Artifact Sets

[Hinks12]

Well I hate to say that i am turning mentor into a kind of Gandalf but Gandalf could use a sword so can Mentor it can only be used by a mage (new Advance Hero) the other 3 heroes become Elven Ranger, Dwarven Cleric, and a Barbarian Berserker. The mage has all 7 spell classes and has 2 additional spells to go along with each. when i get at chance i will but the cards up here that are done. And some of my Doctor Who Hero Quest Cards.

[el_flesh]

Beernut had described the mage upgrade several years ago - "You're like Gandalf, using your staff with the speed and grace of a martial arts master."

[Daedalus]

Well I hate to say that i am turning mentor into a kind of Gandalf but Gandalf could use a sword so can Mentor it can only be used by a mage (new Advance Hero) the other 3 heroes become Elven Ranger, Dwarven Cleric, and a Barbarian Berserker. The mage has all 7 spell classes and has 2 additional spells to go along with each. when i get at chance i will but the cards up here that are done. And some of my Doctor Who Hero Quest Cards.

I guess I'm promoting heresy, but I'm beginning to think the Wizard should be allowed to purchase a little more offense than a Dagger or Staff. I remember Cynthia was for the Wizard being allowed the use of a Broadsword. Warhammer Quest allowed it. And as you point out, Gandalf sure as *lemony goodness* knew how to wield one. As for another reason for upping a Wizard's melee power, he has spare gold coins to spend.

My last justification needs a bit more explaining. I remember a post (can't remember by who, maybe Sadkitchen) about basing a Hero's spell groups off of his Mind score. Basically, half of the Mind Points equals the number of spell groups allowed for casting. This principle can also apply to the maximum amount of Attack Dice a Hero may purchase and wield in combat. In other words, consider half of a Hero's starting Body Points (rounded up) as his combat strength. A Hero may then wield a weapon with Attack Dice equal to or lower than his combat-strength value. Thus, only a Barbarian or Dwarf may use a Battle Axe (4 Attack Dice), while the smaller Elf can't do this until he gets a Body Point boost in the Elf Quest Pack from the Elven Bracers artifact. By extension, a Wizard should be strong enough for 2 combat dice.

An idea I had bounced off Cynthia in her thread about boosting the Wizard was that a Wizard could use a Broadsword, but only at 2 Attack-Dice effectiveness due to lack of proper training. This lies within his strength limit. That would remove the Shortsword, Hand Axe and Spear as meaningful options if they too were reduced by 1 Attack Dice; however, an artifact like Orc's Bane would again be useful in the Wizard's hands for a couple of 1 Attack-Die attacks against Orcs. Heck, the diagonally-attacking Longsword would also be allowed at 2 Attack Dice, eliminating the need for the Wizard's Staff artifact. Why should a Wizard's magical staff be geared toward melee combat, anyway? The role of a magical staff would better be served as a ranged weapon or magical aid. I believe I also called for doubling the price of a Wizard-purchased Broadsword or Longsword because he's not an apt student of the martial arts.

It occurs to me that if a Hero drank a Potion of Strength, he could also up his Attack-Dice limit for one turn. That means that an Elf could drink it and use a Battle Axe, but at 5 Attack Dice. Even a Wizard could drink the potion and wield a Battle Axe for one 4 Attack-Dice hit. I couldn't see the Wizard toting a Battle Axe around, but I'd let another Hero toss him one in the heat of battle to save everybody's asses. Come on, let the little wuss get some for a change!

[Hinks12]

Well i know in another quest that someone make I think it was the minds eye it has a sword for the wizard. Mentor had a sword like that except that it was a Longsword, not a rapier.

[Ethica]

The Wizard is allowed to use quest treasures such as the spirit blade to attack for 3 dice, is this not the case in US rules? The staff also allows the wizard to roll 2 in attack, this is a fair maximum if he can't get his hand on a magical sword I think.

I like Daedalus' method for determining combat strength but won't introduce it myself, as it's only slightly more usefull than having things like "may only be used by barbarian and dwarf" on the cards.

[Hinks12]

I'm only saying that this sword is just for the wizard or in the case of the quest pack a mage but you need others things first like Mentor's Robes, His ring, his Staff and then you can use the sword.

[Daedalus]

@ Ethica-
The North American artifact cards Orc's Bane and Spirit Blade prohibit the Wizard from their use. They state "May not be used by the Wizard." The Wizard's Staff artifact is also included, which does the same job as the EU Staff.

Yeah, the restrictions of the cards are nice and easy, which makes HQ what it is. I'm not sure if my thoughts are worth the trouble either, but they do provide decent guidelines and something to buy.

@Hinks 12-

Allowing the Wizard to use a Sword is fine, if that is what the artifact is for. A nice, simple rules exception printed on an optional card is a great idea.

[Von Necron]

The spell caster in our group has a magic sword. It's mounted to a base to look like its floating. The spell caster uses it with a spell card. He rolls 1d4 to see how many turns he gets it. It attacks for 3. If the spell caster is wounded the sword falls.

[knightkrawler]

I have a similar spell. The Wizard rolls 1D3 to determine for how many rounds he can fight like a fully equipped Swordmaster,
with these stats: MOV 1D6+6, ATT 4, DEF 3, Body and Mind remain the same.