Heretic

Raven Software teamed up with id Software for the second time in its creation of the hit fantasy action game Heretic. Based on a modified Doom engine, Heretic pioneered a revolutionary new inventory system for character item use that has become commonplace in the FPS genre. id Software published the game under its flag and it was distributed by GT Interactive.

Players took the role of Corvus, an Elven hero whose race was nearly eliminated by a horde of evil monsters from another dimension. The first episode of Heretic was released as shareware as a precursor to the full version of the game.

Heretic won several awards for excellence, appeared in such notable publications as USA Today and Playboy, and opened many new doors in the computer gaming software industry for Raven Software and its team of developers. Heretic was Raven Software's most popular, highest acclaimed, biggest selling game to that point.

After its big success, two additional episodes were released for free, upgrading the normal Heretic to Heretic: Shadow Of The Serpent Riders.

Some of the modifications Raven made to the Doom engine for Heretic were sectors that can push the player, an inventory system, ambient sounds, translucency, and looking up and down. Monster infighting can still occur, and Heretic's exploding barrels look like large floating spiky green spheres.

Story
The world of Parthoris was populated by many peoples who divided themselves into seven great nations, as well as the mystic Sidhe elves. It was these elves who kept the Tomes of Power and the sacred candle flames which eternally burned to represent the armies of the world.

The Sidhe believed in a prophecy of Armageddon, and their prophecy ultimately proved itself true when from the east came the three terrible Serpent Riders cloaked in black. They were great sorcerers, and they demonstrated their power by quelling the wars of the eastern provinces. Soon the men of the seven nations turned to their worship and built a great temple in their honor. Upon the temple was the Sign, a crossed trident, and the worshippers came to call themselves the Order of the Sign. The deeper into reverence of the Riders' dark ways they fell, the more they were sapped of their free will and spirit. Once all of the seven realms were theirs, the two eldest Riders departed, leaving D'Sparil alone to prepare the world for destruction.

Recognizing the fulfillment of prophecy, the Sidhe refused to follow in the worship of D'Sparil and thus they were set apart from the other peoples of the world. Once sacred guardians, they were now heretics, hunted and hated everywhere they went. D'Sparil's disciples turned the minds of the seven kings toward conquest of the Sidhe realm, and when the Seven Armies marched upon them, the Sidhe Elders extinguished the sacred flames, destroying them all.

D'Sparil was enraged and in the chamber of the Elders he stirred up a storm of white-hot flame, killing them all. The earth burst open beneath their charred bodies and from within poured legions of the undead as well as murderous beasts from worlds beyond. This new army overwhelmed the Sidhe and slaughtered them in untold numbers. In only one day, their civilization was destroyed and their survivors were scattered far and wide. The darkling creatures had carried off the Tomes of Power and the other artifacts of the Sidhe as spoils of war. Left defenseless, it was surely only a matter of time before all Sidhe perished under the Order of the Triad's unyielding fury.

Most of the few remaining Sidhe hid themselves away, but Corvus was determined to have revenge. Heading east into the wilderness he came upon the City of the Damned, where the very air reeked with rot and decay and the only sounds were the screams of foul creatures seeking his blood. Armed only with his staff and Elven Wand, he had little hope to survive. So began the downfall of D'Sparil and the salvation of Parthoris.

Heretic skill levels
1. Thou needeth a wet-nurse: Damage taken is halved; number of monsters is decreased; number of powerups and items is increased; ammo powerups give 50% more than normal. The game automatically uses quartz flasks and mystic urns to prevent the player from dying.

2. Yellowbellies-r-us: Number of monsters is decreased; number of powerups and items is increased. Otherwise similar to skill 3.

3. Bringest them oneth: This is the normal skill level.

4. Thou art a smite-meister: Similar to skill 3, but the number of monsters is greater; the number of items and powerups is decreased.

5. Black plague possesses thee: Similar to skill 4, but ammo powerups give 50% more than normal; monsters attack and move 300% faster; enemy missiles fly 300% faster; cheating is disabled.

(Note: 1, 3, and 5 are grammatically incorrect; they should be Thou needest a wet-nurse, Bring them on, and Black plague possesseth thee.)

Heretic enemies

 * Disciple Of D'Sparil
 * D'Sparil*
 * Fire Gargoyle
 * Gargoyle
 * Golem
 * Golem Ghost
 * Green Chaos Serpent*
 * Iron Lich
 * Maulotaur*
 * Nitrogolem
 * Nitrogolem Ghost
 * Ophidian*
 * Sabreclaw*
 * Undead Warrior
 * Undead Warrior Ghost
 * Weredragon*

Monsters with an asterisk only appear in the full version of the game.

Heretic weapons

 * Dragon Claw
 * Elven Wand
 * Ethereal Crossbow
 * Firemace*
 * Gauntlets of the Necromancer
 * Hellstaff*
 * Phoenix Rod*
 * Staff

Weapons with an asterisk only appear in the full version of the game.

Heretic items

 * Crystal Vial
 * Quartz Flask
 * Mystic Urn*
 * Silver Shield
 * Enchanted Shield*
 * Tome of Power
 * Timebomb of the Ancients
 * Wings of Wrath
 * Morph Ovum
 * Shadowsphere
 * Ring of Invulnerability
 * Torch
 * Map Scroll
 * Bag of Holding
 * Chaos Device*

Items with an asterisk only appear in the full version of the game.

Heretic levels
City of the Damned (Episode 1) (The only one in shareware)
 * E1M1: The Docks
 * E1M2: The Dungeons
 * E1M3: The Gatehouse
 * E1M4: The Guard Tower
 * E1M5: The Citadel
 * E1M6: The Cathedral
 * E1M7: The Crypts
 * E1M8: Hell's Maw (Iron Liches are bosses)
 * E1M9: The Graveyard (Secret)

Hell's Maw (Episode 2)
 * E2M1: The Crater
 * E2M2: The Lava Pits
 * E2M3: The River of Fire
 * E2M4: The Ice Grotto
 * E2M5: The Catacombs
 * E2M6: The Labyrinth
 * E2M7: The Great Hall
 * E2M8: The Portals of Chaos (Maulotaurs are bosses)
 * E2M9: The Glacier (Secret)

The Dome of D'Sparil (Episode 3)
 * E3M1: The Storehouse
 * E3M2: The Cesspool
 * E3M3: The Confluence
 * E3M4: The Azure Fortress
 * E3M5: The Ophidian Lair
 * E3M6: The Halls of Fear
 * E3M7: The Chasm
 * E3M8: D'Sparil's Keep (D'Sparil is boss)
 * E3M9: The Aquifer (Secret)

The Ossuary (Episode 4) (Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders only)
 * E4M1: Catafalque
 * E4M2: Blockhouse
 * E4M3: Ambulatory
 * E4M4: Sepulcher
 * E4M5: Great Stair
 * E4M6: Halls of the Apostate
 * E4M7: Ramparts of Perdition
 * E4M8: Shattered Bridge (Iron Liches are bosses)
 * E4M9: Mausoleum (Secret)

The Stagnant Demesne (Episode 5) (Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders only)
 * E5M1: Ochre Cliffs
 * E5M2: Rapids
 * E5M3: Quay
 * E5M4: Courtyard
 * E5M5: Hydratyr
 * E5M6: Colonnade
 * E5M7: Foetid Manse
 * E5M8: Field of Judgement (Maulotaurs are bosses)
 * E5M9: Skein of D'Sparil (Secret)

In addition, there are three hidden levels on E6M1, E6M2, and E6M3. These super secret levels can only be reached with a warp command. They seem to be part of an unfinished episode but in fact they are multiplayer maps.

Trivia
In Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders exists map E6M3. It looks like MAP01 from IDMAP01.WAD made by American McGee. Maybe IDMAP01 is an early version of E6M3.