Artifact
Artifacts are items that can be found on the Adventure Map. They are typically magical items, that provide special powers and abilities for the hero who uses them. A hero can visit an artifact and pick it up, which causes the artifact to disappear from the map, and added to hero's inventory. Every hero has a backpack that can hold up to 64 unequipped artifacts. If the hero's backpack is full, he cannot pick up anymore artifacts.
Typically artifacts give the hero who has equipped them bonuses to his primary skills, enhance secondary skills or otherwise affect combat factors. Furthermore, they can give immunity to certain spell or spells. Additionally, they can increase the hero's movement on the Adventure Map.
An artifact can also be guarded, even though it has no apparent creatures guarding it. When a guarded artifact is tried to pick up by a hero, a text appears asking wheter or not the hero wants to attack the guardians. If the hero manages to defeat the guardians, he will receive the artifact. If he is forced to retreat from the battle or dies during it, the defeated guardians will not regenerate.
Class
Artifacts are split into 4 categories roughly rating their power and usefulness. The Class rating is not listed on the item in game, and provides no other effect. it is only for map making purposes. The map editor allows for placing of a random artifact of that Class, allowing for creating a variation in that map from one play through to the next.
The 4 Classes are: Treasure, Minor, Major, and Relic. Treasure classed artifacts typically give the hero +1 luck or +2 attack. Relics can give a user +4 attack and defense or knowledge of all Air spells.
Slots
Equipped artifacts are placed on squares on hero menu called slots as seen on the picture below. Slots represents different parts of the hero's body, and every slot can hold one artifact at the time.
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| Slot 1 – Weapon: Typically gives bonus to attack skill. |
| Slot 2 – Head: Typically gives bonus to knowledge skill. |
| Slot 3 – Neck: Varies, but commonly gives spell immunities. |
| Slot 4 – Torso: Typically gives bonus to spell power. |
| Slot 5 – Ring: Varies. |
| Slot 6 – Shield: Typically gives bonus to defence skill. |
| Slot 7 – Shoulders: Varies. |
| Slot 8 – Feet: Typically gives benefits to hero's movement. |
| Slot 9 – Misc: Varies greatly. Note: In Shadow of Death and Heroes Chronicles there are five misc slots. |
| Slot A: Reserved only for ballista. |
| Slot B: Reserved only for ammo cart. |
| Slot C: Reserved only for first aid tent. |
| Slot D: Reserved only for catapult. |
| Slot E: Reserved only for spell book. |
| Slot F: Your backpack. Where you can store up to 64 unused artifacts. |