• Advertisement

Make a small donation to Ye Olde Inn!

Donate via Paypal

Every cent received goes toward Ye Olde Inn's maintenance and allows us to continue providing the best resources for HeroQuest and Fantasy Gaming fans.

Improving Orc's Bane

Discuss card making and cards you have made.

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby Bareheaded Warrior » December 6th, 2015, 8:15 pm

An obvious upgrade, if indeed one is required, would be to make the mundane weapon a Broadsword but for me as I do allow the Wizard character to use a Short Sword (Never understood why a Wizard cannot wield a little steel) so Orc's Bane or possibly Orcs' Bane is a useful upgrade for the Wizard.

As this weapon is clearly based on Orcrist / Glamdring as pointed out above, we play it with two extra attack dice rather than two attacks against Greenskins (Goblin, Orc or Fimir/Troll) as in Tolkien's world Orcs and Goblins are the same race, as that it also glows if any Greenskins are within 12 squares - which is a very handy indicator of what is behind the next door and also prevents the party from being jumped by a wandering Greenskin (provided they are close to the wielder of course)
:skull: = white skull, one "hit"
:blackshield: = black skull, one "hit"
:whiteshield: = shield, cancels out one "hit"

Editions: 1989 Original First Edition [FE] and Second Edition [SE], 1990 Remake [US], 2021 Remake [21]

HeroQuest Gold new edition based on Original 1989 HeroQuest, holes patched, dents hammered out, buffed to a shiny finish with ~50 common issues fixed for a smoother experience.

HQ Common Notification System to identify squares on the board
User avatar
Bareheaded Warrior

Scout
Scout
 
Posts: 1006
Joined: December 8th, 2013, 11:12 am
Location: UK
Forum Language: British English
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Morcar
Usergroups:
Adventurers' Guild Group Member Champion Group Member

Advertisement

Make a small donation to Ye Olde Inn!

Donate via Paypal

Every cent received goes toward Ye Olde Inn's maintenance and allows us to continue providing the best resources for HeroQuest and Fantasy Gaming fans.

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby GimmeYerGold » December 6th, 2015, 10:44 pm

Even in the UK rules, the wizard can purchase a staff with 2 attack die, and in my own US modded rules there is a purchasable mace that is of equal strength for the wizard to use, so Orc's Bane as-is being an upgrade for the wizard is not an incentive to keep it as-is.

I like the idea of this sword being more dynamic, because in a Quest Pack like Return of the Witch Lord, the Heroes do not encounter a single Orc, Goblin, or Fimir for 10 quests :p

Orc's Bane would get so dusty!

So here's my revision based on Baylor OgreBane's suggestion and the "pick your foe" idea:

Image


Rewards:
Created a Hot Topic. Encountered a menacing Chaos Warlock!
User avatar
GimmeYerGold

Giant Wolf
Giant Wolf
 
Posts: 747
Images: 1
Joined: September 7th, 2013, 7:26 pm
Location: Houston, TX
Forum Language: English (United States)
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Zargon
Usergroups:
Artists Group Member Champion Group Member

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby Redav » December 6th, 2015, 11:27 pm

GimmeYerGold wrote:So here's my revision based on Baylor OgreBane's suggestion and the "pick your foe" idea:

I like that. Probably because some of my characters have a racial enemy (unashamedly stolen from Baldur's Gate where I first came across it)
Campaign Status
EU Group: Kellar's Keep - The Dwarven Forge
NA Group: The Gathering Storm - Barak Tor - Barrow of the Witch Lord

Project's Status
Rules: House Rules and Clarifications are open for discussion
Campaigns: Thinking
Alternate Mini's: Planning and acquiring
Painting: I've started painting... :o


Rewards:
Grin's Stone Map Created a Hot Topic. Zealot Miniatures: Twisting Catacombs Kickstarter Backer Slain a measly Goblin! Slaughtered an Orc! Killed a mighty Fimir! Shattered a Skeleton! Destroyed a Zombie! Unravelled a Mummy! Crushed a powerful Chaos Warrior! Smashed a massive Gargoyle! Encountered all eight (8) Game System monsters. Encountered a menacing Chaos Warlock!
Redav

Storm Master
Storm Master
 
Posts: 486
Joined: June 22nd, 2013, 6:28 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Forum Language: British English
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Morcar
Usergroups:
Champion Group Member

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby Count Mohawk » December 6th, 2015, 11:59 pm

Do not underestimate the value of multiple attacks per round! Orc's Bane, or Foe's Bane as it has now been reimagined, gets a lot stronger when you start adding custom equipment and artifacts that increase the number of Combat Dice a Hero may roll in attack.

During my playtest of slev's HQR a few years ago, the Barbarian used Orc's Bane to great effect even during the last few Quests: he rolled four dice* when attacking with it due to the HQR effects of the Amulet of the North and the Ring of Brilliance (Fire) each adding one die to his attacks. This basically made him a Polar Warbear any time he was in the same room as a greenskin monster.
*The Amulet actually only allows a reroll of one attack die rather than a full extra die, but as I frequently point out those two effects are approximately equivalent.


Rewards:
Grin's Stone Map Created a Hot Topic. Shattered a Skeleton! Destroyed a Zombie! Crushed a powerful Chaos Warrior! Smashed a massive Gargoyle!
User avatar
Marquis of Math
Count Mohawk

Elven Warrior
Elven Warrior
 
Posts: 695
Joined: July 11th, 2013, 5:18 pm
Location: New England, USA
Forum Language: English (United States)
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Zargon
Usergroups:
Champion Group Member

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby Anderas » December 7th, 2015, 1:32 am

I don't like Orc's Bane's Placement in the Quest Book.
It's a little bit better than a Broadsword, but only against Orcs. It would be super-helpful against people like Grak and Ulag: Courage + Orc's Bane, that makes Ulag's and Grak's Bane. However, there you don't have it.

Either you play the original quest book in Machete order and make Orc's Bane a side quest, then Orc's Bane is actually good as it is. Or you get it in the Bastion of Chaos, likely as concurrence to the Battle Axe that lots of people can afford after that quest. Then it is useless.

For Kellar's Keep i admit it is nice as you can raise your defense by one and still be a worthy fighter.


For Foe's bane -
1- With the original monster cards it is ok, as there are not lots of them. I am on the way to make one monster card for each equipment a Monster can have: Goblin with Spear, Goblin with Shortbow, Goblin normal.... there the limitation would be quite strong: You chose the Goblin Spearman, but accidentally you meet only normal Goblins.
2- I admit Orc's Bane can take some dust in ROTWL or other Orcfree quest packs. Either you use the opportunity to generate Elf's Bane and Ogre's Bane (Spirit Blade already exists).... but then the artifact flood is even higher.... or it is just like that.


Rewards:
Hosted a Play-by-Post game. Played a turn in a Play-by-Post game. Created a Hot Topic. Participated in four (4) Miniature Exchanges. Participated in three (3) Miniature Exchanges. Zealot Miniatures: Twisting Catacombs Kickstarter Backer Destroyed a Zombie! Encountered a menacing Chaos Warlock!
User avatar
Anderas
NOT Andreas!

Polar Warbear
Polar Warbear
 
Posts: 3397
Images: 73
Joined: September 20th, 2014, 7:02 am
Forum Language: British English
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Morcar
Usergroups:
Wizards of Zargon Group Member Adventurers' Guild Group Member Artists Group Member
Champion Group Member

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby mitchiemasha » December 7th, 2015, 10:39 am

Anderas wrote:there you don't have it.


Which if it's your first time playing through and seeing the card, can be a good thing. it triggers the thought. this would of been so useful back then. Makes it feel more powerful, excited to find it. Only later to be mostly disappointed, lol! it's perfectly placed.


Rewards:
Destroyed a Zombie! Encountered a menacing Chaos Warlock!
Prince
mitchiemasha

Halberdier
Halberdier
 
Posts: 1473
Joined: August 14th, 2014, 2:05 am
Forum Language: British English
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Morcar
Usergroups:
Champion Group Member

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby slev » December 7th, 2015, 10:39 am

I tweaked the Orcs Bane so it is also effective against Goblins.
I also re-worded the ability, so it grants an extra attack against Orcs or Goblins each turn. This means you can potentially use the OB to attack, then do something else such as search or cast, should the oppertunity arise.

These smalls change that makes it more worthwhile a weapon in general through it's utility, without a massive Strength boost.


Rewards:
Created a Hot Topic. Zealot Miniatures: Twisting Catacombs Kickstarter Backer Destroyed a Zombie! Encountered a menacing Chaos Warlock!
User avatar
slev

Scout
Scout
 
Posts: 1064
Images: 6
Joined: August 26th, 2014, 7:55 am
Location: Manchester
Forum Language: British English
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Morcar
Usergroups:
Champion Group Member

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby GimmeYerGold » December 7th, 2015, 3:05 pm

Anderas wrote:
For Foe's bane -
1- With the original monster cards it is ok, as there are not lots of them. I am on the way to make one monster card for each equipment a Monster can have: Goblin with Spear, Goblin with Shortbow, Goblin normal.... there the limitation would be quite strong: You chose the Goblin Spearman, but accidentally you meet only normal Goblins.
2- I admit Orc's Bane can take some dust in ROTWL or other Orcfree quest packs. Either you use the opportunity to generate Elf's Bane and Ogre's Bane (Spirit Blade already exists).... but then the artifact flood is even higher.... or it is just like that.


Yes, point #1 makes Foe's Bane as-is a tricky weapon to use in custom games. I have 24 monster cards myself, but each instance of a monster, (Orc, goblin, Lizardman, etc.) only occurs once in the deck, so a goblin spearman would be covered under "goblin," If the Hero chose the goblin card as the sword's foe. However, wording this intent is tricky.

If I could word this intent, I think it would improve the card, but would still create some problems when it comes to custom monsters, as everyone as their own unique monsters they love, plus those introduced by official Quests. For instance, is a Skaven Rat Ogre both a skaven and an Ogre?? This could lead to some time-consuming confusion/arguments during a game :?

Overall, expanding Orc's Bane to be effective against goblins as well is a good suggestions, too. I may go so far as to include fimirs, lizardmen, and trolls as well (since my house rule spirit blade is effective against my house rule ghost and vampire monsters too).


Rewards:
Created a Hot Topic. Encountered a menacing Chaos Warlock!
User avatar
GimmeYerGold

Giant Wolf
Giant Wolf
 
Posts: 747
Images: 1
Joined: September 7th, 2013, 7:26 pm
Location: Houston, TX
Forum Language: English (United States)
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Zargon
Usergroups:
Artists Group Member Champion Group Member

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby cynthialee » December 7th, 2015, 4:05 pm

As it stands it is not a great weapon.

Idea:
Chaos Bane
This mystic sword will provide 2 attacks against any Chaos aligned monster or villain with 3 dice and the sword may attack diagonal targets.
To craft this sword Mentor will require the Artifact Ork's Bane, 2000 gold coins, 3 diamonds, and a dragons claw.
Good Luck Hero!
So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.
~Sun Tsu The art of War~


Rewards:
Created a Hot Topic.
cynthialee

Swordsman
Swordsman
 
Posts: 1848
Images: 4
Joined: September 27th, 2011, 10:56 am
Location: the forests of Washington State
Forum Language: English (United States)
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Zargon
Usergroups:
Adventurers' Guild Group Member Champion Group Member

Re: Improving Orc's Bane

Postby GimmeYerGold » December 7th, 2015, 5:01 pm

As many people houserule the inclusion of Goblins into Orc's Bane, I've added the rest of my green-colored miniatures, to make this sword a true counterpart to the Spirit Blade. Here's my latest iteration of an improved Orc's Bane, Grendel's Bane:

Image

I chose "Grendel's Bane" to make it a general catch-all for this taxonomy of humanoid monsters, and of course this will work against any type of goblin spear men, Fimir Mages, or Troll Belly Dancers! :lol:

edit: the equipment restrictions are specific to my house rules, feel free to exclude them from your own, as I do think allowing the wizard to wield a shortsword is a nice idea! (although it does not fare so well in our game, as the wizard usually wants to forget he can cast spells at all and leap into the fray!)


Rewards:
Created a Hot Topic. Encountered a menacing Chaos Warlock!
User avatar
GimmeYerGold

Giant Wolf
Giant Wolf
 
Posts: 747
Images: 1
Joined: September 7th, 2013, 7:26 pm
Location: Houston, TX
Forum Language: English (United States)
Hero:
Evil Sorcerer: Zargon
Usergroups:
Artists Group Member Champion Group Member

PreviousNext

Return to Cards

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests