Read The Heart of Fire Online

Authors: Michael J. Ward

Tags: #Fantasy

The Heart of Fire (139 page)

‘Valeron will fall! Valeron will fall’ The chant is taken up by the assembled guards, while the crows scream and flutter, voicing their own fervent approval. You bow with a flourish,
your gaze shifting to the crumpled parchment.

The future is mine, Lorcan. The future is mine
. . .

 

 

 

 

Glossary:
Special abilities

 

 

 

 

T
he following is a list of all the abilities associated with special items. The letters in brackets after each name refers to the type of ability
– speed (sp), combat (co), modifier (mo), passive (pa). Unless otherwise stated in the text, each ability can only be used
once
during a combat – even if you have multiple items
with the same ability (i.e. if you have two items with the
piercing
ability, you can still only use
piercing
once per combat).

 

Acid (mo)
: Add 1 to the result of each die you roll for your damage score, for the duration of the combat. (Note: if you have multiple items with
acid
, you can still only add 1 to the result.)

Ashes (sp)
: Use at the start of combat to surround yourself with holy ashes. This increases your
armour
by 1 for the duration of the
combat.

Atonement (mo)
: Use at the end of a combat round to heal yourself and an ally for the total passive damage inflicted on an opponent in that
round, from
bleed, barbs, disease, fire aura, thorns
and
venom
. You can only use
atonement
once per combat.

Back draft (co)
: When your opponent’s damage score causes health damage, you can immediately retaliate by inflicting 2 damage dice back
to them, ignoring
armour
. You can only use
back draft
once per combat.

Backstab (co)
: (requires a dagger in the main or left hand) If you or an ally play an
immobilise, knockdown, stun
or
webbed
ability in combat, you may automatically
backstab
the affected opponent, inflicting 2 damage dice, ignoring
armour
. If you have won the round, you can still roll for a damage
score as normal.

Barbs (pa)
: You automatically inflict 1 damage to all of your opponents, at the end of every combat round. This ability ignores
armour
.

Beguile (mo)
: You may use one of your speed abilities twice in the same combat, even if its description states it can only be used once.

Bleed (pa)
: If your damage dice/damage score causes health damage to your opponent, they continue to take a further point of damage at the end of
each combat round. This damage ignores
armour
.

Bless (mo)
: This ability can be cast at any time on yourself or an ally to heal 6
health
and increase one attribute (
magic
or
brawn
) by 1 for the remainder of the combat.
Bless
can only be used once per combat.

Blessed blades (mo)
: (requires a sword in the main hand and left hand.) You can heal yourself any time in a combat for the total
brawn
modifier of your two weapons. You can only use
blessed blades
once per combat.

Blind (sp)
: (see
Webbed
). You can only use
blind
once per combat.

Blind strike (co)
: If you or an ally play an
immobilise, knockdown, stun
or
webbed
ability, you can immediately inflict 2
damage dice to the affected opponent, ignoring
armour
. If you have won the round, you can still roll for a damage score as normal. This ability can only be used once per combat. (Note: a
thief cannot use
backstab
and
blind strike
in the same combat round.)

Blink (co)
: (see
Dodge
). You can only use
blink
once per combat.

Blood hail (co)
: Instead of rolling for a damage score after winning a round, you can use
blood hail
to shower your enemies with
arrows. Roll 2 damage dice and apply the result to each of your opponents, ignoring their
armour
. If any opponent is already inflicted with
bleed
from a previous round, then they
take an extra 4 damage.

Blood-sworn set (mo)
: If your hero is wearing all three items from the blood-sworn set (head, gloves and chest) then you may use the
blood-sworn
ability. This allows you to sacrifice 4
health
to use an ability that you haven’t already used. This ability will not count towards your quota of hexed
abilities. You can use
blood-sworn
as many times as you wish, losing 4
health
each time.

Blood thief (mo)
: For every
you roll for your damage score/damage dice, you may
instantly restore 4
health
. This cannot take you above your starting
health
.

Bright spark (mo)
: Your powers are amplified, allowing you to re-roll any dice for your damage score for the duration of the combat. You
must accept the result of the re-rolled dice.

Call of nature set (-)
: If your hero is equipped with both items from the c
all of nature
set (ring and gloves), then you can use the
wild child
ability. (see
Wild Child
.)

Cauterise (mo)
: This ability can be used any time in combat to remove all
venom, bleed
and
disease
effects that your hero is
currently inflicted with. You can only use it once in combat – and once used, your hero is again susceptible to these effects.

Channel (mo)
: Sacrifice 2
magic
to increase your damage score by 4 for one round. You can use this ability once for each item with the
channel
ability. At the end of the combat, your
magic
is restored to full.

Charge (sp)
: In the first round of combat, you may increase your
speed
by 2.

Charm (mo)
: You may re-roll
one
of your hero’s dice any time during a combat. You must accept the result of the second roll. If you
have multiple items with the
charm
ability, each one gives you a re-roll. Each
charm
can only be used once per combat.

Charm offensive (co)
: For each item with the
charm
ability that your hero is wearing, you can add 2 to your damage score. (If you
had four items with
charm
, you could add 8 to your damage score.) You can only use
charm offensive
once per combat.

Cistene’s chattels set (-)
: If your hero is equipped with both items from the
Cistene’s chattels
set (necklace and spell
book), then you can use the
miracle
ability. (see
Miracle
.)

Cleave (co)
: Instead of rolling for a damage score, you can use
cleave
. Roll 1 damage die and apply the result to each of your opponents,
ignoring their
armour
. You can only use
cleave
once per combat.

Command (co)
: When an opponent wins a combat round, use
command
to instantly halt their attack, allowing you to roll for damage instead
(as if you had won the combat round). This ability can only be used once per combat.

Compulsion (co)
: You can use
compulsion
to roll an extra die when determining your damage score. However, you must lower your
speed
by 2 for the next combat round. This ability can only be used once per combat.

Confound (co)
:
Use confound
to avoid taking damage from your opponent when they have won a combat round. It also inflicts 1 damage die
back to them, ignoring
armour
, and lowers their
brawn
and
magic
score by 1 for the remainder of the combat.
Confound
can only be used once per combat.

Constrictor (sp)
: (see
Webbed
). You can only use
constrictor
once per combat.

Convulsions (pa)
: If your damage score causes health damage to your opponent, they automatically suffer convulsions. In all future combat
rounds, the affected opponent will lose the combat round if they roll a double for attack speed – even if their result is higher.

Corrode (co)
: If your damage score causes health damage to your opponent, you can also cast
corrode
. This lowers the same opponent’s
armour
by 2 for the remainder of the combat.

Counter (co)
: If your opponent wins a combat round you can use
counter
to lower your opponent’s damage score by 2 and inflict 1
damage die back to them, ignoring
armour
. This ability can only be used once per combat.

Coup de grace (pa)
: When an opponent is reduced to 10
health
or less, you can immediately use
coup de grace
to reduce them to zero
health
. You can only use
coup de grace
once per combat.

Crawlers (sp)
: Cover your opponent in creepy-crawlies, forcing them to itch and scratch their way through the combat. This lowers their
speed
by 1 for two combat rounds.
Crawlers
can only be used once per combat.

Critical strike (mo)
: Change the result of all dice you have rolled for damage to a
. You can only use this ability once per combat.

Cruel twist (mo)
: If you get a
result when rolling for your damage score, you
can use
cruel twist
to roll an extra die for damage. This ability can only be used once per combat.

Cunning (mo)
: You may raise your
brawn
score by 3 for one combat round. You can only use
cunning
once per combat.

Curse (sp)
: (see
Webbed
). You can only use
curse
once per combat.

Cutpurse (pa)
: Each time you successfully complete a combat, roll a die to discover what item you find:

    
or
A purse containing 20 gold
crowns.

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