The Heart of Fire

Book 0: DESTINYQUEST

by Michael J. Ward

Genres: Fantasy; Fantasy action & adventure; Military Fantasy

Synopsis

Return to the world of Valeron in another astounding adventure. Deeper and more complex than THE LEGION OF SHADOW, the options available to your hero are exciting, carefully planned and beautifully written. The Heart of Fire is awakening, and only you can save the world ... You are a prophet, both gifted and cursed by your strange powers. Imprisoned in the infamous dungeon of the inquisition, you are tormented by visions of a nightmarish future. No-one has ever escaped. Doomed to live out your days in chains and darkness, a twist of fate provides you with a chance for freedom - to take on a new identity and start a new life. But no matter where you go, where you hide, you can never escape the haunting images of your own prophecy ... Is it possible to outwit destiny and change the future? You decide in this epic fantasy adventure - the highly-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling gamebook The Legion of Shadow. Every decision you make will have an impact on the story - and, ultimately, your fate.

Release date: March 6, 2018

Publisher: Gollancz

Print pages: 544

Sample

 

 

 

 

 

‘Another will follow; to break the chains of destiny and forge their fate anew – in fire.’

Cornelius the Prophet

 

 

 

 

Unlike ordinary storybooks, DestinyQuest puts you in charge of the action. As you guide your hero through this epic adventure, you will be
choosing the dangers that they face, the monsters that they fight and the treasures that they find. Every decision that you make will have an impact on the story and, ultimately, the fate of your
hero.

Your choices, your hero

With hundreds of special items to discover in the game, you can completely customise your hero. You can choose their weapons, their armour, their special abilities – even
the boots on their feet and the cloak on their back! No two heroes will ever be alike, which means your hero will always be unique to you. And even better, you can take your hero into battle
against your friends’ heroes too!

Limitless possibilities, endless adventure

You can play through DestinyQuest multiple times and never have the same adventure twice. With so many options and paths to choose from, the monsters that you encounter, the
people that you meet and the loot that you find will be different each time you play. There are numerous hidden secrets to discover, bonus items to collect and unique special abilities to unlock
– in fact, every turn of the page could reveal something new for you and your hero.

Discover your destiny . . .

The next few pages will take you through the rules of the game, outlining the hero creation process and the combat and quest system. Don’t worry, it won’t take long
– and then your first DestinyQuest adventure can begin!

The hero sheet

Let’s start with one of the most important things in the game – your hero sheet. This is a visual record of your hero’s abilities and equipment. You will be
constantly updating this sheet throughout the game, as you train new abilities and find better armour and weapons for your hero. (Note: The hero sheet is also available as a free download from
www.destiny-quest.com.)













Attributes

Every hero has five key attributes that determine their strengths and weaknesses. These are speed, brawn, magic, armour and health. The goal of
DestinyQuest is to advance your hero from an inexperienced novice into a powerful champion – someone who can stand up to the biggest and baddest of foes and triumph!

To achieve this, you will need to complete the many quests throughout the lands of Valeron. These quests will reward you with new skills and equipment, such as weapons and armour. These will
boost your hero’s attributes and give you a better chance of survival when taking on tougher enemies.

The five attributes are:

 

* Brawn: As its name suggests, this score represents your hero’s strength and muscle power. A hero with high brawn will be able to hit harder in combat,
striking through their opponent’s armour and dealing fatal blows.

    Brawn is the main attribute of the warrior.

 

* Magic: By mastering the arcane schools of fire, lightning, frost and shadow, a hero can command devastating spells and summon fiendish monsters. Heroes that choose
this path should seek out the staffs, wands and arcane charms that will boost their magic score, granting them even deadlier powers to smite their foes.

    Magic is the main attribute of the mage.

 

* Speed: The higher a hero’s speed score, the more likely they are to score a hit against their opponent. A hero who puts points into speed can
easily bring down stronger enemies thanks to their lightning-fast reflexes.

    Speed is the main attribute of the rogue.

 

* Armour: Whenever a hero is hit in combat, by weapons or spells, they take damage. Wearing armour can help your hero to survive longer by absorbing some of this damage.
Warriors will always have a high armour score, thanks to the heavy armour and shields that they can equip. Rogues and mages will typically have lower scores, relying instead on their
powerful attacks to win the day.

 

* Health: This is your hero’s most important attribute as it represents their life force. When health reaches zero, your hero is dead – so, it goes
without saying that you should keep a very close eye on it! Armour and equipment can raise your hero’s health score – and there are also potions and abilities to be
discovered, to help your hero replenish their health during combat.

Starting attributes

Every hero begins their adventures with a zero score for brawn, magic, speed and armour. These attributes will be boosted throughout the course of
your adventures. All starting heroes begin with 30 health.

Equipment boxes

The hero sheet displays a number of important boxes. These boxes each represent a location on your hero where they can equip an item. Whenever your hero comes across a new item
in the game, you will be told which box or boxes on the sheet you can place it in. You can only have one item equipped in each box.

Backpack

Your hero also has a backpack that can hold five single items. On your travels you will come across many backpack items, including useful potions and quest items. Each backpack
item you come across takes up one space in your backpack – even if you have multiple versions of the same type of item (for example, health potions).



Special abilities

The special abilities box, on the right of your sheet, is where you can record notes on your hero’s special abilities. Every hero has two special abilities, which they
learn when they train a career. Items of equipment can also grant special abilities for your hero. All special abilities are explained in the glossary at the back of the book.

Paths and careers

Your hero starts their adventure as a simple traveller, with no remarkable skills or abilities. Once your hero has gained some experience, however, three paths will become
available to you – the path of the warrior, the rogue and the mage. Your hero can only choose one of these paths, and once that decision is made, it can’t be changed – so choose
wisely. The chosen path will determine the careers and abilities that your hero can learn throughout their adventures.

Your hero’s path and current career should always be recorded at the top of your hero sheet, and its special abilities should be recorded in the special abilities box on the right of your
sheet. A hero can only be trained in one career at a time, but you can swap their career for another one, providing you have found the relevant trainer or reward item. When your hero trains
a new career, all abilities and bonuses from the old career are lost.

Gold

The main currency in Valeron is the gold crown. These can be used to purchase potions and other special items whenever you visit a town, village or camp. More gold can be
discovered by killing monsters and completing quests.

Quests and monsters

The kingdom of Valeron is a dangerous place, full of ferocious monsters, wild beasts and deadly magical forces . . . bad news for some people perhaps, but for a would-be
adventurer it means plenty of paid work! By vanquishing foes and completing quests, your hero will grow stronger and more powerful, allowing you to take on tougher challenges and discover even
greater rewards.

The maps

The story is divided into three chapters – known as ‘Acts’. Each of the three Acts has a map, which shows you the locations of all the different quests that
your hero can take part in. To select a quest you simply turn to the corresponding numbered entry in the book and read on from there, returning to the map when you have finished.

Choosing quests

Each map will provide you with a number of different quests. Some quests are harder than others. A simple colour-coded system ranks the quests in order of difficulty:

 

* Green quests: These are the easiest quests to complete. Heroes with even the most basic of equipment will still emerge victorious.

 

* Orange quests: Heroes will find these tasks a little more challenging, requiring them to defeat numerous enemies to succeed.

 

* Blue quests: Things get a lot tougher with blue quests. Monsters are more likely to have special abilities and higher attribute scores, meaning your hero will need to
be fully prepared and equipped for the dangers they may face.

 

* Red quests: These quests should only be attempted once you have completed the majority of green, orange and blue quests. Your hero will need to use everything
they’ve got to overcome these tough challenges and triumph.

Quests can be done in any order you wish – although note that it is wiser to complete the easier quests (green and orange) before you attempt the harder ones (blue and
red). Once a quest has been completed, it cannot be revisited.

Legendary monsters

On each map you will also see some spider symbols. These represent ‘legendary monsters’: opponents that are tougher than your average foe. Only the bravest of
heroes, who are confident in their abilities and have good gear from their questing, should seek out and battle these mighty opponents.

Team battles

The black sword symbol indicates an ‘epic monster’ – one that you will not be able to defeat alone! You will need to team up with another hero to help you
battle these demonic entities and win their highly-prized treasures. (See advanced rules.)

Boss monsters

Each Act of the story has a final boss monster that must be defeated before you can advance the story to the next Act. These boss monsters are represented by the skull symbol on
the map.

It goes without saying that these final bosses are no pushovers and should only be attempted once you have fully explored each map and completed most of the quests.

Towns, villages and camps

Every Act of the story has its own town, village or camp, which your hero can visit anytime between quests. They are represented on the map by the building icon. Simply turn to
the corresponding page entry whenever you wish to visit. These locations can provide your hero with items to purchase, additional quests, hints and tips and even some career trainers.

It is always a good idea to visit these areas first, whenever you start a new map. The inns and taverns can be a great source of rumour and information regarding the challenges ahead.

Upgrading equipment

The primary goal of DestinyQuest is to equip your hero with better weapons, armour and equipment. These will boost your hero’s attributes such as brawn and
magic, and help them to survive longer in battle.

At certain times in the story you will be offered a choice of rewards for your hero. Usually this will be the result of killing a monster or completing a quest, but there are also many other
ways of gaining rewards – some easier to find than others.

When you are offered a choice of rewards, you will be told how many items you may pick from the selection. It is up to you to decide which reward/s will be best for your hero. These rewards,
such as rings, pieces of armour, weapons and necklaces, will commonly give boosts to certain attributes. Select your rewards wisely to boost the attributes that are the most essential for your
hero.

When you have chosen your reward, you write its name and details in the corresponding box on your hero sheet. Make sure to update any attributes that are affected by the new reward. Remember, it
is your decision what rewards you take. You can always ignore items if they don’t interest you.

Replacing equipment

Your hero can only carry one item in each box. When you choose a reward and your hero already has an item in the corresponding box, the new item replaces the old one
– and the old item is destroyed. When you destroy the old item, all attribute bonuses and abilities that it provided are lost, to be replaced by those from the new item.

Combat

Valeron can be a wild and dangerous place. Most of the creatures you encounter will be hostile and it will be up to you (and your hero!) to battle and defeat these monsters, to
emerge victorious.

When you enter into combat, you will be given your opponent’s attributes. These are usually speed, brawn (or magic), armour and health. Some may also
have special abilities that you will need to take note of.

The combat sequence

Combat consists of a number of combat rounds. In each round of combat you roll dice to determine who hits who and who takes damage. (Note: A die is considered to be a
standard 6-sided die.) Once damage has been applied, a new combat round starts. Combat continues until either your hero or their opponent is defeated.

 

In each combat round:

 

1. Roll 2 dice for your hero and add their current speed score to the total. This is your hero’s attack speed.

 

2. Roll another 2 dice for your opponent and add their speed score to the total. This is their attack speed.

 

3. The combatant with the highest attack speed wins the combat round. If both scores are the same, it is a stand off – the combat round ends (see step 7) and a new
one begins.

 

4. The winner of the round rolls 1 die and adds either their brawn score or their magic score to the total, whichever is highest. (Note: monsters
will only have one or the other, not both.) This will give you a damage score.

 

5. The loser of the round deducts their armour value from the damage score. Any remaining damage is then deducted from their health. (If the damage score
was 8 and the loser had an armour of 2, they would take 6 health damage.)

 

6. If this damage takes your hero’s or your opponent’s health to zero, they are defeated. If both combatants have health remaining, then the
combat continues.

 

7. At the end of each combat round, any damage from passive effects (such as bleed or venom) are applied to each combatant. If both opponents still have
health remaining, then a new combat round begins. Return to step 1.

Example of combat

Sir Hugo has awoken a slumbering serpent and must now defend himself against its venomous attacks.



Special abilities

Venom: Once you have taken health damage from the serpent, at the end of every combat round you must automatically
lose 2 health.

Round one

1. Sir Hugo rolls 2 dice to determine his attack speed. He rolls a and a giving him a total of 6. He adds on his speed score of 4 to give him a final total of 10.

2. The serpent rolls 2 dice to determine its attack speed. The result is a and a making 11. The serpent’s speed is 6, making its final total 17. The serpent has won the first round of combat.

3. A die is rolled for the serpent to determine its damage score. The result is a . Its brawn score is
added on to this, to give a final total of 9.

4. Sir Hugo deducts his armour value from this total. This means he only takes 4 points of health damage (9–5=4). His health is reduced from 30 to
26.

5. Sir Hugo is also poisoned by the serpent’s venom. He automatically takes another 2 points of health damage, reducing his health to 24.

Round two

1. As before, Sir Hugo and the Serpent roll 2 dice and add their speed to the result. Sir Hugo ends up with an attack speed of 15 and the serpent has an attack
speed of 10. Sir Hugo wins.

2. Sir Hugo rolls a for his damage score. He chooses to add on his brawn (which is higher than his
magic score). His final total is 12.

3. The serpent has an armour value of 2, so takes 10 points of damage. The serpent is left with 2 health.

4. Because the serpent applied its venom special ability in the last round, Sir Hugo must now deduct another 2 points from his health – reducing it from 24
to 22.

Combat then moves to the next round, continuing until one combatant’s health is reduced to zero.

Restoring health and attributes

Once you have defeated an enemy, your hero’s health and any other attributes that have been affected by special attacks or abilities are immediately restored
back to their normal values (unless otherwise stated in the text). In the above example, once Sir Hugo has defeated the serpent, he can return his health back to 30 and continue his
adventures.

Using special abilities in combat

As your hero progresses through the story, they will discover many special abilities that they can use in combat. All abilities are explained in the glossary at the back of the
book.

There are four types of special ability in DestinyQuest. These are: speed (sp), combat (co), modifier (mo) and passive (pa) abilities.

 

* Speed (sp): These abilities can be used at the start of a combat round (before you roll for attack speed), and will usually influence how many dice you can roll or
reduce the number of dice that your opponent can roll for speed. You can only use one speed ability per combat round.

 

* Combat (co): These abilities are used either before or after you (or your opponent) roll for damage. Usually these will increase the number of dice you can roll, or
allow you to block or dodge your opponent’s attacks. You can only use one combat ability per combat round.

 

* Modifier (mo): Modifier abilities allow you to boost your attribute scores or influence dice that you have already rolled. You can use as many different modifier
abilities as you wish during a combat round.

 

* Passive (pa): Passive abilities are typically applied at the end of a combat round, once you or your opponent has taken health damage. Abilities such as venom
and bleed are passive abilities. These abilities happen automatically, based on their description.

Damage score and damage dice

Some special abilities will refer to a damage score and others will refer to rolling damage dice. A damage score is when your hero rolls one die and adds their brawn or
magic to the total (as in the previous combat example). This is the most common means of applying damage to your opponent. Some abilities allow you to roll damage dice instead. Damage dice
are simply dice that are rolled for damage, but you do not add your brawn or magic score to the total. For example, the special ability cleave allows you to inflict 1 damage
die to all your opponents, ignoring armour. You would simply roll 1 die and then deduct the result from each of your opponents’ health. You do not add your brawn or
magic to this total.

Using backpack items in combat

The outcome of many a combat can be decided by the clever use of backpack items, such as potions and elixirs. From restoring lost health to boosting your speed,
never underestimate how useful these items can be in turning the tide of battle. However, you can only use one backpack item per combat round so choose wisely! Also note that every useable
backpack item has a number of charges. Once these have been used up, they are gone forever.

Runes, glyphs, dyes and other special items

During your adventures, you will come across a number of special items that allow you to add attribute bonuses or additional abilities to the equipment you are already
wearing. These items cannot be stored in your backpack and must be used immediately when they are found, to add their relevant attribute/ability to a chosen item. Each item of equipment can
hold up to three of these special bonuses.

Death is not the end

When your hero dies, their adventure isn’t over. Simply make a note of the entry number where you died and then return to the quest map. Your health is immediately
restored back to full. However any consumable items that were used in the combat (such as potions and elixirs) are gone forever!

 

You can now do the following:

 

1. Return to the entry number where you died and try it again.

2. Explore a different location on the map, such as a town or another quest.

You can return to the entry number where you died anytime you wish. If you are having difficulty with a particular combat, then try a different quest, or purchase some helpful
potions or items from a local vendor.

NOTE: In some quests, when your hero is defeated, there are special rules to follow. You will be given an entry number to turn to, where you can read on
to see what happens to your hero.

Taking challenge tests

Occasionally, during your travels, you will be asked to take a challenge by testing one of your attributes (such as speed or brawn). Each challenge is given a
number. For example:

 

Speed

Climb the cliff face   

9

To take a challenge, simply roll 2 dice and add your hero’s attribute score to the result. If the total is the same as or higher than the given number, then you have
succeeded. For example, if Sir Hugo has a speed of 4 and rolls a and a , then he would have a total of 9. This means he would have successfully completed the above challenge.

Advanced rules: Team combat

Occasionally some monsters are just too powerful to overcome, even for your hero. To stand a chance of defeating these epic foes you will need to team up with your hero (or a
friend’s hero) from DestinyQuest 1: The Legion of Shadow. (A sample hero is provided at the front of this book.)

A team combat is shown on the map as a black sword symbol. These battles follow a slightly different set of combat rules to take into account two heroes fighting alongside each other against a
powerful opponent.

The combat sequence

In each combat round:

 

1. Each hero can decide if they will attack or support. If a hero attacks they roll for their attack speed as normal (using speed abilities if they
wish). If one hero chooses to be a support hero, then they do not roll for attack speed. (See support hero, below.) One hero must attack in each round.

2. Roll 2 dice for your opponent and add their speed score to the total. This is your opponent’s attack speed.

3. The combatant with the highest attack speed wins the combat round. If the highest set of scores are the same (for a hero and their opponent), it is a stand off
– the combat round ends (see step 6) and a new one begins. If two attacking heroes get the same score, then they can choose which hero will strike against the opponent.

4. If a hero wins a combat round, they can roll for damage as normal against their opponent. Damage is applied and the combat round ends (see step 6).

5. If the opponent wins the combat round, then they strike against the hero who last dealt health damage to them (this excludes passive effects, such as bleed and
venom). If no hero has caused health damage, then the opponent strikes against the hero with the highest armour. The hero who is being attacked can use their combat and modifier
abilities as normal. Their ally can also play any helpful modifier abilities (depending on the ability’s description).

6. At the end of each combat round, any damage from passive effects (such as bleed or venom) are applied to each combatant. If opponents still have
health remaining, then a new combat round begins. Return to step 1.

Support heroes

Heroes who choose not to attack during a combat round (see step 1) are referred to as support heroes. They can still be hit in combat if the opponent wins (see
step 5), but by choosing not to attack they give their ally a chance to win combat rounds and apply abilities/damage. A support hero can use modifier abilities on themselves or their ally as
normal (depending on the ability’s description). This includes abilities like heal and greater heal.

 

* Top tip: Swap your heroes regularly, between attacking and support, to share out damage. Remember, an opponent always attacks the last hero to win a round and cause
health damage – so your heavy hitters (such as mages and rogues) need to be careful that they don’t become the sole target of the opponent’s attacks. Swapping a hero into a
support role, while their ally becomes the sole attacker, can be a vital strategy to control an opponent’s aggression.

Passive abilities

If both heroes have the same passive effect (such as bleed or venom) then these abilities can all be applied to an opponent (providing each hero has met the
criteria for applying that passive). For example, if both heroes have the bleed ability and both have done health damage to their opponent, then the opponent takes damage from each
bleed effect (2 damage (1+1) at the end of each round).

Defeating and looting an epic monster

Providing one hero is still alive at the end of the combat, then both heroes are considered to have defeated the monster. This means that each hero can now choose one reward
from those on offer. (NOTE: a hero can only choose a reward when they defeat the monster for the first time. If they fight the monster multiple times to aid other heroes
then they cannot choose further rewards.)

Take your adventures online!

Join the DestinyQuest community at www.destiny-quest.com for the latest information on DestinyQuest books, hints and tips,
player forums and exclusive downloadable content (including printable hero sheets, team combat rules and extra bonus quests!).

It’s time to begin

Before you start your adventure, don’t forget to check that your hero sheet has been fully updated. It should display:

* Your hero’s name

* A zero score in the speed, brawn, magic, and armour boxes

* A 30 in your hero’s health box

Now, turn the page to begin your adventure . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are in free fall.

The black rock of the mountainside streaks past in a deadly blur. Your descent is fast – unstoppable. You can only watch, paralysed by fear, as the world tumbles through blue sky and
earth. Then a wave of ash washes over you, turning bright day into a murky twilight.

Through the thickening dust, you see the ground spiralling up at an alarming speed; a pock-marked plain of splintered rock and fire-rimmed craters. Behind you, something rumbles and booms . .
. then you feel a scalding heat at your back. For an instant the darkness becomes light as an immense ball of flame roars overhead, slamming into the ground and sending ash billowing across the
hellish plain.

You spin and twist through the smoke, your broken body smashing off rock and stone as you tumble down the slope. You finally slam down hard onto baking hot ash, your exposed skin blistering
on contact.

Gagging from the sulphurous fumes, you struggle onto your back, aware that the ground beneath you is shaking. From the dark sky falling stone beats against the earth, bouncing and rattling
off your soot-streaked armour. Shielding your eyes against the barrage, you fix your gaze on the dark mountain. Through the ash you can dimly make out its summit, fountaining an endless column of
rock and earth into the sky.

This is the end of the world.

And you are here to see it.

The ground shakes, a continuous and steady rhythm. You twist around, as you have done a hundred times before, to gaze upon your nemesis. It strides through the smoke, a shadow amidst the
swirling red ash. An immense creature, impossibly large, with black wings and iron-tipped horns that blot out the broken landscape. Its charred body is crisscrossed with vivid veins of
magma, pulsing with a hellish glow. And in its hand is a sword – a sword as big as the mountain itself, its serrated edge crackling with fire.

‘NO!’ Tears sting your eyes as the demon stalks towards you. You cannot see its face, but its gaze is inescapable: a single orb of crimson hatred, blazing hot like the
sun.

‘My journey is complete!’ The demon snarls, flames rippling across its body. ‘Ragnarok is remade!’

Scrambling in the dust for a weapon, your hands find only rock and earth. As you turn back, gripped by panic, you see the demon standing over you. It raises its mighty sword, the black metal
inscribed with a thousand dark runes. Set into the crosspiece is a fist-sized gemstone, glowing with a piercing white light.

‘Ragnarok is remade!’ The demon turns the blade and then, with a roar as loud as the raging mountain, the beast plunges the sword into your heart . . .

‘No!’ You jerk backwards, flinching from the strike. The rattle of chains remind you that you cannot move your arms. You are a prisoner, bound within the four walls
of a cell.

‘Ragnarok . . .’ you gasp.

In a corner of the room, a white shape is bent over a table. You hear the scratch of a pen on parchment. The noise is grating; each stroke setting your teeth on edge.

‘The sword,’ says a voice, cold and impassionate. There is a pause in the incessant scraping as the pen is lifted off the parchment. ‘Tell me again what you saw. What is this .
. . gem that you speak of?’

Already the vision is fading, replaced by a sickening wave of nausea. Once more you pull against the chains, struggling to break free, but the effort only brings you pain. You sag, hanging limp,
your knees scraping against the hard stone floor.

‘Answer me,’ demands the voice.

You scowl at the thin, bald-headed man, his scarred scalp peppered by an occasional grey hair. A scholar, a librarian. Forever hunched over his writing table, forever asking questions. You count
seven rolls of parchment resting against the wall. Each one, you know, will be covered in hundreds of neat lines; every word dragged from you, like a vulture constantly pecking away at a corpse in
the desert.

‘I’m done,’ you mutter, letting your head fall against your chest. ‘I’m done . . .’

‘You’re done when I tell you!’ snaps the man