| Gunther The Barbarian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Type | Non-Champion | |||
| Hiring Cost |
 100 | |||
| Upkeep Cost |
2 | |||
| Prereq. | None | |||
| Moves |
 2 | |||
| Melee Attack |
 5 * | |||
| Defense |
 3 | |||
| Resistance |
 6 | |||
| Hit Points |
 9 | |||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
|
 Might | ||||
| Random Abilities | None | |||
Gunther the Barbarian (sometimes called "Gunthar" in various source materials) is one of the 35 Hero units featured in Master of Magic.
Gunther is a non-Champion Hero. He may randomly appear for hire, in which case his Hiring Cost is 100 by default. Alternatively, Gunther can be summoned using the Summon Hero spell (or through partial failure of the Summon Champion spell), and can occasionally be found as a Prisoner reward after a successful Encounter.
Gunther is a respectable early-game Melee Attacker, possessing an additional Thrown Attack for extra damage, and plenty of extra Hit Points to help him survive combat. Unfortunately his Defense ratings are quite low.
Gunther's Might ability will quickly improve his Melee Attack strength to formidable levels as he gains Experience. He has no Random Abilities, and thus will be the same every time you play the game.
Gunther may be equipped with the basic fare of Magical Items. He will not be able to cast spells, and thus can focus on gaining defense bonuses (to offset his initial deficiency in this field), speed bonuses (to utilize his Thrown Attack better) or an even greater increase to his brute attack strength.
Gunther's Upkeep Cost is 2 per turn.
General Description[]
Gunther the Barbarian is a warrior from the northern lands. He is fair of skin and sports an impressive red beard. Gunther's head is capped by a golden helmet with pearly-white wings on each side. He wears no shirt or armor, only a golden necklace and a pair of blue pants. Gunther rides a blond horse.
As a northern warrior, Gunther is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, which he starts by chucking a balanced axe at his opponent. He follows this up with a brave charge, almost entirely abandoning any attempt to defend himself. His blood-lust and sheer ferocity are his key weapons. Brute force also comes into play, with Gunther's powerful physique only getting better and better as his experience in combat grows.
Initial Properties[]
Note: All data below assumes Gunther 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[]
Gunther the Barbarian's primary attack is a Melee Attack of respectable strength. When initiating a voluntary attack against an enemy, he also executes a Thrown Attack of lesser strength. This emphasizes proper maneuvering and a very aggressive approach.
Gunther's Melee Attack has a default strength of 5. On top of this, the Might ability adds +1 for a total of 6. With a basic To Hit chance of 
30%, he can be expected to deliver about 
1.8 points of Damage per attack. This is not bad for a low-level Hero, but means he will need to make many attacks to destroy any enemy unit - putting himself at risk in the process.
Fortunately, whenever Gunther attacks his enemies voluntarily (i.e. not Counter Attacking), he first executes a Thrown Attack. This attack has a strength of 
3, and can be expected to deliver 0.9. This is not likely to actually damage any but the weakest opponents, but will improve with Experience to eventually become a more serious threat.
Note that Thrown Attacks are executed prior to any enemy retaliation. Therefore, any 
figures killed by this attack do not get any chance to retaliate. This gives Gunther an advantage over enemy 
Multi-Figure units, particularly low-tier Normal Units who are more likely to be damaged by it.
Finally, Gunther's Thrown Attack allows him to freely attack enemy Flying units, despite the fact that he himself is not a Flying unit.
Defensive Properties[]
Gunther the Barbarian pays little attention to his own well-being, and does not wear any armor or protective items by default. As a result he has a very low Defense score compared to all other Melee-oriented Heroes, at only 3. This enables him to block, on average, only about 0.9 points of Damage from any damage source. This means that all but the weakest of opponents will be able to get some damage through! Expect Gunther to take damage often, at least until he can gain plenty of 
Experience and/or acquire strong armor.
On the other hand, Gunther possesses 9 Hit Points by default - much more than the average Hero. This offsets to some degree Gunther's deficiencies in Defense, allowing him to survive for a long period of time despite his injuries.
As with most Heroes, Gunther 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[]
Gunther the Barbarian 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, Gunther's speed is essential for proper use of his Thrown Attack. He must maneuver properly in order to execute the attack on his own terms, and withdraw to prevent the enemy from attacking him.
Experience[]
The following table illustrates how Gunther's various skills and attributes increase as he gains Experience. Attributes not appearing on this list do not improve with Experience. The effects of Gunther's default Might ability have already been taken into account when compiling these values.
| Level Icon | Level Name | EP | Melee | Thrown | To Hit | Defense | Resist | Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hero | 0 - 19
|
6
|
3
|
30%
|
3
|
6
|
9
|
|
Myrmidon | 20 - 59
|
8
|
4
|
30%
|
4
|
7
|
10
|
|
Captain | 60 - 119
|
10
|
5
|
40%
|
4
|
8
|
11
|
|
Commander | 120 - 199
|
12
|
6
|
40%
|
5
|
9
|
12
|
|
Champion | 200 - 299
|
14
|
7
|
40%
|
5
|
10
|
13
|
|
Lord | 300 - 449
|
16
|
8
|
50%
|
6
|
11
|
14
|
|
Grand Lord | 450 - 599
|
18
|
9
|
50%
|
6
|
12
|
15
|
|
Super Hero | 600 - 999
|
20
|
10
|
50%
|
7
|
13
|
16
|
|
Demi-God | 1,000
|
22
|
11
|
60%
|
7
|
14
|
17
|
Average Damage Output[]
The following table shows Gunther's average Damage output with each of his attacks, based on his current Experience Level. Note that this table completely ignores bonuses from Magical Items, if any. However, the effects of the Might ability have already been calculated into this table.
|
Improvement Overview[]
As with any other Hero, Gunther can eventually become very powerful as he gains Experience. Nonetheless, he is quite weak at the lower levels.
Gunther's Defense is his weakest attribute, and improves very badly with Experience. This is one of the reasons why heavy armor (see below) is almost indispensable.
Note that Gunther's Melee Attack improves at a much greater rate than his Thrown Attack. This is a result of the Might ability, which only augments Melee Attacks.
Ability Overview[]
Thrown 3[]
- Whenever this unit makes a Melee Attack against an enemy target, it also delivers a Thrown Attack with a strength of 3 per figure.
- All damage from a Thrown Attack is processed and delivered before the enemy gets the chance to retaliate. Any figures in the target unit that are killed by the attack do not get to deliver any Melee Damage in return.
- This Thrown Attack does not occur when the unit is Counter Attacking against an enemy assailant.
Might[]
- This Hero gains +1 Attack Strength to his Melee Attack with each Experience Level, including the first level.
Random Abilities[]
Gunther the Barbarian has no Random Abilities. Therefore, his various attributes will be exactly the same each time you play the game. This makes Gunther more predictable. He will never be any less or more useful than this article describes.
Equipment[]
Gunther the Barbarian 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 Gunther, who is essentially a Melee-oriented unit.
Recommended Items[]
Gunther needs to concentrate on increasing his Melee-combat properties. As a non-Caster, Gunther has no use for items that increase spell-casting skills.
Weapon[]
- Since Gunther has both a Melee Attack and a Thrown Attack, he will benefit most from an Axe rather than a Mace or Sword as his main weapon. Any bonuses on the Axe will go to both types of attacks. Note that the item's To Hit bonus won't apply to his Thrown Attack though. Nevertheless, To Hit bonuses are often the best choice for Gunther. Also consider investing in Attack Strength to boost his Thrown Attack to a decent level.
- Note that Gunther's Defense score is so low for a Melee unit, that it is often a good idea to equip him with a weapon that gives Defense bonuses - even if the weapon is otherwise weak. Don't forget that Gunther's Attack strength increases very quickly on its own anyway - but his Defense will be the death of him!
Armor[]
- Gunther's Defense rating is much lower than normal, so it is almost essential that he be equipped with as strong as armor as you can acquire. Shields are often less desirable, though they may protect this Hero from powerful enemy Ranged Attackers.
- Overall, any bonus on the armor will be great for Gunther, but do remember that without a proper Defense score, he will suffer plenty of damage during any Melee attack. Try to boost this property up with the armor piece if he doesn't get sufficient bonuses from other sources - or at least try to increase Gunther's Hit Points to compensate.
Jewelry[]
- As with the Axe described above, offensive bonuses on Jewelry will apply to both of Gunther's attacks. If you wish to make a heavy-hitting Hero, put such bonuses on this item.
- Alternatively, it may be a good idea to put Defense bonuses on the Jewelry piece. This will keep Gunther alive longer during heavy combat. All bonuses except those pertaining specifically to spell-casting (such as Spell Save penalties) should be fine.
Acquisition[]
Gunther the Barbarian can be acquired in one of four different methods:
- By hiring him as he comes to visit your Fortress town,
- By casting the Summon Hero or Summon Champion spells,
- By rescuing him from an Encounter zone,
- By Resurrecting him after he has been killed in battle.
Hiring Gunther[]
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 Gunther to appear for hire in this way, you must meet several requirements:
- You must have sufficient Gold in your treasury to hire Gunther (more on this below).
- Gunther must not have already been killed in battle.
Note that Gunther does not care about your wizard's Fame score - he is not picky about whom he serves.
Since the game randomly chooses which Hero appears during this event, there's no guarantee that Gunther 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 Gunther is 100. This is reduced to 50 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), Gunther 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 Gunther (you can always refuse), you may give him any name you choose - he will be known as "<name> the Barbarian". His overland unit will appear at your Fortress town or, if that town's garrison is full, next to your Fortress town.
Summoning Gunther[]
As a non-Champion hero, Gunther the Barbarian can be summoned using either the Summon Hero or Summon Champion spells. However, Summon Champion only has a chance to bring Gunther to you if all Champions are unavailable at the time.
Once the spell is completed, the game chooses a random Hero to bring to your Fortress from a list of all available and valid Heroes. Therefore, there is no guarantee that Gunther will appear when these spells are cast, unless all other Heroes are unavailable.
Again, you get a chance to agree or refuse to hire Gunther. If you agree, he will appear in your Fortress town and/or next to it.
If Gunther is hired through the use of Summon Hero or Summon Champion, there is no need to pay any Hiring Cost. However, you may still need to pay an Upkeep Cost (see below).
Rescuing Gunther[]
On defeating an Encounter of at least moderate difficulty, there is a small chance that your reward will include a Prisoner previously held captive in this Encounter zone.
The game can randomly pick any non-Champion Hero to be rescued in this way - except Heroes that have already died while in your service. Your Fame and Gold are disregarded, and there is no need to pay any Hiring Costs.
Note that if the army that beats that particular Encounter already contains 9 units, you will never be rewarded with a Prisoner.
Resurrecting Gunther[]
For most wizards, losing Gunther 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 Gunther back to life after he has died. In this case, Gunther returns to your Fortress town, with no Magical Items, but keeping all Experience he had prior to his death.
You may repeatedly resurrect Gunther each time he dies.
Upkeep Costs[]
Once Gunther is in your employ, you must pay him an Upkeep Cost of 2 at the start of each and every turn. Failure to pay this price due to lack of Gold results in Gunther leaving your employ. This is not permanent however: Gunther may still be acquired in any of the above methods with no penalty.
Alternate Names[]
Other wizards can also have a Barbarian, but they are different characters (what happens to one has no effect on the others), and go by different names, as follows:
Barbarian |
Player | Alternate Name |
|---|---|---|
| Human (0) | Gunther | |
| Wizard 1 | Wolfar | |
| Wizard 2 | Angus | |
| Wizard 3 | Fritz | |
| Wizard 4 | Johan |