Shacknews Document

DARK MESSIAH OF MIGHT & MAGIC

CHARACTER CLASSES

Archer
He is the sniper, dedicated at dealing high damage on a single target. Upgradeable weapon: improve damage dealt, range, zoom, reload time… In melee - choose to get ‘one last shot’ or run away. Arrows fall under gravity – find high ground.

Mage
He will provide artillery support with awesome magical weaponry that will deal huge radius damage at distance. He can choose to be a generalist or a specialist, and to focus on one primal energy, fire or electricity. He is the weakest class in close-combat, and also generally weaker than the others at low levels, but godlike at high levels.

He also benefits from a good protection against enemy spells thanks to his ability to cast shields. However he remains vulnerable to any physical attack.

Priestess
The priestess has a dual profile. She can be a devious enemy or a strong team support. She can cure or buff her team or harm, slow, poison and blind the enemy. Resurrection lets her bring friends back from the dead, or eat the souls of enemies. A resurrected comrade will see his fate linked to the priestess, meaning that if she dies, so will he.

Warrior
The warrior has only one goal: get close, and kill fast. He has no ranged attacks, but some shield / soak abilities that allow him to reach his preys. His is fastest over short distances but tires easily. So if he runs too early, his enemies will escape.

Assassin
He is lethal, silent, and sneaky. He can become invisible thanks to his cloaking ability. However, he will become more visible the faster he moves. He can deliver an instant kill thanks to his backstab ability. Then the assassin masters the art of luring the enemy. He can feign death, disguise as enemy team, and prepare some traps in critical areas.

SKILLS

Archer

Bow
The signature weapon of the Archer is a versatile weapon which delivers significant damage over a long range. As close as can be made to the single-player variant, except the reload / draw bow time is dependant upon the player’s upgrades.

Power Upgrade
Upgradeable. Increases the arc of the bow (the pulling power). Arrows travel further, faster.

Reload Upgrade
Upgradeable. Reduces the time taken to nock and draw arrows

Zoom
Adds in a modified zoom so the archer can see their target more clearly and aim more precisely over long distances.

Flare Arrow
A bright flare attached to the arrow’s tip causes this projectile to cast light on the environment.

Fiery Arrow
This (magically) flaming arrow sets targets alight.

Poisoned Arrow
This arrow delivers the effects of the POISON spell to a single target.

Double Arrow
The archer draws and fires two arrows simultaneously in a horizontal spread. Note that this is slower and less powerful than an equivalent single arrow shot.

Triple Arrow
The archer draws and fires three arrows simultaneously in a horizontal spread. Note that this is slower and less powerful than an equivalent double arrow shot.

Bodkin Arrow
Arrows with a tempered steel tip. Delivers massive damage, ignoring armors.

Wracking Arrow
An unpleasant missile, this arrow causes extreme pain to the target resulting in SLOW Effects for the duration.

Assassin

Backstab
A lethal ‘leap forward and kill’ move. This move is triggered automatically when the assassin is close behind a target.

Cloak
Signature ability of the Assassin, the Cloak provides varying degrees of invisibility depending on experience and behaviour. The visibility of the cloaked assassin depends on how fast they move, and what is visible behind them.

Move Silent
This upgradeable skill reduces the noise made by an Assassin’s movements. In the end an assassin will be able to run almost without being heard.

Stamina
This upgradeable skill increases the rate the stamina bar refills. This allows the Assassin more sprinting and more jumping, enabling him to escape Knights (amongst others).

Poison Dagger
A successful blow of this poisoned dagger delivers the effects of POISON to the target.

Polymorph
An Assassin using this ability appears like a member of the opposite team. Team indicators (name color, map location etc) will also be changed, although the Assassin’s actual name will not, so by looking at the player list, a polymorphed assassin can be detected.

Feign Death
This skill allows an Assassin to fall to the floor and pretend to be dead, only to get up again on his command.

Explody Gas Trap
With this ability, the Assassin may lay down a tiny explosive trap which detonates on proximity of a target, thus spraying a toxic gas cloud.

Unstaunchable Wounds
This special attack delivers a wound which cannot be healed, and causes the target to continually bleed health away at a low rate.

Triggered Traps
Triggered traps allows for the placement of more individual traps, and crucially allows for the remote detonation of these explosives – they are not contact, but more like ‘pipebombs’. This allows for more complex traps to be constructed.

Knight

Shield
The knight’s shield allows them to project a visible physical defense from arrows and spells

Stamina
This upgradeable skill increases the rate the stamina bar refills allowing knights to run faster, longer, and to chain more stance attacks?

Armor
This upgradeable skill reduces damage taken from physical attacks.

Magic Resist
An ability of knights to resist all magical effects – both enemy damage and their own team’s bonuses. Note that this skill is entirely personal and provides no assistance to any other character.

Shield Charge
Using Shield Charge the knight covers the distance to a target in a rush, and throws them back, dealing a lot of damage. The Knight must have a high Stamina available before they can charge. Two knights who Charge each other at the same time are knocked back and stunned.

Running Attack
A special move that seriously damages one enemy. The knight must be moving at top speed towards his target, then jumps and attacks, bringing his blade down from above with awesome force.

Stance Upgrade
Reduces the time taken to enter Combat Stances

Damage Upgrade
Increases the amount of damage done by each blow.

Last Gasp
This skill delivers a short-term health boost to a single Knight. However, a timer is also begun. At the end of this timer, all of the energy that has been ‘loaned’ to the Knight is removed immediately. This may kill the Knight if they have taken damage in the meantime.

Rally Troops
This skill allows a Knight to deliver the effects of Last Gasp to himself and other friendly characters within range.

Priestess

Cure / Curse
Basic ability of Priestesses, this skill allows them to heal friends and harm targets. Note that like all of the ‘Cure’ spells, the effects are different depending on the team orientation of the target. Curing your own team gives them health. ‘Curing’ (or ‘cursing’) the enemy is the same spell, but reduces their health. Pressing ‘Defend’ will heal the Priestess.

Cure Sphere
Creates a spherical cure field in a similar manner to Magic Reflection. Sphere has a maximum amount of curing ability, depending on radius (so shrinks as it cures). Cure Spheres act as Curse Spheres to enemy characters.

Heal Team
This skill allows a priestess to sacrifice her own energy to heal nearby friends in a wide radius.

Mark Target
Allows a priestess to ‘mark’ an enemy and highlight it to their own team. Teammates who kill the marked target gain extra XP.

Slow
Conjures ‘bramble grenades’ which the priestess throws down to create patches of writhing thorns. Running through these thorns does damage. Additionally, enemies inside a slow area suffer a damage penalty if cursed. Priestesses are immune to their own thorn effects.

Stone Armour
Allows the healer to cast the StoneSkin spell on friends or themselves to gain enhanced temporary armor.

Resurrect
A Priestess can resurrect friendly characters, bringing them back from the dead to fight anew. Resurrected characters must protect their benefactor - if the priestess dies, so does the resurrected. Priestesses can also ‘eat soul’ on the bodies of enemies, which gives them XP and prevents enemy priestesses resurrecting them.

Mass Resurrect
Like Resurrect, but works on multiple friendly souls simultaneously.

Blind
Ranged Blind attack

Toxic Cloud
Creates a cloud of toxic fumes which poisons and disorientates

Mage

Force Arrow
A straight-travelling magical attack.

More Mana
Increases the total Mana available to the Mage

Quicker Mana Regen
Boosts the mana recharge rate.

Flame Arrow
Identical to single-player, this flaming arrow can be guided to a target

FireBall
Identical to single-player, this glowing ball of fire can be guided to a target before exploding in a deadly fashion.

Master FireBall
A roiling ball of fire which explodes on contact, spilling flames into a large volume and setting enemies alight.

Magic Shield
A visible spherical shield which defends anyone inside it from magical spells by bouncing their effects off the surface. Provides no physical protection.

Lightning - Zzap
Zzap is a fast moving little bolt of electricity, enough to give minor damage to all classes.

Lightning Bolt
An instantaneous bolt of lightning. During casting, the target location hears a growing fizzing electrical noise, before a sudden bright FLASH of light, crack-boom of thunder and then an after-image of a lightning streak joining the caster to his target. Damage is instantaneous. If a caster holds the ‘charge’ pose for too long, the Bolt will dischage through him, causing damage.

Lightning - Chain
A bolt of lightning that leaps around hitting other viable targets. Note – will not hit the same target twice in one hit.

Firebombs
Sticky magical fire grenades. Bounce on the ground and then stop and explode, or if they hit an enemy they stick to them and kill them in a moment.

Ball Lightning
A slow-moving sphere of lightning energy which attacks anything around it.