| Deth Stryke The Swordsman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Type | Champion | |||
| Hiring Cost |
 500 | |||
| Upkeep Cost |
10 | |||
| Prereq. |
 40 | |||
| Moves |
 2 | |||
| Melee Attack |
 6 * | |||
| Defense |
 5 | |||
| Resistance |
 6 | |||
| Hit Points |
 10 * | |||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
 Might | ||||
| Random Abilities | 1 (Fighter) | |||
Deth Stryke the Swordsman is one of the 35 Hero units featured in Master of Magic.
Deth Stryke is a Champion. He may randomly appear for hire if a wizard has at least 40 Fame points, in which case his Hiring Cost is 500 by default. Alternatively, Deth Stryke can be summoned using the Summon Champion spell.
Deth Stryke is a very strong Melee Attack hero, with several default abilities oriented to increasing his potential with each Experience Level. Might improves his Melee Attack strength, while Constitution will increase his (already-high) Hit Points. Thus, not only can he strike hard, but can also survive prolonged combat - especially with several Experience Levels under his belt.
Deth Stryke is also a very powerful support hero, though this does not conflict in any way with his combat role. During combat, all Normal Units and Heroes in Deth Stryke's army (including himself) receive bonuses to their attack strength thanks to the Leadership ability. Furthermore, at the start of each overland turn, any Normal Unit stacked with Deth Stryke receives extra 
Experience Points thanks to his Armsmaster ability. Finally, Deth Stryke also augments his employer's Fame score by an impressive amount - making it easier to pay for larger armies!
If this is not enough, Deth Stryke also selects a single Random Ability from the "Fighter" category. He may occasionally pick an ability that turns him into an extremely powerful warrior (such as Blademaster), or alternatively improves one of his existing abilities.
Deth Stryke may be equipped with the basic fare of Magical Items. He will not be able to cast spells, and thus can focus on gaining various bonuses to increase his attack strength, or to concentrate on becoming extremely survivable through defensive bonuses.
Deth Stryke's Upkeep Cost is 10 per turn, unless he has randomly acquired the Noble trait.
General Description[]
Deth Stryke the Swordsman is a hardened war veteran. Having served many masters and fought many battles, he has a firm grasp of everything related to war: from his own personal abilities with a melee weapon, to understanding of tactics and strategy, to instruction of new troops, and even propaganda against the enemy! Troops accompanying Deth Stryke will quickly pick up the wisdom that he has to offer, quickly becoming powerful warriors themselves.
Deth Stryke is as grim as his name suggests. The man's left eye was lost in some battle long ago - though it does not affect his deadly finesse with a sword or axe. He is dressed in heavy and battle-worn plate-mail armor from head to toe as well as an open helmet. Dark-blue feathers on the back of his helmet show that he has gained a high rank in some army or other in his past career. Deth Stryke rides a bluish-grey horse.
Initial Properties[]
Note: All data below assumes Deth Stryke is at his lowest Experience Level, and without any Magical Items or Random Abilities - After all, any Hero can become devastatingly powerful after gaining several levels and powerful items. Please refer to the tables and chapters below for more information.
Attack Properties[]
Deth Stryke the Swordsman possesses only a Melee Attack. Its default strength is 6, which is respectable but not too impressive. However, his innate Might ability immediately raises this to 7. With a default To Hit chance of 
30%, he can be expected to deliver about 
2.1 points of Damage per attack. This is respectable for a low-level Hero, and should get through most armor encountered during the early game.
Fortunately, this damage output will keep increasing at a rapid rate with Experience, eventually making Deth Stryke a very powerful attacker. If this is not enough, Deth Stryke's Leadership ability will also eventually boost his attack strength - and the strength of each Normal Unit and Hero accompanying him into battle! (more on this below)
Defensive Properties[]
By default, Deth Stryke the Swordsman has a Defense score of 5 - about average for a low-level Hero. He can block about 1.5 points of Damage from any incoming attack. While this can adequately protect against low-tier Normal Units, it may struggle to fend off damage from more serious attacks.
On the other hand, Deth Stryke possesses one of the highest initial health scores of any Hero, at 10 Hit Points by default. Better yet - his innate Constitution immediately raises this to 11. As a result, Deth Stryke can take copious amounts of damage during combat without falling, and will become more and more resilient as he gains further Experience Levels. This more than makes up for any deficiencies in Defense.
As with most Heroes, Deth Stryke possesses a default Resistance score of 6. This makes him somewhat vulnerable to Curses and other combat maledictions. It will take at least 
4 Experience Levels before he can become immune to some of these effects, assuming no Magical Items or Random Abilities augment it.
Other Properties[]
Deth Stryke the Swordsman has a basic Hero's Movement Allowance of 2. This is good for speeding up his movement on the overland map, through plain land tiles like Grassland and Deserts. During battle, Deth Stryke may need to use his speed to stay away from stronger enemies, or in order to reach his targets more easily.
As mentioned earlier, Deth Stryke's Leadership ability not only improves his own Melee Attack strength, but also the strength of any friendly Normal Unit and Hero on the battlefield (but not friendly Fantastic Units). Each such friendly unit receives +1 Melee Attack for every 3 of Deth Stryke's Experience Levels. Units with a 
Ranged Missile Attack, 
Ranged Boulder Attack, 
Thrown Attack and/or 
Breath Attack receive a bonus of +1 to the strength of each of these attacks, as long as Deth Stryke is at Level 6 ("Lord") or higher. Note that all this applies only during combat, and only when Deth Stryke is present.
Another important bonus comes from Deth Stryke's Armsmaster ability. At the start of each overland turn, each and every Normal Unit currently stacked with Deth Stryke receives an extra +2 Experience for each of Deth Stryke's levels (including the first level). This can help get new Normal Units up to speed rapidly. As a result, many players will not even send Deth Stryke to battle - instead keeping him at a major unit-production center in order to quickly train up new units.
Deth Stryke also possesses the Legendary ability. While Deth Stryke is under a wizard's employ, that wizard's Fame score is increased by 3 for each of Deth Stryke's Experience Levels, including the first level. This helps maintain larger armies (by reducing the total Upkeep Costs for Normal Units and Heroes). It also helps attract other high-tier Heroes and Mercenaries to the wizard's employ, as well as Item Merchants offering their goods. The bonus to Fame is lost if Deth Stryke is removed from the payroll (through either dismissal or death), returning the wizard's Fame score to normal.
Experience[]
The following table illustrates how Deth Stryke's various skills and attributes increase as he gains Experience. His innate Might, Leadership and Constitution bonuses are already taken into account in the values below. Attributes not appearing on this list do not improve with Experience. Also note that Deth Stryke's chosen Random Ability may also increase with Experience, and may adjust any of the attributes listed below!
| Icon | Level Name | EP | Melee | To Hit | Defense | Resist | Hits | Leader | Fame | Arms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hero | 0 - 19
|
7
|
30%
|
5
|
6
|
11
|
-- | 3
|
2
|
|
Myrmidon | 20 - 59
|
9
|
30%
|
6
|
7
|
13
|
-- | 6
|
4
|
|
Captain | 60 - 119
|
12
|
40%
|
6
|
8
|
15
|
+1 | 9
|
6
|
|
Commander | 120 - 199
|
14
|
40%
|
7
|
9
|
17
|
+1 | 12
|
8
|
|
Champion | 200 - 299
|
16
|
40%
|
7
|
10
|
19
|
+1 | 15
|
10
|
|
Lord | 300 - 449
|
19
|
50%
|
8
|
11
|
21
|
+2 | 18
|
12
|
|
Grand Lord | 450 - 599
|
21
|
50%
|
8
|
12
|
23
|
+2 | 21
|
14
|
|
Super Hero | 600 - 999
|
23
|
50%
|
9
|
13
|
25
|
+2 | 24
|
16
|
|
Demi-God | 1,000
|
26
|
60%
|
9
|
14
|
27
|
+3 | 27
|
18
|
Average Damage Output[]
The following table shows Deth Stryke's average Damage output with each of his attacks, based on his current Experience Level. The effects of the Might and Leadership abilities have already been taken into account in the values below. You can use the checkboxes to see the effect of some of the Random Abilities that Deth Stryke may occasionally possess. Note that this table completely ignores bonuses from Magical Items, if any.
|
Improvement Overview[]
As with any other Hero, Deth Stryke can eventually become very powerful as he gains Experience Levels. He is already somewhat powerful at base level nonetheless.
With both Might and Leadership, Deth Stryke's Melee Attack strength will be his fastest-growing attribute. By the time he reaches Level 9 ("Demi-God") he will be one of the most powerful units in the game in terms of sheer attack strength, and this is before any bonuses from items!
Furthermore, once he is at Level 3 ("Champion"), Deth Strykes Leadership will also begin to improve the Melee Attack strengths of all Normal Units and Heroes accompanying him into battle. At Level 6 ("Lord") he'll improve their Ranged Attacks, Thrown Attacks and Breath Attacks by a small amount.
Deth Stryke's other heavily-augmented property is his Health. This already starts very high compared to other Heroes, but will also rise extremely rapidly with Experience - making him almost as healthy as a Great Drake by Level 9 ("Demi-God"). This much health can easily cover Death Stryke's lacking Defense score - though it's not excuse to forgo wearing heavy armor.
Deth Stryke's other two abilities, Legendary and Armsmaster, also improve with level. Legendary is more straightforward: as Deth Stryke's level goes up, his employer becomes more Famous, thus attracting more Heroes, Mercenaries and Item Merchants. Also, it reduces Upkeep Costs for Normal Units and Heroes across the empire, allowing you to recruit a larger army or invest in your economy.
Armsmaster's growth, on the other hand, can alter Deth Stryke's strategic importance from that of a powerful Hero going into battle - into a powerful trainer used to get new troops up to speed. At high Experience Levels, Deth Stryke can train a whole army of new Normal Units into Elite units in a matter of less than a dozen turns. He can thus be stationed at a production center, so that new units quickly become battle-ready and can either set off to battle immediately or wait until a whole army is constructed - which Deth Stryke can then lead to the front lines.
Ability Overview[]
Leadership[]
- During combat, this Hero bestows a certain bonus to the attack strength of each friendly Normal Unit and Hero, including him/herself (but not including Fantastic Units).
- The bonus to Melee Attacks is +1 per every 3 Experience Levels this Hero possesses.
- Once this Hero reaches Level 6 ("Lord"), he/she gives a +1 to all friendly units' Ranged Missile Attacks, Ranged Boulder Attacks, Thrown Attacks and Breath Attacks.
- No bonus is given to friendly units' Ranged Magical Attacks.
Legendary[]
- While this Hero is under a Wizard's employ, that Wizard's Fame score is increased by 3 per every Experience Level the Hero possesses, including the first level.
- If the Hero is lost or dismissed, the bonus points are removed.
Armsmaster[]
- At the start of each overland turn, each and every Normal Unit stacked with this Hero receives extra Experience points on top of its natural +1 EP per level.
- The bonus equals +2 Experience Points per every level of the Hero himself, including the first level.
- The bonus applies only to Normal Units that can gain Experience, and only to those that do not yet have 120 Experience Points. It does not apply to Heroes.
Constitution[]
- This Hero receives +1 Hit Points to his maximum health per each Experience Level, including the first level.
Might[]
- This Hero gains +1 Attack Strength to his Melee Attack with each Experience Level, including the first level.
Random Abilities[]
When a new game is started, the program randomly chooses 1 additional ability for Deth Stryke. This is called a Random Ability. The selection is done completely at random (while observing a limit on the strength of certain abilities) from the list below:
 Agility
|
 Armsmaster
|
 Blademaster
|
 Charmed
|
 Constitution
|
 Leadership
|
 Legendary
|
 Lucky
|
| Might
|
 Noble
|
Whichever Random Ability is picked, it is permanent. Deth Stryke will never re-randomize his abilities during the course of a single game. He may, however, pick a different ability in the next game.
Deth Stryke may choose abilities that he already has, such as Might or Armsmaster. This would upgrade the corresponding ability to its "Super" version, increasing the benefits from that ability by +50%. While this is somewhat desirable, note that it is often better to get a completely new ability than upgrading an existing one.
In particular, Deth Stryke will benefit from either Blademaster or Agility more than improving his existing abilities. Blademaster improves Deth Stryke's damage output to overwhelming levels, while Agility covers his initial deficiencies in Defense. Charmed may also come in handy, entirely protecting Deth Stryke from enemy Curses and some types of combat spells and Special Attacks. Lucky is useful as well.
Even the Noble ability is useful - after all, it negates Deth Stryke's high Upkeep Cost and actually adds +10 to your treasury every turn, which (on top of the reduced empire-wide Upkeep Costs given by the Legendary ability) can amount to a massive economic boost to your empire.
Equipment[]
Deth Stryke the Swordsman has the following item slots:
| Icon | Name | Items that fit here |
|---|---|---|
|
Sword Slot | Sword, Mace or Axe |
|
Shield Slot | Shield, Chainmail or Platemail |
|
Jewelry Slot | Any Jewelry |
This set-up contributes primarily to Melee combat. This is excellent for Deth Stryke, who is essentially a Melee-oriented unit.
Recommended Items[]
With Deth Stryke's rapidly-growing Attack Strength and Hit Points, he has very few deficiencies that need to be covered by equipment. Furthermore, his Random Ability can end up covering one or more of these deficiencies, making a Hero who will generally benefit from any kind of item-related bonuses. Note of course that bonuses which increase magical prowess can be ignored, since Deth Stryke has no spell-casting abilities.
Weapon[]
- If Deth Stryke has randomly picked Agility as his Random Ability, you may safely equip him with an Axe, preferably one with extremely high Attack Strength and/or To Hit bonuses. A Sword, as usual, is always a good choice to augment Defense.
- Also note that if Deth Stryke did not pick Blademaster as his Random Ability, a sword with +30% To Hit may be even better than a powerful Axe.
- You may safely ignore any weapon that gives extra Mana ("Spell Skill"), as Deth Stryke may not utilize that bonus.
Armor[]
- Deth Stryke has an initial deficiency in Defense, and thus will likely want to wear as heavy an armor as you can acquire for him. Though his Health is very high, and can absorb plenty of damage, it's always better to prevent that damage from coming through in the first place.
- Resistance bonuses are also clearly useful, for protecting Deth Stryke from enemy spells and some types of Special Attacks. Note that if Deth Stryke has the Charmed ability, he does not need such bonuses at all.
- Finally, Movement Allowance bonuses may be very helpful for this Hero - not so much for battlefield movement but rather for overland movement. With high bonuses, you can return Deth Stryke to your unit-production centers quickly, to train up a new army and then march with it back to the front lines. Of course, it may also come in handy during combat - to allow Deth Stryke to quickly close with his target and destroy it, outflank the enemy line, or evade enemies that are just too powerful for him to take on.
Jewelry[]
- Picking the right piece of Jewelry for Deth Stryke can be very tricky, and depends greatly on which Random Ability he has picked.
- Without Agility, Deth Stryke's primary deficiency is Defense, and even heavy armor is not always enough to offset this. Therefore, Jewelry with Defense bonuses is highly recommended. This will allow Deth Stryke to go up against some extremely-powerful opponents by the time he reaches a high Experience Level. Resistance bonuses are similarly important, unless Deth Stryke has acquired the Charmed ability.
- If either of his deficiencies is covered, a Jewelry piece with powerful attack bonuses is recommended. To Hit, in particular, can make his attacks absolutely terrifying, unless he already has picked the Blademaster ability.
- Again, Movement Allowance can be useful for Deth Stryke as explained for armor, above.
- Any of the magic-related bonuses given by Jewelry can be completely ignored.
Acquisition[]
Deth Stryke the Swordsman can be acquired in one of three different methods:
- By hiring him as he comes to visit your Fortress town,
- By casting the Summon Champion spell,
- By Resurrecting him after he has been killed in battle.
Hiring Deth Stryke[]
Every once in a while, a Hero will arrive at your Fortress town to ask for employment. The frequency of this event depends on your current Fame score, the number of Heroes already under your employ, and whether or not you have particular Retorts that affect this chance.
In order for Deth Stryke to appear for hire in this way, you must meet several requirements:
- You must have at least 40 Fame points.
- You must have sufficient Gold in your treasury to hire Deth Stryke (more on this below).
- Deth Stryke must not have already been killed in battle.
Since the game randomly chooses which Hero appears during this event, there's no guarantee that Deth Stryke will ever appear. The chance, however, increases if the number of other valid Heroes dwindles (such as when most other Heroes have died in battle).
The default Hiring Cost for Deth Stryke is 500. This is reduced to 250 if your wizard has the Charismatic Retort. If you do not have this much Gold at the start of a turn (after paying all Upkeep Costs), Deth Stryke will not appear for hire. In fact, if he is picked as the Hero who approaches you, and you lack the money to hire him, you are effectively forfeiting your chance to hire any Hero this turn.
After agreeing to hire Deth Stryke (you can always refuse), you may give him any name you choose - he will be known as "<name> the Swordsman". His overland unit will appear at your Fortress town or, if that town's garrison is full, next to your Fortress town.
Summoning Deth Stryke[]
As a Champion, Deth Stryke the Swordsman can only be summoned using the Summon Champion spell.
Once the spell is completed, the game chooses a random Champion to bring to your Fortress from a list of all available and valid Champions. Therefore, there is no guarantee that Deth Stryke will appear when this spell is cast, unless all other Champions are unavailable.
Again, you get a chance to agree or refuse to hire Deth Stryke. If you agree, he will appear in your Fortress town and/or next to it.
If Deth Stryke is hired through the use of Summon Champion, there is no need to pay any Hiring Cost. However, you may still need to pay an Upkeep Cost (see below).
Resurrecting Deth Stryke[]
For most wizards, losing Deth Stryke in battle removes him from the game permanently. He will never appear again.
For 
Life-wielding wizards, however, who have access to the Resurrection spell, it is possible to bring Deth Stryke back to life after he has died. In this case, Deth Stryke returns to your Fortress town, with no Magical Items, but keeping all Experience he had prior to his death.
You may repeatedly resurrect Deth Stryke each time he dies.
Upkeep Costs[]
Once Deth Stryke is in your employ, you must pay him an Upkeep Cost of 10 at the start of each and every turn. Failure to pay this price due to lack of Gold results in Deth Stryke leaving your employ. This is not permanent however: Deth Stryke may still be acquired in any of the above methods with no penalty.
Note that if Deth Stryke picks the Noble Random Ability, he will demand no Upkeep Costs - and instead contribute 10 to your treasury every turn!
Alternate Names[]
Other wizards can also have a Swordsman, but they are different characters (what happens to one has no effect on the others), and go by different names, as follows:
Swordsman |
Player | Alternate Name |
|---|---|---|
| Human (0) | Deth Stryke | |
| Wizard 1 | Aleron | |
| Wizard 2 | Destin | |
| Wizard 3 | Nicholas | |
| Wizard 4 | Walter |