Stefan

At a Glance
Origin: Unknown Profession: Warrior Armament: Sword and Shield

Pros Cons
 * First hirable melee henchman.
 * Has a fair survival rate in combat.
 * Has below-par offensive power, attacks weaker than Little Thom
 * Has pathing issues around corners when enemies are in the way. If trying to reach an enemy around a corner/bend and there is another foe in the way, he will often be stuck in that foe and do nothing. The problem with this is that while stuck he will not heal himself or use stances, so he becomes a softer target.

Known Skills
From Dragon's Lair on:
 * Balanced Stance
 * Griffon's Sweep
 * Healing Signet
 * Resurrection Signet
 * Power Attack
 * Sever Artery
 * Sprint
 * "Charge!" (Elite) (replaces Sprint)

Behaviour
As with all henchmen, Stefan will attack whatever the party leader is currently attacking. Since he is a Warrior, this is very noticable. Keep this in mind if you're using effect-on-hit skills (such as Mark of Pain) to maximise your body counts. Be aware that if not already fighting, Stefan immediately engages any enemy that attacks a party member, be it by ranged attacks, spells or melee. This means of course he will very often rush right into the middle of an enemy group, drawing the attention of more enemies. He is also very reluctant to back off an enemy and retreat; you will have to run away quite far before he stops fighting and begins trying to catch up. Tactics like luring small groups of mobs away from a larger host are very difficult when Stefan is involved and next to impossible if it comes to ranged attackers.

Tips

 * Keep Stefan healed. If he is your only primary Warrior, keep him alive at all costs, as he's the one who'll be trying to soak up all the physical damage.
 * Remember that sword skills that cause Bleeding don't work very well against elementals and other creatures who don't bleed. Stefan, and other sword-wielding Warriors, are handicapped when facing such enemies.