Stormsunder: Heirs of Ruin

Feilheim's Earth Guardian Specialization & Traits
8 months ago – Thu, Jul 31, 2025 at 07:20:44 PM

Hello, folks!

This update we're going to look at more new specialization cards as well as some traits, this time for everyone's favorite half-giant, Feilheim!

The Gentle Hands of a Giant
Feilheim's two specializations, Earth Guardian and Hinterlord, highlight the duality of his Druid class: support and melee dominance (while maintaining a bit of that dual identity within the specializations themselves) . We're going to look at Earth Guardian today, which gives Feilheim the ability to gain a substantial amount of power under specific circumstances:

Not only does he gain 5 power if he makes the final strike on a Commander or Elite, but he also Gains 1 power per 8 health lost when he activates. In theory this power can be used to activate support-heavy Signature Skills like Nurturing Breeze or Healing Salve, but where's the fun in that? 

Earth Guardian gives Feilheim the Spiky Thorns Utility, which is offensive in nature, whittling enemies down if they move in Feilheim's presence.

An excellent "topping off" ability, Rejuvenating Ring can also allow Feilheim to dump all of its healing on one beleaguered hero. It's a weaker variation of Healing Salve, which can be discarded for a respectable amount of power (which could then be used on Healing Salve).

Grief, Feilheim's starter trait has been buffed since we showed it last. Now there's a vein of anger in Feilheim's loss, giving him +1 BD for that activation.

Should loss further take hold of Feilheim's heart, he'll dip into what Grief used to be with Sorrow.

Should the opposite occur, and Feilheim reaches a step toward closure, then Grief is replaced with Wistful, saving him 1 AP when the card is drawn while keeping that juicy +1 BD. 

That's all for now! We'll be back next month with more news and/or card reveals. Until then we'll see you in the Storm (where a wistful half-giant is still a risk to life and limbs).

- LSG

The Flying Huntress
9 months ago – Mon, Jun 30, 2025 at 07:31:45 PM

Hello, folks!

In this update we’re going to look at one of Liora’s specializations (Celestial) and her traits. Wild Assent has taken a temporary priority in our InDesign schedule, but once that passes we’ll be back on track converting Stormsunder’s absurd number of cards. Without further ado, let’s check in with our favorite angel without a giant scar:

The Softer Side of Liora
When it comes to specializations, Liora can choose between the damaged-focused Archon or the supportive Celestial.

Liora already has an end-of-activation ability with Gatekeeper (damaging adjacent enemies), while choosing Celestial gives her healing to adjacent allies at the beginning of her activation. Celestial also gives her a new way to gain Power, in this case whenever she applies Burn to an enemy. This meshes well with her new signature skill, Fiery Feedback:

Fiery Feedback can apply Burn to a good number of enemies depending on the encounter, which means Liora can generate a lot of Power in a short period of time. 

Heavenly light is a straightforward ability and can come in clutch against a dangerous foe.

An upgrade of Divine Resurgence, Divine Resurgence II adds a respectable amount of healing and, when combined with Celestial’s specialization card, makes Liora a decent off-healer, especially against AOE-proficient adversaries.

You’ve already seen Liora’s starting Trait card, Inflexible. Inflexible II is more of the same but with the “Criticals have -2 damage” added to it. Liora will earn this card (replacing the original) if you make choices and actions she strongly disagrees with.

Liora is not impossible to please, however, and if she agrees with you more often than not, you will soften her cold demeanor, even if just a little. This is one of the better “neutral” Trait cards, so if you like playing Liora it’s well worth the effort.

That’s all for now! We’ll be back next month with more reveals and whatever news is happening for Stormsunder. Until then, we’ll see you in the Storm (where there’s so much sand flying around, it’s tough for anyone to be happy).

- LSG

The Council Invites You to Dine With Them This Evening
10 months ago – Fri, May 30, 2025 at 08:11:59 PM

Hello, folks!

A shorter update this month with much less in the way of spoilers, but if you don't want to see anything from Heirs of Ruin (even villain/boss cards), you may wish to avert your eyes. We're still working on InDesign files; we'll keep you posted on our progress in future updates. Until then, let's look at two members of the vampire high council (and Villains & Civilians I alums), Lady Nadja and Lord Matic:

Lady Nadja
Lady Nadja is a member of the vampire high council, responsible for the security and intelligence of Tarpitt when it comes to outside dangers. Rarely seen within the city, she roams the countryside snuffing out threats before they reach Tarpitt's walls.

In combat, Lady Nadja is a supportive Rogue, providing healing and buffs to allies while inflicting heavy damage to clumped up enemies and life steal should her targets scatter. 

Backline Support gives an ally Offense and healing and is a good enough reason to make a beeline for Lady Nadja right off the bat. Of course, if she were on your side for some reason, that's a mighty fine On Activation, isn't it?

When fighting Lady Nadja you will have to decide if you want to spread out so she doesn't use Shrapnel Arrow (which will wear you down very quickly) or stick together so you don't run the risk of her healing herself a hefty amount with Magic Arrow. Regardless, her Unholy Speed helps makes Lady Nadja a difficult target to pin down.

Lord Matic

Lord Matic represents Tarpitt's craftsmen on the high council, though he hardly looks the part. A failed experiment has left him in a monstrous form, making him just as dangerous as the more martially adept members of the council.

 Lord Matic is a more straightforward threat when compared to Lady Nadja, but he is no less dangerous. Lord Matic has flight, giving him great command of any battlefield, and his damage can go from high to "oh, I'm dead" in three Crits straight.

You will need to find a healthy balance of accepting Bat Screech's Weakness/Knockback while risking Thick Hide's dangerous retaliation. His normal attack, Heavy Talons, has an instant slay if he manages to get three Criticals (which, although rare, needs to be respected throughout the fight with him). Heavy Talons can also give Lord Matic some decent healing over the course of the battle, so be prepared to burn him down or potentially losing a war of attrition/insta-slaying.

That's all for now! We'll be back next month with more news on Stormsunder/InDesign developments. Until then, we'll see you in the Storm (where being insta-slain could be considered a blessing, all things considered).

Some Villains of the Villains & Civilians I
11 months ago – Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at 06:57:29 PM

Hello, folks!

File preparation continues, bogged down by other projects drawing our attention. We don't have an ETA, but progress is being made on multiple fronts for this project and others, so there's hope in that. I know the moving (increasing) target of USA tariffs on goods from China has caused a lot of turmoil in the board game industry, but given how long translations will take for Stormsunder we're firmly in the "watch and see" category and will make the tough decisions (if any) when the time comes. But, just like we said regarding VAT for EU/UK backers after BREXIT, we're not looking to charge our American backers more than we already have. In the meantime, we're going to look at two villains from Heirs of Ruin (who are always in the game box, but their miniatures are in the Villains and Civilians I box).

The Liberator of Men and the Liberator of Your Coin
First we're going to look at Florian Roth's adversary card (we'll also be talking about Emilija and show her card and an encounter she appears in, after the Aleksandra spoiler warning image):

Florian is a very direct person, and his adversary card reflects that. He's all about damage and keeping the heroes at a distance if possible. His two attacks, Quick Swing and Wrist Crossbow, both apply hefty debuffs (the latter needing two specials). Dismantle forces his target to discard an ability card while Shatter makes the next attack the hero receives ignore all armor/defense. The twins will take some heavy damage from Florian as Hero of Old Tarpitt gives him +2 base damage against vampires and Flash Powder affects both Aleksandra and Aleksander doubly so, as its harsh towards melee attackers.

We won't get into the encounters that include Florian, but his focus on debuffs can lead to harsh consequences for the heroes' objectives if he is not dealt with.

Next we'll look at Emilija and her encounter (alluded to but not included in the demo). Spoilers abound:

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Emilija's Equipment
"A modest establishment with a respectable assortment of martial weaponry and armor for sale" said the demo, Emilija's Equipment was not available to shop or otherwise. As the title that locks access from the shop implies (Fire Sale), you can do more than purchase equipment and instead decide to rob the place. Doing so can be a quick way to access some nice gear, but may also have consequences down the line. You also have to get past Emilija first:

Emilija is a strong villain that can use the heroes' own strength against them. She has a stellar (for her) On Activation tactics, Compulsion, which basically mind controls a hero if they fail the Vitality test. If they do fail, she uses Clouded Mind to make them attack their nearest ally with +1 Impact (red) dice. 

If the hero does save, the party then has to contend with Emilija's Chaos in a Bottle, which is an AOE attack with some nasty possibilities if she rolls 3 or more specials (very possible with 5 Magical dice), including injuring her target if she gets 5 specials.

Emilija also has a strong defense by sharing damage with one of her Marionettes, though that will make more sense when we look at the encounter:

Emilija's shop has a peculiar mirror in the back corner and, should you decide to try to rob the vampire merchant, you will need to contend with not just Emilija and her bodyguards, but also the marionettes that come alive thanks to the mirror.

When the first hero activates in the encounter, a clone of that hero (the marionette) takes the position next to the hero in the activation order. The marionettes stay in that order for the remainder of the encounter. The marionettes have the same general stats as heroes (health, speed, armor/defense, etc.) and attack using the heroes' primary weapons. At the end of each round assign 2 damage to each hero, and heal their corresponding marionette for 2 Health. Destroying the 15-Health mirror ends this effect and assigns 3 damage to all marionettes. 

Although there can be consequences for robbing Emilija's Equipment, that doesn't stop the encounter from being a lot of fun. The marionettes put a lot of hurt on the heroes, depending on their gear/level and the guards and Emilija provide enough support to keep the fight truly engaging. You will need to decide early on if you are going to rush the mirror or to simply try to burn down Emilija, her guards and the marionettes of the shop. Both strategies have their merits, but you need to commit to one or the other early on to succeed. Emilija is an excellent target, regardless, as she generally will have less defenses than the marionettes (depending on your heroes and their gear).

That's all for now! We'll be back next month with more news on InDesign preparation and anything else going on in the world related to Stormsunder. Until then, we'll see you in the Storm (where new gear can cost money or marionette-based self-reflection, the choice is yours).

- LSG

Terror Beneath the Sands
12 months ago – Fri, Apr 04, 2025 at 07:00:30 PM

Hello, folks!

The deadline we gave ourselves for file prep has passed and though we’re not quite finished yet, several other projects are moving forward (and off our plates) which should help us cross the finish line more easily. In the meantime, we’re going to look at one of Fil’lik’s specializations: Saboteur.

Have Pointy Thing, Will Travel
Fil'lik has two paths he can take with his specializations, Nightblade or Saboteur. Nightblade focuses more heavily on Stealth while Saboteur is about battlefield control. Here is Fil'lik's Saboteur specialization card: 

As you can see, Fil'lik benefits from attacking targets by himself and is rewarded for such "solo" kills. He doesn't need to fight alone, however as ranged heroes such as Vanessa and Drustan can provide support without negating his new Saboteur bonuses.

Disengage is not a new ability, but it fits very well with a "stab-in, stab-out" playstyle that can keep Fil'lik out of harms way.

It may not look like it, but Lure is one of the most fun abilities in all of Stormsunder. Having the opportunity to move an adversary, even for just two fields, creates limitless possibilities for those with the imagination to seize them. Walk an adversary into one of Vanessa's traps, add another victim for an upcoming AoE spell or just get that blasted Unsated out of the way so you can walk down a hallway. It'll feel like there's nothing you can't accomplish for the bargain price of 1 AP.

There are Signature Skills that are both deadly and flashy and can change the course of a fight, then there are ones that are neither deadly nor flashy and somehow can impact the fight just the same. Disorient is one of the latter skills and can easily save the party in a big way if used on the right target at the right moment. It's one of the more powerful utility signature skills (depending on the scenario) and a potent weapon against Villains and other larger threats. It won't flat-out stop you from losing, but you'll at least know you tried all you could.

That's all for now! We'll be back next month with news on file preparation and anything else that is going on in the world of Stormsunder. Until then, we'll see you in the Storm (where a shiny light might not be the salvation you hope it is).

- LSG