Stronghold: A Hero’s Fate – Stats, Choice and Tomb

Like in all Choice games, stats are what drive the game behind the scenes. Every decision you make raises or lowers one of these stats. And each decision is determined by the value of a stat.
Are you trying to negotiate a tricky deal? You would need a high charisma stat, or in this game Cunning or Empathy. Want to take down a monster? You need Athletics and Weaponry.
If you have to low of a stat you fail a skill check and something bad will happen. Usually something as minor as losing some horses. But later in the game it can be as impacting as losing friends or dying.
The starting chapter of Stronghold is crucial to how you play the rest of the game. It can make or brake your decisions and some are literally prerequisites of certain achievements. Not that I want to scare you, just to prepare you and guide you to success.

Stronghold stats are broken into 3 categories. Two of which I will breakdown into more detail in this Guide.
You have Traits, Skills, and Relationships.

TRAITS
Traits determine your personality. Which affect how you interact with certain characters or the Town in general. Like the other stats, these are mostly important for making decisions down the line.
Not that this is something to get nervous over. You can actually play the game without ever taking these stats into consideration. As long as you make decisions that match previous decisions and “stay in character” or consistent you will pass almost every choice.
Traits are broken down into two sides, red and blue, with 10 traits overall:

PROUD vs MODEST
JUST vs MERCIFUL
TRADITIONAL vs INNOVATIVE
BOLD vs CAUTIOUS
HUMOROUS vs SERIOUS

Your traits will start out at 50% for all traits. As you make decisions the line will move and youl’l see the percentages go up or down to reflect that.
Now this section I honestly havnt seen mess up most of my choices. The one instance was when I was trying to defuse a situation with humor but I had made serious choices in the past, and so everyone was upset that I had been so tactless. Later I went again with high HUMOROUS and the jokes lightened the mood. So while not important for a lot of things, there are some instances that are defined by how you play.

SKILLS
Now skills are the most important stat in the game. As early as Chapter 2 you can start failing choices if you don”t have the right skills high enough.
For skills you have:

ATHLETICS
STEALTH
WEAPONS
CUNNING
EMPATHY
KNOWLEDGE

Most of your choice/skill checks will go from one skill source but sometimes it will be from two. Most combat is a combination of ATHLETICS and WEAPONS. And often times CUNNING is paired with KNOWLEDGE. The only skill that is rarely if never paired is EMPATHY. Empathy determines certain MERCY decisions and would spoil it here to say more. But you’ll know when you see them.

PAGE ONE:

• As a merchant, I keep a sharp eye on the goods I’m bringing back from the South.

• As a caravan guard, it’s my duty to protect the caravan against whatever might be lurking in the darkness.

• As a blacksmith, I keep an eye on the cart where I’ve stowed my tools.

• As a caravan outrider, I’m careful to watch over the horses.

• As a healer, I hope that my skills won’t be needed tonight.

Being a Merchant will change your SKILL stats to:
Athletics: 50% / no change
Stealth: 35% / -15
Weapons: 25% / -25
Cunning: 75% / +25
Empathy: 50% / no change
Knowledge: 40% / -10
RELATIONSHIP Change:
Arri: 50% / no change
Ebbin: 55% / +5
Fram: 40% / no change

Being a Caravan Guard will change your SKILL stats to:
Athletics: 75% / +25
Stealth: 25% / -25
Weapons: 75% / +25
Cunning: 25% / -25
Empathy: 50% / no change
Knowledge: 25% / -25
RELATIONSHIP Change:
Arri: 50% / no cahnge
Ebbin: 50% / no change
Fram: 46% / -4

Being a Blacksmith will change your SKILL stats to:
Athletics: 75% / +25
Stealth: 25% / -25
Weapons: 50% / no change
Cunning: 25% / -25
Empathy: 50% / no change
Knowledge: 50 / no change
RELATIONSHIP Change:
Arri: 55% / +5
Ebbin: 50% / no change
Fram: 40% / -10

Being a Caravan Outrider will change your SKILL stats to:
Athletics: 75% / +25
Stealth: 50% / no change
Weapons: 50% / no change
Cunning: 50% / no change
Empathy: 25% / -25
Knowledge: 25% / -25
RELATIONSHIP Change:
Arri: 50% / no change
Ebbin: 50% / no change
Fram: 40% / -10

Being a Healer will change your SKILL stats to:
Athletics: 25% / -25
Stealth: 50% / no change
Weapons: 20% / -30
Cunning: 25% / -25
Empathy: 75% / +25
Knowledge: 75% / +25
RELATIONSHIP Change:
Arri: 50% / no change
Ebbin: 50% / no change
Fram: 40% / -10

It should be noted that this first decision affects the rest of the game greatly. Certain characters will be more approachable depending on what job you have. For instance Ebbin owns a business and so likes when you are a Merchant. Arri is Blacksmith/Craftsman and likes when you are also a Blacksmith. Other characters you meet will have special dialogue depending on your starting job and it can make replaying a little more interesting or new.
The main goal for choosing your job is your starting stats. You can raise them more along the way but keep in mind if you are going for a certain Achievement then you should go with starting stats that will help.
Example: A Healer starts off with huge Knowledge and will help with the Riddle Achievement and any job that starts high Athletics is going to help towards any combat.

PAGE TWO:
The decisions on the next page do no affect any stats. The paragraph at the top is mainly to give some flavor for the job you chose.
The three decisions may affect the story down the line, although I cannot confirm this. Its possible it affects how you view goblins, animals, trees. But my thoughts is that this is a flavor page to set up more flavor text for the next page.

PAGE THREE:

I reach for my knife.
* Merchant +10 to BOLD
* Caravan Guard +5 to BOLD
* Blacksmith +10 to BOLD
* Caravan Outrider +5 to BOLD
* Healer +10 to BOLD

I shout for help. 
* Merchant +10 to Cautious
* Caravan Guard +10 to Cautious
* Blacksmith +10 to Cautious
* Caravan Outrider +10 to Cautious
* Healer +10 to Cautious

I start back towards the caravan.
* Merchant +5 to Cautious
* Caravan Guard +5 to Cautious
* Blacksmith +5 to Cautious
* Caravan Outrider +5 to Cautious
* Healer +5 to Cautious

I turn around to see whats behind me.
* Merchant +5 to Cautious
* Caravan Guard +5 to Cautious
* Blacksmith +5 to Cautious
* Caravan Outrider +5 to Cautious
* Healer +5 to Cautious

PAGE SIX:

I feel around the edge of the table gingerly.
– If you chose Reach for my *Weapon* – 

• NO CHANGE

– If you chose Shout for Help –

• NO CHANGE

– If you chose Back Toward Caravan – 

• NO CHANGE

– If you chose See What’s Behind Me –

• NO CHANGE

I stand up and see if I can feel a ceiling or walls before venturing into the dark.
– If you chose Reach for my *Weapon* – 

• NO CHANGE

– If you chose Shout for Help –

• NO CHANGE

– If you chose Back Toward Caravan –

• NO CHANGE

– If you chose See What’s Behind Me –

• NO CHANGE

I cautiously get down to investigate the floor.
– If you chose Reach for my *Weapon* – 

• NO CHANGE

– If you chose Shout for Help –

• NO CHANGE

– If you chose Back Toward Caravan – 

• NO CHANGE
  – If you chose See What’s Behind Me –
  • NO CHANGE

  I’m going to strike out into the darkness.
  – If you chose Reach for my *Weapon* –

  • Merchant +8 to BOLD
  • Caravan Guard +9 to BOLD
  • Blacksmith +8 to Bold
  • Caravan Rider +9 to BOLD
  • Healer +8 to BOLD

  – If you chose Shout for Help –

  • Merchant +12 to BOLD
  • Caravan Guard +12 to BOLD
  • Blacksmith +12 to BOLD
  • Caravan Rider +12 to BOLD
  • Healer +12 to BOLD

  – If you chose Back Toward Caravan – 

  • Merchant +11 to BOLD
  • Caravan Guard +11 to BOLD
  • Blacksmith +11 to BOLD
  • Caravan Rider +11 to BOLD
  • Healer +11 to BOLD

  – If you chose See What’s Behind Me –

  • Merchant +10 to BOLD
  • Caravan Guard +10 to BOLD
  • Blacksmith +10 to BOLD
  • Caravan Rider +10 to BOLD
  • Healer +10 to BOLD

  Whats interesting here is that only Striking Out into the Darkness gets any boost to your stats. Also it should be noted that you only get the high + from choosing it first. If you choose the other options first and then choose Strike Out, you get a few points less to BOLD. And then if you don’t choose it at all and choose the all the other options you get no bonuses what so ever.
  (I personally feel like you should have gotten a boost to either CAUTIOUS or STEALTH but its not up to me.)

Written by Stormaggeden