by SirRick » Thursday September 15th, 2022 12:28pm
I still think the Spiked Shield should be given to the Barbarian (or whatever hero) by Mentor or some barbarian elder before Into the Northlands or at least before Quest 1 of the FH. That way Zargon doesn’t have to worry about using the Yeti hug or not because it can’t. I feel with Snowdasher it’s not as big of a deal, but if the wolf is slain, then I the shield adds another layer of protection without going easy on the lone hero.
I say this from a D&D perspective. Our group and whoever is the DM like encounters to be difficult but fair, and in the case of a lot of bad rolling it feels dirty as a player if you feel the DM is going easy on you. That’s the same feeling I get when it’s “recommended” that the Yetis avoid using the hug and use their “meaty Yeti fists” instead. With the shield, there is at least a mechanical reason why the Yetis can’t do their hug.
I look at the artifacts like the armor, shield, and spear, as stuff you will likely never lose (it would be immune to the High Mage version of Rust, or other effects might might destroy normal equipment) so being unable to sell it is not a bad thing. Just leave stuff you don’t want at Mentor’s house or with your coconut-wielding squires and save it for emergencies. Maybe a hero dies and gets looted by a monster or falls down one of the bottomless chasms, the Ice Queen’s Spear is still an upgrade if the new hero is an Elf, Dwarf, or Druid (I guess the Rogue now too).
As far as placement of the new artifacts, there are a number of unmarked chests, but if you want the heroes to find the stuff sooner you can do what you want. We know from the Game System, the Orc’s Bane is found on a normal (possibly named) Chaos Warrior, and the Wizard’s Staff is found behind a bookcase, so any unmarked cupboard or bookcase could potentially be a location for one of these new items. Or as Kurgan suggested some random boss, or gremlin room could have it too.
For placement suggestions I would consider:
Spiked Shield: Immediately or very early
Ice Queen’s Spear: Also very early, maybe the first group quest
Horn of Command: Quest 5
Cold Iron Plate: Probably Quests 6 or 7
I wouldn’t give any of these later than quest 7.