Mindless, lifeless, undead ...

[Beorne]

Ok mindless have dissolution without leadership and are not good in sieges.
Undead are affected by undead affecting effects (like for demon) and need undead leadership.
But lifeless? Un-healable and un-drainable?
Fear affects mindless? and lifeless? and undead?

The three effects (mindless, lifeless, undead) are distinct altought they seem similar, and for me it is not clear the consequences on units.

[B0rsuk]

What's the difference between Lifeless and Inanimate, by the way ?

[Endoperez]

Lifeless are things that don't have any kind of metabolism. Ghouls are undead, but eat (humans, it seems). Wraiths are undead and lifeless - their body is reanimated to move, but it's not alive in any way. Soulless are zombies, mindless and lifeless and undead.

Not being able to heal is another matter entirely. Longdead don't heal. Once the bones are broken, there's nothing there. The exception to the rule are magical creatures (i.e. Magic Being tag) with the "does not heal" tag. They get back to full hp whenever they are in a province with a lab. Iron Dragons, as an example, get spare parts or something.

I think all constructs are lifeless. Sphinxes and Oracles are lifeless, as is that Iron Dragon.

I don't know all of what it does, but lifeless creatures are unaffected by regeneration and some effects like that, and perhaps "DIE" effects.

[Endoperez]

B0rsuk said:
What's the difference between Lifeless and Inanimate, by the way ?

I'm not sure, but I think Lifeless is the new Inanimate. Sphinxes are Lifeless now, for example, and they used to be inanimate.

[Agrajag]

Mindless are units without minds (ie can't think), like the lobotomized shamblers, or a statue.
Lifeless are units without life, like statues and golem.
Undead are units that are "The living Dead!" (spookie!)

I don't actually know if mindless units dissolve without leaderships. Most mindless i can remember right now are also magic or undead.
Lifeless is "undeath light". They're immune to a lot of spells that need some kind of metabolism to work. Poison, disease and miasma effects are three examples.
There are some spells that specifically target one of those three categories (like the all-popular anti-undead spells) or do specifically not target them (like mindblast and mindless units).

[Taqwus]

Mindless dissolve -- not instantly, but they stay in place, skip their turns, and have a chance of taking damage each turn. Depending on their type, they may still be dangerous (for instance, due to aura effects) until they are killed.

Other magic, undead or demon units without appropriate leadership are supposed to rout.

[UninspiredName]

As for the 'fear' question, mindless units have morale 50 so it's unlikely (If not impossible)that they'd flee in the first place.

Lifeless units don't get any protection from Fear, nor does undead. In fact, Vampires are specifically stated as being cowardly.

[Agrajag]

UninspiredName said:
Lifeless units don't get any protection from Fear, nor does undead. In fact, Vampires are specifically stated as being cowardly.

Then again, immortals never route in friendly dominion
(unless that was changed from dom2)

[Cainehill]

Eh, immortal _commanders_ wouldn't route in friendly dominion, immortal _units_ would. With the massive changes in the morale system (and large quantities of bugs), it wouldn't be surprising if immortal pretenders retreated now.