Balthasar made his first appearance in the busy port of Marienburg, having bought passage on a merchant ship coming from his native Black Gulf. As he had paid for the journey with gold which he had transmuted himself, Balthasar left for Altdorf quickly before the effects wore off. The Colleges of Magic were his destination.

Since his early years, Balthasar had always been fascinated by alchemy, inspired by the science of the transmutation of metal, and especially by the mystic search for the Philosopher`s Stone. to turn vile metals into the nobles of all, pure gold, had always been an obsession for Balthasar.

Driven by this powerful force, and sustained by a natural talent for manipulating the energies of the Winds of Magic, Balthasar soon rose in the ranks of the Gold Order of Magic. In Altdorf he spent many years studying and experimenting on how to combine the art of Alchemy with the magic of Metals. His inquisitive intelligence and open-minded approach made Balthasar quite popular with the Alchemists` Guild, and even among the Engineers, who benefited from his research into new types of blackpowder.

One day a freak accident in his laboratory almost killed him and from that day he always appears in public completely covered in his elegant robes and wearing a golden mask. Rumours abound concerning the reason for this unusual habit. Some say that his entire skin turned to gold and others swear that he is horribly disfigured, but nobody knows exactly what happened to him. One thing is sure, the accident did not reduce his will to succeed in his research nor did it hamper his powers. On the contrary, he has risen to the position of Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic, defeating Thyrus Gormann in the ritual duel and replacing the prominence of the Bright Order with his beloved gold.

From that day on, the winds of power have blown strong for the magic of the Metals and a new Supreme Patriarch, riding a pegasus and surrounded by a golden halo, has appeared on many a battlefield where the Emperor`s troops are fighting.

Balthasar is the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic. He can be taken as a Lord choice, but he will use up one of your Hero choices as well. Taking Balthasar counts as taking both a Lord and a Hero. He must be fielded exactly as presented here and no extra equipment or magic items can be bought for him.

Weapons: Sword (hand weapon).

Armour: None.

Mount: Balthasar rides a Pegasus into battle.

Alchemist Supreme: Balthasar is a Fourth Level Wizard and always uses spells from the lore of Metal. Balthasar knows all the spells from the list, so you do not need to roll on the chart at the beginning of the battle.

Al-kahest: In the Shooting phase, Balthasar can throw a vial of highly acidic alchemical substances taken from the box in the saddle bags of his Pegasus. The vials have a range of 6" and follow the rules for throwing knives. If Balthasar hits, the vial will shatter, wounding any target on a 4+ (including ethereal creatures, war machines, etc). No armour saving throws are allowed against these wounds.

Panacea Universalis: Instead of throwing a vial of Al-kahest, in the Shooting phase Balthasar can use a vial of Panacea Universalis taken from the box. The vial can heal one Wound suffered by either Balthasar or his Pegasus.

Staff of Volans
This magic staff belonged to Volans the greates human wizard of all time, who was taught by no less than the supreme Mage Teclis of Ulthuan during the Great War against Chaos.

Immediately after rolling the dice to cast a spell or to dispel an enemy spell, the Wizard wielding the Staff of Volans can pick up one of the dice rolled and turn it so that its result is one higher than the number rolled.

Only then is the total score and its effects worked out, including Miscasts and Irresistible Force. this is especially useful because the Staff will make Miscasts and failed Dispels rarer (you need to roll at least three 1s) and will make spells cast with Irresistible Force more common (if you roll a 5 and a 6, you can transform the 5 into a 6).

The Gleaming Robe
This mystic robe creates a shimmering series of images of the Wizard and his mount, constantly rotating in a dazzling whirlwind of iridescent colours, confusing the aim of anybody attacking them with a ranged weapon.

The robe gives a 3+ Ward save against any missile attack (including template weapons and missile spells) directed towards Balthasar and/or his mount. The robe has no effect against close combat attacks and spells that are not magic missiles.

Amulet of Sea Gold
An ancient elven heirloom found by Balthasar in the ruins of one of the abandoned colonies of the Elves on the Estalian coast.

The amulet adds one dice to any attempt to dispel an enemy spell targeted at the wearer and/or his mount or otherwise affecting them.