Some HQP Spells

[StratosVX]

Circle Of Death: OP.

Yep.

Okay, so I started my group through a preview of the first quest in the HeroQuest Prime quest pack. One of the players chose a Necromancer because they saw this spell and was sold.

After seeing it in action....I definitely see how it's OP. Any suggestions on how to tone it down? I'd like to keep the same visual concept, but perhaps not so deadly.

EDIT: After a short bit of discussion on G+, someone suggested this change:

You could have it so that it kills a number of BP worth of monters equal to the necromancer's BP. So a necro with 5BP could kill 5BP worth of monsters i.e. two monsters with 2BP and one 1 monster with 1BP or 5 monsters with 1BP, etc.

What do you folks think?

That would work. I would either do that or allow the monsters to have a saving roll based on their body points (since that's what the spell uses as is basis of attack) and don't allow the spell to continue on after the turn it was cast on. Just my

[Teldurn]

...a saving roll based on their body points

Do you mean, for instance, if a monster has 1BP, it gets 1 combat die saving roll, and if another monster has 3BP, it gets 3 combat dice saving roll?

...and don't allow the spell to continue on after the turn it was cast on. Just my

I want to agree with this, but with the way it's set up now, I think the correct change would be for it to cost 1MP to keep it going for additional rounds.

Now this brings up a secret, hidden, and little-talked-about issue with spell cards. And that is text length. This seems like a lot of information to try and fit in just seven or eight lines of text.

This spell causes all 8 adjacent
squares around you to pulse with a
sickly greenish-purple smoke. All
creatures in the zone defend with
dice equal to their Body Points. As
an action, you may lose 1 Mind
Point to sustain this effect on future
turns, as if casting it again. The
spell is broken when there are no
more monsters you can see.

This might work. I'd have to check if it fits without needing to enshrinken the text size.
Also note that I wrote "creatures" instead of "monsters," so it includes Heroes caught in the blast, adding a strategic requirement.

[StratosVX]

...a saving roll based on their body points

Do you mean, for instance, if a monster has 1BP, it gets 1 combat die saving roll, and if another monster has 3BP, it gets 3 combat dice saving roll?

That's exactly what I meant. The hardier the enemy, the better its chances of resisting.

...and don't allow the spell to continue on after the turn it was cast on. Just my

I want to agree with this, but with the way it's set up now, I think the correct change would be for it to cost 1MP to keep it going for additional rounds.

Now this brings up a secret, hidden, and little-talked-about issue with spell cards. And that is text length. This seems like a lot of information to try and fit in just seven or eight lines of text.

This spell causes all 8 adjacent
squares around you to pulse with a
sickly greenish-purple smoke. All
creatures in the zone defend with
dice equal to their Body Points. As
an action, you may lose 1 Mind
Point to sustain this effect on future
turns, as if casting it again. The
spell is broken when there are no
more monsters you can see.

This might work. I'd have to check if it fits without needing to enshrinken the text size.
Also note that I wrote "creatures" instead of "monsters," so it includes Heroes caught in the blast, adding a strategic requirement.

I agree that Heroes should be susceptible to the effects. I also like that the sustained spell requires using each turn's action. Now, would you let a Hero use it until they run out of mind points? If so, what are the consequences? Do they just fall unconscious or is there more to it?

[Teldurn]

Yes, they can use it until they run out of MP, if they so choose. But it's a gamble, here's why.

Heroes at 0MP are considered stunned. They can not attack, they move with one die instead of two and can only defend with two combat dice regardless of how much armor they have.

That said, mind points also regenerate in my game. 1 point every 3 rounds. But casting spells also cost MP, so casters really need to be mindful of their MP.

[Daedalus]

...After seeing it in action....I definitely see how it's OP. Any suggestions on how to tone it down? I'd like to keep the same visual concept, but perhaps not so deadly.

EDIT: After a short bit of discussion on G+, someone suggested this change:

You could have it so that it kills a number of BP worth of monters equal to the necromancer's BP. So a necro with 5BP could kill 5BP worth of monsters i.e. two monsters with 2BP and one 1 monster with 1BP or 5 monsters with 1BP, etc.

What do you folks think?

.

...a saving roll based on their body points

Both the Body Point limit and a negating saving throw sounds like a good ideas for such a powerful effect. Maybe both?

Now this brings up a secret, hidden, and little-talked-about issue with spell cards. And that is text length. This seems like a lot of information to try and fit in just seven or eight lines of text.

This spell causes all 8 adjacent
squares around you to pulse with a
sickly greenish-purple smoke. All
creatures in the zone defend with
dice equal to their Body Points. As
an action, you may lose 1 Mind
Point to sustain this effect on future
turns, as if casting it again. The
spell is broken when there are no
more monsters you can see.

With the HeroQuest Prime logo at the bottom you can still include 10 lines, as with Pass Through Rock. It appears to me you should put the part back in about killing creatures. Otherwise, the spell now appears to only modify a creature's Defend Dice. If necessary, I'd say you could trim the opening fluff sentence.

[Teldurn]

With the HeroQuest Prime logo at the bottom you can still include 10 lines, as with Pass Through Rock. It appears to me you should put the part back in about killing creatures. Otherwise, the spell now appears to only modify a creature's Defend Dice. If necessary, I'd say you could trim the opening fluff sentence.

Oh dear, it seems you're right. I completely neglected to include that language. I'll give the wording a once through in a couple days and see how it looks. Thanks for the heads up. However, I think I will keep just the Defend Die option in place for now. If playtests reveal that the spell is still too powerful, then I'll look into the Body Point limit as well.

[washi]

I like that!!

To me, it feels like it fits with the existing HeroQuest color palette and more simple art style! Did you have spells that go with this back?

Chris

Thanks. Yeah, the Druid spells are:

• Bat: This spell transforms the Druid into an agile Bat. The Bat has 12 movement, 1 Attack Die, and 1 Defend Die. It may move unseen through spaces occupied by monsters.
• Frog: This spell transforms the Druid into a steadfast Frog. The Frog has 6 movement, 3 Attack Dice, and 5 Defend Dice. It heals 1 Body Point each turn, and it does not spring pit traps.
• Wolf: This spell transforms the Druid into a cunning Wolf. The Wolf has 9 movement, 5 Attack Dice, and 3 Defend Dice. It takes up 1x2 squares, and it may attack any monster your base touches.

When I get around to making the cards, I will post them up here as well.

6 years later... How many turns these Druid transformations last? Something like Mind Points ammount or the player chooses freely?
If it is free I believe that some limitation should be applied, as inability to search traps, treasures, use itens and so...

[Teldurn]

I like that!!

To me, it feels like it fits with the existing HeroQuest color palette and more simple art style! Did you have spells that go with this back?

Chris

Thanks. Yeah, the Druid spells are:

• Bat: This spell transforms the Druid into an agile Bat. The Bat has 12 movement, 1 Attack Die, and 1 Defend Die. It may move unseen through spaces occupied by monsters.
• Frog: This spell transforms the Druid into a steadfast Frog. The Frog has 6 movement, 3 Attack Dice, and 5 Defend Dice. It heals 1 Body Point each turn, and it does not spring pit traps.
• Wolf: This spell transforms the Druid into a cunning Wolf. The Wolf has 9 movement, 5 Attack Dice, and 3 Defend Dice. It takes up 1x2 squares, and it may attack any monster your base touches.

When I get around to making the cards, I will post them up here as well.

6 years later... How many turns these Druid transformations last? Something like Mind Points ammount or the player chooses freely?
If it is free I believe that some limitation should be applied, as inability to search traps, treasures, use itens and so...

6 years later... They last until the Druid takes damage, at which point they roll 1d6. If the result is equal to or less than their current Body Points, the beast form is lost.

[washi]

Thank you, Teldurn. I started to play with some friends by TTS and I'm implementing some new heroes for side quests (1 classic hero + 3 new heroes). I'm using some Spells created by you that I saved 6 years ago on my PC