Depths of Peril

K. Fields
2014-04-30T19:34:48-04:00
Video Games

Not too long after Fate, I was back playing another action RPG. This time it was Depths of Peril. Both share the basic blueprint laid out by Blizzard years ago with Diablo. Compared to Fate, however, Depths of Peril offered much more than hack and slash gameplay. It blended strong strategy elements with standard action RPG fare. It was an interesting fusion of styles and not like any other game I’ve played before.

You play a faction leader in the barbarian city of Jorvik and compete with rival factions, called covenants, for control of the city. Diplomacy also comes into play. You may ally with other covenants or even fight alongside rival factions in defense of the city against outside invaders. Not only does your character have money in the form of copper, silver, and gold coins, but your covenant accumulates crystals collected through taxation. The game also supports trade of items, money, and objects. War is ultimately waged by raiding a covenant’s house and destroying its lifestone. In addition to all of these strategic elements, your character may adventure outside the city gates. Optionally, you may be accompanied by a member of your covenant.

There are four character classes: warrior, mage, rogue, and priest. I opted to play a mage. My character was Styrbiorn, courtesy of the random name generator. I named my covenant The Chosen. We had to compete against five other covenants for control of Jorvik. As you can see in the image below, we started last place in the power rankings. We moved up fairly quickly, however. The Guardians, Keepers of the Faith, and Shadow League were the first three to fall. An invasion of walking dead through a dimensional gate in the center of town caused most of the casualties. Styrbiorn returned to town and helped stop the invasion. That left The Chosen battling The Gilded Coin and Defenders of the Faith. Eventually, The Gilded Coin sealed its fate when it began demanding tribute from us. We responded by raiding its house and destroying it. I continued to adventure while Defenders of the Faith built its power base. After waging a rumor campaign to weaken their influence, Strybiorn and all of his covenant recruits raided their house to claim victory.

Styrbiorn was a Level 11 Amateur Mage at the time he came to rule Jorvik. His final stats and attributes are listed below.

Stats
Health: 188 / 188
Mana: 302 / 302

Attack: 146
Defense: 188
Armor: 56

Damage: 8 - 21
Dps: 7.2

Money: 8SP 2CP

Attributes
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 26
Vitality: 32
Intelligence: 39
Spirit: 16