Bow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Slots | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Base Value | 100 / 100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Special Properties | None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ranged Attack |
+3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Defense |
+3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mana | +5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Possible Item Powers:
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Ranged Attack | +6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To Hit |
+30% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Defense |
+3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mana |
+10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Possible Item Powers:
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- This article is about the Magical Item type called "Bow". For the icons representing attack strength, see Ranged Attack.
A Bow is a type of Magical Item which can be equipped on any Hero possessing an appropriate slot. The bonuses on the Bow will enhance that Hero's performance, particularly his/her Ranged Attack.
As with any Magical Item, Bows can have a total mix of up to 4 different bonuses and/or Item Powers. Bows can generally take very powerful bonuses compared to other weapons, but they only improve the Hero's Ranged Missile Attack, which has strong advantages but also strong disadvantages. Any Hero who can use a Bow can switch to a melee weapon, but not during combat!
Bows can receive Item Powers that alter the Hero's Ranged Attack, making it more dangerous in one way or another. Very few Bows will alter a Hero's Melee Attack or other attack types (if he/she has any at all), and that is always thanks to specific Item Powers.
Description[]
The Bow is a type of ancient hunting weapon that has similar lethality in combat. Its purpose is to launch a long, thin projectile - an arrow or bolt - into an enemy target some distance away. The speed and pointy tip of the arrow concentrate its impact on a tiny spot, allowing it to plunge straight into the target - causing damage to internal organs. Some bows, particularly crossbows, launch their projectiles with such force that they can even pierce through armor. Strong bowmen with strong bows can kill an armored combatant from quite some distance!
In Master of Magic the bow is a common weapon, but is most dangerous in the hands of a trained Hero. It can allow the Hero to pick off enemy targets - even powerful monsters - quite easily, before they close in for melee combat.
The Basic Item[]
The Bow is one of many possible Magical Item types in Master of Magic. Magical Items can be Crafted by a wizard (tailored to the specific needs of a Hero under the wizard's employ), or found as rewards for defeating a suitably-dangerous Encounter (in which case the item already has a set of pre-defined bonuses).
Any Bow can be equipped on a Hero, if said Hero possesses an appropriate weapon slot. Bows can only fit into the following slot:
Only a few Heroes possess a Bow Slot. They all have a Ranged Missile Attack, which is the primary attribute that will benefit from the Bow's bonuses. Heroes that do not possess this slot may never be equipped with a Bow. Note that the Bow Slot also accepts any melee weapon, allowing Bow-wielding Heroes to choose the correct weapon for an upcoming battle - but they cannot switch weapons during the battle.
Any additional attack strength bonuses on a Bow will only apply to the Hero's Ranged Missile Attack. Any Item Powers imbued into a Bow that directly alter the Hero's attack, such as adding Special Damage to it, also apply only to the Hero's Ranged Attack. A few Item Powers, however, have a complex effect that can end up altering the Hero's other attacks, if he/she has any.
Crafting a Bow[]
It is possible to create a new Bow (like any other Magical Item) using the Item Crafting process. This is initiated by casting either the Enchant Item spell or the Create Artifact spell, though there are differences in the potential strength of the new Bow depending on which spell is chosen.
During Item Crafting it is possible to select a Bow as the type of Magical Item being created. This sets the default cost of casting the item-crafting spell to 100.
Once the Bow is selected, the Item Crafting menu will show all bonuses and Item Powers that can be imbued into it. Click the desired options to add them to the weapon, or click a selected option to remove it. Regardless of which item-crafting spell was selected, a Bow can only take up to 4 different bonuses and/or Item Powers - just like any other item in the game.
Each additional bonus will increases the value of the item by a set amount. The more powerful the bonus or enchantment, the more it raises the item's value (see list below). An item with higher value costs more Mana to create, and thus may take more than one turn to complete.
Enchant Item[]
The Enchant Item spell limits the strength of the bonuses that can be imbued into a Bow, and also the types of Item Powers that can be added to it.
Available Bonuses[]
Bonus Type | Options | Extra Cost | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Attack Strength | +1 | +50 | Increases the Hero's maximum damage output with a Ranged Attack by the listed amount. Average damage output increases accordingly, subjected to the Hero's To Hit score. |
+2 | +100 | ||
+3 | +200 | ||
Defense | +1 | +50 | Increases the maximum amount of Damage this Hero can block from direct-damage attacks. Average blocked damage increases accordingly, subjected to the Hero's To Block score. |
+2 | +100 | ||
+3 | +200 | ||
Mana | +5 | +200 | Increases the amount of Mana available in each battle for casting combat spells and/or for making Magical Ranged Attacks. This bonus has no effect if the Hero lacks the Caster ability. |
Available Item Powers[]
Name | Required Spellbooks |
Extra Cost | Effects |
---|---|---|---|
Resist Elements | 2 | +100 | Permanent Resist Elements: Hero receives +3 Resistance against Nature and Chaos effects, and +3 Defense against Magical Ranged Attacks. |
Stoning | 2 | +150 | Adds Stoning Touch -1: When this Hero makes a Ranged Attack, each figure in the target unit must Resist at -1 or die instantly. |
Resist Magic | 2 | +200 | Permanent Resist Magic: Hero receives +5 Resistance against all ill-effects. |
Create Artifact[]
The Create Artifact spell allows Bows to be imbued with much more powerful bonuses and/or Item Powers. Certain limitations still apply, based mainly on the type and number of Spellbooks you possess, and the amount of Mana you wish to spend on creating the item.
Note that the potential bonuses that can be placed on a Bow using this spell exceed those of any single melee weapon type (Swords, Maces and Axes). In other words, a Bow can be stronger than any of these, potentially.
However, since there's a limit on the number of Ranged Missile Attacks that a Hero can perform in each battle, as well as To Hit distance penalties to consider, the Bow may or may not actually perform better than a good melee weapon. It simply depends on a lot of other factors. Always remember that a Bow-wielding Hero may hold any melee weapon instead - with various possible results for good or for bad.
Available Bonuses[]
Bonus Type | Options | Extra Cost | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Attack Strength | +1 | +50 | Increases the Hero's maximum damage output with a Ranged Attack by the listed amount. Average damage output increases accordingly, subjected to the Hero's To Hit score. |
+2 | +100 | ||
+3 | +200 | ||
+4 | +350 | ||
+5 | +550 | ||
+6 | +800 | ||
Defense | +1 | +50 | Increases the maximum amount of Damage this Hero can block from direct-damage attacks. Average blocked damage increases accordingly, subjected to the Hero's To Block score. |
+2 | +100 | ||
+3 | +200 | ||
To Hit | +10% | +400 | Increases the Hero's average damage output with a Ranged Attack by X percent of his/her total Ranged Missile Attack strength. |
+20% | +800 | ||
+30% | 1,200 | ||
Mana | +5 | +200 | Increases the amount of Mana available in each battle for casting combat spells and/or for making Magical Ranged Attacks. This bonus has no effect if the Hero lacks the Caster ability. |
+10 | +400 |
Available Item Powers[]
Name | Required Spellbooks |
Extra Cost | Effects |
---|---|---|---|
Resist Elements | 2 | +100 | Permanent Resist Elements: Hero receives +3 Resistance and +3 Defense against various types of Nature and Chaos attacks and ill effects. |
Stoning | 2 | +150 | Adds Stoning Touch -1: When this Hero makes a Ranged Attack, each figure in the target unit must Resist at -1 or die instantly. |
Elemental Armor | 4 | +500 | Permanent Elemental Armor: Hero receives +10 Resistance and +10 Defense against various types of Nature and Chaos attacks and ill effects. |
Resist Magic | 2 | +200 | Permanent Resist Magic: Hero receives +5 Resistance against all ill-effects. |
Magic Immunity | 5 | +700 | Permanent Magic Immunity: Hero cannot be harmed by most harmful spells and Special Attacks, and receives 50 Defense against all Magical Ranged Attacks. |
Phantasmal | 6 | 1,500 | Adds Illusion Damage to the Hero's Ranged Attack: Target units without Illusions Immunity or Magic Immunity cannot make Defense rolls against this attack. |
Haste | 7 | 2,000 | Permanent Haste: Hero's Movement Allowance is doubled. Whenever the Hero makes any Melee, Ranged or Counter attack, he/she makes 2 complete attacks in a row (for no extra Movement Points cost). |
Flaming | 2 | +300 | Hero receives +3 Melee Attack strength. |
Lightning | 5 | +800 | Adds Armor Piercing Damage to the Hero's Ranged Missile Attack: The target's Defense score is reduced by 50% when blocking this attack. |
Destruction | 5 | 1,000 | Adds Disintegration Damage to the Hero's Ranged Attack: The lead figure in the target unit must Resist or be Disintegrated. |
Chaos | 6 | 2,000 | Hero's Ranged Attack is halved in strength, but delivers Doom Damage: It makes no To Hit rolls and the target may not make any Defense rolls. |
Death | 3 | +400 | Adds Death Damage to the Hero's Ranged Attack: The lead figure in the target unit must Resist at -3 or be destroyed. |
Power Drain | 4 | +500 | Adds Power Drain Damage to the Hero's Ranged Attack: Target unit with Caster loses 2-20. Targets without Caster are unaffected. |
Acquiring a Pre-Defined Bow[]
The game data files contain 250 items that were designed by Simtex - each with its own pre-set name, bonuses and/or Item Powers. 25 of these items are Bows.
There are three different ways by which you can acquire one of these pre-defined Bows:
- By winning a difficult Encounter.
- By purchasing it from a traveling Item Merchant.
- As result of a random Event called "The Gift".
It is often better to acquire items in this way, as it means you do not need to spend any time or Mana to create them. However, since the offered item is chosen at random, and since all 250 items have pre-defined bonuses and enchantments, you may or may not receive an item that's really suitable to your needs.
Furthermore, many of the pre-defined items possess Item Powers that cannot legally be added to them via Item Crafting.
Bows as Treasure[]
Whenever an Encounter zone of sufficient difficulty level is cleared of its initial defenders, the winning army may receive a Bow (or any other Magical Item) as a reward.
The game may select (at random) any item whose total value does not exceed the remaining treasure points given by the Encounter. Thus, the more difficult the Encounter, the more potential there is to receive a high-value item.
If the selected item's value is significantly lower than the remaining treasure points, the game will try to select additional rewards (possibly more items).
Bows from Item Merchants[]
Item Merchants have a certain chance to appear at the start of any overland turn. This chance is primarily influenced by the wizard's current Fame score. When the roll dictates that a Merchant should appear, the game selects an item at random from the entire list of all 250 pre-set items.
Item Merchants will only offer the selected item if the wizard has 3 times as much Gold as the value of the item itself. Charismatic wizards need only 1.5 times as much Gold as the item's value, since they pay half-price for any item. If you lack sufficient Gold at the start of the turn, the Item Merchant will simply not appear this turn.
Bows as Gifts[]
Finally, an Event called "The Gift" may occur at random at the start of any overland turn, bestowing a Bow (or any other Magical Item) to your wizard, for no cost whatsoever. This event can choose any of the 250 pre-defined items, including any of the 25 available Bows.
List of Pre-Defined Bows[]
Below is a list of each Bow present in the default game-data files.
Note: The ItemMake program which is supplied with the game allows users to alter the list of pre-set items at will: you can change any of these items (within the same constraints as those of a Create Artifact spell), add new ones, or remove existing ones from the list. Therefore the list below may or may not match your game-files.
Image | Name | Total Value | Bonuses and Item Powers |
---|---|---|---|
The Scarlet Bow | 500 | +3 Ranged Attack, | |
+3 Defense. | |||
Living Bow | 650 | Elemental Armor, | |
+1 Ranged Attack. | |||
Uhl Dover | 650 | +1 Ranged Attack, | |
+2 Defense, | |||
+10% To Hit. | |||
Mithril Longbow | 750 | Resist Magic, | |
+1 Defense, | |||
+10 Mana. | |||
The Regulator | 900 | +4 Ranged Attack, | |
+1 Defense, | |||
+10% To Hit. | |||
Crossbow of Power | 900 | +6 Ranged Attack. | |
Elvish Longbow | 1,000 | Flaming, | |
Resist Magic, | |||
+4 Ranged Attack, | |||
+1 Defense. | |||
The Hartshone | 1,050 | Elemental Armor, | |
Stoning, | |||
+3 Ranged Attack, | |||
+2 Defense. | |||
The Archer | 1,050 | +2 Ranged Attack, | |
+1 Defense, | |||
+20% To Hit. | |||
Bow of Magic Immunity | 1,300 | Elemental Armor, | |
Magic Immunity. | |||
The Telecaster | 1,350 | +4 Ranged Attack, | |
+2 Defense, | |||
+20% To Hit. | |||
Hell's Bolt | 1,400 | Flaming, | |
+2 Ranged Attack, | |||
+2 Defense, | |||
+20% To Hit. | |||
Bow of the Golden Horde | 1,400 | Stoning, | |
+5 Ranged Attack, | |||
+10% To Hit, | |||
+5 Mana. | |||
The Deathstorm | 1,400 | +1 Ranged Attack, | |
+1 Defense, | |||
+20% To Hit, | |||
+10 Mana. | |||
The Undertaker | 1,500 | Death, | |
+20% To Hit, | |||
+5 Mana. | |||
Gideon's Harp | 1,650 | Magic Immunity, | |
+1 Defense, | |||
+10% To Hit, | |||
+10 Mana. | |||
Life Bow | 1,750 | Elemental Armor, | |
Stoning, | |||
+6 Ranged Attack, | |||
+3 Defense. | |||
The Devil's Instrument | 1,900 | Lightning, | |
Magic Immunity, | |||
+2 Defense, | |||
+5 Mana. | |||
Little Flicker | 1,900 | Flaming, | |
Destruction, | |||
+2 Ranged Attack, | |||
+10 Mana. | |||
Bow of the Dervish | 2,150 | +6 Ranged Attack, | |
+1 Defense, | |||
+30% To Hit. | |||
Ray of Light | 2,400 | Haste, | |
Resist Magic, | |||
+1 Ranged Attack, | |||
+1 Defense. | |||
Silver Shortbow | 2,700 | Lightning | |
+5 Ranged Attack, | |||
+1 Defense, | |||
+30% To Hit. | |||
Bow of Hazard | 2,950 | Flaming, | |
Destruction, | |||
+4 Ranged Attack, | |||
+3 Defense. | |||
White Flicker | 4,300 | Chaos, | |
+6 Ranged Attack, | |||
+3 Defense, | |||
+30% To Hit. | |||
The Master Crossbow | 5,100 | Chaos, | |
Destruction, | |||
Power Drain, | |||
Phantasmal. | |||