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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

1.7.63

Author

Hota Crew, ported by VCMI Team & edeksumo & avatar. 1.7 ported by Ben, Fixes by Loki Laufeyjarson

Contact

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

Repository

View mod on GitHub

Screenshots

Submods

Horn of the Abyss

Game balance

HotA templates

New adventure map graphics for towns & creatures

Wasteland terrain

Community Expansion

Artifacts

Name Description Slot Image
Hollow Eye {Hollow Eye}

The Hollow Eye increases the scouting radius by +2. It also makes hero's troops immune to Blind spell.		 misc
Great Battle Bow {Great Battle Bow}

Great Battle Bow increases hero's Archery skill by +15%.		 misc
Fang of the Last Scream {Fang of the Last Scream}

Held with the right hand, Fang of the Last Scream gives +5 to hero's attack skill. It also gives the specialty of Bloodlust to hero who equipped it.		 right_hand
Great Woe of the Crawlers {Great Woe of the Crawlers}

The Great Woe of the Crawlers is an ancient weapon from Pactal's family. It increases all your Primary Skills by 3, and increases Fortress creatures' damages by 30% and speed by 2.		 right_hand

Factory

Creatures

Name Image Anim Level Attack Defense Damage Speed HitPoints Growth AiValue
Halfling Grenadier 1 5 2 2 - 3 6 4 15 95
Mechanic 2 6 5 2 - 4 6 14 8 186
Engineer 2 7 5 2 - 5 7 16 8 278
Armadillo 3 5 10 3 - 5 4 25 6 198
Bellwether Armadillo 3 6 11 3 - 5 6 25 6 256
Automaton 4 12 10 7 - 7 8 30 5 574
Sentinel Automaton 4 12 10 9 - 9 9 30 5 709
Sandworm 5 13 12 12 - 16 8 50 3 991
Sandworm Larva 1 3 2 1 - 3 18 1 30 982
Olgoi-Khorkhoi 5 15 12 12 - 16 10 60 3 1220
Gunslinger 6 17 12 14 - 24 7 45 2 1351
Bounty Hunter 6 18 14 14 - 24 8 45 2 1454
Dreadnought 7 18 20 40 - 50 6 200 1 3879
Juggernaut 7 23 23 40 - 50 7 300 1 6433
Couatl 7 17 17 25 - 45 11 160 1 3574
Crimson Couatl 7 21 21 25 - 45 15 200 1 5341
Cowboy 0 5 5 6 - 12 4 40 1 5931

Townscreen

Puzzlemap

Heroes

Name Biography Gender Image Specialty
Henrietta Even a humble halfling from the Eeofol backwoods is capable of a feat when an unprecedented calamity knocks at the door. The new world, devoid of thatched roofs, carrot beds, or the incessant grumbling of geezers, has changed Henrietta, and she is now ready to change it herself. Kreegan fire reduces her homeland to ashes and scorched her heart, but she used it to forge herself a steel will. female Halflings
Sam Since ancient times, earth oil has wreaked havoc on the farmers of Jadame, erupting in fountains and laying waste to their crops and pastures. Sam, the daughter and apprentice of a skilled blacksmith, was the first to tame this black beast by forcing it into a pipe and making it heat her forge. Her inventions made earth oil into Burton's blood, food, and arms. female Mechanic
Tancred Back in his alchemist days, Tancred discovered an ancient recipe for a concoction that exploded without the use of magic. To his great dismay, the crucial component - saltpeter - was nearly entirely absent from Antagarich. Only in Jadame did Tancred discover vast caves full of this rare element and perfect the design of the arquebus that hurls tiny bullets with this awesome power. male Gunslinger
Melchior Melchior can see everything that is going on in the deepest recesses of someone else's mind. This secret talent provides a crucial advantage when assessing the foe's strength and intentions and convincing him to agree to terms. Any prince who enlists Melchior's services can be certain of never having to plead for a disgraceful peace. male Diplomacy
Floribert Floribert is regarded as one of Enroth's finest field surgeons, having introduced numerous new tools that speed up manipulations and therefore alleviate the suffering of the wounded. Floribert gets a steady supply of practicing material from his girlfriend Victoria's experiments. male First Aid
Wynona Jadamean dark elves' natural element is the towns and deserts they cross with their caravans. Wynona, however, had always preferred exploring the wilderness outside Alvar and the Murmurwoods, tracking animals and taking notes of their habits. She eventually became the foremost authority on Jadamean fauna, having learned a great deal from her flying, crawling, and hopping friends. female Scouting
Dury Dury spent the longest time in search for a magician who would not just promise to, but actually eliminate the repercussions of wounds she had sustained in dozens of clashes. One excellent blacksmith was able to forge a siertal plate to replace the part of her skull caved in by a wyvern's tail, and the mercenary now values fine armor far more than any magical malarkey. female Armorer
Morton Morton, a veteran of Goblin-Ogre Wars and one of the few who survived the assault on Gowdar Deep, vowed vengeance on the 'dirtskins' for the massacre that wiped his home off the face of Jadame. He gauges the quality of his ballistae by the number of ogres they can piece with a single shot. female Ballista
Tavin Tavin is barely the only halflings who joined the army of Erathia. Other halflings disapprove his way of living as these creatures do not like adventures. However, his folks respect him, even if they fear a bit and tend to avoid him. When Kreegans invaded Eeofol, Tavin quickly became a leader of local resistances, and is still ready to defend his homeland. male Offence
Murdoch Murdoch is a man to call a professional soldier of fortune. He barely likes anything more than money and fame. That is why Murdoch gathered a company of daredevils of his own kind and went to seek adventures on the landscapes of Jadame. Who knows where his fate will take him next time? male Archery
Celestine The AvLeean druid who had lost his grove traversed the wold, imparting knowledge on anyone who sought it. He left the secrets of natural magic and his daughter Mirlanda in Tatalia, whilst in Eeofol, Celestine was born, inheriting another facet of his talent. Her father taught her how to tame the most violent beasts, offering them friendship, rather than the Tatalian beastmasters' trademark ruthless treatment. female Armadillos
Todd Few Bracadan scientists have actually seen, let alone handled, a hammer or a furnace. Todd, however, had to learn how to use them, unable to convey his esoteric ideas to blacksmiths and coppersmiths. There was also a scarcity of instruments and materials vital to his research in Bracada; Todd journeyed halfway around the world in search of them before finding what he sought in Burton. male Automatons
Agar Many thought that the warlock Agar was a madman, and then a dead man. While the latter has been proven incorrect, there is still no unanimity in Enroth's scientific community on the former. Indeed, Agar's creations are undeniably viable and functional - but could a scientist in his right mind think of instilling such nasty inclinations and proclivities in a living being? male Sandworms
Bertram Few dwarves are capable of not just making a fortune, but also of making it work. Bertram left his father's house as soon as his beard grew two fingers long. Wandering around Antbertramich, he grew fabulously rich through investing in alchemical and magical ventures. His gold paid for the embodiment of many ideas that today underpin Burton's power. male +350 Gold
Wrathmont Wrathmont's volatile temper got him into countless problems in his life, most notably during the carve-up of Archibald Ironfist's estate, when former colleagues banded together against the warlock, weary of his tantrums. Barely escaping them, Wrathmont fled Enroth. He spent years searching for and studying old stone tablets, learning to control his fury and stoke it in others instead. male Frenzy
Ziph Ziph had long served as a maid to an old mage who looked down on her and her kin. The wizard had no idea that 'ziph' meant 'freedom' in Gremlish, much less did he suspect that she was listening in on his lectures. One day, Ziph crammed half of her master's lab into a magic bag, hid in a ship's hold, and fled Bracada for good. female Lightning Bolt
Victoria Higher magic can restore the dead, but can a simple infantryman who stepped on a landmine count on having someone work it on him? Victoria's fascination with such an insidious weapon did not earn her colleagues' respect, yet she committed her life to perfecting it. After meeting Floribert, the inventor found another use for her engineering knowledge, designing mechanical limbs for crippled warriors. female Land Mine
Eanswythe According to hearsay, it was Eanswythe who concocted the potion that poisoned Regna's first emperor Hareck before fleeing for Jadame. If that is indeed the case, then she must be at least 6 centuries old. Ordinary people don't live that long, and whoever his enigmatic crone is, everyone knows: she merely has to raise an eyebrow to make even those most formidable solders drop their swords and spears. female Weakness
Frederick Frederick has been living the life of an ordinary Bracadian mage and alchemist, even if he has been a bit more curious than his fellows. Such curiosity made him experiment with mechanisms first, and then conduct forbidden research. As a result, Frederick had to flee from Bracada, and now he searches for a better place to devote himself to what he wants. male Automatons
Jangaard Jangaard is a defender of Burton once Kastore took control. male Gunslinger
Stina Stina is a defender of Burton once Kastore took control. female Mechanic
Valquest Valquest is a defender of Burton once Kastore took control. male First Aid
Winzells Winzells is a defender of Burton once Kastore took control. male Offence
Elderian Elderian is a defender of Burton once Kastore took control. male Automatons
Umender Umender is a defender of Burton once Kastore took control. male Automatons

Factory campaign heroes in maps

Map objects

Conflux - Vault of Ashes

Map format support (HotA)

Less random start

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

HotA campaign heroes in maps

Changed shooting visuals

Heroes III data patch

Hero movement arrow

Neutral creatures

Creatures

Name Image Anim Level Attack Defense Damage Speed HitPoints Growth AiValue
Satyr 4 10 11 6 - 10 7 35 4 550
Fangarm 5 12 12 8 - 12 6 50 3 900
Leprechaun 2 8 5 3 - 5 5 15 9 208
Steel Golem 4 10 11 6 - 8 6 45 4 597

Highlands terrain

Magical terrains

Maps

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

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