Warlord is one of the 18 different Retorts available for customizing and empowering Wizards in Master of Magic. All of the Warlord Wizard's troops (including Heroes but not Fantastic Units) receive a +1 Experience Level bonus upon being recruited. Normal Units may now reach the Experience Level of Ultra Elite. At Wizard-creation, this Retort costs two picks.
Description[]
Warlord is one of the more powerful Retorts in Master of Magic. Any Wizard possessing this Retort receives two special abilities that will positively affect him for the duration of the game.
The first ability is an immediate bonus of +1 Experience Level given automatically to any Normal Unit or Hero created by this Wizard. Therefore, Normal Units will be at least at a level of "Regular" (level 2, one silver pip) when created - as opposed to the standard "Recruit" level units. Heroes will also receive the +1 Experience Level bonus upon being recruited for the first time (but not on subsequent recruiting).
The second ability is an increase to the maximum allowed Experience Level for all Normal Units. These units may now reach the level of "Ultra Elite" (level 5, one gold pip), which is one level higher than the standard limit for such units. This allows them to become more powerful than any similar unit owned by a non-Warlord Wizard. This is otherwise only attainable by casting the Crusade spell.
Warlords who cast the Crusade spell will enjoy the bonuses from both the spell and the Retort. Their units will have +2 Experience Levels over the standard, and can reach the rank of "Champion" (Experience Level 6, two gold pips).
A Warlord has the benefit of powerful Normal Units, and thus can often rely on producing large armies from his cities - making this a good choice for Wizards who plan to focus on high production and fewer Summoning Spells. Warlords maintain a powerful advantage in straightforward combat throughout the game, and their heroes require less time and combat Experience to become effective.
When creating a new Wizard, the Warlord Retort consumes two picks. This reduces magical potential to some degree. This Retort has no prerequisites.
Tables[]
The (non-Hero) Ultra-Elite and Champion ranks confer the following attribute bonuses to every Figure in the unit.
Level Icon Level Name Attacks To Hit Defense Resist Hits Ultra-Elite +10% +1 +1 Champion +1 +10% +1 +1
Units with lots of figures and low base scores, such as Bowmen, Spearmen, and Slingers, will achieve a drastic boost in performance. The increases To Hit ensure that even inherently-tough units with low figure-counts, like Dragon Turtles and Minotaurs, become a lot more dangerous.
Crusade and Warlord modify the Experience structure in the following manner:
EP Reqs: Normal Units Under a Warlord and/or Crusade Spell Level Icon Level Name Base One Both Recruit 0 Regular 20 0 Veteran 60 20 0 Elite 120 60 20 Ultra-Elite 120 60 Champion 120
EP Reqs: Heroes Under a Warlord and/or Crusade Spell Level Icon Level Name Base One Both Hero 0 Myrmidon 20 0 Captain 60 20 0 Commander 120 60 20 Champion 200 120 60 Lord 300 200 120 Grand Lord 450 300 200 Super Hero 600 450 300 Demi-God 1,000 600 450