====== Water ======

{{:misc:magic:water.png?nolink }} **Water** is an Elemental path of [[magic]]. Among the four Elements, it governs liquids and opposes heat. Its three queens govern freshwater, the seas, and the unknowable depths.

Of the four Elements, Water is not particularly easy to [[Evocation|Evoke]], but fairly easy to [[Alteration|Alter]]. In [[Thaumaturgy|Thaumaturgic]] tradition, the path is phlegmatic, resembling a more-positive sort of passivity. In the Way of Five Elements, it is flexible and wise.

Water is the primary path of the [[underwater|sea]], where great kingdoms form in parallel with the civilized nations above. Unlike most other paths (and the other three Elements), knowledge and expertise of Water remains largely steady throughout the Ages, as the great **Water Mages** cope with shifts in the climate and fill whatever niche they can "flow" to.

===== Water Spells =====

Water has a great many tools, capable of both increasing //and// decreasing combat prowess; though, unlike with [[Earth]], it modifies secondary stats around simple damage-dealing and damage reduction. Water is also one of the only paths that helps with getting [[underwater]]; the other one is [[Air]].

{{:abilities:resist_cold.png?nolink }} [[Cold Resistance|Cold]] is the element-of-choice for Water's damaging spells. In Dominions 6, this is largely an [[Armor-Piercing]] element, whereas it typically went against full [[Protection]] in earlier games. Water also has non-elemental spells that hurt specific unit types.

{{:independents:water_elemental.png?nolink}} Water has different tools available to it **underwater**, and these changes are commonly considered to be to its benefit.

The four Elements have a variety of checks and balances against each other, even against themselves. Water's "protective" spells offer nothing significant against the damaging spells of [[Fire]] and [[Air]], for example. Its performance-modifying spells don't do much against the high Protection spells of [[Earth]], and may even be counterproductive against thugs using [[Fire Shield|Fire Shields]]. Lastly, Water mages can "turn off" some of the combat-enhancements of other Water mages, with counterspell debuffs.

==== Pure Water ====
^ Skill Level ^ Early Research (0 - 3) ^ Middle Research (4 - 6) ^ Late Research (7 - 9) ^
| {{path>W1}} (a dabbler) | Melee Cold Damage \\ Limited Sliming (Land) \\ Square-Hammering (UW) \\ Personal [[Cold Resistance]] \\ Pathboosting (UW) \\ Personal [[Quickness]] \\ Personal [[Fire Resistance]] \\ Floating Shields (UW) \\ Personal [[Chill Aura|Chill Auras]] \\ Personal [[Defence Skill|DEF]]-boosting (UW) \\ Limited Troop-Calming \\ Lesser Water Elementals | Personal Formlessness \\ Cold Sniping \\ Greater DEF-boosting (UW) |  |
| {{path>W2}} (average) | Long-Ranged Cold (Land) \\ Limited [[Desiccated|Dehydration]] (Land) \\ Sliming (UW) \\ Short-Ranged Cold (Land) \\ Lesser Fire Resistance \\ Limited [[Freeze|Freezing]] \\ Lesser Cold Resistance | Baby Sharks \\ Ice Drakes (Land) \\ Giant Sea Serpents (UW) \\ [[Magic Site|Site-Searching]] \\ Limited Quickness \\ Limited [[Slow|Slowing]] \\ Limited Ice Entrapment (UW) \\ Gelatinous Cubes (Land) \\ Greater Site-Searching (UW) \\ Limited Formlessness \\ Cold Resistance \\ Holy Water (Land) | Ice Shard Bombs (Land) \\ Quickness |
| {{path>W3}} ("mastery") | Krakens (UW) \\ [[Weather|Rain]] (Land) \\ Drowning (Land) | [[Scales#Temperature|Snow-Dumping]] Rituals \\ Dehydration (Land) \\ Sea Trolls \\ Greater Water Elementals \\ Cold Spirit-Wolves (Land) \\ Greater Fire Resistance \\ Showering Ice (Land) \\ Army Relief (UW) \\ Troop-Calming \\ Shark-Calling (UW) \\ Aquatic [[holy|Archbishops]] (UW) | Supermassive Turtles (UW) \\ Slowing \\ Ice Entrapment (UW) \\ Greater Formlessness |
| {{path>W4}} ("god-like") |  | [[Swamp|Swampification]] (Land) \\ Sea Troll Kings \\ [[Clouds#Frost-Clouds|Frost Cloud]] Cover | Water Elemental Spam \\ Supreme Fire Resistance \\ 3-Square [[Instakill|Goopification]] \\ Supreme Cold Resistance |
| {{path>W5}} |  | Domes of Ice \\ Weaponized Apathy | Fire-[[Dispel|Dispelling]] \\ Wall-Buffing (Land) \\ **Ranged Army-Freezing** \\ **Worldwide Water-Breathing** \\ **Water Queens** (UW) \\ Coast-Thumping \\ **Worldwide Flooding** \\ Supreme Cold Damage \\ Doubling DMG on [[Demon|Demons]] |
| {{path>W6}} |  |  | **Sea-Sealing** \\ **Sea Monster Militias** (UW) \\ **Rainbow Gem Generators** (UW) |
| {{path>W7}} |  |  | **Magic Phase Assassinations** |

==== Crosspaths ====

These are the crosspath effects with Water as the **primary** path:

  * Water/**[[Fire]]**: Acid spells, including acidic ??Green Lion?? summons, and hot water ??Geyser??s.
  * Water/**[[Air]]**: Frost Clouds, including ??Yeti??s that make them.
  * Water/**[[Earth]]**: ??Claymen?? and ??Cave Cow??s.
  * Water/**[[Astral]]**: Nothing with Water as the primary path, unfortunately.
  * Water/**[[Death]]**: Dangerous Greek-themed summons, and the arts of restoring various [[undead]] marauders.
  * Water/**[[Nature]]**: Nice Greek-themed summons, offset by liquifying bones and awakening evil swamps.
  * Water/**[[Glamour]]**: Nothing with Glamour as the primary path, unfortunately.

===== Indirect Magic =====

{{:abilities:resist_cold.png?nolink }} A Water Mage with {{path>W3}} has 5 extra points of [[Cold Resistance]], due to having better control over the water that would freeze them or forfeit their heat. One with {{path>W4}} or higher has 10 extra points of Cold Resistance, instead.

{{:misc:gui:magicleadership.png?nolink }} Other than 10 points of [[Magic Leadership]] per level, that's it. The Magic Leadership isn't immensely significant for Water Mages, but //someone// has to have it to prevent the almighty Water Elementals (or Ice Elementals) from [[rout|routing]].

==== Path Boosting ====

There are ten [[items]] that provide boosting in Water. Four are Artifacts. The common items that require just Water paths are the [[Underwater#Underwater-Traits|realm-bridging]] ??Robe of the Sea?? ({{path>W3}}, [[Construction]] level 5) and the ??Water Bracelet?? ({{path>W1}}, Construction level 7).

Water has a Water-boosting spell, ??Summon Water Power??, which even {{path>W1}}'s can cast. However, it's only available underwater.