The Characters

Consider the strengths and weaknesses of each class of characters before choosing the make up of your party. This page will assist you in your choice by decribing the character classes, pointing out each's strong and weak suits.

A Dwarf Monk	The four races of adventure characters are Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Goblin. Humans are pretty balanced characters with no profound strengths or weaknesses. Elves tend toward intelligence and good dexterity but are lacking in physical strength. Dwarves, on the other hand, are particularly strong with good endurance, but are not the smartest or swiftest creatures on earth. Goblins are a naturally warlike race with good strength and speed, but not very adept at magic nor the most charming of creatures.
Game creators have added 2 new classes of characters to M & M 7 making a total of 9 to choose from, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. They are knight, paladin, archer, thief, monk, ranger, druid, cleric, and sorcerer. Also, unlike M & M 6 where your characters could flux between evil and saintly thus gaining both light and dark knowledge, in M & M 7 you may choose an alignment and thereby develop the game differently as you pursue a light or dark pathway.	A Human Paladin
	Now class choice for your characters will be even more important and determine to which master and grand master levels your characters can attain. For instance, a paladin would be limited on how high he could go in magic use, only an archer could reach the highest levels in ranged weapons, etc., so be sure to take each factor into account when deciding on the make up of your party.

There is a good selection of characters, both male and female, of the varying races to choose from. You may then assign your characters one of the 9 classes, but remember that some races are better suited for some functions than others!

Knights are the masters of physical combat and the strongest fighters your party will have. They are especially skillful with the spear and sword but can use any weapon and don any armor type. Although they cannot learn the use of magic, knights can learn a wide variety of other skills. This adventurer is a goblin knight. Because of his superior physical strength and weakness in magic use, a goblin is a good choice for the knight in a party.	A Goblin Knight
Sorcerer The sorcerer is the master of elemental magic use. The power of water, earth, fire, and air are all at the tip of her/his fingertips. But along with that strength comes a weakness in physical power. Sorcerers cannot wear the heavier chain mail or plate armor and can only fight with bows, staffs, and daggers. They also tend toward high intelligence increasing their skill potential to grand master in identify item.	Druid Druids, priests of the natural rhelm, are like sorcerer's in their reliance of magic use and brains over brawn. They are highly versitile in their magic skills, being able to learn all magics except for light and dark. Their weapon selection is also limited like the sorcerer, but the druid can wield a mace and defend him/her self with a shield. The druid can only wear leather armor, being too frail to carry the heavier armor.
A Human Female Ranger	Equiped with leather armor, a crossbow, and some kind of small staff, this ranger is ready for action! Rangers can wear any armor except plate and use any weapon but the mace. Jacks-of-all-trades by nature, they can learn all magic except light and dark. Rangers can aquire all other skills.
Monk A newly added character class to M&M VII is the deeply disciplined and dedicated monk. Monks are experts in unarmed combat and self development. They can deliver powerful blows without a weapon and easily dodge most attacks. As they advance in their skill levels, monks can learn the basics of mind, body, and spirit magic.	Paladin Warriors for a holy order, Paladins are a powerful addition to any party. They combine the skills of a fighter and a holy man. These versitile adventurers can use any weapon and armor and can cast mind, body, and spirit magic. At the upper levels, paladins may also work some light or dark spells.
The stealthy thief is not only adept at stealing but also at detecting and disarming traps and other such underworld skills. Although they may never become a master swordsman, they can use a wide variety of weapons and armor and hold their own in a fight. As the thief gains experience, he or she will be able to learn some basic magic spells. Pictured is a female elven thief. She is starting out with beginning level leather armor and a dagger.	An Elven Female Thief
Archer The best precision in ranged weapons is achieved by the archer. The only characters capable of reaching grand master level in bow, archers can use other weapons for hand to hand combat, especially proficient with the two-handed spear. They are limited by not being able to use a shield (it gets in the way of quickly stringing the bow for action!) and not being able to wear armor heavier than chain mail. Archers can learn a wide variety of skills including elemental magic and at the higher levels even light or dark magic.	Cleric Clerics are healers who specialize in magic of self - mind, body, and spirit. They can only use the staff, mace, and bow as weapons, but posess skill in martial arts and unarmed combat. They can wear both leather and chain mail armor and carry a shield for defense.

I can only pick four?

How to decide which races and classes to choose

1. Be sure to match character races to logical character classes.

For example, a goblin should be a knight or a thief, possibly a paladin, but not a sorcerer or a druid.

2. Try to cover all magics at least once, but be careful that you do not choose magic users who all do the same things.

For example, sorcerers and archers both excell in elemental magics so if you choose both of these but left out a cleric or paladin, who would heal your wounds? Notice that druids can do all magic except light and dark and therefore can cover most of your magic needs. Some players find druids weak, but I recall someone winning M&M VI with 4 druids as characters! (something I would not advise for beginners)

3. Make sure to cover all of your fighting needs.

For example, a knight is by far the best fighter and the only one who can obtain grand mastery in sword. They also can obtain the highest number of hit points, eventually making them almost impossible to kill. Paladins are also very strong fighters and may be a consideration instead of a knight if you need him/her for his magic of self capabilities.

4. Consider specialized skills.

In Might & Magic VII, the characters have become more specialized in their skills. While other characters can learn identify item, only sorcerers can reach the highest levels. Likewise, only thieves can become masters of detecting and disarming traps - a very useful skill for your party, as their are inevidably booby-traps on doors and chests. Archers now will have greater precision in bow than other characters and the only ones to reach the highest levels in that skill.

5. Don't worry too much about it!

It all boils down to economics - the old butter and guns routine. You can't have it all so you have to make choices. While a well balanced party may give you a greater chance of easier success, there is no right or wrong way to choose your characters. I suggest that you pick pictures of adventurers that you like - you will spend a lot of time looking at them! If you have a favorite class, then by all means include it. Is there a little of the dark side in your fantasy world? Then experiment with thieves, black knights, and warlocks. Are you one of those who would never dream of veering from the path of light? Then certainly stay on it! The point is to have fun doing it your way.

Following are the promotional steps of the 9 character classes:

Original Character knight cleric paladin sorcerer archer druid tracker monk thief

First promotion cavalier priest crusader wizard battle mage great druid ranger initiate scout

Second promotion (good) champion sun priest hero arch mage warrior mage arch druid ranger lord master spy

Second promotion (evil) black knight moon priest villian lich warlock witch bounty hunter ninja assassin

Disclaimer:

Character graphics on this page are property of 3DO, Might & Magic VII. The Sorcerer image is property of Monolith.

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