Conversion

Conversion in the Age series is the act of turning a neutral or enemy unit or building to the player's side. Priests and Monks are the main units that perform conversions. Some units resist conversion, and several technologies help or hinder the conversion process. A strategic advantage of conversion is that a player can gain units over and above their population limit.

Age of Empires
In Age of Empires, Priests perform conversions. First available in the Bronze Age, they can initially convert all enemy units except other priests, but not buildings. Chariots, Chariot Archers and all ships are more resistant to conversion than other units. Meanwhile, the lumbering speed of slow units such as War Elephants, Armored Elephants and Elephant Archers makes them especially prone to conversion.

Several technologies available at the Temple improve conversion:

Bronze Age
 * Astrology - makes conversion faster.

Iron Age
 * Afterlife - increases the priest's conversion range.
 * Monotheism enables priests to convert enemy priests and buildings (except Wonders, Town Centers and Walls.)
 * Martyrdom (Rise of Rome expansion) - enables a priest to instantly convert another unit (not another priest) at the cost of his life.

Age of Empires II
In Age of Empires II, Monks perform conversions (and Missionaries too in the case of the Spanish). First available in the Castle Age, Monks can initially convert all enemy units except other monks and siege weapons, but they cannot convert buildings. Monks can never convert enemy Heroes.

Several technologies available at the Monastery affect conversion:

Castle Age
 * Atonement - Monks can convert enemy monks.
 * Redemption - Monks can convert enemy siege weapons and most buildings.
 * Heresy (Conquerors Expansion) - The player's units die instantly if converted by the enemy.
 * Inquisition (The Forgotten Expansion, Spanish only) - Increases Monks' conversion rate.

Imperial Age
 * Block Printing - Increases the range of conversion.
 * Faith - Makes the player's units 50% more resistant to conversion.
 * Illumination - Monks need less resting time between conversions.
 * Theocracy (Conquerors Expansion) - If multiple monks successfully convert an enemy unit, only one of them needs to rest afterwards.

Age of Mythology
In Age of Mythology, conversion is largely limited to Priests of Set, and they can only convert wild animals. The animals, together with any available Animals of Set, can form a decent army or can be used for scouting. Note that the player can weaken an opponent's early-game economy by converting nearby huntable animals.

Some God Powers and Myth Unit special abilities also have conversion-like effects. Rheia's Traitor god power converts a single unit to the player's side. Hyperion's god power, Chaos, turns enemy units neutral (hostile to all other units), as does the special ability of his Lampades. Osiris' Mummies have a special ability that kills an enemy unit and raises it from the dead as a friendly Minion, which is effectively the same as conversion.

Age of Empires III
In Age of Empires III only the War Chiefs, the Sioux Axe Riders , and the Chinese Monks ( Shaolin Master and Disciple) have any sort of converting ability. All of the three War Chiefs can convert treasure guardians, and Axe Riders can obtain this converting ability after an specific shipment is given. Chinese Monks can turn a defeated enemy unit at random into a friendly Disciple.