The Stargazer Quest — Constellation Riddle & the Summon Starchild Spell

The campaign of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era hides an optional encounter that is easy to miss — and even easier to fail. The Stargazer, in his tower, offers your hero a riddle of four questions about constellations. Answer all of them correctly and you earn a rare Nightshade-school spell. Get a single one wrong and the Stargazer vanishes, with no second chance.

This guide gives you the ready answers, explains the logic behind the riddle, and breaks down the reward — the Summon Starchild spell — as a real combat tool.

Where to find the Stargazer

The Tower of the Stargazer appears in the fourth campaign mission, among the sylvan kingdoms. On the map it is a standalone object — the “Tower of the Stargazer” — home to an astronomer named Lodos who, by his own account, “speaks with the heavenly lights.”

Lodos is troubled: he believes a new star has ignited in the sky and that the ancient magical constellations have shifted. To confirm that the hero (Lafiur) truly understands magic, he sets a test — naming the constellation for each of four spells.

How the riddle works

The Stargazer names four spells in turn and, for each, offers a choice of four constellations. The correct constellation is the one drawn on the spell’s own icon.

The hints are available in advance: open the spellbook in the Mage Guild or observatory (the “eye” icon under the hero or town portrait) — each spell icon shows its constellation. But you cannot open the spellbook while talking to Lodos, so you need to know the answers by heart. They are listed below.

The riddle answers

Answer in exactly this order — the Stargazer asks the questions in this sequence:

The logic is straightforward: each constellation is an image that mirrors the spell. The Dove is a symbol of flight and speed, so it answers for Haste. The Knight embodies the challenge and the duel — that is Taunt. The Dragon, bearer of doom, is Impending Fate. And Hksmilla, a creature of the wildest Nature, is Hksmilla’s Rampage.

The reward: the Summon Starchild spell

Answer all four questions correctly and the hero gains the spell Summon Starchild in their spellbook — a powerful tier-4 Nightshade-school spell.

The stack size scales with the hero’s Spell Power: at base levels it is 4 + 2 × Spell Power, and at spell level 4 the multiplier increases to ×3. A spellcaster hero with high Spell Power turns a single cast into a full combat stack of dozens of creatures. The cast costs only 20 mana at any level, which keeps the spell efficient even when used often.

What you summon: the Starchild

Summon Starchild creates a stack of neutral creatures called Starchildren. They disappear at the end of the battle, but before then they can swing a fight decisively.

Starchildren are ranged units with teleportation: they shoot at any distance and move freely across the field. Their key value is the Starfall ability, which hits an area with pure Magic damage.

How to use the spell

• Cast it early. The stack appears next to a friendly creature and can act that turn — the earlier the cast, the more volleys you get.
• Place it away from your army. This protects against Starfall friendly fire and lets the stack shoot the enemy from the flank.
• Level the spell to 3. Starchildren only start using Starfall at spell level 3 — below that they are merely shooters.
• Bring a high-Spell-Power hero. The 4 + 2 × Spell Power formula (×3 at level 4) turns Spell Power directly into stack size.

For detailed stats, upgrade costs and per-level effects, see the Summon Starchild spell page.