Eye of Heroes - the special stuff

And as our final excerpt from the Eye of Heroes (spec by Steve Bristow, Will Doyle and Jamie Thomson, collectively the design team at sadly defunct PC game developer Black Cactus) here's the list of special character actions.

EoH was planned as a tactical small-squad game based around action points, similar to X-Com or Laser Squad. The spec is nice: simple, tight and comprehensive. I keeping thinking it would make a good smartphone (or slate) game.

CLASS-BASED ACTIONS

Poison Arrow (Wayfarer) This attack is more expensive than an aimed shot, but damages and Dazes any unit that it strikes (+20 Combat, 1-10 damage modified by level of success + daze). Dazed units miss their next turn and can’t perform opportunity attacks or combination attacks until they recover.

Noise Arrow (Wayfarer) This attack is slightly more expensive than an aimed shot, but causes a loud bang on impact (+20 Combat, no damage + bang).

Mighty Attack (Warrior) This attack is more expensive than a heavy attack, but causes more damage (+0 Combat, 10-30 damage modified by level of success).

Frenzy (Warrior) This action is cheap to perform, and lasts until the start of the warrior’s next turn. During the frenzy all attacks deliver extra damage, but the warrior’s defence is lowered dramatically (-30 Defence, 1-10 added to all damage delivered).

Search (Rogue) This action is used to detect for traps and secret switches. The rogue rolls his Scouting against the Concealment Value of every hidden object within LoS (modified by range: as per missile attacks). Objects that he detects fade up from transparency, accompanied by a tinkling chime.

Disarm (Rogue) This action is used to disable traps in adjacent squares. The rogue rolls his Thievery attribute against the Complexity Value of an adjacent, visible trap. The trap is disarmed if he succeeds. If he fails he risks accidentally triggering the trap, which may cause damage.

Fireblast (Mage) This action is resolved as an Aimed Shot, but causes flames to consume the affected square, and all surrounding squares (+20 Combat, 10-20 damage modified by level of success in Magic vs. Defence).

Firebolt (Mage) This action is similar to a Snap Shot. The affected square is consumed by flame (+0 Combat, 10-20 damage modified by level of success in Magic vs. Defence).

Summon (Mage) This action is expensive to perform and must be directed into an adjacent square. A cackling imp appears in the square when cast. This creature can be controlled as an additional party member, but disappears in a puff of smoke at the end of the enemy’s turn.

Curse (Priest) This action is expensive to perform, but can be targeted upon any enemy unit within line of sight. When cast, the priest rolls their Sanctity against their enemy’s Sanctity. If successful, the enemy is Dazed for his next turn and cannot move.

Heal (Priest) This action is moderately expensive to perform, but can be target upon any allied unit within LoS. The priest rolls their Sanctity versus the target’s current Stamina to determine how many Stamina points are healed.

Bless (Priest) The action is cheap to perform, and can be targeted upon any allied unit within LoS. The Sanctity of the Priest assists the attribute used for the target’s next action. Blessings are cancelled at the end of the enemy’s next turn.

Hypnotise (Troubadour) This action is expensive to perform, and can be targeted upon any enemy unit within LoS. The Charisma of the Troubadour is pitted against the Charisma of their victim. If the Troubadour wins, the AP of the enemy unit is restored to maximum, and it can be controlled as an allied unit until the start of the enemy’s next turn. Some creatures are immune to hypnosis.

Taunt (Troubadour) This action is moderately expensive to perform, and can be targeted upon any enemy unit within LoS. The Charisma of the Troubadour is pitted against the Charisma of their victim. If the Troubadour wins, the enemy unit will become enraged, and will concentrate solely upon the Troubadour until the end of his next turn. Some creatures are immune to taunts.

Distract (Troubadour) This action is cheap to perform, and can be targeted upon any square within LoS. The Charisma of the Troubadour is pitted against the Charisma of all units who have LoS to this square. Enemies who fail the test will turn to face the square until distracted elsewhere.

Steal Soulfire (Adventurer) This action is cheap to perform, but can only be used when your adventurer is standing on the same square as a corpse. The amount of Soulfire received is variable (see Soulfire, below).

Summon Hero (Adventurer) This action is cheap to perform. When activated you are prompted to select a hero from the Eye of Heroes. The hero appears in a random square adjacent to your adventurer.

Dismiss Hero (Adventurer) This action is cheap to perform. When activated you are prompted to select an allied unit on the battlemap. The hero is instantly dismissed back to the Eye of Heroes.

Eye of Heroes - levels and enemies

The storyline of the FL tactical computer game was to involve the young protagonist Tam recovering the souls of six heroes of legend. I'm copying the plot description here exactly as it was written in the design spec, although I'm not completely sure that the very Judaeo-Christian model of heaven and hell is exactly right for the Fabled Lands. However, I assume this part must have been written by Jamie - who else would know the setting that well? - and he's the ultimate authority on FL mythos.

GAME OUTLINE

Guided by the spirit of the Eye, Tam is told that he is on a quest to save the Fabled Lands but the precise nature of the threat is not disclosed until the very end of the game. Tam and his ghostly companions soon find themselves chased by cultists, and eventually the skies across the Fabled Lands darken and the souls of the dead start raining down.

Once his soul is freed, the wizard Targdaz is able to explain the threat. It is his old rival from centuries ago: a priest of Ebron called Qadarnai. Qadarnai earned so much favour with his deity whilst Targdaz was inside the ruby that he eventually ascended to Paradise as an angel. But Qadarnai grew jealous of Ebron’s power, and attempted to raise a celestial army against his master.

Ebron learned of this plot, and cast Qadarnai down to the Underworld. Qadarnai toiled in hell for generations, until slowly he earned the respect of his new masters. In time the fallen angel became a demon, capable of visiting earth to answer the summons of necromancers and mad priests.

Qadarnai had his own plans though. He seeded a cult on earth, and drew his plans against both Paradise and the Underworld. His aim: nothing more than the complete destruction of both. The cult of Qadarnai has made him strong, and now he gathers an army in the Underworld. Civil war rages throughout the Underworld, and the screaming spirits of the dead are spat from the flumes of Starspike Island to crash down upon the Fabled Lands.

Qadarnai aims to wrest control from the Gods of the Underworld, and open the Sinkhole of Worlds. This mighty plughole sits at the bottom of the deepest sea-gorge of the Violet Ocean. Opening it would flood the Underworld, extinguishing the fires of hell and draining the entire ocean. Robbed of all moisture, the people of the Fabled Lands would die of thirst. And without their worship, the Gods would soon follow.

Only the greatest heroes of the past can stop him. Only Tam can lead them. At the end of the game, Tam’s quest has but begun…

LEVEL 1: AMMUNAS
The first level of the game is set at night in Nerech, a peninsula on the North-eastern coast of Sokara. Nerech is home to the ravening Manbeasts. Passing through the gates of Fort Esgard, Tam is warned by the guards that his quest is sheer madness and will end in doom.

Ammunas’s bones are found within the roofless ruins of an ancient Shadar temple, exposed to the elements atop a craggy granite tor, and now home to a filthy settlement of Manbeasts. The level is staged in a thunderstorm, to the howling accompaniment of a thousand Manbeasts.

Manbeasts function as Warriors.

LEVEL 2: ROKU
The second level is set by day in Akatsurai, in the depths of the Kwaidan Forest.

Roku’s skeleton is still entwined with that of his lover, bound together by thorns at the heart of an ancient, ruined village. Cherry blossom falls from the trees beside a sparkling waterfall, which has flooded much of the village. Temple dogs peer from the bushes, choked by vines. Butterflies drift through the air. Everything here is quiet, mystical…but not for long.

A clan of Ratmen has set their sights on Tam’s golden sword, and has followed him across the seas from Sokara. They catch up with him at the ruined village, and attempt to make the kill.

Ratmen function as Wayfarers.

LEVEL 3: KERROL
The third level is set at night in the Mixen Sumps: a stretch of swampland on the southern coastline of Uttaku, the Land of Hidden Faces.

Kerrol’s bones are found on a rotted wooden altar at the heart of the swamps, surrounded by limp trees and lit by swirling marsh lights. A swathe of fog blankets the ground, and old Uttakin idols protrude from the murk.

Aware that Tam is assembling heroes to stop him, The enemy sends his cultists to intercept them. The cultists lead Manbeasts on chains, and have forged an alliance with the Ratmen.

Cultists function as Priests. Manbeasts (Warriors) and Ratmen (Wayfarers) support them.

LEVEL 4: RUSTY JACK
The fourth level is set by day in the Feathered Lands, and is staged in and around the ruins of a crashed Arkship.

The wreck of the Thunderbound is sprawled across a tropical cove. The jungle spreads right up to the sand, stretching outwards to swallow the wreck. The howls of tropical beasts fill the air, and feathered snakes wing from branch to branch.

The zombies of his crew, cursed to guard his bones as barnacle men, still haunt Rusty Jack’s ship. All manner of traps are still active to prevent intruders from penetrating into the treasury. After Jack’s soul is freed the undead assassins of Sig swear to pursue him and bring him to justice.

Barnacle Men function as Rogues.

LEVEL 5: NIAMH
The fifth level is set around a Mannekin Village, at the foot of Sky Mountain, high in the Spine of Harkun.

The Mannekin village clings to the cliff face at the bottom of a great gorge. The Wing Warriors worship the bones of Niamh of the Whispers, who flung herself from the top of Sky Mountain thousands of years ago. A Mannekin shrine is built above her final resting place, riddled with Mannekin traps to deter those who would disturb her peace.

The enemy’s plans are now coming to fruition. The skies across the Fabled Lands rain down Spectres of the dead as civil war sweeps through the Underworld. As Tam arrives in the Mannekin village the Spectres swoop down around him, scattering the Mannekin to the safety of their homes. To compound matters, the cultists arrive after a few turns, accompanied by the clan of ratmen.

Spectres function as Troubadours. Cultists (Priests), Manbeasts (Warriors) and Ratmen (Wayfarers) arrive after a few turns.

LEVEL 6: TARGDAZ
The sixth level is set in the Tomb of Targdaz, buried high in the hills in the country of Atticala.

The Tomb of Targdaz is a majestic vault filled with traps and riddles: your greatest test yet. Statues of Atticalan warriors loom from the walls, and burning sconces illuminate the corridors with flickering light. Targdaz’s remains were taken here by the Order of Fire: insane wizards who look upon his bones as religious relics.

As the Order fight to protect their master’s tomb, the enemy’s servants catch up with the party once more. A few turns later the undead assassins of Sig arrive to capture the soul of Rusty Jack.

Fire Wizards function as Mages. Every other enemy encountered so far is also present: Cultists (Priests), Manbeasts (Warriors), Ratmen (Wayfarers), and Barnacle Men (Rogues). The Cultists have found a way to bottle the Spectres (Troubadours) that are falling from the heavens all across the Fabled Lands: and throw them as grenades in combat.

Spells and tats

This last of the Eye of Heroes fellowship was, I'm pretty sure, written by Jamie himself, as Targdaz was one of his own characters in our Tekumel role-playing campaign. Nobody called him "the Magnificent" then, as that Targdaz, although a sorcerer, bore few similarities to the character in the FL books.

THE MAGE: TARGDAZ THE MAGNIFICENT
Appearance: Targdaz wears baroque red and orange robes of almost preposterous ornateness, and every inch of his skin is tattooed. His nose is hooked, and he sports a magnificent black beard. Targdaz carries a mysterious wand of green metal shaped somewhat like a television aerial.

History: One of the mightiest spell-casters in recorded history, Targdaz the Magnificent served as royal sorcerer to seven of the great kings of Harkuna. His studies into the inner mysteries of magic inspired generations of mages, and he is recognized as founder of the first college of magic in Dweomer.

Targdaz famously cajoled the god Molhern into teaching him the secrets of higher magic, the essence of which he trapped inside his Casket of Imponderables. So great was the power of higher magic that no mortal could wield it: the astral vibrations would simply tear their body apart. By siphoning the power through specially created valves in the casket, Targdaz was able to leech a little for himself. Even in such small measures, it was stronger magic than any mage before or since could muster.

Targdaz left the court of Harkun with his casket and retreated to his citadel in the northern steppes. But a shaman sent by the Horde of a Thousand Winds tricked Targdaz, and imprisoned him inside a block of solid ruby. With the wizard trapped, the shaman foolishly opened the casket. The magical storm that billowed forth killed him instantly, and scattered the tribes of the steppes forevermore. Targdaz remained trapped inside his ruby for hundreds of years, until one day a questing adventurer broke into the tower and released him.

Targdaz served as the adventurer’s personal sorcerer until he deemed his debt repaid, and then disappeared from history once more. Some say the wizard was slain by Badogor the Unspoken. Others reason that his spirit has left our earth to resume his studies in the court of Molhern. The truth is somewhat more mundane: Targdaz simply died of old age.

Character: Targdaz is proud and boastful, but shockingly intelligent. He is always happy to demonstrate his wisdom, and tends to look upon others as ill-informed children. He likes to think of himself as the father of the group.

Golden goddess

THE TROUBADOUR: NIAMH OF THE WHISPERS
Appearance: Niamh is blessed with the body of a goddess. Her golden hair spills down to her waist, and is bound by garlands of flowers. She wears diaphanous robes that shimmer with the colours of mother-of-pearl. Her ears are delicately pointed, and she has oily butterfly wings that are veined like those of a fly. She carries a delicate flute carved from bone.

History: In ages past, when the power of the Shadar pantheon was waning, the androgynous trickster God Sig transformed itself into a songbird and tricked its way into the house of the Three Fortunes for the purposes of ravishment. The offspring was Niamh of the Whispers, a faery princess who was cursed to always fall in love with wicked men.

Blessed with immortal beauty beyond reckoning, Niamh wandered the earth for hundreds of years, her life an endless cycle of heartbreak and woe. Her stories became her songs, and were capable of bringing even the sternest warrior to tears. Famously, Niamh was once persuaded by one of her treacherous lovers to “sing down the walls of Jerubar”: a Shadar Capital in the great steppes that is now known as the City of Ruins. Her voice drifted across the city and broke the hearts of the Shadar army, most of whom fell upon their blades.

Niamh’s curse was lifted when she scaled the Peaks at the End of the World and sang her most heartbreaking song to Sig. As the god blubbered in sorrow, Niamh tore out Sig’s thighbone and used it to beat the god until it agreed to lift the curse on her. She carved Sig’s thighbone into a flute, and wandered the Fabled Lands for many years, singing for a husband. Alas, she outlived all her mortal lovers, and with her own heart broken, she threw herself from Sky Mountain.

Character: Niamh is surprised to be back, and now that she is dead, somewhat embarrassed that she killed herself. She is kind, loving and possesses a pleasant humour. Of all the party, she is the most fearful of the threat to the Fabled Lands.

...and really bad eggs

Another of the eponymous characters in Eye of Heroes:

THE ROGUE: RUSTY JACK, KING OF THE REAVERS
Appearance: Jack wears the faded red jacket of a Sokaran Admiral. A rusty duelling pistol is tucked into one of his many belts, and he carries a rusty cutlass. His hands are adorned with rusty rings and rusted finger gauntlets, and his wild eyes carry a look of insane amusement. A rusty clockwork parrot sits on one shoulder.

History: Rusty Jack was a pickpocket from the town of Smogmaw who rose to become leader of a mighty pirate empire. As a child Jack had stolen from a temple of Sig, and had been cursed so that everything he touched turned to rusty iron. He soon turned this curse to his advantage, first by turning the Stitcher-King of Smogmaw into a statue and taking his place as the king of cutpurses, then by founding a spectacularly successful scrap metal business.

Funded by Rusty Jack’s benevolence, Smogmaw became a haven for thieves and pirates, all working under the umbrella of his scrap metal business. In time the traders of the Violet Ocean could stand it no longer. Goaded by the jealous industrialists of Copper Island, the Sokaran Empire dispatched an armada to destroy Smogmaw and bring back the head of Rusty Jack. The city was reduced to rubble, but Jack escaped into the jungles.

He returned a decade later at the helm of the Thunderbound, a flying Arkship stolen from the gold-skinned people of the Desert of Bones. After famously sacking the sky-city of Dangor, Rusty Jack wrecked havoc for decades across the shipping lanes of the Violet Ocean, ultimately founding a vast pirate empire in the Unnumbered Isles under the banner of the Red Reavers, and establishing himself as the first Reaver King.

Finally his crimes against Sig caught up with him. Unpopular for refusing to pay his tithes to the god, Rusty Jack was sold out by his own first mate, who arranged for Sig’s assassins to be allowed onboard as belly dancers. Jack took his attackers with him to the grave by cutting the power to the Arkship’s selenium engines. The wreck of the Thunderbound, and its fabled treasury, has never been found.

Character: Jack is the joker of the party. He has a soft spot for Tam, and enjoys poking fun at the other heroes.

Wild witch

Another of the characters devised by Steve Bristow, Will Doyle and Jamie for the FL computer game Eye of Heroes:

THE PRIESTESS: KERROL, THE WOAD WITCH
Appearance: Kerrol wears a shift made from moss and cobwebs and a necklace of bones and twigs. She carries a gnarled wooden spear adorned with shrunken skulls. Her green-skinned body is painted with stripes of blue woad, and her hair is a mass of dreadlocked vegetation. Her eyes glow bright green.

History: Many ages ago the God Tambu challenged the Goddess Lacuna to a race across the Spine of Harkuna. Tambu tricked Lacuna by spiking her water gourd with wine, and Lacuna tripped drunkenly upon Sky Mountain and lost the race. Her falling body formed a great rift between the mountains: the Pass of Eagles. So angered was Lacuna that she made Kerrol, a human priestess born of wolves, whom she charged with the total destruction of Tambu’s followers.

Wild and fearsome, Kerrol waged a decades-long war against the priesthood of Tambu. Her battle cries echoed across the steppes as thunder, and her spear was dressed with the shrunken skulls of Tambu’s priests. So untamed was Kerrol that she fought on even after Tambu had bartered a truce with Lacuna, which angered the Goddess. Lacuna summoned Kerrol to her court, where she was bound as a pet for many centuries.

In time Kerrol was tamed, and sent back to Harkuna to spread the faith of Lacuna. She became something of a saint to wayfarers across the Fabled Lands, and after her death shrines were built to honour her alongside those of Lacuna. Kerrol met her end at the spears of the Uttakin, fighting to stem the ceaseless march of their diabolic, polluting technologies. It is said that every wolf across the Fabled Lands howled as one at the moment of her passing.

Character: Kerrol is short-tempered and has little time for fools. Her manner is brusque and humourless, and she is prone to rage. She simply wishes to get the job done.

The red archer

Here's another of the mighty heroes that young Tam was tasked to gather together in the Eye of Heroes videogame design. Personally I'm both dubious of and bored by the modern myth of ninja (black pyjamas, shuriken, attack in silent waves) which was all cooked up in the 1960s. That's why you'll find no mention of ninja in FL Book Six and if somebody in Akatsurai did use the word "ninja" they would be talking about a wizard with a spell to become invisible. But this version of the Fabled Lands was intended for a tactical computer game, where ninja are as de rigueur as zombies.

THE WAYFARER: ROKU, THE RED ARCHER
Appearance: Roku is an athletic oriental clothed in a scarlet kimono. He holds a large bone bow engraved with lightning flashes and thunderclouds, and carries a quiver slung over one shoulder. His features are handsome yet haunted.

History: Roku was the greatest archer in Akatsurai, perhaps even the whole world. Many of the deeds attributed to him are pure fancy. He is said to have fired an arrow across the Unbounded Ocean to kill the traitorous Daimyo of Yarimura, and on the order of the Shogun he even shot down one of the stars.

In truth Roku was indeed divine. He was sent to earth by Nai, God of Earthquakes, and his bow was an earthly replica of Nai’s own bow: the Shatterer of Worlds. As the ground would never tremble beneath his feet, Roku passed from village to village, providing safety to the poor people of Akatsurai whenever the God of Earthquakes was angry.

Roku was once asked by some villagers to slay a terrible dragon that had been eating their livestock. Venturing to the cave of the dragon he discovered that she had been badly injured in a recent battle with a samurai, and took pity on her. He nursed her back to health, and in time, fell in love with her.

For many months Roku and his dragon wandered the land, until at last they met the brother of the samurai who had injured her when they first met. The man announced that he had sworn to slay the dragon and reclaim his family’s honour. In killing him Roku angered the Nine Lakes Clan, and they sent their ninja to assassinate him. They caught up with him in the depths of the Kwaidan forest, where Roku had finally mustered the courage to ask the dragon for a kiss. As their lips met the dragon turned into a beautiful maiden princess. “My lips have been sealed for an age,” she breathed, “but now you have freed them and they are yours.” At that moment the poisoned arrows of the ninja peppered their bodies, and they were sealed in their embrace forever.

Character: Roku is quiet and dignified. He is always alert, and is generally the first to warn Tam of danger.

A blue preacher

To begin our series of characters from the never (or not yet) developed PC/phone game Eye of Heroes, here's the player's stalwart little protagonist and the first of the mighty heroes he's seeking to restore to the world.

THE ADVENTURER: TAM, THE BOY HERO
Appearance: Tam is clothed in the garb of a Sokaran peasant. He wears a brown cloth tunic, patchy green tights and a green cloth hood. A tousled red fringe spills from the hood, partially hiding his young and freckled features. Tam is weighed down by a magnificent golden broadsword, which he struggles to hold onto as he moves. The fabled Eye of Heroes is set into the pommel of this sword.

History: Tam is the son of a Sokaran farmer, and has very little history to speak of. To date his life has consisted of nothing more than feeding chickens, ploughing the cornfields with his father, or taking the pigs to market. Tam’s life takes a dramatic turn when the local bully tries to drown him as a witch in the village millpond, and he finds a glittering broadsword submerged in the murk.

Guided by the Eye of Heroes, Tam sets out on a quest from the Gods to capture the souls of six dead champions, and save the Fabled Lands from destruction.

THE WARRIOR: AMMUNAS, THE SWORD DANCER
Appearance: Ammunas is a blue-skinned nobleman with grave and dignified features. He is swathed in white desert robes embroidered with golden decorations. Despite his age, his physique is daunting. He wears an ornate Persian helmet and wields a silver scimitar in each hand.

History: Ammunas the Baptister was the fanatical first King of the Uttakin; famous for uniting the nomads of the Blue Plains under the banner of the God Ebron, and leading them to war against their age-old enemies, the gold-skinned nomads of the Desert of Bones.

Despite many great victories, Ammunas’s army was finally defeated by the legendary Arkships of their enemy, and the Uttakin were driven across the Violet Ocean to Harkuna, where they established a mighty kingdom. Ammunas did not join them. Shamed beyond measure, the blue-skinned dervish turned his back on his people and remained in the Feathered Lands. In time he earned the name “Sword Dancer”: a near-mythical figure who would appear from nowhere to serve the enemies of the gold-skinned nomads. Every sky charioteer who fell to his whirling blades earned him some small measure of redemption; but never enough.

It is said that toward the twilight of his life, Ebron set Ammunas a task to redeem himself in the god’s eyes, and earn his rightful place in paradise. Cruelly, the quest proved impossible, even for one such as Ammunas. Tasked to pluck out the eye of the war-god Tyrnai, Ammunas was finally struck down by the faithful of Tyrnai and cast into Nerech, where the ravenous Manbeasts devoured him.

Character: Ammunas is a natural leader for the party. Military minded, no-nonsense, and sharp-witted. His only downfall is his arrogance: like most Uttakin, he sets himself above others.

Eye of Heroes

Eye of Heroes was a Fabled Lands PC game designed by Steve Bristow and Will Doyle, formerly of Black Cactus Games. The reason you never heard of it is that, in notable contrast to the way that novels, movies and creator-owned comics are originated, game publishers don't usually buy NIH designs. So Eye of Heroes remains only a blueprint. But while looking through the design spec I found a bunch of great characters that Steve and Will had come up with, many with intriguing historical details that I assume they worked out with Jamie. So I'm going to run some of those over the next week. First, the one-sheet that tells you what the game's about. Incidentally, I said it was intended as a PC game but I'll bet it'd work pretty well on today's smart phones... Hmm, might have to dust it off!

Fabled Lands: Eye of Heroes

GAME OVERVIEW
“Fabled Lands: Eye of Heroes” was planned as a turn-based strategy PC game steeped in the mythology of the Fabled Lands game books. Eye of Heroes tells the story of a young Sokaran farmhand who travels the Fabled Lands in search of the souls of six long-dead heroes.

Each of the game’s levels would be played out across a colourful isometric battle map. Each unit in the party has a reserve of action points (AP) that are expended to move, attack, deploy special powers or interact with the environment. You and the computer player take turns to move your units, with each side moving any or all of their units in a single turn. AP can even be saved as “Opportunity” to interrupt your opponent’s turn with your own actions.

Eye of Heroes gameplay also includes “Distraction” - all units rotate automatically to face what they perceive as their greatest threat, even during their opponent’s turn. Combat rewards attacking to the flank or to the rear, so players must carefully coordinate their party’s attacks to counter and exploit the enemy’s ever-changing facing.

THE EYE OF HEROES
Each soul you rescue is stored within the Eye of Heroes: a magical jewel set into the pommel of your adventurer’s ancestral sword. You can call upon the Eye to summon the ghosts of six heroes to your side, but only for a short time. Each ghost needs Soulfire to take material form, and the Eye only holds so much. In order to boost your reservoirs of Soulfire you must drive your ancestral blade into the corpses of the evil dead.

Each hero conforms to one of the game book professions: Warrior, Mage, Wayfarer, Priest, Rogue and Troubadour, and each has their own unique powers. Players must spend their Soulfire wisely in order to triumph over the traps, monsters and puzzles resident on each level.

ENHANCEMENT
Between levels you’ll have the opportunity to mould your adventurer into a real hero.

The heroes of the Eye represent the pinnacle of each class, whereas your adventurer is something of a Jack-of-all-Trades. Although weak in comparison to his allies, you can draw upon the wisdom of the Eye to learn new powers. Concentrate on one class and your hero will ultimately match the abilities of one of his party members. Spread his Heroism between all six classes to develop a varied arsenal of powers that combine close and ranged combat, healing, magic, and trickery.

LOCATIONS AND ENEMIES
Each of the locations in Eye of Heroes draws inspiration from one of the game-books. As the series ran short after six books, fans will finally get to see something of the realms that were still to come: the steaming jungles of Ankon-Konu, the Desert of Bones, mythical Chrysoprais, ancient Atticala, the metropolis of Dangor and the Underworld itself.

Each battle map depicts a single adventure location, depicted in scale to your units. The first six locations detail the final resting places of the six heroes: the objective here is to find their bones and acquire their souls. Each enemy type conforms to one of the six classes: for example, the Manbeasts of Nerech use Warrior powers, whereas the snivelling Ratmen exploit the powers of the Wayfarer. The bones of each hero are watched over by monsters that conform to their class - before you can take advantage of the class for yourself you must witness its powers in combat.