HeroQuest Spiced Up edition A Hero's Quest.

[mitchiemasha]

I've cheated to get it finished... Zombie and Mummy now says Quest Specific. Meaning when I finally do a quest pack for this, the curse or disease mechanic will be wrote in the quest notes (thanks knightcrawler). I don't want to have a too powerful standard feature in basic quest where it's not factored in the design.

The best alternative I could think was paralysis. At first seeing a Mummy end turn. Opens up the potential of the EWP getting the first attack. Seeing as they are slow, won't always be effective.

[mitchiemasha]

Well, it's not spelled out in the original rules (pun intended), but that limit is built in the mind point/number of spell sets that a hero gets.
Every mind point over 3 grants you one spell set (3 spells). That's why the Elf gets 1, the Wizard 3 spell sets. It's nothing official, but it works.
Should you make a character with 5 mind points, they should get 6 spells or one-off skills.
That's how I write up skill-and-spell-based characters mostly to make them as balanced as possible.

That's the way I had seen it but I've changed it. It's now 2 Mind points per spell set. 2 Mind Points use of Weapons. 1 Mind Point etc skill.

Wizard 6MP - 3 Spell Elements, No weapons.
Barbarian 2MP - Weapons.
Elf 4MP - Weapons - 1 Spell Element
Dwarf 3MP - Weapons + an extra Skill Disable traps.

All a perfect fit!!!

This enables the other classes to be built too. Every character has 6 points to spend (regardless to MP) on Combat dice, each skill and magic element, all costing 1 point each. Mathematically it stacks up in all directions. At first glance it doesn't seem as clever as it is, considering how simple it is.

When creating the Magic Healer or Ranger you have an extra MP spare but you've spent all the 6 character creation points. Ideally you'd think it would be better to give them more BP instead of MP... but that doesn't work thematically, when looking at the mini or comparing the class to the original Heroes. This is where the factor of sacrificing a MP to use the Healing skill or Tame Beast skill comes in. You'd want these characters to have extra Mind (which rightfully they'd have) so it's not a wasted spend in creation.

Healer 4BP/6MP - 2 spell elements + extra skill Healing (you could make it 1 spell element and weapons but not suited to the Dragon Strike mini).
Ranger 6BP/4MP - Weapons + extra skill tame beast. Could be 7BP/3MP but your less likely to be able to tame the beast and less times available to do it.

The Thief works out even better.

[mitchiemasha]

2.3 is up... I gave the dwarf the Stand Fast Skill rather than +1CD in defence. Finally added monster skills except the Orc, fine tuned a few.

More playtesting on...
Infection being Roll skull take a wound until failed or roll a black shield take a wound until healed. Which works best???
Counter Attack being if not wounded or if not killed. If we use not wounded it can be the same skill choosable for a Hero but not as powerful mod for the Firmir.

[Gold Bearer]

Infection being Roll skull take a wound until failed or roll a black shield take a wound until healed. Which works best???

I much prefer the second option because it fits common conception of zombies. If you're bitten or scratched then you're infected and will become a zombie unless you're cured.

[mitchiemasha]

I much prefer the second option

yes, I've gone with the second option but as it's HQ we can theme it any way we see fit. I was thinking it as simply highly infectious not the current Hollywood Z. Your body can fight it off and some zombies might infect you more than others, referenced in game by it not lasting as long causing as much damage.

How about, a shield your healed... it wore off. A skull nothing happens but your still infected. A black shield lose a BP. The mechanic is too big, too wordy and too much too it but it's a nice option.

If more things can be thought up to use that mechanic. It could become a full edition with it's own section, infection. Poisons from potions, traps etc all using it.

[Once was Mortimer]

I'll just throw two more in here.

Chaos Warrior
Armour of Chaos: Chaos Warriors defend on White Shields rather than Black Shields.

Zombies
Get up again (never gonna keep me down): After defeating a zombie roll a combat die, on the result of a Black Shield it gets right back up and is placed back on the board.

[mitchiemasha]

Those Chaos Warriors ain't going down easy. That would be a good idea for a later Quest of a expedition, a Quest notes bonus, when you'd want leveled Heroes to face a harder enemy.

In the 'Spiced Up Edition' they get an extra Cd6 if sacrificing movement, Stand Fast. As the armour is heavy it works for me thematically. As they roll 4 dice in defence, I see that as the extra Cd6 already include, no need to remember which ones moved or not. A Hero with the Stand Fast skill gets an extra Cd6 in Attack & defence, if not moved.

I like to make powerful mods be a trade off.

[Gold Bearer]

How about, a shield your healed... it wore off. A skull nothing happens but your still infected. A black shield lose a BP. The mechanic is too big, too wordy and too much too it but it's a nice option.

It's a bit tame. It stands twice as much chance of curing itself before causing damage than it does inflicting any.

I just really like the traditional zombies. It's not really a recent thing, it goes way back to the old zombie films.

Zombies
Get up again (never gonna keep me down): After defeating a zombie roll a combat die, on the result of a Black Shield it gets right back up and is placed back on the board.

I love that idea. I might steal it and use a modified version to replace my undead rule. At the moment they defend on skulls which is not much different than extra defence.

When an undead monster is reduced to 0BP, place them lying down on their square. Downed monsters don't block movement but you can't end a turn on their square. The EWP rolls a dice for each downed monster at the start of their turn. On a skull the monster gets back up on 1BP, on a white shield the monster stays down and on a black shield the monster gets back up on full BP. Undead monsters that get back up can be used that turn. An adventure can finish off a downed monster by moving onto their square and using their attacking action.

[mitchiemasha]

I just really like the traditional zombies. It's not really a recent thing, it goes way back to the old zombie films.

So do I, but it doesn't explain the big meat clever, lol. I always seen HQ zombies a bit different, tomb type!

Zombies
Get up again (never gonna keep me down): After defeating a zombie roll a combat die, on the result of a Black Shield it gets right back up and is placed back on the board.

I love that idea. I might steal it and use a modified version to replace my undead rule. At the moment they defend on skulls which is not much different than extra defence.

When an undead monster is reduced to 0BP, place them lying down on their square. Downed monsters don't block movement but you can't end a turn on their square. The EWP rolls a dice for each downed monster at the start of their turn. On a skull the monster gets back up on 1BP, on a white shield the monster stays down and on a black shield the monster gets back up on full BP. Undead monsters that get back up can be used that turn. An adventure can 'finish off' a downed monster by moving onto their square and using their attacking action.

Technically... the get up again is the same as 'fate'. It's another way of thematically writing in a +1CD in defence, I'm not a huge fan of simply increasing stats. Adding your extra mod spices it up, a great idea for a Quest Bonus. The curse on this tomb is strong, the undead are easily reanimated and must be 'finished off'... continue with the mechanic as you've wrote...

Edit: I especially like the finishing off part, having to move on to the square is the magic to the mechanic. The potential for some crazy undead battles, Heroes stuck in a room full, downed one, downed two, move on to kill, get attacked, other reanimates. It becomes a choice, finish this one off or attack the other still standing, either way it's a risk. I need to playtest this right now and see how it plays out. Time to get an AHQ room tile out and fill it with some undead!

[mitchiemasha]

After the first round of playtesting... All I can say is, this is too strong, especially in a room full. 1 or 2 not so bad for multiple Heroes but 1 Hero a nightmare, they just keep getting back up.

Getting back up probably needs to be the full turn. 1 outcome of the Cd6 needs to be death, so death, nothing happens, reanimates, ideas???