"It's rough being stuck on 5 HP: does my character ever get stronger?" Fair question. In Manala your health bar doesn't level up. You don't out-tank the fight - you out-play it.
I'll be doing class guides for every one of the five classes, starting with the hardest one to keep alive: the Mage.
Your mana IS your armor.
The Mage wears cloth only Your Mana Shield absorbs damage as mana instead of health, and you rebuild it mid-fight.
Spells go through steel.
That full-plate warrior's iron armor? It means nothing to your Spell as you punch through to Hit Points. The War of Words strips the enemy's hand, so fewer attacks ever land on those 5 health.
The full 4-minute guide: armor vs mana shield, using your cards and consumables to survive, and a step-by-step on killing an enemy that has more HP than you:
One class every week
Mage today, then Warrior, Healer, Alchemist, and Smith. Follow along here or in Discord - that's also where the closed testing keys go out. Wishlist Manala so you're there on launch day. It's the single biggest thing that helps a solo dev. Thank you! ːsteamthumbsupː