Saruman

Saruman the White (Third Age c. 1000 – 3019, existed in Middle-earth for 2019 years) was the first of the order of Wizards (Istari) who came to Middle-earth as emissaries of the Valar in the Third Age and later one of the Dark Lord Sauron's most powerful minions. He is the most costly hero of the Isengard faction. In the game he can use his special Wizard-powers, which include a Lightning Strike.

Origins
See Saruman at The Lord of the Rings Wiki.

War of the Ring
During the later Third Age, Saruman, chief of the Istari (Wizards) and the White Council that opposed Sauron, moved to Isengard with the approval of Steward Beren of Gondor. In the Tower of Orthanc he stumbled upon one of the palantir and began to delve in the archane arts of Ring-making and dark sorcery. Through his continous use of the Seeing-Stone and his studies of the secrets of Sauron's power, Saruman's lust for power grew. Thinking that the Free Peoples could not prevail against the armies of Mordor, the wizard joined with the Dark Lord. As "Sauron's puppet", Saruman compelled Orcs from the Misty Mountains and Men from Bree and Dunland into his service, using them as spies to keep a watch over Hobbiton and search for the One Ring, which Saruman could claim for himself or give over to his lord, Sauron.

Saruman did not reveal his true intentions until fellow wizard Gandalf the Grey arrived in Isengard and presented him with the discovery and location of the One Ring. It was then that the treachery of Curumo was unveiled, as he shed the title of "Saruman the White" in favor of "Saruman of Many Colors" and revealed his allegiance to Sauron. As Gandalf refused to join with the "Power" of Sauron and Saruman, he was locked at the top of Orthanc as a captive.

Upon Sauron's orders, Saruman summoned his Orcs to begin the preparations for the War of the Ring. Using the Orc manpower, the wizard was able to dig out water caverns where wooden machinery was being built and Uruk-hai were being bred. While the trees and gardens were destroyed to make way for the Orcs' monstrosities, Saruman again confronted Gandalf at the top of Orthanc and attempted to make him "embrace the power of the Ring" through force. But Olorin would not yield and implied to his former friend and ally that Sauron sought the Ring's power for himself, not to share it with another like Saruman, before escaping on the back of Gwaihir the Windlord, Lord of all Great Eagles.

Nonetheless, Saruman continued to present himself as an outright right-hand to Sauron, sending Crebain to spy on the Fellowship of the Ring and attempting to crush them through fell sorcery while they were in the Caradhras pass. The Goblins in Moria also caused problems to the nine companions, although if they were in league with Isengard is unknown. In an effort to claim the One Ring (either for himself or for his lord, Sauron), Saruman had the fighting Uruk-hai led by Lurtz ambush the Fellowship at Amon Hen.

To ensure the utter destruction of the kingdom of Rohan, Saruman allied himself with the chieftains from Dunland and had his agent, Gríma Wormtongue, poison the mind of King Theoden. With the Horse-lords already weakened, Saruman sent his Orc servants to pillage the villages and burn them down, aided by Wildmen of Dunland. With the preparations completed, the wizard unleashed his legions of Uruk-hai in the Battle of Hornburg, during which the Rohirrim aided by Gandalf the White defeated Saruman's army, while the Ents attacked Isengard, tear down its walls, destroy the machinery and decimate the Orcs guarding and working there. With his power shattered, Saruman is greatly weakened but not utterly defeated, for the will of Sauron drives him still and his agents in Bree-land and Hobbiton are many.

The Battle for Middle-earth
He starts off with the standard power of wizard blast which can destroy an entire battlion of infantry (Without armor upgrades) His second ability is a fireball, very usefull for blasting away heros that threaten Saruman. His third power is a kind of Coerce called "Wormtounge" this ability allows Saruman to gain control of units with the power of his voice (Note: This power is temporary the units will return to their orginal faction after a minute or so.) His next power is Speechcraft this allows friendly units to gain a slight boost experiance equaling 3 ranks.. His final power is Lighting Blast, exclusive to BFME II in which Saruman calls down a powerful lighting strike that can decimate infintry.

Advantages
Saruman is a powerful hero who specializes in the destuction of the backbone troops of any faction and when paired with "Wormtounge" can convert units over to his side for a time, long enough for them to weaken the other units on their former side. His lighting blast is extremely useful in large groups leaving nothing more than dead infintry and fire. His Wizard Blast can dismantle a very small army. His Fireball attack destroys regular troops in one hit, and greatly damages enemy heroes. His Speechcraft ability adds 3 ranks to his own soldiers.

Disadvantages
Saruman is quite expensive expensive, costing 5000 resources. While having greater active powers, Saruman is of less raw strength than Gandalf. His health is not notable (1100) and his attacks are slow but can cause knock-back. When using Saruman, it is ideal to send him into battle with a band of Uruk-hai or Wildmen to cover him in the case of injury. Lurtz can also be used in this role.