Hero (hierou) pl. heroes n. a man of exceptional quality who wins admiration by noble deeds, esp. deeds of courage || (Gk mythol.) A man of superhuman powers, regarded as a demigod after his death.

Describing Heroes In Master of Magic©, a hero is similar to a normal military unit consisting of a single figure. It shares all of the attack, defense, resistance, and hit attributes of normal units and their applicable percentages. Heroes often have special attributes found in normal units, and they are just as demanding in regards to payment of food and gold as a normal unit. However, that is where the similarities end. Heroes can possess special attributes not found in any normal unit, and they usually possess more than just one. Many of these special attributes are expandable, providing more power to the hero as their experience increases. Heroes also have a different experience hierarchy which allows them to grow far beyond the ability of a normal unit. Many heroes come equipped with magic ranged attacks and a full range of spells, some of which are not in your spell books! Not only does this allow you to cast more spells per turn in combat situations, but they can also help pay for the cost of overland enchantments! Although other normal units, such as Warlocks and Priests, have the ability to cast spells, they do not offer the flexibility and magical variety available in heroes. One of the most unique, and most important, features in a hero is the ability to carry magical items. Using the arcane spells Enchant Item and Create Artifact, a wizard can create items of incredible power, able to enhance almost every facet of a hero's profile. Laced with magical enhancements, crammed full of magic spells, these items turn heroes into unstoppable killing machines. Classifying Heroes In Master of Magic©, there are actually two categories of heroes: Heroes and Champions. What's the difference? A Hero can take on a complete army of pikemen and probably survive. A Champion can do it with one hand tied behind his back. The game seems to differentiate a Hero from a Champion by the hiring cost of the specific hero (what it would cost a wizard in gold to hire that specific hero). If a hero has a hiring cost less than 500, then they are classified as Hero. If the hiring cost is 500 or more, they are classified as a Champion. NOTE: Throughout this site, the term "hero" is used interchangably to mean any Hero or Champion. This site goes one step further and breaks out the heroes into the following sub-categories: HEROES Low-Level Heroes Mid-Level Heroes High-Level Heroes CHAMPIONS There's no such thing as a Low-Level Champion! Mid-Level Champions High-Level Champions As you progress through this site, these hero categories will be further explained. Refer to "Collecting Heroes" and the "Hero Compendium" for more information. Last Modified 7/13/96 rearls@sound.net