Chronicles from the North - PART 12
Welcome back to Chronicles from the North, a series of articles introducing various details of the upcoming Northern Wind dungeon crawler. Today, we’re wrapping up the hero introductions with our final character: the stormy lady herself—Tomoe, the Endless Rain!
The forecast?
100% chance of scattered goblins and high-voltage drama. ⚡🌧️
Story
In the dying embers of the warring states era, Tomoe emerged victorious over her nemesis—the Endless Rain.
However, her victory carried unforeseen consequences. The lingering tendrils of the Rain’s essence persisted, despite its defeat. They clung to Tomoe and she began experiencing an overwhelming hatred towards the gods, gradually losing touch with reality as if the darkness was consuming and distorting her very mind. At the end of her struggle, it finally engulfed her, leaving her adrift in unfathomable Abyss within the boundless depths of the Endless Rain.
One day, Tomoe awoke in a land both known and unknown to her.
Read more: link.
Playstyle and Profile Characteristics
Tomoe is the closest thing Northern Wind has to a blaster caster—an aggressive spellcaster who deals devastating damage with her magic. However, she doesn’t do this in a straightforward way; she first needs to set up aquatic terrain to unleash the full fury of her storm as the payoff.
Level I
Level I Tomoe is a fascinating model. With 2 HP and SPD 3, she’s both more mobile and tougher than most other heroes right from the start. She pays for this with middling stats across the board—except M 13, her primary casting stat due to the Mystic Class. Alongside Mystic, she also carries the Mage and Sorcerer Classes, giving her access to rerolls and mana.
She’s slightly more resilient to ranged attacks, bringing cloud cover with her wherever she goes. But the heart of her power lies in her four starting spells:
- Electrification, a powerful melee strike,
- Lightning Bolt, a solid ranged attack,
- Blessed Rain, which slows enemies and grants cover to allies (and buffs lightning damage!),
- Protective Bubble, a simple defensive spell to protect teammates.
Level II
At Level II, Tomoe sees small boosts to her M and INT, slightly improving her spell effectiveness. But the real upgrade is her new Spells. From the Air element comes Chain Lightning, a ranged version of Electrification, perfect for clearing out clustered enemies. From Water, she gains Downpour, a permanent ranged method of creating Aquatic terrain—ideal for setting traps and powering up her storm magic.
This level marks her transition into a terrain-controlling storm engine.
Level III
Tomoe is the only hero who does not receive Light and Dark profile variants—she’s not one of our own characters, so we didn’t feel right making those decisions on her behalf. That said, her regular Level III profile is still a showstopper.
Her stats increase nearly across the board, with only M taking a dip due to story reasons in Act III. She gains the Snipe skill, perfect for long-range damage, and two new Spells:
-
Thunderstorm, the ultimate Spell in her kit—a massive AoE strike that can wipe out an entire encounter if positioned right,
-
Flash Flood, a terrain manipulation Spell that pushes Hostiles and lines them up for devastating follow-up strikes.
Upgrades and Synergy Cards
The best Upgrades for Tomoe are clearly the spellcasting staffs—melee weapons are rarely needed. A few survivability Items can be helpful, but her natural speed and range should keep her safe if played smartly. Liquid Mana will also come in handy in tougher encounters.
As for Synergy cards, she thrives with payoff cards, thanks to her high burst damage potential. Just keep in mind that her Level III spell already comes with Cleave, so doubling up on that Trait might be unnecessary. Focus on Synergies that increase her Spell output, efficiency, or attack strength to maximize her potential.
Final Thoughts
At first glance, Tomoe might seem like a straightforward damage dealer—but she’s far from simple. Her playstyle revolves around creating aquatic terrain, herding Hostiles into it, and then unleashing a storm of chain lightning that arcs across the battlefield. She’s a setup-heavy caster with some of the most satisfying payoffs in the game.
Tomoe is perfect for players who love playing the long game—strategically placing dominoes and watching them all fall in a glorious storm. If you’re looking to rain on the Oni’s parade, she’s your centerpiece.
