Retrieving "Lost" (thrown) weapons

[mitchiemasha]

Just out of curiousity, but are you also implying that after a room or corridor has been searched already and a thrown weapon ends up in it somehow, that the search can be performed again? Of course, with the only result of the thrown weapon being found.

Yes.

Personally, I play with the rule of "1 treasure search per room" rather than per-player. (which already wouldn't be favored by "uncooperative" hero parties)So that 1 search gets the normal treasure card or whatever special treasure event exists in the room.

(Edit: and, it would be favoured by those groups... limiting the searches increases the competition, the race to beat the other to the deck. Which works to heighten the danger of not searching for traps, in order to be that hero who claims the much rarer gold (at first i read your words opposite). The groups I've had have been cooperative but there's still a healthy amount of competition, especially on kill counts and rewards).

As do many people but that's why it's good to add the + item of furniture. Usually the special item will be in a room with something in it. For instance, the room with a weapon rack, an armoury, would get 2 searches. A room with 2 book cases would get 3. It adds that extra bit of importance to the furniture. The special item would take up 1 of the searches. This also fits with a treasure chest, adding an extra search to that room.

There are many important concepts hidden under the hood that made HeroQuest what it was... The increasing tension of the Treasure Deck, should we keep searching for that elusive hoard, a much needed potion of healing or are we too far past that point. Limiting searches for all rooms to be 1, regardless of contents, seriously removes this aspect of the game, the quests simply aren't large enough. Using the furniture is a happy medium to come between the 2. It also adds to the race aspect, 1 hero can now search the room more than once, should the room permit it (which usually doesn't happen). Thematically it works, an empty room is pretty much that, 1 search, a full room, a library, bookcases galore, is going to take a bit more time, combined efforts, multiple searches.

Nothing worse than when a new player... "so this furniture, it's pointless and has no meaning".

[arch8ngel]

I like that idea, with each piece of furniture being distinctly searchable, and still limiting to 1 generic treasure search per room.

It has been a long time since I have had a chance to play, and that may well have been the common practice for my play group back in the day.


I don't think I would bother making the dagger token retrieval a distinct action though versus a simple automatic retrieval, though, just for flow if nothing else.

[mitchiemasha]

I edited my post as you replied...

Don't forget, what about the spear and the axe? for flow and simplicity, that's why i make it... "lost weapons are found if the room is searched" The rule is for all. An axe rolls 2Cd6 and due to how BROKEN works, discarded, 1 in 11. A dagger only rolls 1Cd6, that's a 1 in 6 chance it's gone.

It's worth noting that if a hero has +1 ranged or takes a potion, things are more likely to be BROKEN.

[arch8ngel]

What axe are you referring to that can be thrown?

I don't recall that one in the classic armory.



The skewed critical miss odds as dice are added is why I would favor the token concept (known limit of throws) for thrown melee weapons.

I don't think the pricing on the items is right to allow unlimited retrieval and throwing, but I am also in the camp that would consider limiting ammunition on the crossbow, or possibly having the critical miss concept show up there, since three black skulls will be rolled infrequently enough to provide an interesting narrative element without happening so frequently as to deter using the crossbow at all.

[mitchiemasha]

What axe are you referring to that can be thrown?

The Hand Axe is a UK equipment card. It's not on the US ed armoury but the various downloads available have it readded.

[arch8ngel]

What axe are you referring to that can be thrown?

The Hand Axe is a UK equipment card. It's not on the US ed armoury but the various downloads available have it readded.

Ah. I was familiar with the spear from that set, but I haven't ever actually played a game with any non-US equipment to delineate the other UK equipment from the fan made stuff.

[Kurgan]

New mechanic idea: take off your helmet and fling it at the foe...!!! (2 Combat Dice, one for each horn) If you roll two black shields, the helmet lands on the enemy's head and grants him 1 extra defend die next time!

[arch8ngel]

New mechanic idea: take off your helmet and fling it at the foe...!!! (2 Combat Dice, one for each horn) If you roll two black shields, the helmet lands on the enemy's head and grants him 1 extra defend die next time!

In that case just go full A.D.O.M. and let the player throw anything they want out of their inventory for at least 1 combat die!

[j_dean80]

Throw a bottle of Potion of Strength for 1 combat die. On a Black Shield the bottle hits the monsters mouth and he gains the combat dice.

[wallydubbs]

I do like the notion of being able to retrieve thrown items, however if you're going to add that option in you would need to raise the price of said item. A dagger is only 25 gold; traditionally heroes can stock up on daggers and get one off throw in. It's worth the gold to do a point of damage from a distance.
But now if you're saying the hero can do this multiple times in a quest as long as they retrieve the dagger, you're getting too much value for 25 gold. Maybe 125 would be a better price.

I think the equipment tile from the MotM would be a good marker for throwing the item. If the thrown dagger (or spear or hand axe) you have 4 potential outcomes:
1.) The dagger misses the monster you would place the equipment tile next to the wall behind him
2.) The dagger hits and kills the monster, in which case you leave the equipment tile where the monster stood.
3.) You wound the monster but not kill it, the monster keeps the dagger until he's dead, or he has the option to throw it back at you.
4.) You roll a skull and the monster blocks with a black shield; monster takes no damage but now possesses the dagger.

There are exceptions to these outcomes:
- Undead, Giant Wolves and Polar Warbears cannot throw the dagger back.
- If thrown in a dark corridor (Such as the Spiral Passage, Keller's Keep) or dark room (Crypt of the Necromancer, Wizards of Morcar) or the Monster Fog rooms in Frozen Horror, the item is lost.
- Magical Throwing Daggers are only for a 1 time use. The magic causes the weapon to rust away once it hits its target.

No search is required to pick up the weapon, you just need to go to the space the equipment tile is on. You must have 1 hand free to pick it, if you're carrying a Broadsword and Shield you'll need to put one of the two away. It generally costs an action for the heroes to switch weapons in my group.