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Classes
Barbarian
A male Human Barbarian
A skilled melee fighter, the Barbarian has little armor but makes up for it in speed and strength.
- Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: As might be expected from a Barbarian, their default weapon is an iron axe.
- Fragile Speedster: They have great Strength and Dexterity growth, allowing them to move fast and hit hard, but their Constitution is tied with Intelligence for the slowest-growing of all their stats.
Warrior
A male Human Warrior
A trained and heavily-armored soldier, the Warrior is skilled with several types of weapon.- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: They start off with a Bronze Shield and a decent shield skill.
- Magically Inept Fighter: While none of the martial classes have good Intelligence, Warriors are notable for having the lowest Intelligence growth in the entire game, at a measly 1.
- Mighty Glacier: They have excellent Constitution growth, but poor Dexterity.
Healer
A male Human Healer
A talented physician but poor fighter, the Healer begins starts with several useful tools for healing.- Anti-Debuff: They start with a spell book of Cure Ailment, which removes status effects from them and nearby allies.
- Combat Medic: Though they're never going to be great at it due to their mediocre physical stats, they're still fully capable of joining into a fight and are decent with polearms.
- Magic Staff: They start with a Magicstaff of Slow.
- Support Party Member: Their proficiency with Alchemy and starting support spells means that they're well-suited to this role, though there's of course nothing stopping them from picking up more offensive magic options as the game goes on.
Rogue
A male Human Rogue
A weak and poorly-equipped adventurer, the Rogue uses skill and dexterity to make up for their shortcomings.- Bow and Sword in Accord: They start off with a Bronze Sword and a Shortbow, and are equally skilled in the use of both.
- Fragile Speedster: Fantastic Dexterity, but tied with the Mesmer, Hunter, and Accursed for the lowest Constitution growth in the game.
- In the Hood: Always start with a green hood and cloak.
- Master of Unlocking: Rogues have a decent Tinkering skill and start with three lockpicks.
- Utility Party Member: Their starting skill with Alchemy, Tinkering, and Appraisal makes them well-suited to this role, brewing potions, unlocking doors, and identifying items for the other players.
- Weak, but Skilled: They move fast and start with several useful utility skills, but they don't really hold up in most direct fights.
Wanderer
A male Human Wanderer
A hardened traveler, the Wanderer is low in armor and combat ability, but starts the game with several useful pieces of equipment.- In the Hood: Always start with a brown hood.
- Jack of All Stats: They have fairly average growth rates in Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Perception, and their Intelligence growth, while still not very good, is a bit better than most of the other martial classes.
- Ring of Power: They start with a Ring of Warning, which allows them to see nearby enemies on the minimap.
Cleric
A male Human Cleric
A student of the church, the Cleric fairly well equipped and able in many ways, making for a well-rounded adventurer.- Boring, but Practical: Clerics combine decent starting stats and equipment with better magical aptitude than most melee classes. Their starting weapon is also a Mace, which is exceptionally effective against the skeletons who make up most of the enemies in the Mines. These factors make them quite helpful for beginners, but don't expect to be doing anything particularly flashy for a while.
- Carry a Big Stick: Like a lot of fantasy Clerics, they specialize in maces.
- Jack of All Stats: Their description in the game even calls them "well-rounded." They have basic proficiency in several skills and a starting inventory that combines a mace, shield, and summoning scrolls. Their stats make them lean more towards Mighty Glacier territory, however, as they have poor Dexterity growth.
- Summon Magic: They start off with three Scrolls of Summon, which spawn a friendly allied monster to aid the Cleric in combat.
Merchant
A male Human Merchant
A seasoned trader, the Merchant is skilled in bartering and adept but unsuited to direct combat.
- The Face: Their high Charisma and skill with Bartering means that they'll likely be the one interacting with merchants in multiplayer games.
- High-Class Glass: They start with a Monocle, which allows them to appraise items more quickly and allows even monster characters to barter with merchants.
Wizard
A male Human Wizard
A wise magician, the Wizard is frail but extremely well versed in magic.- An Ice Person: One of the spell books they start with is for the Cold spell, which damages and slows enemies.
- Magical Accessory: They come equipped with an Amulet of Magic Reflection and a Cloak of Protection, giving them a little bit more survivability.
- Magic Staff: They start with a Magicstaff of Light.
- Playing with Fire: One of the spell books they start with is for the Fireball spell, which damages enemies and sets them on fire to cause Damage Over Time.
- Robe and Wizard Hat: They come equipped with a cloak and a Wizard Hat, the latter of which boosts their Intelligence slightly.
- Squishy Wizard: The Wizard has absolutely terrible physical stats, but high Intelligence growth and several powerful spells to start with.
Arcanist
A male Human Arcanist
A cunning spellcaster, the Arcanist is less magically adept than the Wizard, but hardier and better equipped.- In the Hood: They're equipped with a purple hood by default.
- Mage Marksman: Arcanists start with Crossbow and quiver of Fire Arrows alongside a few Magicstaffs and a Forcebolt spell book, and have great growth for both Intelligence and Dexterity.
- Magic Staff: They start with a Magicstaff of Opening and a Magicstaff of Fire.
Joker
A male Human Joker
A wild card, the Joker comes with very little equipment but has a few tricks up their sleeves nonetheless.- Good Luck Charm: The Joker starts with the Luckstone, a rock that lowers the amount of weight they're carrying.
- Jack of All Stats: The most extreme example of this in the game, Jokers have the exact same stat growth in every single stat.
- Lethal Joke Character: The Joker may be a nearly-naked jester with some mostly-terrible starting equipment and no combat skills, but they also come with a few very rare and valuable items and their Jack of All Stats nature means that they can be pretty versatile (if a bit of a Master of None).
- Magical Clown: The have some magical skill and a Confuse spell book to start with, and their totally average stat growth means that they're normally at least somewhat suited to spellcasting.
- Ring of Power: While most of their starting equipment isn't very good, they also start with an extremely useful Ring of Levitation.
- Teleportation: They start off with three Scrolls of Teleportation, which teleport them to a random place in the level when used.
Sexton
A male Human Sexton
A temple officer who serves unseen, the Sexton uses stealth and magic to slip their way through the dungeon with the aid of a few rare tools.Added by the Blessed Addition update.
- Carry a Big Stick: Like the Cleric, maces are the Sexton's default melee weapon.
- Forced Sleep: They start with a spell book for the Sleep spell, which knocks an enemy unconscious until they take damage.
- Rings of Death: They start with three Steel Chakrams.
- Magic Knight: The Sexton starts off with a few useful spells and decent magical aptitude as well as skill with Maces and Shields.
- Open and Shut: They start with the spellbooks for the Open and Lock spells, which do Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
Ninja
A male Human Ninja
A highly specialized assassin, the Ninja ambushes foes with swords or ranged weapons, using a few other tricks to get out of bad situations.Added by the Blessed Addition update.
- Bear Trap: They start with three of them, useful for setting up ambushes or dropping while running away from an enemy.
- Disc-One Nuke: Ninjas start off with a Crystal Sword, a weapon that normally doesn't show up until way later into the game. It's nearly broken, but if the player keeps it long enough to find a few Scrolls of Repair it's not going to be rivaled by any non-artifact weapon for quite a while.
- In the Hood: They start off with a black hood that also covers their face.
- Invisibility: They come with a potion of invisibility, useful for slipping past enemies or setting up a Back Stab against a particularly tough foe.
- Ninja: As the name suggests.
- Stealth Expert: Ninjas have the highest starting Stealth skill in the game at 60.
- Teleportation: They begin with a few Scrolls of Teleport in case they need to make a quick getaway.
Monk
A male Human Monk
Disciplined and hardy, Monks have little in the way of offensive training or material goods, but can rely on their excellent fortitude and adaptability.Added by the Blessed Addition update.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: As is common for fantasy monks, the Monk is skilled with unarmed combat.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Though they don't start with a shield, they're quite good with them.
Conjurer
A male Human Conjurer
A frail but adept spellcaster, the Conjurer is uniquely able to conjure allies with mana.Added by the Myths and Outcasts DLC, the Conjurer is the signature class of the Skeleton.
- In the Hood: They start with a red hood and cloak.
- Mage Marksman: While Conjurers don't start with any ranged weapons, they do have some levels in the Ranged skill.
- Magic Staff: They come equipped with a Magicstaff of Lightning.
- Squishy Wizard: Downplayed. Despite specifically being called "frail" in their description, their Constitution growth isn't actually that bad, and is better than most of the other magic-focused classes.
- Summon Magic: The Conjurer's defining feature is their unique Conjure Skeleton spell, which summons a skeletal minion to fight on the Conjurer's behalf.
Accursed
A male Human Accursed
The Accursed suffers from bestial hunger, but gains supernatural magic power and speed. An arcane library found deep within the dungeon might have a cure.Added by the Myths and Outcasts DLC, the Accursed is the signature class of the Vampire.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: The Accursed starts with a very high Unarmed skill, and can regain health and hunger by killing enemies with unarmed Back Stabs.
- Big Eater: The downside of the curse is that it makes the Accursed get hungry much faster than usual. Even with hunger disabled the curse will still damage the player, forcing them to eat food to regain health.
- Cursed with Awesome: They do need to eat more, but they have fantastic Intelligence, high movement speed, and the ability to drain vitality from slain foes. Curing the curse is generally agreed to actually be a massive downgrade.
- Fragile Speedster: One of the upsides of the curse is a massively increased movement speed, but the Accursed is tied for the lowest Constitution growth in the game.
- Invisibility: They start with a spell book of Invisibility, which is useful for evading foes or setting up a Back Stab.
- Life Drain: A successful unarmed Back Stab will cause the Accursed to regain some health and hunger, counteracting the drawbacks of their curse somewhat.
- Squishy Wizard: They have the highest starting Intelligence of all the classes at 10 (when most other mage classes start with one or two), as well as beginning with a very high Magic skill. They also have the joint lowest Constitution growth in the game.
Mesmer
A male Human Mesmer
Unsuited for direct confrontation, the Mesmer uses their magic and leadership ability to enlist powerful allies.Added by the Myths and Outcasts DLC, the Mesmer is the signature class of the Succubus.
- An Ice Person: As well as their Charm Person magic they also start with a spell book of Cold, which damages and slows enemies it hits.
- Charm Person: The focus of the class. They start with both a staff and spell book of Charm Monster, the latter of which is unique to the Mesmer.
- Magic Staff: Come equipped with a Staff of Charm Monster.
- Ring of Power: They begin with a +2 Ring of Protection, to give them a bit more survivability.
- Squishy Wizard: The Mesmer is tied for the worst Constitution growth of all the classes at 1, and has the absolute worst starting Constitution at negative 4.
Brewer
A male Human Brewer
A talented alchemist, the Brewer is also comfortable with relationships and bar-room brawls that a good brew will bring.
Added by the Myths and Outcasts DLC, the Mesmer is the signature class of the Goatman.
- Alchemy Is Magic: Their specialty, starting with several potions, an Alembic, and high Alchemy skill.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: They start the game with a good-quality axe, but their Unarmed skill is significantly higher than their Axe skill.
Mechanist
A male Human Mechanist
A skilled craftsman, the Mechanist uses a toolkit to make and maintain mechanical weapons, letting contraptions do the dirty work.Added by the Legends and Pariahs DLC, the Mechanist is the signature class of the Automaton.
- Difficult, but Awesome: The Mechanist has fairly mediocre stats and almost no combat skill to start off with, but their turrets and traps can be extremely useful with decent planning and resource management. If you know what you're doing, it's widely agreed to be one of the best classes in the game. If you don't know what you're doing, it might end up being the worst.
- The Engineer: While any class can use the Tinkering Kit to make traps and turrets, the Mechanist is the only class to start with one and specialize in the Tinkering skill.
- Magitek: The Mechanist specializes in making various magical traps, turrets, and even a robotic assistant, though they can also make more mundane things like Bear Traps and empty bottles.
- Trap Master: They start off with a few Bear Traps and a sleep trap, and can easily produce more traps with their Tinkering Kit.
Punisher
A male Human Punisher
The Punisher picks unfair fights, toying with foes using dark magic and a whip before making the execution, or releasing one's inner demons to do the job.Added by the Legends and Pariahs DLC, the Punisher is the signature class of the Incubus.
- Bondage Is Bad: The whip, mask, and association with the Incubus most definitely makes this class reminiscent of a BDSM dominator/dominatrix, and all of those combined with the propensity for Dark Magic implies this trope.
- Disc-One Nuke: Punishers start off with a Crystal Axe, a weapon that normally doesn't show up until way later into the game. It's nearly broken, but if the player keeps it long enough to find a few Scrolls of Repair it's not going to be rivaled by any non-artifact weapon for quite a while.
- Do Not Drop Your Weapon: A special function of the Punisher's Whip is that it can be used to whip items out of an enemy's hands if that enemy is under certain status conditions, such as confuse or sleep.
- Enemy Civil War: Punishers start with a Ring of Conflict, which causes nearby enemies to attack each other.
- Enemy Without: Their unique Inner Demon spell, which manifests the inner demons of whatever it strikes. In practice, this means that it creates a duplicate of the target that is hostile to the original, and all damage done to the duplicate also affects the original.
- Jack of All Stats: Their stat growth is almost the same for every stat, except for Constitution which is a bit worse.
- Malevolent Masked Men: The Punisher wears a unique Executioner Hood, which carries a unique effect that increases mana regen after killing something with the whip.
- Teleportation: They have the unique Teleport Other spell, which teleports a target towards the caster, disorienting the target for an amount of time proportionate to the distance traveled.
- Whip of Dominance: Punishers wield whips as their weapon, as fitting for being an Incubus with a BDSM theme.
Shaman
A male Human Shaman
The Shaman is a mystic whose connection to nature spirits allows them to shapeshift into bestial forms. Each form's talents provide diverse advantages in the dungeon.Added by the Legends and Pariahs DLC, the Shaman is the signature class of the Goblin.
- Mask of Power: They come equipped with the unique Shaman Mask, which doubles mana regeneration when transformed.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: They gain several unique spells as they increase in level that allow them to take the forms of different monsters, each of which has special bonuses and innate spellcasting.
- The Rat Form grants bonus Dexterity, Intelligence, and Perception, as well as the Detect Food and Speed spells.
- The Spider Form grants bonus Strength, Constitution, and Perception, as well as the Spray Web and Poison spells.
- The Troll Form grants bonus Strength and Constitution but a penalty to Dexterity, and gives the Shaman the Troll's Blood, Power Strike, and Fear spells.
- Finally, the Imp Form grants permanent levitation and a bonus to Intelligence and Perception, as well as the Elemental Focus, Lightning, and Confuse spells. Uniquely among the transformations, they're also able to wield spell tomes and Magic Staffs.
- Witch Doctor:
Hunter
A male Human Hunter
Equipped to track and bring down foes from afar, the Hunter uses special arrows and a magic boomerang to ensure they never have to fight toe-to-toe.Added by the Legends and Pariahs DLC, the Hunter is the signature class of the Insectoid.
- Battle Boomerang: They start with a unique magical boomerang, which not only returns to them shortly after being thrown but is also unbreakable.
- Fragile Speedster: Hunters have high Dexterity growth but are tied for the worst Constitution growth of all the classes.
- Trick Arrow: They start out with three quivers of arrows: Hunting Ammunition, which poisons and slows enemies; Swift Ammunition, which allows a bow to be drawn faster; and Silver Ammunition, which deals bonus damage to undead and demonic foes. They also have two Scrolls of Conjure Arrow, which can spawn more ammunition for them beyond those three types.
Creatures
Playable Races
Humans
A male Human Barbarian
The default race available to anyone who owns the game, Humans possess no particular advantages or disadvantages, and are equally suited to any of the classes. They are also the only race that has access to all of the classes from the DLC right from the start, while the monstrous races need to unlock the ability to play any of the DLC classes besides their signature class.NPC humans spawn throughout the dungeon, and are hostile to all monster races except Automatons.
- Boring, but Practical: They have no really interesting mechanics but also no massive weaknesses, and can trade with shopkeepers much more easily than most of the monster races.
- Humans Are Average: They have no major drawbacks or unique bonuses, and are about as good with one class as they are with any other. NPC humans can come equipped with pretty much any sort of equipment.
Skeletons
A Skeleton Conjurer
Added in the Myths and Outcasts DLC, Skeletons do not need food, cannot be set on fire, take reduced damage from most weapons, and can even come back from the dead if they had more than 75 mana when they died, at the cost of losing all of their mana. To counteract this, skeletons also take more damage from maces and polearms, regenerate health and mana at a quarter of the usual rate, and swim at half the speed of other races.The Skeleton's signature class is the Conjurer.
Enemy Skeletons are an extremely common foe in the Mines, making up almost all of the enemies faced for the first few floors. Unusually for a playable monster race, NPC Skeletons are still hostile to Skeleton players.
- Achievement Mockery: Trying to eat food as a Skeleton will earn you the "Boneheaded" achievement.
- Awesome, but Impractical: Skeleton player-characters don't need food, are resistant to most forms of physical trauma, and are resistant to both magic and burning. The downside? They can't eat, and they regain MP and HP at a quarter of the normal rate, meaning that you'll be relying on potions and fountains. This is crippling on classes that rely on either of those, such as warriors or wizards; unless you get insanely lucky with RNG, your run won't go far unless you flee from most fights or learn to cheese the AI. However, certain classes can take advantage of this; Rogues who usually won't be taking many blows, for instance, or Warriors who can reliably block most incoming damage.
- Dem Bones: They're a ambulatory skeletons.
- Here We Go Again!: Several of the ending crawls imply that the player character is well on the road to becoming the next Baron Herx, but the Skeleton ending unambiguously states that they rise to power as a terrifying necromancer and take over much of the known world, inciting rumors of a hero who will rise up and slay them in turn.
- Holy Burns Evil: Since they're undead, blessed water will damage them.
- Purely Aesthetic Gender: While this is normally Averted, the Skeleton bears special mention for being the only player race to actually invert this trope. Since both male and female skeletons use the same model, the only difference between genders is the small bonus to a single stat determined by character's gender.
- The Undead
- Wizard Needs Food Badly: The only race to avert this since they don't have a digestive system.
Vampires
A male Vampire Accursed
- Voiced by: Chris Kukla
The Vampire's signature class is the Accursed.
NPC Vampires spawn primarily in Bram's castle, and attack with health-draining magic.
- Blood Magic: Both player and NPC Vampires have the Bloodletting spell, which deals damage and causes enemies to bleed.
- Cast from Hit Points: If they try to cast a spell that they don't have enough mana for, their health will be consumed to fuel the spell instead, though this also weakens the spell. It is possible to kill yourself with this if you aren't careful.
- Early Game Hell: While the first few levels are tricky for any race, the vampire's need for blood combined with the fact that the mines are mostly populated by the totally-bloodless skeletons means that they have a particularly rough time. Once they get to the Swamp, where nearly every enemy can drop blood vials, it starts getting much easier. Considering the Vampire's powerful innate spells, it might even be intentional as a way to balance them.
- Here We Go Again!: Several of the ending crawls imply that the player character is well on the road to becoming the next Baron Herx, but the Vampire ending unambiguously states that they rise to power as a terrifying necromancer and take over much of the known world, inciting rumors of a hero who will rise up and slay them in turn.
- Kill It with Water: All water in the game damages vampires, including bottled water and trying to drink from faucets and fountains.
- Life Drain: NPC Vampires have two unique, unobtainable spells that do this. Drain Soul is a projectile spell that absorbs health and mana from a foe, while Vampiric Aura causes all damage dealt to absorb health.
- Our Vampires Are Different: They're blood-drinking humanoid undead with red eyes, pale skin, and visible fangs that drink the blood of people and animals alike. The game doesn't really indicate what their reactions would be to most of the typical vampire weaknesses since there's no garlic, silver, or sunlight in the game, but they are burned by the touch of water.
Succubi
A Succubus Mesmer
Added as a playable race in the Myths and Outcasts DLC, Succubi are blue-skinned feminine demons who gain bonuses from cursed items and can freely remove them, while blessed equipment can't be unequipped so easily (though they still gain bonuses from them). They begin with the Teleport and Polymorph spells learned, allowing them to make a quick getaway and more easily blend in with humans, as well as being able to recruit drunk or confused humans.The Succubus's signature class is the Mesmer.
Enemy Succubi sometimes spawn when a player drinks from a fountain, as well as spawning naturally in hell. They attack with charm spells to turn the players and their allies against one another, and if they take too much damage they'll attempt steal an item from one of their foes and teleport away.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Dark blue skin.
- Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad: Being demons, blessings are something you'll want to avoid while curses work the same as blessings do for most of the other races.
- Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: The fact that trying to play as a male Succubus will instead select the Incubus implies that they're the same sexually-dimorphic species.
- Charm Person: NPC Succubi are able to charm characters, forcing them to fight the succubus's enemies for them.
- Erotic Asphyxiation: Implied by the fact that Amulets of Strangulation give mana as well as draining health when worn by a succubus.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: While NPC Incubi use melee weapons and teleport closer to enemies, NPC Succubi only use spells and teleport away from enemies.
- Horned Humanoid: Though the voxel graphics mean they could easily be mistaken for hair, they have two black horns curling behind their head.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: If an NPC succubus takes enough damage, they'll attempt to steal something from their attacker and then teleport away.
- Shapeshifting Seducer: Since Succubus players innately know the Polymorph spell they're the monster race most suited to passing themselves off as human so as to charm them into service. Being Succubi, this trope is implied.
- Stripperific: NPC Succubi never wear armor, and their default outfit appears to be little more than a bikini.
- Succubi and Incubi: They fit the typical depiction as seductive feminine demons who utilize magic to confound and charm others.
- Teleportation: Both player and NPC Succubi have the Teleport spell, which teleports them to a random spot in the dungeon.
Goatmen
A male Goatman Brewer
- Voiced by: Chris Kukla
The Goatman's signature class is the Brewer.
NPC Goatmen spawn in Hell and the Citadel, and come in ranged, melee, and magic-using varieties. They also have a tendency to throw potions at their foes.
- The Alcoholic: Goatman players are heavily incentivized to drink and drink often. Not only does being drunk give you stat bonuses and have no drawbacks, but going too long without a drink will give a hangover that gives the same penalties that being drunk does for other races. Even their image in the character select screen shows them passed out in a drunken stupor.
- Booze-Based Buff: Goatman players get stat bonuses when drunk, without the Interface Screw that being drunk normally has.
- Extreme Omni-Goat: One of the perks of playing as a Goatman is the ability to eat canned food without needing a Can Opener.
- Fauns and Satyrs: Their goat-like features combined with their propensity for drunkenness is definitely reminiscent of satyrs, and the in-game book "Bottle Book" even outright calls them satyrs.
- You No Take Candle: The in-game book "Bottle Book," which seems to have been authored by a Goatman, is written like this.My name Screambleat Dunghoof, and I write book for tribe record so tribe keep the Screambleat thinkwater.
Automatons
A male Automaton Mechanist
Added as a playable race in the Legends and Pariahs DLC, Automatons are steampunk-style humanoid robots that consume scrap, books, scrolls, stone, and gems to fuel their boiler instead of having to eat food. Rather than Mana, Automatons have Heat, the regeneration of which is determined by how well-fueled their boiler is rather than their Intelligence stat. To help keep their boiler fueled, they also start with a unique spell that reduces nearby items into scrap. Unlike the other monster races, Automatons are friendly with humans.The Automaton's signature class is the Mechanist.
NPC Automatons spawn in the Ruins and Caves, and are neutral and able to be recruited regardless of race. They have no equipment by default, but will pick up nearby items to equip themselves.
- Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: Despite being robots, players can choose to play as a male or female Automaton. Males have orange "faces," while females have blue.
- The Blank: They don't really have "faces" so much as they have "headlamps."
- Magitek: If the player lockpicks them, it can cause them to self-destruct, leaving behind a pile of metal and magical scrap.
- Self-Destruct Mechanism: An NPC Automaton with low health has a chance to self-destruct, dying in an explosion that damages everyone nearby. A player can also trigger this by sneaking up on them and using a lockpick, which produces a large pile of scrap.
- Steampunk: Sentient humanoid robots who run on steam power.
- Token Robot: Automatons are the only mechanical enemy in the entire game.
- A Wizard Did It: There's an in-game book titled "Citadel Servant FAQ," which answers frequently-asked-questions from customers who purchased a "Citadel TM Boiler Motivated Servant," one of which is why healing spells work on a machine. The Answer?Magic is mysterious and powerful, and so there are many details that cause this to occur.
Incubi
An Incubus Punisher
- Voiced by: Chris Kukla
The signature class of the Incubus is the Punisher.
NPC Incubi can appear in the Ruins, Hell, the Crystal Caverns, the Citadel, and can be spawned from golden fountains after entering the Sand Labyrinth. They, unlike their feminine counterparts, can actually use weapons. When in combat they will often teleport to confuse their prey and attack from a random direction.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Bright red skin.
- Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad: Being demons, blessings are something you'll want to avoid while curses work the same as blessings do for most of the other races.
- Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: The fact that trying to play as a female Incubus will instead select the Succubus implies that they're the same sexually-dimorphic species.
- Erotic Asphyxiation: Implied by the fact that Amulets of Strangulation give mana as well as draining health when worn by an incubus.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: While NPC Succubi only use spells and teleport away from enemies, Incubi use melee weapons and teleport closer to enemies.
- Horned Humanoid: Though the voxel graphics mean they could easily be mistaken for hair, they have two black horns curling behind their head.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: When not wearing armor, their outfit is nothing more than a leather harness, leather straps, and a leather thong.
- Stripperific: NPC Incubi never wear armor, and their default outfit appears to be little more than a leather harness and underwear.
- Succubi and Incubi: In contrast to Succubi, Incubi fit the mold of a more aggressive sort of demon, rather than a seductive one.
- Teleportation: Both player and NPC Incubi have the Teleport spell, which teleports them to a random spot in the dungeon. If they use the Arcane Mark spell on an foe, their Teleport will instead teleport them directly behind that creature.
Goblins
A male Goblin Shaman
- Voiced by: Chris Kukla
The Goblin's signature class is the Shaman.
NPC Goblins spawn very commonly in the Swamps, and somewhat less often in the Sand Labyrinth. They use a variety of equipment, and will pick up and use any weapons and armor they find lying on the ground.
- Magically Inept Fighter: Goblin players are the only race totally incapable of memorizing spells, only able to use innate spells granted by classes like the Conjurer or Shaman and spells cast through items like tomes and staves.
- Master of None: While their weapon skills do increase faster overall, increasing any individual weapon skill takes much longer for a goblin character.
- Multi-Melee Master: Whenever a Goblin player increases their skill in one of the melee weapon types, they also increase their skill with two other weapon skills. This means that a Goblin player can switch around which type of weapon they're using much more freely, depending on what's available to them and what the current enemies are weak to.
- Our Goblins Are Different: They're mostly pretty standard fantasy goblins, being green, pointy-eared humanoids who are about a foot shorter than humans. They're less intelligent than humans but are adaptable with what equipment they're good with, and often scavenge new equipment they find.
- Was Once a Man: The in-game book Surviving the Mines puts forth the idea that they're what happened to miners who were working too deep into the mines and ended up "devolving" somehow.
Insectoids
A male Insectoid Hunter
- Voiced by: Chris Kukla
The Insectoid's signature class is the Hunter.
NPC Insectoids spawn commonly in the Sand Labyrinth, and are often equipped with steel equipment and the Spray Acid spell.
- Extreme Omnivore: Eats any sort of food: fresh meat, mouldy -2 tins, vials of blood, anything that isn't straight up rotten (aka broken and useless).
- Hollywood Acid: The Spray Acid spell, which they know innately. It sprays out a wave of bright green acid that damages equipment in an affected creature's inventory.
- Insectoid Aliens: Certainly look the part.
- Video Game Dashing: Their unique Dash spell, which thrusts the player in the direction they're moving.
- Wings Do Nothing: Played straight for NPC Insectoids, which cannot fly over gaps despite having wings, but Insectoid players get the Flutter spell to gain temporary levitation.
Bosses
The Minotaur
Official Game Art of the Minotaur
"My pet hungers for human flesh... what a pity if you should be here when he arrives."
The Baron's pet and an extremely powerful enemy that will sometimes spawn if the player takes too long to complete a level. As early as the first floor, and on random chance, he will set it upon you. You'll get a warning taunt from Herx mentioning either "his pet" or "the beast" and you have between ninety seconds and three minutes to find the exit, gather your party, and get out.—Baron Herx warning you of the Minotaur floor.
Voiced by: Chris Kukla
- Achilles' Heel: If you do want to fight it, lightning magic is a good choice.
- Beast in the Maze: The Minotaur Maze, which is a maze with a Minotaur in it. Hope you're a fast runner.
- Contractual Boss Immunity: Being as powerful as it is, it's impossible for a player to Charm or Dominate.
- Stalked by the Bell: The Minotaur appears more and more frequently the longer the player takes to clear levels. After a short delay, you'll be chased by a three-block-tall man-bull who can smash down any obstacle, walk over pits, and outrun nearly anything else in the game. He packs more HP than Baron Herx, and knows exactly where you are at all times; upon spawning, he will proceed to bulldoze his way directly to you in a straight line. Unlike most instances of this trope, you can kill the Minotaur, as he lacks many forms of Contractual Boss Immunity; if you're a sufficiently-powerful wizard or a really tanky warrior, you might just be able to slay the beast.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: If the Minotaur spawns after the player kills Baron Herx, Orpheus and Erudyce will mention that it's been a bit mopey since Herx's death, implying that it actually had some affection for its master.
- Lightning Bruiser: After floor 25, the Minotaur's speed massively increases, making it hard to outrun even for fairly fast-moving players.
- Implacable Man: When this thing spawns, you have two options. Either fight (and probably die) or run for the exit. You can't hide from the beast. It will just smash down whatever wall and even walk over bottomless pits to get to you.
Baron Herx
"Welcome to your doom, mortal!"
The Baron himself.—Baron Herx before you fight him.
Voiced by: Sheridan Kane Rathbun
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Herx is, or well was, a Baron of Hamlet, and a gigantic greedy S.O.B as well.
- Big Bad: Was this before Blessed Addition. Shared this with his master, Baphomet.
- Big "NO!": Has this reaction upon dying.
- Bring It: Baron Herx' comments progress to this. Initially, he sarcastically wishes you luck before cackling maniacally. By the time you clear the Sand Labyrinth, you're on his doorstep, and he challenges you to come down and get him.
- Came Back Strong: After striking a deal with the devil and dying in his own mines, Herx returned to life as a lich, which obviously made him even more powerful than he was as a simple, cold-hearted baron.
- The Computer Shall Taunt You: Baron Herx occasionally comments on your progress or threatens you as you descend further into his lair.
- Dem Bones: Not a piece of meat or flesh on his blackened bones.
- Disc-One Final Boss: He was the Final Boss prior to the Blessed Addition update, when Orpheus and Erudyce were added.
- Evil Laugh: He does this quite a bit, often while taunting you or when the Minotaur has just been unleashed.
- Flunky Boss: When he's not spamming lightning. he tends to dash away and summon demons or imps to fight for him.
- Gold Fever: Herx is so hungry for gold, he was tricked by his own slaves, who trapped him in his own mines. Unfortunately, his death didn't stick.
- Our Liches Are Different: Herx struck a deal with the devil to become what he is now.
- Power Floats: Is permanently levitating. But killing him over a pit won't let his purple orb fall into it.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Herx has glowing red eyes, most likely from satanic power.
- Shock and Awe: Herx's main method of attacking is a barrage of lightning projectiles.
Secret Boss
Baphomet
"Everyone you love will be turned to ash by the power of Hell!"
The creature responsible for Herx's resurrection as a lich. Banish him, and Herx will be no more. He is an alternate final boss pre-blessed addition that you fight in Hell.—Baphomet's unused dialogue.
Voiced by: Chris Kukla?
- Baphomet: Well obviously. Doesn't really look much like the traditional depictions of Baphomet though, instead being a somewhat generic-looking Big Red Devil.
- Deal with the Devil: He's the reason why Herx became a lich, though the exact nature of this bargain is never specified.
- Flunky Boss: Summons demons, imps, shadows and boulders/flaming boulders to attack you.
- Horns of Villainy: Baphomet has huge horns in his voxel model and is a devil responsible for Herx being a lich.
- Playing with Fire: His main method of attacking is fireballs, obviously.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Except for his horns and two shoulder spikes, Baphomet is this.
- True Final Boss: He held this position prior to the Blessed Addition update, when Orpheus and Erudyce were added.
Orpheus and Erudyce
"Our access to power has only increased, since you removed Herx."
"Allow us to thank you for giving his Barony over to us."
The Archmagisters of the Magician’s Guild, the siblings Orpheus and Erudyce became liches following a brief collaboration with Baron Herx.—Orpheus and Erudyce taunting you before you fight them.
Orpheus voiced by: Josiah Colborn aka mistersneak
Erudyce voiced by: Desiree Colborn
Once Herx was trapped, the Archmagisters made their move and went to the Caves to begin their plot to gain power and overtake the realm.
Added in the Blessed Addition update, Orpheus and Erudyce serve as the Final Boss of the game.
- An Ice Person: Erudyce wields an unbreakable Magic Staff of Cold, which is her primary method of attack.
- Big Bad: The Archmagisters are the final bosses in Barony without the Classic Mode enabled.
- Dem Bones: Much like Herx, neither Orpheus nor Erudyce have any flesh or meat left. Only black bones.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: When one of them dies the other is absolutely outraged towards the player, swearing that they'll use the player's soul to resurrect their sibling.
- Evil Laugh: Just like Herx, they will often laugh maniacally when the Minotaur shows up to hunt down the player.
- Fire/Ice Duo: Erudyce primarily uses cold spells and is dressed in blue, while Orpheus summons fireballs and is dressed in red and gold. Even their arena gets in on it, containing pools of both lava and water.
- Flunky Boss: Erudyce can spawn corrupted automatons, who do not drop any items.
- Dual Boss: Both siblings attack the player in the same fight.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: Downplayed. Erudyce will generally not come too close to you, but will still chase you, while peppering with spells.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Orpheus's primary tactic is to aggressively charge the player with his Crystal Sword, while Erudyce keeps her distance and peppers the player with spells.
- Implacable Man: Orpheus will always be hard snapping at your heels, while dishing out sword strikes and releasing fireballs.
- Life Drain: Both Orpheus and Erudyce are able to use this. Erudyce shooting a projectile, while Orpheus, when Erudyce is dead, will sometimes trigger Vampiric Aura, causing his sword slashes to be unblockable and to heal him sometimes.
- Magic Missile: If she's not spamming Cold spells at you, Erudyce is probably casting Magic Missile instead.
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Memetic Mutation: Orpheus' reaction to Erudyce dying has been memed by the Barony community, including the voice actor of Orpheus.Orpheus: Big mistake, cretin! Time to suffer! - Our Liches Are Different: Much like Herx, both Orpheus and Erudyce struck a deal with a devil to turn into liches. Unlike Herx, it's unknown what devil that is.
- Only Sane Woman: A few NPCs will comment that Erudyce is typically considered to be the brains of their operation.
- Playing with Fire: Orpheus will sometimes launch fireballs at the player, or make fireballs rain down from the sky.
- Power Floats: Just like Baron Herx, the pair are constantly levitating.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Just like Herx.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Orpheus is the red oni to Erudyce's blue. Orpheus is assertive, brash, and rude, while Erudyce is sly, cunning, and Faux Affably Evil. They're even wearing red and blue outfits.
- Teleportation: Erudyce will sometimes teleport above the pit at the center of the arena, while Orpheus will randomly teleport when hit.
Other Characters
Shopkeepers
Typical Shopkeeper
- Inexplicably Identical Individuals: Every single merchant looks the same as every other one.
- Shoplift and Die: Try to rob them, and they''ll fire off endless barrages of Magic Missiles until one of you is dead.
Merlin
Merlin in Hell
A powerful wizard and former member of the Magician's Guild, Merlin has been working tirelessly to assist the people endangered by Herx's actions and undermine the lich's schemes.- Dreaming of Things to Come: In a letter to the Magician's Guild, he mentions having dreams of a firey demonic force behind Herx's powers.
- Greater-Scope Paragon: Though he's only mentioned in a few in-game books and appears very rarely, a letter you can find from him indicates that he's the one who made the magic orbs, founded Minetown and the order of merchants seen in the game (as well as training the latter in magic), and has been working tirelessly to undermine Herx's plans off-screen. Also, he can appear as a Champion Human NPC, like others.
- Shock and Awe: Wields a staff of lightning like the ZAP Brigade and is, possibly, their founder.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: For some reason, Merlin is met without a breastpiece.
The ZAP Brigade
Classic Zap Brigadeer
"The Minotaur is coming! Let us slay any other foul beasts here as well!"
The Zap Brigade is a group of people who hunt minotaurs, armed with mage staves of lightning. They will rarely appear just before the minotaur shows up, and relentlessly hunt it down, and can also appear in groups when using a +2 scroll of summoning. Their staffs can be picked up when they die, and the can be recruited by players with a high enough leadership skill.—The ZAP Brigade announcing their presense.
- Hunter of Monsters: They specialize in hunting down minotaurs.
- Mêlée à Trois: If you're playing as a monster race that is unfriendly to humans, the arrival of the ZAP brigade can be a double-edged sword. Best-case scenario, they'll kill the minotaur while being weakened enough by the fight that you can easily pick off the survivors and loot the corpses, or at least keep each other busy long enough for you to make an exit. Worst-case scenario, you now have to deal with both the Minotaur and a group of up to 9 dangerous, magic-wielding enemies all trying to kill you at once.
- Shock and Awe: They all wield staves of lightning, which is the greatest weakness of the minotaur.
