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Expanding and balancing Mercenaries

Discuss other HeroQuest expansion topics that do not fit into the above categories.

Expanding and balancing Mercenaries

Postby Pennywise » May 4th, 2022, 5:08 pm

Heyo! I used to have this game when I was a kid, but just liked playing around with the miniatures instead of figuring out the game proper. But now with the re-release out I've been going through it as the family's Dungeon Master. And looking ahead past the base game, I see that the concept of Mercenaries are introduced; Fairly generic soldiers who can be hired to provide their services for one adventure. This seems like a fun idea -- especially if paired up with the harder later expansions and possible custom adventures -- So I'd like to throw this idea out and see how some people more familiar with the system think it could be balanced.
My idea is that alongside the normal Mercs there are "Hero" mercs which are closer to a player character in ability, but come with personalities and quirks that the players have to take into account when hiring them. I run two groups in my family: The adults which meticulously and strategically comb over an entire dungeon, and the kids who run in screaming and burst into laughter when the Elf winds up fighting a Gargoyle from the bottom of a pit trap. The idea here is that the extra power will allow the children to scrape by most of their escapades without completely wiping the party in tough adventures, while the adults get to theorycraft optimal hirelings based on risk vs reward and overall cost.

Here are a couple of examples I've been kicking around:

Glory Hound
A savage hailing from the same lands of the Barbarian, seeking fame though combat. Cares for little besides raw physical prowess, considering both magic and stealth cowardly.

Attack Dice: 4
Defend Dice: 3
Body Points: 8
Mind Points: 5

Trait: Impatient
This character does not do search actions, and does not wait for other players searching or positioning. Once a battle has ended, the Glory Hound immediately moves to open more doors in search of the next battle.
Trait: Magic Hater
This character tries to resist all magic, including friendly spells. When resisting as friendly spell both the Glory Hound and the Caster roll HQ dice equal to their Mind Points. If the Glory Hound rolls more skulls or ties the spell is resisted, if the Caster rolls more skulls the spell takes effect normally. The Glory Hound, however, can still hold and use health potions.

The idea behind this one is that the Glory Hound is a mini-Barbarian (after the Barb is equipped properly) who can be rather strong in fights, but also winds up activating fights for the party a lot quicker than normal and thus can get them into hot water fast. The Glory Hound is also unreliable to heal via support spells, making it a place to put all the extra Potions of Healing seasoned adventurers tend to pile up.

--

Apprentice Necromancer
A fledgling student of the darker arts, this mage seeks to expand her knowledge and test out her experiments in the crypts and ruins adventurers are already plundering for various reasons. She is willing to cooperate and lend her aid... to a point.

Attack Dice: 1 (Will only attack diagonally. If used on a Skeleton or Zombie, a successful hit will instead let her control the Monster for it's next action)
Defend Dice: 4
Body Points: 4
Mind Points: 5

Spell: Impurity Purge
Target regains 1 Body point at the start of their next 5 turns.
Spell: Raise Zombie
Caster raises a Zombie in a square where a monster or Hero died last or this round. This Zombie has the same stats as a normal monster of it's type, but is controlled by the caster and also acts on her turn. If a Hero is raised in this way, the Zombie also has any additional Defense Die granted by the perished Hero's equipment.
Spell: Raise Skeleton
Caster raises a Skeleton in a square where a monster or Hero died last round. This Skeleton has the same stats as a normal Skeleton of it's type, but is controlled by the caster and also acts on her turn. If a Hero is raised in this way, the Skeleton also has any additional Defense Die granted by the perished Hero's equipment.
Cloak of Shadows:
As the Wizards of Zargon spell. Creates an area of darkness which prevents any attacks against or from those inside it.

Trait: Fairweather
This character will not endanger herself on behalf of others. She will only contribute in melee if foes are completely incapable of reaching her for a straight attack afterwards, stays behind the party whenever possible, and may retreat to the entrance of the adventure if she is brought to low health or a battle seems lost.
Trait: Death Touch
This character's melee attack cannot harm the Undead.

The Apprentice Necromancer is a support that does not actually support you. She technically has the strongest heal spell in the game, but it's a gradual heal; Meaning it's better used between fights or pre-emptively on a frontliner than saving someone from mortal peril. She can create a permanent area of safety, but it is up to others to capitalize on that after her heal is spent. She can also turn the numbers against your enemies by raising fallen Monsters. Said reinforcements may not last long, but any attacks aimed at them are not aimed at more important Heroes. In desperate situations she may even save the day by giving fallen allies one last hurrah, but if even that is not enough they will merely be meatshields to cover her own retreat.
Plus, it's fun to tell the Barbarian that he's a skeleton now. The kids'll love that one.

So, what do you guys think? Would they work as intended? What would you set the price range for hiring one for a quest? Got any tweaks you'd suggest, or perhaps more character ideas along these lines?
Pennywise
 
Posts: 1
Joined: May 4th, 2022, 4:53 pm
Forum Language: English (United States)
Evil Sorcerer: Zargon

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