User:Bu3ny/stuff

Every unit in Dota2 is categorized in different types, refered to as unit types. The unit type determines how units interact and how they are treated. A unit can have multiple unit types, leading to even more different interactions.

There are 2 main categories, the heroes and non-heroes. These categories have several sub-categories to keep units of certain groups seperated. The main difference caused by separate categories is how many spells treat the unit. Several spells have altered or different effects based on the target's unit type. For exmple slows targeted heroes, but has a completely different effect when targeting non-heroes, taking control over them.

Hero
Heroes are the main characters, controlled by the players. They are the only units capable of leveling up through the means of experience, which also allows them leveling up their abilities. Heroes always start off at level 1 and can level up to 25. Heroes are also the only units which have attributes (strength, agility and intelligence), which also increases with each level they gain. Heroes also have a 6 slot item inventory by default (although this trait is not unique to heroes).

Heroes have an automated gold and experience bounties, based on their networth and current level. Their base health is fixed at 180, and mana at 0, gaining most of their health and all of their mana through attributes or direct bonuses. When a hero dies, it does not disappear from the match. Instead, upon respawning, it gets moved to the respawn location and have its health and mana reset.

There are only 2 cases in which heroes can be summoned by abilities, these being and. The Meepo clones are treated like regular heroes, with a very few exceptions. The Tempest Double, however, rather acts like a hero-illusion hybrid. It still counts as a hero (means all spells treat it as a hero, not as an illusion), but shares many illusion traits. It is summoned in the same way as illusions are (copying the main hero's stats) and expires after a while. Its death does not yield any bounties, so it does not count towards any kill streaks, and it does not respawn. It expires like most other summons and disappears from the match after its death. Recasting Tempest Double creates a new one, instead of re-summoning the previous one.

A list of all heroes with their stats can be found here.

Illusions
Illusions are a sub-group of heroes, sharing almost every trait with them. The difference to heroes is that they do not gain experience and therefore cannot level up (they copy the original hero's level on spawn) and do not give any kill bounty on their death. They also cannot pick up, drop, buy, sell or use items (including runes) and usually cannot use abilities either, with some exceptions. Many passive abilities are disabled for them as well and they deal less damage against buildings.

Hero ability interactions
The following abilities cannot target heroes at all

Creep
Non-heroes are the second main category, which includes every unit that is not a hero. These units cannot gain experence and not level up, and also do not have attributes. All their stats (health, mana, armor, attack damage, etc) are set values and only change through the means of modifier (lane creeps get stronger through a modifier which increases their power as time passes), or in case of summons, through leveling up the spell they stem from.

Factions
Although it may appear that lane and neutral creeps are their own categories, due to some unique interactions, they are just regular non-hero units without any further sub-categories. The few interactions they cause are related to their faction (Radiant, Dire and Neutral). For example, only reacts on units belong to the opposing faction, and not to any player.

Sub-categories
Besides the main categories, Hero and non-hero, some units (only non-hero units) belong to one, or even multiple sub-categories. These sub-categories make the units get treated slightly different than regular non-hero units.

Summons
Units categorised as "summoned" usually only take extra damage from certain spells. This sub-category makes only a small difference. Note that, only because a unit is created by a spell, it is not automatically categorised as summoned.

The following units belong to this category: Boar, Eidolon, Forged Spirit, Greater Treant, Hawk, Lycan Wolf, Necronomicon Archer, Necronomicon Warrior, Skeleton Warrior, Spiderling, Spiderite, Tombstone, Tornado, Treant, Warlock's Golem

Creep-Hero
The following units belong to this category: Astral Spirit, Earth, Familiar, Fire, Spirit Bear, Storm, Warlock's Golem

The following spells treat creep-heroes as heroes

Other interactions

Ancient
The following units belong to this category: All Ancient neutral creeps, Animal Courier, Astral Spirit, Earth, Fire, Flying Courier, Roshan, Storm, Tombstone, Warlock's Golem

Ward
The following units belong to this category: Death Ward, Familiar, Frozen Sigil, Healing Ward, Land Mine, Mass Serpent Ward, Nether Ward, Observer Ward, Plague Ward, Power Cog, Psionic Trap, Remote Mine, Sentry Ward, Stasis Trap, Tombstone, Tornado

Building
The following units belong to this category: Ancients, Barracks, Filler Buildings, Fountains, Towers

Courier
The following units belong to this category: Animal Courier, Flying Courier

Roshan
The following units belong to this category: Roshan