Advice/Thoughts/Opinions...

[benvoliothefirst]

"SHIELD MAIDEN."

Lends some historical weight to the role, means the same thing, and sounds like a bad-@$$ metal band.

I would also use her as the reverse of the custom barbarian rules, and say that she gets an extra die with ANY shield/armor. She has spent her life mastering the defensive arts.

Should also have a "shield bash," so if she loses her weapon she can use the shield as one.

Edit: oh man, you got the creative juices flowin'! She can throw her shield as a reaction to try and deflect an attack! Can reclaim shield after a room search. Now you've gotta balance the timing and the loss of shield.

EDIT SOME MORE: Turns out, WiseOne and GoldBearer both had similar ideas circa 2014. Great minds think alike! Based on theirs:

Shield Maiden: Gains +1DD when using any shield.
Equipment: Short Sword, Shield.
-Shield Toss - May make a ranged attack with 3AD. If it doesn't hit, it continues in same direction until it hits a character or obstacle and then falls to the ground. Stand over it and use an action to reequip.
-Sisters in Arms - You may Defend for an adjacent ally. You gain +1DD for this roll.

[Kitch1982]

"SHIELD MAIDEN."

Lends some historical weight to the role, means the same thing, and sounds like a bad-@$$ metal band.

I would also use her as the reverse of the custom barbarian rules, and say that she gets an extra die with ANY shield/armor. She has spent her life mastering the defensive arts.

Should also have a "shield bash," so if she loses her weapon she can use the shield as one.

Edit: oh man, you got the creative juices flowin'! She can throw her shield as a reaction to try and deflect an attack! Can reclaim shield after a room search. Now you've gotta balance the timing and the loss of shield.

EDIT SOME MORE: Turns out, WiseOne and GoldBearer both had similar ideas circa 2014. Great minds think alike! Based on theirs:

Shield Maiden: Gains +1DD when using any shield.
Equipment: Short Sword, Shield.
-Shield Toss - May make a ranged attack with 3AD. If it doesn't hit, it continues in same direction until it hits a character or obstacle and then falls to the ground. Stand over it and use an action to reequip.
-Sisters in Arms - You may Defend for an adjacent ally. You gain +1DD for this roll.

Love This Idea!!! I'll replace picture and update card. Thanks for the feedback!

[Pancho]

I'm loving the idea (and the stats) for the shield maiden but I'm not sure about the shield toss. Could get a bit Captain America if she's tossing it all the time. You could have it like the dagger and the spear; you can throw it but then it is lost. This way it is a skill that could save the day now and then but will only get used a maximum of once per quest.

The shield maiden idea is great though. She' still feels like a female barbarian because shield maidens are associated with the cold north (like the barbarian character), but this way you get a different character with distinct stats and abilities.

You should post some pics of the minis you'll be using!

[Pancho]

Or "each time the shield is thrown, after rolling 3 combat dice for damage, roll one red die; on a roll of 1 or 2 the shield is damaged and must be discarded. Otherwise the shield can be picked up and reused".

[mitchiemasha]

Perhaps the idea is to have a 'captain america style' mechanic in the game... However, I'd say 3Cd6 is too strong, 2Cd6 seems fair. And, instead of rolling for damage, 2 black shields and it's lost/damaged. Extra rolls can slow the game down.

This also fits nicely with potions or spells, if your attack roll is increased, you're more likely to damage, lose it.

The same mechanic works well for all weapons.
Damage: Discard an equipped bought weapon when rolling BS equal to its power, +1Dd6 is power 3.

[Kitch1982]

Some really nice suggestions here. I like the idea that there is an element of risk losing/damaging the shield. And Tbf that is more real too, throwing a big chunk of metal around and it will get damaged over time.

[j_dean80]

...unless the Wizard puts wards on it...


Anyone else feel these changes get WAY far from the fun simplicity of HQ? There are many threads like this and every time I read them I'm like "what game is this?"

[Kitch1982]

...unless the Wizard puts wards on it...


Anyone else feel these changes get WAY far from the fun simplicity of HQ? There are many threads like this and every time I read them I'm like "what game is this?"

I think that's the beauty of the game. If you want to expand it you can but at the same time you can just play the normal game.

[mitchiemasha]

Yeah I'm with Kitch here... The beauty of this game is how much creativity it leaves open to the players. The base is so simply perfect, it's a firm ground for anything to be placed on.

[benvoliothefirst]

Hey j_dean, I agree that simplicity is the main draw of HeroQuest vs. D&D. Having said that, creativity is the next best thing about it.

I already play with the fairly common rule that thrown weapons can be searched for once the room is cleared of monsters. So if we go by that rule, she could throw her shield whenever she wanted but would then be stuck without her strongest asset for the duration of a combat. That kind of tactical choice could be pretty cool.

And I'm already on board with mitchiemasha's rule about damage to weapons.

I'm thinking since she gets +2 instead of +1 with a normal shield, then you could just say the shield hits with the same number of AD that it adds to her defense. So if she found a shield later on that added +2 to everyone else, a stronger shield or something, then she would get +3 due to her ability and could then throw it for 3AD. I've got no idea how to word that succinctly enough to fit on a card, however.