Difference between revisions of "Baron of Hell"

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[[Image:Barons of Hell.png|thumb|256px|The player fights the famous "bruiser brother" barons of Hell in [[E1M8: Phobos Anomaly (Doom)|E1M8: Phobos Anomaly]].]]
+
[[File:Barons of Hell.png|thumb|The player fights the famous "bruiser brother" barons of Hell in [[E1M8: Phobos Anomaly (Doom)|E1M8: Phobos Anomaly]].]]
'''Barons of Hell''' are enemy [[monster]]s. Barons of Hell resemble [[Wikipedia:minotaur|minotaur]]s or [[Wikipedia:satyr|satyr]]s with pink torsos and brown goat legs.
+
{{Monster versions|disambig={{thisisabout|monster|doom1}}|doom4=Baron of Hell (Doom 2016)|doom5=Baron of Hell (Doom Eternal)}}
 +
The '''baron of Hell''' is an enemy [[monster]] which resembles a {{wp|minotaur}}, {{wp|faun}} or {{wp|satyr}} with a pink torso, brown goat legs, and a skeletal face.
  
A pair of barons, referred to internally by [[id Software]] as the "bruiser brothers," star as the [[boss]]es at the end of [[Knee-Deep in the Dead]], the first episode of [[Doom]]. Barons also appear as regular enemies in the later episodes and in the sequels; coincidentally, they frequently appear in pairs.
+
A pair of barons, referred to internally by [[id Software]] as the "bruiser brothers," star as the [[boss]]es at the end of [[Knee-Deep in the Dead]], the first episode of [[Doom]]. Barons also appear as regular enemies in the later episodes and in the sequels; coincidentally, they and their weaker counterparts the [[Hell knight]]s frequently appear in pairs.
  
They are described in the Doom manual as "''tough as a dump truck and nearly as big, these Goliaths are the worst things on two legs since [[Wikipedia:Tyrannosaurus rex|Tyrannosaurus rex]]''"; the [[Doom II]] manual later described them as follows: "''The [[Hell knight]] was bad news but this is Big Daddy. These bruisers are a lot like Hell knights, but look a little different and are twice as tough to kill." ''The original baron of Hell description was given to the Hell knight in Doom II's manual instead.''
+
They are described in the Doom instruction manual as such: "''Tough as a dump truck and nearly as big, these Goliaths are the worst things on two legs since {{wp|Tyrannosaurus rex}}''." The [[Doom II]] manual later described them as follows: "''The Hell Knight was bad news but this is Big Daddy. These bruisers are a lot like Hell Knights, but look a little different and are twice as tough to kill.''The original baron description was given to the Hell knight in Doom II's instruction manual.
  
== Combat characteristics ==
+
==Combat characteristics==
 
+
A baron will utter a loud, trumpeting bull-like cry when it spots a player. With 1000 [[hit point]]s, barons are the most resilient of all creatures in Doom save for the [[cyberdemon]] and the [[spiderdemon]]. They attack opponents by [[melee attack|scratching]] when close or by throwing green comet-like [[fireball]]s when distant.
A Baron will utter a loud, trumpeting cry when it spots a player. With 1000 [[hit point]]s, barons are the most resilient of all creatures in Doom save for the [[cyberdemon]] and the [[spiderdemon]]. They attack opponents by [[melee attack|scratching]] when close or by throwing green comet-like [[fireball]]s when distant.
 
  
 
== Tactical analysis ==
 
== Tactical analysis ==
 
===E1M8 boss battle===
 
 
As you leave the red alcove the two structures will open, each revealing a [[baron of hell]]. There are also ten [[spectre]]s here, two in each corner of the star; these are difficult to see because the room is fairly dark and has a speckled [[flat|floor texture]]. To progress, the Barons must be slain.
 
 
This is easiest if you have a [[rocket launcher]] from a previous level, although you should watch for spectres cutting in front of you and subjecting you to [[blast damage]].  Otherwise, note that the [[chaingun]] has a higher rate of [[damage]] than the [[shotgun]], which gives the monsters less time to corner you.  If you run low on [[ammunition]], the corners of the star contain four [[Box of bullets|boxes of bullets]] and a [[Box of shotgun shells|boxes of shells]] (as well as a shotgun, two [[medikit]]s, a [[stimpack]], and a [[partial invisibility]] artifact).  Each "tomb" also contains a box of bullets.
 
 
Also, you can lure any of the spectres in between you and any of the two barons when they combat with you, that way you can distract the barons as they make their attack. This way, when the barons' projectiles hit the spectres, the spectres will turn towards the barons and attack them, which will get the barons to attack the spectres and help you defeat them.
 
  
 
===General tactics===
 
===General tactics===
  
Baron attacks are dodged easily if the player is giving him full attention, but his slime balls are faster than those of [[imp]]s or [[cacodemon]]s and can do very heavy damage on a successful hit. Because barons take very heavy beatings before going down, and because their [[pain chance]] is low, use of the [[rocket launcher]], [[plasma rifle]], or [[super shotgun]] is recommended. However, provided that the player can get at sufficient range without being hit, the [[chaingun]] and [[shotgun]] will also work, but may take a while. Melee attacks against them are hazardous, as they put the player at risk of being clawed.
+
Baron attacks are dodged easily if the player is giving him full attention, but his Hell-energy fireballs are faster than those of [[imp]]s or [[cacodemon]]s and can do very heavy damage on a successful hit. Because barons take very heavy beatings before going down, and because their [[pain chance]] is low, use of the [[rocket launcher]], [[plasma rifle]], or [[super shotgun]] is recommended. However, provided that the player can get at sufficient range without being hit, the [[chaingun]] and [[shotgun]] will also work, but may take a while. Melee attacks against them are hazardous, as they put the player at risk of being clawed.
  
To kill them requires about 5 rockets, 45 plasma shots, 100 [[bullet]]s, 11 seconds with the [[chainsaw]], 15 well-placed shotgun blasts, or 5 point-blank super shotgun blasts. The [[BFG9000]]'s main plasma ball does not deal enough damage to kill a Baron in one shot, although the subsequent blast rays may deal a killing blow to the Baron if enough of them strike the target. This is best achieved by firing the BFG at point-blank range, which leaves the player vulnerable to the Baron's extremely damaging melee attack during the BFG's charge cycle.  When killed, a Baron will make a high-pitched gurgling sound as its body splits in half, exposing copious amounts of green blood and intestines.
+
To kill them requires about 5 rockets, 45 plasma shots, 100 [[bullet]]s, 11 seconds with the [[chainsaw]], 15 well-placed shotgun blasts, or 5 point-blank super shotgun blasts. The [[BFG9000]]'s main plasma ball does not deal enough damage to kill a baron in one shot, although the subsequent blast rays may deal a killing blow to the baron if enough of them strike the target. This is best achieved by firing the BFG at point-blank range, which leaves the player vulnerable to the baron's extremely damaging melee attack during the BFG's charge cycle.  When killed, a baron will make a high-pitched gurgling sound as its body splits in half, exposing copious amounts of green blood and intestines.
  
 
They excel at [[monster infighting]] because of their amount of health and damaging attacks, and their status is only rivaled by the [[cyberdemon]] and [[spiderdemon]].
 
They excel at [[monster infighting]] because of their amount of health and damaging attacks, and their status is only rivaled by the [[cyberdemon]] and [[spiderdemon]].
  
Despite their endurance, Barons of Hell often pose a lesser immediate threat than some of the weaker monsters because they make a single attack without special effects and, given sufficient space, their fireballs are not too hard to dodge (especially by [[circlestrafing]]). In confined spaces, however, they are hard to move around and can be more lethal.
+
Despite their endurance, barons of Hell often pose a lesser immediate threat than some of the weaker monsters because they make a single attack without special effects and, given sufficient space, their fireballs are not too hard to dodge (especially by [[circlestrafing]]). In confined spaces, however, they are hard to move around and can be more lethal.
  
 
== Inspiration and development ==
 
== Inspiration and development ==
  
The barons were known as the "bruiser brothers" internally to [[id Software|id]] because of the first encounter with them and as a parody of the [[Wikipedia:Hammer Bros.|Hammer Brothers]] in [[Wikipedia:Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario Brothers]].
+
The barons were originally conceived as the "bruiser brothers" by [[Tom Hall]], and described in the [[Doom Bible]] as the twin demons that rip the player's friend in half at the end of episode 1, with their sprites having the name BOSS as early as the [[Doom v0.2|Doom Technology Preview alpha]] to reflect this fact. It is believed that the name is meant to be a parody of the {{wp|Hammer Bro.|Hammer Brothers}} in {{wp|Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario Brothers}}.
  
 
Having many hit points, the baron of Hell appears only sparingly in Doom, as a boss or a champion-type monster. In Doom II the game dynamics change with the inclusion of a greater variety of relatively tough monsters, and the addition of two items, the [[super shotgun]], and the [[megasphere]]. The Hell knight, essentially the same as the baron but with only half as much health, was added to serve as a standard medium-strength monster, falling more quickly to small arms fire such as from the shotgun or chaingun, or offering some resistance without slowing the action down, against more heavily equipped players.
 
Having many hit points, the baron of Hell appears only sparingly in Doom, as a boss or a champion-type monster. In Doom II the game dynamics change with the inclusion of a greater variety of relatively tough monsters, and the addition of two items, the [[super shotgun]], and the [[megasphere]]. The Hell knight, essentially the same as the baron but with only half as much health, was added to serve as a standard medium-strength monster, falling more quickly to small arms fire such as from the shotgun or chaingun, or offering some resistance without slowing the action down, against more heavily equipped players.
Line 38: Line 30:
 
== Trivia ==
 
== Trivia ==
  
Barons have green blood, as is evident in their death animation, and the wall textures of the "crucified" Baron.
+
Barons have green blood, as is evident in their death animation, and the wall textures of the "crucified" baron.
 
However, due to the limitations of the Doom engine, red blood is still displayed while shooting them, as with all other enemies.
 
However, due to the limitations of the Doom engine, red blood is still displayed while shooting them, as with all other enemies.
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
  
* The baron of Hell's face is displayed periodically throughout the games in the [[texture]]s MARBFAC3 & MARBFAC4.
+
* The face of the baron of Hell (and the Hell knight by extension) is displayed periodically throughout the games in the [[texture]]s {{c|MARBFAC3}} & {{c|MARBFAC4}}.
* The [[thing]] name assigned to them within the [[Doom source code]] is MT_BRUISER.
+
* The [[thing]] name assigned to them within the [[Doom source code]] is {{c|MT_BRUISER}}.
* The projectile thrown by the [[Hell Knight]] and by the Baron of Hell are considered to be the same thing. In other words, if a [[Hell Knight]] accidentally hits a Baron with his fireball, it will have no effect, as if the fireball was thrown by another Baron of Hell. However, this is not the case in [[Doom 64]]; the Baron's fireballs are instead red and have the ability to harm Hell Knights, thus giving them the ability to fight one another.
+
* The [[Hell knight]] and baron use the same projectile for their attacks. A special case in the code that inflicts damage from projectiles treats knights and barons as the same species, so no damage is inflicted and the enemies will not infight with each other as a result.  
 +
* However, this is not the case in [[PlayStation|PlayStation Doom]] or [[Doom 64]]. Not only does the baron fire a different red fireball as compared to the Hell knight's green projectile in Doom 64, but the special case is also missing. As a result, knights and barons will infight in these versions. This happened as a result of the special case not being adapted when code from Doom II was brought into the [[Jaguar Doom]] codebase for the PlayStation port.
 +
* The official French name of the monster is ''baron de l'enfer''.
  
 
== Data ==
 
== Data ==
Line 58: Line 52:
 
   |ID #||3003 (decimal), BBB (hex)
 
   |ID #||3003 (decimal), BBB (hex)
 
   |-
 
   |-
   |[[Hit points]]||1000
+
   |[[Hit point]]s||1000
 
   |-
 
   |-
 
   |Speed||8 [[map unit]]s per frame<br>(93.3 map units per second)
 
   |Speed||8 [[map unit]]s per frame<br>(93.3 map units per second)
Line 68: Line 62:
 
   |Reaction time||8
 
   |Reaction time||8
 
   |-
 
   |-
   |[[Pain chance]]||50 (19.53%)
+
   |[[Pain chance]]||50 (16.80%)
 
   |-
 
   |-
 
   |Pain time||4 tics
 
   |Pain time||4 tics
Line 112: Line 106:
 
   !colspan=2|Melee attack
 
   !colspan=2|Melee attack
 
   |-
 
   |-
   |Damage||10-80
+
   |Damage||10-80 (11-88 in [[PSX]] version)
 
   |-
 
   |-
 
   |Sound||DSCLAW
 
   |Sound||DSCLAW
Line 138: Line 132:
 
|}
 
|}
  
[[Image:SkelFHistogram.png|none|300px|thumb|''Damage done by a baron's clawing attack'']]
+
[[File:SkelFHistogram.png|none|300px|thumb|''Damage done by a baron's clawing attack'']]
  
 
{| {{prettytable}}
 
{| {{prettytable}}
 
| '''Blows needed to kill'''<sup>1</sup>
 
| '''Blows needed to kill'''<sup>1</sup>
 
| Mean
 
| Mean
| [[Wikipedia:Standard deviation#Interpretation and application|Standard<br>deviation]]
+
| {{wp|Standard deviation#Interpretation and application|Standard<br>deviation}}
 
| Min
 
| Min
 
| Max
 
| Max
Line 165: Line 159:
 
|[[Chaingunner]]||2.04||0.79||1||4
 
|[[Chaingunner]]||2.04||0.79||1||4
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Lost Soul]]||2.77||0.78||2||5
+
|[[Lost soul]]||2.77||0.78||2||5
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Commander Keen]]||2.77||0.78||2||5
 
|[[Commander Keen]]||2.77||0.78||2||5
Line 173: Line 167:
 
|[[Spectre]]||3.87||1.02||2||7
 
|[[Spectre]]||3.87||1.02||2||7
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Boss Brain]]<sup>2</sup>||6.12||1.19||4||10
+
|[[Boss brain]]<sup>2</sup>||6.12||1.19||4||10
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Revenant]]||7.22||1.33||5||11
 
|[[Revenant]]||7.22||1.33||5||11
Line 179: Line 173:
 
|[[Cacodemon]]||9.41||1.48||6||13
 
|[[Cacodemon]]||9.41||1.48||6||13
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Pain Elemental]]||9.41||1.48||6||13
+
|[[Pain elemental]]||9.41||1.48||6||13
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Hell Knight]]||11.65||1.67||8||16
+
|[[Hell knight]]||11.65||1.67||8||16
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Arachnotron]]||11.65||1.67||8||16
 
|[[Arachnotron]]||11.65||1.67||8||16
Line 187: Line 181:
 
|[[Mancubus]]||13.84||1.72||10||18
 
|[[Mancubus]]||13.84||1.72||10||18
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Arch-Vile]]||16.07||1.78||12||20
+
|[[Arch-vile]]||16.07||1.78||12||20
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Baron of Hell]]||22.81||2.10||17||27
 
|[[Baron of Hell]]||22.81||2.10||17||27
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Spider Mastermind]]||67.42||2.81||61||74
+
|[[Spiderdemon]]||67.42||2.81||61||74
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Cyberdemon]]||89.66||2.76||83||95
 
|[[Cyberdemon]]||89.66||2.76||83||95
Line 197: Line 191:
 
|}
 
|}
  
[[Image:Bos2FHistogram.png|none|300px|thumb|''Damage done by a baron's fireball'']]
+
[[File:Bos2FHistogram.png|none|300px|thumb|''Damage done by a baron's fireball'']]
  
 
{| {{prettytable}}
 
{| {{prettytable}}
 
| '''Shots needed to kill'''
 
| '''Shots needed to kill'''
 
| Mean
 
| Mean
| [[Wikipedia:Standard deviation#Interpretation and application|Standard<br>deviation]]
+
| {{wp|Standard deviation#Interpretation and application|Standard<br>deviation}}
 
| Min
 
| Min
 
| Max
 
| Max
Line 224: Line 218:
 
|[[Chaingunner]]||2.56||0.73||2||5
 
|[[Chaingunner]]||2.56||0.73||2||5
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Lost Soul]]||3.37||0.88||2||6
+
|[[Lost soul]]||3.37||0.88||2||6
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Commander Keen]]||3.37||0.88||2||6
 
|[[Commander Keen]]||3.37||0.88||2||6
Line 232: Line 226:
 
|[[Spectre]]||4.78||1.04||3||8
 
|[[Spectre]]||4.78||1.04||3||8
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Boss Brain]]<sup>2</sup>||7.66||1.32||5||11
+
|[[Boss brain]]<sup>2</sup>||7.66||1.32||5||11
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Revenant]]||9.04||1.46||6||13
 
|[[Revenant]]||9.04||1.46||6||13
Line 238: Line 232:
 
|[[Cacodemon]]||11.68||1.70||8||16
 
|[[Cacodemon]]||11.68||1.70||8||16
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Pain Elemental]]||11.68||1.70||8||16
+
|[[Pain elemental]]||11.68||1.70||8||16
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Hell Knight]]<sup>3</sup>|| || || ||  
+
|[[Hell knight]]<sup>3</sup>|| || || ||  
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Arachnotron]]||14.55||1.88||10||19
 
|[[Arachnotron]]||14.55||1.88||10||19
Line 246: Line 240:
 
|[[Mancubus]]||17.27||2.00||12||21
 
|[[Mancubus]]||17.27||2.00||12||21
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Arch-Vile]]||20.10||2.11||14||25
+
|[[Arch-vile]]||20.10||2.11||14||25
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Baron of Hell]]<sup>3</sup>|| || || ||  
 
|[[Baron of Hell]]<sup>3</sup>|| || || ||  
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Spider Mastermind]]||84.14||2.60||79||93
+
|[[Spiderdemon]]||84.14||2.60||79||93
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Cyberdemon]]||112.12||2.48||107||117
 
|[[Cyberdemon]]||112.12||2.48||107||117
Line 256: Line 250:
 
|}
 
|}
 
<small>
 
<small>
#These tables assume that all calls to [[Pseudorandom number generator|P_Random]] for damage, [[pain chance]], [[blood]] splats, impact animations, and backfire checks are consecutive. In real play, this is never the case: counterattacks and AI pathfinding must be handled, and of course the map may contain additional moving monsters and other randomized phenomena (such as [[Sector#Vanilla Doom|flickering lights]]). Any resulting errors are probably toward the single-shot average, as they introduce noise into the correlation between the indices of "consecutive" calls.
+
#These tables assume that all calls to [[Pseudorandom number generator|P_Random]] for damage, [[pain chance]], [[blood]] splats, impact animations, and backfire checks are consecutive. In real play, this is never the case: counterattacks and AI pathfinding must be handled, and of course the map may contain additional moving monsters and other randomized phenomena (such as [[Sector#Doom|flickering lights]]). Any resulting errors are probably toward the single-shot average, as they introduce noise into the correlation between the indices of "consecutive" calls.
 
#Assumes that direct hits are possible, which [[Icon of Sin|does not occur]] in any stock map.
 
#Assumes that direct hits are possible, which [[Icon of Sin|does not occur]] in any stock map.
 
#Hardcoded exception to [[infighting]] negates damage (excepting indirect damage caused by exploding barrels).
 
#Hardcoded exception to [[infighting]] negates damage (excepting indirect damage caused by exploding barrels).
Line 263: Line 257:
 
== Appearance statistics ==
 
== Appearance statistics ==
  
In [[classic Doom]], the baron is first encountered on these maps:
+
In the [[IWAD]]s the baron of Hell is first encountered on these maps per [[Skill level#Doom and Doom II skill levels|skill level]]:
 +
 
 +
{{col-begin}}
 +
{{col-break|width=50%}}
 +
{| {{prettytable}}
 +
!colspan="4"|Single-player
 +
|-
 +
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
 +
|-
 +
|''[[Knee-Deep in the Dead]]''||[[E1M8: Phobos Anomaly]]||E1M8: Phobos Anomaly||E1M8: Phobos Anomaly
 +
|-
 +
|''[[The Shores of Hell]]''||[[E2M5: Command Center]]||[[E2M4: Deimos Lab]]||[[E2M3: Refinery]]
 +
|-
 +
|''[[Inferno]]''||[[E3M9: Warrens]]||[[E3M3: Pandemonium]]||E3M3: Pandemonium
 +
|-
 +
|''[[Thy Flesh Consumed]]''||[[E4M1: Hell Beneath]]||E4M1: Hell Beneath||E4M1: Hell Beneath
 +
|-
 +
|[[Doom II]]||[[MAP08: Tricks and Traps]]||MAP08: Tricks and Traps||MAP08: Tricks and Traps
 +
|-
 +
|[[TNT: Evilution]]||[[MAP07: Prison]]||[[MAP02: Human BBQ]]||MAP02: Human BBQ
 +
|-
 +
|[[Plutonia Experiment]]||[[MAP03: Aztec]]||[[MAP02: Well of Souls]]||MAP02: Well of Souls
 +
|}
 +
{{col-break}}
 +
{| {{prettytable}}
 +
!colspan="4"|Multiplayer
 +
|-
 +
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
 +
|-
 +
|''Knee-Deep in the Dead''||E1M8: Phobos Anomaly||E1M8: Phobos Anomaly||E1M8: Phobos Anomaly
 +
|-
 +
|''The Shores of Hell''||E2M5: Command Center||E2M4: Deimos Lab||E2M3: Refinery
 +
|-
 +
|''Inferno''||E3M9: Warrens||E3M3: Pandemonium||E3M3: Pandemonium
 +
|-
 +
|''Thy Flesh Consumed''||E4M1: Hell Beneath||E4M1: Hell Beneath||E4M1: Hell Beneath
 +
|-
 +
|Doom II||MAP08: Tricks and Traps||MAP08: Tricks and Traps||MAP08: Tricks and Traps
 +
|-
 +
|TNT: Evilution||MAP07: Prison||MAP02: Human BBQ||MAP02: Human BBQ
 +
|-
 +
|Plutonia Experiment||MAP03: Aztec||MAP02: Well of Souls||MAP02: Well of Souls
 +
|}
 +
{{col-end}}
 +
 
 +
The IWADs contain the following numbers of barons of Hell per skill level:
  
{| {{prettytable}}
+
{{col-begin}}
!Game||[[I'm Too Young To Die|ITYTD]] and [[Hey, Not Too Rough|HNTR]]||[[Hurt Me Plenty|HMP]]||[[Ultra-Violence|UV]] and [[Nightmare!|NM]]
+
{{col-break|width=50%}}
|-
+
{| {{prettytable|style=text-align: center;}}
|[[Ultimate Doom]]||[[E1M8: Phobos Anomaly (Doom)|E1M8: Phobos Anomaly]]||[[E1M8: Phobos Anomaly (Doom)|E1M8: Phobos Anomaly]]||[[E1M8: Phobos Anomaly (Doom)|E1M8: Phobos Anomaly]]
+
!colspan="4"|Single-player
|-
+
|-
|[[Doom II]]||[[MAP08: Tricks and Traps (Doom II)|MAP08: Tricks and Traps]]||[[MAP08: Tricks and Traps (Doom II)|MAP08: Tricks and Traps]]||[[MAP08: Tricks and Traps (Doom II)|MAP08: Tricks and Traps]]
+
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
|-
+
|-
|[[TNT: Evilution]]||[[MAP07: Prison (TNT: Evilution)|MAP07: Prison]]||[[MAP02: Human BBQ (TNT: Evilution)|MAP02: Human BBQ]]||[[MAP02: Human BBQ (TNT: Evilution)|MAP02: Human BBQ]]
+
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[Knee-Deep in the Dead]]''||''2''||''2''||''2''
|-
+
|-
|[[Plutonia]]||[[MAP03: Aztec (The Plutonia Experiment)|MAP03: Aztec]]||[[MAP02: Well of Souls (The Plutonia Experiment)|MAP02: Well of Souls]]||[[MAP02: Well of Souls (The Plutonia Experiment)|MAP02: Well of Souls]]
+
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[The Shores of Hell]]''||''6''||''8''||''18''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[Inferno]]''||''5''||''11''||''18''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Doom|Doom (registered)]]||13||21||38
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[Thy Flesh Consumed]]''||''13''||''23''||''44''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Ultimate Doom]]||26||44||82
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Doom II]]||24||27||31
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[TNT: Evilution]]||15||44||61
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Plutonia Experiment]]||58||76||90
 
|}
 
|}
 +
{{col-break}}
 +
{| {{prettytable|style=text-align: center;}}
 +
!colspan="4"|Multiplayer
 +
|-
 +
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''Knee-Deep in the Dead''||''2''||''2''||''2''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''The Shores of Hell''||''6''||''8''||''18''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''Inferno''||''5''||''11''||''18''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|Doom (registered)||13||21||38
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''Thy Flesh Consumed''||''13''||''23''||''44''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|Ultimate Doom||26||44||82
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|Doom II||24||27||31
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|TNT: Evilution||24||70||86
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|Plutonia Experiment||70||95||117
 +
|}
 +
{{col-end}}
  
The [[IWAD]]s contain the following numbers of barons:
+
Of the maps covered on the Doom Wiki, the following have the highest numbers of barons in single-player:
 
{| {{prettytable}}
 
{| {{prettytable}}
!Game||[[I'm Too Young To Die|ITYTD]] and [[Hey, Not Too Rough|HNTR]]||[[Hurt Me Plenty|HMP]]||[[Ultra-Violence|UV]] and [[Nightmare!|NM]]
+
! Map !! Count
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Ultimate Doom]]||26||44||82
+
| [[Holy Hell Revealed]] || 2056
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Doom II]]||24||27||31
+
| [[Holy Hell]] MAP05 || 1395
 
|-
 
|-
|[[TNT: Evilution]]||15||44||61
+
| [[Deus Vult Zero]] || 688
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Plutonia]]||58||76||90
+
| [[MAP17: Archives of the Technomancer (Sunder)]] || 425
 +
|-
 +
| [[MAP32: The Harlot's Garden (Sunder)]] || 339
 
|}
 
|}
 +
''This data was last verified on September 3, 2019.''
  
 
== Other games ==
 
== Other games ==
  
 
=== Doom 64 ===
 
=== Doom 64 ===
[[File:Doom64Baron2-D64ex.jpg|thumb|A Baron of hell in [[MAP20: Breakdown (Doom 64)]]]]
+
[[File:Doom64Baron2-D64ex.jpg|thumb|A baron of Hell in [[MAP20: Breakdown (Doom 64)]]]]
The baron of hell in [[Doom 64]] is given a red-orange colour scheme, rather than green, which is instead used for the [[hell knight#Doom 64|hell knight]]. In Doom 64 barons can also injure and [[monster infighting|infight]] hell knights and vice versa.
+
The baron of Hell in [[Doom 64]] is given a red-orange colour scheme, rather than green, which is instead used for the [[Hell knight#Doom 64|Hell knight]]. In Doom 64 barons can also injure and [[monster infighting|infight]] Hell knights and vice versa.
  
 
=== Doom RPG ===
 
=== Doom RPG ===
  
In [[Doom RPG]], the baron of hell and hell knight both belong to the "baron" monster class. There are three variations, identified by color:
+
In [[Doom RPG]], the baron of Hell and Hell knight both belong to the "Baron" monster class. There are three variations, identified by color:
  
 
* Ogre (green torso, red hands, brown legs)
 
* Ogre (green torso, red hands, brown legs)
Line 304: Line 385:
 
* Baron (pink torso, orange hands, brown legs)
 
* Baron (pink torso, orange hands, brown legs)
  
As in the original, the hell knight is not as powerful as the baron, though both are more powerful than the new "ogre" variation. This class of monster is especially weak against attacks from [[shotgun]]s.
+
As in the original, the Hell knight is not as powerful as the baron, though both are more powerful than the new "ogre" variation. This class of monster is especially weak against attacks from [[shotgun]]s.
 +
 
 +
<gallery mode="nolines" widths="200px" heights="231px">
 +
Doom RPG Ogre.png|Ogre
 +
Doom RPG Hell Knight.png|Hell knight
 +
Doom RPG Baron.png|Baron
 +
</gallery>
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
Line 311: Line 398:
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
*[http://mykdoom.tripod.com/baron_sketch.jpg Adrian Carmack's baron of hell sketch]
+
*[http://mykdoom.tripod.com/baron_sketch.jpg Adrian Carmack's baron of Hell sketch]
  
 
{{Doom monsters}}
 
{{Doom monsters}}
Line 317: Line 404:
 
{{Sony PlayStation monsters}}
 
{{Sony PlayStation monsters}}
 
[[Category:Boss monsters]]
 
[[Category:Boss monsters]]
 +
[[Category:Hell nobles]]

Revision as of 15:37, 5 September 2020

The player fights the famous "bruiser brother" barons of Hell in E1M8: Phobos Anomaly.
This article is about the monster in the classic Doom series. For other games, see:

The baron of Hell is an enemy monster which resembles a minotaur, faun or satyr with a pink torso, brown goat legs, and a skeletal face.

A pair of barons, referred to internally by id Software as the "bruiser brothers," star as the bosses at the end of Knee-Deep in the Dead, the first episode of Doom. Barons also appear as regular enemies in the later episodes and in the sequels; coincidentally, they and their weaker counterparts the Hell knights frequently appear in pairs.

They are described in the Doom instruction manual as such: "Tough as a dump truck and nearly as big, these Goliaths are the worst things on two legs since Tyrannosaurus rex." The Doom II manual later described them as follows: "The Hell Knight was bad news but this is Big Daddy. These bruisers are a lot like Hell Knights, but look a little different and are twice as tough to kill." The original baron description was given to the Hell knight in Doom II's instruction manual.

Combat characteristics

A baron will utter a loud, trumpeting bull-like cry when it spots a player. With 1000 hit points, barons are the most resilient of all creatures in Doom save for the cyberdemon and the spiderdemon. They attack opponents by scratching when close or by throwing green comet-like fireballs when distant.

Tactical analysis

General tactics

Baron attacks are dodged easily if the player is giving him full attention, but his Hell-energy fireballs are faster than those of imps or cacodemons and can do very heavy damage on a successful hit. Because barons take very heavy beatings before going down, and because their pain chance is low, use of the rocket launcher, plasma rifle, or super shotgun is recommended. However, provided that the player can get at sufficient range without being hit, the chaingun and shotgun will also work, but may take a while. Melee attacks against them are hazardous, as they put the player at risk of being clawed.

To kill them requires about 5 rockets, 45 plasma shots, 100 bullets, 11 seconds with the chainsaw, 15 well-placed shotgun blasts, or 5 point-blank super shotgun blasts. The BFG9000's main plasma ball does not deal enough damage to kill a baron in one shot, although the subsequent blast rays may deal a killing blow to the baron if enough of them strike the target. This is best achieved by firing the BFG at point-blank range, which leaves the player vulnerable to the baron's extremely damaging melee attack during the BFG's charge cycle. When killed, a baron will make a high-pitched gurgling sound as its body splits in half, exposing copious amounts of green blood and intestines.

They excel at monster infighting because of their amount of health and damaging attacks, and their status is only rivaled by the cyberdemon and spiderdemon.

Despite their endurance, barons of Hell often pose a lesser immediate threat than some of the weaker monsters because they make a single attack without special effects and, given sufficient space, their fireballs are not too hard to dodge (especially by circlestrafing). In confined spaces, however, they are hard to move around and can be more lethal.

Inspiration and development

The barons were originally conceived as the "bruiser brothers" by Tom Hall, and described in the Doom Bible as the twin demons that rip the player's friend in half at the end of episode 1, with their sprites having the name BOSS as early as the Doom Technology Preview alpha to reflect this fact. It is believed that the name is meant to be a parody of the Hammer Brothers in Super Mario Brothers.

Having many hit points, the baron of Hell appears only sparingly in Doom, as a boss or a champion-type monster. In Doom II the game dynamics change with the inclusion of a greater variety of relatively tough monsters, and the addition of two items, the super shotgun, and the megasphere. The Hell knight, essentially the same as the baron but with only half as much health, was added to serve as a standard medium-strength monster, falling more quickly to small arms fire such as from the shotgun or chaingun, or offering some resistance without slowing the action down, against more heavily equipped players.

Trivia

Barons have green blood, as is evident in their death animation, and the wall textures of the "crucified" baron. However, due to the limitations of the Doom engine, red blood is still displayed while shooting them, as with all other enemies.

Notes

  • The face of the baron of Hell (and the Hell knight by extension) is displayed periodically throughout the games in the textures MARBFAC3 & MARBFAC4.
  • The thing name assigned to them within the Doom source code is MT_BRUISER.
  • The Hell knight and baron use the same projectile for their attacks. A special case in the code that inflicts damage from projectiles treats knights and barons as the same species, so no damage is inflicted and the enemies will not infight with each other as a result.
  • However, this is not the case in PlayStation Doom or Doom 64. Not only does the baron fire a different red fireball as compared to the Hell knight's green projectile in Doom 64, but the special case is also missing. As a result, knights and barons will infight in these versions. This happened as a result of the special case not being adapted when code from Doom II was brought into the Jaguar Doom codebase for the PlayStation port.
  • The official French name of the monster is baron de l'enfer.

Data

Attributes
ID # 3003 (decimal), BBB (hex)
Hit points 1000
Speed 8 map units per frame
(93.3 map units per second)
Width 48
Height 64
Reaction time 8
Pain chance 50 (16.80%)
Pain time 4 tics
Mass 1000
Bits 4194310
Bits list

1: Obstacle

2: Shootable

22: Affects Kill %

Sprites & sounds
Sprite name BOSS
Alert sound DSBRSSIT
Action sound DSDMACT
Pain sound DSDMPAIN
Death sound DSBRSDTH
Melee attack
Damage 10-80 (11-88 in PSX version)
Sound DSCLAW
Ranged attack
Type Projectile
Speed 15 map units per tic
(525 map units per second)
Damage 8-64
Width 6
Height 8
Sprite name BAL7
Sound DSFIRSHT (firing)
DSFIRXPL (impact)
Damage done by a baron's clawing attack
Blows needed to kill1 Mean Standard
deviation
Min Max
Player (100%
health, no armor)
2.77 0.78 2 5
Player (100%
health, security armor)
3.87 1.02 2 7
Player (200%
health, combat armor)
9.41 1.48 6 13
Barrel 1.12 0.33 1 2
Trooper 1.12 0.33 1 2
Sergeant 1.25 0.46 1 3
Wolfenstein SS 1.61 0.70 1 4
Imp 1.81 0.76 1 4
Chaingunner 2.04 0.79 1 4
Lost soul 2.77 0.78 2 5
Commander Keen 2.77 0.78 2 5
Demon 3.87 1.02 2 7
Spectre 3.87 1.02 2 7
Boss brain2 6.12 1.19 4 10
Revenant 7.22 1.33 5 11
Cacodemon 9.41 1.48 6 13
Pain elemental 9.41 1.48 6 13
Hell knight 11.65 1.67 8 16
Arachnotron 11.65 1.67 8 16
Mancubus 13.84 1.72 10 18
Arch-vile 16.07 1.78 12 20
Baron of Hell 22.81 2.10 17 27
Spiderdemon 67.42 2.81 61 74
Cyberdemon 89.66 2.76 83 95
Damage done by a baron's fireball
Shots needed to kill Mean Standard
deviation
Min Max
Player (100%
health, no armor)
3.37 0.88 2 6
Player (100%
health, security armor)
4.78 1.04 3 8
Player (200%
health, combat armor)
11.68 1.70 8 16
Barrel 1.27 0.51 1 3
Trooper 1.27 0.51 1 3
Sergeant 1.44 0.60 1 4
Wolfenstein SS 2.04 0.77 1 5
Imp 2.25 0.76 1 5
Chaingunner 2.56 0.73 2 5
Lost soul 3.37 0.88 2 6
Commander Keen 3.37 0.88 2 6
Demon 4.78 1.04 3 8
Spectre 4.78 1.04 3 8
Boss brain2 7.66 1.32 5 11
Revenant 9.04 1.46 6 13
Cacodemon 11.68 1.70 8 16
Pain elemental 11.68 1.70 8 16
Hell knight3
Arachnotron 14.55 1.88 10 19
Mancubus 17.27 2.00 12 21
Arch-vile 20.10 2.11 14 25
Baron of Hell3
Spiderdemon 84.14 2.60 79 93
Cyberdemon 112.12 2.48 107 117

  1. These tables assume that all calls to P_Random for damage, pain chance, blood splats, impact animations, and backfire checks are consecutive. In real play, this is never the case: counterattacks and AI pathfinding must be handled, and of course the map may contain additional moving monsters and other randomized phenomena (such as flickering lights). Any resulting errors are probably toward the single-shot average, as they introduce noise into the correlation between the indices of "consecutive" calls.
  2. Assumes that direct hits are possible, which does not occur in any stock map.
  3. Hardcoded exception to infighting negates damage (excepting indirect damage caused by exploding barrels).

Appearance statistics

In the IWADs the baron of Hell is first encountered on these maps per skill level:

The IWADs contain the following numbers of barons of Hell per skill level:

Of the maps covered on the Doom Wiki, the following have the highest numbers of barons in single-player:

Map Count
Holy Hell Revealed 2056
Holy Hell MAP05 1395
Deus Vult Zero 688
MAP17: Archives of the Technomancer (Sunder) 425
MAP32: The Harlot's Garden (Sunder) 339

This data was last verified on September 3, 2019.

Other games

Doom 64

A baron of Hell in MAP20: Breakdown (Doom 64)

The baron of Hell in Doom 64 is given a red-orange colour scheme, rather than green, which is instead used for the Hell knight. In Doom 64 barons can also injure and infight Hell knights and vice versa.

Doom RPG

In Doom RPG, the baron of Hell and Hell knight both belong to the "Baron" monster class. There are three variations, identified by color:

  • Ogre (green torso, red hands, brown legs)
  • Hell knight (brown torso, brown hands, pink legs)
  • Baron (pink torso, orange hands, brown legs)

As in the original, the Hell knight is not as powerful as the baron, though both are more powerful than the new "ogre" variation. This class of monster is especially weak against attacks from shotguns.

See also

External links