Character creation and progression SpellForce 3 Guide

Heroes accompany you throughout the entire campaign. They collect experience and get access to better abilities and gear. You can select abilities that you want to develop next but, when it comes to classes, you can't select them for characters other than your own. This chapter contains tips for character creation as well as progression.

• Character creation
• Character progression
• Spellbook

Character creation

You can choose from predefined classes.

Character creation is only available after completing the first campaign mission. You should save your game here - this can save you a little bit of time if you decide that your class isn't to your liking. Appearance options are displayed on the left, class options are on the right. To create a class, you have to distribute 11 attribute points (there are 5 of them) and choose 3 out of 6 ability trees. You can also select one of the predefined sets of attributes and abilities. Remember that you can't change your ability trees later, you have to stick with them till the end of the game. Because of that you should learn about them before you create your character.

Your character's attributes:

1. Strength - the higher this stat, the better weapons your character can use. It also increases a chance to block an attack.
2. Dexterity - the higher this stat, the better weapons your character can use. It also increases a chance to deal critical damage.
3. Intelligence - increases focus (mana) regeneration. Unlocks ability to wear magic robes and use staffs.
4. Constitution - increases health points and resistance to physical damage. Unlocks access to heavy armors.
5. Willpower - increases magic resistance. Similar to Intelligence, it unlocks ability to wear magic robes and use staffs.

Also, all attributes influence effectiveness of your weapons and abilities. Check out which abilities scale with a weapon or an ability that you want to use.

Available ability trees:

1. Brutality - this tree contains abilities used at close distance that require a melee weapon. Here, you can also find passive melee perks that stay active all the time or activate in certain situations.
2. Discipline - here, you can find defense bonuses for your character (they scale with Constitution and Willpower attributes) but also abilities that can allow you to weaken enemies or force them to focus their attention on your character.
3. Archery - mainly non-magic ranged abilities that require a bow or a crossbow. You can also find two support abilities that scale with Intelligence and Willpower.
4. Elementalism - mainly offensive spells that deal fire or ice damage as well as passive bonuses to those attacks. The abilities from this tree scale mostly with Intelligence and Willpower.
5. Black Magic - offensive spells that deal damage from black magic. Here, you can also find a spell that allows you to summon undead. Abilities from this tree scale with Intelligence and Willpower.
6. White Magic - support spells that can heal or even revive fallen units. Abilities from this tree scale with Intelligence and Willpower.

Beginners should choose Brutality and White Magic ability trees. Elementalism is also a good choice. White Magic gives you access to healing even without potions while the other two trees give your character good offensive options.

Character progression

Character progression is done by increasing basic attributes and learning/upgrading abilities.

Character progression isn't complicated here. You get experience by killing enemies and completing quests. Each new level gives you attribute points and ability points. The first points are for increasing your attributes and the later ones are for learning new abilities or upgrading those that you already know. Open party management window and distribute your points in abilities tab. Note - ability and attribute points are received alternately.

Experience is shared by all your characters. After leveling up you have to distribute points for each of your party members. If your party is joined by an underdeveloped character then you can give them all points that were gathered by your team up to this point. This goes for the campaign, skirmishes/multiplayer.

Spellbook

Spellbook (accessed from party management window) has all available abilities that are known to a given character. This window has two tabs:

1. Spells - here, you can find all spells and abilities that can be used by a given character. You can assign them to action groups which are displayed on the right - this allows you to use them during battles. You can create up to four action groups with different abilities and switch between them during the game.
2. Perks - passive bonuses available to a given character.