Persival is one of the three selectable heroes in the 2020 roguelike deckbuilder Knock on the Coffin Lid.
Description[ | ]
A knight of the Northern Gate and a bodyguard of Lord Ingvar, hardened by practice and battles. He wants to return home and look into the eyes of his best friend who betrayed him.
Persival on start
Character backstory[ | ]
Persival is a guard officer of the Northern Gate and the personal bodyguard of Lord Ingvar. Despite his high position, Persival is not of noble birth but rather a commoner. He owes his enviable status to a long-standing imperial tradition where a ruling house takes into its care an orphaned boy or a boy from a large and poor family, raising him alongside their own son. Such children often grow up to become the best of friends and loyal companions.
As for the upbringing of the future lord and his companion, it consisted entirely of education and training – in sciences, manners, and martial arts. The only other thing to add is that Persival had nothing except for his education and later a friendship he formed with Sigismund.
Although Persival grew up with Lord Ingvar's younger brother, he became the bodyguard of the elder sibling. After the death of the First bodyguard of the Northern Gate’s lord, Persival took his place. While there is no friendship between them, Persival fiercely holds true to his duty and the ruling house of the Northern Gate. He is ready to sacrifice his life for Ingvar without hesitation, as well as for Sigismund.
When Ingvar went to the Frontier to quell the escalating conflict between the elves and dwarves, Persival accompanied him to protect him from danger, but failed – they both were poisoned. After hastily burying them in a local cemetery, the elves started preparing for the inevitable invasion of the dwarves.
Gameplay Specifics[ | ]
Playing as Persival has the lowest entry barrier. Players acquainted with the rogue-like card-game genre will find the game play familiar. Each of the four classes adds its own specific feature to it.
The Versatile[ | ]
The Versatile
Persival had a relatively smooth childhood, although not carefree. He was taken into the palace of the Lord of the Northern Gate from a poor and large family, and he never had any need for material goods since then. He was raised in the best traditions of an ancient noble lineage, while rigorous training and trials tempered his body and spirit.
Gain 5 Armor at the start of the battle. At the start of the turn, gain 2 Strength if no health damage was taken in the previous turn.
Persival is well-protected and becomes stronger if he avoids damage. Focusing on defense is an excellent choice for a beginner player (especially when there’s no other choice at the beginning).
The Gold Digger
The Gold Digger[ | ]
The memories of his semi-starved childhood and the constant need his family was in are alive in Persival's mind. He knows the value of money, never misses an opportunity for gain and rationally uses it to his advantage. But every coin has a flip side: those who have never known need and treat money carelessly are reliably protected from stinginess and greed – the protection that Persival lacks.
Gain extra 50 gold per battle. Rates of Wallet Strike and Golden Shield depend on your gold amount. At the start of the battle, for every 100 coins, add a Greed card to the Draw pile.
If Persival has lots of money, he can deliver powerful attacks and defend himself well using unique cards, which, however, use precious coins when being played. It makes sense to use gold sparingly and accumulate wealth, but the trouble is, money clogs the deck with junk cards like Greed. This forces the player to be greedy but not overly so. A relatively simple and enjoyable class.
The Knight[ | ]
Persival is an exceptional warrior, but he's too accustomed to fighting in the best armor and wielding the finest weapons. He feels uncomfortable going into battle with a dull sword and wearing rags, but if he manages to acquire decent equipment, his enemies will experience everything the Northern Gate knight is capable of.
If HP > 80%, gain 2 Strength, 2 Agility, 1 Energy. Cards return to the Draw pile without shuffling. At the start of the turn, if there are no 2 Attacks or 2 Skills in hand in a row, Gain 2 energy and 10 HP.
This class description doesn't showcase its main feature: the unique knight's ring that allows sparing wounded enemies and recruiting them as squires. Having an ally is crucial for the Knight, but there won't be a problem with that: by the end of the game, players will have a wide choice of squires to summon.
The Veteran[ | ]
Training provides only half of success, practical experience is of no less importance. Battle-hardened Persival possesses invaluable combat experience. That experience always guides him on what to do in a given situation and which of the available skills will come in handy at the right moment.
Gain 2 Energy. Playing 3 cards of different types in a row reduces the cost of other cards in hand by 1. Playing 2 cards of the same type in a row increases the cost of cards in hand by 1. After playing a card, its original cost is restored.
This is a "transitional class" that prepares the player for the new hero fairly well. The Veteran has to think more about the cards in hand, but thoughtfully playing them gives him unique advantages.
The story during the events of the game (with a spoiler warning)[ | ]
After learning of Ingvar's death and receiving no answers from Mortis, the revived Persival decides to return to the Northern Gate. A number of unpleasant surprises await him along the way:
· The dwarves have started a war with the elves for the Frontier.
· The elves now consider the humans traitors, making the safe passage through the Sunny City inaccessible.
· Detours lead through either the orcs’ lands or the bog infested with monsters, undead, and hostile cultists.
But the worst awaits him at home, in the Northern Gate, which has been ravaged by demonic intruders and an invasion of religious fanatics from the Brotherhood of Fire. The main culprit of this chaos is none other than Sigismund:
· Sigismund poisoned his older brother and best friend to seize the throne;
· Sigismund denied support to the elves, provoking the dwarves' attack;
· Sigismund made a deal with the Inquilines and allowed them into the Northern Gate;
· The invasion of the Brotherhood of Fire was also a consequence of Sigismund's actions.
Without much hesitation, Persival decides to kill his best friend (now former). However, one thought is gnawing at him: what does Mortis want to achieve?
Ending 1[ | ]
After dealing with Sigismund, Persival faces an even more formidable opponent – Millenis. She calls Persival a pawn and adds that she will not allow Mortis' plans to come to fruition. Despite not fully understanding what plans she was talking about, Persival decides to deal with her too. He finds a way to overcome Millenis and kills her, subsequently becoming the new Lord of the Northern Gate. He will rule wisely and justly – all under the watchful guidance of Mortis.
Ending 2[ | ]
When Persival kills Sigismund, Mortis realizes that all his plans have collapsed. The reason is that on the way to the Northern Gate, Persival took certain actions that will have irreversible consequences. To rectify that, Mortis decides to kill Persival and send him back to the beginning, but Persival disagrees, resists, and defeats Mortis. Now he will rule the Northern Gate under the supervision of Millenis. She believes that the new lord will be even more useful for her than Sigismund.
