The Heart of Fire
For the fans
Keep the fire burning
Once again, a big thank you to the team at Gollancz for making geek dreams come true – especially my editor, Marcus, who had the Herculean task of reading, editing and
testing this labyrinthine game-book. I owe him more than a few drinks (and payment for therapy bills) for surviving this one. I also want to thank my family, who have always had unquestioning faith
in my ‘weird and wonderful pastimes’ and have supported me every step of the way. I hope they’re as proud of this achievement as I am.
‘Another will follow; to break the chains of destiny and forge their fate anew – in fire.’
Cornelius the Prophet
U
nlike ordinary storybooks, DestinyQuest puts
you
in charge of the action. As you guide your hero through this epic adventure, you will be
choosing the dangers that they face, the monsters that they fight and the treasures that they find. Every decision that you make will have an impact on the story and, ultimately, the fate of your
hero.
Your choices, your hero
With hundreds of special items to discover in the game, you can completely customise your hero. You can choose their weapons, their armour, their special abilities – even
the boots on their feet and the cloak on their back! No two heroes will ever be alike, which means your hero will always be unique to you. And even better, you can take your hero into battle
against your friends’ heroes too!
Limitless possibilities, endless adventure
You can play through DestinyQuest multiple times and never have the same adventure twice. With so many options and paths to choose from, the monsters that you encounter, the
people that you meet and the loot that you find will be different each time you play. There are numerous hidden secrets to discover, bonus items to collect and unique special abilities to unlock
– in fact, every turn of the page could reveal something new for you and your hero.
Discover your destiny . . .
The next few pages will take you through the rules of the game, outlining the hero creation process and the combat and quest system. Don’t worry, it won’t take long
– and then your first DestinyQuest adventure can begin!
The hero sheet
Let’s start with one of the most important things in the game – your hero sheet. This is a visual record of your hero’s abilities and equipment. You will be
constantly updating this sheet throughout the game, as you train new abilities and find better armour and weapons for your hero. (Note: The hero sheet is also available as a free download from
www.destiny-quest.com
.)
Attributes
Every hero has five key attributes that determine their strengths and weaknesses. These are
speed, brawn
,
magic
,
armour
and
health
. The goal of
DestinyQuest is to advance your hero from an inexperienced novice into a powerful champion – someone who can stand up to the biggest and baddest of foes and triumph!
To achieve this, you will need to complete the many quests throughout the lands of Valeron. These quests will reward you with new skills and equipment, such as weapons and armour. These will
boost your hero’s attributes and give you a better chance of survival when taking on tougher enemies.
The five attributes are:
* Brawn
: As its name suggests, this score represents your hero’s strength and muscle power. A hero with high
brawn
will be able to hit harder in combat,
striking through their opponent’s armour and dealing fatal blows.
Brawn
is the main attribute of the warrior.
* Magic
: By mastering the arcane schools of fire, lightning, frost and shadow, a hero can command devastating spells and summon fiendish monsters. Heroes that choose
this path should seek out the staffs, wands and arcane charms that will boost their
magic
score, granting them even deadlier powers to smite their foes.
Magic
is the main attribute of the mage.
* Speed
: The higher a hero’s
speed
score, the more likely they are to score a hit against their opponent. A hero who puts points into
speed
can
easily bring down stronger enemies thanks to their lightning-fast reflexes.
Speed
is the main attribute of the rogue.
* Armour
: Whenever a hero is hit in combat, by weapons or spells, they take damage. Wearing armour can help your hero to survive longer by absorbing some of this damage.
Warriors will always have a high
armour
score, thanks to the heavy armour and shields that they can equip. Rogues and mages will typically have lower scores, relying instead on their
powerful attacks to win the day.
* Health
: This is your hero’s most important attribute as it represents their life force. When
health
reaches zero, your hero is dead – so, it goes
without saying that you should keep a very close eye on it! Armour and equipment can raise your hero’s
health
score – and there are also potions and abilities to be
discovered, to help your hero replenish their
health
during combat.