HQ CERB - Expansions

[Davane]

Okay, I have started work on the expansion content for the HQ CERB. Going forward, I will be providing updates to the HQ CERB in this post, so you can keep up with content.

HQ Combined English Edition Rule Book v0.6.odt

As with previous versions, this is mostly raw text, with very basic formatting. Please direct all feedback below.

[Davane]

First off, I started with a very simple "expansion" - the Dark Company Advanced Quest. I haven't included the Quest itself, but I did include the rules for Advanced Quests and for the Dark Warriors and the Doomguard. This led to me reordering the CERB a little bit first.

I put the Advanced Quest rules AFTER the Quest rules, so you can seen the changes between Quests and Advanced Quests. Because of this, I moved the rules for Between Quests up to follow behind the Quests section rather than simply sitting at the end. Thus, the layout is now Quests, Between Quests, and Advanced Quests. I am intending to put any relevant rules for Solo and Double Quests in these sections when I reach them.

The Monsters section is still very ad-hoc right now, but I put the rules for Dark Warriors and Doomguard in this section. As such, I moved the section on Monsters after the sections for Combat and Spells.

Here's what I added for Advanced Quests:

Advanced Quests
There are multiple Stages in an Advanced Quest. Each of these Stages is shown on the Quest Map in a different colour. These same colours are used to highlight the appropriate Quest Notes for each Stage of the Quest on the left. In each Stage, the Heroes are attempting to find a Door on the edge of the Board which will allow them to enter the next Stage of the Quest.

The Evil Wizard should place the Door on the edge of the Board when it becomes visible to one of the Heroes. These Doors may be opened in the normal way, unless otherwise stated. When all the Heroes have gone through the Door, remove all the pieces from the Board and begin the next Stage of the Quest.

NOTE: Monsters may never move through a Door from one Stage of the Quest to another.

Between Stages
Heroes do not return to their full strength between Stages, nor can the Elf and Wizard replenish their Spells. However, all Heroes may keep the Potions and Quest Treasures they have found.

Beginning a New Stage
Heroes enter the next Stage of the Quest by passing through the same Door which marked the end of the last Stage. The first Hero moves through the Door, at which point the Evil Wizard should place onto the Board everything the Hero can see. The new Stage of the Quest is then played is the normal way. All discarded Treasure cards should be placed back into the Treasure card deck and the cards shuffled.

Re-Entering a Stage Previously Played
If the Heroes return to a Stage they have already played, all the Monsters will return and they will have to fight them all again. However, whilst Heroes may still search for treasure, some Quest Treasures mentioned in the Quest Notes may not be found again.

There's not much to discuss here, because all it's really doing is describing the difference between Stages and Quests. As such, rather than posting an exact copy from the Dark Company, I have simply posted the revised version here for people to see.

Here's what I have for the Dark Warriors and the Doomguard, too:

Dark Warriors
These Monsters work like other Monsters. But whenever the Evil Wizard places a Dark Warrior onto the Board, he can arm Dark Warrior in one of four ways depending upon the weapons available.

Dark Warriors in Combat
The Dark Warriors are an elite group of fighters who can defend in a special way. Roll the required number of Combat Dice shown on their Monster Card as normal and as long as you roll at least one round black shield, the Dark Warrior defends successfully and remains unharmed.

Doomguard
These Chaos Warriors are members of the Evil Wizard's elite regiment, the Doomguard. These Monsters defend in the same way as Dark Warriors - they need only roll one round black shield to defend against any number of skulls rolled by an attacker.

The key mechanic here is that both the Dark Warriors and the Doomguard need to only roll 1 to defend against any number of - making them significantly harder to defeat than most other monsters.

Finally, I added "Monster Cards" for the four types of Dark Warrior and the Doomguard, as follows:

Dark Warrior Crossbowman
Movement: 6 Squares
Attack Dice: 2 Combat Dice
Defend Dice: 3 Combat Dice
Body Points: 2
Mind Points: 2

Dark Warrior Halberdier
Movement: 6 Squares
Attack Dice: 3 Combat Dice
Defend Dice: 3 Combat Dice
Body Points: 2
Mind Points: 2

Dark Warrior Scout
Movement: 9 Squares
Attack Dice: 2 Combat Dice
Defend Dice: 3 Combat Dice
Body Points: 2
Mind Points: 2

Dark Warrior Swordsman
Movement: 4 Squares
Attack Dice: 4 Combat Dice
Defend Dice: 5 Combat Dice
Body Points: 2
Mind Points: 2

Doomguard
Movement: 7 Squares
Attack Dice: 4 Combat Dice
Defend Dice: 5 Combat Dice
Body Points: 3
Mind Points: 3

Not a lot of changes here - since the Doomguard are Chaos Warriors, I gave them the same characteristics as Chaos Warriors from the HQ CERB, which basically meant giving them 3 Body Points instead of 1. For the Dark Warriors, I decided that since they are supposed to be an elite mercenary unit, I would give them all 2 Body Points instead of 1, so they are not quite as tanky as Chaos Warriors, but would still appear to be tougher than the normal Monsters which also appear in the Quest.

[Kurgan]

Rolling right along! As you integrate the various expansions, the name you gave implies English only, so I take it no Japanese stuff in there? No Sir Manfred?

What about "published" quests (White Dwarf, Marvel comics, Morris novels, etc)? Granted, you could say those aren't implementing general rules, only quest specific (mostly one-off) stuff, so perhaps there isn't much to add there.

[Davane]

Rolling right along! As you integrate the various expansions, the name you gave implies English only, so I take it no Japanese stuff in there? No Sir Manfred?

I can only do English content, as I am a mere anglocentric monoglot... (I only speak English).

What about "published" quests (White Dwarf, Marvel comics, Morris novels, etc)? Granted, you could say those aren't implementing general rules, only quest specific (mostly one-off) stuff, so perhaps there isn't much to add there.

No plans for published Quests or other material not in an official rulebook or other components.

[Davane]

Okay, time to press on, and let's go with the first expansions - Kellar's Keep. Of the entire book, only the following passages can be classed as "New Rules" worth considering for incorporation into the HQ CERB:

Players do not start the adventures on the stairway tile. Instead they enter via a door on the edge of the gameboard, unless instructed otherwise. The door through which they must enter the gameboard is shown with a white arrow.

Players may only leave the gameboard by locating either another door on the edge of the gameboard or the stairway tile.

There's more of interest in the US version, which is as follows:

1. Starting a Quest
The Heroes do not start their adventures on the spiral stairway tile used in the Game System. Instead, they may enter through an iron door on the edge of the gameboard. This door is shown on the Quest map with an arrow pointing inward toward the gameboard. This door is always placed on the gameboard in it's specified location before each Quest begins. At the Start of an Adventure, the Heroes line up outside the door and ask Zargon to open it.

2. Ending a Quest
Players may leave the gameboard only by locating the wooden exit door on the edge of the board, or by finding the spiral stairway that exists in on of the Quests. This exit door is shown on the Quest map with an arrow pointing outwards from the gameboard.

Note: As with regular doors, an exit door will not be put on the gameboard by Zargon until a hero down the appropriate corridor. An exit door is usually opened in the same way as a regular door, unless specified otherwise in the Quest notes.

The US version of Kellars Keep also includes new artifacts including Spell scrolls, and new potions from the Alchemist's Shop - we will cover those in a later post. For now, we can see the only "new" rules for Kellar's Keep involves changes to how Heroes begin and end their quests. Thus, let's look at what we already have from the HQ CERB for starting and ending a quest:

Setting Up A Quest
Usually, the Heroes start from the Room marked with the Stairway tile. The Stairway is normally the entrance into and out of the stronghold, and leads out of the stronghold to safety. If this is the case, place the Stairway tile in the Room shown. The Heroes place their models on any square next to the Stairway.
In some Quests, however, the Heroes start from a different Room. The Quest Notes will explain what to do in these cases, and the Heroes should place their models as directed by the Quest Notes.
The remaining contents of the first Room (barring any Traps, Secret Doors, or Treasure) should be laid out at the beginning of the Quest.
Note: Do NOT put out any Traps or Secret Doors. Do NOT reveal Treasure at this time.
All Doors should be closed. No other pieces outside this Room are placed on the Board. These should only be set up when they become visible to the Heroes, as they can see them by looking into a new Room or Passage.

Completing a Quest
The Heroes complete a Quest successfully if they achieve the objectives described in the Parchment Text, which the Evil Wizard reads aloud at the beginning of the Quest.
For some Quests, the Heroes successfully complete a Quest only when they have achieved the Quest goal AND have returned to the safety of the Stairway. If they fail to do so, or if they are all killed, the Evil Wizard wins.
There is usually a final Treasure or a reward associated with successfully completing a Quest. The Heroes' valiant efforts are rewarded by splitting the reward amongst themselves.

Ending the Quest
A Quest may be ended early by the Heroes voluntarily returning to the Stairway before completing the Quest, or by all Heroes dying in their attempt to complete the Quest. Heroes escape the Quest by moving on to the Stairway tile.
Monsters may never move on to the Stairway tile.

In essence, the only change is that the Heroes start at an iron entrance door, and may leave via a wooden exit door. Thus, we can check, but a simple rewrite of these passages should be enough to incorporate these 'new rules' into the HQ CERB, as follows:

Setting Up A Quest
Usually, the Heroes start from the Room marked with the Stairway tile. The Stairway is normally the entrance into and out of the stronghold, and leads out of the stronghold to safety. If this is the case, place the Stairway tile in the Room shown. The Heroes place their models on any square next to the Stairway.
Sometimes, the Heroes do not start their Quest on the Stairway tile. Instead, they may enter through an iron entrance Door on the edge of the Board, unless instructed otherwise. The Door through which they must enter the Board is shown on the Quest Map with a white arrow pointing inward toward the Board. This Door is always placed on the Board in it's specified location before each Quest begins. At the Start of these Quests, the Heroes line up outside the entrance Door and asks the Evil Wizard to open it.
In some Quests, however, the Heroes start from a different Room. The Quest Notes will explain what to do in these cases, and the Heroes should place their models as directed by the Quest Notes.
The remaining contents of the first Room (barring any Traps, Secret Doors, or Treasure) should be laid out at the beginning of the Quest.
Note: Do NOT put out any Traps or Secret Doors. Do NOT reveal Treasure at this time.
All Doors should be closed. No other pieces outside this Room are placed on the Board. These should only be set up when they become visible to the Heroes, as they can see them by looking into a new Room or Passage.

Completing a Quest
The Heroes complete a Quest successfully if they achieve the objectives described in the Parchment Text, which the Evil Wizard reads aloud at the beginning of the Quest.
For some Quests, the Heroes successfully complete a Quest only when they have achieved the Quest goal AND have either returned to the safety of the Stairway or passed through a wooden exit Door on the edge of the Board. This wooden exit Door is shown on the Quest Map with a white arrow pointing outwards from the Board. If they fail to do so, or if they are all killed, the Evil Wizard wins.
There is usually a final Treasure or a reward associated with successfully completing a Quest. The Heroes' valiant efforts are rewarded by splitting the reward amongst themselves.

Note: As with regular Doors, a wooden exit Door will not be put on the Board by the Evil Wizard until a Hero looks down the appropriate passage. A wooden exit Door is usually opened in the same way as a regular Door, unless specified otherwise in the Quest Notes.

Ending the Quest
A Quest may be ended early by the Heroes voluntarily returning to either an iron entrance Door on the edge of the gameboard or the Stairway before completing the Quest, or by all Heroes dying in their attempt to complete the Quest. Heroes escape the Quest by moving either through an iron entrance or wooden exit Door on the edge of the Board or on to the Stairway tile.
Monsters may never move through a iron entrance or wooden exit Door on the edge of the Board, or on to the Stairway tile.

[Davane]

The US version of Kellars Keep has the following "rule":

3. Treasures
To eliminate conflicts among the Heroes, large gold coin treasures found in treasure chests should be divided among all surviving Heroes.

Before we press on to the new artefacts, it's worth noting that this can be added as a section under Treasures, either as a US house rule or as general guidance.

Now, on to the new artifacts, starting with the Fire Ring:

Fire Ring
Protects the wearer from any 2 Chaos fire spells. Ring disappears after the wearer has been protected from the second fire spell.

A simple little Artefact, that protects the wearer from Chaos Fire spells. There are only two Chaos Fire spells - Ball of Flame and Firestorm. However, we do allow Heroes to fight each other, and the Fire spell Fire of Wrath should also be considered. Thus, it might be worthwhile to specifically name which spells the Fire Ring resists, but this is only a short term solution, as shouldn't the Fire Ring also work against other instances of magical fire? The Evil Wizard can easily adjudicate this as needed, but let's make their job easier.

Let's look at how the three "fire" spells are presented:

Ball of Flame
This Spell may be cast on any one Hero or Monster, enveloping them in a ball of fire. The Spell will inflict two Body Points of damage. The Hero or Monster then rolls two Combat Dice. For each White Shield rolled, the damage from the Spell is reduced by one Body Point.

Fire of Wrath
This Spell may be cast on any one Hero or Monster, anywhere on the Board, blasting them with flames. The Spell will seek out the target, and inflict one Body Point of damage, unless that Hero or Monster can immediately roll a White Shield on one Combat Die.
[US: The spellcaster must have line of sight to the Hero or Monster this Spell is cast on.]

Firestorm
This spell creates a blast of fire that inflicts three Body Points of damage on all Heroes and Monsters in the same Room with the spellcaster. The spellcaster is unaffected. All affected Heroes and Monsters roll two Combat Dice. For each White Shield rolled, the damage from the Spell is reduced by one Body Point.

These spells all do a very similar thing - they "inflict # Body Points of damage" to the targets. Thus, an easier approach may be to define the damage from these spells as causing "Fire damage" and then have the Fire Ring protect the wearer from Fire damage from Spells, as follows:

Fire Ring
This ring protects the wearer from any Fire damage caused by Spells. The Fire Ring disappears after the wearer has been protected from a second Spell.

---

Okay, now onto the other artefact of Kellar's Keep - The Magical Throwing Dagger...

Magical Throwing Dagger
Always inflicts 1 Body Point of damage when thrown at a monster a Hero can "see." Monster cannot defend. Dagger is lost once it is thrown.

The Magical Throwing Dagger is a "Ronseal" artefact (for the US folks, it "does exactly what it says on the tin"), It's a Dagger that is magical when thrown, which in this case, allows it to automatically hit. So, let's look at what we already have for the Dagger:

Dagger
Weapon
25 Gold Coins
This sharp knife allows a Hero to roll one Combat Die when they attack.
A Hero may also throw the Dagger at any opponent that they can "see." However, they cannot throw the Dagger at an opponent who is adjacent to them. If the Hero throws the Dagger at an opponent, they lose it after the attack.
[US: You may throw the Dagger at an opponent who is diagonally adjacent to you.]

Looking at the Dagger, we can see it's quite simple to add the fact that the Magical Throwing Dagger always hits, and opponents cannot defend, as follows:

Magical Throwing Dagger
Weapon
This sharp knife allows a Hero to roll one Combat Die when they attack.
A Hero may also throw the Magical Throwing Dagger at any opponent that they can "see." However, they cannot throw it at an opponent who is adjacent to them. The Magical Throwing Dagger always inflicts 1 Body Point of damage when thrown at an opponent. The opponent cannot defend against this damage. If the Hero throws the Magical Throwing Dagger at an opponent, they lose it after the attack.
[US: You may throw the Magical Throwing Dagger at an opponent who is diagonally adjacent to you.]

[Davane]

Time to move on, as the US also included a new type of Artifact - Spell Scrolls:

• Spell Scrolls: The 8 remaining artifact cards are called spell scrolls. They are used just like the spell cards in the Game System. However, a spell scroll can be used by ANY Hero (not just the Wizard and Elf) who finds one.
  When a Hero finds a spell scroll, Zargon should turn all of the spell scroll cards face down, mix them up and let the Hero draw one at random. The Hero should then record the spell scroll on his Character Sheet and return the scroll facedown to the scroll deck. After a spell scroll has been used, it must be crossed off the Hero's Character Sheet.

First off, Kellar's Keep provides Artifact Cards for scrolls of only 8 of the 12 spells from the Game System. The remaining 4 spells are included in Return of the Witchlord. The 8 included spells are:

• Ball of Flame
• Courage
• Fire of Wrath
• Genie
• Heal Body
• Rock Skin
• Sleep
• Tempest

Text wise, the Spell Scroll cards are identical to the Spells themselves, with the following added to the bottom:

May be used by any Hero. Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

As such, we can simply take the description of each spell we already have, and add the extra information to it, to get the eight Spell Scroll cards themselves. However, it might be useful if we add a seperate section under Artefacts for the rules for Spell Scrolls (which we will have work like any other deck), and then list them separately.

Thus, for the HQ CERB, we get:

Spell Scrolls
Spell Scrolls are used just like Spells. However, a Spell Scroll can be used by ANY Hero (not just the Wizard and Elf) who finds one.
When a Hero finds a Spell Scroll, the Evil Wizard should let the Hero draw one Scroll card from the Scroll deck. After a Spell Scroll has been used, the card must be discarded.
Like Potions, between Quests, Heroes should make a note of any Scrolls they have found, along with their effects, and return any Scroll cards they have to the Scroll deck.

We should also add the last paragraph to the section Between Quests, as follows:

Heroes should make a note of any Scrolls they have found, along with their effects, and return any Scroll cards they have to the Scroll deck.

And finally, we have the Spell Scroll cards themselves:

Spell Scroll - Ball of Flame
This Spell may be cast on any one Hero or Monster, enveloping them in a ball of fire. The Spell will inflict two Body Points of Fire damage. The Hero or Monster then rolls two Combat Dice. For each White Shield rolled, the damage from the Spell is reduced by one Body Point.
May be used by any Hero. The Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

Spell Scroll - Courage
This Spell may be cast on any one Hero, including the spellcaster. Whenever that Hero attacks, they may roll two extra Combat Dice, until the Spell is broken. The Spell is broken when there is no longer any Monsters visible to the Hero.
[US: The Hero may roll two extra Combat Dice for their next attack only. The Spell is broken after the Hero's next attack.]
[UK: The Spell is broken when there are no longer any Monsters on the Board.]
May be used by any Hero. The Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

Spell Scroll - Fire of Wrath
This Spell may be cast on any one Hero or Monster, anywhere on the Board, blasting them with flames. The Spell will seek out the target, and inflict one Body Point of Fire damage, unless that Hero or Monster can immediately roll a White Shield on one Combat Die.
[US: The spellcaster must have line of sight to the Hero or Monster this Spell is cast on.]
May be used by any Hero. The Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

Spell Scroll - Genie
This Spell conjures up a Genie, who will do one of the following before disappearing:

• Open any Door on the Board, revealing what lies beyond the Door (within line of sight). The Genie does NOT count as searching, and will not reveal Secret Doors, Traps, or Treasure;
• Attack any Hero or Monster within the spellcaster's line of sight with five Combat Dice. [UK: The spellcaster can attack any opponent on the board.]

May be used by any Hero. The Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

Spell Scroll - Heal Body
This Spell may be cast on any Hero, including the spellcaster. Its magical power will immediately restore up to four Body Points that have been lost by that Hero. This Spell will not give a Hero more than their starting number of Body Points.
May be used by any Hero. The Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

Spell Scroll - Rock Skin
This Spell may be cast on an one Hero, including the spellcaster. The Hero may throw two extra Combat Dice when defending, until the Spell is broken. The Spell is broken when the Hero loses one Body Point.
[US: The Hero only adds one extra Combat Die when defending.]
May be used by any Hero. The Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

Spell Scroll - Sleep
This Spell will attempt to put one Hero or Monster into a deep sleep, so that they cannot move, attack, or defend themselves. They may try to resist the Spell by rolling one Combat Die per Mind Point. If they roll a Black Shield, they are unaffected by the Spell.
Once asleep, at the start of their turn, starting from their next turn, the Hero or Monster may attempt to awaken from the Spell, by rolling one Combat Die per Mind Point. If they roll a Black Shield, they awaken from the Spell.
A sleeping Hero or Monster may not defend themselves, if they are attacked, but they will automatically awaken from the Spell after the attack has been resolved.
May not be used against Mummies, Zombies, or Skeletons.
May be used by any Hero. The Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

Spell Scroll - Tempest
This Spell creates a small whirlwind that envelops one Hero or Monster of the spellcaster's choice. That Hero or Monster will then miss their next turn.
May be used by any Hero. The Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

[Davane]

First off, as I was reviewing Kellar's Keep to see if I missed anything, I noticed the following under the "Components" section regarding Trapdoors:

Trapdoors
The 2 trap doors are used to link 2 visually unconnected Rooms via an unseen "tunnel." When landing on 1 trap door, a Hero moves instantly to the other trap door.

This is pretty much the only component in KK that has an inbuilt rule to it (even though Quest designers can still easily change this). It deserves to go in the HQ CERB somewhere, probably under the movement section. The rule itself is quite simple - when you land on one trap door, you move immediately to the other. So, all we really need here is a tidy up of the rule to include it after the section about Blocked Square Tiles.

Trapdoors
The two Trapdoors are used to link two visually unconnected Rooms or Passages via an unseen "tunnel." When a Hero moves onto a Trapdoor, they may move instantly to the other Trapdoor, even if it hasn't been revealed yet.
Passing through a Trapdoor does not require an Action, nor does does it cost any Movement. The Hero can continue their Move from the other Trapdoor as normal.
Heroes cannot see through the Trapdoor, and must travel through the Trapdoor to the other Trapdoor BEFORE they can explore the Room or Passage beyond.
Monsters can NOT move through a Trapdoor.

I think that pretty much covers Trapdoors and how they generally work in the game of HeroQuest.

---

All this leaves us is the Alchemist's Shop, which works similar to the Armoury and allows the Heroes to buy potions between quests. Four potions are provided. In terms of rules on how to use the Alchemist's Shop and buy potions, we have the following from the KK Quest Book:

These Potions may only be purchased between Quests.

It's not much of a rule, because it is so simple, so we can include the Alchemist's Shop as an option for Heroes between Quests, as follows:

Buying Equipment
Heroes may collect valuable Treasures, such as Gold Coins, during a Quest. Between Quests, Heroes may use Gold Coins to purchase powerful Weapons and protective Armour from the Armoury, or potent Potions from the Alchemist's Shop.

The Alchemist's Shop sells Potions, and we already have rules for Potions covered under the Treasure Cards section. As such, it may be an idea to move the rules for using Potions from the Treasure Cards section to the Equipment Cards section, and include a note that Potions from Treasure Cards work exactly like Potions from the Alchemist's Shop. Most of the Potion cards include full details on how to use the Potion, so we can use the Treasure Cards Potions as a means to format the specific Potions from the Alchemist's Shop. From the HQ CERB, we find the following information:

Potions
Some Treasure cards show Potions. A Hero can either use such a card immediately (returning the card to the bottom of the deck), or keep it and use it later at any time. The Hero should record the Potion on their Character Sheet, and return the card to the bottom of the deck as soon as it is used.
[UK 2nd/US]: The card is discarded. It is not returned to the Treasure card deck.
A Hero may drink a Potion at any time. The way a Potion works and how long its effects last are listed on the Potion Treasure Card, and sometimes in the Quest Book.
A Hero may drink more than one Potion at a time.
Healing Potions are very valuable. If a Hero's Body Points are reduced to zero, they may drink a healing Potion to save themselves before they die, by restoring 1 or more of their Body Points.
A Hero may give one of their Potions to a fellow Hero, but they may do so only on their turn.

From this, we can see that the passages in Bold should be moved, and we can replace them with the following:

These Potions are used exactly like the Potions from the Equipment Cards deck.

Having done that, it's time to work on the section for Potions under Equipment Cards (which is under the Combat section). It might be worth considering moving the Equipment to it's own chapter in the future, if it gets too big.

Potions
Some Equipment Cards show Potions. A Hero can keep such a card and use it later at any time. The Hero should record the Potion on their Character Sheet, and return the Potion card to the Equipment Card deck as soon as it is used.
A Hero may drink a Potion at any time. The way a Potion works and how long its effects last are listed on the Potion Equipment Card.
A Hero may drink more than one Potion at a time.
Healing Potions are very valuable. If a Hero's Body Points are reduced to zero, they may drink a healing Potion to save themselves before they die, by restoring 1 or more of their Body Points.
A Hero may give one of their Potions to a fellow Hero, but they may do so only on their turn.

It's worth noting that by making the Potions from the Alchemist'S Shop Equipment Cards, using the Treasure Card rules, that we have created a limit of how many of these Potions may be purchased between Quests in those games where Equipment is strictly limited by the number of Equipment Cards, rather than being written down and returned to the Equipment Card deck. This isn't too much of a problem for us, as multiple copies of these Potions can be handled like multiple copies of Weapons and Armour. Looking over the HQ CERB, I have noted that the rules do NOT specifically state that Equipment is limited by the number of Equipment Cards, as the US rules for the Armoury (which replaced Equipment Cards) has taken precedence here.

Thus, in hindsight, it might be worth looking to see if we should add the limit to Equipment to the number of Equipment Cards available as a UK House Rule, and if so, add another where, like Potion Treasure Cards, Potion Equipment Cards are returned to the Equipment Deck at the end of each Quest, allowing them to be repurchased once again, giving the Heroes some chance of multiple copies of these potions over time, as they could with Treasure Card Potions. The official UK rules didn't have this problem, as the UK version of KK didn't include the Alchemist's Shop (or the addition Artefacts and Spell Scrolls) and thus didn't even consider this issue.

That said, we do already have the UK rule that Treasure Card Potions spoil between Quests, so we can simply expand this to include Equipment Card potions too. Thus, we have two new house rules:

[UK: All Potions on Equipment cards spoil and must be discarded between Quests.]

[UK: A Hero may not buy Equipment if there is not a corresponding Equipment Card available in the Equipment Card deck.]

The former is seperate from the same rule for ordinary Treasure Cards, so that groups can decide whether or not to include the rules together. Whilst it may make sense that if an ordinary Potion Treasure Card spoils between quests, that an Potion Equipment Card should also spoil, but the potions are expensive, and some players may feel robbed spending a lot of Gold Coins on a Potion that spoils after a single Quest, thus they may prefer that these cards work more like Potion Artifact Cards, and can be kept between Quests.

The latter is a statement of an implied rule in the UK edition, where you were limited in purchasing Equipment by the number of Equipment Cards available, and many groups used this as a House Rule. Others saw the Equipment Deck as more of a Reference List (like the Monster Cards) and simply ignored this rule. As such, I have added this limit as a House Rule to correct the oversight, but it's not part of the official rules of the HQ CERB.

[Davane]

Now, it's time to finish up KK with details of the four potions available for purchase. First up, following the changes for the Alchemist's shop, we now have a Potion type, which needs to be added to all potions in the game. Thus, the Heroic Brew, Holy Water, Potion of Healing, Potion of Resilience, Potion of Speed, and Potion of Strength Treasure Cards all need updating with the new Potion type, as does the Elixir of Life Artefact. This is fairly simple to do, but it does allow us to see which cards are Potions, and therefore subject to the relevant Potion Rules.

With that done, let's move on to the first potion. From the KK Quest Book we have:

Potion of Restoration
Cost: 500 Gold Coins
Drink this brown, frothy liquid to restore 1 lost Body Point and 1 lost Mind Point. It's refreshing after a tough battle!

The Potion of Restoration is a very weak healing Potion, that's extremely costly, but can be the difference between life or death, in a pinch. Interestingly, it restores BOTH 1 BP and 1MP, making it one of the few items that allows a Hero to restore Mind Points in the game, which is just as well as Heroes can start to lose MP in this Quest Pack. However, it seems EXTREMELY overpriced and weak, when a Potion of Healing, a Heal Body Scroll or Spell, or a Water of Healing Spell restores 4 BP. Even with the restoration of MP, the Potion of Restoration seems to be half as effective, by only healing 2 B/MP in total compared to the 4 BP total of these other effects, which serves like a base line for healing, and the Wizard and Elf get two of these options for free at the start of every Quest anyway.

I wouldn't mind seeing some feedback on the Potion of Restoration, but right now, the HQ CERB is about the official rules, so we won't change anything about the Potion of Restoration's ability. However, we do currently have an established format for Potions, which we can apply easily to all four potions from the Alchemist's Shop, as follows:

Potion of Restoration
Potion
500 Gold Coins
Drink this brown, frothy liquid to restore 1 lost Body Point and 1 lost Mind Point. It's refreshing after a tough battle!
This Potion can only be used once. The card is then discarded.

---

With that done, let's move on to the next potion. From the KK Quest Book we have:

Venom Antidote
Cost: 300 Gold Coins
This bubbling brew tastes foul, but heals up to 2 Body Points of damage caused by poison needles or poison darts only.

The Venom Antidote is a weak healing potion, that ONLY works against poison needles and darts. Thus, like we did with the Fire Ring, we need to create the Poison damage type, and then rewrite the Venom Antidote so that it only affects Poison damage. Luckily, we don't have anything that specifically causes Poison damage, but in both the main Quest Book and the KK Quest Book, there are a number of examples of traps that can be said to cause damage from poison needles or poison darts (most often to protect treasure chests), and thus could be considered as causing Poison damage.

So, we can rewrite the Venom Antidote for the HQ CERB as follows:

Venom Antidote
Potion
300 Gold Coins
This bubbling brew tastes foul, but heals up to 2 Body Points of damage, caused by Poison damage only.
This Potion can only be used once. The card is then discarded.

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With that done, let's move on to the Potion of Dexterity. From the KK Quest Book we have:

Potion of Dexterity
Cost: 100 Gold Coins
This sparkling liquid adds 5 movement squares to your next die roll or guarantees 1 successful pit jump. If you purchase more than one of these potions, you may use only 1 potion per turn.

The Potion of Dexterity offers the Hero a choice when used, just like the Genie Spell - either +5 to the total of the Hero's next Move Die roll (i.e. 2d6+5, for a range of 7-17), or to guarantee a successful attempt to jump a Pit Trap. The former ability makes it a half-strength Potion of Speed or Swift Wind Spell, and could be considered equivalent to adding +1 to the Hero's Move Die for 1 turn (i.e. 2d6 becomes 3d6). I actually prefer the latter, but for now, we will use the original for the HQ CERB, as follows:

Potion of Dexterity
Potion
100 Gold Coins
This sparkling liquid will do one of the following:

• Adds 5 to the result of the Hero's next Move Dice roll;
• Guarantees an automatic success when the Hero next attempts to jump a Pit Trap this turn.

Heroes may use only one Potion of Dexterity per turn.
This Potion can only be used once. The card is then discarded.

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Finally, let's move on to the Potion of Battle. From the KK Quest Book we have:

Potion of Battle
Cost: 200 Gold Coins
If you have a really "weak" roll of the attack dice, you may drink this blood-red potion. It allows you 1 re-roll of your attack dice.

The Potion of Battle has a novel effect - it allows you to reroll your Attack Dice once in combat. Quite simple, despite the somewhat wonky wording, so we can copy it to the HQ CERB as follows:

Potion of Battle
Potion
200 Gold Coins
A Hero may drink this blood-red Potion, which allows them to re-roll all of their Attack Dice once the next time they Attack.
Heroes may use only one Potion of Battle per turn.
This Potion can only be used once. The card is then discarded.

With that, I think we are done with the Kellar's Keep expansion, and have updated the HQ CERB to version 0.5.2, which you can get below:

HQ Combined English Edition Rule Book v0.5.2.odt

[Davane]

Time to crack on with the HQ CERB, moving right on to the next Expansion - Return of the Witch Lord. A quick perusal shows us that none of the components have any specific rules. In addition, a lot of the additional rules from RotWL have been covered when we did Kellar's Keep. The Alchemist's Shop stocks the same four Potions, too. That just leaves us with the Artefact cards to cover.

Five of the Artefacts don't need too much work - we also dealt with Spell Scrolls in Kellar's Keep, and five of the ten artefacts in RotWL are Spell Scrolls. What's interesting is that all but one were already included in KK. That means an official deck of Spell Scrolls from both KK and RotWL includes the following cards:

• 2x Ball of Flame
• 2x Courage
• 2x Fire of Wrath
• 1x Genie
• 2x Heal Body
• 1x Pass Through Rock
• 1x Rock Skin
• 1x Sleep
• 1x Tempest

This isn't the same as a full deck of Spell cards - Swift Wind, Veil of Mist, and Water of Healing are missing from the Spell Scrolls list.

Anyway, for us, it means we can simply use our existing format for Spell Scrolls, and copy the Pass Through Rock spell onto it, giving us:

Spell Scroll - Pass Through Rock
This Spell can be cast on any one Hero, including the spellcaster. That Hero may move through Walls when they next move. The Hero may move through as many Walls as their Move Dice allow.
This Spell doesn't allow for the Hero to pass through other obstacles, such as Blocked Square Tiles, Falling Rock Tiles, Furniture, or Monsters. The Hero still triggers Traps that they move through as normal. Walls still block line of sight, and all attacks, as normal.
Caution! There are shaded areas on each Quest Map which indicate solid rock. If a Hero ends their turn in one of these areas, they are trapped forever, and are removed from the game!
May be used by any Hero. The Scroll crumbles to dust after it is used.

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One of the Artefacts is duplicated from Kellar's Keep too - the Magical Throwing Dagger. As such, we can simply make a note that it's duplicated if someone wants to use an official Artefact deck, and move on.

So, with that, let's look at our first real Artefact:

Rabbit Boots
To jump over 1 discovered trap per turn, roll anything but a black shield on 1 combat die.

One thing to note, jumping over unsprung traps is a US house rule in the HQ CERB, so we would need to change this effect to cover Jumping a Pit instead, with the US house rule that this benefit also applies to unsprung traps. Thus, we can rewrite this for the HQ CERB as follows:

Rabbit Boots
The Hero may successfully jump over a single Pit Trap whilst moving, by rolling anything other than a Black Shield.
[US]: The Hero may successfully jump over a single unsprung Trap, by rolling anything other than a Black Shield.
The Rabbit Boots can only be used once per turn.

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Moving on, we have our second Artefact:

Armband of Healing
Restores 2 lost Body Points once per Quest. If the wearer's Body Points are reduced to zero, use immediately to restore 2 Body Points.

The Armband of Healing is a simple artefact, that allows the Hero to restore two Body Points once per Quest. It's like finding a half-strength Potion of Healing every Quest. Like Potions of Healing, the Armband of Healing can be used when a Hero is reduced to zero Body Points, to prevent them from dying.

Thus, we can rewrite this for the HQ CERB as follows:

Armband of Healing
The Hero may use the Armband of Healing to restore up to two lost Body Points. They cannot, however, exceed their starting number of Body Points.
If the Hero's Body Points are reduced to zero, the Armband of Healing may be used immediately to restore two Body Points.
The Armband of Healing may be used once per Quest.

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Next up, the Dust of Disappearance:

Dust of Disappearance
If used on any Hero, this dust allows that Hero to move past any monsters encountered on his next turn. May only be used once.

The Dust of Disappearance is just the Veil of Mist spell effect translated into a single use Artefact. Thus, we may want to look at the description of the Veil of Mist Spell effect and use that to rewrite the Dust of Disappearance for the HQ CERB as follows:

Dust of Disappearance
If used on any Hero, this dust allows that Hero to move past other Heroes and Monsters when they next move. The Hero may move past as many other Heroes and Monsters as their Move Dice allow. The Hero may not end their movement in the same space as another Hero or Monster.
This Spell doesn't allow for the Hero to pass through other obstacles, such as Blocked Square Tiles, Falling Rock Tiles, Furniture, or Walls. The Hero still triggers Traps that they move through as normal. Other Heroes and Monsters still block line of sight, and all attacks, as normal.
The Dust of Disappearance may only be used once. The card is then discarded.

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Now for our final Artefact:

Anti-Poison Quill
Restores any of the owner's Body Points lost by poisoning if used immediately. May only be used once.

The Anti-Poison Quill is an interesting artifact, as it simple heals poison damage. We already have Poison as a damage type now thanks to the Venom Antidote, but the Anti-Poison Quill can only be used immediately after the Hero has taken any Poison Damage, and immediately restores it, in effect causing the Hero to ignore that Poison Damage. Thus, we can rewrite this for the HQ CERB as follows:

Anti-Poison Quill
A Hero may use the Anti-Poison Quill immediately after losing any amount of Body Points to Poison Damage. The Anti-Poison Quill immediately restores all of the Body Points lost to Poison Damage from that effect. This will not give a Hero more than their starting number of Body Points.
The Anti-Poison Quill may only be used once. The card is then discarded.

With that, the rules from the Return of the Witch Lord have been covered, and as such, the HQ CERB has been updated to v0.6. You can find it below:

HQ Combined English Edition Rule Book v0.6.odt