Rune Raiders

Gruffle is a good starting character, but quickly becomes less useful due to his low stats and attack range. Early on, he's a good melee character to round out your group, but don't base your team around him.

Type: Melee
Range: 1 tile in any direction
Max Damage: 50 x 1
Max Armor: 50
Recovery: 10
Skills:

1. Axe Therapy: +25% attack

2. Emotional Armor: Defense boost

3. Facing Intimidation: Double attack if more than one enemy is on adjacent tiles.

4. Money Cures Everything: $25 more money per kill

5. Coping With Criticism: 20% defense bonus against melee attacks

Sheen starts off with a strong, but limited attack directly ahead of her, and little armor. At max level it's a different story and she's a solid character throughout the game, with a powerful ranged attack that also triggers a knockback effect. However, Minotaurs remain deadly to her.

Type: Melee (becomes ranged with 'Tri-Blade Crossbow)
Range: 2 tiles front or back
Damage: 60 x 1
Armor: 60
Recovery: 10
Skills:

1. Heavy Daggers: Knockback on attack

2. Chain-mail Vest: 20% armor increase

3. Dagger-Throwing Crossbow: Range increase

4. Agility Training: Dodge first enemy attack each turn

5. Tri-Blade Crossbow: Throw 3 daggers at once

Flenta's ranged attacks initially work well for the team, but the damage increase as he levels up isn't enough to justify making him a permanent member of the squad. Although the game sometimes suggests putting him at the front, his armor is weak and it's likely he won't survive on the front line.

Type: Ranged
Range: 4 tiles in any direction
Damage: 20 x 1
Armor: 45
Recovery: 20
Skills:

1. Ambition: Better arrow cover, but lower range

2. Designer Armor: 30% armor increase

3. Full Healthcare Package: 20% more healing each turn

4. Explosive Arrowheads: 25% of damage from attacks to tiles adjacent to the enemy

5. Optimised Teamwork Targets: Improved range

The healer skips her turn if any character moves in that turn. She has very little armor and no form of attack, and in campaign mode this limits her usefulness significantly - you can't bring a character back from the front line to heal up during a battle, and she can't join in the fighting.

Type: Healer
Range: One tile in each direction
Damage: 0 x 3
Armor: 10
Recovery: 10
Skills:

1. Multitasking Smugly: Heal up to two allies at once

2. Restorative Smelling Salts: Improve heal range to cover diagonals

3. Extra Thick Fig-Thistle Juice: Healing remedy takes place twice as fast

4. Multitasking Kindly: Heal up to three allies at once

5. Veganism: Defense bonus to the elf, if he's on an adjacent tile

Kapalzor is good in levels where groups of enemies are hidden behind rows of bricks. His upgraded attacks don't do a huge amount of damage, but will hit every enemy in range - the problem is that his attack is quite difficult to line up with enemies as they move around. Using Pun Tree to smash clean thrugh bricks is a better option than trying to shoot around them.

Type: Ranged
Range: A hoop ahead of him.
Damage: 35 to each enemy in range
Armor: 30
Recovery: 10
Skills:

1. Remembering Tricks: Better attack

2. Aim-Improving Spectacles: 20% increase to attack

3. Armored Hearing Aid: 20% defense bonus

4. Learning New Tricks: Attack all targets in range in one turn

5. Inspiring anecdotes: Adjacent allies receive an 20% attack bonus. Also applied to his own attacks.

Stallona does more than three times the total damage of the Elf, and has far higher armor to boot. He's a pretty solid character all round, and good in boss fights.

Type: Ranged
Range: 3 tiles in any direction
Damage: 22 x 3
Armor: 120
Recovery: 25
Skills:

1. Thick Human Skin: 20% defense bonus

2. Manly Self Sacrifice: If killed, the rest of the party's health is restored

3. Five Extra Workouts a Day: Longer range attacks

4. Manly Diet: 25% more recovery

5. Ten Extra Workouts a Day: More attacks per turn

The Ninja is the only character who can move anywhere on the board, aiming for sneak attacks on opponents further up the game area. Fully upgraded, he can attack twice per turn, and although his armor is very low, he can kill many enemies on one hit. He's especially useful for clearing out minotaurs, as they can't attack behind themselves, but most small groups of enemies can be dispatched by him with ease. His low armor means you shouldn't bring him to boss fights, however.

Type: Melee
Range: 1 tile each side and beyond, plus one additional tile directly behind.
Damage: 100 x 2
Armor: 24
Speed: Instant
Recovery: 10
Skills:

1. Ninja Stealth: Moves don't count towards your turn total.

2. Spirit of Range: Increase range

3. Spirit of Booze: 20% defense increase

4. Spirit of Shots: Two attacks per turn

5. Avoiding Addiction:Dodge one enemy attack per turn

Svena is heavily armored and attacks a whole row of tiles across the screen.

Type: Melee
Range: Whole line of tiles horizontally across the screen.
Damage: 24
Armor: 240
Speed: 2
Skills:

1. Reinforced Turban: 20% armor bonus

2. Repeated Attack: Make two slicing passes at th enemy.

3. Sensible Profiteering: Earn $50 more per kill.

4. Crafty Approach: No turn counted for moves.

5. The Blade of Farsand: 20% attack bonus.

The Whipman has the strongest armor in the game, making him near essential for boss battles, despite a difficult line of attack.

Type: Melee
Range: Ahead and to the right
Damage: 24
Armor: 360
Speed: 2
Skills:

1. Leather Jacket: 20% armor bonus

2. Civilized Whip: Longer whip allows civilized lashing of enemies

3. Double Whip: Fire 2 shots per turn.

4. Archeology: Break open rocks in search of artifacts.

5. Tea Buzz: 20% attack bonus.

Amerlia shoots forks in all directions, making her a great character to use against groups of enemies. Her attacks continue until they hit something, so if only one enemy from a group is in range, she can still attack the entire group. Using this trick can allow you to pick off enemies from larger groups before getting in range of their attacks.

Type: Ranged
Range: 3 tile radius
Damage: 10.4 x 18
Armor: 180
Speed: 4
Recovery: 10

Skills:

1. Tip money: $25 bonus money per kill.

2. Sharing is Fun: Tiles adjacent to target take 20% of damage

3. Being Extra Helpful: Forks shoot in all directions

4. Non-Homemade Armor: 20% Armor bonus

5. Super Extra-Sharp Forks: 30% attack bonus

Pun Tree is a solid, high armor character with a healing ability and a strong attack . His range is limited, but the strength of his armor and an attack that hits up to 8 enemies simultaneously allows him to wade into groups of enemies. An upgraded Pun Tree is a great character to put in your party.

Type: Ranged
Range: adjacent tiles
Damage: 40 x 8
Armor: 200
Speed: 8
Recovery: 25
Skills:

1. Taking Route: Absorb damage in place of adjacent allies.

2. Rolling Stones: Destroy barrier tiles

3. Green Energy: 25% more recovery

4. Wilt to Live: If an adjacent ally is killed, take their place and heal them at the same time

5. Fruits of Labor: Heal entire party for 33hp after every kill. This includes tile blocks!

Autumn's ranged attack doesn't do much damage, but can hit all enemies in range, as well as sometimes triggering knockback. High armor means she's useful on most levels, including bosses, despite the low damage output.

Type: Ranged
Range: 3x3 square area one square ahead
Damage: 12
Armor: 130
Speed: 4
Recovery: 20

Skills:

1. Natural Protection: Improve armor

2. Come Spring, Bring Life: 20% recovery bonus

3. Come Winter, Bring Death: 20% attack bonus

4. Boredom with Nature: Increase range

5. Improving on Nature: 25% attack bonus

A Bear is the tank of the game, with a huge amount of armor. His damage per hit is second only to the Ninja's, although even when fully upgraded, he can only attack the tile immediately ahead of himself. If the enemy has empty space to either side, A Bear will grab them and fling them in whichever direction has the most clear tiles - and should they crash into another enemy, both will take damage.

Type: Melee
Range: 1 square directly in front
Damage: 86 + bonus
Armor: 192
Speed: 4
Recovery: 10
Skills:

1. Stolid Bear: 20% defense increase

2. Angry Bear: 20% attack increase

3. Hungry Bear: 25% attack bonus if enemy is below 50% health

4. Scary Bear: Hold Bumblehawks in place

5. Fury Bear: 20% attack bonus

Ogres are the most basic enemy you'll encounter. Low damage, range, and armor make them easy pickings.

Attack Range: any adjacent tile
Damage: Low
Armor: Low
First level seen: 1

Orks are basic ranged enemies. There's little problem taking them out.

Attack Range: 3 tile radius
Damage: Low
Armor: Low
First level seen: 2

Minotaurs are a difficult enemy to deal with even late in the game due to their strength. They will charge forward and inflict heavy damage on any character within 3 tiles directly ahead of them. The Ninja is able to kill these in one hit, so use him to take them out before your party gets in range.

Attack Range: 3 tiles directly ahead
Damage: Very High
Armor: Medium
First Level Seen: 3

Big, vicious parrots that can breathe fire. Keep the ninja away while they're on full health, as he isn't able to deal with these in one shot, and their attacks can hit in any direction.

Attack Range: 2 tile radius
Damage: Medium
Armor: High
First Level Seen: 4

These bizarre enemies have a powerful attack that hits every tile around them, and so are best dealt with from range. Where that isn't possible, use characters with high armor that can withstand the damage they're capable of dealing.

Attack Range: Every adjacent tile simultaneously
Damage: High
Armor: High
First level seen: 6

Although not too powerful in their own right, mud golems can fire a concoction of mud over a character to hold them in place for a few turns. The mud stops the character from attacking and prevents you from manually moving them, but doesn't affect the dodge ability or a group move command.

Attack Range: 1 adjacent tile
Damage: None (but holds characters in place)
Armor: High
First Level Seen: 7

Each Cyclopes has a high attack range and can do a lot of damage to characters with limited armor, making them one of the most dangerous ranged enemies in the game. On the other hand, against the bear or the tree, their attacks barely leave a scratch, and the Cyclopes' own armor is pitifully weak.

Attack Range: Any horizontal, vertical, or diagonal tile
Damage: Medium
Armor: Low
First Level Seen: 8

Bumblehawks are most dangerous because of their dodge ability, which allows them to hop out of the way of the first attack each turn. This renders your Ninja helpless against them. The Bear is able to grab Bubmlehawks, making their dodge useless.

Attack Range: Any 2 adjacent tiles in a line
Damage: Medium
Armor: Low (but dodges first attack)
First Level Seen: 9

Hydras are deadly enemies capable of attacking groups of characters for high damage. Attack from range or send strongly armored melee characters in for high impact attacks. Although the Ninja can deal with lone Hydras, a single hit from them will kill him, so it's best to keep him out of harm's way where more than one show up.

Attack Range: 3 x 4 box, plus two on each side. Attacks 3 characters at once.
Damage: Very High
Armor: Medium
First Level Seen: 11

Don't be fooled by the relatively low stats: mummies are tricky enemies due to their ability to jump into the middle of your team and deal damage to everyone. One mummy by itself isn't much of a threat, but a group of them can wreak havoc.

Attack Range: Jumps one tile to land on a character and deal splash damage to nearby tiles.
Damage: Low
Armor: Low
First Level Seen: 12

Although slow, spiders are strong, heavily armored, and leave a web on every square they move from. The web can entangle characters, stopping them from moving or attacking, and sometimes prevents collection of gold.

Attack Range: 1 tile directly ahead
Damage: Very high
Armor: High
First level seen: 13

Reapers float vertically from the top of the screen and cannot be attacked. They don't stop for anything and they don't take turns to move. Just get out of the way!

Attack Range: Own tile
Damage: Very high
Armor: N/A, can't be attacked
First Level Seen: 14

Rock Monster

Any team member hit by attacks from this boss will target teammates on their next turn, which is usually deadly. There aren't many safe places to stand to avoid getting hit: See this screenshot for one safe formation. Note that where the red lines cross the edges or the corner of a tile, characters on that tile will still take damage.

Recommended party: Ranged characters. Stand them on safe tiles, and they won't take any damage all fight. Melee characters are unable to get close enough to the King to do any damage.

Her attacks are strong, and she'll take out even well armored characters with only a few attacks. Melee characters like the bear can deal plenty of damage to her, so go all out on the attack.

Recommended Party: Armored characters to soak up the damage. The bear is essential to win the battle quickly, before your party is worn down. You should find at least two health potions on your way to the boss fight; drag those up with you for some extra healing power should you need it.

Expect to take a lot of damage in this battle. Not only does this boss have powerful attacks of his own, reapers will constantly appear to further drain health from your party. You should collect as many HP potions as possible in the lead up to the boss fight, because it's impossible to get through this one without taking damage.

Recommended Party: Only your best, most armored characters. iOS users have an advantage here as the two exclusive characters both have high armor, great for this battle. If the tree is in the party, stand him apart from the group, or else he'll absorb half their damage, and won't survive more than two rounds.