Sam's Level Up System

[LordPon]

Barracks

After Sir Ragnar is rescued, he invites the heroes to the Barracks where masters of the art of combat can teach them how to improve their skills.

This levelling up system utilises a new concept known as Minor Stats, which all begin at 0.

Spend Gold to receive training for a permanent improvement to your Minor Stats. The costs to improve a Minor Stat increases at a rate of 1.5 each per level.

Strength (300g): Replace 1 ATK dice with a black combat dice per level
Dexterity (300g): Reroll 1 ATK dice per level
Poise (300g): Replace 1 DEF dice with a green combat dice per level
Reflexes (300g): Reroll 1 DEF dice per level
Speed (300g): +2 spaces of movement in addition to normal movement roll per level

Note: With the added potential powercreep, Zargon may opt to make his quests more challenging somehow to compensate for the stronger heroes.

Any criticisms or suggestions are welcome.

[Anderas]

Maybe rethink the prices... at the beginning the heroes can easily sink their gold in equipment.

It is only after a while that they face the problem of being maxed out. So gold coin prices around 800-1000 gc seem to fit a little better.

Also having an attack or defence die more just makes such a huge difference, I wouldn't hand it out several times. J-Dean once made this great quest featuring all magicians that Morcar ever had in his service. He made this quest just for fun. Then we found out that you could play it normally once you have 9 combat dice at your disposal.

Now this example shows that also Morcar's abilities to ramp up his quests are limited. I made my 4 colour questbook in my signature extra for that, but it stops at "purple" level which is roughly a 5 dice equipped group.

[LordPon]

I think you are probably right. What do you think is a fair price?

[Gold Bearer]

I think you are probably right. What do you think is a fair price?

Trillions! Adding attack and defence dice is HUGE, especially stacking them like that. I'd replace them with counting black shields as skulls/white shields, then as two skulls/white shields, etc.

[LordPon]

I think you are probably right. What do you think is a fair price?

Trillions! Adding attack and defence dice is HUGE, especially stacking them like that. I'd replace them with counting black shields as skulls/white shields, then as two skulls/white shields, etc.

OR use colored dice

Good idea, thank you

I edited OP and removed the Body and Mind improvements

[mitchiemasha]

So we have 5 more attributes that need to be noted and remembered. I take the "per level" means we can buy the same 1 multiple times. Which is like adding 5 more stats to the character.

We already know my opinion on using the symbol of evil as a benefit for the Heroes. The best use for it is "weapons damage" when rolling all. Usually repeat plays of HQ shows us we need ways to hinder the Heroes, things to keep knocking them down a peg, not up.

I do like the idea of A "BARRACKS", which after certain quests is unlocked and the Hero can pick a certain trait. Each trait could be 1 unique ability and these could be handed out as cards but we'd need to be more creative.
Like...

Strength: When rolling all white shields in attack or defence you may push back the attacker.
Now this isn't OP risking. It gives you a quirk, twist to the game rules when pulling off a strong defence and if you fumble your attack but won't if you rolled any Black Shileds.

Standfast: If no movement, roll an extra Cd6 in defence.
Here we have OP risk but it has a sacrifice and Increasing defence isn't as bad as attack. This could be Poise.

Speed is good but we have things like, Roll 2d8, or roll 3d6 pick 2. I also use Torch in the armoury. If a Torch is equipped or the Scout is in your area (who holds a torch), you can reroll 1 Md6, a life saver in our games as double 1's = hazard, a potential to lose 1BP. Initially an idea from wanting to recreate the excitement of rolling double 6's in Monopoly (but it ended up in reverse). The Torch goes out if the reroll was the same result.

Dexterity/Reflexes: When rolling a double, unlock move action move, use 1d6 action... use the other d6.
Again, adding more twist to the game with out increasing strength or hit chances. The main issue is the EW never gets to attack due to constant room wipes. Why my Firmirs have Tail Bash: Counter Attack, if not killed when attacked.

[LordPon]

How about the Hero may reroll 1 die if it lands on a white shield?

[Anderas]

Mitchies point was not so much about what you give to the heroes, but how. I agree with him, noting stats on paper is... meh. You will have to reference a kind of table book every now and then.

Hero Quest has game cards that explain nearly every rule the heroes need. Like that the game becomes more complex over time, but you'll never notice.

Try search for "skill cards" in the forum search. There is a collection of great ideas. If you have (and sell) each skill card exactly once, all the heroes will become unique over time. Even if you play with three Barbarians.

[Gold Bearer]

Adding the more complex skills that have been mentioned obviously depends on how simple you want to keep it, and how simple you think your players will want it. If you did want to add more maybe ones like that could be added after a certain point, like a number of completed quests when a hero has enough experience or just added for everyone at a certain point in the campaign.

Strength (300g): Count Black Shields as Skulls on +1 Die per level
Poise (300g): Count Black Shields as Skulls on +1 Die per level

I meant counting every black shield as 1 skull/white shield per level, so two skulls/white shields at level 2, three at level 3 etc. Not that the way you wrote it doesn't work, it might actually be better depending on what you want. They way I just explained it means that the progression is smooth because you're getting the exact same buff each time, counting a black shield as a skull/white shield and the way you wrote it means that the first upgrade is a LOT better than the ones after when it stacks.

Usually repeat plays of HQ shows us we need ways to hinder the Heroes, things to keep knocking them down a peg, not up.

That's completely relative. It entirely depends on the difficulty level of the quests so isn't an issue in itself but might be in the quests that are used.

How about the Hero may reroll 1 die if it lands on a white shield?

That's actually identical statistically to counting black shields as skulls, but weaker than counting black shields as white shields. Again though, maybe that's not a bad thing.

I don't see any problem at all with using black shields to benefit the heroes. Skulls should be offensive and white shields defensive and I'd be more reluctant to use white shields for monsters (symbol really doesn't suit them) than black shields for heroes, there's nothing inherently evil about walruses. It makes a really handy wild card symbol that you can do a lot with.

[LordPon]

How about using the black colored dice (4 skulls) instead of the black shield if the principle bothers you. I think I like that more than rerolling on a white shield. In any case, I want a way to improve a Heroes rolls without being overpowered, but not too complicated either. As for the diminishing returns on counting 1 black shield, instead replacing 1 of a Hero's combat dice with one of a different colour addresses that problem too. The benefit of that wouldn't diminish with each consecutive purchase and keeps things pretty simple.

So like, I'm a Barbarian with a Broadsword and I buy 1 Dexterity point for 300g, now I can roll 1 black dice and 2 white dice when I make an attack for slightly better odds.