Dwarf Miners

[mitchiemasha]

I like the idea of the Pick Axe. Smashing walls and black shields needing to be defended against.

[Daedalus]

I haven't seen the Miner henchman yet, but I wouldn't want him to make a 3-AD Halberdier less relevant. Much like a 2-AD Scout opening doors, the advantage of the Miner is his ability to open walls. I also agree with knightkrawler that an improvised weapon should have just two combat dice. I wouldn't even allow diagonal reach as it swings like a battle axe. All said, I'd assign just two combat dice for a Miner's pick.

Still, I agree your 3 AD formula works well for busting walls, so I'd allow that many (combat) dice for that ability only.

The chance of collapse is fun, but I'd recommend simplification. How about just a single trigger of two or more black shields that is treated as a falling-block trap? This is easy to reference and a miner should be able to plan digging around a tile anyway. This 1-in-18 event will occur at the front end of the third digging session on average, possibly killing the Miner outright. The other very lethal part about defending any black shields can be cut out since this big collapse threatens twelve times more often than rolling three black shields.

[The Admiral]

I haven't seen the Miner henchman yet, but I wouldn't want him to make a 3-AD Halberdier less relevant. Much like a 2-AD Scout opening doors, the advantage of the Miner is his ability to open walls. I also agree with knightkrawler that an improvised weapon should have just two combat dice. I wouldn't even allow diagonal reach as it swings like a battle axe. All said, I'd assign just two combat dice for a Miner's pick.

Still, I agree your 3 AD formula works well for busting walls, so I'd allow that many (combat) dice for that ability only.

The chance of collapse is fun, but I'd recommend simplification. How about just a single trigger of two or more black shields that is treated as a falling-block trap? This is easy to reference and a miner should be able to plan digging around a tile anyway. This 1-in-18 event will occur at the front end of the third digging session on average, possibly killing the Miner outright. The other very lethal part about defending any black shields can be cut out since this big collapse threatens twelve times more often than rolling three black shields.

The Miner can't attack diagonally so he hasn't got that special ability of the halberdier. He has a two handed weapon which would normally give 4 attack dice (Battle Axe), but he is being penalised an attack die down to 3. I simplified the falling rock rules in an earlier post. Any black shields rolled when attacking the wall count as skulls against the Miner which he can defend against. So if he rolled two Black Shields in his three dice attack, he would roll his defence die as if he had been hit by 2 skulls from an attack.

[TMU]

I like the idea of a miner. Might use it sometime for a hero class or so.