HQ25 monster stats and abilities #5 the Basilisk

[Daedalus]

Discussion links:

3. HQ25 - Choose your monsters + stats

• Basilisk
  
  d) Mv:8 At:3 De:4 BP:3 MP:2, petrify
  a) Mv:8 At:3 De:5 BP:4 MP:3, 1x2 squares, large, petrify with black shields for MP damage or stun
  b) Mv:8 At:4 De:5 BP:8 MP:4, 1x3 squares, petrifying gaze 1 AD vs. 1 DD
  c) Mv:8 At:4 De:3 BP:3 MP:1, roll 2 AD, if both skulls Hero rolls a shield or petrified
  d) Mv:8 At:3 De:4 BP:3 MP:2, 1x2, large, poisonous bite and 2 AD gaze vs. Hero MP defend or turned to stone, breath as Cloud of Chaos, 3 AD vs. MP, lose turn or stone at 0
  e) Mv:8 At:4 De:4 BP:3 MP:2, petrifying gaze, roll 2 AD vs. Hero's MP as DD, if MP to 0 turn to stone
  passive -1 DD if in front facing and petrify on 3 black shields
  petrification if Mind Points are reduced to 0 by gaze
  Hero defends with MPs vs. a special 3 combat dice range attack, 0 Mind Points = turned to stone
  Seperate gaze attack vs. nearest Hero temporarily petrifies without MP reduction

HQ25 - The great TO-DO list

• Basilisk
  
  d) Mv:8 At:3 De:4 BP:3 MP:2, A Basilisk may attack any Hero it can "see" with its petrifying gaze, rolling 3 Combat Dice to attack. Heroes defend using Combat Dice equal to their Mind Points. The victim loses 1 Mind Point for each undefended skull, and loses his next turn. Heroes reduced to 0 Mind Points this way are turned to stone, excluding artifacts, if Mind Points are lost, more here, ability with if MP are lost and doesn't affect artifacts
  Paralyzation: Paralyze any one Hero a Basilisk "sees" as an attack. A paralyzed Hero is unable to move, attack, or defend. He rolls one red die for each of his Mind Points immediately and on his turn, freeing himself with a 6.
  Petrification:Attack any one Hero the Basilisk can "see" with 3 combat dice. The Hero rolls one red die for each of his Mind Points, reducing Body Point damage by 1 for each 5 or 6 rolled. A victim loses his next turn should any Body Points be lost, and is turned to stone if his Body Points are reduced to zero this way. Doesn't affect artifacts., more here
  Numbing Gaze: As an attack, a Basilisk may inflict 2 Mind Points of damage against any one Hero it "sees." The Hero rolls two red dice, reducing damage by one point for each 5 or 6. The victim can't move, attack, or defend on his next turn if any points are lost. If a Hero's Mind Points are reduced to zero, he is removed from the Quest.
  f) Mv:8 At:4 De:3 BP:3 MP:2, A Basilisk may attack any Hero it can "see" with its petrifying gaze, rolling 3 Combat Dice to attack. Heroes defend using Combat Dice equal to their Mind Points. If the Basilisk scores one or more undefended skulls, its victim must skip his next turn.

HQ25 Petrify Spell Card

• Basilisk
  
  g) Mv:8 At:3 De:4 BP:3 MP:3, As a ranged attack, both the target and basilisk roll combat dice equal to MPs, and target is petrified if any undefended skulls. A petrified target can't be harmed and can attempt to free itself once per turn by rolling under their full MP value using a red die.
  fully defend a # AD gaze attack with # of DD=MPs or lose turn and can't be harmed untill roll under MP on a red die
  As an attack or part of movement, both target and Basilisk roll combat dice=MPs. The Hero is petrified if any undefended skulls using black shields. A petrified target can't be harmed or take any actions, but it can attempt to free itself once per turn by rolling under its full MP value using a red die.
  H) Petrify spell, more here, more here
  I) target loses turn and can't be affected by attacks or magic if damaged by ranged attack
  J) ranged attack defended with Mind Points or petrified, more here, more here
  K) target loses turn and can't be affected by attacks or magic until roll a black shield on # of dice=MPs
  
  size and shape, more here, more here, more here, more here, more here

Here's the fifth of six polls dealing with the six chosen monsters for the HQ25 Quest Pack--it's a long one. Vote once for stats (lowercase choices) and once for ability (uppercase choices.) You may change your votes. Feel free to express your views and ideas in this topic thread, as later ideas can be added in the placeholder options.

If you're not sure of the description in an entry, follow the matching-lettered discussion link of this post for a fuller explanation at the original post. The links also indicate original stat and ability matchups intended by the creator.

The Beastman, Minotaur, and Chaos Dwarf polls are still open, and a missing Kobold ability option has been swapped in.

[knightkrawler]

I voted a) because I don't see the Basilisk as a boss monster type*,
but rather as a serious nuisance like a wraith (that attacks mind points in my game) or the yeti with its annoying hug attack.
As special rule I chose D4 because it's a familiar mechanic used for chaos and Ogre Horde spells before
that makes sense thematically.

That being said, heroes turning to stone (meaning dying) is a nice lead-in to the next quest, where an artefact has to be found that can re-animate them.
The player(s) with the dead hero(es) have to pick a mercenary (being able to search for treasure) and play a retrieve-quest,
as easy or hard as it needs to be.
It shouldn't be able to kill all heroes. Maybe it shouldn't be able to leave a certain area of the map, like one of the "quadrants" of 5/6 rooms,
or lose this ability if it does.

I prefer fully sapient beings as bosses towards the end of a campaign,
and the basilisk shouldn't be it.
This turn-to-stone specimen should be a climax towards two thirds of the campaign, methinks (somewhere in quest 16 through 18 of 25).

*I haven't seen a miniature suited that is bigger than 1x2 squares. More like 4 to 8-ft long lizards, like a monitor, maybe.
Where have I seen the six- or eight-legged miniature? Otherworld? Reaper?
Doesn't fit the stats of b), which is leading with 2 votes at this point.

[GimmeYerGold]

I voted a) because I don't see the Basilisk as a boss monster type*,
but rather as a serious nuisance like a wraith (that attacks mind points in my game) or the yeti with its annoying hug attack.
As special rule I chose D4 because it's a familiar mechanic used for chaos and Ogre Horde spells before
that makes sense thematically.

That being said, heroes turning to stone (meaning dying) is a nice lead-in to the next quest, where an artefact has to be found that can re-animate them.
The player(s) with the dead hero(es) have to pick a mercenary (being able to search for treasure) and play a retrieve-quest,
as easy or hard as it needs to be.
It shouldn't be able to kill all heroes. Maybe it shouldn't be able to leave a certain area of the map, like one of the "quadrants" of 5/6 rooms,
or lose this ability if it does.

I prefer fully sapient beings as bosses towards the end of a campaign,
and the basilisk shouldn't be it.
This turn-to-stone specimen should be a climax towards two thirds of the campaign, methinks (somewhere in quest 16 through 18 of 25).

Not sure if I recommended this already, but the petrifying potion effect from Quest 7: The Lost Wizard would be appropriate as well.

Maybe the Hero is "stoned" for 1d6 rounds when the spell takes effect. Taking one hero out of the battle, even if they come back again, can turn the tide in Zargon's favor, being literally petrified rather than outright dead is thematic--the player must wait and watch the battle unfold around them until they can rejoin. Just a thought

[Daedalus]

Good spot, GimmeYerGold! The potion-like ability has been added to the poll as choice L).

@ knightkrawler,
A retrieve Quest for a stone antidote is a cool idea. If a mercenary is used, I think the low Body Points may be a problem. Maybe two mercenaries for stoned Hero? Another alternative could be a structure similar to Quest 6 of RotWL, where the stoned Hero or Heroes are found and restored after the fetch Quest is underway.

Your plot placement about two-thirds in can certainly fit. I briefly reviewed the story arcs and chapters: Sotiris' arc, Sjeng's arcs, some Goblin-King chapters, Gootchute's arcs, MrBigB's chapter, arc, and chapter, Goldbearer's chapter, I would also like to see more of the Basilisk in a few other Quests, especially the Reptilian-themed Fimir-Kobold swamp arc. That chapter is currently one of the earlier ones.

I'm a fan of keeping a monster lower-powered so it can get more use our low-to-mid level Quests. I think it would be wise to have a more versatile, less lethal Basilisk that only temporarily petrifies or has a fairly-stable resist mechanic to avoid quick, unlucky deaths. We could include even more than one Basilisk if the stats are low. This can make for a few interesting, swingy battles. I voted g) and D4).

I suggest reserving the stronger 8 Body Point Basilisk that permanently petrifies a victim as a named monster in the Notes section of an even later Quest in the arc. Choices b) and D3) could work nicely. Think Shelob as compared to the Mikwood giant spiders as an analogy of potency and story value. Gorragon could either be guarding the way, one of the necessary artifacts, or perhaps it's head could be the artifact that later defeats another (final?) boss, ala Clash of the Titans. Perhaps an Aegis Shield must first be gotten to withstand such a powerful opponent, like the Spirit Blade foiled the Witch Lord.

[Anderas]

There.
What GimmeYerGold said.

I voted for that option.

[Anderas]

Do we talk the historical myth, a snake with the head of a chicken?



Or is our basilisk a giant snake with some added thorns? That my preferred, I have a model for that.

Or is our basilisk a giant Gecko? That's basically a lizard.

Or is our basilisk an especially small dragon?

After googling an hour, I found all of those variants, and only the first one without copyright.

[Daedalus]

What has been said previously on this question:

size and shape, more here, more here, more here, more here, more here

It's pretty open ended, but maybe that is okay. I'd say go with a scary reptile head-shot on this one to avoid the whole body issue. That way, people are more free to use the figure they have or choose.

[Daedalus]

A Potion of Freedom will fit in the expanded Alchemist's Shop of the Quest Pack. It may end any paralysis effect for the Hero who drinks it. I'd say a paralyzed victim could use it. If that's too much, an adjacent Hero would need to administer it, but that's more complicated.

[Anderas]

Anybody vetoing this symbol with a proper counterproposal?



All In One Pack Monsters --> Snake (WH's)

as said, if it passes, I would make an object.xml that introduces a new folder HQ25 and spawns a twin under the name "Basilisk" for quest designers.

[knightkrawler]

Anybody vetoing this symbol with a proper counterproposal?



All In One Pack Monsters --> Snake (WH's)

as said, if it passes, I would make an object.xml that introduces a new folder HQ25 and spawns a twin under the name "Basilisk" for quest designers.

maybe that ice lizard thingie in the d&d board game folder would fit. more lizard, more face, less snake, less full-body. just an idea.