History VideoGame / SpellForce

* AnIcePerson: Notably, both [[BigGood Rohen]] and [[BigBad The Dark One]] (in-game, not in the opening cutscene).

* BagOfSpilling: When importing your character from either ''The Order of Dawn'' or ''Brath of Winter'', only the equipment they were wearing, the runes they had equipped and their equipment, are imported. Every piece of gear, miscancellous items or runes that was in your inventory is lost.

* StockShoutOuts: [[EdgarAllanPoe "The Raven"]]. Specifically, an undead called the "Nevermore" drops an item called the "Ravencap".

* FissionMailed: Playing the expansion has the shadow Warrior has the second objective of the campaign ("Kill the Dryad") marked as failed when you reach it [[spoiler:because you decided to stop obeying the Masked Man]]. This objective will stay marked as failed for the whole campaign.

** The trolls. Powerful units with plenty of hitpoints who hit hard? Yes. Take forever to make and cost a shitton of resources (the second ''cheapest'' troll unit costs 120 Wood, for references, the ''last'' dwarf unit costs as much Selenium), with the resources taking even longer to gather because trolls have no building to double their production? Yes.

* CripplingOverspecialization: The elves can only recruit their strongest units if they have iron, but they CAN'T GATHER THAT RESOURCE ON THEIR OWN.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The races' towers can often become this. While they're completely immune to enemy spells and abilities (they can't even be targeted), and can continuously rain death upon enemy soldiers, they require being placed on significant flat, empty lots, can't move, have to be repaired by that race's workers, consume a significant quantity of resources simply to start construction, and have to be guarded until they're completed. Oh, and while they can not be attacked by enemy buildings, they can not attack enemy buildings either, and their targeting of enemy soldiers is not under control of the player. (Sometimes causing towers to target beings immune to their damage, like fire starters attacking fire elementals).

* AnIcePerson: Any mage specializing in ice magic, of course. Notably, both [[BigGood Rohen]] and [[BigBad The Dark One]] (in-game, not in the opening cutscene). Also, all offensive elf spellcasters, since they worship an [=ice/nature=] deity.

* DealWithTheDevil: Uram in the backstory. [[spoiler:The PlayerCharacter in ''The Order of Dawn'', when he or she gives the Mask of Belial to Hokan Ashir.]]
* EvilVersusEvil: Hokan versus [[DealWithTheDevil Uram]] in the backstory. ({{Undead}}[=/=][[MechaMooks Blades]] and [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons]], respectively.)
* GiantFlyer: Griffon Riders. They don't actually fly (in gameplay terms) until ''Spellforce 2''.

* TheMagocracy: In the backstory, the thirteen Circle Mages were ''the'' single most powerful power bloc. And when they had a falling out, well, see TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
** Notably, Circle Mages (specifically, Hokan and Uram) were responsible for the creation of {{Undead}}, [[MechaMooks Iron Ones]], and [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons]], which are all three of the major AlwaysChaoticEvil[=/=]TheHorde factions you have to deal with in ''The Order of Dawn''.

* AllYourPowersCombined: The final mission of ''The Order of Dawn'' is composed of three sections: One with a monument for each dark race, one with a monnument for each light race, and the last (where the FinalBoss is) with two Heroes' monuments).

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Rohen, in ''Shadow of the Phoenix''. AnimateDead style.]]
* BeefGate: Of undead at the gate from Greydusk Vale to the Northern Windwalls. And another at the Frost Marshes made of MechaMooks. [[spoiler:Removed in a plot event by the Order of Dawn, at the cost of most of their manpower.]]
* BigBad: The Dark One.
* BigGood: Rohen.
* BlueIsHeroic: Played with. While you units' armor is blue and your buildings have blue flags on them, they all appear as green on the minimap and the circle which shows you selected them is green too. Meanwhile, for allied units, it's the reverse, their flags and units armors are green, but they appear as blue on the minimap and when selected.

* CurbStompBattle: The end of the Shiel mission. You have to fight more than a hundred orcs who will ''quickly'' inflict this on you if you try to attack them head-on. The solution? Ask for the help of the spirits of the forest, who gives you five dryads who then go on to inflict this on the Orc's army.

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:''[[BigGood Rohen]]'', as a result of AnimateDead.]]
* FreeFallFight: In the opening cinematic, between [[BigGood Rohen]] and [[BigBad The Dark One]].

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:The ''BigBad''!]]

* IHatePastMe: [[spoiler:The BigGood in ''The Order Of Dawn'' is the future self of the BigBad.]]

* LateToTheTragedy: You, several times. Most notably when [[spoiler:the Order takes Frost Marshes from the [[MechaMooks Blades]], being killed almost to a man in the process.]]
* LoveMakesYouEvil: The emperor in ''Shadow of the Phoenix'' became obsessed with the dryad to the point of not giving a single damn about anything other than her and had her poisoned in the hopes that she would accept his offer of giving her a cure if she became his.
* MacGuffin: The book. Later, the Phoenix Stone.
* MacGuffinDeliveryService: [[spoiler: Just about every single MacGuffin you get your hands on. See UnwittingPawn.]]

* RebelliousPrincess: Alyah in ''Shadow of the Phoenix'', the daughter of the emperor Magnus Arias, is the chief of the Thief's guild in Empyria. Sort of justified, considering her father became totally obsessed with the dryad and stopped paying any attention to her and even had her thrown out of the palace.

* UnwinnableByMistake:
** Present in ''The Breath Of Winter'', on the Firefangs map. Did you get the Shadow Ring from the hermit before activating the Dark Elf monument? Have fun restarting the campaign from scratch, provided you didn't just break the CD first. However, if you are not above cheating, you can cheat yourself to victory and continue your adventure as normal.
** Averted with the final boss of ''The Breath of Winter''. He stands on the other side of a chasm, so attacking him in melee is useless and you need ranged heroes to hit him. Fortunately, on your side of the chasm there's a chest with a mage rune and an archer one.

* CrutchCharacter: Yellow runes in ''Breath Of Winter'' and ''Shadow of the Phoenix''. Powerful Runes that can be used at a relatively low level compared to normal ones and stay useful for quite a while, but ultimately you can't equip any armor on them, sometimes not even a weapon or anything at all, so they end up losing against high level Rune warriors who can have powerful enchanted armors.

* HubCity: Greyfell in ''The Order of Dawn'', Tirganach in ''Breath of Winter'' and Empyria in ''Shadow of the Phoenix''.

** Averted with the final boss of ''Breath of Winter''. He stands on the other side of a chasm, so attacking him in melee is useless and you need ranged heroes to hit him. Fortunately, on your side of the chasm there's a chest with a mage rune and an archer one.

** Averted with the final boss of ''The Breath of Winter''. He stands on the other side of a chasm, so attacking him in melee is useless and you need ranged heroes to hit him. Fortunately, on your side of the chasm there's a chest with a mage rune and an archer one.

** Averted with the final boss of ''Btreath of Winter''. He stands on the other side of a chasm, so attacking him in melee is useless and you need ranged heroes to hit him. Fortunately, on your side of the chasm there's a chest with a mage rune and an archer one.

** The trolls. Powerful units with plenty of hitpoints who hit hard? Yes. Take forever to make and cost a shitton of resources (the second ''cheapest'' troll unit costs 120 Woods, for references, the ''last'' dwarf unit costs as much Selenium), with the resources taking even longer to gather because trolls have no building to double their production? Yes.

* AllYourPowersCombined: The final mission of ''The Order of Dawn'' is composed of three sections: One with a monument for each dark races, one with a monnument for each light race, and the last (where the FinalBoss is) with two Heores' monuments).

* AntiFrustrationFeature: Subtle, but it exists. A player can wipe out enemy spawn points before activating racial monuments, thus saving armies for the ''really'' tough enemies. The catch? Once the racial monuments are active, the enemy spawn points don't shut off, even upon leaving the map. Also, if the player character is in an unwinnable situation, the player can leave the map through a portal and return. This resets the "fog of war" for the computer as well, allowing you to catch your breath. Oh, and computer controlled enemies do not repair their infrastructure.
* ArtificialStupidity: Everybody in the game suffers from this, including the player character. Monsters and NPCs are known to charge right into the thickest concentration of player towers before attacking buildings, artisans gathering resources will calmly walk right into an enemy base (or get killed trying), and some creatures, when they reach the end of their effective partol range will walk back and forth trying to decide if they want to attack the player's towers or return to base, repeatedly getting shot in the process until they die. Oh, and when the Player Character sees enemies coming, even if equipped with a bow, or ranged attack spells, will simply refuse to retaliate or take any preemptive action unless attacked in melee, barring any contrary orders, [[LawfulStupid and all player controlled characters will try to follow their given orders no matter how suicidal it is to do so.]]

* BlueIsHeroic: Played With. While you units' armor is blue and your buildings have blue flags on them, they all appear as green in the minimap and the circle which shows you selected them is green too. Meanwhile, for allied units, it's the reverse, their flags and units armors are green, but they appear as blue on the minimap and when selected.

* CrutchCharacter: Yellow runes in ''Breath Of Winter'' and ''Shadow of the Phoenix''. Powerful Runes that can be used at a relatively low level compared to normal ones and stay useful for quite a while, but ultimately you can't equip any armor on them, sometimes not even a weapon or anything at all, so they end up losing against high level Rune warrior which can have powerful enchanted armors.

* DealWithTheDevil: Uram in the backstory. [[spoiler:The PlayerCharacter in The Order of Dawn, when he or she gives the Mask of Belial to Hokan Ashir.]]

* GiantFlyer: Griffon Riders. They don't actually fly (in gameplay terms) until Spellforce 2.

* IAmAHumanitarian: Trolls can gather food with the Corpse Collector which, as the name imply, makes any worker in it collect corpses as food. This is AwesomeButImpractical for several reasons. First, the Corpse Collector is a large building which requires a lot of free, flat land to build. Second, the troll workers are easily slain by enemies. Third, corpses disappear very quickly so the Corpse collector has to be built very close to a battle field. Fourth, enemy units will prioritize attacking your troll workers over your armed soldiers or the player character.
* IHatePastMe: [[spoiler:The BigGood in "The Order Of Dawn" is the future self of the BigBad.]]

** Averted in the final boos of ''Btreath of Winter''. He stands on the other side of a chasm, so attacking him in melee is useless and you need ranged heroes tohit him. Fortunately, on your side of the chasm there's a chest with a mage rune and an archer one.

The first entry in the ''Spellforce'' franchise: the original ''Spellforce: The Order of Dawn'' game, as well as its two expansions: ''Spellforce: The Breath of Winter'' and ''Spellforce: Shadow of the Phoenix''.

The first entry in the ''Spellforce'' franchise created by German game developers Phenomic: the original ''Spellforce: The Order of Dawn'' game, as well as its two expansions: ''Spellforce: The Breath of Winter'' and ''Spellforce: Shadow of the Phoenix''.

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!! ''Spellforce 2'' and its expansions provide examples of:

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: [[spoiler:The Shaikan fall to the Pact nigh-immediately.]]
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: The [[PlanetOfHats hat]] of the Shaikan. You later learn that [[spoiler: in every generation the BigBad takes [[GrandTheftMe control of one of his descendants]], partly explaining their "disloyalty"]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Mordecay: "You are rescuing a dragon from a woman? Shouldn't it be the other way round?"
* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: [[spoiler:The Shaikan are all but wiped out by the Pact in the first level.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: You at the end of ''Dragon Storm''. You get better.]]
* HeroicVow: Why you can't just teleport off to another island in the middle of a RealTimeStrategy fight - the only way to get your first ally in ''Shadow Wars'' is to swear a vow never to abandon your allies on the field, since they otherwise don't trust you as a [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Shaikan]]. Even when you leave behind your Light allies to join the Dark races, you keep your word.
* InTheBlood: A Shaikan is anyone with even a trace of dragon's blood in their veins. It has a tendency to turn them into a BloodKnight. This is viewed as the DarkSide by the Shaikan at large. [[spoiler:One Shaikan in each generation also has the spirit of the evil first Shaikan in him. That would be the PlayerCharacter, of course.]]
* LastOfHisKind: [[spoiler: The player and his party in ''Shadow Wars'' are the last of the Shaikan. In ''Dragon Storm'' this is no longer the case, as a result of the first player character's actions.]]
* TheMagicGoesAway: Partially. As a result of the events of ''Shadow of the Phoenix'', [[spoiler:all the Circle Mages have been KilledOffForReal[=/=]are now DeaderThanDead. Therefore, anything they did now suffers from NoOntologicalInertia, and such things as the PortalNetwork and the Rune Warriors are losing their magic. Repairing[=/=]duplicating the magic of the PortalNetwork is a major goal in the second game.]]
* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: Previous PlayerCharacters figure prominently in the plot. In particular, the PC from ''The Breath of Winter'' [[spoiler:is the shadow who helps lead his race in a HeelFaceTurn]], and the PlayerCharacter from ''Shadow Wars'' becomes [[spoiler:a dragon]] in ''Dragon Storm''.
* ReligionOfEvil: The red cult.
* ShoutOut: Two of your party members get in an argument over a piece of dropped loot. [[WorldOfWarcraft "Hunter weapon!" "Never!" "Roll?" "Bah!"]]

!! Spellforce 2 Demons of the Past.

* AntiFrustrationFeature: Averted. The game developers have seemingly gone out of their way to make the game as frustrating as possible. Even on "easy" difficulty, the very first map is difficult enough to make players want to rip their hair out in frustration.
* CassandraTruth: After completing the "Stepping Stones" quest, nobody in the Realm of the Gods is willing to believe the player and his party are still alive. Somewhat justified in that the guards and bureaucrats have had to deal with dead people in denial who have somehow managed to hold on to their corporeal forms. Still, after mentioning the "stepping stones" it should have made those same guards at least willing to investigate instead of merely dismissing the player out-of-hand.
* ContrivedCoincidence: No matter when the player reaches a specific trigger location, NPCs that the player needs to meet suddenly appear there.
* EnemyCivilWar: At one point, the player has to negotiate a map with three Norcaine (Dark Elf) camps, all mutually hostile to each other while endlessly spawning batches of demons harass everyone.
* AGodIAmNot: Surprisingly. [[spoiler: Eonir specifically says he and his brothers are not gods, but guardians of the realms. Still, each of them is ''far'' more powerful than the player character, and always will be.]]
* GuideDangIt: The gameplay tutorial is seriously lacking in information, and doesn't even let the player interact with the game while it's in action, despite narrating instructions.
* InfiniteSupplies: Averted with extreme prejudice. Not only do resources run out, but enemy camps can send "worker" type units to harvest them, and the worst part is that the game resets your stores to zero if you leave the map for any reason, even if a cutscene '''forces''' you to leave.
* LoveHurts: The Rune Warrior turned Shadow for the Norcaine Empress undergoing the same fate.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Two notable instances. Zarach and Caine.
* MaskOfPower: The "gods" of the series all wear masks when appearing in person.
* MeaningfulRename: Zarach, the creator of the orcs and trolls [[spoiler: used to be Ulm, the creator of the world.]]
* NotPlayingFairWithResources: Not only do enemy camps have far more units than you, but they can gather the map's resources faster than you can, and if you try to make up the difference with more resource gathering buildings, especially in the first map, the enemy will magically spawn more groups of soldiers for every building you build. In the first map, those units are even a higher level than you.
* PartialTransformation: A norcaine empress is in this situation when you encounter her in the Shadow Realm. A major quest is the player character trying to help her decide if she wants to complete the transformation or undo it.
* UnwinnableByMistake: There are numerous locations where failure of a cutscene to trigger can result in your player character being unable to progress, even if it's just a quest as opposed to the entire gameplay. Most notable in the Ruins of the Steel Coast, the second seal. Part of the mission requires you flying a dragon over lava, but being a fire-dragon, it can't harm the lava golems and lava elementals there, which have to be killed so you can harness the mission critical chest loot, and the dragon at one point even mentions riding him, but [[GuideDangIt outside of a cutscene that has you do just that, there is no mention, in game, on how to do so.]]
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: The player character is quick to go after problems with a sword. Considering the entire history of SpellForce, this is more than justified.

''Spellforce'' is a combination RealTimeStrategy and {{RPG}} franchise created by German game developers Phenomic.

The original game ''Spellforce: The Order of Dawn'' was followed by two expansions: ''Spellforce: The Breath of Winter'' (2004) and ''Spellforce: Shadow of the Phoenix'' (2005).

''Spellforce'' (Gold Edition) includes the first two games in the series, while ''Spellforce'' (Platinum Edition) includes all three games. ''Spellforce'': Universe includes all three of the ''Spellforce'' games as well as both the sequel games.

A sequel, ''Spellforce 2: Shadow Wars'' was released in 2006 and ''Spellforce 2: Dragon Storm'' was released in 2007. A standalone expansion called ''Spellforce 2: Faith in Destiny'' was released in 2012, followed by ''Spellforce 2: Demons of the Past'' in 2014.

A new game in the series, ''Spellforce 3'', is in development and set to be released on December 31th, 2017.

Both games take the RTS/RPG concept and run with it, using slightly different leveling concepts along the way. There are Diablo-like hero-only maps, and full scale RTS maps as well. The player controls a magically-gifted hero (an immortal Rune Warrior in the first game, a dragon-blooded Shaikan in the second) who must travel across the fractured world of Eo to win allies and raise armies against the various forces that would finish the world's destruction. Along the way they must perform numerous quests to prove their goodwill, delve into ancient dungeons to rediscover lost secrets and artifacts, and [[{{Sidequest}} solve the problems]] [[FetchQuest of every random person]] [[MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest that you meet]] ([[TropesAreNotBad in true RPG fashion]]).

[[TheWikiRule Like everything else]], there's a [[http://spellforce.wikia.com/wiki/Spellforce_Wiki wiki]].

!! All games in the series provide examples of:

* AllThereInTheManual: Background information to the units and races can be found [[http://spellforce.jowood.com/?intro=1 here]]
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Subverted! [[LivingShadow Shadows]] are portrayed as very nearly {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in the first game. In ''Shadow Wars'', the BigBad makes a pact with them, (which most characters consider her MoralEventHorizon). [[spoiler:They turn out to be bound to a particular artifact, and more of a ProudWarriorRace than anything.]] Also averted with regard to every other playable race.
** Played straight with [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons]].
* AMasterMakesTheirOwnTools: The Elite unit of the dwarves is the culmination of a warrior's career, reached when he forges his own armour and weapons from the difficult to work Moonsilver.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Bosses tend to be the leaders of their factions.
* BatmanGambit: How [[spoiler:the BigBad kills the BigGood.]] Also, [[spoiler:[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Convocation]] on the part of the Demons and elemental powers. They convinced the Circle Mages that performing the rituals at the right time would give the performer unlimited power. It turned out that it summoned them to wreak havoc on the world.]]
* BlessedWithSuck: Rune warriors can summon huge armies and are immortal. However, if they stay "dead" for too long, they will loose their memories and abilities. Oh, and they have to completely obey the person who has their rune stones.
** Maybe more of a case of CursedWithAwesome are Shaikan: they can revive other Shaikan, summon them from great distances and use BloodMagic. The downside? If they die, they are not allowed into the River of Souls and have to stay on the [[AndIMustScream riverside forever]].
* BrokenBridge: Many of them. Most portals don't become available until you've done something on that map. A new quest arc is usually kicked off by a previously-inaccessible gate in a major city becoming available.
* CallBack: ''The Order of Dawn'' and ''Breath of Winter'' start with a shot of a hero monument, which lights up and summons the PlayerCharacter. ''Spellforce 2'' starts with a shot of a hero monument, totally inactive, then pulls back to the PlayerCharacter ruminating on the fact that the Rune Warriors are no more.
* ContemptibleCover: Look at that smoking hot elf chick! What do you mean the graphics are nothing like that?
* CriticalExistenceFailure: Almost. One's damage output is unaffected by HitPoints, but at about 15% of a unit's health, it slows way down. Useful to you when hunting down enemies, but it cuts both ways.
* {{Cutscene}}: Most in-engine, the beginning and ending ones are cinematics.
* DarkIsNotEvil: The PC can use BlackMagic, if you like.
** Also, both the Light and Dark races are playable, and form a segment of the campaign(s).
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: A NPC in a side quest informs you that the ice elves from ''The Breath of Winter'' were wiped out by an invasion.]]
* {{Expy}}: Craig Un'Shallach is a [[Literature/TheDarkElfTrilogy dark elf who wields two swords]] and had to [[DefectorFromDecadence leave his homeland]].
* GoodIsNotNice: The Light races suffer from {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s in ''Shadow Wars'' and {{Jerkass}}ery throughout. Also, the PC is more than willing to slaughter the armies of the Light races if they get in his or her way.
* {{Headdesk}}: To get your troll siege units to use their anti-building attacks against buildings, you have to set them next to the buildings ''without'' ordering them to attack - otherwise, they'll bang their heads against the walls as they melee attack the buildings.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: There's always some convoluted quest to craft or find one. The quest for Amra's Armor (from ''The Order of Dawn'') particularly stands out.
* InUniverseGameClock: The games have a day-noght cycle. It only changes your field of vision and nothing else.
* LadyNotAppearingInThisGame: Every cover for every Spellforce game or expansion has a scantily-clad woman on it. Most of them have nothing to do with the game, and the few that do tend to have minor roles that don't warrant their place on the cover, [[ContemptibleCover and they look nothing like what the cover's art shows.]]
* LoveableRogue: Flink [=McWinter=].
* TheMedic: Various healing units, the player if they choose [[WhiteMagic Life Magic]].
* {{Mana}}: For the PC, heroes, and basic units alike.
* PortalNetwork: The world is set up as a series of interconnected RTS or RPG maps. Travel is via portals, or [[{{checkpoint}} Bindstone]] for the player character.
** Furthermore, the PortalNetwork was set up by the BigGood during the timeskip between TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt and the beginning of the first game. [[spoiler:When he gets killed DeaderThanDead, the portals begin to fade... see TheMagicGoesAway.]]
* {{Novelization}}: A trilogy written by Uschi Zietsch about the Shaikan.
* {{Precursors}}: The Formers. No plot significance[[spoiler: until ''Dragon Storm'']], just the source of some {{MacGuffin}}s and PlotCoupons.
* {{RPG}}: Whenever it's not a {{RTS}}. Notably:
** AdventureTowns: Each inhabited island generally has a big problem and some little ones. Uninhabited ones generally have a whole bunch of [=demons/undead/orcs/whatever=] to kill.
** {{AFGNCAAP}}: The PlayerCharacter, which is used in all the cutscenes. There's a male and female voice actor, but that's it.
** AnAdventurerIsYou: Pretty much any option is available.
** BlackMagic: Direct damage and life-sucking spells.
** ButThouMust
** [[{{Cap}} Level Cap]]: 30, except in ''Shadow of the Phoenix''. 24 for the rest of the PlayerParty.
** PlayerParty: Up to five heroes serve the player character. In the first game they don't level, you just replace them with new ones as you level. In the second one they do level, and are actual characters in their own right.
** SideQuest: Aplenty. Some particularly convoluted ones lead to the InfinityPlusOneSword and Armor, and stretch throughout entire games.
** TakeYourTime: Unless you've opened up a headquarters for an RTS mission. In that case, get an army ready, and quick, because the CPU will start attacking soon and the attacks will get stronger and stronger unless you destroy their camps.
*** Either way, you can still turtle like an absolute Frenchman for hours - the plot can't go on without you unless you go through the PortalNetwork, and there are no {{Timed Mission}}s.
** WhiteMagic: Healing and buffing, as well as TurnUndead.
* RealTimeStrategy: Sometimes. Notably:
** ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: Upgradable to a point.
** DamageIsFire
** {{Hero Unit}}s: The PlayerParty.
** NonEntityGeneral: Averted. If the PlayerCharacter goes down, you cannot give orders until they respawn, which can be ''very bad'' for your undirected troops.
** ReinventingTheWheel: You need to research Double Crossbow... again.
** YouRequireMoreVespeneGas: ''Seven'' different resources in the original. Some are Uselessium unless you control the appropriate race. Simplified vastly in the sequel.
* TheSiege: You defend at least a few bastions of Light from TheHorde.
* StableTimeLoop: All TimeTravel seems to work this way. Anytime the player helps build a TimeMachine, they'll also be deeply involved in the resulting time loop. [[spoiler:The entire plot of the first game is one of these, with the BigBad[=/=]BigGood as the time traveler in question.]]
* StandardFantasySetting: Just about everything on the list. Notably:
** FiveRaces: [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]], [[OurElvesAreBetter Elves]], and Humans for the [[LightIsNotGood "Light"]] races. Fairy and Cute are excluded.
** FantasyAxisOfEvil: [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Blizzard-style Orcs]], [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Trolls]] and [[OurElvesAreBetter Dark Elves]] for the [[DarkIsNotEvil "dark"]] races. ''SpellForce 2'' splits Dark Elves into the Pact along with Gargoyles and [[LivingShadow Shadows]], and adds [[BarbarianTribe Barbarians]] to Trolls and Orcs to form the Clans. Keep in mind that DarkIsNotEvil, and the Dark races are playable and take up half the campaign in ''The Order of Dawn'' and ''two-thirds'' of the campaign in ''Shadow Wars''. Eldritch fulfill the AlwaysChaoticEvil role and are universally unplayable (see TheHorde below). Crafty is excluded.
** TheHorde: Of {{Undead}} or [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons]], usually. They're the primary unplayable races. Also the [[MechaMooks Blades]] in ''The Order of Dawn''. The Orcs act like it at first, but they're more of a bunch of mercenaries than anything.
* StormingTheCastle: If the enemy has a legendary, nigh-impregnable fort, you'll take it from them. No exceptions.
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler:Urias in ''Shadow of the Phoenix'', Borias and Lyen in ''Dragon Storm''.]]
* TakeAThirdOption: The Circle Mages began to research and create rune warriors as a result of their need for reliable assistants. Standard magical servants such as bound elementals were loyal but unable to think for themselves, human mercenaries had the power to think and learn, but were prone to treachery. The rune warriors, humanoid souls bound to magical runes, have the best of both worlds.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: Logistics don't apply to the CPU ''at all'' in Spellforce's campaign. In ''Spellforce 2'', less so.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: In the opening cutscene, as a result of "The Convocation". Only regions immediately around the Godstones fail to be reduced to chaotic ocean. This justifies the PortalNetwork.
* TimeMachine: Terminator rules. The PlayerCharacter helps build at least one in the first entry of each game. In both cases, it's an extremely elaborate process and takes the entire game. [[spoiler:The one in ''The Order of Dawn'' is by way of MacGuffinDeliveryService, and is used by the BigBad to go back in time and... become the BigGood.]]
* UnholyNuke: The Death sub-branch of BlackMagic.
* WorldInTheSky: Part of the backstory, but gets so little actual play that it amounts to little more than a HandWave for why the PortalNetwork exists, is important, and is the only means of travel.
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* IAmAHumanitarian: Trolls can gather food with the Corpse Collector which, as the name imply, makes any worker in it collect corpses as food.

* AntiFrustrationFeature: Subtle, but it exists in ''The Order of Dawn''. A player can wipe out enemy spawn points before activating racial monuments, thus saving armies for the ''really'' tough enemies. The catch? Once the racial monuments are active, the enemy spawn points don't shut off, even upon leaving the map. Also, if the player character is in an unwinnable situation, the player can leave the map through a portal and return. This resets the "fog of war" for the computer as well, allowing you to catch your breath. Oh, and computer controlled enemies do not repair their infrastructure.

* UnwinnableByMistake: Present in ''The Breath Of Winter'', on the Firefangs map. Did you get the Shadow Ring from the hermit before activating the Dark Elf monument? Have fun restarting the campaign from scratch, provided you didn't just break the CD first. However, if you are not above cheating, you can cheat yourself to victory and continue your adventure as normal.

* CallBack: ''Spellforce'' and all its sequels start with a shot of a hero monument, which lights up and summons the PlayerCharacter. ''Spellforce 2'' starts with a shot of a hero monument, totally inactive, then pulls back to the PlayerCharacter ruminating on the fact that the Rune Warriors are no more.

* AllThereInTheManual: Background information to the units and races can be found [[http://spellforce.de/ here]]

A sequel, ''Spellforce 2: Shadow Wars'' was released in 2006 and ''Spellforce 2: Dragon Storm'' was released in 2007. A standalone expansion called ''Spellforce 2: Faith in Destiny'' was released in 2012.

* AntiFrustrationFeature: Subtle, but it exists in Order of the Dawn. A player can wipe out enemy spawn points before activating racial monuments, thus saving armies for the ''really'' tough enemies. The catch? Once the racial monuments are active, the enemy spawn points don't shut off, even upon leaving the map. Also, if the player character is in an unwinnable situation, the player can leave the map through a portal and return. This resets the "fog of war" for the computer as well, allowing you to catch your breath. Oh, computer controlled enemies do not repair their infrastructure.
* ArtificialStupidity: Everybody in the game suffers from this, including the player character. Monsters and NPCs are known to charge right into the thickest concentration player towers before attacking buildings, artisans gathering resources will calmly walk right into an enemy base (or get killed trying), and some creatures, when they reach the end of their effective partol range will walk back and forth trying to decide if they want to attack the player's towers or return to base, repeatedly getting shot in the process until they die. Oh, and when the Player Character sees enemies coming, even if equipped with a bow, or ranged attack spells, will simply refuse to retaliate or take any preemptive action unless attacked in melee, barring any contrary orders, [[LawfulStupid and all player controlled characters will try to follow their given orders no matter how suicidal it is to do so.]]

* AwesomeButImpractical: The races' towers can often become this. While they're completely immune to enemy spells and abilities (they can't even be targeted), and can continuously rain death upon enemy soldiers, they require being placed on significant flat, empty lots, can't move, have to be repaired by that race's workers, consume a significant quantity of resources simply to start construction, and have to be guarded until they're completed. Oh, and while they can not be attacked by enemy buildings, they can not attack enemy buildings either, and their targeting of enemy soldiers is not under the control of the player. (Sometimes causing towers to target beings immune to their damage, like fire starters attacking fire elementals).
** The Racial Titans are the epitome of this. While they have insanely high maximum hitpoint totals and do massive amounts of damage, they require the Large Headquarters building (which is the tail end of the building tree), consume a great many resources in their summoning, they move slower than any of the slowest infantry units, even when below 15% health, and the player can only field one per race at a time. Their sheer size also causes movement and engagement issues in narrow paths, and when fighting in coordination with a player's infantry units.
** The trolls. Powerful units with plenty of hitpoints who hits hard? Yes. Take forever to make and cost a shitton of ressources (the second ''cheapest'' troll units costs 120 Woods, for references, the ''last'' dwarf unit costs as much Selenium), with the ressources taking even longer to gather because trolls have no building to double their production? Yes.

* BoringButPractical: The workers of all races except the dwarves. While they absolutely suck in battle, they can build towers to rain death upon enemy troops, especially the elf "freeze" towers that do damage and stun-lock. Often this can be the key to defeating bosses way above your level.

* InfiniteSupplies: All your ressources are technically infinite since they regenerate, even the tress after a while, but putting more than one worker on them means you use them faster than they reappear.

* BoringButPractical: The workers of the human, elf, and orc races. While they absolutely suck in battle, they can build towers to rain death upon enemy troops, especially the elf "freeze" towers that do damage and stun-lock. Often this can be the key to defeating bosses way above your level.

* IAmAnHumanitarian: The only way for trolls units to have food is by the Corpse Collector which, as the name imply, makes any worker in it collect corpses as food.

* CrutchCharacter: Yellow runes in ''Breath Of Winter'' and ''Shadow of the Phoenix''. Powerful Runes that can be used at a relatively low level compared to normal ones and stay useful for quite a while, but ultimately you can't equip any armor on them, sometimes not even a weapon or anything at all so they end up losing against high level Rune warrior which can have powerful enchanted armors.