Map Movement

Map Movement is the movement stat for the strategic map; that is, movement outside of battle. A unit with zero Map Movement is Immobile, including in combat, but this page focuses on out-of-battle matters.

Movement between provinces in Dominions is handled in "half-steps"; unit positions are abstracted to be in the center, so they have to exit their current province before they enter the next province. A unit can traverse more than one province; for example, if they go from province A and through province B to province C, they exit province A, enter province B, exit province B, and enter province C.

Every terrain type has its own movement cost.

Terrain	Half-Step Map Movement
Plains & Farms	3
Forests	5
Wastes	5
Highlands	6
Swamps	7

Mountain provinces have the same movement cost as whatever other terrain is present, or as a Plain if there are none.

Underwater half-step movement costs are always 5 points at base, at least for Seas and Deep Seas. It is not clear if it's any different for Kelp Forests or Gorges, at least since the manual forgets about them.

Flying units pay no mind to province terrain, really; they do have to take breaks from time to time, so they have to respect whether or not they can breathe in a province they cross, but otherwise they are mostly fine.

Stalactites and unfriendly peasants with bows may cause issues, though:

Terrain	Half-Step Map Movement
Enemy Caves	6
Friendly Caves	5
All other Enemy Provinces	4
All other Friendly Provinces	3

Pushing into enemy lines is very difficult, as the local peasants are decent at defense in depth. For the non-Flying, the half-step movement cost for entering and exiting enemy provinces is 4 points higher, or only 3 points higher for the Stealthy.

Cold provinces have snow on them, which makes the half-step movement cost for non-Fliers entering and exiting them 1 point higher, unless they have Snow Movement.

Roads, a holdover from previous Dominions games, may be on some specially designed custom maps. They connect provinces, and the movement cost for entering and exiting provinces along these roads is 2 points lower; unless you're a Flier, of course, in which case you're too stuck-up to walk. The minimum map movement cost per half-step, however, is 2.

The Terrain Survival traits each make the half-step movement cost for entering and exiting certain terrains 2 points lower, down to the minimum stated above.

Trait	Terrain
Forest Survival	Forests & Cave Forests
Wasteland Survival	Wastes
Mountain Survival	Highlands & Crystal Caves
Swamp Survival	Swamps & Drip Caves

Everyone in a squad (both the commander and their troops) has to have the respective Terrain Survival trait to benefit from it, at least for Map Movement purposes.

In provinces with 1 or more Coldness on the scales, Mountain Range crossings are closed to everyone who doesn't have Mountain Survival (or Flying). Only one of the provinces has to be cold for this to be the case.

In provinces with 0 or more Heat on the scales, River crossings are closed to everyone who doesn't have Swimming, Flying, or some sort of Water Breathing. Only one of the provinces has to be warm (not cold) for this to be the case.

Map Movement is highly dependent on the Size of the unit, and on the Map Movement Penalty of their Armor.

If a unit has 100 Map Movement, that means they can Teleport. They cannot travel into the fog of war, but they are otherwise unimpeded by whatever's between them and their destination. Many Doom Horrors have this much Map Movement.