Rogue Legacy: Lady Henrietta, the dwarf assassin

I am Lady Henrietta, the third of my name. Both Henriettas before me were slain viciously by the treacherous master of the forest, Alexander. The tales have been passed down for generations of a dark skull that lives somewhere in these woods, the bane of my family. I have come far through a castle of stone to find the entrance to the forest, and now I pray my luck holds out long enough for me to see Alexander’s lair. I want to restore honor to my family’s name, to bathe my blade in his blood. As I trek through the forest I see a large door flanked by statues. Alexander’s Lair. I clench my sword tightly, set my jaw, and enter.

By the way, did I mention that I’m really short?

After the jump, vengeance, humiliation, and/or new loot for later generations?

Rogue Legacy can be a vastly different game based on the class played. Each class is uniquely designed to use a specific skill set. Sure, the button layout is the same, but you won’t get far with a mage if you aren’t using magic to kill from a distance, and as a barbarian you won’t get far if you rely on your limited mana pool to kill enemies. Different classes are good for different sorts of runs, and each generation gives you a few options to choose from. Depending on what you hope to accomplish with your latest generation, you might jump for joy when you see your choices. Sometimes you will curse.

The knave starts out as a textbook glass canon build. Much smaller hit point and mana pools are the prices you pay for a higher chance of critical hits. Even with basic equipment, you can often kill monsters early in the game in one hit, but you have very little survivability. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” is the knave’s motto. The barbarian on the other hand can tank all day, hacking away at enemies and not too concerned about taking hits. This is an ideal class for learning the game’s combat systems and specifically the enemy tells. A barbarian can mess up a few times. However, the risk/reward systems in Rogue Legacy will eventually tempt you. As you become more proficient at combat, the knave allows you to strike fast and hard.

Lady Henrietta was an assassin who was born with dwarfism. Fortunately, her predecessor had just upgraded the knave class to the assassin class. The primary benefit of the assassin is the ability to enter a mist form that allows you to dodge all damage. Henrietta’s genetic trait of dwarfism is a blessing and a curse. While her tiny size affords her both agility and maneuverability, it also restricts her reach with the sword. This requires you to get much closer to enemies, erasing your margin of error.

Before I made my way into the castle I stopped by the blacksmith (pictured above) to purchase armor. Fortunately, in past trips through the castle, I have found several plans for upgraded armor. I ended up purchasing a couple of pieces of the vampire armor set, which trades base health for the ability to gain health from killed enemies. This is particularly helpful for an assassin, who has a small amount of health. Now I won’t have to relying on finding drumstricks laying around to heal.

As I made my way through the castle on the way to the forest, I came across the room pictured above. The top area was full of enemies and a chest. Playing as a character with dwarfism paid off in this case as I was able to reach the chest and recover a blueprint for a new chest plate. I have seen this particular room layout many times with other characters, but I haven’t been able to get to the treasure because the entrances were too small. Rooms like this are a great example of how some traits have built-in advantage in the game world.

Though I fought valiantly through the castle and forest, I’m sad to say Henrietta met her doom at the hands Alexander. She got in several critical hits before she fell, but her modest stature made it difficult to get within striking distance. Yet again, the developers have implemented a checks and balances system into the game, where Henrietta’s dwarfism has both an upside and a downside.

But at least she’s passed down to her descendents the blueprint for a new chest plate!

In the next entry: mage I interest you in some coffee?
Click here for the previous Rogue Legacy entry.

Andrew Kneller is a chemistry graduate student and avid gamer. When he isn’t busy kicking laser tables and trying to teach undergrads, he and his wife play videogames and watch movies together. You can find him on the Quarter to Three forums as TREOS.