Heretic
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Pull Request: Watch a man lose his sanity in real time: Heretic draft, ported from TG.
File:Heretic.png
Heretic
Superiors: Forgotten Gods
Difficulty: VERY HARD
Guides: This is the guide.
Access: Wherever your job has access to, plus wherever your spells can get you.
Duties: Find influences, make sacrifices, and conjure incomprehensible horrors in a maddened pursuit of demigodhood.
Departmental Head
Unknown
| Abductor • | Ash Walker • | Blob • | Changeling • | Contractor • | Construct • | Cultist • | Guardian • | Lavaland Elite • | Malfunctioning AI • | Mindflayer • | Morph • | Nuclear Agent • | Pulse Demon • | Revenant • | Revolutionary • | Shadow Demon • | Slaughter Demon • | Syndicate Researcher • | Terror Spider • | Traitor • | Vampire • | Wizard • | Xenomorph • | Zombie |
| Combat • | Death • | Hacking • | Traitor Items • | Agent Items • | Crafting • | High-Risk Items • | E-maggable objects • | C-maggable objects • | Martial Arts |
"Forgotten, devoured, gutted. Humanity has forgotten the eldritch forces of decay, but the mansus veil has weakened. We will make them taste fear again..."
So you're a Heretic? Well, get ready for magic and battle. Grab influences, complete sacrifices, accomplish rituals, and ascend to godhood.
The Mansus Veil Weakens
You are a nasty little bookworm in search of truth and power, and you have arrived on a station ripe with opportunities. Your ultimate goal is to ascend and become a demigod of decay, but to do that you must gain knowledge. All knowledges but marks, blade upgrades, and ascension cost 1 point.
You can gain knowledge points and become stronger through a few ways:
- Draining influences that spawn randomly around the station.
- Sacrificing crew members your dark patrons hunger for.
- Automatically getting one knowledge point every 20 minutes.
Sacrificing
The Mansus desires only a select few Heathens (non-heretics) at any moment.
At the start of the round you will be assigned five sacrifice targets. You can reroll these with an optional knowledge (The Relentless Heartbeat) later on, but until then, you're stuck with those.
- One target will be a Head of Staff. Heads of staff are worth an additional point!
- One target will be a member of security.
- One target will be a member of your department.
- Two targets will be completely random crewmembers.
You will only be able to sacrifice these targets. Your patrons will not accept just any old assistant.
Follow your File:Heart.png Living Heart to your target of choice and incapacitate them through any means necessary. If your target's in critical, sleeping, or dead they're ready to sacrifice. Drag them over a File:Heretic rune.png transmutation rune and invoke the rune to sacrifice them.
Whenever a target is sacrificed, they're healed up and sent to a Shadow Realm, forced to dodge the Hands of the Mansus to fight for their survival. They will then be sent back to the station and lose all memory of whoever sacrificed them, so your ass is covered on that front. Additionally, several of their organs will be dumped on the ground and replaced with annoying "corrupted" organs within the victim, so that you can use them in rituals later.
However, if your target is soulless they'll make a huge mess over your rune. Be ready to clean it up if you don't want to leave evidence!
Anyone who you have sacrificed in the past loses a lot of their ability to retaliate against you in the future; A sacrifice victim who attacks you or is attacked by you while you are wearing a Focus will vomit out one of their chest organs immediately (with a small cooldown between this effect triggering) which has a 50/50 chance of incapacitating them almost immediately and killing them fairly quickly.
Eldritch Influences
Influences are the easy way to gain power points. Whenever there are Heretics aboard, influences will randomly spawn across the station. At first, influences are only visible to Heretics, and can be harvested after a short delay by simply clicking on them with an empty hand.
After being harvested, the influence vanish temporally. Soon after, it will reappear and change its appearance, becoming a pierced reality. More importantly, it will become visible to the entire crew. Influences can only be harvested once, so don't waste time trying to collect those that other Heretics have already taken!
File:Reality fracture harvested.gif (An already harvested influence. Notice the glow.)
In addition to its myriad other uses, using a File:Heretic forbidden book.png Codex Cicatrix to harvest an influence will reward double the knowledge points.
Heretical Research
Once you have some power points, it's time to research! Open up your Antag Info UI (Action button, top left) and visit the second tab. The research menu forms a branching tree (see below), and your first selection will be to commit to a path that defines your initial abilities and Final Ascension. You can earn abilities from other paths to a limited degree, but overall your chosen path will heavily influence your play-style.
Transmutation is the Key
Eventually, you'll need to start using proper magics. To draw a transmutation rune, you'll need a writing tool, such as a pen or crayon. Activate File:Mansus grasp.gif Mansus Grasp in your offhand and click on the floor to begin drawing a rune. These runes are green and take up a 3x3 area, and while they can go under other objects, it's best to keep them clear for transmutation purposes.
You can remove runes by using your File:Mansus grasp.gif Mansus Grasp on it, and you can also freely use other Heretics' runes.
To transmute, simply click the rune with an empty hand while the appropriate object(s) are on top of it, making sure that nothing else is in the way. Transmutation Rituals allow you to create powerful artifacts, demonic monsters, and many useful tools that will help you progress towards ultimate power.
The File:Heretic forbidden book.png Codex Cicatrix can also draw and remove runes, doing it three times faster than drawing by hand.
Focus is Necessary
To cast more advanced spells, you must focus by wearing an Amber Focus or holding an open Codex Cicatrix. You may transmute other items into them with your Starting Knowledge.
Some more powerful heretical equipment also functions as a focus - namely, the Ominous Armor from the Armorer's Ritual (when the hood is flipped up) and the Warm Eldritch Medallion from the Ashen Eyes ritual. Ascending also disables the need for a focus.
The Heretic Blade
The Sickly Blade will be your first unlocked research. It can be created by transmuting a common knife (this includes even Shivs, which are made by wrapping Glass Shards with Cloth) with a secondary ingredient based on your path, and serves as a powerful melee weapon as well as a one time use escape tool.
All paths have their own kind of blade, which only differ in appearance and name without any additional research. As with the File:Mansus grasp.gif Mansus Grasp, your blade will be upgraded by your research over time. Said upgrades will differ depending on the path you choose.
You are limited in the amounts of blades you can create at a time - Ash, Void, Lock, Cosmos, Moon, and Rust limit you to three blades, Flesh limits you to four, and Blade naturally has the highest cap at five blades. Try not to lose them!
Additionally, you can break your blade by activating it in-hand to teleport to a random, (mostly) safe location in a pinch. Better to lose your weapon and live another day than die fighting.
Objectives
All Heretics spawn with the same objectives.
- Research Heretic knowledge. You start with 6.
- Sacrifice multiple people.
Some Heretic paths will also gain additional objectives.
- Summon a number of monsters. (This only counts Heretic monsters, NOT ghouls!)
To purchase your Ascension, you must complete all of your objectives!
Paths of Decay
There are different aspects of the arcane to which you can devote yourself. While most all rituals and spells can be learned by a single Heretic, your first and most important choice will decide how your File:Heretic blade.png Blade and File:Mansus grasp.gif Grasp will evolve, and how your final ascension will transform you.
| Path | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Path of Ash | Nightwatcher's Secret | The Path of Ash revolves around fire, mobility, and crowd control. It grants multiple tools that are very forgiving for a new Heretic, including a short range jaunt that works while handcuffed and a mask that slowly saps nearby Heathens of sanity and soul, and is highly recommended for first-timers. While its abilities may not be the strongest until later in the round, they are very easy to get the ball rolling with and difficult to stop. Ascending gives you the power to burn down the station in a living tornado of flame. |
| Path of Moon | Moonlight Troupe | The Path of Moon is... creepy! |
| Path of Lock | A Steward's Secret | The Path of Lock grants you incredible area control as well as enough tools to bamboozle those who attempt to reach you. Your weaponry is mainly focused on utility, rather than offense or even defense, despite being able to branch into harmful sidepaths. Lock Heretics are able to quickly disappear and trick chasers with their Eldritch Card, as well as quickly return to safe points across the station. Ascending allows you to turn into empowered eldritch creatures and will open a portal into the Labyrinth's Heart at the side of the ritual, summoning an endless army of eldritch horrors at your service. |
| Path of Flesh | Principle of Hunger | The Path of Flesh focuses on summoning player-controlled minions and demons to do your bidding. Heretics on this path gain almost no offensive or defensive abilities, and rely heavily on stockpiling corpses and organs to complete rituals. Despite this, it offers many fun and powerful tools to those who can make it to the end, making it a difficult (but satisfying) path overall for inexperienced Heretics. Ascending allows you to shed your human form and become something much greater. |
| Path of Void | Glimmer of Winter | The Path of Void focuses on stealth, silence and the freezing cold. While the path offers very little utility early on, they quickly gain the ability to silence and freeze their victims, opening the window to silently ambush targets with no other items or chemicals required. It also offers full immunity to freezing temperatures, an invisible armored cloak (with pockets!), and later a targeted blink that damages anything nearby. The path has access to many strong transmuted items, but requires smart use to realize their full potential, making it moderately difficult but a good beginner choice. Ascending silences those around you and makes you the eye of a deadly blizzard. |
| Path of the Blade | The Cutting Edge | The Path of the Blade empowers you to become master of one-on-one combatant. The path lacks many spells or utility, especially early on, but as you grow in power, your blades gain the ability to counter attack and even dual wield. Blade Heretics can summon orbiting knives that will protect them entirely from any attacks, including stun batons. Additionally, Blade Heretics have a few tools to make getting the jump on your victims easier. Ascending grants you a whirlwind of knives to protect you from all kinds of attacks, as well as greatly enhancing your abilities in combat, especially with your curved blades. |
| Path of Rust | Blacksmith's Tale | The Path of Rust is about healing, corruption, and brute forcing through all obstacles, at the cost of stealth. Rust grants you the ability to destroy silicons and mechs in one strike, fry any electronics, and demolish any walls or doors. Most of your abilities will create rust - standing over rust grants you healing and resilience. While you will become immensely resistant standing on rusted tiles, you have very little in the way of tools otherwise, making it a moderately difficult path to take. Ascending grants you unparalleled healing and survivability when standing over rust and spreads a tide of rust over the station from your rune. |
| Path of Cosmos | Eternal Gate | The Path of Cosmos allows you to control the area by using cosmic fields. Cosmic fields cannot be entered by people with a star mark. The Cosmic Heretic has several spells throughout the path that give people star marks and generate cosmic fields. The path only contains spells so an amber focus will be useful. This path is complex and requires knowledge of how the path works to realize its full potential. Ascending summons a controllable entity, albeit can require a lot of attention to function optimally. |
Abilities
Below is a table with all your abilities. Upon choosing a path, you begin at the top of the tree, moving straight downwards; the first few abilities you unlock are thus based on your path. However, some abilities are located between paths, and can be unlocked by moving sideways once you're adjacent to them. With enough points, you can theoretically unlock all of these 'neutral' abilities, as well as dipping into other paths' abilities, but you can only ever unlock one Mark and one Blade/Steel ability, and you can only unlock the ascension that matches your starting path.
In the below tree, dark colored abilities can only be obtained by starting on the corresponding path, green abilities are "neutral" abilities that you can use to cross paths, and light colored abilities can be earned by any path by first going through the neutral ones.
Keep in mind that the mark ability, blade/steel ability, and your final ascension all cost 2 points each.
Starting Knowledge
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Break of Dawn | Grants you the Mansus Grasp, a powerful and upgradable disabling spell that can be cast without a focus. It will cause temporary garbled speech, as well as knock your victim down and deal 80 stamina damage. This does not work on those with anti-magic. |
| The Living Heart | Grants you the Living Heart, transforming your heart into a Living Heart, which allows you to track your sacrifice targets. Beware that using this ability will pulse an audible heartbeat. If you lose your Living Heart, you can transmute a new one with a poppy and a pool of blood while standing on a rune. If your heart is cybernetic, you will additionally need to supply an organic heart in the ritual. If your species doesn't have a heart, one of your other organs will be used instead - check your research tab in-game to see which. |
| Heartbeat of the Mansus | Allows you to sacrifice targets who are in critical or worse condition to the Mansus, sending them to the Shadow Realm and rewarding you with two knowledge points; or three if your victim was a head of staff. If you have no targets, you can stand on a rune and invoke it to acquire some. |
| Amber Focus | Allows you to transmute a sheet of glass and a pair of eyes into an Amber Focus. This is a small neck-worn item that allows you to cast more advanced Heretic spells while worn. |
| Codex Cicatrix | Allows you to transmute a book, any unique pen, and hide/leather from any animal (humans included) to create a Codex Cicatrix. Draining influences with the Codex rewards double the points, drawing runes with it scribes three times as fast, and it can be used to remove runes with ease. Opening the Codex allows you to focus for your advanced Heretic spells. |
| Cloak of Shadow | Grants you the spell Cloak of Shadow, which will conceal your identity in an obvious purple smoke, making you move faster but interact slower. Requires a focus to cast. |
| Feast of Owls | Allows you to perform a ritual that grants you 5 knowledge points but locks you out of ascension. A small sacrifice to gain power quickly. There are no refunds. |
The Heretic Ability Tree
| warning table is big and clunkly |
Optional Knowledge
There are also a few optional, dead end knowledges you can research to help improve your ability to progress towards ascension.
| Name | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Relentless Heartbeat | Mask of Madness, Raw Prophet, Void Phase, Stance of the Torn Champion, Aggressive Spread, Star Blast, or Burglar's Finesse | Allows you to transmute a harebell, a book, and any jumpsuit while standing on a rune to reroll your sacrifice targets. This grants you five new sacrifice targets (not guaranteed to be different from your old ones, though). This will never give you targets that you've already sacrificed before or dead targets. |
| Lionhunter Rifle Ammunition | Lionhunter's Rifle | Allows you to transmute hide from any animal with any three used or unused three ballistic ammunition cartridges (shotgun shells, rifle rounds, pistol cartridges, etc, any will do) to create another three-round clip of ammunition for the Lionhunter Rifle. |
Carvings
Carvings are special runes that can be etched into the floor using the Carving Knife, an item gained from researching the Tier 2 Void-Blade side path. These carvings act as traps that trigger when a victim steps onto one. You can have up to a maximum of 3 carvings placed at any time, and having carvings placed grants you an ability to destroy all carvings should you ever need to replace them.
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| File:Alert rune.png | Alert Carving | Gives you a message every time someone walks over it with their name and area. This carving has a very low alpha value in-game, making it very hard to see. It is not destroyed when someone walks over it. |
| File:Tentacle rune.png | Grasping Carving | When walked over, the victim is stunned for five seconds and their legs receive heavy damage. |
| File:Madness rune.png | Maddening Carving | When walked over, applies dizzyness, jiterryness, temporary blindness, confusion , stuttering, slurring and a large amount of stamina damage to the victim. |
Crucible Potions
Crucible Potions (or brews) are unique consumable items that are created from a Mawed Crucible, a structure gained from researching the Tier 2 Blade-Rust sidepath. Each kind of potion grants a special buff to you once used. A crucible can make up to 5 individual potions before needing to be refilled with body parts or organs, but will also slowly refill itself over time. If you ever need to move the Crucible, simply give a smack with your Codex Cicatrix or Mansus Grasp.
| Icon | Name | Description | Buff Icon |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Crucible soul brew.png | Brew of Crucible Soul [NOT YET IMPLEMENTED] | Allows you to phase through walls for 15 seconds. After the time runs out, you get teleported to your original location. | File:Crucible soul.gif |
| File:Crucible clarity.png | Brew of Dusk and Dawn | Allows you to see clearly through walls and objects for 60 seconds. | File:Dusk and dawn.png |
| File:Crucible marshal.png | Brew of Wounded Soldier | For the next 60 seconds, each wound you have will heal you: Minor wounds heal 1 of it's damage type per second, moderate heal 3 and critical heal 6. Non-burn wounds will also restore lost blood. Additionally, you will no longer be slowed down from damage. | File:Wounded soldier.png |
Unsealed Arts [NOT YET IMPLEMENTED]
Unsealed Arts are unique paintings crafted upon transmutation of a canvas and an item of your choice, the knowledge for which you may obtain from researching the Tier 2 Moon-Lock sidepath. Depending on the item you pick, your paintings will have different effects to both Heretics and Heathens. Heathens who come across your paintings will be inflicted with a curable severe trauma simply by being in their presence. If they examine a painting they have observed, its effects will be mitigated for a few minutes. Heretics may examine the paintings in order to obtain benevolent effects. The Great Chaparral over Rolling Hills immediately spreads Kudzu once placed. All these paintings have a high, collective cooldown for examining.
| Icon | Name | Item | Effect to Heathens | Effect to Heretics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Eldritch Painting Weeping.png | The Sister and He Who Wept | Eyes | Hallucinate that everyone is a Heretic. | Buffs your mood. |
| File:Eldritch Painting Desire.png | The First Desire | Bodypart | Increases their hunger and makes them like meat/gore while disliking vegetables. | Drops an organ or bodypart at the painting. |
| File:Eldritch Painting Vines.png | Great Chaparral over Rolling Hills | Food | Spreads Kudzu by their feet. | Gives you a poppy or harebell. |
| File:Eldritch Painting Beauty.png | Lady out of Gates | Gloves | Scratch themselves (it will stop upon dropping the jumpsuit). | Removes all of your mutations. |
| File:Eldritch Painting Rust.png | Climb over the Rusted Mountain | Trash | Rust the floor wherever they walk. | Buffs your mood. |
Shopping List of the Cosmos
Struggling to figure where to source the various pieces of random garbage you require for transmuting? Having trouble understanding what interdimensional cosmic horrors define as proper transmutation material? This list covers (some of) the specifics of what you need to get.
Knives
Everything named as "Knife" (obviously) with the exception of Chaplain's arrhymthic knife (It is instead defined as a Nullrod), additionally includes Butcher's Cleavers, and most significantly basic Shivs made from wrapping a glass shard with cloth and cable. The Cloth needed can be sourced from cutting up Bedsheets (Dorms ), Biogenerators (Public Garden/Botany), cutting up Medical Gauze (Medbay and Medkits), and sometimes found in maintenance. Easiest Non-Shiv Knife sources tend to be Autolathe (Cargo), Chef Vendors (Kitchen), though Miners also start with one.
Eyes (also other organs)
This sounds like a pain at first, but thankfully the Old Gods feel bad enough for their squishy mortal servants to deem that two Flashlights tied together with some Cable Restraints into the vague shape of a pair of eyes as being close enough to the real deal. Flashlights can be sourced from a Autolathe (Cargo), Tool Storage (Vendors and Toolboxes) and Engineering, Cable for Restraints can also be found from all those prior things. You can get actual flesh and robotic eyes (alongside other organs) from the protolathe and Exosuit Fabricator (Robotics, Maintenance on certain stations), Monkeys (Biogenerator, Virology, Genetics and Pun Pun), humanoid bodies (Morgue, Lavaland, Gracious donators from NT Crew). But be mindful that even though the Old Gods appreciate you giving them an actual pair of eyes, they won't reward your efforts with a spiffier focus.
Unique Pens
Any Pen that isn't a lame monochrome grey, red, or blue counts as unique. Unique Pens can be found in the Library (multicolor pen), Law Office. Select Station Jobs also start off with one. Fancy pens can also be bought from artvends.
Limbs
Similar places to Organs that being Exosuit Fabricator (Robotics, Maintenance on certain stations), Monkeys (Biogenerator, Virology, Genetics and Pun Pun), humanoid bodies (Morgue, Lavaland, Gracious donators from NT Crew).
Stun Batons
The understanding members of Security both fleshy and robotic (Officer Beepsky) usually have one on their person, but convincing them to let you borrow one is a bit difficult. So a much easier alternative is just making your own DIY Stun Prod version, Igniters can be sourced from a Autolathe (Cargo), and found in tool storages.
Trash
Is it truly trash if they're so valuable for transmutation? That aside trash is defined mainly as the leftover wrapping, cans and other containers of the junk food you can get from the station's vendors. Easily acquired by just consuming it yourself (once you're finished with a can you can turn it into trash by clicking on yourself with your head being aimed) or in maintenance.
Pool of Ash/Vomit
Vomit is stored in the closest place yet, yourself! The quickest way to make yourself puke is by sitting next to a rotting corpse for too long, this only works if you're not the coroner or detective. You can also eat burnt food or drink fish water. Ash is easily gotten by burning paper (scattered around desks in departments) with a lit welding tool or lighter
Misc
Quickfire for some final weird obscure specific transmutation ingredients that don't have that much interesting to say about them: Ties (but not Bow Ties) from the ClothesMate, Masks from the Autodrobe (both located in Dorms), Latex and Nitrile Gloves (Medbay), Water Tanks (Maintenance, Janitor Closet), Hatchet (Autolathe and Botany), Belts/Wallets can be made from Leather which can be made by the Biogenerator (Public Garden and Botany), an easy Ballistic Weapon and Ammo source are the Russian Revolvers in Bar, Armor (Sec Outpost lockers, protolathe once Reactive Armor is researched), Crayons (Dorms), Candles (Chapel, Cargo Order, Bar), Poppy/Harebell/Wood (Chapel, Can be grown in Botany/Public Garden, Tower Caps for Wood), Camera (Autolathe), Books (Library), Flash (Engineering Storage/Robotics), Suit Clothing (Autodrobe Dorms), Matches (Bar and Hallways, Cigarette vendors)
Tips
- Unlike most other solo antagonists, Heretics start weak but grow stronger over time. It would be best not to attract too much attention to yourself until you unlock more powerful spells and equipment.
- Many unlockable transmutations require body parts or whole corpses. You can get these from your victims, as well as by raiding the Morgue, or with the correct access, turning monkeys into catatonic humans.
- Influences can spawn in almost any location on the station, ranging from the main hallways and public restrooms to Command staff offices and restricted security areas in the Brig. It's best to check every area you can access, public and department.
- If you can't find any influences by peaking in windows, try getting to a Security Camera Console either breaking into a security post or by building your own. Simply cycle through the cameras and make note of any influences you see. Do watch your back while doing this, you don't want to be busted by an officer while you're distracted!
- As a Heretic, access is more important than ever! The more areas you can easily access, the more influences you'll be able to snag. Getting all access can be a godsend, and knowing how to either hack or talk your way into other departments can help you beat other Heretics to the free points.
- Drawing new runes requires you to stand still for a very long time. Draw your runes beforehand to avoid having to hold on to a body for much longer, and to leave quicker. You might not have time to draw a rune if Security is hot on your tail.
- You can create two blades as most Heretics, or three as flesh / five as blade. Carry an extra in your bag to break in case you need to escape from a sticky situation. You can also carry blades on your Eldritch Armor and Void Cloak!
- The Carving Knife, while useful for making defensive traps, is also a robust throwing weapon with high embed chance. Make a few of them for a good ranged weapon!
- Having Aristocrat's Way researched allows you to spacewalk with only a firefighting suit and helmet, as they are pressure resistant. Useful if your job doesn't have access to actual spacesuits/hardsuits.
- Entropic Plume causes any living mob caught in the plume to randomly strike other nearby mobs, which includes Beepsky and other Securitrons. Use sec's robot pets against them!
- Pierced Realities cause harm to Heathens depending on how you interact with them. Examining them as a Heathen deals 10 brain damage. Interacting with them as a Heathen has a 1/4 chance of your arm being eaten up by it. Interacting with them as a Heathens using telekinesis will cause your head to literally explode in a very flashy manner.
- When starting out, you may want to rely on certain makeshift weapons. You can craft flashlight eyes for use in certain rituals, and create shivs by wrapping cloth (cut up bedsheets) around a shard of glass to transmute your blade.
- Live or die, victims you send to the shadow realm will never remember that you did it. This means that for avoiding detection, the most important thing is to make sure nobody else knows about you.
- Your Ritual of Knowledge is a great way to get a ton of points without drawing too much attention (probably.) Completing it as soon as possible is a good way to get a lot of power fast.
- Monkeys, and monkey-humans (created by giving a monkey mutadone) make for great, usually non-suspicious sources of organs or corpses for your heretical rituals.
- Security about to check out your ritual hideout? Remember your grasp can instantly destroy a circle, leaving no evidence behind you were up to no good. But be careful - It'll go on cooldown after, and people may hear the cast sound.
- Remember that other players can hear your Living Heart, too. Don't use it in public unless people are distracted.
- Ashen Shift and Void Phase make for incredibly powerful escape tools. If you have either of these, it might be wise to have an Amber Focus somewhere on you at all times for emergencies.
- Most summoned monsters will drop the components used to create them on death. While having them to die is not ideal, you can easily grab the parts and summon another.
- Shattered Risen ghouls are strong enough to bash open locked lockers and airlocks.
- Furious Steel will allow you to melee attack while it's active. Use it for a leg up in close quarters combat!
Delta Green
So, there's a bunch of crazed nutjobs running about the station sacrificing people to eldritch forces? Not good, but fortunately, not impossible to contain. While every heretic will be a tough nut to crack with their mystical powers and lethal weaponry, they are far from invincible.
General Tips
- All heretics rely heavily on their blades, both for direct combat and evading capture via its teleportation power. Keep them separate, and you'll have a much easier time.
- Heretics require a Focus to cast their more powerful spells. Remove the Focus, and much of their power will be neutered.
- A heretic's powers, items, and minions will be almost entirely decided by their choice in path. Never expect any two heretics to operate in the same way.
Ash Heretics
Generalists among the servants of Decay, heretics of the Path of Ash are given a grab bag of useful combat, defense, and mobility tools, along with a generous dose of flame-based powers. However, as jacks of all trades, Ash Heretics will be less effective in specific areas than the more specialized paths.
- Nearly every combat ability in the Ash Heretic arsenal either sets targets on fire, or is more effective against targets who are on fire. Consider packing a pocket fire extinguisher to nip this problem in the bud.
- A very early relic available to Ash Heretics provides them with free, permanent thermal vision. Be very aware of this when engaging one in cluttered spaces.
- Another early Ash spell is a short-ranged jaunt that can be used even while handcuffed. Expect any Ash Heretic worth their salt to possess this spell, and make doubly sure to remove any Focuses they have after taking them down.
Lunar Heretics
Heralds of madness and misdirection, heretics following the Path of the Moon specialize in causing debilitating hallucinations and brain damage, along with powerful crowd control spells that can cause entire groups of people to lash out at random. Lunar heretics are lacking in survivability and direct damage output, however, and will falter quickly in the face of opponents who aren't fooled by their hallucinations.
Lock Heretics
Specializing in trickery, subterfuge, and mobility over direct combat, heretics following the Path of Lock are given a veritable arsenal of ways to move quickly about the station while impeding their opponents. This focus on evasion comes at a cost, however, as Lock Heretics lack many effective combat or healing abilities.
Flesh Heretics
Uniquely among heretics, those following the Path of Flesh rely on their summoned minions over their innate powers. Capable of summoning a small army of eldritch horrors to do their bidding, Flesh Heretics can be uniquely dangerous if allowed to prepare their foul cohort. This reliance betrays their weakness, however, as the focus on summoned creatures leaves Flesh Heretics lacking in all other areas beyond a smattering of combat spells.
- The vast majority of Flesh Heretic attacks and combat powers will cause heavy bleeding. Pack some extra bandages, or keep the paramedic on speed dial.
- All of the eldritch beasts that a Flesh Heretic can summon will require a corpse, or parts which can be taken from a corpse. Keep the morgue secure, and try not to let them run off with any officers they kill. Otherwise, said officer is probably going to be coming back.
- Powerful Flesh Heretics can create Raw Prophets, a support minion which can see through walls and provide telepathic communication to a heretic and their minions. Consider them a high-priority target for cutting a heretic's C&C over heir horde.
Void Heretics
Specialists in stealth, mobility, and lethal cold, heretics following the Path of Void are swift and deadly combatants who excel in quickly assassinating lone targets before making a swift exit. Naturally, combatting a Void Heretic means attacking in groups, as they lack crowd control abilities or much in the way of durability.
Blade Heretics
Peerless duelists and unmatched frontline combatants, heretics following the Path of the Blade are devastating melee fighters equipped with of the most lethal combat abilities know to the servants of decay, along with a collection of powerful relics and minions that allow them to turn any straight fight into a charnel house. However, Blade Heretics are anything but subtle, lacking any sort of concealment or mobility powers, relying entirely on their innate resilience and brute-force slaughter.
Rust Heretics
Exceptionally durable and adept at securing territory via rapidly spreading patches of decay, heretics following the Path of Rust possess singularly unmatched durability and healing capabilities, along with a small arsenal of corrosive and poisonous attack powers. Rust Heretics lack much in the way of mobility, however, and will have few means of escape should they be cornered.
Cosmic Heretics
Specializing in zone control and area denial, heretics following the Path of the Cosmos are equipped with a small collection of offensive and mobility powers, but their primary danger comes from their use and mastery over Cosmic Fields and Star Marks. Star Marks are applied via most of the heretic's attacks, and anyone carrying a Star Mark cannot walk over Cosmic Fields, which are also commonly distributed by a Cosmic Heretic's spells. Star Marks also tend to amplify the effects of a heretic's magic, so avoid them when possible. Fortunately, this focus on Star Marks means that a Cosmic Heretic has weaknesses in most other areas, such as survivability and direct combat, while also being at a notable disadvantage against anyone not Marked.