bombadil has Banishment besides Refreshing Song - generally speaking, I think Refreshing Song is the better option, but sometimes you need to use Banishment to deal with Spirit Army Leaders;
• Goldberry has no other spells to cast, but she has other things to use her Will on (such as pillow-fighting);
• Gandalf has lots of really fun spells besides Strengthen Will (Terrifying Aura, Blinding Light, Sorcerous Blast, Immobilize/Command, Banishment/Fortify Spirit/Your Staff is Broken or Collapse Rocks/Protection of the Valar depending on your version of Gandalf); and
• High Elf Storm Callers have Call Winds besides Strengthen Will.

Generally, my recommendation is to use these spells when there's nothing else pressing:

• If Galadriel doesn't have any hostile heroes/monsters nearby that can't be dealt with by your nearby units BUT you have a hero who lost a Fate point, you can choose to regrow the Fate instead of Immobilizing someone you already have managed;
• If Elrond doesn't have a lot of enemy models near him (or there are enough that they can be dispatched by his honor guard), then casting Renew on a hero who has lost a Wound is a good idea (especially if you bring Lindir in tow so Elrond gets a free Will point each turn);
• If Radagast the Brown doesn't have any cavalry to dismount, units to knock down with Nature's Wrath, or heroes/monsters to root on the spot, casting Renew on someone who has suffered damage (including himself) would be very helpful.
• Tom and Goldberry really just need to watch their Will store so they don't run out of Will too early in the game.
• Gandalf (either version) tends to be focused on casting auric buff spells early in the game, then focus on casting neutralizing spells (like Sorcerous Blast or Immobilize/Command). However, if you find yourself fighting a spread-out, low-model-count force that your troops can handle, casting Strengthen Will on yourself so you can make casting (or resisting) spells more reliable later in the game is a great move.

Given these thoughts, let's look at a few case studies.

Use Case Study: Radagast the Brown and Renew

Renew is a really good spell to cast on Great Eagles. Since you can run Radagast on the Sleigh with Sebastian for 200 points, each 100-point increment could be used to buy Great Eagles (you could also run Radagast on foot with Gwaihir for 300 points). Radagast should be able to stay near enough to the front to heal his Eagle allies - and since wounds should come slowly against the F7/D8 models, you probably don't have to channel this spell.

As with all wizards, however, keep the entire suite of Radagast's spells in mind so you can accurately identify if you need to do something offensive with your magic. Whether Radagast is being used in Radagast's Alliance or the White Council, casting Immobilize on a big hero/monster or Panic Steed on a mounted model will be really useful. We'll look at Panic Steed in a different post, but for now, know that Renew takes a back seat in most cases to these spells (the exception is when an important piece is in danger and really needs healing).

I should note that you can run Radagast for 200 points on a Great Eagle at the expense of his Staff of Power (turning you into a Combat Mage while mounted or an Auxiliary Mage if you dismount from the Eagle instead of an Unlimited Mage). While my opinion of the Great Eagle mount has changed since my review of Radagast on the Podcast (it is a 50-point Eagle, after all), it fundamentally changes the way that Radagast plays. 

When run this way, Radagast doesn't need to cast Terrifying Aura so long as he's mounted on the Eagle (since it already causes Terror), but is further incentivized from casting it because he doesn't have unlimited Will anymore. He also doesn't need to cast Aura of Dismay if he's in an army of Eagles, since they all cause Terror anyway. Nature's Wrath in an army of Eagles is really only necessary if you want to guarantee that the Eagles won't be taking any damage, since they bowl almost everything over with Monstrous Charge. 

With only Panic Steed, Renew, and Immobilize that are necessary to cast, Radagast can do quite a bit of work with just his 6 Will points - especially since he'll have an Eagle to help him out. When run alongside the likes of Beorn or Gwaihir, Immobilize will be good if your opponent is trying to topple any of your models with a big hero/monster and Panic Steed is a nice way to clear out fast cavalry models, but Renew becomes the most important spell you have if your opponent is running an infantry spam army (like Goblin-town).

Use Case Study: Galadriel and Blessing of the Valar

While Wounds are the most fundamental resource in the game, Fate is really important too (since it can keep Wounds from being lost in the first place). Don't get me wrong: Fate and Wounds aren't the same thing (Fate is a chance at keeping a Wound, not a guarantee). The most important people to restore Fate on are models who have lost all their Fate (as it discourages your opponent from spending Might to outright-kill one of your heroes).

An important second class of persons to restore Fate to are heroes with improved Fate rolls (such as an Elven Ring that provides a reroll for failed Fate rolls, or the Arkenstone). Since Galadriel is one of these heroes herself, she can boost her own Fate level with this spell (these are as close to a guarantee of free Fate you'll find). With such a low Defense value and the strong chance she will be your army leader (guaranteed in a pure Lothlorien list), Galadriel should make sure any Fate she spends is restored as quickly as possible.

As great as this spell is, it's important to know when to cast Command/Immobilize when you have suffered damage - stopping an enemy hero or monster from dealing damage will often be more important than healing yourself. Keep models around her so that if you need to make the hard choice between Immobilizing and restoring your Fate, you are free to protect her while continuing to neutralize enemy heroes or monsters.

This post wraps up the spells available to the Lothlorien version of Galadriel - here's my priority list for casting spells with her:

• On your first turn, channel Blinding Light with two dice (free Will + 1 Will from store) if your opponent has any semblance of archery (taking into account the caveats we have mentioned about Clash by Moonlight in a previous post);
• If you're beyond 12" of your opponent and a friendly hero (including Galadriel) has taken damage, cast Blessing of the Valar (because you don't have anything else to do);
• Once you're within 12" of your opponent, cast Command on a hero/monster that you can move away from the action;
• If any enemy heroes engage your ranks before you can cast Command, cast Immobilize to keep them from doing damage; and
• Only cast Blessing of the Valar on a friendly hero once the fighting begins if the target of Blessing of the Valar is more important than the potential damage that will be suffered by an enemy hero/monster attacking your lines (the target friendly hero is holding an objective, there are no threatening models, etc.).

Use Case Study: Gandalf the White (and Grey) and Strengthen Will

Strengthen Will is a great spell for Gandalf, but finding a time to cast it is often the hard part. Both versions of Gandalf have Terrifying Aura and Blinding Light, which often take up the first two turns of the game (if you're facing a lot of enemy archery). After that, if your opponent isn't within 12" of you, Gandalf the Grey should start casting Strengthen Will - with Sorcerous Blast being reliably cast on three dice (free Will + 2 Will from store), boosting your Will store is important.

Gandalf the White will also need to consider whether to cast Fortify Spirit on himself and potentially other heroes - these will add additional turns of preparation required to get your heroes ready to respond to enemy attacks. Chances are with Gandalf the White you won't have much time to cast Strengthen Will - you'll probably transition to casting Banishment or Sorcerous Blast after you've cast some (maybe all) of your static buffs.

Use Case Study: Tom and Goldberry and Refreshing Song

Tom and Goldberry should cast Refreshing Song as much as they can in any battle - they've got the ability to give Might back to friendly heroes, after all. If run with heroes like Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf can channel more spells (like his buffs), spend Will more freely to increase his probability of successfully casting, and keep his Fate high (rerollable Fate).

Other heroes, like Holfoot Bracegirdle or Gildor Inglorion, only have 1 Might point and would like to get more use out of their Might during the game (Heroic Marches for both of them, option for Heroic Defense for Gildor Inglorion). With any of these heroes, you have to be willing to drop your army bonus, since Tom and Goldberry are Convenient allies with all Forces of Good (both Rivendell and the Shire can drop theirs, I feel).

As I discussed in my post on Multi-Purpose Will spell-casters, you need to manage the "pools" of Will you have for each hero - some Will is reserved for casting, other Will for fighting, and 1 Will is saved for staying alive. Once you've depleted your casting pool, you'll need to have a good reason for casting anymore.

This is the only spell for Goldberry, but I think it's pretty self-explanatory here how you use it: find a hero who can benefit from the heroic resources that have been spent (at least the Might, possibly the Will/Fate/Wounds) and determine how many Will points you're choosing to cast with (and how many you're saving to fight enemy models). Because of her Courage buff and her 3" diameter area denial, you want to save 1 Will to stay alive.

"Use" Case Study: Elrond and the High Elf Storm Caller

Elrond and the High Elf Storm Caller have limited Will (unless Lindir is near Elrond) and are able to only get off a few spells in any given game. While Elrond could use Renew to make himself or a friendly hero stay alive longer, most of the time you'll be calling Wrath of Bruinen (which can keep friendly models alive by putting enemy models on the ground or killing them). Even with Lindir around, your opponent would need to be really spread-out to make Wrath of Bruinen an unappealing choice.

Similarly, the High Elf Storm Caller has access to Call Winds, which is not only cast more easily than Strengthen Will, but unless you get a natural 6 to cast Strengthen Will, the Will you spent is transferred to someone else (you don't get that cast for free). So I'd just throw dice at Call Winds instead. That said, if you NEED Strengthen Will (you're under a magical barrage from someone and you left Lindir at home), you CAN cast it on a single die with a reasonable chance of success (especially if you're willing to use your Might point to boost the spell's casting roll).

Blessing of the Valar, Renew, Refreshing Song, and Strengthen Will

These spells are useful by keeping heroic resources stocked on heroes that need them. Restoring Fate, Will, Might, and Wounds are a distinct advantage - and stockpiling Will above starting values is undeniably good (especially for Gandalf). Perhaps the best thing about these spells is that they target friendly models, so if you don't quite get the casting value you need, you can guarantee that any Might you deem is needed to get the spell off will translate into a success (not guaranteed when casting against an enemy model).

In our next post, we'll cover the area-of-effect spells in the game: Nature's Wrath, Wrath of Bruinen, Collapse Rocks, Panic Steed, and Tremor. These spells not only include one of the last two spells we need to cover for Gandalf the Grey (Collapse Rocks), but also the final spells to cover for Radagast the Brown, Thranduil if he has the Circlet of Kings, and Elrond (and Arwen, who we haven't viewed yet). Area of effect spells are dangerous, glamour spells in MESBG and can be daunting for new players to wrap their heads around. Experienced players will also struggle not only to fight these spells at times, but to figure out how best to employ them (when to cast them and how to balance them with the spell suites of some of these casters).

Since many of these heroes are go-tos for their factions (Elrond and Thranduil in particular), learning how to use these spells well is a must. Think you know how to get the most out of these magical powers? Are Nature's Wrath and Wrath of Bruinen worth casting after their range got reduced to 3" from 6"? Tune in next time as we dive deep into some of the most hated and devastating casters in Middle-Earth (and see how good they really are)! Until then, happy hobbying!