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I'm putting up a small update to share some beautiful artwork Dubb (Brandon) has done for me, following the heroes and villains of the storyline I've been writing for World of Warcraft. The Artwork/Drawings were done by Brandon and coloring and background by Warlockss.

This first series is of Lord Leonus Crowley.

Look for Brandon to be opening up a web site soon and perhaps even a comic book style collaboration with yours truly.

These two are the largest resolutions, one with an FoH Logo and one without:



Enjoy!

P.S. I do have smaller resolutions as well, but will only put those up for download upon request.


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Victor always had an uneasy feeling when handling Ulthruvilikh. Sometimes the blade would allow Victor to carry it to Lord Crowley without much incident, other times it would not even allow Victor to remove it from its pedestal. For the first time, since Lord Crowley had introduced Victor to Ulthruvilikh, the sword remained silent and motionless in Victor’s hands. If a weapon could have feeling, thought Victor, this one would be in a state of depression.

Very little was known to Victor about Ulthruvilikh. The sword itself was unique to this world. The hilt of the weapon was forged out of a mithril alloy, made to look like the upper arms and hands of what Victor could only assume belonged to an Angel. The upper portion of the arms made up the pommel of the hilt while the delicate, angelic hands split off to form the quillons. When one looked upon the weapon it was as if the hands were presenting the blade, holding it up for all to admire.

As far as Victor could tell, the blade of Ulthruvilikh was not made of any type of metal that he had ever seen. Lord Crowley once told him that the blade was forged from an indestructible gem of unknown origin, possibly obtained from within the fiery depths of Blackrock Spire. The crystalline blade jutted out from the hilt in an almost cylindrical fashion. The surface had sharp indentations and serrations, as if someone had delicately chiseled a piece of solid glass to be both blunt and razor sharp at the same time. Within those razor sharp serrations were carved ancient runes, the language of which had long since been forgotten by the people of Azeroth.

During combat, Ulthruvilikh would sing; the blade humming through the air and striking at its enemies in a cold and unforgiving manner. It was at its most glorious and awe inspiring when facing the Undead. Intense flashes of light would seep out through the serrated indentations of the blade as it cut through undeath without mercy. It was on the battlefield, then, many thousands of years ago, that Ulthruvilikh became known as the Hand of Light.

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Lord Crowley was visibly upset when Victor finally reached the stables.

“Where have you been, boy?” shouted Leonus. “I’ve been waiting for you and Ulthruvilikh for hours.”

Explanation of the trepidation Victor had in regards to Ulthruvilikh would be useless at this point, Lord Crowley had heard them all before and Victor could tell that he was in no mood to argue.

Lord Crowley uttered a few words in an ancient tongue and the sword propelled itself from Victor and into the waiting grasp of the Lord Protector.

“Are you prepared for the journey, Victor?” asked Leonus.

Victor nodded.

“Very well, pay attention boy. We will be making our journey half a day east towards the Elwynn Forest, where we will then meet up with Themesz, an old and trusted Magi of the Alliance – and dear friend to my father and our family,” said Leonus.

“And Victor… we will be traveling by way of portal - once Themesz has completed his preparations…” continued Leonus.

Victor nodded, futilely trying to swallow the lump that had made a sudden and unwelcome appearance in his throat. Victor had always shied away from most forms of unsanctified magic and magical travel was no exception.

“Sire…. May I humbly ask where we will be traveling to once we have reached Lord Themesz?” Victor could barely hold together the string of words that had just left his mouth.

“Darnassus… Naturally,” exclaimed Leonus. And with no further explanation from the Paladin, the two rode out towards the Elwynn Forest.

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The ride through the Elwynn Forest was a peaceful one, passing without incident. The Alliance had a secure lock along the roads and thoroughfares in mid Azeroth and thus most travel along its guarded roads were safe for the myriad traders and adventurers that passed through the lands.

Leonus and Victor were steadily approaching the hovel of the Gnome, Themesz, and would soon be on their way to the island city of the Night Elves, Darnassus.

“There!” pointed Leonus.

In the distance they could see a small hut, neatly maintained by the various living cantrips of the Magi.

They could see the ancient Gnome standing outside, his long unfurled beard blowing in the light breeze. He had anxiously been awaiting his friends’ arrival and from the looks of things in the yard, ready to get to work.

After initial greetings were exchanged, Themesz took Leonus and Victor inside the small hovel to rest from their journey. The ritual for conjuration and teleportation was taxing and such a long teleportation would drain strength and endurance from the travelers.

“I’m sorry about Ardan,” whispered Themesz. “I think we all knew that sooner or later, he would be captured – but to be brutalized in such a manner… Vengea… er justice shall be meted out old friend…” Themesz nodded.


“Once we reach Darnassus, we will meet with Roenic and discuss our battle plans,” stated Leonus. “Will the portal be ready by morning, Themesz?”

Themesz nodded with assurance.

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As promised, at sun up of the following day, Themesz had begun the ritual conjuration of the portal that would take the adventurers to Darnassus. A dark maelstrom was beginning to take form at the clearing by the Magi’s hovel. The Gnome had called forth the power of the elements to tear open a gateway to the other side of the world and was now focusing intensely on the gateway, waiting for the portal to stabilize so that the party could safely venture forth to the home of the Night Elves.

“NOW!” he yelled, as both Victor and Leonus leapt through the portal, and finally, Themesz himself, breaking his concentration long enough to make a dive for the faltering gateway.

Within seconds the party found themselves outside the Elven city of Darnassus.

“Check that your body parts are all intact,” Themesz said, now grinning mischievously.

Leonus let loose a hearty laugh as Victor began to pat himself down.

“Relax boy, it’s all there, even those pointy little ears that you inherited from your Great Grandfather…” quipped Leonus.

Victor sighed in relief and then proceeded to vomit in a nearby bush.

A great guffaw could be heard coming from the direction of a squirrel that was watching the event unfold from the fringe of the clearing. The animal made its way towards Leonus and Themesz and began to grow in size, shifting its body, transforming into the towering Night Elf, Roenic.

“BROTHER!” called Roenic, motioning towards Leonus.

Roenic put his hand on Leonus’ shoulder and gave his condolences in the native tongue of the Night Elf.

“It has been too long,” said Leonus, “Yet the hands of time have done nothing to your appearance. It must be that filthy Elven blood keeping you young,” they both laughed out loud. Leonus himself was a half breed, descendant to the ancient High Elves of Quel'Thalas (though this was only known to a select group of people).

Roenic greeted both Themesz and Victor, stopping to hand Victor an herbal remedy for portal sickness.

“Just swallow the flower bud whole, lad,” said Roenic, “It’ll clear you up, right as rain!”

“Let us get to camp; the forests of Teldrassil can be unforgiving come the darkness…” stated Roenic.

The four adventurers made their way to the beach campsite which had been prepared by Roenic - the shores of Teldrassil were radiant. At its southern most point, on a clear day; the continent of Kalimdor could be seen off the horizon.

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The sun had now set across Teldrassil and nighttime had taken over the campsite. All was quiet as the sounds of the crumbling waves of the ocean and flickering flame of the camp fire occupied the minds of the party.

One could watch the sea mist float up from the foamy wash of the waves in this beautiful world and forget about all of their troubles. Had it been any other day, these four men could have been mistaken for a gathering of friends, enjoying a peaceful evening on the shores of Teldrassil. Tonight, however, there was tension in the air. Something would soon break the air of tranquility and their objective would be made clear.

Leonus stood up and walked past the camp fire. He grasped the hilt of Ulthruvilikh and unsheathed the holy blade. Victor, Themesz and Roenic all stood at attention.

“Stand back… be silent,” said Roenic.

Leonus brought the blade out and held it tightly in his right hand, facing the endless ocean that lay before him. He began to utter some words in the forgotten tongue of his ancestors and then released the blade from his grasp.

Ulthruvilikh stood upright, hovering in mid-air. It began to rotate on its axis and then slowly, it began to arc in a perfect circle. At first, the blades arc and movement was slow. Gradually, it began to gain speed and flashes of light began to emanate from its myriad cracks and serrations. Faster and faster the blade spun until all that could be seen was a blade arc in front of the party. Leonus stood his ground, his right arm held out straight, as if commanding the blade. The flashes of light began to take on some order. The hues changed and shifted. Every color of the spectrum emanated from its being. Victor and Themesz could hardly believe their eyes. Slowly, pictures started to take shape in the blur which was the sword’s arc. The light patterns were forming images as the blade continued to arc and spin upon its axis.

“What is this we are seeing? What is happening?” asked Victor.

Roenic knelt down by the boy and explained the legacy of the Blades of Light.
“The Blades of Light were all created out of the same gem formation from within the depths of Black Rock Spire,” he explained. “Your uncle, Ardan, had the shards that had been forged from the main blade – those were named the Blades of Light. The runes you see upon the blade are in an ancient High Elven dialect, and they read: “Atoned is he that finds redemption through the Blades of Light.” Suddenly things began to fall into place for Victor. He understood why Ardan left the notes upon his victims.

Roenic continued speaking, “For decades, this was the only way for your father and his brother to communicate. To call forth the power of the blades to bond, the image of each was created and they could freely converse, without ever being seen together.”

“But…. Ardan… is dead,’ stated Victor solemnly.

Roenic nodded, “Aye... what we are about to see is an artifact in the memory of the blades. It will detail what happened to Ardan and reveal his assassin and we hope the reasoning behind this mad man’s murderous ways.”

Their attention was once again focused towards Ulthruvilikh. The blade was now in full motion - moving at blinding speed. The first images began to take form. It was Ardan, in the midst of an army of Orc and Forsaken alike. Thirty of the beasts attacked him, a feeling of awe overtook the party as they watched this man, solo… alone… put up the most valiant and ferocious battle to have taken place in millennia. The Blades of Light flashed, blinding the Orc and Undead, many dropped before the Master Assassin. Soon the sea of the retch parted and a man of grossly exaggerated form stood before Ardan. This must have been Drakowen… but... he had changed. He was now a hulking figure, his upper body was bare and marked with scars and tattoos alike. Drakowen uttered an incantation and Ardan was knocked to the ground – incapacitated. The Orc and Forsaken minions of Drakowen then disarmed Ardan and tied him to posts that had been placed in the cracked earth.

Drakowen stood above the fallen Ardan, an evil smirch across his now malformed face.

“STOP!” shouted Themesz.

With his left hand Leonus commanded the blade to hold the image that Themesz had wanted to examine.

Before them in the blade arc stood the High Priest Shar Drakowen. Victor immediately took notice of something, interrupting Themesz as he was about to speak.

“Look at his arm, Lord Crowley…” said Victor.

“He has the insignia… but… his insignia is different. It is complete,” said Victor.

The party looked upon the right arm of Drakowen and upon the marking of the inverted ‘D’ mirrored to the ‘R’ read the words ‘Dismal Rage.’ They had been wrong in their assumption. His markings on the dead were not done out of vanity. This ‘Dismal Rage,’ had further meaning. Something that none present understood.

Themesz cleared his throat loudly this time. “Leonus take this image back... reverse it and stop at the point the High Priest parted his minions.”

Leonus again motioned with his left hand, reversing the image to the point requested by Themesz.

They all stood, unaware of what Themesz could see.

Themesz had now turned a shade of white as he pointed to the image.

“Look there… in the upper left corner, towards the sky,” he stammered… “Do you not see it?”

The party did not understand what Themesz was looking at or pointing to…

Themesz was now visibly frustrated. “IT IS A TEAR!” he shouted. “Drakowen has managed to open a tear into the Twisted Nether. Something comes… Someone comes… ALL of this: This bloodshed, the murders, and this abomination of a brotherhood Drakowen has formed with these horde outcasts – they are in preparation for whatever evil comes from the Nether.”

“Your brother stumbled upon something he should not have seen, and because of this, these savages took his life…” said Themesz.

Leonus had seen enough. He could not bear another minute of watching his own blood being spilled, the torture and inhumanity displayed towards his brother enraged him – vengeance had now taken hold of his heart.

Leonus called forth to Ulthruvilikh. The blade stopped its motions and returned to its master’s hand.

Victor once again spoke, “Lord Crowley, how will we find the High Priest?”

Leonus did not answer, but instead remained stoic. He once again held the blade up towards the ocean.

“ULTHRUVILIKH!!” His words came with force and command… “LIGHT MY WAY.”

From the blade a blinding purple light exploded. It emitted a beam that shot across the ocean to Kalimdor, off the west coast.

“And so our destination is known,” whispered Leonus, exhausted from all he had seen and done.

Roenic wiped his tear-stained face. This scourge must be stopped, he thought to himself. The Night Elf began to shift form. His outstretched arms formed beautiful ebony wings, his torso shrank, forming an avian chest. His face and legs took final shape. Roenic was now in form of a mighty hawk.

“In my pack is a map, I have marked it as to our next meeting place,” said Roenic. “I will now fly to Thunder Bluff. Do not worry about me, friends, I am protected…”

“When next we meet, the great Tauren Hunter, Halfaz will be among our ranks. Do not fear… He would give his life to save our world. He is my brother in nature.”

And with that the Roenic’s mighty wings lifted him off of the shores of Teldrassil and took him beyond the darkness of the ocean, towards Kalimdor.

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The Mage

When a fan of the fantasy genre envisions the Mage, they envision a single being able to manipulate magical and elemental energies to form spells of massive destructive power. The Mage in World of Warcraft is this being and more… Everquest players will most likely relate the World of Warcraft Mage to the Wizard of Everquest with a touch of Everquest Magician.

The World of Warcraft Mage has a line of spells to manipulate Frost and Flame, as well as the added ability and utility of conjuration. Unlike the Warlock, the Mage cannot summon pets or servants to do their bidding in battle. The Mage relies on their ability to decimate the ranks of the opposing force through direct damage and area effect spells along with special lines of spells that hinder their opponent’s movement and attack speed.

Utility Spells

Among the Mage’s arsenal of utility spells is a veritable cornucopia of magic. One of the more important of the Mage’s utility spells is Food and Water conjuration. Unlike other games in the genre, Food and Water are integral to a World of Warcraft player’s health and mind rejuvenation. This ability alone will make having a Mage around extremely convenient and beneficial to an adventuring party.

Other spells in the utility line of the Mage’s spellbook include a spell called Khadgar’s Unlocking, which will find much use in opening the myriad locked chests and doors in the World of Warcraft. Reducing falling damage via a cast of Feather Fall is also among the utility spellbook of the Mage. Naturally, the World of Warcraft Mage has a form of self-only Invisibility, allowing them to be cloaked from the vision/sight of both friend and foe alike. The Mage also has a special Armor line of spells called Frost Armor, which acts as both an enhancement to the Mage’s Armor Class as well as a Damage Shield for any that may strike at the Mage with melee. The tertiary effect on the Frost Armor line is to actually slow the attack speed of the aggressor.

Lastly of note in the utility lineup of the Mage spellbook are their Portals. Mages receive the ability to port or ‘gate’ themselves to the various cities in the World of Warcraft and at later levels, through some ritual conjurations, allow the more powerful of the Mage caste to open portals to the cities of Warcraft for entire groups.

The Power to Crush Thine Enemies (Damage/Nukes)

Uncontested in the World of Warcraft is the ability of the Mage to damage their opponents through the use of direct damage (nukes) and area of effect spells (AE). Unfortunately, I was only allowed a taste of what the Mage of Warcraft brings to the table, but I am happy to share what information I have with the readers of this update.

To list just a few, the World of Warcraft Mage has the means to cast the following spells:

Frost Bolt: A high damage nuke that also slows the movement rate of the opponent (snare).

Fireball: A high damage, very long range fire based nuke.

Arcane Missiles: I call this the Machine Gun of Doom. The Mage channels Arcane Missile for five seconds, each second that passes fires off another missile at the enemy (or multiple enemies)..

Frost Nova: One of myriad Mage AE spells. Frost Nova is a Point Blank Area of Effect spell that radiates outward from the Mage, causing low damage but freezing in place all in its destructive path. Said to be a useful escape tool, among other things.

Blizzard: A standard high damage area of effect spell that damages multiple enemies within range of the Mage.

An additional note about the Mage: Still undergoing testing and development is the Mage’s ability to cast various forms of Illusions. Note, this MAY not make it into Final, but it sure would be nice ;)

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The Druid

Asking a Druid in the World of Warcraft for a port will more than likely get one maimed; likewise for those that wish for a cast of ye olde’ Spirit of Wolf. Expect former Everquest Druids turned World of Warcraft Druids to shapeshift into a Bear and maul you to death for such insolence. Just remember this, you have been warned.

The Druid of World of Warcraft was designed as a ‘Jack of All Trades’ type of character – yet master of none. Key abilities of the Druid include the ability to Shapeshift into various animal forms, some formidable in their own right, others as innocuous critters and beasties, best used for scouting and possibly ambush of the enemy. Along with the power of the Druid to Shapeshift comes a full spellbook. At its core, the druid is a powerful healer (when not in animal form).

Shapeshifter

Currently the Druid has the ability to Shapeshift into two forms: Bear and Cat.

As a Bear, the Druid becomes a Warrior. While not having anywhere near the abilities of a pure Warrior, the Druid in Bearform is granted a Rage bar and some of the key abilities available to the pure Warrior. It has to be noted that while in this form, the Druid cannot cast spells. Do not be fooled, however, into thinking a Shapeshifted Druid in Bear form will not make a formidable tank. With the loss of their spellcasting power, they make tangible gains in the ability to take and dish out some damage.

As a Cat, the Druid takes on the abilities of the Rogue. Key to these abilities is the ability to Stealth and Scout. Some of the damage dealing capabilities of the Rogue may also be granted to the Druid in Cat form.

Spellcasting Druid

When the Druid is not in the form of an animal, they gain the ability to cast spells. A Druid makes for a powerful healer and has the ability to also dish out some damage via nukes. Also granted to the Druid in Druid form is the ability to cast an outdoor Root (Tangling Roots), to stop their enemy in their tracks, immobilizing them outright. Again, the drawback to being a Jack-of-All-Trades is that the Druid gives up many of the instant cast heals and more powerful Area of Effect Heals the Priest class has available for use.

The name of the game for the World of Warcraft Druid is versatility. This versatility will guarantee a spot for the Druid in any adventuring party.

Note: While only two of the Druid’s Shapeshifting classes have been listed in this update, I was ASSURED that there will definitely be more forms that the Druid will be able to take later in their life. Some of these forms may augment the Druid’s ability to swim and others may be used in PvP warfare *GRIN*.

Additional Notes: "The Druid in caster form will be balanced to compete with the healing capabilities of the Priest. While he will not have the same versatility in healing, his raw healing output will be similar. Groups ideally will be equally happy having either a Priest or Druid in the group for healing." (R. Pardo)




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The thuds coming from the door were getting louder and more hurried. This parishioner, if it was a parishioner, sounded desperate; but who would disturb the sanctity of the Cathedral of Light at this late an hour? “Never a moments rest,” he thought, as the old Priest got out of bed to investigate the ruckus.

The Priest opened the front door and immediately recognized the boy standing before him as Victor, Page to the Lord Protector, Leonus Crowley. Victor’s appearance startled the Priest; the boy was extremely pale and disheveled, a bead of sweat on his trembling upper lip, breathing heavily, almost panting. No doubt he had run the entire distance to the Cathedral from his master’s quarters within the Castle.

“Calm down boy. What has brought you to the Cathedral in such a frenzied state?” asked the Priest.

“It, it’s the ... It’s the Lord Protector your holiness. He has fallen into a trance. He mumbles and shouts but nothing I do wakes him from his slumber. And… He is bleeding, Sire… there are markings, cuts and bruises, covering his body.... he writhes in anguish.” The young boy was petrified.

If Priest Aginor had still been asleep, this would have been thought to be the beginning of a terrible nightmare. Leonus had been his pupil, a child of Light. He had been left in the custody of Aginor after his mother and father were brutally murdered by the Horde during the siege of Stormwind, some 25 years earlier. What was happening now could only have one explanation, and Aginor feared for the worst.

Priest Aginor hurriedly put on his robe and began to wake up the others. He would need help if the Lord Protector was to be saved.
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The Priests were now huddled around the bed of Lord Crowley. Whispers and prayers could be heard around the room. Aginor pushed his way to the bedside of Lord Crowley and began to remove the bloodied sleeping garments from the body of the entranced Paladin.

The whispers stopped, only to be replaced by loud gasps. Visible now in the light of the room was the body of a man that appeared horribly tortured. Slashes and deep purple marks covered nearly every inch of his body.

The room erupted in a brilliant flash of Holy Light; Aginor had begun the healing process. The rest of the Priesthood quickly followed suit, Lord Crowley’s body was now covered in an iridescent glow, the wounds closing and the bruises clearing. His breathing had become regular again and it appeared, at least for the time being, that the pain had ceased.

“This is the work of dark magic,” whispered one Priest.

“The markings are stigmata, he is possessed by something unholy,” argued another.

A debate had now begun between some of the elder members of the Priesthood about the cause of Lord Crowley’s wounds.

Aginor remained silent through the conversations, though; he knew that this was not dark magic nor were the markings stigmata. It was holy magic. An old protective Seal was about to be shattered, a Seal of brotherhood... His thoughts were disrupted, however, when he noticed a strange marking on the upper right arm of Leonus. He moved in closer, perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him. Upon Leonus’ arm was burned in a symbol. It appeared to be a brand of ownership, perhaps slavery. The marking was growing darker, more pronounced and Aginor could smell the acrid scent of burning flesh rising from the arm of the transfixed Paladin. The Priest began an incantation to cleanse the wound but the symbol remained engraved in the arm of the Lord Protector.

“What does it mean?” asked a Priest.

“This reeks of the Forsaken…” proclaimed another.

“The Forsaken had nothing to do with this….” All went silent in the room as Lord Crowley rose from his bed.

“The Seal is broken, my brother is dead. Butchered,” he growled through gritted teeth…

“Your Brother? We were unaware that you had a Brother, Lord Protector.” The Grand Inquisitor was standing at the doorway.

“Who was he? Your brother… “ asked the Inquisitor.

The moment Aginor most feared was now at hand.

“Ardan. Ardan Tariq,” said Leonus.

Gasps could be heard throughout the room. Some were stunned in silence, some frozen in fear.

The Inquisitor’s eyes grew wide in disbelief, “Ardan? Ardan the assassin? The Shade of Light?” “How could this be? How… I don… Ardan the Ashen is your brother?”

“Was my Brother…’ said Leonus, nodding softly.

“VICTOR,” Leonus shouted, “Prepare my armor … bring me the ‘Hand of Light’ and meet me at the stables…”

“Where are you going, Lord Crowley?” asked the Inquisitor.

“To find my Brother’s murderer and bring him to justice,’ said the Paladin.

“But… Lord Crowley, the killer could be one of a thousand people. How will you find him?” The Inquisitor was now showing genuine concern.

Leonus lifted his right shirt sleeve and pointed to the marking on his arm that Priest Aginor had seen form earlier. “See that brand, Inquisitor?” The Inquisitor nodded. “It is the mark of the killer. All of his victims have these letters branded into their arms, usually right before they are murdered and sometimes after.”

“Letters? I see no letters, it looks as if some arcane symbol has been burned into your arm,” said the Inquisitor.

Leonus motioned for the Inquisitor to come closer. With the tip of his left index finger he drew an invisible line connecting the perceived symbols. “When my Seal of Protection was broken, the brand had not yet fully formed into the skin of my brother. This marking is incomplete, but as you can see, the shapes form a ‘D’ and an ‘R,’ with the ‘D’ mirrored on the backside of the ‘R’,” explained Leonus. “It is definitely his blood work. Now if you will excuse me, I must be on my way.”

Leonus pushed through to the doorway, nodding his thanks to Priest Aginor on the way out.

“D-R? What does it mean Lord Crowley?” asked the Inquisitor.

“I can only assume it signifies his name - Drakowen.” And with that, the Paladin was gone.
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Priest Aginor groaned. By morning Stormwind would be in a frenzy. The Lord Protector, brother to the notorious assassin, Ardan Tariq.

Leonus was only a boy of 10 when Ardan brought him to the Cathedral. Ardan was just entering manhood, strong, agile, and bent on vengeance. Aginor tried to calm the young Ardan at the time, but knew that his pleadings would fall on deaf ears.

Ardan would come by once a year to visit his younger brother, giving Aginor money, making sure his brother was taken care of and on the path of Light. It was no coincidence, then, that because of Ardan, Leonus would grow into the prodigal Paladin of Light, and eventually, a Lord Protector of Stormwind. After all, it was Ardan who tipped off Leonus to the corruption of the Night Elf Ambassador to Stormwind, Laaikus and his traitorous dealings with the Horde. It was Leonus, who from this information intercepted a Horde ambush along the supply routes of Westfall, trouncing a Horde attempt at capturing a caravan of Priests returning from Darnassus.

Ardan ended up assassinating Laaikus in his home, managing to incapacitate two of Laaikus’ elite guards and ending the Night Elf’s life in one fatal blow. Despite the overwhelming evidence pointing to the guilt of Laaikus as being a traitor to the Alliance, the assassination went over poorly with the King. Many more assassinations occurred after the death of Laaikus, some within Alliance boundaries, some within the bounds of the Horde, and all with the same message, pinned to the chests of the victims: “Atoned is he that finds redemption through the blades of Light.” So it would be that Ardan would be known as the Shade of Light amongst the Priests of Stormwind. The Assassin of Light.

Aginor knelt and began a prayer for Leonus.

“May the Light guide his blade…”
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In this update, I will be discussing two staple classes of MMORGs – The Paladin and the Rogue. In World of Warcraft, you will notice that these classes are given some special attention and both have some very intriguing characteristics.


The Paladin

The Paladin is an Alliance specialist. That is to say, Horde players will not have an option to play a Paladin. The Horde specialist is the Shaman, which I will be discussing in a later update.

Paladins can be either Humans or Dwarves. Their power and faith is drawn from “The Light.” A Paladin can best be described as a Holy Warrior. They are adept at utilizing weapons and armor as well as Holy Magic in various incarnations (more on this later).

Just like Warriors, Paladins begin as a chain class (Yes, I forgot to add this in my previous update). As they grow in power, they eventually gain the ability to don plate. YES, Paladins in Warcraft can use swords, but traditionally, they are more apt to use blunt weapons, i.e. Hammers.

Paladins get a few Melee abilities. These abilities currently draw upon the mana pool of the Paladin. One such ability is Holy Strike, a high damage melee attack that does extra damage versus Undead. Another ability in this category is the “Fist of Justice.” Fist of Justice is a stun that actually knocks the opponent to the ground; something a player would use in combat versus spellcasters to interrupt casting as well as to incapacitate melee opponents. Against humanoids, the spell actually knocks the opponent to the ground, on their back.

Naturally, the Paladin has the ability to Lay on Hands. Lay on Hands drains all of the Paladin’s mana but completely heals their target. Currently the use of Lay on Hands is set to a one hour cooldown.

Holy Magic

One of the first spells the Paladin receives is Holy Light. Holy Light will be the most commonly used heal spell utilized by Paladins. With Holy Light, a Paladin could keep their group healthy, but at nowhere near the efficiency of a Priest. The Paladin also gets the spell, Purify, which acts as a dispel towards detrimental spell effects cast against the Paladin and their allies. At level 12, a Paladin gains the ability to resurrect players. Again, at nowhere NEAR the efficiency of a Priest. A Paladin’s first resurrect spell brings the player back to life with nearly no hit points or mana. This will scale more efficiently at higher levels.

Seals

Another unique ability available to Paladins is Seals. A Seal is basically a short duration buff. Paladins are limited to being able to cast only one Seal per player. That is, A Paladin could not stack all of their Seals on one player or themselves. In order to make Paladins stack better in grouping and raid situations, however, Seals cast from different Paladins DO stack with each other. Thus, two Paladins in your group could put a different Seal on each player. Casting different Seals on players that already have one of their Seals overwrites the previous Seal.

Many different Seals are available for the Paladin to cast. For example, a Paladin could use a Seal of Wisdom on a spell caster, imbuing the player with enhanced mana regeneration. A Seal of Might could be cast on a melee class, increasing their damage output. A Seal of Protection could best be described in Everquest terms as a targeted Divine Aura. The Paladin renders the recipient of this Seal immune to attack for 5 seconds, hopefully allowing enough time for a heal or Lay on Hands to land. The Paladin also has specialty type Seals, such as the Seal of Righteousness, that increase the recipients damage against undead and a Blizzard favorite; the Seal of Fury, which is a short duration hate enhancement buff. I have been told that Tigole enjoys casting this Seal on Priests in his groups ;)

Auras

Lastly, Paladins have the ability to cast Auras, similar to Warrior Shouts in effect. In EQ terms, Auras are much more closely related to Bard songs, although again, they will not be twisting these Auras.

For example, a Paladin could choose to cast a Devotion Aura, increasing their party’s armor class. During downtime when people are resting, a Paladin could choose to cast a Healing Aura, regenerating the health of their injured group members. If the Paladin wants to enhance the damage dealt by their group, they could use a Retribution Aura, creating a damage shield upon their group members, causing injury to monsters and opponents that strike at the party members.

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The Rogue

Unlike the Paladin, the Rogue is not limited to just the Alliance. Rogues can be many different races: Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Gnomes, Orc, Undead, and Troll.

At its core, a Rogue is a pure melee class limited to wearing leather armor. A rogue is a master of stealth and armed combat, aided by the use of poison and perhaps, espionage.

Being a master of stealth has its advantages. Unlike Everquest where the monster or player either sees the Rogue or does not see the Rogue, World of Warcraft instead scales the possibility of detection versus the level and skill of a Rogue. A Rogue has an advantage when moving around stealthed if behind a mob. What this equates to in game is a thing of beauty. Depending on one’s detect skill and level, a Rogue can be completely invisible, or in varying levels of ‘transparency.’ When we were in one dungeon, Jeff and Rob ran by some Rogue NPCs who were hidden and I actually missed seeing them the first pass. When they went back and stopped, I actually saw two of them standing there almost invisible. Very, VERY cool stuff. Also while in stealth, the Rogue has the ability to Pickpocket NPCs. To prevent the inevitable player community whines that would rise up from this, what the Rogue pickpockets comes from a different/separate loot pool, set aside specifically for Pickpocketing.

Another Rogue ability is the ability to craft poisons and use said poisons in combat. The guys were very hush-hush about this because of how their system in World of Warcraft works. I was assured that the end result is something VERY cool and very much unlike the poison system in Everquest (I’m sure many Everquest Rogues are breathing a sigh of relief).

Something not discussed and still under debate is the ability of the Rogue to use disguises to their advantage. Currently this is a ‘maybe,’ but here’s to hoping and praying this one makes it into beta and beyond. Obviously, this could cause some PvP imbalances but the potential for fun is too much for this to be left out in my opinion.

Combat Mechanics

A rogues damage and power scales up with Opening and Finishing moves. During combat, when a rogue engages their opponent, the enemy target indicator will have 5 unlit bubbles. Opening moves light the bubbles up. Some Opening moves are worth more bubbles than others. Once enough of the enemy UI bubble slots are full, the Rogue can execute Finishing moves. Additionally, the power of the Finishing move is based upon how many bubbles are lit up. If the rogue switches targets during combat, they will lose any built up Finishing moves they may have had on their last target – that is, it is TARGET specific (all lit bubbles are lost when target switches are made).

The Rogue has an impressive arsenal of Opening Moves, some positional, others situational. Common Opening moves include Sinister Strike, a high damage move that can be executed from any angle, and Backstab, a high damage attack which can only be executed from the back of the opponent. The Rogue also gets a bevy of utility moves they can use for solo or group play. Gouge is a stun that the Rogue can use to incapacitate their opponent for 4 seconds, at which time they can strafe around the back of the enemy to get in a high damage backstab. Methods of hate reduction are also part of the Rogue’s Opening move arsenal. Through the use of Trips and Feints, the rogue can lower the hate the opponent has built up against them, thus keeping the damage they take to a minimum.

Two examples of the Rogue’s Finishing move array are the Kidney Shot (high damage plus a stun component) and Eviscerate (very high damage). Both of these moves will use up all of the bubbles lit up in the Enemy UI indicator. Depending on how many bubbles are lit up (up to 5) the power of the move itself will scale up or down. A Rogue will not be able to chain Finishing move after Finishing move but instead will have to use Opening moves to rebuild the power bubbles to use another Finishing move.

Lastly, a Rogue has the unique ability to Sap HUMANOID creatures while stealthed, from behind. What a Sap actually does is allow the Rogue to take an opponent out of combat for extended periods of time. For example, a Rogue may come upon an enemy encampment of Forsaken. While hidden in stealth, the rogue could sneak up to the two guards on the perimeter, Sap one guard, knocking them out for 30 seconds, while engaging the other guard in combat. Damaging the Sapped enemy will break the stun and allow the opponent to resume attacks against the Rogue.


Given all of these unique abilities, both the Paladin and Rogue are sure to see extensive play from World of Warcraft fans and players. I think it’s important to note that while this stuff looks great on paper, seeing all of these things in game are a different thing entirely. The attention to detail and gameplay (read: fun) given to the classes in Warcraft can only truly be appreciated while playing. I can’t wait…..

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