The Prince of Cannock (サマルトリア王子 Prince of Sumaltria) is a playable character in Dragon Quest II, and is one of three descendents of Erdrick who journeys to defeat Hargon after his attack on Moonbrooke, and is the second playable character added to the party after the Prince of Midenhall. He also has a sister who's the Princess of Cannock.
The Prince of Cannock's abilities are a mix between both of his cousins, the Prince of Midenhall and the Princess of Moonbrooke. Though he is physically strong, he is weaker than the Prince of Midenhall, and while he can use magic, most of his spells are not as powerful as those available to the Princess of Moonbrooke.
Upon learning of the tragedy that befell Moonbrooke, the Prince of Cannock set out on a journey, first travelling to the Spring of Bravery. Later, he met the Prince of Midenhall at the inn in Leftwyne, where the two cousins joined forces and began travelling together.
He is shorter then the Prince of Midenhall, but taller then the Princess of Moonbrooke. In the Japanese version of the game the prince has orange hair and wears a green tunic with Erdrick's crest on the chest and a pair of goggles on his head. In the American version of the game he is still wearing the odd goggles on his head, but his tunic has been replaced with a full suit of green armor.
In the Japanese version, the Prince is described as a slacker, a drinker, and an overall really fun guy; however, in the American version the Prince of Cannock is reffered a studious young man immersed in his studies. This is presumably due to the heavy censorship Nintendo of America enforced during the late 80's and early 90's.
The Prince of Cannock can equip a wide variety of weapons and armor, though not as many as the Prince of Midenhall nor as potent. When fighting Hargon, he should be wearing: Magic Armor, the Iron Spear or Falcon Sword, and the Shield of Strength. In the SNES and GBC versions, he has access to a wider variety of equipment.
Based on the name you choose for the Prince of Midenhall, the Prince of Cannock's name is selected from a list of eight names. They are Bran, Glynn, Talint, Numor, Lars, Orfeo, Artho, and Esgar. In the GBC version, the possible names are: Frey, John, Art, Gary, Karl, Eric, Drew, and Paul. It is possible to manually change his name by putting in a code at the title screen.
In the Japanese versions, one of the possible names for the Prince of Sumaltria was Tonnura.
Role
The prince is the son of the king of Cannock, who is a descendant of Erdrick and Gwaelin. No further details of his past are known.
In Dragon Quest II
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The prince sets out to meet his cousin after hearing of Hargon's attack on Moonbrooke. However, the 2 have difficulty finding one another until they meet at the inn in Leftwyne. Together they set out to defeat Hargon together. The player is unable to travel south to Hamlin until the prince of Cannock is in the party, making him an essential companion.
Later in the game, the prince becomes ill after staying at the inn in Beran. The other heroes must travel and retrieve a Yggdrasil Leaf in order to cure him and continue adventuring.
The prince plays a support role in battle, as he does not have great strength and cannot equip the best weapons and armor in the NES version. He also has the weakest resistances to magic and breath attacks. Early in the game his magic will be important for attacking if wish to finish battles faster, later in the game his magic becomes less useful for attacking until Defeat is learned.
In the GBC remake he was give the ability to equip better weapons on top of some weapons having been given a power boost. His attack spells were adjusted to such that Sizzle does considerably more damage, though Sizz has a lower max. damage than it used to. Thwack's accuracy has been raised slightly, though some late game enemies are given immunity to compensate. He still suffers in terms of defense and survivability as much of his armor lacks resistance to magic and breath attacks.
Overall he is a middle-of-the-road character, with his spells for dealing damage and healing HP aren't as powerful as the Princess of Moonbrooke's, and his strength and weapon options aren't as good as the Prince of Midenhall's. However, he does have very helpful spells such as Fizzle and Safe Passage, and Thwack has the potential to turn the tide in even the grimmest battle.
In Dragon Quest IX
The Prince of Cannock is one of many past Dragon Quest characters who come to stay at the Quester's Rest as part of the bonus wifi content. He became available for download through DQVC on October 1, 2010, with the name Prince Princeton. He donates equipment resembling his outfit if the player meets certain requirements, and is classified as an Armamentalist. His personality remains unchanged, but he speaks with a slightly formal tone.
Prince of Cannock. Artwork for the Super Famicom remake.
