HeroQuest Prime

[Teldurn]

Still buzzing from the success of my current and ongoing Roll20 HeroQuest campaign, I've had the very nagging (in a good way) urge to go balls-in in modifying the original HQ rules to my tastes. As I kept thinking about what I wanted, the scope of the project kept expanding. This is definitely still a work in progress, and I'm looking for feedback for these ideas. Here's what I've got so far. Note that for many of the rules, I will be cherry-picking what other people have done, if I don't come up with something new myself. Naturally, credit will be given in the package, and it will be made available for everyone to check out. This is going to be kind of stream-of-consciousness, so I beg your pardon if it seems rambly. No time to organize these thoughts properly.

No more just picking one of 4 characters. Start with your choice of race:
Human - Special ability: Add 1 to your choice of Body Points, Mind Points, or Movement.
Dwarf - Special ability: Ignore the movement penalty while heavy armor is worn.
Elf - Special ability: Ignore the movement penalty for moving over low furniture (the rule for this is that over chairs, tables, and other similar low furniture items, you can move across them but each square costs 1 extra movement).

Class selection is insanely improved, and each has a unique special ability:
Acrobat - You can split your movement phase up with an action (move>attack>continue move)
Assassin - Can disarm traps like the base Dwarf does, without a toolkit.
Bard - Going to work on new party buff spells, probably just 3 card. So, like the standard Elf's usage of a short sword but no damaging spells
Druid - Like Bard, but animal-themed spells, noted below.
Duelist - If you get hit with 2 , you get a free riposte attack with 1CD. The enemy defends as normal.
Elementalist - Like the specialist wizard selections from the Imperial Academy (geomancer, pyromancer, etc)
Hunter - You pick one monster type (goblin, fimir, etc.). Against that monster type, you can roll 1 extra attack die.
Illusionist - A wizard with a mind-altering spell list (fear, command,and sleep will be 3 of them to start with)
Knight - On another Hero's action, you can choose to swap with a willing adjacent ally and take the damage your ally would have otherwise taken.
Monk - Flurry of blows. Sacrifice your move action to attack more. Haven't worked out the exact mechanics on this one.
Paladin - While defending from attacks, you can roll instead of to defend.
Ranger - Your range with bows is doubled (normally the range on bows is the Hero's max Body Points)
Sorcerer - Start with one spell group and learn spells as you come across them. In the late game, the Sorc would be crazy overpowered, so I'm thinking to limit this by saying Sorc must choose which spells to start each quest with (up to 6 spells per quest)
Thief - In lieu of attacking as your action, you can steal 1d4x10 gold coins from a monster if you roll a on 1CD. Rolling means you don't steal anything, and means the monster notices your attempt and gets a free hit on you. You defend normally.
Warlord - Switch places with one monster as your action, if you roll at least 1 on your attack.
Warrior - Choose one weapon. You gain +1 AD with that weapon.

But monsters are also upgraded with special moves and more variety! (List is still incomplete)
Goblin Skirmisher - Can move-action-move just like Acrobats.
Goblin Archers
Skeleton Warriors - 1 extra defend die for using a shield
Skeleton Archers
Fimir - They all get Fimir spells (I forget who came up with this, but they are great!)
Giant rodents
Mounted monsters!
More to come...

New spell groups to choose from, too! The Animal, Plant, Sun, and Night spells from here: http://scattergamed.blogspot.com/2012/10/development-log-heroquest-monthathon-3.html.

There will be a greatly expanded selection in the Armory, including a Potion Shop and a Magic Shop (casters can purchase new spells or spell groups).

Monsters will drop weapons that Heroes can pick up if they so choose. The Armory will buy back those weapons at half price. Undead do not drop their weapons. Well, more like, the weapons they use are such poor quality that the Armory refuses to buy back.

Weapons can be damaged if you roll all on your attack (up to 4, if you do more than 4CD on your attack). Damaged weapons attack with one less CD. Damaged weapons can be repaired at the Armory between quests for a price cheaper than buying new. If a damaged weapon gets damaged again, it is broken and useless.

Likewise, armor can be damaged/broken/repaired the same way when you defend.

New Spell scrolls added from the link given above.

Mercenaries can be hired.

Heroes can enter the Melee Magerie to learn new skills!

New items
The Toolkit is renamed Standard Toolkit and works as normal. A Master Toolkit is added, which lets anyone disarm traps like a base Dwarf would. Assassins using a MTK get to reroll a once, that would otherwise have sprung.
Healer's Kit - As an action, roll 3CD. For each the target heals a BP. If you roll the contents of the kit are used up.
Magic Ammunition - Add +1CD to every attack with a ranged weapon. The ammunition is used up when you roll 1 on an attack.
Quiver of Arrows/Bolts - Used to replenish Magic Ammunition.

[GimmeYerGold]

I want to follow your progress on this. Very exciting stuff.

I'll post some thoughts once I have time to review properly--modifying the HQ rules is something I've very interested in.

[Teldurn]

Some more details.

Questline
I want to write a compelling questline story arc, with branching points throughout, so you will never be able to go through all the quests in the book. I'm estimating a total of perhaps 20 quests, with maybe 12-14 being playable during any run-through.

Carrying Capacity
Heroes can carry a maximum of 4 weapons (1 they are equipped with, and 3 on their persons), and 3 pieces of armor (1 they are wearing, and 2 on their persons). They may carry unlimited potions and spell scrolls.

Monster Weapons:

Goblin Skirmishers carry daggers and hatchets.
Goblin Archers carry shortbows.
Orcs carry shortswords, flails, and axes. (There should be some sort of Orc subgroups here, including very probably Orc Shaman - daggers and Chaos spells. Will work on it later.)
Fimirs have axes and Fimir Spells. Very dangerous!
Chaos Warriors have battle axes.
Chaos Mages/Sorcerers/Warlocks have daggers.
Gargoyles dual-wield a broadsword and a whip and can attack with either one on their turn with no penalty.
Undead might carry weapons (and shields for Skelly Warriors), but the Armory will not buy them. Heroes aren't allowed to pick them up.
Probably looking at adding Kobold Warriors, Archers, and Mounted Kobold Pikemen or something of the sort, using giant Plague Rats as mounts.
There are other monsters but I haven't yet defined what they will be. This is the basic set of baddies.

WEAPONS
(Where it says "Wizard" it should be understood as any spellcasting class. I might refine this to include some classes but not others. Playtesting required.)

Weapon Name	Cost	Combat Dice	Special Notes
Dagger	25 G	1	May be thrown at any Monster within line of sight. May be thrown diagonally. Lost once thrown.
Hatchet	50 G	1	May be thrown at any Monster within line of sight. May be thrown diagonally. Not lost once thrown, but broken on a roll of 4, 5, or 6 on 1d6. May not be used by a Wizard.
Staff	100 G	1	May attack Diagonally. Two-handed weapon, may not be used with a Shield.
Whip	125 G	1	May attack diagonally. May not be used by a Wizard.
Shortsword	150 G	2	May not be used by a Wizard.
Axe & Hammer	200 G	2	May be thrown at any Monster within line of sight. May be thrown Diagonally. Not lost once thrown, but broken on a roll of 4, 5 or 6 on one red die. May not be used by Wizards.
Flail	250 G	2	May attack diagonally. May not be used by Wizards.
Spear	400 G	2	May attack diagonally. May be used to attack Monsters Two squares away. May be thrown at any Monster within line of sight. May be thrown Diagonally. A thrown Spear may be recovered by a Hero on another turn using up one action. Two-handed weapon, may not be used with a Shield. May not be used by Wizards.
Broadsword	250 G	3	May not be used by Wizards.
Longsword	350 G	3	May attack Diagonally. May not be used by Wizards.
Halberd	500 G	3	May attack Diagonally. May be used to attack Monsters Two squares away. Two-handed weapon, may not be used with a Shield. May not be used by Wizards.
Battle Axe	450 G	4	Two-handed weapon, may not be used with a Shield. May not be used by Wizards.
Greatsword	600 G	4	May attack Diagonally. Two-handed weapon, may not be used with a Shield. May not be used by Wizards.
Shortbow	100 G	1	May attack Monsters within line of sight. May attack Diagonally. May not be used to attack adjacent Monsters. Two-handed weapon, may not be used with a Shield. Costs an action to switch to a hand-to-hand weapon. May not be used by Wizards.
Longbow	200 G	2	May attack Monsters within line of sight. May attack Diagonally. May not be used to attack adjacent Monsters. Two-handed weapon, may not be used with a Shield. Costs an action to switch to a hand-to-hand weapon. May not be used by Wizards.
Crossbow	300 G	3	May be used to attack any Monster within line of sight, adjacent or not. Two-handed weapon, may not be used with a Shield. You have a quiver of bolts that is expended if you roll two Black Shields while attacking with this weapon. Costs an action to reload (must sacrifice move action). Costs an action to switch to a hand-to-hand weapon. May not be used by Wizards.

ARMOR

Armor Name	Cost	Defense Dice	Special Notes
Bracers	200 G	1	Can only be used by Wizard.
Buckler	75 G	1	Only provides 1 extra Defense Die until Hero takes damage, it then breaks. Cannot be used by any Hero using a two-handed weapon. Cannot be used by Wizards.
Kite Shield	150 G	1	Cannot be used by any Hero using a two-handed weapon. Cannot be used by Wizards.
Tower Shield	300 G	2	Cannot be used by any Hero using a two-handed weapon. Cannot be used by Wizards.
Chain Mail Coif	125 G	1	Cannot be used by Wizards.
Great Helm	250 G	2	Reduces the Hero's Movement to 1d6. Movement penalty does not stack. Cannot be used by Wizards.
Leather Armor	500 G	1	Cannot be used by Wizards.
Chain Mail Armor	850 G	2	Cannot be used by Wizards.
Plate Mail Armor	1200 G	3	Reduces the Hero's Movement to 1d6. Movement penalty does not stack. Cannot be used by Wizards.

OTHER ITEMS

Item Name	Cost	Special Notes
Standard Toolkit	250 G	Used to Disarm Traps. Assassin does this without a kit.
Master Toolkit	800 G	Used to Disarm Traps like an Assassin. Assassin may reroll once during Disarming.
Healer's Kit	500 G	Used to restore lost Body Points to yourself or an ally on an adjacent square. As an action, roll up to 3 combat dice. For each skull rolled, the recipient regains 1 Body Point. If a Black Shield is rolled, the supplies are used up and the healer's kit is discarded. If you are reduced to zero Body Points, you may restore your own Body Points—but not an ally's. May not be used by the Warrior.
Magic Ammunition	300 G	Used to add one extra Combat Die to every attack with a ranged weapon. As soon as you roll one Black Shield during an attack, the last piece of Magic Ammunition is used up and you lose the benefit of this item. May not be used by the Warrior.
Quiver of Bolts	100 G	Used to replace lost ammunition for the Crossbow.

MORE TO COME LATER.
Feel free to add feedback or comments!

[The Road Warrior]

Questline
I want to write a compelling questline story arc, with branching points throughout, so you will never be able to go through all the quests in the book. I'm estimating a total of perhaps 20 quests, with maybe 12-14 being playable during any run-through.

I'm very interested to see how this turns out

[Teldurn]

Questline
I want to write a compelling questline story arc, with branching points throughout, so you will never be able to go through all the quests in the book. I'm estimating a total of perhaps 20 quests, with maybe 12-14 being playable during any run-through.

I'm very interested to see how this turns out

Keep following this thread for more updates on that. Although be warned, I won't be tackling the quests until after all the rules have been set, so I have a solid framework with which to work with the quest line And thank you for the interest!

[Daedalus]

...This is definitely still a work in progress, and I'm looking for feedback for these ideas....

I'm good for that.

Class selection is insanely improved, and each has a unique special ability:
...Monk - Flurry of blows. Sacrifice your move action to attack more. Haven't worked out the exact mechanics on this one.

How about he can seperate his attack dice between adjacent monsters?

Sorcerer - Start with one spell group and learn spells as you come across them. In the late game, the Sorc would be crazy overpowered, so I'm thinking to limit this by saying Sorc must choose which spells to start each quest with (up to 6 spells per quest)

If you let him learn Chaos Spells, you may want to restrict spells like Firestorm.

But monsters are also upgraded with special moves and more variety! (List is still incomplete)
Goblin Skirmisher - Can move-action-move just like Acrobats.
Goblin Archers
Skeleton Warriors - 1 extra defend die for using a shield
Skeleton Archers
Fimir - They all get Fimir spells (I forget who came up with this, but they are great!)
Giant rodents
Mounted monsters!
More to come...

Sounds good. They all get Fimir spells--ouch. Now I know why they insist on fighting with a Battle axe in one hand. I believe Flint reworked some Fimir Spells, but they were originally done by Dewanyne Agin.

There will be a greatly expanded selection in the Armory, including a Potion Shop and a Magic Shop (casters can purchase new spells or spell groups).

Monsters will drop weapons that Heroes can pick up if they so choose. The Armory will buy back those weapons at half price. Undead do not drop their weapons. Well, more like, the weapons they use are such poor quality that the Armory refuses to buy back.

I think 1/10th buyback price would work better, unless you use the Quest Notes to only have certain monsters drop weapons at specified rooms.

Weapons can be damaged if you roll all on your attack (up to 4, if you do more than 4CD on your attack). Damaged weapons attack with one less CD. Damaged weapons can be repaired at the Armory between quests for a price cheaper than buying new. If a damaged weapon gets damaged again, it is broken and useless.

Half-price works. So does quarter price, if you like to think of half the original cost of a weapon being invested in the training of its use.

Hope that was useful.

[Teldurn]

I'm good for that.

I appreciate it very much.

How about he can seperate his attack dice between adjacent monsters?

That is actually a really very great suggestion! I should probably note that the Monk would be attacking with 3CD (4?) if unarmed and armored in only light armor (Leather) or unarmored. He is able to equip and use all weapons and armor, but will lose the Flurry ability if he is armed with a weapon or wears medium or higher armor. This leaves the question of advancement up in the air, but it's possible to include "hardened hands>diamond fists" ability progression choices to buy. More on abilities below.

Additional note about classes. I've been thinking of adding a secondary ability for classes that can be unlocked with a hefty gold price tag. I'm not sure yet whether each class will get an individual ability relative to the class concept that will need unlocking, or if I will have some sort of generalized list of abilities that anyone can purchase, for additional customization. While both options will require much thought and concepting, the latter provides the flexibility for people who want to make their swordmages or a raging barbarian that can fling a spell here and there.

If you let him learn Chaos Spells, you may want to restrict spells like Firestorm.

Not a bad idea, but I'm not 100% sold on the class ability yet. There's still a chance I could drop it from the class list, or change it to something else. Possibly even give it the properties from the Wild Mage card but without the bit about Zargon controlling him.

Sounds good. They all get Fimir spells--ouch. Now I know why they insist on fighting with a Battle axe in one hand. I believe Flint reworked some Fimir Spells, but they were originally done by Dewanyne Agin.

Fimir distribution throughout the quests will have to be sparse to make up for this. On the other hand, maybe there can be a note that all Fimir get only 1 spell each, randomly chosen from their spell group.

I think 1/10th buyback price would work better, unless you use the Quest Notes to only have certain monsters drop weapons at specified rooms.

Combining the potion shop items and the weapon damaging/breaking rules should be enough of a money sink for the players to not be rolling in money all the time.

Half-price works. So does quarter price, if you like to think of half the original cost of a weapon being invested in the training of its use.

I was thinking half price as well. If I'm not mistaken, I saw someone (maybe you?) had put together a chart listing weapons degrading over time and their related repair costs. I aim for something simpler. First all-black-shield roll gets weapon or armor damaged, reducing its effectiveness by one. The second time makes it break, period (if it wasn't repaired in the meantime). Taking the 4CD Battle Axe as an example, at new condition, it deals 4CD. Rolling 4 Black Shields damages it, bringing it down to a 3AD weapon. If it's not repaired before rolling another 3 Black Shield attack, it breaks and becomes totally useless.


Your suggestions have been greatly helpful, sir. Once I get a good chunk of time at some point in the future, I will continue developing these rules.

[Teldurn]

This update is for the many varied classes available in HeroQuest Prime (HQP).

For the sake of simplicity, I'll be adopting almost all of mainat's keyword chart PDF (Thrown, Reach, Two-Handed, Ranged). Referencing the Armor table from a previous post, I will be adding the keywords "light," "medium," and "heavy" to easily categorize the different armors. There is one of each - armor and shield, but helmets are medium and heavy only; there is no light helmet.

CLASSES
Class listing will follow this format:
Class Name, Starting Body and Mind Point values
Starting Equipment
Fluff Description
Restrictions
Special Ability or Spells (if applicable)



Acrobat, 6BP/5MP
Start with dagger, no armor.
Dexterous fighters who rely on swift movement and hit-and-run tactics to survive.
No medium or heavy armor. Thrown, Reach, and Ranged weapons only.
Opportunistic: Acrobat can split a movement phase with an action.

Assassin, 5BP/4MP
Start with dagger, no armor.
Assassins are stealthy fighters with a nose for traps.
No heavy armor. No two handed weapons.
Trap Knack: Assassins can Disarm traps without a Toolkit.

Bard, 5BP/5MP
Start with short sword, no armor.
Casters who focus on manipulation, persuasion, and inspiration. They are also capable melee combatants. Bard spells are called Songs.
No heavy armor. One handed weapons up to 3 AD only. 6 Bard Songs. May choose 3 before a Quest.
Song of Charming: This song makes one monster believe it is your ally. On Zargon’s turn, it will attack the closest monster it can see. The attacked monster may defend as normal. The charmed monster can ignore the spell at once or on a future turn if it rolls a 5 or 6 on one red die. The spell is broken when there are no more monsters it can attack.
Song of Speed: This song may be cast on any one Hero, including yourself. Add one red die to the Hero’s next movement.
Song of Presence: This song makes it difficult for one monster you can see to attack one selected Hero, including yourself. That monster attacks with one less combat die when attacking that Hero. May not be used against undead.
Song of Resistance: This song may be cast on any one Hero, including yourself. Add one extra defend die to a Hero’s next defense.
Song of Healing: This song may be cast on any one Hero, including yourself. Hearing this soothing tune will immediately restore up to 4 lost Body Points, but does not give a Hero more than his starting number.
Song of Lulling: This song fills one monster with oppressive boredom, so it loses its next turn. The bored monster can ignore the spell at once if it rolls a 5 or 6 on one red die.

Druid, 4BP/7MP
Start with dagger, no armor.
Casters who use the power of nature to aid them.
No medium or heavy armor. One handed weapons up to 2 AD only. 3 Plant Spells and 3 Animal Spells. May choose 3 before a Quest.
Druid Spells (taken from the scattergamed link from before and from Ethica's spells... and slightly reworded)
Animal Spells
Lion’s Roar: All monsters in the same room as you are frightened and will move away from you to the full extent of their movement on their next turn. May not be used against undead.
Phantom Beast: This spell summons an ephemeral animal spirit adjacent to a monster. The beast immediately attacks with a number of combat dice equal to your Mind Points.
Spirit of the Forest: This spell summons a great spirit stag, who attacks once with 8 Attack Dice and then disappears. The result can be divided between multiple monsters in the room. May not be used in corridors.
Plant Spells
Reviving Herbs: One Hero is immediately healed for up to 3 Body Points, but not more than his starting number. If the Hero is dead, this spell revives him with 2 Body Points.
Poison Thorns: This spell may be cast on any one monster, causing it to be attacked by poisonous thorns, which inflict 3 Body Points of damage. The monster rolls one combat die for each of its Mind Points. For every Black Shield rolled, damage is reduced by one point.
Bark Skin: This spell can be cast on any one Hero, including yourself. The Hero’s armor turns to bark and absorbs all 1 Body Point of damage attacks. This spell is broken when the Hero takes two or more Body Points of damage.

Duelist, 6BP/4MP
Start with short sword, no armor.
A quick-witted swordsman with reflexes to match.
No heavy armor.
Riposte: If you get hit with an attack of two or more skulls rolled (before you defend), you get a free attack against the attacker with 1 combat die. The enemy defends as normal.

Elementalist, 4BP/8MP (some parts taken from Phoenix’s Imperial Academy (though some of the descriptions on the cards are cut off. How can I find out what they say? And some have typos, will need to be corrected.))
Start with dagger, no armor.
A spellcaster whose focus on the natural elements gives a unique advantage.
No medium or heavy armor. No reach, two handed, or ranged weapons. Only weapons up to 2 AD.
Elemental Specialization: Choose one element to specialize in. Gain 9 spells from that group.
Specialty Spells
Air: Swift Wind, Tempest, Djinn, Net, Soothing Breeze, Disarm, Silence, Air Bubble, Hurricane
Fire: Ball of Flame, Fire of Wrath, Bravery, Blood Burn, Explosion, Fire Lance, Resist Fire, Fire Sheath, Trebuchet
Earth: Pass Through Rock, Rock Skin, Mineral Earth, Molten Ground, Scry, Earth Shield, Stones, Stone Gate, Stonewalk
Water: Sleep, Water of Healing, Toxic Vapors, Heavy Water, Thunderstorm, Circle of Power, Water of Healing, Osmosis, Purification

Hunter, 7BP/5MP
Start with Short sword, no armor.
A fearsome tracker whose greatest goal is the complete eradication of his chosen enemy.
None.
Favored Enemy: Pick one monster type. Against that type, you can roll 1 extra combat die to attack and defend.

Knight, 8BP/5MP
Start with short sword, buckler, leather armor.
Knights are the classic armor-clad protectors of those who cannot protect themselves.
No Ranged weapons.
Selfless Shield: On another Hero’s turn, you can choose to switch places with one adjacent Hero and take the damage your ally would otherwise have taken.

Monk, 6BP/6MP
Start with no weapon, no armor.
Hand-to-hand brawlers who can effectively use their fists and feet as deadly weapons.
No heavy armor. No two handed weapons.
Flurry of Blows: If you are unarmed and wearing light or no armor, you can make an attack with 4 combat dice at more than one adjacent enemy and split the result between the enemies. If you are armed or wearing medium armor, you lose this ability.

Paladin, 7BP/5MP
Start with short sword, buckler.
Chivalrous fighters who are willing to get into the thick of battle.
None.
Valorous Defense: You defend from attacks with Skulls instead of White Shields.

Ranger, 6BP/5MP
Start with short bow, no armor.
Unmatched long range assailants, Rangers prefer sniping their foes from afar.
No heavy armor.
Archer: Your range with all bows is doubled.

Sorcerer, 4BP/8MP
Start with dagger, no armor.
Manipulating magical energy beyond its norm is the Sorcerer’s forte.
No medium or heavy armor. No Ranged, Reach, or Two Handed weapons.
Astral Understanding: Choose three of the 4 base spell groups. After you cast a spell, roll 1d6 and if you roll at or below the current number of unused cards in that spell group, you can keep and recast the spell you just used instead of discarding it.

Thief, 6BP/4MP
Start with dagger, no armor.
As stealthy as they come, and just as greedy.
No medium or heavy armor.
Theft: As your action, you can attempt to steal 1d6x10 gold coins from a monster. If you roll a skull on 1 combat die, you successfully steal the gold. If you roll a White Shield, you are unsuccessful, and rolling a Black Shield means the monster notices your attempt and gets a free immediate attack on you. You defend as normal.

Warlord, 6BP/5MP
Start with short sword, no armor.
Warlords are masters of the battlefield, and view battle as a deadlier version of chess.
None.
Tactical Maneuvering: When you attack an adjacent monster, you can switch places with it if you roll at least 1 Skull, regardless of whether it defends or not.

Warrior, 8BP/4MP
Start with broad sword, no armor.
Warriors are notorious for rushing into battle and returning victorious.
None.
Weapon Master: At the beginning of a quest, choose one weapon. You can deal one extra attack die with this weapon. If the weapon becomes damaged, you lose this ability.



I still need to do some deeper research into those Elementalist spells and make sure a) they are spelled correctly, b) figure out what the cut-off sections actually say, and c) none of the text mentions anything specifically from IA that I am not including, otherwise I'll have to change it.

[el_flesh]

Looks great, Teldurn. I suggest you playtest it here in a play-by-post.

I would love to give it a go, if you'll make a Necromancer class as well hahaha!

[Teldurn]

Looks great, Teldurn. I suggest you playtest it here in a play-by-post.

I would love to give it a go, if you'll make a Necromancer class as well hahaha!

It's so funny you should mention the Necromancer, el_flesh, because just last night as I was putting that post up I thought of making a necro. I wasn't sure of how to work its special ability though, so I left it off. Maybe something like: if you roll a 6 on one red die, you can reanimate the last slain enemy as a zombie minion. It would have 1BP/0MP and 1 combat die for attack and defend. You can have a max number of minions equal to half your MP. You cannot reanimate your own minions if they get killed.

Great minds, eh?

Also, good idea on the play by post. Once I get more meat onto this skeleton of a beast of a ruleset, I'll do a PbP.