Ye Olde Inn

[This topic was moved from Board index ‹ Special Rooms ‹ Project Forge on 6/11/17. -edit]

Hi all,

I'm a new member to this site. I've had the Heroquest board game for about 17 years now, and never really had a chance to play it with friends until recently. We're all having a blast playing the game, but I've already begun modifying the game a bit. It started small, offering the Wizard new spells to choose from (Necromancy and Blood Magic) and giving the other players new abilities upon leveling up. "Leveling up", that opened up a whole new can of worms.

I've done extensive research online to the modifications people have made to the game (new characters, new monsters, new spells, leveling up, etc.), but all the forum posts I've found have been from a few years ago or more. I recently came across an old forum post online about balancing out the game, although I don't know who came up with it:

"If you want to make a new Hero, he has 16 points to divide between:

Attack:
1 point per combat die
Defend:
1 point per combat die
Body:
1 point per Body point [between 1 and 9]
Mind:
no point cost; Mind = 10 - Body [between 1 and 9]
Each additional skill [feel free to use these -> http://oldscratch.smackwell.com/cgi-bin ... 1339571964:
1 point
Each spell card:
1 point
Weapon Skill [which is being able to use all weapons]:
3 points
Move: same Movement used for every Hero

____________________________________________

Examples:

Barbarian: 3 AD, 2 DD, 8 Body, 3 Weapon Skill = 16 points
Dwarf: 2 AD, 2 DD, 7 Body, 3 Weapon Skill, 1 Disable Traps, 1 Heat Resistance = 16 points
Elf: 2 AD, 2 DD, 6 Body, 3 Weapon Skill, 3 Spells = 16 points
Wizard: 1 AD, 2 DD, 4 Body, 9 Spells = 16 points"

While this method seems to make the most sense, I've unfortunately found a flaw to it, namely the Wizard. The "weapon skill" isn't taken into account when adding up the Wizard's points. Let's not forget that the Wizard is able to use the staff and dagger, as well as cast spells.

Does anybody have any updated method when it comes to balancing this game out? The biggest problem I'm having is with a Monk character. I want the Monk to be very agile, nimble, and difficult to hit, but I also want him to be able to cause some amount of damage without being too powerful in the game. Any help would be much appreciated.

It's funny how I don't even know anymore if that was the version I found or if that's the one I made.
The weapon skill for the four basic heroes is at this point either 3 (can use everything) or 0 (can use some items). It's not a broken system and doesn't need updating.
You just fill in the 1 and 2 point blanks for new heroes. Your Monk would have 1, for example (cannot wear body armor or two-handed weapons).

He would of course be strong of mind and body: He may assign 10 points freely to both at the beginning of a quest, but both must be 4 points at least and 6 at most.
You would either give him spells (one-per-quest skills) or write up some special rules that are always applied.
His basic attack and defend are 2 and 2.

So now we stand at 2+2+6 (the limit)+1 (weapon skill)
Give him that additional defend die you want for him: +1
and he rolls 3 dice for movement, ignoring one die result of his choice: +1

His tally is now 2 Attack + 3 Defend + 6 Body + 1 Weapon Skill + 1 Movement Improvement + 3 one-per-quest spells.

Here's my Purifier, a Monk-like character (note that the values for equipment are not absolute (3 dice), but relative/additive (+3 dice to your score on the character card):

While I certainly can see the appeal of making 100% costumizable characters, I think it works better for HQ to just create pre-made characters.
Don't fit your monk into a point system, but just create the hero and tweak it until it's balanced.
Take the Elf as a base. Remove his spells and grant him a special ability instead. +1 MP -1BP
Something like that...

Thanks for the reply guys, really appreciate it. Knightcrawler, I guess I'll have to modify the characters I've come up with to the system you've created, or else come up with something similar my self. All the characters I've created thus far have stats that "sound good" in my head, which isn't really a good way to balance out a game.

I'd love to share with you guys what I've created so far. The characters I have are as follows:
- Wizard
- Sorcerer
- Witch
- Halfling Thief
- Monk
- Elf Ranger
- Barbarian
- Dwarf Fighter
- Paladin

I've decided that the player's character will level-up once every 3 quests. I like this better than assigning XP to monsters because 1.) I don't have to keep track of how many points each player has earned from killing x-amount of a certain type of monster, and 2.) I'm worried that kind of system might have the players competing with each other to kill monsters, as opposed to working together to complete the quest in general. All theoretical of course, but I figure if your character has survived 3 quests, then they can level-up. That number might change to 4 quests or more as the players progress through the game.

For the spellcasters (Wizard, Sorcerer, and Witch), their leveling-up will be to choose 2 new spell cards at random (an arbitrary number I've come up with) from their respective decks. The Wizard has 5 schools of magic to choose from: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Lightning (I wanted him to remain more elemental). The Sorcerer's schools of magic are also 5 and are as follows: Shadow Magic, Necromancy, Blood Magic, Demonology, and Arcane. The Witch is more of a hybrid character, reminiscent of the original Elf character from the game. She doesn't have different schools of magic to choose from, just the 1 deck. However, while the Wizard and Sorcerer start the game off with 9 spells of their choosing, the Witch starts off with only 4 base spells. I've done it this way because the Witch can use better weapons than the Wizard or Sorcerer (crossbow, etc.). With the Witch's level-up, maybe she only chooses 1 new spell? Haven't really decided yet.

For the non-magic type characters, I've determined that they will get to choose 1 special ability at random from their respective decks. Their special abilities, like the spell cards in the game, can only be used once per quest unless otherwise noted. The Barbarian and Dwarf Fighter are pretty much the same as the original characters, with their special abilities causing damage. The Paladin is a "warrior-like" character but his special abilities focus more on absorbing damage and protecting allies (his damage output is average at start).

The Halfling Thief, Elf Ranger, and Monk belong to the rogue/"other" classes. The Halfling Thief doesn't cause much damage, but can acquire lots of gold per quest, which can benefit the group as a whole, which in the end benefits the player of the Halfling Thief. The Elf Ranger's abilities are more focused on dealing damage from a distance. I really wanted the Elf Ranger to have an animal companion, or use animals to her advantage, but didn't know how to incorporate that into the game. From an RPG sense, where would the animals come from? I didn't want the player to have to deal with moving an animal or making the character too over-powering. The Monk (which, as previously stated, I'm having trouble with) should be able to cause low-to-average amounts of damage, but I wanted the character to be difficult to hit, and to be able to navigate the "battle field" with ease. The Monk's special abilities focus more on those sorts of things (I think).

The following are the characters with their stats and their magic spells and special abilities. This is still a rough draft, but I would appreciate any kind of criticism or feed back from you guys. None of this has been play-tested, I'm still working on character art/card art, etc.

HeroQuest Characters

- Characters level up once every three quests –

• One Turn vs. One Round – “One Turn” means something only takes effect for the length of the next player’s turn, regardless of whose turn it is. “One Round” means something is in affect until gameplay returns to the initial player.

1.) Wizard
You are the Wizard, a studious learner of the natural elements and a master spellcaster. You are both intelligent and wise, planning actions beforehand and seeking knowledge where others do not. So much more than just a typical spellcaster, you are also a philosopher, inventor, and scientist, studying a system of natural laws that are for the most part unknown and undiscovered. However, you are weak when it comes to physical combat, and therefore must do your best to avoid it.

The Wizard is proficient with the dagger and quarterstaff. He is unable to wear any armor.

Attack Dice: 1
Defend Dice: 2
Body: 4
Mind: 8
Movement… 2 Red Dice
Starting Weapon… Dagger
Starting Armor… None

Water Spells
• Water of Healing – This spell may be cast on any one Hero, including yourself. Contact with this revitalizing water will restore up to 4 lost Body Points, but will not give a Hero more than their starting number.
• Veil of Mist – This spell may be cast on any one Hero, Including yourself. On the Hero’s next move, they may move unseen through squares that are occupied by monsters.
• Blizzard – You create a blizzard that encircles you causing 1 Body Point of damage to all targets adjacent and diagonal to you (enemies and allies alike). This spell is taxing, rendering you unable to perform an action on your next turn.
• Ice Shards – Sharp shards of ice shoot from your hands towards one enemy in your line of sight. The spell does 4 attack dice of damage. The enemy rolls defense as normal.
• Wall of Frost –You create a wall of magical, impenetrable ice that stretches up to 3 squares long in a straight line adjacent to you. Walls, doors, and furniture stop the progression of the wall, but characters caught in its path are pushed to the side. The wall has 1 Body Point and rolls 6 defense dice, or can be immediately destroyed if a fire spell is used against it. The wall will last for 7 rounds before melting. May be cast in a room or corridor.
• Frozen Stiff – One monster, in line of sight of the wizard, is frozen for 3 rounds. Wizard and victim both roll 1 red die and add their current mind points. If the total of the monster is higher, he escapes from the spell. A frozen monster cannot defend any attacks.
• Flash Flood – All monsters in the room with you are washed out of the room and into the nearest corridor, where they lose their next turn. Place monsters on squares closest to the door . This spell may only be cast in a room.
• Rust – You cause an opponent’s non-magical, metal weapon to immediately rust, rendering it useless. The enemy can only attack and defend with 1 die.
• Ice Armor – This spell may be cast on any one Hero including yourself. You conjure up a protective layer of ice armor on the Hero, granting them 1 additional defense die for one round.

Earth Spells
• Rock Skin – This spell may be cast on any one Hero, including yourself. That Hero may throw 1 extra combat die when defending. The spell is broken when the Hero suffers 1 point of Body damage.
• Pass Through Rock – This spell can be cast on any one Hero, including yourself. That Hero may then move through walls on his next move. He may move through as many walls as his dice roll allows. Caution! There are shaded areas on each Quest Map which indicate solid rock. If a Hero ends his move in one of these areas, he is trapped forever!
• Sticky Mud – This spell causes mud to seep up from the cracks of the dungeon floor, rendering targets in your line of sight only able to move at half their speed (round down). Roll 1 red die, the number rolled equals the number of targets affected by the spell.
• Earthquake – This spell causes the very walls and foundation of the room to shake with fury. All characters in the room (both allies and enemies, minus the spellcaster) must roll one red die and add it to their Body Points. If the number is greater than or equal to the Wizard’s Mind Points, they are not affected by the spell. If less than the Wizard’s Mind Points, they lose 2 rounds to recover their equilibrium and cannot move, attack, or defend within those rounds.
• Entomb – Causes the ground to open its maw and swallow the target, imprisoning it for the number of rounds rolled on a red die. The creature suffers no damage and while entombed in the earth cannot attack or be attacked. Anyone may pass over the entombed square but may not stand on it.
• Iron Skin – This spell may be cast on any one Hero, including yourself. That Hero may throw 2 extra combat dice when defending. The spell is broken when the Hero suffers 2 Body Points of damage. While Iron Skin is active, movement is reduced to one movement die.
• Sand Blast – You blast sand into the eyes of your opponent, temporarily blinding him. The target rolls 1 attack die and 1 defense die for one round. Does not work against Skeletons or Mummies.
• Rock Wall – You create a wall of rock that stretches up to 3 squares long in a straight line adjacent to you. Walls, furniture, and doors stop the progression of the wall, but characters caught in its path are pushed to the other side. The wall has 1 Body Point and rolls 6 defense dice. The wall lasts for the length of the Quest or until it has been destroyed.
• Stone Bridge – You cast a stone bridge over a revealed pit trap, allowing you and your allies to pass over undamaged. The bridge counts as one square and will collapse immediately after you, the spellcaster, cross it.

Air Spells
• Wind Elemental – This spell conjures up a Wind Elemental who will do one of the following: open any door on the board (revealing what lies beyond), or use 5 combat dice to attack any monster within your line of sight.
• Tempest – This spell creates a small whirlwind that envelops one monster of your choice. That monster will then miss its next turn, but can defend as normal.
• Swift Wind – This spell may be cast on any one Hero, including yourself. Its powerful burst of energy enables that Hero to roll twice as many red dice as normal the next time he moves.
• Loss of Breath – This spell causes a magical wind to suck the breath out of your enemy, rendering them helpless for one round. They cannot move or attack, and they defend with half their defense dice (rounded down). Does not work against Undead.
• Soothing Breeze – A gentle, cool breeze blows through the room, healing you and your allies for 2 lost Body Points. Can only be cast in a room.
• Disarm – A brief but powerful wind knocks your enemy’s weapon out of their hand. That enemy can now only attack and defend with 1 die.
• Tornado – You cast a tornado, knocking all enemies back to the nearest wall. Roll 1 red die. For this many turns the tornado wreaks havoc, and all monsters are pinned to the wall unable to move or attack (they may defend as normal). Likewise, all Heroes can only roll 1 red die for movement and can only attack with half their attack dice rounded down.
• Wind Barrier – This spell may be cast on any Hero, including yourself. This wind barrier engulfs the Hero, allowing them to roll twice their normal defense. During this process, the caster cannot move or attack, but may defend as normal. The spell ends when the spellcaster moves, suffers 1 at least Body Point of damage, or can no longer “see” the affected Hero.
• Float – A gentle but powerful wind lifts you into the air, causing you to float above the heads of your allies and enemies. You may now travel over occupied squares, however you cannot melee attack, nor can any enemy melee attack you except by projectiles (at which point you would defend as normal). You can still perform an action on each successive turn. The spell lasts for the number of rounds rolled on a red die.

Fire Spells
• Ball of Flame – This spell may be cast on any one monster, enveloping it in a ball of fire and inflict 2 Body Points of damage. The monster then rolls two red dice. For each 5 or 6 rolled, the damage is reduced by 1 point.
• Fire of Wrath – This spell may be cast on any one monster, blasting it with flames. It will inflict 1 Body Point of damage, unless the monster can immediately roll a 5 or 6 using one red die.
• Fireball Blast – This ball of fire hits the first target for 2 points of damage and all adjacent creatures for 1 point of damage. All affected targets defend with half their defense dice rounded down.
• Firewall – You create a wall of fire that stretches up to 3 squares long in a straight line adjacent to you. The wall may pass through furniture, but dungeon walls stop its progression. Any characters caught in its path suffer 1 Body Point of damage. Any characters that attempt to pass through the firewall suffer 1 Body Point of damage, however projectiles may pass through it unscathed. The firewall lasts for 5 rounds.
• Flaming Weapon – You ignite a fellow Hero’s weapon in flames, granting them 2 additional combat dice on their next attack.
• Flame Thrower – You blast flames from your palms in a straight line for the length of six squares. Roll 4 attack dice and apply that attack on each character caught in the path, those characters defend as normal.
• Light of Hope – In the darkest dungeon and in the darkest moments, you are still able to shed light for you and your allies to see. All Heroes in the same room as the spellcaster can attack with 1 additional attack die for one round.
• Warm Campfire – Even in the deepest, coldest dungeons you are able to create a campfire to warm the blood of you and your allies. All Heroes in the same room as the spellcaster heal for 2 Body Points.

Lightning Spells
• Lightning Bolt – You fire a lightning bolt in a straight line of six squares. Anyone hit is attacked with 3 combat dice which they may defend against as normal. Resolve each attack separately. Discard after use.
• Thunderclap – A powerful thunderclap knocks your opponent off his feet. The monster becomes dazed for one turn and cannot move, attack, or defend.
• Lightning Storm – You unleash a lightning storm in the room, confusing and distracting your enemies. All monsters in the room defend with 1 less die for one round. Does not work with Undead.
• Chain Lightning – You unleash a lightning strike on a target that arcs to any enemies that are adjacent to the original target (three targets at most). They all suffer 1 Body Point of damage but may defend as normal against it.
• Lightning Strike – You unleash a torrent of lightning strikes, striking every monster in your line of sight with the strength of 2 attack dice. Resolve each attack separately, monsters defend as normal.
• Lightning Shield – This spell may be cast on any one Hero including yourself, surrounding the Hero in an electrical shield. If the Hero suffers from a successful melee attack, the attacker immediately suffers 1 Body Point of damage from the Lightning Shield, after which the Lightning Shield disappears.
• Lightning Bubble – You trap a monster inside a Lightning Bubble for one round. During that time the monster cannot move, nor can it attack or be attacked.
• Flash – You momentarily blind all monsters in the room with a Lightning Flash. All affected monsters cannot move, attack, or defend for one turn.
• Electric Surge – You cast Electric Surge on a fallen ally, jumpstarting the Hero’s heart to bring them back to life with 1 Body Point. You must play this spell immediately after a Hero’s death whether it’s your turn or not for it to have any effect.


2.) Sorcerer
You are the Sorcerer, a mage born with the natural abilities to wield magic. Due to your natural talents, you have spent your life studying the powers of the arcane, and have found an interest in the dark and forbidden arts. You believe that power is there for the taking, and anyone foolish enough to fear it does not understand it nor deserve it. However, you are weak when it comes to physical combat, and therefore must do your best to avoid it.

The Sorcerer is proficient with the Dagger and Quarterstaff. He is unable to wear armor.

Attack Dice: 1
Defend Dice: 2
Body: 4
Mind: 8
Movement… 2 Red Dice
Starting Weapon… Dagger
Starting Armor… None

Shadow Spells
• Black Bolts – You shoot black bolts from your finger tips, immediately causing 1 Body Point of damage to all enemies in the room. Enemies defend as normal.
• Death Grip – You reach out with an ethereal hand to grasp your enemy in a punishing grip. Roll one red die and add that number to your Mind Points, your target does the same. If your number is higher, then the monster cannot move or attack, but can defend as normal. Likewise, you cannot attack or defend but may move with 1 red movement die. Whether success or fail, discard this spell.
• Mind’s Eye – Using the power of your mind’s eye, you are able to see a “vision” of anywhere in the dungeon having never been there before. Point to any room and Zargon must put all contents of that room in place. Does not reveal secret doors or hidden traps.
• Lost in Shadow – Your enemy is swallowed up in a black fog of shadow. The monster cannot move, and can only attack and defend with 1 die. The monster can negate this spell by immediately rolling a 6 on one red die, otherwise the effect lasts for one round.
• Darkness – This spell may only be cast in a room, and cannot travel through doors or walls. You choose a square. That square and all squares adjacent to it (diagonal included) are cast into total darkness. No projectiles or spells may be cast in or out of the darkness. All figures that are moving in the darkness may only move 1 square per turn. The darkness lasts for the entirety of the Quest.
• Chains of Darkness – You may cast this spell on any one figure. That figure may not move or fight for one round, although they may defend or cast spells.
• Smoke Screen – You vanish behind a wall of smoke, becoming invisible for as long as you would like. While invisible, you cannot move, attack, or cast any spells (doing so breaks the invisibility spell). Likewise, you cannot be targeted by any enemy.
• Shadow Heal – You draw upon the powers of darkness to heal yourself or an ally for 2 Body Points, however you lose 2 Mind Points in the process.
• Shadow Slide – This spell turns you into a three-dimensional shadow, allowing you to slide away from immediate danger. Instead of defending a melee attack, you may roll one red die and move up to that many squares away in a straight line. The attack misses.
Blood Magic Spells
• Blood Drain – Performing this spell heals you for 2 Body Points, taking life force from an enemy to do so, resulting in death for some weaker foes. This spell is taxing, rendering you unable to perform an action on your next turn. Does not work on Undead.
• Congealed Blood – This attack causes your foe’s blood to thicken within his own body. The enemy is paralyzed and cannot move, attack, or defend. However, the target may roll one red die for each of its Mind Points. Successfully rolling a 6 breaks the spell. This roll occurs immediately and on each successive turn. Does not work against Undead.
• Boiling Blood – This spell causes your enemy’s blood to boil within his own body. Roll one red die and add that number to your Mind Points, target does the same. If your number is higher, then the monster suffers 2 Body Points of damage. Regardless of success or fail, discard spell card. Does not work against Undead.
• Blood Puppet – You have gained control of an enemy’s blood and can control his actions for one turn. Roll one red die and add that number to your Mind Points, target does the same. If your number is higher, then you have gained control of the target. When it is Zargon’s turn, you may act first to determine the foe’s action. Does not work against Undead.
• Retribution – You cast retribution on your foe, causing terrible wounds to open up across the target’s flesh when it deals damage to yourself or an ally. After the enemy deals damage in melee, it immediately takes half the damage rounded down. Cannot be less than 1. This spell lasts until the enemy is affected by it. Does not work against Undead.
• Blood Rise – You may cast this spell on yourself or any one Hero. You double the amount of oxygen in a character’s blood, granting them superhuman strength. On their next turn, the player may melee attack with double their attack dice. Only lasts on the affected character’s next turn.
• Blood Vengeance – This spell may be cast on any target in your line of sight. Anytime you take damage from an attack, that target suffers the same amount of damage without being able to defend.
• Blood Mirror – This spell may be cast on any one Hero including yourself. This spell causes a life-like image of the Hero to appear. If an attack against the Hero is successful, he rolls 1 attack die. If a skull is rolled, the image was attacked and the Hero suffers no damage. The Hero cannot defend against a failed rolled. The spell is broken as soon as the Hero takes damage or can no longer see a monster.
• Sour Blood – You blast your opponent’s blood with negative energy. This spell attacks with 4 attack dice.

Necromancy Spells
• Raise the Dead – Cast this spell on another player’s turn after a monster has been killed. The monster is then replaced with a Zombie which can move and attack immediately.
• Resurrect – This spell may be cast on any fallen hero to try to bring them back to life. If you roll a black shield on one combat die, the hero is resurrected with 1 Body Point. You may attempt this spell as often as you like, but with each attempt you will lose 1 Mind Point. This spell may only be attempted once per turn.
• Rigor Mortis – You may cast this spell against any one adjacent monster. Once cast, the monster will not be able to move away and will roll half their normal number of combat dice for as long as you are still adjacent to them. The spell is broken if you move away, take damage, or the monster is destroyed.
• Summon Skeletons – This spell allows you to summon two skeletons that appear adjacent to you. These Skeletons are under your control and may be used immediately. They crumble to dust once you can no longer see an enemy. This spell requires extreme concentration, and while the Skeletons are active you can only move with 1 red die, and cannot melee attack or cast any spells.
• Fear – The target of this spell is filled with unreasonable terror, and may not attack or cast spells on its next turn, although it may move or defend.
• Skull of Doom – You hurl a magical skull at an opponent in your line of sight. The skull explodes like a fireball and attacks the target with 2 attack dice, which it may defend against as normal.
• Exploding Corpse – This spell causes the body of any dead enemy to explode, automatically resulting in 1 Body Point of damage to enemies adjacent to the corpse. This spell can only be cast on a living target; the effect of the spell takes place immediately following that target’s death.
• Bone Spear – You use the bone shards in the room from past fallen warriors to create a giant bone spear you hurl at your enemy (must be in line of sight). The bone spear attacks with 3 attack dice, the monster may defend as normal.
• Summon Mummy – This spell summons a Mummy, which will appear on any square adjacent to you. The Mummy is under your control and may be used immediately. It crumbles to a heap of bandages once you can no longer see an enemy. This spell requires extreme concentration, and while the Mummy is active you can only move with 1 red die, and cannot melee attack or cast any spells.

Demonology Spells
• Demonic Leeches – This spell causes demonic leeches to appear on the skin of your target, immediately causing 1 Mind Point of damage unless the target can roll a black shield on 1 attack die per Mind Point. If the target’s Mind Points reach 0, the target is dead. The leeches last for 4 rounds before dissolving into the demonic realm.
• Demonic Circle – You cast Demonic Circle on the ground, summoning demon spirits to swarm around you in a 2 by 2 area. Any Heroes inside the circle roll +2 defense dice if attacked from the outside. If Monsters enter the circle and attack you from within, you gain no defense bonus. Enemies cannot cast any spells at you while you are inside the circle, likewise you may not cast any spells while you remain within the circle. Demonic Circle lasts until you can no longer see a Monster, or when you leave the circle.
• Demon Realm – You cast your enemy into the Demon Realm, removing them from the fight for a short time. The target immediately disappears into the Demon Realm for 4 rounds, after which the target reappears on its original square.
• Summon Demonic Imp – You summon two demonic imps which appear adjacent to you with the following stats…
o Attack Dice: 1
o Defend Dice: 1
o Body Points: 1
o Mind Points: 1
o Movement: 7 squares
They may act immediately after your turn. During the time of the imps’ existence in our realm, you can only move with 1 red movement die, and cannot cast any spells. The Imps cannot move out of your line of sight and exist until you decide to banish them back to the demon realm, at which point the spell ends. Banishing a demon is considered an action.
• Summon Succubus – You summon a Succubus which appears adjacent to you with the following stats…
o Attack Dice: 2
o Defend Dice: 1
o Body Points: 2
o Mind Points: 2
o Movement: 6 squares
For every point of damage the Succubus causes to a monster, you gain as a Body Point (not exceeding your original number). Additionally, the Succubus has the ability to hypnotize an opponent for one turn, disabling them from being able to attack, defend or move. To do so, the Succubus must be standing adjacent to the target and must roll a skull on 1 attack die. The target may immediately defend from the Succubus’ hypnotic gaze by attempting to roll a 6 on one red die for each of its Mind Points. The Succubus cannot hypnotize and melee attack at the same time. The Succubus may act immediately following your turn. During the time of the Succubus’ existence in our realm, you can only move with 1 red movement die, and cannot cast any spells. The Succubus cannot move out of your line of sight and exists until you decide to banish it back to the demon realm, at which point the spell ends. Banishing a demon is considered an action.
• Hell Hound – You summon a Hell Hound which appears adjacent to you with the following stats…
o Attack Dice: 3
o Defend Dice: 2
o Body Points: 2
o Mind Points: 1
o Movement: 5 squares
Additionally, the Hell Hound has the ability to charge a target. To do this, the Hell Hound must be no more than 5 squares away from the target (in a straight line) and must roll a skull on 1 attack die, at which point the Hell Hound charges and is immediately moved adjacent to the target. The target cannot defend, is stunned for one turn, and suffers 1 Body Point of damage. The Hell Hound cannot charge and perform a normal melee attack at the same time, and the Hell Hound can only charge once per summon. The Hell Hound is volatile, and its existence in our realm prohibits you from being able to move, melee attack, cast any other spells, or defend. The Hell Hound cannot move out of your line of sight, and exists until you decide to banish it back to the demon realm, at which point the spell ends. Banishing a demon is considered an action.
• Demon Possession – You allow yourself to be possessed by a demon spirit for a brief amount of time. You may now melee attack with 3 dice and defend with 3 dice. Lasts for 1 round.
• Dark Pact – Casting this spell sacrifices one of your summoned demons, stealing their Body Points for yourself. You cannot exceed your original number of Body Points.
• Demon Skin – This spell causes your skin to turn into hard, dark purple plates of armor. You may roll double your defend dice for 2 rounds.

Arcane Spells
• Arcane Missiles – This spell allows you to fire arcane missiles at a single target in your line of sight. You roll 4 attack dice for the attack.
• Arcane Stream – This spell allows you enter the all-flowing arcane stream and teleport to another location. When an enemy successfully melee attacks you, you may (instead of rolling defense) teleport to any square in your line of sight. This spell can only be used when defending a melee attack.
• Mana Shield – This spell may be cast on any one Hero including yourself. This spell allows the Hero to roll 2 extra defend dice for one round.
• Rune of Power – You place a Rune of Power at your feet. So long as you continue to stand on that square, you roll 3 attack dice and 3 defend dice.
• Erosion – You may cast this spell on a single target in your line of sight. Roll 1 red die and add that number to your Mind Points, target does the same. If your number is higher, then this spell causes the target to roll 1 less defend die for each round that the target still stands. Occurs immediately and on each successive turn. Target’s defense cannot go lower than 1.
• Chrono Shift – This spell may be cast on any one Hero including yourself. It temporarily stops time for everyone else on the game board, enabling the Hero to take another turn immediately after his current turn.
• Arcane Orb – You cast Arcane Orb, hurling a spherical ball of energy in a straight line at a target. Roll 2 attack dice. Additionally, the Arcane Orb may pass through your initial target to enemies standing directly behind him. Roll 1 attack die for each enemy standing behind your initial target. The targets must be standing in a straight line.
• Mania – You cast arcane energies at your enemy’s mind, causing them to temporarily go crazy. Roll 1 red die and add that number to your Mind Points, your target does the same. If your number is higher, then your target temporarily loses its mind and immediately attacks the nearest character to it, whether friend or foe. If multiple monsters are near the target, it will attack the character with the least amount of Body Points.
• Void Eruption – This spell causes a single target and any other targets adjacent to it, friend or foe, to become stunned for 1 turn.
• Arcane Chains – This spell is cast in a 3 by 3 area on the floor. Any monsters that are adjacent to it are automatically sucked into it, causing them unable to move for the duration of the chains’ existence. Monsters cannot move but may still attack and defend. This spell requires extreme concentration, while it is being cast you cannot move, attack, defend, or cast other spells. Moving or performing an action causes the spell to end.
• Arcane Beams – This spell causes beams of energy to blast forth from your eyes, inflicting 3 attack dice of damage at a single target.


3.) Witch
You are the Witch, a misunderstood conjuror who dabbles in the arts of black magic. You have a blend of spells that both hinder your enemies and help your allies. With your familiar by your side, your communion with the unknown is a magical source the Wizard and Sorcerer are unable to access. As a spellcaster, you cannot use any large weapons or wear heavy armor.

The Witch is proficient with the dagger, quarterstaff, sickle, whip, or crossbow. She cannot wear any armor.

Attack Dice: 1
Defend Dice: 2
Body: 4
Mind: 7
Movement… 2 Red Dice
Starting Weapon… Dagger
Starting Armor… None

Base Spells
• Nine Lives – Once per Quest, and only 9 times total, you may call upon your familiar to resurrect you after death. Your familiar breathes its healing energy into your mouth, restoring your Body Points to 1. Do not discard this card until 9 resurrections have occurred throughout the entirety of the game.
• Herbalism – You pull from your pouch a handful of dried leaves and herbs, healing yourself or an ally for 2 Body Points. Must be adjacent to the Hero you are healing.
• Hex – You cast an ancient hex at your enemy, causing them to attack with 1 less attack die for one round. You may cast this spell twice per Quest. Does not work against the Undead.
• Cackle – You unleash a powerful cackle that echoes in the ears and minds of your enemies, causing them to fear the approach of you and your party. Every enemy in the room (or corridor) in your line of sight attacks and defends with 1 less die for one round.
Additional Spells
• Premonition – You momentarily see a vision of the immediate future and use it to your advantage. You may re-roll either an attack, defend, or movement roll if you’re not happy with the initial roll. Must commit to the second roll’s outcome.
• Pentagram – Once per Quest you cast a pentagram glyph on the stone floor at the feet of your enemy, causing them to writhe in anguish. Roll 1 red die and add that number to your Mind Points. Target does the same. If your number is higher, then the monster suffers 1 Body Point of damage. Must be cast on an occupied square. Regardless of success or fail, discard spell card.
• Ward – You cast a protective ward at the feet of any one Hero including yourself. That Hero may roll 1 additional defense die. The ward disappears once the Hero leaves the square, or when all the monsters in the room are dead.
• Crystal Ball – You look into your crystal ball, revealing the layout and contents of any room in the dungeon. Zargon must place all furniture, monsters, and doors that exist in that room onto the board. Does not reveal hidden traps or secret doors.
• Flight – You whisper an incantation that allows you to fly over squares occupied by the enemy. You may roll your movement dice before deciding to use this spell.
• Witch’s Brew – You drink a thick, green liquid from your flask, granting you the ability to melee attack the same enemy twice. The enemy defends as normal after each attack. This spell does not count as an Action and must be played before the initial melee attack. Discard card after use.
• Swarm of Insects – You call forth insects from the cracks of the dungeon floor to swarm a group of enemies. Roll one red die, this number represents the number of affected monsters in your line of sight. All affected enemies caught in the swarm are unable to move and can only attack and defend with 1 die. Lasts one round.
• Séance – You may cast this spell to revive the spirit of a fallen comrade. It requires two other party members, and all must remain in the room where the fallen hero was slain, standing adjacent to one another.
• Giant Bat – You call forth a giant bat from the dark corners of the dungeon to attack an enemy. The bat appears adjacent to your target with the following stats:
o Attack Dice: 2
o Defend Dice: 1
o Body Points: 2
o Mind Points: 1
o Movement: 10 squares
The bat’s turn takes place immediately after the Witch, and will continuously attack the target until the enemy dies or the bat is killed. If the enemy is killed, the bat will attack another enemy of the Witch’s choice. Lasts until the bat is killed or the Witch can no longer “see” a monster.
• Haunt – You haunt the mind of your enemy with nightmare visions. Roll 1 red die and add that number to your Mind Points. Target does the same. If your number is higher, then the enemy suffers from the spell causing them to defend with 1 less die for one round. Discard spell card whether success or fail.
• Misfortune – You cast misfortune on an enemy, causing them to have a lesser chance of hitting their target. From now on, your enemy can only roll black shields to attack. Lasts until they are killed.
• Shapeshift – Once per Quest you shapeshift and take on the appearance of a Goblin. You may enter rooms without being attacked, however if you move on to a square adjacent to an enemy or attack an enemy, the spell wears off revealing yourself. Regardless of your Goblin appearance, your stats remain as a Witch.
• Summon Crows – From the shadowy corners of the dungeon you summon a murder of crows to attack the enemy. Roll 1 attack die. If a skull is rolled, the enemy suffers 1 Body Point of damage. Regardless of the roll, the enemy can only attack and defend with half their numbers rounded down for one round.
• Waxen Image – You create a wax doll of an enemy. Roll one red die and add that number to your Mind Points. Enemy does the same. If your number is higher, then you have gained control of your target and may use it to immediately attack another enemy. The stats of your controlled target remain. Control of your target lasts until it has died or you can no longer see it.
• Slumber – You cast a sleep spell on an enemy. Roll one red die and add that number to your Mind Points. Enemy does the same. If your number is higher, then your enemy has fallen asleep and cannot move, attack, or defend. Enemy awakens if attacked (cannot defend), if yourself or another Hero passes by it on an adjacent square, or when you can no longer see the target.
• Ill Omen – Select an enemy in your line of sight. That target is forced to roll twice on both its next attack and defend (if applicable) and accept the worst of each outcome.
• Moonstruck – An image of the full moon is revealed in the ceiling of the dungeon, causing your target to become enraged and confused. Roll one red die and add that number to your Mind Points. Enemy does the same. If your number is higher, then your target attacks the nearest character, whether Hero or monster, and will not let up until the character it is attacking is dead. Regardless of success or fail, discard this spell card.
• Spite – You cast spite upon your enemy. If your target succeeds in inflicting at least 1 Body Point of damage to you, it will immediately move and attack the nearest monster, at which point the spell ends.
• Unwilling Shield – You choose one monster in the room to share your pain with. Roll one red die and add that number to your mind points, your target does the same. If your number is higher, then any melee damage you receive during the fight is inflicted upon the chosen target.
• Prophecy –

1.) Dwarf Fighter
You are the Dwarf Fighter, a warrior and defender of your people and the Dwarf kingdom. Heavy weaponry and armor is your style, and rushing into combat while laughing and singing your people’s battle hymns is your way of fighting. You also have the unique ability to disarm traps without a tool kit. To do so, you must avoid rolling a black shield on a combat die.

The Dwarf Fighter is proficient in all weapons except the boomerang, longsword, pike, and long bow. He is able to wear all types of armor.

Attack Dice: 2
Defend Dice: 2
Body: 6
Mind: 3
Movement… 2 Red Dice
Starting Weapon… Mace
Starting Armor… None

• Stoutness – Dwarves are not easy to kill, and you prove this so as you exhibit an extraordinary tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds. Once per Quest, damage that would normally kill you instead sets your Body Points to a value of 1. (Passive)
• Tunnel Fighter – Having trained in the claustrophobic caverns of nearby caves in your youth, the cramped conditions of the dungeon corridor hinder you not. This skill gives you 1 extra attack die when fighting in corridors. Both the Dwarf and Monster must be in the corridor. (Passive)
• Stonemaster – Having grown up in the underground cities of the Dwarves, you are a master at recognizing flaws in structural design. From now on you automatically detect hidden traps within 3 spaces of you only when you end your movement. (Passive)
• Mighty Swing – As a dwarf you are used to battling with heavy weaponry. Once per quest you may choose to attack with a mighty swing, causing damage to all monsters adjacent to you. You roll attack as normal, and the monsters defend as normal. Must be played before rolling to Attack.
• Pommel Strike – You quickly strike the butt of your weapon against your enemy’s forehead. Once per Quest you perform a Pommel Strike on your enemy. Roll one red die and add that number to your Body Points, the target does the same. If your number is higher than the enemy, then they have become stunned. They cannot move, attack, or defend for one round. Action.
• Drunken Brawler – The middle of battle is the perfect time to take a swig of your strongest brew. Once per Quest you knock back some Dwarven beer, granting you the strength you need to carry on the fight. You roll 1 extra attack and defend die for one round. This is not considered an Action.
• Battle Dirge – As the onslaught of battle progresses, you begin singing a Dwarven traditional battle dirge, lamenting and honoring fallen warriors from past wars. Singing the traditional Battle Dirge of your people grants you and any allies in your line of sight 1 extra defend die for one round. Action.
• Mighty Blow – You summon up a hidden reserve of strength and will for a concentrated attack. After rolling your combat dice, multiply by 2 the final dice roll results. Apply that result against your opponent. Action.
• Heroic Charge – Like a wrecking ball, you coming charging into battle as your opponent quavers at your mighty! You attack with 2 extra combat dice and your opponent defends with one less. Action.

2.) Barbarian
You are the Barbarian, a savage warrior from the tribes to the north. You are a powerful and awesome fighter, using your internal rage to crush your enemies and survive wounds that would kill lesser men. However, you are very superstitious and fear magic, for your sword is no defense against it.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Barbarian is proficient with all types of weapons, and can wear any kind of armor.

Attack Dice: 3
Defend Dice: 2
Body: 7
Mind: 2
Movement… 2 Red Dice
Starting Weapon… Broadsword
Starting Armor… None

• Door Smash – The politeness of civilized society is lost on you and instead of asking to enter, you kick your way in. Once per Quest you use your massive strength to kick the door in on your foes. The wooden shrapnel causes 1 Body Point of damage against any monsters standing adjacent (diagonal included) to the square directly in front of the door. Monsters defend as normal. This is considered an action.
• Dual Wield – Having been raised in a war-like society, the ability to carry and use multiple weapons at a time is nothing new to you. Your massive strength has increased, gaining you the ability to dual-wield 2 one-handed weapons. This ability allows you to attack one monster with both weapons, or two monsters that are adjacent to you with each weapon. (Passive)
• Battle Rage – All you see is red as you go into a full rage, relentlessly attacking all the enemies in your sight. Once per Quest you enter a state of Battle Rage, gaining you 1 extra attack and defend die. In addition, on each turn, you cannot perform any other action besides Attack. This continues until you can no longer “see” any enemies, at which point your Battle Rage ends. This is not considered an action.
• Death Throes – When an enemy’s relentless assault drops you to your knees, you lash out in a sudden burst of adrenaline. Once per Quest when your Body Points drop to 1 due to an attack, you immediately strike back at your adjacent foe. Roll 2 attack dice, the monster cannot defend. (Passive)
• War Cry – Having learned from the wild bears of your homeland, you challenge your enemies with a War Cry. Once per quest you issue forth a War Cry causing all monsters in the same room as you to suffer from Fear. All monsters roll 1 less defend die for one round. This is considered an action.
• Head Bash – When it comes to battle and warfare, you use your head… literally. Once per Quest, you bash your forehead against your enemy’s face, breaking bone and cartilage. The enemy is stunned and cannot move, attack, or defend for one round. This is considered an action.
• Ground Stomp – In your anger and frustration you stomp the ground, sending a shockwave out from you that reverberates through your enemies. Once per Quest you perform a Ground Stomp, stunning all enemies diagonal and adjacent to you. Roll one red die and add that number to your Body Points, your targets do the same. If your number is higher, then your target becomes stunned and cannot move, attack, or defend for one round.
• Charge – Your surprise onslaught catches your enemies off guard. Once per Quest you rush toward your enemy from up to 4 squares away and immediately attack. This does not count as a move. This is considered an action.
• Blood Fever – A one-strike kill is all it takes to get your blood boiling for the coming fight. If you succeed in killing an enemy in your first attack, you enter into a Blood Fever state. You may move 4 additional squares to another target to attempt another Blood Fever attack. This continues until you fail to kill on a first attack, or until you can no longer “see” any monsters. (Passive)

3.) Paladin
You are the Paladin, a righteous knight of the land, protector of the innocent, and a worshipper of the Holy Light. As a mighty warrior, you seek justice above all else and have a seething hatred for all things evil and unnatural.
Attack Dice: 2
Defend Dice: 2
Body: 8
Mind: 4
Movement… 2 Red Dice
Starting Weapon… Shortsword
Starting Armor… None

• Righteous Aura – Your righteous aura is so powerful; it emanates to your surrounding allies. Once per Quest, any Heroes the Paladin can “see” gain 1 Body Point. Heroes cannot exceed their max Body Points. (Action)
• No Fear from Evil – There are many foul and unnatural creatures in this world, and you hold a seething hatred for each one. From now on you gain a +1 to attack when fighting the Undead. (Passive)
• Like a Rock – Surrounded by enemies, you brace yourself for a heavy onslaught. Once per Quest you station yourself into a defensive posture, gaining +2 to defense but -2 to attack. Lasts until you cannot “see” any monsters. (Action)
• Heavy Metal – Due to your years spent training in the Holy Order of the Empire, you are used to wearing heavy armor. You no longer suffer movement penalties when wearing Plate Mail. (Passive)
• Sacrifice – Seeing that your wounded comrade would surely be injured by the incoming blow, you bravely intervene, using your body as a human shield. You may take damage from an attack made by a single Monster that would have hit another Hero adjacent to you. This takes place after the Monster has rolled to attack, but before the other Hero has rolled to defend. You roll defense dice as normal. (Action)
• Heroic Call – Your inspiration is contagious! During battle you heroically call out to your fellow Heroes, inspiring them to fight ever onward. Once per Quest, each Hero rolls 1 extra attack die for one round (except the Paladin). Paladin must be able to “see” his fellow Heroes for the effect to occur. If a Hero chooses not to attack, the effect is wasted on him. (Action)
• Heavenly Strength – Due to your selfless nature, you have been rewarded with an additional strength boon from the heavens above. You can now wield a two-handed weapon in your main hand while bearing a shield in your off-hand. (Passive)
• Shield Bash – You quickly slam your shield into the face of your enemy, hoping to knock him out of commission. Once per Quest you shield bash your opponent, momentarily stunning him. The monster is stunned and cannot move, attack, or defend on its next turn. Must be adjacent to the Monster, roll an Attack Point initiative check. (Action)
• Blessed Shield – Years spent training in the Holy Order has taught you to wield your shield like a weapon. Once per Quest you hurl your shield from up to 3 squares away. Roll 2 Attack Dice for the shield attack, enemy defends as normal. In order to retrieve your shield, you must move onto the square the enemy occupied, otherwise it is lost forever. You lose the shield defense bonus if attacked by another enemy before having retrieved your shield. Blessed Shield cannot be performed on any adjacent enemies. (Action)
• Taunt – You heroically protect your allies from harm and take the brunt of the enemy’s attack. Once per Quest, you taunt all enemies you can “see” to attack you for 2 rounds. During this process you gain +2 to defense but -2 to attack. Roll an Attack Point initiative check. (Action)

1.) Halfling Thief
You are the Halfling Thief, a small but brave rogue. You have a lust for treasure that is unequaled, and your dexterity allows you to carry a weapon in each hand. However, because of your small stature, you can only dual-wield daggers. You are also able to disarm traps without a tool kit. To do so, you must avoid rolling a black shield on a combat die.

The Halfling Thief is proficient with the dagger, whip, sickle, shortsword, and boomerang, but can only dual-wield daggers. He can only wear leather armor.

Attack Dice: 2
Defend Dice: 2
Body: 5
Mind: 3
Movement… 2 Red Dice
Starting Weapon… 2 Daggers
Starting Armor… None

• Sneak – You know how to move silently and stay hidden in the shadows. Once per Quest you may choose to sneak about the dungeon, remaining undetected from enemies that would otherwise “see” you. While sneaking, you may not perform any actions, you cannot pass through monsters, and moving onto a space adjacent to a monster will alert the monster to your presence, automatically ending your turn. You are still susceptible to traps while sneaking. Action.
• Greed – Your lust for gold and treasure is insatiable. You can now search for treasure in a room occupied by monsters. Passive
• Dual-Wield – Your dexterity has increased, granting you the ability to dual wield a dagger and another weapon in your main hand. As the Halfling Thief, you may now dual-wield a dagger with another weapon. You may attack one monster twice (roll attack for the dagger, and then immediately roll attack for the other weapon), or you may attack 2 different monsters if you are standing adjacent to both of them (roll attack for the dagger against one of the monsters, and then immediately roll attack for your other weapon against the other monster). In either case, the monster/s defend as normal. Passive
• Kleptomaniac – You just can’t keep your nimble fingers out of the pockets and leather purses of your enemies. You may now steal from your opponents, and you must be adjacent to the enemy to do so. When performing this ability, you may draw 2 treasure cards and discard one of them. Does not work with Undead. Action.
• Lady Luck – Lady luck seems to follow you around wherever you go. Once per Quest you turn a miss into a partial success. If you roll 0 skulls during an attack, you may turn half the dice (rounded up) into skulls. Play after you have rolled an Attack.
• Reflexes – Your naturally cautious nature keeps you on your toes. Once per Quest, if a wandering monster or surprise enemy is placed adjacent to you, you may move away from it up to 5 squares. You may perform this action immediately, even if it’s not your turn.
• Parry and Riposte – Your lack in size and strength means you’ve had to become an expert in other areas. You are able to completely parry an attack without any damage, and immediately follow up with a return attack. The opponent defends against your attack with one less defend die. Play in place of a normal Defend.
• Slip – Your small stature allows you to slip past opponents that are blocking your path. Once per Quest, you may successfully slip through enemies unharmed as long as there is at least one empty square behind them. Play before rolling movement dice, this does not count as an Action.
• Backstab – The enemy was so preoccupied defending against your ally’s onslaught, it didn’t hear you sneaking up from behind. If you attack the same opponent that the player before you just attacked, you roll 2 additional attack die.
• Alertness – Your perception is second-to-none. Once per Quest you may automatically ignore the damage a hidden trap you have sprung would have caused you. Move 1 square beyond the trap square, the trap remains sprung. Passive
• Dodge and Trip – You successfully sidestep a single opponent’s attack and take no damage. Furthermore, you trip him as he rushes by, causing him to fall heavily to the ground. Once per Quest when an enemy attacks you, you successfully dodge and trip them, causing the enemy to become stunned. The enemy cannot move, attack, or defend for 2 turns. Play in place of a normal Defend.


2.) Elven Ranger
You are the Elven Ranger, an expert marksman and a keeper of the wilds. You find solace in the quiet of nature and prefer companionship of the birds and beasts over people. You are a master at scouting, tracking, and hunting and with your unparalleled skill with the bow, you are able to line up the perfect shot in the most stressful of situations.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Elven Ranger is proficient with the dagger, sickle, shortsword, quarterstaff, boomerang, crossbow, short bow, and long bow. She can only wear leather armor.
Attack Dice: 2
Defend Dice: 2
Body: 5
Mind: 4
Movement… 2 Red Dice
Starting Weapon… Shortsword
Starting Armor… None

• Expert Marksman – Because of your expertise with the bow, you have learned to shoot past obstacles that lie in your way. Once per Quest, you may shoot past occupied squares at your enemies that lay in the distance. Must be played before rolling to Attack.
• Explosive Shot – Flaming arrows are one thing, nitroglycerin tipped arrows are something else entirely. Once per Quest, you fire your nitroglycerin-tipped arrow at your main target, causing damage to surrounding enemies. Roll normal attack dice for targeted monster. Adjacent monsters suffer half the attack dice rounded down, cannot be less than 1. Monsters defend as normal. Must be played before rolling to Attack.
• Sure Shot – As you clear your mind and let out your breath, it feels as though time is slowing down around you, allowing you to line up the perfect shot. Anytime you roll all skulls on an attack it counts as a critical strike, and the enemy rolls 1 less defense die. If the monster only has 1 defend die, then the monster cannot defend. (Passive)
• Power Shot – You let your anger unleash with the force of your shot. Once per quest you fire a shot so powerful, it goes through your targeted enemy to the one behind it, causing damage to both. The second enemy takes half the damage of the initial attack rounded down, cannot be less than 1. All affected enemies defend as normal. Must be played before rolling to Attack.
• Eagle Eye – Elves have the keenest eyesight of all the races. You no longer take penalties to the distance limitations of ranged weapons. (Passive)
• Scout – Your abilities as a scout are unrivaled, rendering you virtually undetectable by the enemy. Once per Quest, you roll double your movement dice and scout ahead of your party, allowing you to move into enemy-occupied areas of the dungeon without being seen. While scouting, you may not perform any actions, you cannot pass through monsters, and moving onto a space adjacent to a monster will alert the monster to your presence, automatically ending your turn. You are still susceptible to traps while scouting. This is considered an Action.
• Feint – A sudden, unexpected move puts you at an advantage! You may reroll either an attack, defend, or movement roll.
• Footwork – Your swift movement makes you difficult to strike. You may roll 2 extra defense dice for one round. (Actions)
• Assassin Shot – Using your allies as cover and a distraction, your target doesn’t even realize you have your eyes on him. The enemy across the room doesn’t even see you aiming at him. Roll a normal attack and multiply the number of skulls showing by 2. Must be played before rolling to Attack.
• Crippling Shot – You cripple your enemy with a precise shot to their ankle, momentarily immobilizing them. Once per Quest you cripple your enemy. The shot causes no damage, and they may still Attack and Defend, but they cannot move for one round. This is considered an Action, play in place of a normal Attack.

3.) Monk
You are a Monk from the monasteries to the East. You are a skilled martial artist, and with your speed, agility, and discipline your entire body is a weapon. You also adhere to ancient philosophies, allowing you to center your Chi and enter meditative states, granting you healing abilities others do not have. As a fleet-footed warrior-artist, you are able to navigate the battlefield with ease, aiding allies in their time of crisis.

The Monk is proficient with the dagger, whip, sickle, shortsword, and quarterstaff. The Monk can wear leather armor.

Attack Dice: 1
Defend Dice: 3 (because he’s quick)
Body: 5
Mind: 5
Movement… 2 Red Dice
Starting Weapon… Quarterstaff
Starting Armor… None
• Power Kick – You place all your energy into a powerful kick, knocking your opponent backwards. Roll 1 attack die. If a skull is rolled, then the enemy loses 1 Body Point and is pushed back one square to an unoccupied square. If any shields are rolled, the attack fails. This is considered an Action, play in place of a normal Attack.
• Zen Heal – You are a master of meditation, and use it to realign your chi. Once per Quest you use the power of mind over body, and heal yourself for 2 Body Points. This is considered an Action.
• Counter Attack – Successfully blocking all your enemy’s attacks has left him surprised and vulnerable. Anytime you successfully roll all white shields on a Defend, you automatically counter-attack. Immediately Roll 1 attack die, enemy cannot defend. (Passive)
• Surrounded and Unafraid – With a speed as swift as wind, you attack multiple targets around you. Once per Quest you attack all enemies that are adjacent to you. Roll half your attack dice rounded up for each monster, monsters defend as normal. This is considered an Action, play in place of a normal Attack.
• Hip Toss – You use the force and weight of your enemy’s oncoming attack to your advantage. Once per Quest when an enemy attacks you, you may choose to perform a Hip Toss instead of Defend. Roll one attack die. If a skull is rolled, then switch squares with the enemy and they suffer 1 Body Point of damage. If either white or black shields are rolled then you have failed, and take all damage from the attack.
• Evade – The enemy is confused as he realizes you’re not where you were a moment ago. You attempt to dive out of the way of an oncoming attack to an adjacent square. Instead of rolling defend dice, roll one movement die. If you roll a 6 you have failed, and suffer all the damage of the attack. 1-5 is a successful dive, move to the adjacent square, the attack misses.
• Ghost Blur – Like the falling leaf, you swirl this way and that, forcing your enemy to waste his strength on an opponent that was never there. Once per Quest instead of blocking incoming blows, you choose to dodge each strike. For each skull rolled by the enemy, roll one red movement die. If you roll a 6 you have failed, and suffer the damage of that skull die. If you roll 1-5, then you have successfully dodged the attack.
• Serenity Shield – Shifting into a prayer stance, you open your third eye to create a protective shield of pure energy. Once per Quest, you are enveloped in a protective shield that absorbs 2 Body Points of damage. The protective shield disappears once it has suffered 2 Body Points of damage, or when you can no longer “see” any enemies. You may choose to defend an attack if an enemy causes more than 2 points of damage to you. This is considered an Action.
• Flow – Moving as swift as the flowing river, you cause damage to an enemy before they’ve even had time to realize what has happened. Once per Quest you may choose to move, attack an enemy, and move again. Roll 2 red dice for each move. This is considered both an Action and a Move.
• Inner Sanctuary – Pausing to recite a prayer chant from old, a glowing runic circle appears on the ground around you and your allies. You create a runic circle of protection on the ground. Monsters (both caught in the circle and out) that attack Heroes in the circle, attack with 1 less attack die. The runic circle disappears once you have moved out of it. This is considered an Action.

Wow, loads of skills!

I'll give this a proper look soon but just from a quick read I think feint should say once per quest or it's VERY powerful and the monks power kick says "If any shields are rolled" instead of 'If a shield is rolled', I'm guessing it used to be more than one dice.

yeah... My advice would be to not overload people with skills. It's much better to discover things through questing. That's too much info for the start of a game and can turn people off.

As for the point system... Body and Mind always adds up to 10. I used a system where the more Mind points you have the more skills a Hero can have.

A Barbarian only has 2, that gets his use of weapons, +1 attack Combat bonus
A Dwarf on 3, use of weapons and disable traps (costs 2)
An Elf on 4, use of weapons and spells, a spell set costs 2 each, leaving 1 spare which becomes the ability to use the Elf spells later.
A Wizard on 6, 3 sets of spell (find the talisman +2MP and unlock the other spell set)

With the classic 16 as a final balancing check... If a Hero can boost to 17, there's usually an instance that knocks him down to 15. Like Stand Fast, usually a Dwarf skill 'Don't move and Roll +1Cd6 in Attack and Defence'. His normal adds to 15, with the sacrifice of movement that turn it's 17.

Please have a look here. Making character creation part of the game for the players can be good. Let them choose the abilities.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUqo ... VJ4Zzl6RGc


You do have some good ideas for skills here but i would add many of them to artifacts, unique items etc. Keeping the starting Hero simple.

greenbarbarian wrote:. . . I'd love to share with you guys what I've created so far. The characters I have are as follows:
- Wizard
- Sorcerer
- Witch
- Halfling Thief
- Monk
- Elf Ranger
- Barbarian
- Dwarf Fighter
- Paladin

I've decided that the player's character will level-up once every 3 quests. . . . That number might change to 4 quests or more as the players progress through the game.

For the spellcasters (Wizard, Sorcerer, and Witch), their leveling-up will be to choose 2 new spell cards at random (an arbitrary number I've come up with) from their respective decks. The Wizard has 5 schools of magic to choose from: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Lightning (I wanted him to remain more elemental). . . . However, while the Wizard and Sorcerer start the game off with 9 spells of their choosing, the Witch starts off with only 4 base spells. I've done it this way because the Witch can use better weapons than the Wizard or Sorcerer (crossbow, etc.). With the Witch's level-up, maybe she only chooses 1 new spell? Haven't really decided yet.

For the non-magic type characters, I've determined that they will get to choose 1 special ability at random from their respective decks. Their special abilities, like the spell cards in the game, can only be used once per quest unless otherwise noted. . . .

. . . The following are the characters with their stats and their magic spells and special abilities. This is still a rough draft, but I would appreciate any kind of criticism or feed back from you guys. None of this has been play-tested, I'm still working on character art/card art, etc.

In case you return, greenbarbarian, here's some more feedback:

I'd say for a majority of the community, a big concern when balancing additional material for the game is how it will affect play for the published Quests. Your leveling system adds a lot of extra firepower for the Spellcasters: 9 starting spells and 36 additional spells for the Wizard, and 9 starting spells and 36 additional spells (1 unfinished) for the Sorcerer. In a 40-turn Quest (most are fewer, I estimate) either Spellcaster can cast a spell every turn once they top out--or more efficiently--2 spells for half of the turns with the Wand of Magic. The Witch works out similarly with roughly half of the spell total of the other Spellcasters, though that Hero gains even 2 more power-ups (4 spells+20.)

At a rate of 2 extra spells every 3 Quests, the Sorcerer and Wizard top out after 54 Quests. The 14 base Quests, KK, RotWL, AtOH, and either the EQP or the BQP account for 53 Quests of this total. Either the EQP or BQP and The Dark Company are still to be played, not to mention any of the half-dozen magazine-published Quests. Only one last spell power-up is left in those dozen or more final Quests for the Wizard and Sorcerer. If you changed the power-up to 2 extra spells every 4 Quests (or 1 extra spell every other Quest) from the start, you could instead include all published Quests.

As for the other Heroes of your first draft, the Dwarf Fighter and Barbarian have 9 upgrades, the Paladin, Elven Ranger and Monk have 10, and the Halfling Thief has 11. At one upgrade every three Quests, these Heroes will top out significantly earlier than the Spellcasters at 27, 30, and 33 Quests. I'm not too sure this disparity will sit well with your players when the later Quests are played and only the Spellcasters continue to gain further power-ups, unbalancing your game.

One solution is to create more upgrades for the martial Heroes: +9 for the Dwarf Fighter and Barbarian, +8 for the Paladin, Elven Ranger and Monk, and +7 for the Halfling Thief. From the other end, you could instead reduce the number of extra spells available from Spellcaster upgrades to 20. Either drop spells from your draft rules outright or set a casting limit so that a Spellcaster need choose a select number from his total.

Another fix is to adjust the rate of martial Heroes' upgrade acquisition to once every 5 to 7 Quests, depending on whether you choose an upgrade rate of every 3 or 4 Quests for Spellcasters.

In regards to published Hero Quest material, you may find you'll need to up the difficulty of some Quests to accommodate your buffed Heroes. Also, spells that utilize an opposed Mind Point roll against Hero Spellcasters with a Mind score of 8 will automatically beat almost every monster with the exception of the Gargoyle, Sorcerers, and a few elite boss monsters such as the Frozen Horror. Of these, only the strongest Sorcerers are likely to resist such spells. My first thought is to reduce the Wizard and Sorcerer down to 6 Mind and the Witch down to 5.

Of course, you may be playing off the grid with entirely home-brewed Quests and new monsters. In that case, you only need to tailor your Quests to suitably challenge your Heroes.

I have one last comment concerning cards, which I assume you're printing your spells and upgrades on. Keep in mind any spell or upgrade needs to legibly fit. You probably want to include art as well for ease of identification and homogeny. Some of your descriptions look like they need trimming, but if you use poker-sized cards that would help.

Your game looks like it will be loads of continued fun for your group. Keep at it and let us know how it progresses!