It took a while, but I've finally uploaded something. The list is not complete (yet), and if you have special info about certain characters, just mail me!
Max
The main character
in SHF1, Max is the typical hero. Unlike his SHF2 counterpart, Max cannot
use the Bolt spell, but he does kick butt with his sword and he is able
to cast Egress. Watch carefully when you defeat Dark Dragon with him! Max
is pretty much all-round but he's got quite a few hit points!
Tactical advice:
Give him the leftovers in the beginning and you will have an excellent
warrior!
Lowe
The first fellow
you meet, Lowe is a good friend of yours. He's got all the vital spells
to keep the party in good condition. He's handy in the beginning, but I
personally prefer Khris and Gong instead.
Tactical advice:
Well, though his combat abilities are reasonable, I still say, keep him
at the back and heal every lost hit point!
Tao
Tao is a female
elven mage who is especially good in fire magic (read: Blaze). Blaze level
1 is nothing less than a necessity to kill those knights in the beginning.
She's is rather fragile but inflicts whopping amounts of damage at times
(I reckon a 15 damage Blaze level 1....)
Tactical Advice:
Have Tao safely tucked behind some fighters and she really kicks butt!
Ken
Ken is young centaur
warrior. You will meet Ken, Tao, Mae, Hans and Luke after you've visited
the king in Guardiana. Ken is the most aggresive of the five, having a
high attack, but a low defense.
Tactical advice:
Give him a spear and put him just behind the frontline.
Hans
Hans, the elven
archer is another member of the five. He's got a bow and can shoot from
three squares distance when equipped with an elven arrow or better. Though
his attack is okay, he could use some help in the defense department...
Tactical advice:
Needless to say, it is not recommended to put Hans in the front lines.
If you wonder why, just give it a try and you will see him die(I should
become a poet :-P).
Luke
Luke is a small
funny-looking dwarf carrying the typical dwarven weapon, namely the Axe.
He, as more dwarves is pretty sturdy and his damage potential is quite
considerable. It may be fun to examine his nose btw...
Tactical Advice:
Put Luke in the front rank. Not doing so is a disgrace to dwarven pride
and moreover, very dumb since Luke can't do anything besides hacking.
Gong
Gong is a half-giant
monk, something you don't really see everyday. Like almost any monk, he
is skilled in both unarmed combat and healing. You can find him east of
the ruins where the first battle takes place.
Tactical advice:
Use Egress in your first battle, go out of town again and get Gong before
you enter battle again. Neglecting Gong can be quite deadly for your party,
because there is little to boost his attack power when it's low.....
Gort
Gort is a retired
dwarven adventurer who decides to join your party after half the town has
been slaughtered (great timing, eh?). Now there is this common Dutch expression:
"Ik sla jou tot gort(I'll hack you to pudding)" which TOTALLY applies to
this fellow. He's mighty strong, and hacks many a monster to "gort". He's
quite old, though. I think we should be happy that there are no enemies
with aging attacks because Gort would have had a serious problem then.
Tactical Advice:
Give him a pacemaker and dump him in the front line!
Mae
Mae is another centaur
knight with a lance or spear (just like Ken). However, her defense is pretty
remarkable as are her hit points when she gets 2nd level after promotion.
+8 hp is quite common and I've even encountered a whopping +16 hp! While
she only had 14 hp before! Anyway, Mae is a Sturdy centaur.
Tactical advice:
Give her a lance, not a spear and let her drop in melee.
Khris
Khris is said to
be an elf, but from my point of view she looks more like a foxwoman. Khris
can be found in the castle of Alterone and she is extremely capable in
both magic and melee. She is often passed for others, because of her inferior
spells, but with a little training she can become almost as strong and
sturdy as Guntz...
Tactical Advice:
Put her in second rank and move her to the front when there's a gap in
it. Oh, and give her the holy staff.....
Anri
Anri is the daughter
of the fallen king of Guardiana. She can be found in the mage city of Mandarina.
She is fully dedicated to avenge the death of her father. Anri is a very
versatile wizard as she can cast both the Blaze and the Freeze spells.
Anri is human and she's rather fragile so be creful with her...
Tactical Advice:
Second rank in the beginning, third rank when the range of her spells has
increased. Oh, and make sure she's not attacked.
Arthur
Arthur is a blonde
centaur which enjoyes hanging up the laundry in Mandarina. When you visit
him afteryou have obtained the Orb of light, he will accompany you. Arthur
is a very fragile, but unique character as he's the only known centaur
that is able to use magic. His spells are not really shocking (except for
Bolt level1:-P), but they are just right for finishing off that boss.
Tactical Advice:
Arthur is one of the most underestimated characters in the game as he is
often dumped into the caravan, but in fact he's one of the most versatile
and useful ones. It's dead simple. Give him a spear, put him in second
rank and let him kick some Runefaust arses! Many players have made the
mistake of putting him in front, please don't follow their example....
Balbaroy (my friends
and I pronounce this in French because it sounds better then..)
Entrapped in a stone
statue in Shade Abbey, Balbaroy is litterally waiting to be rescued. When
you enter this abbey, you'll notice that this Temple of Light has changed
a little....:-). Anyway, Balbaroy is a birdman, which means he looks generally
like a humanoid shaped hawk with arms. He's not very strong, but very mobile
as he can cross practically every surface..
Tactical Advice:
Put Balbaroy in places that are covered with trees, rocks etc. to maximize
the attack strength of your party. Don't let him stray away from the others,
as that means certain doom.....
Amon (also usually pronounced in french)
Diane
Zylo
Pelle
Yoghurt
Domingo
Vancar
Guntz
Kokichi
While Balbaroy was pertrified, Amon is the one who asks you to rescue Balbaroy. After you have rescued him, Amon will also join the party. She is slightly weaker, but also somewhat faster than Balbaroy. An excellent warrior in mountain and bridge battles....
Tactical Advice:
Well, everything I said about Balbaroy applies to Amon too, only you'll have to be extra careful with her as she is not as sturdy as her male counterpart...
Diane is a female archer and she is pretty similar to Hans. You can find her in the mountain village of bustoke, before the first combat there. Mostly she has slightly more offensive power than Hans....
Tactical Advice:
Keep Diane in the second or third ranks(depends on her range) and let her shoot those filthy creatures from maximum range...
Zylo lives in Butstoke, just like Diane. He's pretty crazy, but when you cure him with Lunar Dew, he will be very grateful and join your ranks. He's typically one of those unique characters, pretty logical since even in Shining Force, wolfmen aren't too common.
Tactical Advice:
Zylo is a front rank warrior, but even the most novice SHF player realizes that when he finds him. However, it's important to decide early whether you want to have him in your party or not, as he can either be a great warrior (when you let him fight everytime), or a great loser(when you leave him at headquarters every now and then). Once Zylo gets behind in levels it's very hard to get him equal with the others again....
Pelle can be found in the final scene of chapter three. He gets thrown off a ridge when you come, but after you defeated the laser eye he turns out to be still alive. He thanks you for saving his life and decides to join your force right away. By the way, his appearance is slightly similar to Tony Robbins.
Tactical Advice:
Pelle kicks ass. He's defense is mighty high(often even exceeding dwarven standards!) and his offensive power makes Vancar and Arthur look like a bunch of peasants. My advice: Throw him in the front line and let him charge the greater evils.
Yoghurt is one of those characters which are not easily found. To find him, you'll have to talk to him in the lumberjack's cottage in Chapter 1. Then, when you are in Pao 1, you have to go to a building in the north and walk to the upperleft corner in there. Then you will see Yoghurt and you hear a weird sound. If you have heard the sound, Yoghurt has joined your party. Yoghurt is a legendary character indeed. Some people claim he's a hamster, others claim he's a dog or even a guinea pig. Some people claim that he gets incredibly powerful when you use all the ability enhancing food on him. Others say that is nothing more than a bucketload of crap. Two things are certain, though. Yoghurt is weak and there is a way you can get the Yoghurt Ring.
Tactical Advice: Level 1, 1 attack, 1 defense, 1 agility, no promotion, no level gaining, no spells. My point is crystal-clear.
Like Yoghurt, Domingo is not easily found either. First you have to find the Domingo egg in Manarina and then you have to hatch it somewhere in Pao. So what is Domingo really? He looks like a combination of a bubbling ooze and Calimero, but how do you call such a thing? A beholder? A Floating ooze? Well, I'll just stick with Domingo the UFO..
Tactical Advice:
Domingo is very mobile, and he can cast several spells(Freeze being the most important one). Therefore he can be extremely useful in certain situations. However, he is just not as strong as Anri or Tao, so my personal suggestion is that you leave him in the HQ...
Vancar is pretty much mr. average. He's centaur and you can find him in the Pao after the people have left the place. He's extraordinary in absolutely nothing except in sheer hit points. He's got a heck of a lot of those!
Tactical advice:
He's just an average centaur. There are better ones around like Ken, Earnest or Pelle. I suggest you take one of those and leave him behind.
And you thought Domingo was weird? Well, check this guy out! It's an armadillo in a steam suit! Well, if even that isn't weird enough for you, just wait until you promoted him:-) You can find him in Pao in the sheep pen, by the way.
Tactical Advice:
His attack is okay, his defense is even incredible, but his movement. He's SO slow! So my advice is, either stick some pepper in this fellow or let him sit in HQ.....
Compared to the preceding two, he's just an "ordinary fellow". He's like the classical insane professor you know from famous movies. You can find him by visiting him in Bustoke. At that time he won't join yet. He will before you are going to battle Elliot, though....
Tactical Advice:
He flies and his attack is okay, but his defense is meagre at best. Most people would put him in the caravan, but I love his battle animation, so I always include him....
