This Fall, Fantasy Flight Games is proud to present the long-awaited expansion for BattleLore , BattleLore: Heroes . In this expansion, leaders and champions will be called to the fields of battle to aid their sides with new skills and artifacts. The road to adventure and glory is never easy and fledgling adventurers will begin their campaigns with only the barest of abilities and must survive the harsh realities of war to become a legendary hero.

Over the next few weeks, we will explore the career paths a player’s hero can follow in the BattleLore: Heroes expansion pack. In each preview, we will present the class-specific skills that type of hero can use as well as what type of play strategy complements this type of hero. We begin with our first hero:

The Cleric

“The best way to defend against an attack is to not get hit.”

The Cleric is a fit into both offensive and defensive strategies. A slow advance of units built upon keeping units bold is only bolstered by the Cleric’s hit negation abilities. Likewise, overextended units can cause more havoc the longer they can stay on the field so a nearby Cleric can provide the extra turn or two of protection needed to accomplish your objectives.

Looking at the initial skill selection of the Cleric, there are three that players can take as the other two class-specific skills have prerequisites.

The first is “Riding” which is a skill that each hero has available. It allows the hero to ride a hero and be treated as a mounted figure which is important if you wish to attach the hero to a cavalry unit. However, while your hero is still developing, it may be better to take one of the defensive skills particular to the Cleric.

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The second skill is “Chant.” This is a very useful skill which allows the Cleric to force attackers to roll one less battle die when attacking the hex he is in. As a basic skill, this skill can actually keep your hero alive longer since potential casualties can be avoided. Players must learn this in order to learn “Battle Hymn” which extends this effect to an adjacent unit.

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The third skill is called “Herbal Remedy.” The importance of this skill is also great since it is the prerequisite for two other Cleric skills. “Herbal Remedy” allows the troop a Cleric is leading to ignore a hit. The two other skills, “Prayer for the Dying” and “Healing Hands” both expand on this skill, one for for when the Cleric is alone and one for protection of an adjacent troop.

Click on the image to the right for a larger version.

A player taking this hero for the first time may want to take “Herbal Remedy” since the skill is worthwhile from the beginning and it allows for a certain amount of flexibility when choosing a second skill depending on how you see your Cleric functioning.

All in all, the Cleric will have a greater chance to shine in the early game especially against an opponent’s more offensive hero that is not yet developed since the Cleric can potentially be able to stay of the field of battle longer and accumulate more experience.

Next Time: We take a look at The Rogue ... put on your footpads, blacken your knives, and pull your hood down low...

Set in a world that bridges history and fantasy, BattleLore is board game that puts players in command of a vast array of miniature troops on the battlefields of medieval Europe. Using the easy-to-learn Commands and Colors system, players can wage thrilling battles without a lengthy time commitment.