Fanaticism (Dark Summons ~ Lost List): Spell No. 248
"But the hosts of Mordor were enheartened, and filled with a new lust and fury they came yelling to the onset." (III)
Rabid, blood-crazed hordes of orcs and trolls are the dread of the Free Peoples and the dream of the Dark Servants. Tolkien's books time and again describe how the forces of evil seem to feed off the despair of their foes, becoming a nearly unstoppable wave of destruction in battle. In MEPBM, with starting armies typically having a morale of 10, the truth is closer to huge masses of troops, looking to flee at the first sign of trouble. Only the power of the Army Commander holds the troops together, ready to face the enemy. This is where one of the more imaginative spells, Fanaticism, comes in. Along with its cousin, Fearful Hearts (244), it exists as one of the few spells or orders that allow a player to really recreate Tolkien's world in the gaming environment.
Fanaticism, a Lost List spell, can only be learned by the Dark Servants. The spell can only becast by a character in an army, unless the character is practicing. Successfully casting this spell will increase the morale of ALL ARMIES (Not Population Centers) in the same hex, belonging to the caster's nation, by five (5) to fifteen (15) points. Multiple castings are not cumulative. Instead that the best result is chosen and applied. The spells effects only last until the end of the turn. Only the nation of the Fire King starts with the special ability to learn this spell. For the rest, because it is one of the Lost List spells, typically an artifact that allows learning this spell must first be discovered.
The effectiveness of Fanaticism is debatable. The spell will definately have a more pronounce effect on a low morale army, with the potential of doubling the armies morale. The effect is diluted on high morale armies. This can be seen by examining the dreaded, all-powerful Combat Alogrithms. As shown, Morale is only one fourth of the Average Army Modifier. Thus, increasing the Morale of that Fire King army from 100 to 115 only increases the Average Army Modifier by 3.5%. Take a look at a Fire King Army of 1000 Heavy Infantry lead by a level 100 Commander. They have 100 Morale and they are fighting in Mild Plains (100 Nation Climate Modifier and Terrain Modifier). This army would have a of 10,000. If a Fire King mage casts a 15 point Fanaticism, the strength would only increase to 10,350. And don't forget, the Army's final strength must be modified a second time for Training, Weapons, Troop Terrain and Troop Tactics. This just doesn't seem impressive for an Average strength spell.
Looking at Chill Bolts (226) or Fire Bolts (232), both Average combat spells, shows a combat strength modifer of 800 and 1000, respectively. Granted, these modifiers are only for the first round of combat. Additionally, Fanaticisim increases the morale for ALL Fire King Armies present, for ALL rounds of the battle. None the less, the bigger bang for the buck seems to come from the 'direct damage' type of spells.
Either way, Fanaticism is a fun spell to cast. It will provide a noticable benefit, especially if the player has multiple, low morale, large armies all in the same battle. This effect is more pronounced if the player is attacking a population center with one or more defending armies. If the player also has access to Fearful Hearts (reduce enemy army morale 10 - 20 points), a devasting combat effect is possible. The effect of this spell is probably more on target with an Average spell than an Easy spell, given its ability to affect all of a player's armies, combined with the reality that most armies will normally have an inherently low morale. In conclusion, Fanaticism is a unique spell that adds a little bit of color to the game.
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Text Copyright 1998 by Jeffery A. Dobberpuhl. All game mechanics and terms are Copyright 1993 by Tolkien Enterprises, as produced, designed and distributed by Game Systems, Inc.