Horn of the Abyss

Description

Horn of the Abyss
Embark on an epic journey in Horn of the Abyss, a fan-made expansion for Heroes of Might and Magic III, standing proudly alongside the official expansions of Armageddon's Blade and Shadow of Death.
A True Tribute to Heroes of Might and Magic
Horn of the Abyss enhances the original game with a wealth of new features while preserving its legendary charm. Explore the new Cove and Factory factions, engage in challenging campaigns, and discover sparkling new artifacts and interesting map objects that enhance the game's strategic depth.
Painstakingly balanced and polished, Horn of the Abyss has been crafted with an unwavering commitment to quality. With carefully refined mechanics and a host of improvements, this expansion is a must-play for both new players and seasoned veterans. This expansion includes the careful balance changes and fixes, removal of graphical imperfections left by the developers, and the addition of a considerable amount of new content. The project is lore-oriented and attempts to keep connected with the original Might and Magic universe, with changes made to honour the vision of the original game while greatly enhancing players' experience.Cove Town
Sail the seven seas with the Captains and Navigators of the Cove and unleash the might of the depths unto your foes. The Cove is home to fearless Crewmates and their Pirate capatains, assisted in their navigation of the seas by powerful Sea Witches. However, this Regnan town has attracted more than just humans: from the water-borne Nymphs and Sea Serpents protected by their Nix friends to the soaring Stormbirds of the skies, the Cove is a place of marine diversity of all sorts. Take out your eneimes from afar with giant metal Cannon shots and the deadly accuracy of Sea Dogs aided by the shattering magic of Sorceresses; plunder their loot up close and personal with swift strikes from Haspids and Ayssids; and defend your ill-gotten gains with your dependable Seamen and Nix Warriors.Factory Town
Dive into new-age technology with the Mercenaries and Artificers of the Factory and unlock your creatures' full potential with the might of industry. Take to the skies and transcend the need for navigating tricky terrain with the brand new Airship, bringing you closer to victory with great haste. The Factory is home to plucky Halflings and their slow and steady Armadillo friends, protected by local Gunslingers, but not all natural creatures are as nice as they are - beware the burrowing Sandworm and jungle-dwelling Couatl, for they are fearsome in numbers, even if the Couatl needs some provoking to unlock its full potential. The natural evolution of humans resulted in the forming of new and curious technologies, which some have embraced fully: Mechanics were trained to help great engineers construct the explosive Automaton and eventually the colossal laser-shooting Dreadnought, both of which are able to be repaired on the battlefield if needs be.
Heroes
In addition to the regular 16 heroes per town and campaign/map editor exclusive heroes from the Cove and Factory, there are a few smaller additions and changes to the roster of familiar heroes:Lord Haart the KnightWas originally in Restoration of Erathia, but was swapped out for Sir Mullich the Knight in Armageddon's Blade and Shadow of Death - he has now returned in Horn of the AbyssBeatrice the KnightScouting specialistGiselle the RangerInterference specialistRanloo the Death KnightBallista specialistKinkeria the WitchScouting specialistMiscellaneous ChangesLord Haart the Death Knight has been renamed to Haart Lich the Death Knight to avoid confusionIn regular Horn of the Abyss, heroes that would be replaced by new heroes would also be disabled - this is not the case in VCMI, where every hero is available unless banned by the map or template
Secondary Skills
Horn of the Abyss introduces Interference as a Secondary Skill to replace Resistance, which itself is now banned by default. This skill is a fairer and more balanced way to mitigate magic, as it decreases enemy Spell Power as opposed to being an unbalanced "roll-of-the-dice" skill that had the potential to render magic utterly ineffective.
Artifacts
A new set of golden armour infused with the power of the ocean lies in wait to be adorned by only the mightiest of heroes:Trident of Dominion: +7 Attack skillShield of Naval Glory: +7 Defense skillRoyal Armor of Nix: +6 Power skillCrown of the Five Seas: +6 Knowledge skill
Two incredibly powerful artifacts have been added that can completely change the tide of a scenario:Horn of the Abyss: Raises Fangarms from slain stacks of living creaturesSleepkeeper: Provides immunity to Mind spells
Several combination artifacts have been added that were once planned for the release of Shadow of Death with new names and fully fleshed-out abilities:Ironfist of the Ogre:+5 Attack skill, +5 Defense skill, +4 Power skill, +4 Knowledge skillCasts Expert Bloodlust, Counterstrike, Fire Shield, and Haste on all allies for 50 roundsWeapon/Shield/Helm/Torso slotsDiplomat's Cloak:-30% surrender costAllows retreat and surrender when battling neutral monsters or defending a town3x diplomatic army strengthCape/Neclakce/Ring slotsPendant of Reflection:+50% Magic ResistanceNeclakce/Cape/Feet slotsGolden Goose:+7000 Gold/dayMisc/Misc/Misc slots
Still hungry for more boons to get an edge over your enemies? Look no further than the assorted wares that Horn of the Abyss has to offer:Plate of Dying Light: -25% enemy Power skillSeal of Sunset: -10% enemy Power skillCharm of Eclipse: -10% enemy Power skillPendant of Downfall: -2 enemy MoraleRing of Suppression: -1 enemy MoraleHideous Mask: -1 enemy MoraleShaman's Puppet: -2 enemy LuckRunes of Imminency: -1 enemy LuckDemon's Horseshoe: -1 enemy LuckWayfarer's Boots: No movement penalty over rough terrainCape of Silence: Prevents either player from casting level 1 or 2 spells
Miscellaneous ChangesExternal dwellings now accumulate creatures weekly as long as they are owned by a playerSmall yet appropriate changes to overall town building cost balanceSmall yet appropriate changes to various creaturesNew map objects and creature hordesImproved Map Editor and Campaign Editor functionalityNew Template Editor to aid with Random Map GenerationThe Vault of Ashes, a new Conflux dwelling that boosts Firebird/Phoenix GrowthSpell Research system that guarantees essential spells with enough researchNew useful keybinds for easy navigation and controlling creatures' abilitiesNew terrains - Highlands and WastelandConflux's native terrain is changed to HighlandsHalflings belong to Factory instead of being Neutral

Version

1.8.001

Author

VCMI Team, edeksumo, avatar, Loki Laufeyjarson, Ben, Karyoplasma. Assets created by HotA Crew

Contact

http://forum.vcmi.eu/viewtopic.php?t=748

Repository

View mod on GitHub

Screenshots

Submods

Horn of the Abyss

Community Expansion

Interference skill

Adventure map buttons

HotA templates

Conflux - Vault of Ashes

Magical terrains

New graphics

Wasteland terrain

Game balance

Factions

Spells

Creatures

Artifacts

Banned Artifacts

Starting armies

Objects

Disabled Decorations

Object Density

Disabled Objects

Heroes

Skills

Scouting

Mysticism

Necromancy

Ballistics

Sorcery

Logistics

Learning

Estates

Pathfinding

Eagle Eye

Intelligence

Artillery

First Aid

Cannon

Creatures

Name	Image	Anim	Level	Attack	Defense	Damage	Speed	HitPoints	Growth	AiValue
Cannon			6	20	10	4 - 7	0	250	0	1637

Artifacts

Name	Description	Slot	Image
Cannon	{Cannon} Use this war machine to target your enemy troops and fortifications in combat.	mach1

Additional bonuses icons

Cove

Creatures

Name	Image	Anim	Level	Attack	Defense	Damage	Speed	HitPoints	Growth	AiValue
Ayssid			4	11	8	6 - 10	11	30	4	645
Corsair			3	10	8	3 - 7	7	15	7	336
Crew Mate			2	7	4	2 - 4	5	15	9	155
Haspid			7	29	20	30 - 55	12	300	1	7220
Nix			6	13	16	18 - 22	6	80	2	1415
Nix Warrior			6	14	17	18 - 22	7	90	2	1719
Nymph			1	5	2	1 - 2	6	4	16	57
Oceanid			1	6	2	1 - 3	8	4	16	75
Pirate			3	8	6	3 - 7	6	15	7	299
Sea Witch			5	12	7	10 - 14	6	35	3	790
Sea Dog			3	12	11	3 - 7	8	15	7	370
Seaman			2	8	6	3 - 4	6	15	9	174
Sea Serpent			7	22	16	30 - 55	9	180	1	3953
Sorceress			5	12	9	10 - 16	7	35	3	852
Stormbird			4	10	8	6 - 9	9	30	4	502
Blackbeard			0	5	5	6 - 12	4	40	9	156

Townscreen

Puzzlemap

Spells

Name	Description	Schools	Image
Special Clone	{Specialist's Basic Clone} Creates 2 duplicates of the selected unit stack. The image is dispelled if it is attacked. Can only be used once per battle. Clones creatures of levels 1-5.	water

Heroes

Name	Biography	Gender	Image	Specialty
Anabel	To anger the daughter of Earless Nylse means to sign a death pact. Every pirate understands that there is no woman more deadly and insidious than Anabel. Her father was one of the cruelest corsairs, and his daughter follows his steps. Her grace and skill encourages men to fight at their limits.	female		Pirates
Andal	While being an experienced pirate, Andal did not always consider himself as a mage or a rogue. He was an ordinary merchant until bankrupting and getting too many debts one day. He started searching for a way to get fast and easy money. After leaving his home, he shortly returned as a known smuggler. He usually trades gems and mountain crystals. It is a mystery where he gets them from, however.	male		+1 Crystal
Astra	There is little known about Astra's past, and she does not hurry to tell much. The only detail known is that she visited almost every corner of the world in order to master the Water Magic. She fulfilled her wish of mastering this school after joining the Sea Priestesses.	female		Cure
Bidley	Bidley is one of the most successful pirates operating near Erathia shores. He is ready to accept any challenge and is able to emerge unscathed from any situation. It seems like he has a rival in every world's corner, but he is always able to escape the trouble. Apart from being an excellent warrior, having artisan skills in both pistol and sabre wielding, he also trains his crew personally.	male		Sea Dogs
Casmetra	The leader of the mysterious priestesses' cult that worships the sea has stepped out from the shadows not so long ago. Nobody knows whom this woman was and where did she came from. However, everyone who met Casmetra mentions her beauty and her power in magic. Many believed that she joined the pirates in pursuit of her own goals. However, with years to pass the priestesses and the corsairs became closest allies.	female		Sea Witches
Cassiopeia	It is said that Cassiopeia was the lover of some Regnan mage, and fell victim to one of his unsuccessful experiments. It is unknown if it is truly possible to turn an alive soul into a nymph. All that is known is that other nymphs accept Cassiopeia for more than an equal kind. They gladly follow her into the battle.	female		Nymphs
Corkes	Not many wish to get into Corkes' enemy list. This quick-tempered pirate is one of the most experienced and cruel sea dogs. Many merchants know that it is better to submit the goods willingly than to start a suicidal battle with him. He is easily distinguishable by the eye patch that he never takes off.	male		Offense
Dargem	Dargem's personality is surrounded by mystery. They say that he alone captured a fort; the defenders' arrows simply could not reach him. Dargem used to live in the dungeons of Nighon, and was one of the apprentice warlocks. He doesn't like to talk much about this period of his life. Everyone knows, however, that his knowledge of Nighonian magic is his ace. Many are convinced that attacking his ship with cannons and arrows is a waste of time.	male		Air Shield
Derek	Derek was one of the slaves on the galleys. He started the riot once with other captives, and after killing the owners, captured the ship. Since then, Derek and his crew joined the Regna pirates. He is different from other captains in his will to work with other crewmen. He also never inflicts physical punishment.	male		Crew Mates
Elmore	Since a young age, Elmore has dreamt about becoming a great sailor. Spending years far from the shore, he has put a lot of effort to make his dream come true. Many pirate captains are famous for their skill of navigation, but Elmore is capable of true magic even onboard the poorest junk.	male		Navigation
Eovacius	Eovacius never learned magic. All his magical talent was inborn. He was raised in a maritime city where he used his talent to steal on the markets. He became a prosperous and influential man until he got too many annoying and powerful rivals in the government. After that, the natural born mage left his homeland and chose the life of a pirate.	male		Clone
Illor	Illor fled from AvLee after his kin was fed up with such a heavily proud spirit. He couldn't bear anyone to be higher than himself. This obsession with a high position in the society led him to studying sky creatures eventually. After lengthy roaming across seas, he understood his lousiness as a pirate. The crew doesn't respect him, and the prey always escapes. Lonely and abandoned, he descended upon an island where giant birds were nesting. Illor spent some time on the island, taming the birds to his command.	male		Stormbirds
Jeremy	Brother of legendary Bidley. Not as harsh and lucky, Jeremy loves fun, brewages, and beautiful women. He has a thing for weapons and collects all the newest inventions. A shot thunder is more pleasing for him than any music. Crewmen say that he is able to kill a gull a hundred feet away from a cannon.	male		Cannon
Leena	Leena was a daughter of a noble from one of the maritime cities of Erathia. Having a wild spirit since childhood, she escaped on a stolen family caravel when her father attempted to marry her off. Surprisingly, she was able to find a common language with the pirates of Regna. She is probably valued for her spirit and numerous connections on the land that she uses to operate her smuggling.	female		+350 Gold
Manfred	Even the most vicious pirate hunters stay away from this outlander. Nobody knows where Manfred came from, but it is known that he can wage fire on galleons with a single hand swing. Pirates dislike Manfred for his horrible accent and his not any less horrible character; however, they respect him as a mercenary battle mage.	male		Fireball
Miriam	This girl has a dark past. Once a ranger, she could see the enemies and obstacles from the farthest distance away. After a disagreement with her "colleagues," she joined the pirates. She got the nickname "Sharp-eye" amongst the bandits.	female		Scouting
Spint	Spint once was a very talented apprentice mage learning at the academy in Bracada. He was caught by the Krewlod barbarians and sold as a slave on a galley. The galley captain noticed his magical power and offered him a boatswain position. Now Spint is a captain himself. He sinks the ships near the shores of Krewlod and enjoys his new life.	male		Sorcery
Tark	He is a king of a half-legendary sea kin that was counted extinct. Tark realized that in order for his people to return he has to get help from powerful allies. Pirates became his new brothers in arms. As all nix, he is a powerful warrior, able to fight on land and sea. Other nix praise him and hold him as a great example.	male		Nix
Zilare	Zilare was the Keeper of the Library somewhere in Erathia. He dedicated his life to books and learning, living the life of a true archivist. Zilare could not keep everything in his head, however. Sometimes he would forget more than he learned during the day. Once he was accused of stealing an especially rare book and was forced to flee. He served as a cook on a pirate ship for some time but later gained fame as a proficient mage. They say that due to constant training in spirit and will, he learned to control the memory of both allies and enemies.	male		Forgetfulness
Balfour	Black Balfour is a powerful pirate leader who loves to collect treasures from all over the world, but in fact he has no interest in appreciating treasures. To be honest, he is an uncouth and all-around nasty character.	male		Forgetfulness

Cove music theme by Heroes Orchestra

Additional bonuses icons

Cove campaign heroes in maps

Map objects

Map format support (HotA)

Heroes

Name	Biography	Gender	Image	Specialty
		male
		male
		male
		male
		male
		male
		male

Less random start

Artifacts

Artifacts

Name	Description	Slot	Image
Cape of Silence	{Cape of Silence} While wearing this cape, neither you nor your opponent will be able to cast level 1-2 spells during combat.	shoulders
Crown of the Five Seas	{Crown of the Five Seas} Worn on the head, this item increases your Knowledge skill by 6.	head
Demon's Horseshoe	{Demon's Horseshoe} Decreases enemy's Luck by 1.	misc
Diplomat's Cloak	{Diplomat's Cloak} Allows your hero to retreat or surrender when battling neutral monsters or defending a town. Multiplies your hero army strength by 3 (for neutral armies and Thieves guild). NOT IMPLEMENTED in VCMI yet	shoulders
Golden Goose	{Golden Goose} When equipped, the Golden Goose increases your income by a total of 7000 gold per day.	misc
Hideous Mask	{Hideous Mask} Decreases enemy's Morale by 1.	misc
Pendant of Downfall	{Pendant of Downfall} Worn about the neck, this item decreases enemy's Morale by 2.	neck
Pendant of Reflection	{Pendant of Reflection} Increases your Magic Resistance additionally by 20%.	neck
Ring of Oblivion	{Ring of Oblivion} When worn, makes all losses in the battle irrevocable.	ring
Sleepkeeper	{Sleepkeeper} While equipped, the artifact provides the hero's creatures with immunity to Mind spells.	misc
Ring of Suppression	{Ring of Suppression} Worn on the finger, this ring decreases enemy's Morale by 1.	ring
Royal Armor of Nix	{Royal Armor of Nix} Worn on the torso, this item increases your Power skill by +6.	torso
Runes of Imminency	{Runes of Imminency} Decrease enemy's Luck by 1.	misc
Shaman's Puppet	{Shaman's Puppet} Decreases enemy's Luck by 2.	misc
Shield of Naval Glory	{Shield of Naval Glory} This left-handed item increases your Defense skill by 7.	left_hand
Trident of Dominion	{Trident of Dominion} This right-handed weapon increases your Attack skill by 7.	right_hand
Wayfarer's Boots	{Wayfarer's Boots} Worn on the feet, these boots allow your hero to move over rough terrain without penalty.	feet
Ironfist Of The Ogre	{Ironfist Of The Ogre} At the beginning of every combat casts Haste, Bloodlust, Fire Shield and Counterstrike spells on expert level on all of your creatures for fifty rounds.	right_hand
Charm of Eclipse	{Charm Of Eclipse} This item reduces the Power skill of enemy hero by 10% during combat.	misc
Seal of Sunset	{Seal of Sunset} Worn on a finger, this item reduces the Power skill of enemy hero by 10% during combat.	ring
Plate of Dying Light	{Plate of Dying Light} Worn on a torso, this item reduces the Power skill of enemy hero by 25% during combat.	torso

Airship

Heroes

Heroes

Name	Biography	Gender	Image	Specialty
Beatrice	Beatrice was a talented follower of Erathian scouts - not yielding much to famous elven pathfinders. Talents of the girl had been noticed by Catherine herself and thence former scout became a general. However, her skills are still with her, she is one of the best at her cause.	female		Scouting
Areshrak	Areshrak is a lizardman from the Couatl Islands off the coast of Jadame, who is a subordinate of Pactal. Usurped control of breeding wyverns, gorgons and other creatures after betraying the former breeder, and he handles relations with the local flight of Rust Dragons.	male		Ballista
Kinkeria	Kinkeria was one of the most respected witches of her tribe. She was always seeking for knowledge, and it was easy for her to comprehend the essence of any phenomena. She has been given such tasks over which many wisemen remained puzzled for years. With that being said, it was no surprise when she offered her service to the king of Tatalia.	female		Learning
Pactal	Pactal is the leader of the Nightcrawlers. He is cunning and cruel, and possesses the artifact 'Hollow Eye'. Because he cruelly devours the young of the Lizardmen, he is nicknamed 'Child Eater'. Under his leadership, the Nightcrawlers tribe gradually grew stronger and enslaved the people of the Bloodied Feather Clan.	male		Armorer
Athe	Athe doesn't care about her own situation, nor does she care about the benefits of following the Kreegan demons. In her eyes, all creatures are equal, whether they are efreet, genie, human or demon.	female		Sorcery
Kydoimos	Kydoimos's name was the personification of the din of battle, confusion, uproar and hubbub in mythology. He is a powerful warlord in Kreegan.	male		Dragons
Miseria	Miseria is a young demon in Kreegan, wild and irresponsible. She rarely thinks about the consequences of her actions. Or does she not care? She acts on her feelings, and that's all she cares about.	female		Resurrection
Ranloo	Folowing the dream of his childhood Ranloo bound himself as an apprentice to a local farrier - master Mestley. But instead of ancient blacksmith's lore he got a bite to his neck and a gaping pit somewhere in the forest of Talon. Nobody can imagine how Ranloo got out of that forest. However, everyone knows well that his diadem of a Master Blacksmith Ranloo has taken from a dead body of his mentor, after a precise shot with self-made ballista.	male		Ballista
Boyd	All scary stories feature a horseman who had been hanged, stabbed or even beheaded and now rides by night, intending to exact revenge on his killers. Nonsense, a necromancer would say, a dead man risen by himself cannot have memory or will. It may well be so, but then Boyd has scores to settle not only with the traitor who slayed him, but also with the one who denied him rest in peace.	male		Skeletons
Maximus	Maximus is one of Kastore's closest associates, a strong and fierce warrior. He is in charge of the necromancer country's defenses while Kastore is away.	male		Black Knights
Gruezak	In Kilgor's army, everyone fights, from the chieftain himself to the lowliest pack-bearer, not to mention the cooks, whose managery spans not only over cauldrons, but also over huge butcher's cleavers. Should one take a close look at Gruezak, one would be surprized to find out he also possesses an array of combat skills hardly expected from a pan and ladle expert; but who on earth would want to scrutinize a run-of-the-mill cook, and an orc, to boot?	male		Ballista
Zog	Zog the Cruel is the leader of the ogres in the Jadame. Possessing the 'Ironfist of the Ogre', he is so powerful that he allows ogres and orcs to wreak havoc on this wasteland, thus establishing his own tribe.	male		Ogres

HotA campaign heroes in maps

Spell Research

Changed shooting visuals

Heroes III data patch

Hero movement arrow

Main menu theme

German buttons

Main menu theme (legacy)

Spanish buttons

Chinese buttons

Russian buttons

Ukrainian buttons

Polish buttons

Czech buttons

Factory

Factory campaign heroes in maps

Additional bonuses icons

Map decorations

Highlands terrain

Maps

Famous community maps

Czech voice

Polish voice

Russian voice

German voice

Bulwark

Neutral creatures

Ancient Altar

Additional bonuses icons