Ward of Destruction (spell)

{{Related|{{cleanText|{{PAGENAME}}}} (research)}}
{{Infobox Spell
| school         = Runes
| pprev          = Death Rune (spell)
| prev           = Killing Glyph (spell)
| ability        = Kill most kinds of incoming hostile units (diplomatic or military)
| target         = casting city
| charges        = 250
| cooldown       = 16h
| cast_wood      = 300
| cast_clay      = 500
| cast_iron      = 400
| cast_stone     = 750
| cast_mana      = 1,600
| cast_books     = 4
| cast_livestock = 4
| upkeep         = 20
}}
'''Ward of Destruction''' is the most powerful of general killing runes.

Once in place, it will kill up to 250 enemy hostile military units or diplomats, excluding [[Scout Units|scouts]] and [[spies]].  Upon depleting or canceling the rune, no other rune can be cast for 16 hours.

The number of charges and the number of affected units can be enhanced by a [[Runemasters' Grounding]].  The number of charges is determined at the time of the spell.

== Usefulness ==

General killing runes serve for decent everyday deterrent against random threats.  Players looking for someone to rob or raid will likely not want to lose 250 expensive units before even facing any of your own diplomats or armies.  However, for specific or recurring threats, targeted runes like [[Ward of Intentions (spell)|Ward of Intentions]] are more effective, often costing raiders too much even when plundering very rich stockpiles or pushing for key strategic objectives.  General runes do not replace proper diplomatic defenses, but targeted runes generally prove sufficient protection against a single attack, allowing players to slightly specialize their diplomatic forces to exclusion of that type.

Note that if you value your privacy, you must use some combination of targeted runes, scouts, and spies to prevent them from tracking your military strength and the value of your stockpiles.

== Updates ==
;[http://forum.illyriad.co.uk/update-29sep10_topic1074.html 29 September 2010]:
*All general killing runes were altered not to target scouts or spies.

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[[Category:Runes]]
[[Category:Spells]]
</noinclude>