Stoneshard Update - New Proselytes
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The latest developer update for Ink Stains Games' turn-based RPG Stoneshard introduces us to a series of new Proselyte enemies we'll be able to run into once the game's next early access update goes live. Here's what you can expect from them:
Hello everyone!
This post is the first one in the series of devlogs where we tell you about new content that will be a part of the upcoming major update. Today, we’ll share the details about high tier Proselytes - new dangerous enemy types which you’ll be able to encounter in Catacomb dungeons.
Proselytes are a disturbing, mysterious vampire cult that only recently became prominent in Aldor - they are definitely on the fantasy side of things when compared to the rest of the setting. While working on them, we decided not to focus too much on realism and the restrictions of the world we created, instead fully embracing the opportunity to make new enemies memorable and unique.
Here they are, left to right…
[...]
Let’s start with the Proselytes whom you might run into while exploring both low and high level Catacombs.
Martyr
“The sight of martyrs' agony only strengthens other Proselytes' loyalty to the Court. How deep into madness does one need to descend to volunteer for something like this?..”
Martyrs are stationary foes whose main task is to support other cultists. Their “Neverending Torment” passive causes Martyrs to lose Health each turn as long as there’s both an enemy and an ally within their Vision, while “Willing Sacrifice” transforms some of the damage they take into healing for their allies.
As a result, it might be a good idea to prioritize Martyrs in combat. There is one thing to keep in mind though - killing them doesn’t immediately end your troubles. Even upon taking fatal damage, a Martyr continues hanging from the stake, replacing their abilities with the “Blessed in Death” passive that grants significant buffs to the rest of the Proselytes. The solution here is simple - you’ll just need to finish the job and topple the stake propping up the corpse.
Bell-Ringer
“Echoing through the pitch darkness of underground tunnels, the otherworldly cluttering of his bell can send even the most reckless hotheads fleeing in terror."
The Bell-Ringer is yet another cultist whose main task is supporting other Proselytes. Aside from the standard Proselyte bag of tricks, he also has two unique active abilities: “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Unholy Anthems”. The first ability generates a huge amount of noise, attracting cultists from distant rooms and chipping away at your character’s sanity, increasing the damage they receive. The second one grants a random buff to every Proselyte in a large radius.
Let’s have a look at the next tier of Proselytes:
Fiend
“This Proselyte is a perfect soldier: inhumanly strong, ferocious, and feeling no pain, fear, or mercy.”
Fiends retained their ability to handle weapons, so they act as infantry of sorts. Armed with axes and crude clubs, they have access to some Weaponry skills. On top of all that, they also have two new passives: “Witness His Might” and “Anthems of Bloodshed”.
“Witness His Might” increases Fiends’ damage and Health for each unique Proselyte type within their Vision, and allows their attacks to gradually decrease your character’s resistance to damage. “Anthems of Bloodshed” grants them a guaranteed critical hit with bonus Bleeding Chance on every 6th attack that also buffs nearby cultists upon landing.
Impaler
“Impalers are unmatched in their ability to track down and capture those poor souls who unknowingly wander into the catacombs. The victims that survive the hunt either join the cult or serve as sacrifices for the Court.”
Impalers’ main task is to wear your character down and quite literally bleed them dry. To aid them in this task, they have access to a number of abilities: “Impaling Lunge”, “Lacerate”, “Net Throw”, and “Sudden Lunge”. Other than that, Impalers’ “Blood Scent” buffs their Crit and Counter Chances as well as their damage for each Bleeding affecting enemies and allies within Vision.
Murkstalker
“The horrific murkstalkers resemble underground bats not only in appearance but also in their behaviour, taking full advantage of the catacombs' impenetrable shadows.”
Murkstalkers are among the most devious Catacomb creatures - defeating them won’t be an easy task. Their main strength lies in mobility and being unpredictable: “Murkwalk” allows them to teleport over large distances, and “Embrace the Murk” grants them a short dash and invisibility. While invisible, they regain some of their strength and receive a stacking bonus to stats, which they can unleash at the right moment by rushing your character down with a devastating “Murkstrike”.
An invisible Murkstalker can only be revealed by standing on an adjacent tile, so it might be a good idea to bring a net or some other means of Immobilization when facing them - those will prevent any attempts to retreat into the Murk.
Girrud
“Girruds are too far gone in their disturbing metamorphosis, giving off the impression that their repugnant tongues have a mind of their own.”
This Proselyte’s main weapon is his incredibly long tongue, skillfully utilized through the following three active abilities: “Tongue Pull” allows him to drag the target a bit closer, “Tongue Push” creates a two tile distance, while “Tongue Leech” has a chance to Immobilize and Drain a large amount of Health.
Yagram
“This bestial cultist's mind is clouded with unbridled rage - there is very little human left in it.”
Yagrams are an embodiment of rage and brute force, posing danger to allies and enemies alike. They are capable of multiple AoE attacks: “Swipe” lets them knock nearby targets into walls and other props, while “Earthshaking Strike” Stuns and Dazes anyone who happens to stand in front of a Yagram.
Additionally, every attack delivered to or by Yagrams fuels their hidden rage stat. Upon reaching a critical level, it activates the “Bestial Rage” passive that increases both their damage dealt and damage received. While in this state, Yagrams abandon all common sense, causing their attacks to frequently hit random targets instead of your character - with enough luck, this can be used to your advantage.
Saggul
“Sagguls still bear the mark of the Crimson Plague, although for them it's a blessing rather than a curse.”
Sagguls are twisted, ugly mutants that act as ranged units for the Proselytes. In combat, they rely on “Blood Spit”, creating puddles of liquid that damage your character and heal other cultists. When forced into melee, they can still fight back with “Blister Burst”, dealing damage and creating blood puddles on every nearby tile.
And finally, minibosses:
Wormbearer
“Wormbearers are the grotesque embodiment of the Court cults: the host suffers from its parasites, while the parasites suffer for their host.”
Clumsy and hard to kill, Wormbearers rely on giant worms that they can summon on any tile within Vision by spending a bit of Health. They are also willing to make use of any dead bodies lying nearby, destroying them with their “Wormfood” ability to summon a few worms on random adjacent tiles. The resulting number of worms depends on the size of the affected corpse.
A single worm isn’t all that dangerous, but a whole swarm of them can be rather difficult to deal with - their “Feed the Host” passive converts some of the damage dealt to the enemy into Health for the Wormbearer, allowing more and more worms to be summoned.
Anmarrak
“The only thing keeping this vaguely human-shaped product of vile rituals alive is its blind faith in the Court.”
An Anmarrak is a miniboss with a unique style of combat. Upon spotting an enemy, it burrows its tentacle arm into the ground, receiving a massive boost to various resistances, while losing its ability to move around and attack directly. The tentacle arm then resurfaces near the enemy and begins striking them. Moving away from the tentacle or killing it forces the Anmarrak to reposition it or spawn a new one.
The key to defeating the seemingly invulnerable Anmarrak is to methodically slay its tentacles: thanks to its “One Body” passive, any damage received by these two entities is split between them, permanently increasing with every destroyed tentacle.
That’s all for now. We hope you enjoyed reading about these upcoming additions to the game’s bestiary! Make sure to stay tuned: in the next few devlogs, we’ll tell you more about new Ability Trees and changes to the Magic System.
Until next time!
