Dwarf Miners

[The Admiral]

[This topic was moved from Board index ‹ HeroQuest Rooms ‹ General HeroQuest Discussion on 4/16/18. -edit]

In my upcoming play of 'Out of the wastes', the Heroes can meet 3 Dwarf Miners in Encounter 5; if they're quick enough! If these guys survive I will have them join the party as henchmen. I've Just bought some Dwarf Miners off ebay. They are armed with a two handed pickaxe. Has anyone used such a weapon in their games?

I could just treat it as Battle axe, but I think it would be a little unwieldy in hand to hand combat. Maybe just 3 attack dice, but it would be good at penetrating armour if a blow could be struck, so armoured targets lose a defence die?

I would also like to give them some digging capacity. They can attack any adjacent wall as their action, and if they roll all skulls (3), they create a doorway if there is a room or corridor on the other side. If it's solid rock you just tell the player you've made a big hole in the rock!

[knightkrawler]

These guys are miners. And their tools are not at all meant to be weapons, so I'd say a pickaxe is a staff (2AD, diagonal).

[Pancho]

I like the digging rules. Maybe if they don't roll 3 skulls just say they are unsuccessful, don't actually disclose whether there is a room on the other side or not. This will keep them guessing, and sweating on whether to continue with the attempt or press on to another area.

I think 3 combat dice for the pickaxes is about right. Although it's not an item whose primary function is a weapon, it is wielded with two hands by an expert with the tool who also happens to have really strong arms.

[The Admiral]

I like the digging rules. Maybe if they don't roll 3 skulls just say they are unsuccessful, don't actually disclose whether there is a room on the other side or not. This will keep them guessing, and sweating on whether to continue with the attempt or press on to another area.

I think 3 combat dice for the pickaxes is about right. Although it's not an item whose primary function is a weapon, it is wielded with two hands by an expert with the tool who also happens to have really strong arms.

Yes definitely, if the attempt is unsuccessful they get told nothing. Only if they roll the 3 skulls do they get confirmation one way or another. In our games we play with Evil Wizard cards, so time is the enemy and continuous digging attempts will come at a cost.

[Gold Bearer]

I think three dice, two handed is spot on but a one in eight chance might mean it's never really worth trying. Two skulls might be too easy, maybe two skulls with no black shield.

Two skulls with a black shield could cause a collapse so they get hit with a falling rock trap but the alcove they dug means you don't put a tile down so they don't get trapped. Just an idea.

[The Admiral]

I think three dice, two handed is spot on but a one in eight chance might mean it's never really worth trying. Two skulls might be too easy, maybe two skulls with no black shield.

Two skulls with a black shield could cause a collapse so they get hit with a falling rock trap but the alcove they dug means you don't put a tile down so they don't get trapped. Just an idea.

I'll stick with 3 skulls as I want to make it difficult for them, otherwise the little buggers will be knocking holes all over my dungeon!

I like the rock collapse idea as a penalty though. I think that each black shield rolled is damage that has to be defended. So 2 black shields means you roll a normal defence against what is in effect a 2 skull attack. If 3 black shields are rolled it causes a catastrophic collapse, and the miner is hit with a full falling block trap effect i.e. roll a further 3 dice, take a BP hit for each skull rolled. place a block tile in the space, and move to a vacant space.

Thanks for the idea.

[Gold Bearer]

I'll stick with 3 skulls as I want to make it difficult for them, otherwise the little buggers will be knocking holes all over my dungeon!

I like the rock collapse idea as a penalty though. I think that each black shield rolled is damage that has to be defended. So 2 black shields means you roll a normal defence against what is in effect a 2 skull attack. If 3 black shields are rolled it causes a catastrophic collapse, and the miner is hit with a full falling block trap effect i.e. roll a further 3 dice, take a BP hit for each skull rolled. place a block tile in the space, and move to a vacant space.

I suggested that you could use the excuse of the rocks ending up in the part of the wall they removed so you wouldn't have to put down a tile that could trap them or close off a part of the dungeon they need to get to.

Thanks for the idea.

[j_dean80]

Sounds like a good Quest idea. Heroes must rescue miners and only way out is for them to put holes in certain walls. Almost like a maze.

[The Admiral]

I suggested that you could use the excuse of the rocks ending up in the part of the wall they removed so you wouldn't have to put down a tile that could trap them or close off a part of the dungeon they need to get to.

Ah yes, good point. I'll just have 3 Black Shields as a 3 Skull attack like the other rolls, with no block tile.

[The Admiral]

Sounds like a good Quest idea. Heroes must rescue miners and only way out is for them to put holes in certain walls. Almost like a maze.

The Miners as henchmen is my idea, but the finding of the miners is in one of the encounters from the Out of the Wastes questpack by clmckay.