THE RUNE PRIEST

The Rune Priests are members of the Deepflame clan, a special caste among the Dwarves. The get recruited from children born with golden eyes, the mark of their god, Arkath, who are then brought up as battle-mages.

DWARF SPECIALTY

Like all Dwarfs, Rune Priests have increased fire resistance. Also, they get more health points per vitality point.

RUNE LORD: The Advanced Class of the Rune Priest

Rune Priests who have demonstrated both their mastery of the sacred rituals of Arkath, the Dragon God of Fire, and their valor in battle, earn the status of Rune Lord. This is a tremendous honor for a Rune Priest that is often marked by a magical brand or tattoo.

Rune Lord Specialty: the “Searing Rune” spell

When a Rune Lord casts “Searing Rune”, all monsters and characters on the targeted tile and the eight surrounding tiles get 50 fire damage at the end of the monster’s turn.

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE A RUNE PRIEST IN YOUR PARTY?

If you want a reliable and sturdy caster who deals lots of damage and can also keep your party’s spirits high with heals and buffs, then you might like the Rune Priest. And also if you fancy face tattoos and big beards …​

If you played the early Might & Magic games, for instance World of Xeen, you probably remember there were forest, mountain and water tiles you could not enter without a specific skill: Pathfinder, Mountaineer or Swimmer. This was probably one of the best and most memorable features of the games, and one we really wanted to bring back in Might & Magic X – Legacy.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to redo it exactly the way it was done back then: the first difference comes from the way skills are handled in MMXL, much closer to the skill systems of Might & Magic VI to IX. In MMXL what we call a “skill” can be improved by spending points and seeking trainers.

Since abilities like Pathfinder and Mountaineer are more like on/off switches, we decided to put them in a separate category: rather than “skills”, they became what we eventually called “Blessings”.

The Blessings are received from the Elemental Dragon Gods of Ashan (click here to learn more about them). For instance the Blessing of Sylanna, Dragon Goddess of the Earth, is the equivalent of the old Pathfinder skill.

Another problem we encountered came from the visual representation of the game’s world. It’s easy to walk on a forest tile when the trees are just 2D sprites - in a 3D world, where objects have volume and the ground is not necessarily flat, it becomes much more complicated.

That’s why in MMXL dense forests and mountain areas are closed off by special “seal” tiles that can only be passed through if the party has the corresponding Blessing. Walking on water still works the same way as it did in the old games however (although you cannot walk where the water is too deep).

There are six Blessings in the game, and they are obtained in a dungeon called the Elemental Forge by restoring the ancient altars and completing various challenges to prove your worthiness. The Forge is a dungeon you’ll have to return to several times, as you discover how to restore each altar. Three of the Blessings are necessary to complete the game, the other three are just meant to make your life easier.
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