| Sir Harold The Knight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Type | Champion | |||
| Hiring Cost |
 500 | |||
| Upkeep Cost |
0 * | |||
| Prereq. |
 40 | |||
| Moves |
 2 | |||
| Melee Attack |
 8 | |||
| Defense |
 5 | |||
| Resistance |
 6 | |||
| Hit Points |
 9 * | |||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
 Noble | ||||
| Random Abilities | 1 (Fighter) | |||
Sir Harold the Knight is one of the 35 Hero units featured in Master of Magic.
Sir Harold 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, Sir Harold can be summoned using the Summon Champion spell.
Sir Harold has impressive combat capabilities, making him one of the better Melee Attack Heroes in the game. His Melee Attack strength will grow faster than normal thanks to the Super Leadership ability, and he also has a rapidly-growing Health score thanks to Constitution. These will enable Sir Harold to perform very well in close combat.
Sir Harold's greatest advantage however is that Super Leadership will grant pretty impressive bonuses to the attack strength of all Normal Units and Heroes accompanying him into battle. When Sir Harold is placed within a large army comprised of such units, the entire army becomes significantly more dangerous than normal. As Sir Harold gains Experience, his army becomes more deadly.
Additionally, Sir Harold has the Super Legendary ability, which will increase his employer's Fame score by a substantial margin, and thus allow recruiting much larger armies (and a better chance to gain more Heroes, Mercenaries and Magical Items through random events). He also gains an extra Random Ability from the "Fighter" category, which could make him even more deadly and/or useful than he already is!
If the Strategy Guide is to be believed, Sir Harold was intended to have (or did have, prior to patch 1.3) the First Strike and Armor Piercing properties which would boost his capabilities even further. Unfortunately, these do not appear in the game.
Sir Harold 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 even further, or to concentrate on becoming more survivable through defensive bonuses.
Sir Harold has the Noble trait, and will not demand any Upkeep Costs. In fact, he will instead contribute 10 to your treasury every turn!
General Description[]
Sir Harold the Knight is a veteran combatant of many wars, and has performed many deeds of greatness in his past. Now, unemployed and feeling like his best days are behind him, he has chosen to offer his services to any lord who deserves them. Despite now being past his prime, Sir Harold is still a fierce combatant - tough as nails - and his name precedes him: he inspires others to fight as valiantly as he once did.
Sir Harold's age should not deceive you. His mustache may be greying, but he is still quite strong. He diligently dresses in full chainmail armor, with a solid metal cap on his head, and carrying a bright red shield. His eyes, though kind and betraying wisdom, have not lost their taste for battle. Sir Harold rides a brown horse.
Initial Properties[]
Note: All data below assumes Sir Harold 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[]
Sir Harold the Knight possesses only a Melee Attack. It is initially quite powerful, and will improve faster than normal with additional Experience. The default strength of this attack is 8. With a default To Hit chance of 
30%, he can be expected to deliver about 
2.4 points of Damage per attack. This is a respectable amount, and should have no trouble getting at least some damage past any type of armor.
This attack grows in strength primarily thanks to Sir Harold's Super Leadership ability. As will be explained below, the same bonuses are also bestowed on all other Normal Units and Heroes accompanying Sir Harold into battle, making his entire army stronger.
Defensive Properties[]
By default, Sir Harold the Knight 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, Sir Harold possesses a very high initial health score of 9 Hit Points by default. This is immediately boosted to 10 thanks to his Constitution ability. High health allows Sir Harold to take plenty of damage before falling in battle, allowing the Knight to fight on despite his injuries for quite some time, and thus covering somewhat for his deficient Defense score.
As with most Heroes, Sir Harold 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[]
Sir Harold the Knight 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, Sir Harold may need to use his speed to stay away from stronger enemies, or in order to reach his targets more easily.
As mentioned earlier, Sir Harold's Super 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 +0.5 Melee Attack for each of Sir Harold's Experience Levels (rounded down). Units with a 
Ranged Missile Attack, 
Ranged Boulder Attack, 
Thrown Attack and/or 
Breath Attack receive a bonus of +0.25 to the strength of each of these attacks (rounded down). Note that all this applies only during combat, and only when Sir Harold is present.
Sir Harold also possesses the Super Legendary ability. While Sir Harold is under a wizard's employ, that wizard's Fame score is increased by 4.5 for each of Sir Harold's Experience Levels (rounded down), 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 Sir Harold is removed from the payroll (through either dismissal or death), returning the wizard's Fame score to normal.
Experience[]
The following table illustrates how Sir Harold's various skills and attributes increase as he gains Experience. His innate Super 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 Sir Harold'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hero |  0 - 19
|
8
|
30%
|
5
|
6
|
10
|
-- | 4
|
|
Myrmidon | 20 - 59
|
10
|
30%
|
6
|
7
|
12
|
+1 | 9
|
|
Captain | 60 - 119
|
11
|
40%
|
6
|
8
|
14
|
+1 | 13
|
|
Commander | 120 - 199
|
13
|
40%
|
7
|
9
|
16
|
+2 | 18
|
|
Champion | 200 - 299
|
14
|
40%
|
7
|
10
|
18
|
+2 | 22
|
|
Lord | 300 - 449
|
16
|
50%
|
8
|
11
|
20
|
+3 | 27
|
|
Grand Lord | 450 - 599
|
17
|
50%
|
8
|
12
|
22
|
+3 | 31
|
|
Super Hero | 600 - 999
|
19
|
50%
|
9
|
13
|
24
|
+4 | 36
|
|
Demi-God | 1,000
|
20
|
60%
|
9
|
14
|
26
|
+4 | 40
|
Average Damage Output[]
The following table shows Sir Harold's average Damage output with each of his attacks, based on his current Experience Level. The effects of the Super Leadership ability 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 Sir Harold may occasionally possess. Note that this table completely ignores bonuses from Magical Items, if any.
|
Improvement Overview[]
As with any other Hero, Sir Harold can eventually become very powerful as he gains Experience Levels. He is already somewhat powerful at base level nonetheless.
Sir Harold's fastest-growing attribute is his Health, thanks to the Constitution ability. It will quickly become very difficult to kill Sir Harold with only one attack - even for very high-level Fantastic Creatures or other Heroes. If he is coupled with a Healer unit, he may be able to quickly go from battle to battle with very little pause. Nonetheless, it is important not to neglect his Defense, which does not improve very quickly - it's always better to avoid Damage than to absorb it.
Sir Harold's Melee Attack strength will also rise faster than normal, but not as quickly as Heroes possessing the Might ability. He only gets +4 by the time he reaches Experience Level 9 ("Demi-God"), thanks to the Super Leadership ability.
On the other hand, the same bonus to Melee Attack will apply to each and every friendly Normal Unit and Hero accompanying Sir Harold into battle. Quite early on, Sir Harold's entire army will have a much better damage output than normal, and thus be significantly more dangerous than a similar army led by another Hero. In particular, armies made up of many 
Multi-Figure units will become very deadly since the bonus applies to each 
figure in each unit.
Sir Harold's Super Legendary ability also improves with level - at a staggering rate. As Sir Harold's level goes up, his employer becomes significantly more Famous, thus attracting more Heroes, Mercenaries and Item Merchants - possibly even one per turn. Also, it reduces Upkeep Costs for Normal Units and Heroes across the empire, allowing you to recruit a much larger army or invest in your economy.
Ability Overview[]
Super 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 +0.5 per every Experience Level this Hero possesses, rounded down.
- This Hero also gives a +0.25 bonus per level to each friendly unit's Ranged Missile Attacks, Ranged Boulder Attacks, Thrown Attacks and Breath Attacks, rounded down.
- No bonus is given to friendly units' Ranged Magical Attacks.
Super Legendary[]
- While this Hero is under a Wizard's employ, that Wizard's Fame score is increased by 4.5 per every Experience Level the Hero possesses (rounded down), including the first level.
- If the Hero is lost or dismissed, the bonus points are removed.
Constitution[]
- This Hero receives +1 Hit Points to his maximum health per each Experience Level, including the first level.
Noble[]
- This unit has no Upkeep Costs to be paid each turn. Instead, it will add 10 Gold to your treasury each turn.
- This Hero ability does not improve with the Hero's Experience Level.
Random Abilities[]
When a new game is started, the program randomly chooses 1 additional ability for Sir Harold. 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
|
 Lucky
|
 Might
|
Whichever Random Ability is picked, it is permanent. Sir Harold will never re-randomize his abilities during the course of a single game. He may, however, pick a different ability in the next game.
The Leadership and Legendary abilities do not appear on this list because Sir Harold already has the "Super" versions of these abilities by default. Similarly, Noble does not appear since it does not have a "Super" version and Sir Harold already has the basic version.
However, Sir Harold can select the Constitution ability (which he already has) in order to upgrade it to "Super" Constitution, increasing his Hit Points 50% faster. He will gain +1.5 hit points per Experience Level instead of the normal +1. Still, it is often more beneficial to get a completely new ability rather than improve an existing one. If he picks the Might ability his Melee Attack will be even more powerful. Sir Harold will prove very useful regardless of which Fighter ability he picks.
Since Sir Harold is somewhat lacking in defensive properties, he will greatly benefit from Agility. This will raise his Defense score by +1 per level, reducing reliance on healing between battles and better ensuring that Sir Harold can survive serious combat.
Blademaster is another useful ability, boosting Sir Harold's To Hit score as he gains Experience, resulting in a higher damage output with his Melee Attack. Charmed may also come in handy, entirely protecting Sir Harold from enemy Curses and some types of combat spells and Special Attacks. Lucky is useful as well.
Another valuable ability for Sir Harold is Armsmaster. If this ability is picked, Sir Harold will likely be used as a trainer for new troops. He can either stay behind the lines to quickly train new units up to high Experience Levels before they go off to war, or lead those units to battle until they are ready to fight on their own. Remember that Sir Harold is a Noble, meaning that it's not imperative to actually use him as a combat unit.
Equipment[]
Sir Harold the Knight 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 Sir Harold, who is essentially a Melee-oriented unit.
Recommended Items[]
Magical Items are primarily necessary for boosting Sir Harold's Defense score, which is somewhat lacking. He will likely never be as powerful as some of the other Champions in combat (though still stronger than most non-Champions), and is more of a group-oriented Hero. Therefore, it's often better to focus on defensive properties which will keep Sir Harold alive on the battlefield - bestowing his bonuses on other troops in his army.
Weapon[]
- Although Sir Harold has a high Hit Points count, he should not neglect to defend himself properly. As a result, a Sword with a high Defense bonus is quite recommended for Harold.
- A weapon with a good To Hit bonus is also useful, especially if you intend to risk Sir Harold in combat by sending him to physically attack his foes. Remember however that even with great attack-related bonuses, Sir Harold is usually nowhere near as powerful as some of the other Champions such as Roland the Paladin or Mortu the Black Knight.
- Remember to take into account Sir Harold's chosen Random Ability. If he takes Agility or Super Constitution, there may be a reduced need for defensive bonuses. If he takes Might or Blademaster, his attack properties are naturally boosted and may or may not need further augmentation.
- You may safely ignore any weapon that gives extra Mana ("Spell Skill"), as Sir Harold may not utilize that bonus.
Armor[]
- Sir Harold 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 impressive, and can eventually absorb a good amount of damage, it's always better to prevent that damage from coming through in the first place.
- Resistance bonuses are also quite desirable - assuming Sir Harold has not picked the Charmed ability. This will protect him from dangerous enemy spells and some forms of Special Attacks. Remember that if he dies during combat, his entire army loses those great bonuses from Sir Harolds Super Leadership - potentially costing you the battle!
- Finally, Movement Allowance bonuses may give some advantage. They allow Sir Harold to quickly move from army to army, boosting the strength of any stack that is threatened by enemy forces or about to advance into an enemy position. This may be even more important when Sir Harold picks Armsmaster as his Random Ability - enabling him to train armies across your empire wherever they may be.
Jewelry[]
- Without Agility, Sir Harold's primary deficiency is usually Defense, and even heavy armor is not always enough to offset this. Therefore, Jewelry with Defense bonuses is highly recommended. This will allow Sir Harold to go up against some extremely-powerful opponents by the time he reaches a median Experience Level.
- If this deficiency is covered, pretty much any of the non-magic-related bonuses from Jewelry are fine. It might be a good idea to look for a wider range of bonuses rather than a single powerful bonus. Again, Sir Harold's chosen Random Ability will influence your decision here as described earlier.
- Any of the magic-related bonuses given by Jewelry can be completely ignored.
Acquisition[]
Sir Harold the Knight 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 Sir Harold[]
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 Sir Harold 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 Sir Harold (more on this below).
- Sir Harold must not have already been killed in battle.
Since the game randomly chooses which Hero appears during this event, there's no guarantee that Sir Harold 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 Sir Harold 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), Sir Harold 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 Sir Harold (you can always refuse), you may give him any name you choose - he will be known as "<name> the Knight". His overland unit will appear at your Fortress town or, if that town's garrison is full, next to your Fortress town.
Summoning Sir Harold[]
As a Champion, Sir Harold the Knight 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 Sir Harold will appear when this spell is cast, unless all other Champions are unavailable.
Again, you get a chance to agree or refuse to hire Sir Harold. If you agree, he will appear in your Fortress town and/or next to it.
If Sir Harold 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 Sir Harold[]
For most wizards, losing Sir Harold 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 Sir Harold back to life after he has died. In this case, Sir Harold returns to your Fortress town, with no Magical Items, but keeping all Experience he had prior to his death.
You may repeatedly resurrect Sir Harold each time he dies.
Upkeep Costs[]
Thanks to his default Noble ability, Sir Harold will never demand any Upkeep Costs. You would still need to pay 
Mana for any Unit Enchantments placed on him, but no Gold whatsoever.
Instead, Sir Harold will actually give you an amount of 10 Gold at the start of each turn!
This is one good reason to hire Sir Harold very early in the game, though it's highly unlikely to acquire him early on. Nonetheless, +10 Gold per turn is no small amount of money, and is even more significant considering that most Champions require 10 as their Upkeep Costs every turn! You can look at it as a net benefit of +20 per turn - and you get a powerful Champion to boot.
Alternate Names[]
Other wizards can also have a Knight, but they are different characters (what happens to one has no effect on the others), and go by different names, as follows:
Knight |
Player | Alternate Name |
|---|---|---|
| Human (0) | Sir Harold | |
| Wizard 1 | Sir Henry | |
| Wizard 2 | Stephan | |
| Wizard 3 | Sheldon | |
| Wizard 4 | Thomas |