Quest 10 - Race Against Time

"A guide has led you into a dungeon that is rumoured to hold a great secret. He has led you down many dark corridors and finally you find yourself in a room with three doors. Suddebly the guide puts out his torch and in the darkness you hear him laugh; 'Farewell my Heroes', he sneers as he makes his escape. You realise to your horror that it is a trap!
You must escape or perish in this dark forgotten hole".
                                                                                                                    Mentor




I did plan to run this quest with the alternative Heroes from Sir Ragnar's band of merry men, but as we're having trouble getting that gaming group together, the regular four Heroes will take on this adventure instead.


And what an adventure it was.


As the Evil wizard player I decided to add a few things to spice up the quest. The original quest is great, but it has no mechanic to make it seem like an actual race against time.
Firstly, I used this opportunity to introduce a deck of 'Evil Wizard cards'; if there are no monsters on the board on the Evil Wizard players turn, he may draw one of these cards and use it later. These cards make life more difficult for the Heroes, encouraging them to get through the dungeon quicker; the more doors they open, the more monsters they are likely to encounter, meaning Morcar will not get to draw any cards. Most of the cards have fairly minimal effects, although there are a few very devilish ones, and the psychological effect on the Hero players is great. I have two versions of this deck and they will be used from now on for every quest .
Secondly, a special rule for this quest only. On each Morcar turn, he rolls one combat die; on the roll of a black shield there is a rumble in the dungeon as the traitorous guide attempts to collapse the exit.
The stair tile was placed next to the board, and every time Morcar was to roll a black shield at the start of his turn, a falling block marker was placed on the tile. These falling blocks would begin to fill up the exit room, and if it was full of these once the Heroes eventually found it, they would be trapped forever...


Here you can see the Heroes stranded in the room with 3 doors. You can see the big stack of Evil Wizard Cards (or Room cards as they are titled in this case). The stair tile also stands by, ready to fill up with rubble.

Mindful of their predicament, the Heroes opened all 3 doors on their first turn, revealing a small army of greenskins! Thankfully for them, the Heroes are feeling beefy after purchasing some equipment after the last Quest. The Barbarian bought a shield, the Dwarf a Helmet, and the Elf Bretal finally managed to get his hands on a crossbow. He was still 5 gold short of the price needed, but the Wizard gave him the cash on the understanding that the Elf would save his arse when the time came. The Wizard himself wears Borin's Armour after the last quest, and bought nothing.

Each of the Heroes kill one adversary on their first turn. However, on Morcar's very first turn I promptly roll a black skull and the stair tile begins to fill up with rubble. The look on the players faces is priceless, as they now know that they are in a real life or death race.

After a lively exchange the Heroes clear the rooms of greenskins, but at some cost; Rend the Barbarian losing five (!!!) Body Points and the Elf losing two. In the frenzied search for a way out of this part of the dungeon that followed, Bretal also lost another wound from an arrow trap. After finding no secret doors in any of the three rooms that held the monsters, the Dwarf finally realises that the secret door was in the first room all along. The Heroes were not impressed that they didn't even need to open any of the three doors in the first place! I have run this quest many times, and nobody ever seems to check the first room for another way out!

 More orcs around the corner. Rend slays one and Bretal skewers the other with his new crossbow. However, after the fiasco earlier when trying to find the secret door, Morcar has managed to draw a number of Evil Wizard cards, ready to use against the party at the right moment.

 Merkai uses Swift Wind to hasten his passage along the south corridor, desperately trying to cover the ground and find a way out.

Rend opens a door and finds a hulking chaos warrior leading some goblin runts...

But that's not all; Morcar uses his first Evil Wizard card - Hallucinations. Rend has disturbed a cluster of magic mushroom spores, and loses one mind point. He only had two to begin with!
As if groggy from the 'shrooms, Rend completely fluffs his attack on the Chaos warrior.  The Elf and Dwarf, however, are unaffected by the spores and each kill a goblin. Merkai the Wizard, sensing that his Barbarian friend is in dire trouble (he could have been killed at this point if the Chaos Warrior rolled well), casts Fire of Wrath on the creature of chaos from a distance, incinerating it.

 Grimgold the Dwarf encounters two grotesque Fimirs.

One of them is furious that he has been disturbed and goes into a Frenzy (courtesy of another Evil Wizard card, allowing it two attacks in the same turn). Grimgold attacks the creature and misses completely, but Merkai comes to the rescue again, this time casting Genie on the frenzied Fimir. The Genie rolls 5 attack dice and rolls 5 skulls, ripping the Fimir to shreads.

Suddenly there is a crescendo of noise as another heap of rubble is collapsed into the dungeon exit and another fallen block marker is added to the stair tile. As the dust settles, Bretal reluctantly decides to use his Heal Body spell on the Barbarian. The players have come to the conclusion that they need the Barbarian, their best fighter, fit and healthy if they are escape this place.

Rather unhelpfully however, the Barbarian finds a stash of gold coins hidden here and there around a fireplace, and misses a turn. The last thing the party needed really.

 Bretal finds two treasure chests in the next room. However, Morcar uses an Evil Wizard card that causes the Elf to slip and fall into a disgusting pile of excrement. From now on no other Hero is permitted to stand immediately next to the foul-smelling Hero. This was a very funny moment, not least because it happened to the haughty, fancy-pants Elf.
The humiliation is forgotten quickly when Bretal finds 100 gold in the first chest.

 
Merkai continues his scouting mission alone. A risky tactic considering that he has used many of his offensive spells helping the other Heroes. Thankfully he still has a Sleep spell handy to use on this orc. As the Orc slips into unconsciousness, there is another loud rumble as a the guide tips more rocks down the exit stair. Time is running out!

  The Elf seems unconcerned. Whilst the Barbarian and Dwarf backtrack to catch up with Merkai, Bretal lingers to pillage the second treasure chest. Another 100 gold!

A close up of the Unholy Stench card.

Merkai continues his solo expedition, finding a nest of goblins, but can't attack them thanks to another Evil Wizard card - the Hero becomes lost in a powerful vision of his eventual death, cast by Morcar himself). To make matters worse, the treasonous guide collapse more stones down into the stairway. The sound is much closer now, and the Heroes know they are close to the exit, but will it be too late?

 

 Merkai kills two of the goblins in hand-to-hand combat, losing some Body Points in the process. However, the Sleep spell wears off and the orc gets back to his feet. The last thing it remembered seeing was a skinny human wearing a silly purple costume making weird hand gestures in front of its face, and it now wants some payback.

Grimgold's stumpy little legs have finally caught up with the Wizard. Seeing that Merkai seems to be having no problem with the remaining goblin, the Dwarf opens the other door and finds the exit! There is a lot of rubble in the room, but the stairway is still open!

 Merkai, quite badly wounded, decides to take no chances with his attack on the last Goblin and casts Ball of Flame at it, hoping to simply step over its charred corpse to safety. Incredibly, however, the Goblin rolls two black shields in its defence roll against the spell, and survives. An anguished Wizard now faces a great chance of being killed from the attack of both the Goblin and the Orc. The Goblin takes one Body Point, leaving Merkai with just one more (and no healing potions). The orc then rolls two skulls and the players suck in the breath...Merkai rolls two white shields thanks to Borin's armour, and survives the attack. The vision of his own death that he saw earlier was after all from another time, in another dungeon...

The Heroes kill the last monsters and exit the dungeon. The guide has slinked off into the night and cannot be seen. These are not the kind of Heroes to forget such treachery, however, and they vow to track him down. But that's a story for another day...

That was a great quest. The Evil Wizard cards really added to the game, and the collapsing stairway was a great mechanic too. The Heroes were never in great danger from it, but it felt throughout that they were. Somebody at the Inn came up with that excellent little rule, but I can't remember who. Thanks anyway!

Part Two, The Tyrant's Tomb - a Solo Quest Pack

The original post on this project was getting quite long and I'm not even half way through creating the quest yet, so its a good time to split the topic. Part one can be found here; http://highadventureinaworldofmagic.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-tyrants-tomb-solo-quest-pack.html


Here are some concept drawings for the artefacts found in this quest. Our Italian Heroquest aficionado, Lestodante, is busy creating the cards for the fantastic new artefacts found in the HQ novels, which will feature all new artwork! These are just my drawings, he has an artist friend who will create the final pictures.

 

Next up is Quest 5, which continues the adventures of the Wizard (and the Elf). I've always wanted to create a quest along the lines of the final quest in the Wizards of Morcar expansion, in which the four evil sorcerers can move around the quest map opening doors and increases the area of the battle. A real battle of magicians, with magical spells flying everywhere on all sides. I hope I've managed to do it here. For sure, it will be an interesting Quest for the Evil Wizard player and give him or her a lot of tactical options.

Quest 5 - The Tower of the Cabiri Lords

The Wizard's Tale (continued)...

"You have climbed the long twisting stairway up from the labyrinth below, and now find yourself back in the Tower of the Cabiri. They will demand the Wand of Galimatias from you, but you must not give it up. These strange sorcerers must be punished for the evils they have committed; the twisted games they made you play down in their labyrinth and the shipwrecking and drowning of the innocent sailors that brought you to this cursed island. You must tread very carefully though. The Cabiri have a fearsome reputation for sorcery and are said to be masters of elemental magic. In Matholem's school of magic you learned many sorcerous tricks to help you survive, but you never completed your full training as a battle-wizard. But that is what you must now become if you are to be victorious in this high tower against the Cabiri Lords of Water, Earth, Air and Fire...".

Notes - This is a Quest for the Wizard and Elf Heroes. If the Wizard encountered the Elf in Quest 3 they will now be working together. If the Elf was not freed in that Quest, the Wizard will meet him in this Quest instead. Either way, the Elf will not have his equipment or spells until he can find his belongings in the Tower. To complete the Quest the Heroes must start at the stairway, destroy all four of the Cabiri and then find some way to escape from their island.

Once the Cabiri Lords are encountered the Evil Wizard player may move them around the board, opening doors & secret doors. Lay out the contents of any rooms which they enter. As an action, the Cabiri are also able to activate magical traps in this quest, as detailed in the Quest notes. This is the only way the magical traps can be triggered.

A - If the Wizard is already working with the Elf, ignore this note. If not, the Elf will be encountered here. The Elf explains that the Cabiri wrecked his ship with their spells and took him captive, He escaped from his cell and now seeks revenge against his captors. The Elf has full Body Points but will not be able to use equipment or spells until he can find his belongings.

B - The Elf's equipment is stored here. He may take any items he had at the end of Quest 1, and select his full complement of Elf spells. There is also a Shield on the weapon rack.

C - The Alchemist's desk contains a potion of healing (4BP) and the magical artefact Scrying Glass. A Hero with this item may search for magic traps at the same time as searching for ordinary traps. The Evil Wizard player must tell the player if there are any magic traps within his line of sight, but they are not disarmed.

D - Use the carpet tile from Mage of the Mirror here. The four Cabiri stand in the positions shown. They may open and move through doors and each have the following stats; Move 6, Attack 1, Defend 2, Body 4, Mind 6. The FIRE CABIRI has the Fire spells, the WATER CABIRI has the Water spells, the AIR CABIRI has the Air spells and the EARTH CABIRI has the Earth spells.

If a search for treasure is made in this room or the Scrying Glass is used here, tell the player that he has found a magic Carpet. If the Cabiri are destroyed, the Carpet will obey the commands of its new master, and fly through a window in the ceiling, speeding the Heroes on their way north, and ending the Quest.

E - If the Cabiri Lord of Air has line of sight to the X symbol he may trigger the Hurricane trap as an action. He may do this once per turn, with the hurricane moving down any ONE of the 3 corridors at the Air Lord's command, forcing any figures back 8 spaces until they hit a wall or fall in a pit.

F - From anywhere on the board, the Cabiri Lord of Water may choose to fill all of these pit of darkness traps with water. As water rushes into the pits, a Hero inside must immediately discard one piece of equipment, or all of his gold, or will sink and drown. If the Hero does this, or if he has no gold or equipment, he may climb out without harm on his next turn as usual.

G - The Cabiri Lord of Water may as an action use the Sorcerer's table to create a Wall of Ice anywhere in the room. See Strom Master spell for details of the Wall of Ice.

H - From anywhere on the board, the Cabiri Lord of Fire may as an action trigger any ONE of these Fireburst traps.

I - The Cabiri Lord of Fire may as an action draw power from the Fireplace to create a Wall of Flame anywhere in the room. See High Mage spell for details of the Wall of Flame.

J - From anywhere on the board, the Cabiri Lord of Earth may call forth a large boulder from a nearby pile of rocks. Use the Boulder tile from Kellar's Keep. It starts rolling from the J symbol towards the other end of the corridor, using 2 dice to move on each Evil Wizard player's turn. If it rolls over a figure they are attacked with 3 combat dice, from which they may not defend.

K - The Cabiri Lord of Earth may as an action take a spell scroll from the Bookcase. He may take the Spell of Protection Wall of Stone and use it on a subsequent turn.

L - The chest contains 80 gold coins and a Staff (the Wizard may take that equipment card).

Wandering monster - Goblin

Quest 6 - The Acolytes of Kyrax

The Dwarf's Tale (continued)...

"Glad to leave Runeport behind you, you travelled north on foot through territory that became increasingly cold and barren. Green vegetation soon gave way to stunted pines and icy crags, and now carrion birds wheel overhead. You have been tracking the detestable pair, Grinch & Grivois, burning with a fury that only a Dwarf can feel. Without the map that they took from you there can be no way to find the treasure of Chungor Chan, but in truth taking revenge for their treachery would taste even sweeter than the gold itself.

This remote region is the dwelling place only of warring orc and goblin tribes, plus an old sorcerous hermit named Magister Caenwulf. Caenwulf is known to be very knowledgeable about the region and it is even said that he can read a traveller's future, but he is also famously prickly and capricious. You should only approach his tower as a last resort, should the trail grow cold and you become desperate for his advice".

Notes - This is a solo Quest for the Dwarf Hero. It takes place in the craggy countryside north of Runeport, and ends in the icy northlands.

A - Use the outdoor tile from Against the Ogre Horde here. Three goblin archers are lying in wait for prey, hidden at the streamline. If the Dwarf searches for traps on his first turn, he will smell an ambush and get the jump on the goblins before they can attack; place the Goblins on the X's and tell the Dwarf that he may immediately take another turn. If the Dwarf doesn't search for traps, you may place the goblin archers and attack with them on Morcar's first turn.

B - Tell the Dwarf that he can see the thieves Grinch & Grivois in the distance, stood on the B symbol. On Morcar's turn they will flee around the corner towards door C. They become out-of-sight of the Dwarf and are removed from the game-board for now.

C - An inscription above the stone doorway reads "The Tower of Magister Caenwulf. GO AWAY!". There is no sign of Grinch & Grivois but the ground around the stone door looks as if it has been disturbed recently.

D - There is a Potion of Healing (up to 6 BP) and a Potion of Strength on the table in this craggy goblin lair.

E - The stairs lead up to the tower of Magister Caenwulf, and Caenwulf himself stands on the X. As the Dwarf greets him the old man growls "Go away". As the Dwarf continues with his request for help, Caenwulf transforms into a werewolf and attacks - Move 8, Attack 5, Defend 3, Body 4, Mind 4. However, as soon as the werewolf takes any damage at all, it transforms back into Magister Caenwulf, who then says to the Dwarf that he has passed the test and beckons him inside the tower. Both characters move into room F.

F - Use the carpet tile from Mage of the Mirror here. The Dwarf says that he is looking for two thieves who have taken his treasure map. Caenwulf's offers him a seat in the chair, which the Dwarf must accept. As soon as the Dwarf sits down, wooden hands sprout out of it and hold him fast. Caenwulf then explains he can read the future and that Grinch & Grivois will never live to see the treasure of Chungor Chan...but neither will the Dwarf either. He then offers the Dwarf a deal; to receive a great prize, without knowing Caenwulf's price until after he has agreed to the deal. If the Dwarf doesn't agree to the deal, the chair tips back and the Dwarf is thrown into the teleport trap; move him immediately to room H. If the Dwarf does agree, Caenwulf will give him the magic artefact Skullcleaver, then bid him to leave in peace via the other door. As the Dwarf leaves he can see that Caenwulf looks younger whilst he (the Dwarf) feels older. He has lost some years of his life and permanently loses 1 from all movement rolls!

G - Use the Snow Blizzard tile form Revenge of the Weather Man here. Snow has fallen and the Dwarf can see strange footprints here; the size of the footprints changes drastically from one step to the next, as if the creature which made them changed in size as it moved along. The secret door here cannot be opened from this side as it is too well hidden in the snow drifts.

H - The Dwarf has been teleported to the very top of Mount Kringla! Use the Ice Vault tile from The Frozen Horror here. If the Dwarf doesn't have Warm Furs he will lose 2 BP on each turn he is in the room. He will have to find a way off the mountain.

I - Use the Ice Chasm tile from The Frozen Horror here. It can be jumped as a pit but if the Dwarf falls in he is killed. If he has a rope he may cross the chasm without harm, but the rope is then lost.

J - An undead creature known as a Draugr stands upon the X. Use a Zombie model but tell the Dwarf that it grows in size as he sets eyes on it. Stats - Move 4, Attack 5, Defend 4, Body 4, Mind 0. However, after 3 turns the Draugr shrinks again and has the same stats as a regular zombie, apart from its current Body Point total which it retains. If the Draugr is still alive in another 3 turns, it will change back to the increased size and stats again!

K - The Ice Slide (from The Frozen Horror) cannot be detected. When the Dwarf steps on the start of the slide he tumbles down it into room M. He suffers no damage, but cannot climb back up the slide.

L - The tomb contains a Potion of Healing (4BP) and Heroic Brew.

M - Use the Snow Cave Entrance tile from The Frozen Horror here. The party of 12 orcs and 2 Rime-wolves is led by an Orc Witch, stood on the X, who already has Grinch & Grivois tied in chains (the thieves have been badly beaten up). The Orcs are busy chanting the name of Kyrax in an off-key cacophony, and don't notice the Dwarf at first, allowing him the first move/attack. The Rime-wolves have these stats - Move 9, Attack 4, Defend 2, Body 2, Mind 1. The orc witch, who is named Ghashlug, will not attack as she will let her acolytes do all the fighting. When the Dwarf loses his last Body point, he is not killed, but rather captured. The Quest is now over, but keep a record of how many Orcs/Wolves the Dwarf killed before he was captured.

Wandering monster - Goblin

Quest 7 - A Growl of Thunder

The Barbarian's Tale (continued)...

"After your adventures on the Sea of Claws, you journeyed north across many leagues of wild heath and tangled pine forest to reach your homeland of Valringia. Upon reaching your tribal heartlands, which you have not seen for years, you are alarmed by a smell of wood-smoke in the cold air. Hurrying over the next bluff, your worst fears are confirmed: the great stave-hall of your people is engulfed in flames!

You race to the hall and help your clan-cousins drag survivors out of the burning wreckage. Old Thidrand, your father's steward, stands coughing. He is blackened in soot and his face is raw with burns, but he is trying to get back into the burning hall. 'The lord is still in there!' he wails.

You dive through the doors without hesitation and battle through the heat and smoke until you catch sight of your father, Lord Thunrir. He is pinned by a smoldering timber beam that has fallen across his legs. With every ounce of strength, you heft the beam up and drag him clear. Straight away you can see that he is not long for this world. Gazing up at you with stern eyes, he says, 'It was the orcs of Stalag Tor. They attacked without warning, having used fell sorcery to blind our sentries. You must avenge our people - and more than that, you must recover the three sacred treasures of the Thunder God which the orcs have stolen!'

Those are his last words in this world. You waste no time on lamentation. Leaving the women and the wounded to bury the dead, you tak up your weapons and set out across the moors to the ancient mound where the orcs have their lair. Soon you see it looming ahead. The wind whips your cloak behind you, making you look like an avenging demon in the blood-drenched sunset.

You stride towards the mound...

Notes - This is a solo Quest for the Barbarian Hero. To complete the Quest he must retrieve all three scared treasures of the Thunder God that were stolen by the orcs, which are now hidden in their mound.

A - In the south side of the mound is the door that leads into the orcs lair. the Rime-wolves in this Quest have the following stats - Move 9, Attack 4, Defend 2, Body 2, Mind 1.

B - As the Barbarian approaches the door he will hear the guttural speech of orcs from the other side, answered by a deep voice which rings with a an eerie metallic echo.

C - The chest here contains a magical belt with a buckle in the shape of a thunderbolt. This is the first of the three treasures of the Thunder God and the Barbarian should take the artefact card Thunder Gods Belt.

D - These three goblins are part of the retinue of Balog, the orc chieftain, and have been told to wait here to guard weapons rack, which contains the second of the stolen treasures, the Thunder Gods Gloves.

E - This stone doorway leads to the central chamber of the mound, which was originally the burial mound of an ancient orc warlord. The orcs know better than to enter this chamber, since the act of opening the stone door will awaken the corpse inside the tomb as an undead wight (use a mummy figure). Once awake, the orc mummy will stalk through the mound attacking anyone who gets in his path; friend or foe! Stats - Move 4, Attack 4, Defend 4, Body 4, Mind 0.

F - This is where the orcs sleep, and these four are slumbering contentedly having just returned from torching the stave-hall of the Barbarian's tribe. Each needs to roll a 6 at the start of their turn to wake up, or will wake up instantly if attacked. Their clothing still smells of smoke and their is dried human blood on their axes, so the barbarian should be in no doubt what they've been up to.

G - These chambers belong to the shaman of Stalag Tor, an orc witch named Ghashlug, and the door bears her personal symbol: four serpents intertwining to form an eight-pointed star.

H - These four orcs are savagely beating a chained Dwarf. If the orcs are defeated, the Barbarian can release the Dwarf, who is none other than the Hero who was captured in the previous Quest. The Dwarf can collect all of his equipment and other items from a pile in the corner of the room, but he only has 4BP left after his beating. He will join with the Barbarian, after telling him about his recent experiences; as far as he can glean from listening to the primitive speech of the orcs, he was dragged here as an offering to the orc chieftain, Balog, whereas his former colleagues Grinch and Grivois were hauled north to be sacrificed to someone or something named Kyrax. The true leader of the orcs, a fanatical witch named Ghashlug, has marched north with her acolytes for this very purpose.

I - Balog, the orc chieftain, stands on the X, deep in thought; on the table in front of him is Thor's Hammer, the third of the stolen treasures. But he has a problem: no one has been able to move the hammer since it was brought back here. What the orcs haven't realised yet is that only someone wearing the Thunder God's Gloves can lift the hammer. If the Barbarian has these, he will be able to snatch up the hammer and use it himself. As soon as he does this, sparks of lightning shoot from the hammer to smite the orcs, killing them instantly. Balog, though, is made of sterner stuff: Move 7, Attack 5, Defend 4, Body 4, Mind 4.

The Quest is over once the Barbarian has retrieved all three treasures. He can keep these artefacts, as these Heroes now march north to hunt down the orc witch and the remaining orcs. The Barbarian still hungers for revenge, as does the Dwarf (there is also the small matter of regaining the treasure map).

Wandering monster - Orc

Quest 9 - The Stone Hunter

"The Emperor's personal Wizard, Karlen, has disappeared. The Emperor fears that either he has been murdered or succumbed to the lures of chaos magic. You are to find out what has happened to Karlen and, if he is alive, bring him to safety. You will be paid 100 gold coins each upon returning."
Mentor

Four Heroes enter the dungeon where Karlen was last reported seen. There have been no extra weapons purchased since we last saw these guys. Bretal the Elf has a lot of gold but he decided to save it up for a crossbow. My early decision to increase the cost of all equipment seems to be paying off, seeing as the Heroes are finding things quite easy and the last thing Morcar needs is these guys getting their hands on powerful weapons.
I know this quest too well to play as a Hero, so I took on the role of Morcar for this, with a new player slipping in to the skin of Rend the Barbarian. I changed the quest ever so slightly to throw off anybody else who may have had prior knowledge of the layout.

The first three rooms are eerily empty of life. Multiple treasure searches throw up no gold, but potions for each of the Elf, Dwarf and Wizard. Concoctions brewed by Karlen himself perhaps?

Still no sign of life as such, just these rattling undead monstrosities. Rend and Bretal send them back to the grave with no problems.

In the next room, two more skeletons slowly and jerkily raise themselves from the cold stone floor. This time it is Grimgold the Dwarf and Merkai the Wizard who despatch them. One kill for each of the adventurers so far!

The Barbarian finds another of Karlen's brew's (potion of resilience) wheilst the elf finds a trap in the lower corridor...

...but promptly falls into another one in the next room.

Grimgold defeats the latest skeleton, but the true spoils go to the Wizard; A gleaming suit of Borin's armour! This is the best artefact found so far (granting two extra defence dice to the wearer) and the other Heroes get rather upset that they didn't get to it first.

Bretal climbs out of the pit only to be attacked by a wandering monster, losing another Body Point. The Heroes quickly put aside their jealousy and attack the Mummy from all sides, hacking it to bits. This collegial behaviour is a far cry from the selfishness of earlier quests, much to my (Morcar's) annoyance.

 The Heroes backtrack to the centre of the dungeon, Merkai using Swift Wind to close the distance quickly (its always nice to see this spell used). Once there, the hapless Dwarf blunders into a horrible situation in which he is trapped between two hulking stone guardians. Their stone fists slam into his body, leaving large dents in his armour. In return, his axe does no damage on the moving statues.

Merkai tries to come to his friends aid, casting Fire of Wrath on one of the creatures. I roll a black shield and defend against the attack, laughing that stone monsters don't burn particularly well.
Grimgold retreats to allow healthier Heroes to have a go; Rend flexes his mighty muscles and pushes one of the guardians over, where it smashes on the floor!
Bretal uses his agility to unbalance the other, which also breaks apart.

The ordeal isn't over however, as two more of the creatures stand guard in the other corners around the centre room.
The Wizard makes a better spell selection this time, using a Genie to demolish one of them. Meanwhile, Bretal takes advantage of the slowness of the other and also bests it.

Shaken but not killed, the party continues. Grimgold finds a pile of gold coins beneath a creaking oak table. He loses one turn, grasping at the coins on all fours.

Another dire foe awaits in the next room, a gargoyle in stone form.
Rend selflessly blocks the doorway and fights the creature alone (you wouldn't catch me doing that if I was still playing the Barbarian).
The gargoyle is defeated but Rend drops to just 3 Body Points. However, the grateful Wizard uses Water of Healing to revive the heroic warrior.

 They are getting closer to Karlen, but chose the wrong door and disturb yet more dangerous foes...

Clad in his new magical armour and feeling tough, Merkai goes toe-to-toe with this mummy. The monster (a metal oldhammer mini) is destroyed without him even having to resort to using a spell.

The illiterate Barbarian finds some gems on the bookcase. "Blimey, books are useful after all!", he snorts, as the wizard rolls his eyes.

Finally, quest's end is reached. Bretal enters a sorcerer's laboratory and slays a zombie dressed in tattered robes which bear the insignia of the Emperor himself. Notes on the desk leave the party in no doubt that the zombie was once Karlen, enticed by the dark powers and consumed by a chaos spell! Good riddance to bad rubbish, sneer the pious Heroes.

I inform the Heroes that the chest in the room can only be opened with a toolkit, which none of them possess. Even the crafty Dwarf has no trouble with the lock. I had devised this rule hoping that one of the players would then opt to buy a kit. A bit devious perhaps, especially as they lost out on 200 gold, but they will really need a toolkit at some point and I'm just giving them a little nudge (their lives might even depend on it hahahaha).
A nice quest but we are still none the wiser as to who or what the 'stone hunter' is. Was is Karlen himself, who perhaps created those magical stone guardians, or maybe the hero who defeated them and completed the quest? Answers on a postcard please...

For those interested, the mini's I used for the stone statues are from Doctor Who. I bought them originally to use as statues in wargames, but thought they would go well in this quest. They had these stats - Move 6, Attack 4, Defend 4, Body 2, Mind 1.

The Shape-shifters

This is new quest that I have been working on. I doesn't yet fit in with the ongoing adventures described so far on the blog, but I might add it in to the story someday...

"Garblox Gorehammer, who calls himself the Goblin King, has laid siege to the Imperial city of Talabheim with a huge army of greenskins. The Emperor's northern army has been obliterated by the goblins, and in his desperation he has pleaded with you, his greatest Heroes, to somehow lift the siege. If you can get to the Goblin King and slay him, there is a small chance that the alliance of orc and goblin tribes might fall apart. To this end, you have travelled across a fire-ravaged countryside to reach Talabheim. Many thousands of Greenskins now surround the city, and even worse, the key fortification commanding it from the heights to the south, has already fallen. The goblins have moved their machines of war into the fort and are even now lobbing fiery death into the screaming city. Talabheim has only a few hours left to survive, so we must act immediately. The Emperor's wizards have placed a shape-shifting spell upon each of you, magically disguising you as goblins. The spell should last long enough to get you through the siege-lines and into the fort, and possibly longer. Make your way up to where Garblox holds court. If luck is on our side, the confusion within the enemies ranks may give us a chance against huge numbers. Do not try to fight them all. Speed and subterfuge are your greatest allies now".


Notes and special rules for this quest
- This quest is for experienced Heroes that have completed at least the basic quests.
- All four Heroes start the game in 'goblin form'. Use a suitable model to represent the Hero, until he changes back to his usual form.
- You will also need Giant Wolves and Ogres for this quest, plus lots of orcs and goblins. If you don't have these models just use something else.
- Whilst in goblin form they have all their usual stats, abilities, spells and equipment. The shape-shifting spell is simply a magical glamour that has been placed on them that makes them look just like goblins. They are safe from attack whilst they remain in this magical disguise, and may search for secret doors and traps even in the presence of monsters. They may only search for treasure if there are no monsters in the same room, regardless of which form they are in.
- The only way that a hero loses his shape-shifting disguise is if he rolls a double during his movement roll. If a double is rolled that Hero, and only that Hero, immediately reverts to his usual form, and may then be attacked by monsters on Morcar's turn as usual.
- However, if a Hero rolls double for movement, he may chose to lose 2 Mind Points, and stay in goblin form. This represents the strain placed on the Hero's psyche by trying to hold onto the effects after the magic should have "naturally" dissipated.
- The Evil Wizard player must always allow Heroes in goblin form to pass through squares occupied by his monsters, and if ALL of the Heroes in a room or corridor are in goblin form, he may not move ANY of the monsters in that room or corridor.
- If a Hero attacks a monster whilst he is in goblin form, he gains the benefit of complete surprise and the monster rolls no defence dice against the attack. The Hero remains in goblin form, but all monsters within the same room or corridor will know that something is up and can attack the Hero as normal. If the Hero manages to reach another room or corridor and he is still in goblin form, any new monsters encountered will be fooled by the disguise as before.


A - The Heroes enter here. The gate was smashed down by the greenskins during their assault yesterday and the corridor is full of corpses of the Imperial soldiers.
B - This is a courtyard inside the fort. The walls of the fort rise up steeply on all sides. If a Hero in goblin form passes by a giant wolf, inform that player that the wolf gives him a good sniff, but then ignores him.
C - All of the goblins in this room are armed with spears. The weapons rack is empty.
D - This orc has one hand poised over a lever that will trigger a rolling boulder trap (from the square marked with an arrow). If the orc see's a Hero who is not in goblin form, he can release the boulder on Morcar's turn. It rolls using two red dice and hits all figures in its path with 5 attack dice, which may not be defended against. If a Hero can kill the orc before it releases the boulder, the Hero may himself choose to trigger the trap by standing in the square that the orc was in and using one action.
E - This is a rocky ledge on the north side of the fort which overlooks the city. From here the Heroes can see the burning houses and the inhabitants of Talabheim running for their lives. Of more pressing concern however is the hail of goblin arrows now hurtling towards the Heroes from an overlooking turret. Each Hero on the ledge that is not in goblin form is attacked with 5 combat dice, which may be defended against normally.
F - This is the chamber of Boil-face, a Goblin shaman. He stands on the X - move 10, attack 3, defend 4, body 4, mind 4. He has the spells Summon Greenskins, Cloud of Chaos & Command. In addition, as a magic user he is more likely to detect a magical deception. Morcar may roll one die for each Hero that enters the room in Goblin form. If the result is lower than Boil-face's Mind Point score, the shape-shifting spell is permanently ended and the Hero must revert to his ordinary form.
The chest contains the artefact Ring of Return.
G - These are the archers that were firing at the Heroes whilst they were on the rocky ledge. They are all armed with short-bows.
H - The torture rack represents an orc war machine that is flinging flaming missiles down into the city. The Heroes should slay the orcs manning the machine.
I - There is potion of healing on the table (4 BP).
J - Garblox Gorehammer, King of the Goblins, stands on the square marked X - move 8, attack 4, defend 5, body 5, mind 4.
If Garblox is slain, tell the players that they may hurl his body from a window in the room, down into the goblin camp below. The sight of their King's broken body will cause the greenskin army camped outside Talabheim to start fighting amongst themselves, or else retreat from the city walls. The Imperial city is now safe. However, the Heroes will still have to find a way out of the fort, dealing with any monsters that lie between them and gate A (unless they have the Ring of Return).
K - These treasure chests contain the Goblin King's loot. Each chest contains 150 gold coins, but is also armed with a spear trap.


Wandering monster - Giant wolf

Quest 8 - Legacy of the Orc Warlord

"Ulag's foul offspring, Grak, has sworn revenge on those who killed his father. Although it has taken him several months, he has finally tracked you down and captured you in an ambush. Now you are held prisoner in his dungeons while he racks his brains to devise a terrible punishment for you. While the guard sleeps, however, you manage to pick the lock of your cell with an old rat bone. you must find your equipment and escape".


Continuing with our alternating of the basic quests with two different groups of Heroes, it is Sir Ragnar and his chums who take on this quest. After all, it was this group that slew Ulag a few quests ago, and should therefore be the subject of Grak's revenge. This would be another quest where I, as the Evil Wizard, would have to try hard to get the game balance right. The worth of this Hero group is in the weapons and armour that they carry; with these items taken from them by Grak's minion's, I was worried that with their low body points they would get wiped out before they could find them again. I hoped this would be counterbalanced by the fact that their were 5 Heroes, and the wizard Zaphod eventually having access to better spells than last time (more on that later).


Sir Ragnar can hardly believe his bad fortune, having been captured and imprisoned AGAIN! Whilst he grumbles at his men crammed into the cell with him, Sneeks quietly picks the lock and pushes open the door. Garmin follows him out and strangles the sleeping goblin with his bare hands.

In what is quite a surprise for me, the Heroes decide to split up, reasoning that they would be more likely to find their equipment. Sir Ragnar and Garmin head left from their cell...

...whilst the other three Heroes interrupt an orcish feast in the centre room. Uh oh, that's a lot of monsters.

It was at this point that a dispute broke out at the gaming table. Somehow I had forgot to inform the wizard player that as well as missing all their equipment, spells could not be cast until Zaphod found his items. A bad error on my part. The players suggested that we waive that rule and allow Zaphod to use his spells, but I ruled that we should stick to the quest notes.

In another surprising act by the Hero players, they decided to actually run into the room with all the monsters, rather than their usual tactic of waiting at the door. They reasoned that with only one combat die each in attack, they would need more Heroes in combat to actually do any damage. Thankfully, Sarymoor managed to kill one of the orcs, and lost only one body point to the Fimir in my counterattack. This made me feel a bit better about forgetting to tell the players a crucial rule earlier.

Meanwhile, Sir Ragnar finds a cupboard containing all their weapons! What's more, its unguarded.

Which leads to a mad dash of the Heroes out of the centre room towards their equipment, with the monsters close on their heels.

Sneeks manages to hold off the monster congo line, losing only one body point in the process. This allows time for the heavy-hitters Ragnar and Garmin to rush down and kill the monsters one by one in the corridor. The Heroes were rolling very well, whilst my monsters could barely hit anything. They must have been drinking as well as eating in the big middle room.

With the small horde of greenskins defeated, Ragnar returns to the now empty feasting room and finds a stash of 60 gold coins on the table, in amongst all the empty flagons.

By now the other Heroes have collected their equipment and trekked right around the board. This poor goblin guard, sandwiched between 5 Heroes, never stood a chance.

Another Fimir roars a battle cry. This room was to be where the Heroes would be tortured and executed, at least in the plans held in the mind of the foul Grak.

Another angle showing the "new" torture rack. As with many of my 30 year old Heroquest pieces, the rack had pieces missing, so I added two new handles and a new skull.

Whilst Ragnar and Sarymoor take on the Fimir, Sneeks has moved around to the long south corridor, and is now confronted with an orc sentry armed with a crossbow!

With Sneeks not having enough movement to reach the orc, Zaphod Swiftspell puts himself in between them and casts Shape Shift on himself, taking on the form of an orc. The confused crossbow orc cannot now fire at either Hero on his turn. The spell card does say that the monstrous appearance occurs on the casts next turn, but seeing as it was such a clever use of a spell by a player, and as I still felt guilty about not informing this wizard about his loss of spells earlier, I decided to allow it immediately.

The real orc decides to retreat further down the corridor, hoping to stay out of range of the Heroes movement.

The view from the other end of the corridor.

Sneeks can't cover the distance to the orc, so ducks inside the doorway into an empty room. Living up to his name, I feel. The crossbow orc fires at Zaphod, who has now reverted back to his human form, causing two body points worth of damage.

The Heroes are hoping that Sarymoor can reach the long corridor to lend a hand with his own crossbow, but he keeps rolling very low for movement.

Another view of the converted orc crossbowman (from a Warhammer 40,000 model!).  This orc continued to retreat and caused another two hits on my turn, this time on the swordsman Garmin. Garmin eventually killed the monster marksman, but like Zaphod was now down to just two body points.

Sir Ragnar easily swots aside two more goblins.

On the next turn the Heroes find the stairway exit from the dungeon. However, their escape is blocked by Grak and his coterie of greenskin guards.

The only changes I made to this quest (other than using different Heroes of course) was to add a few more monsters to this room and giving the crossbow to the orc in the corridor. I decided to make these changes before the game started, as I don't really like to make changes during play (it's a slippery slope for me to cheat!).

Sir Ragnar, fearless leader that he is, charges in and kills the first orc. Sarymoor tries a shot at Grak through the doorway, but misses. Meanwhile Sneeks opens the other door and outflanks the greenskins. Garmin, seriously wounded, decides not to join the fray, but the brave Zaphod enters the room in order to cast Psychedelic Flash. Not surprisingly, the half-blind monsters do no damage on Morcar's turn. Grak howls in mad frustration. Not only has his prey escaped their cell, he can't even strike at them!

Sir Ragnar then kills Grak (pictured below), before my new model even has a chance to roll any attack dice. What a disaster for Morcar!

 Zaphod then casts one of his new spells, Distract Enemies. It works better than anyone could have hoped, with the two orcs targeted killing each other on Morcar's turn!

It is then a simple matter of the other Heroes slaying the two remaining goblins, and the quest is over.

The Heroes win again, but even I have to admit that they deserved it for their great use of spells and tactics throughout. I had decided ahead of time NOT to use the stats for Grak from the American version of the game, which made Grak into a spell-caster. That would have been fun for me, but it probably wouldn't have been fair on the Heroes (who only have Zaphod and his 6 spells in their group).

I'll just have to enact my revenge next time........