UK vs US Armory analogs--wizard bracers

[Jalapenotrellis]

If you go from playing NA to starting Ogre Horde, in looking at the differences between the systems, it looks like the wizard can get 4 defend dice if you allow him to purchase the bracers, which were not in the NA version. Also not in the NA is the wizard cloak as a purchasable item.
Assume if you go from NA to UK, the wizard should still be capped at 3 defence dice, or did y'all allow bracers, making him have the same defense as anyone else who uses a crossbow or battle axe?

[Kurgan]

My solution (NA base here with other version stuff sprinkled in) was to give the Wizard the ability to buy Bracers but jack up the price. He can either save up to buy the jacked up price Cloak (which I allow any Hero to use... it can come in handy for those Pits of Darkness over Chainmail! most will opt for the cheaper Chain though if they can use it)... or he can wait to find the Wizard's cloak, which I give a Champion wizard a green die bonus if he's wearing it (slightly better odds of white shield).

The EU version also, either through an oversight or on purpose, allowed the Wizard to use the magical artifacts... so he could have a single or double (against Orcs) 2 attack or a single 3 or 4 attack vs. undead. His basic Staff does 2 in that version! I didn't make him that powerful but I allowed a champion wizard 2 black dice for his Wizard's staff and that's it.

I figure 2 black dice attack (with diagonal), 4 defense (one of those being a green die) is pretty decent. He'll have to save up for the bracers (and either shell out or wait patiently for the Wizard's Cloak artifact).

I did something similar with my Cleric character. Yes s/he can use weapons equivalent to everyone else, but s/he will have to pay extra for the privilege. So have to save the gold to reach that level (or have generous comrades who will share).

I am doing something similar to the Hasbro Remake, that is designating "Wizard Armor." So while I did open up the Cloak to everybody, the Bracers will be "only" for the Wizard (and Mystic and Ranger... those two classes also can't wear the mail or carrying shields but can wear a cloak with the bracers).

[Daedalus]

While using NA rules with the accompanying Armory and playing a Wizard in a UK expansion or Quest, I'd not allow UK weapons and armor for consistency. Otherwise, issues crop up such as a staff somehow becoming twice as dangerous. This means the Wizard will have to play more conservatively, but good groups should know how to work around this handicap with other NA advantages.

[Kurgan]

To me the EU expansions, when converted to NA rules, become quite difficult (they were intended to challenge EU players as well), so allowing your Heroes a few extra perks isn't unreasonable.

Raising the prices of key pieces of equipment or requiring your players to otherwise earn them will make it not feel like they're being handed extra advantages to make it too easy.

Yes, you can do it without adding new equipment... it just means the Heroes (who can be expected to have maxed out what they could want from the Armory) will be spending their money on Potions and Mercenaries (the latter not available in ATOH by default, but certainly in WOM) instead.

I like my solution, but whatever works for your system.

[Daedalus]

Yeah, you've got a point. Something more for the Wizard is needed as the tougher expansions loom, and no doubt I have some house rule recorded somewhere to handle it.

[Kurgan]

I was going to say that the equivalent for Bracers for the Wizard is the helmet, okay fine. But if I said the equivalent of the cloak for the wizard is chainmail, that's not quite true, because you take more damage if you fall into a Pit of Darkness trap (ATOH, WOM) while wearing certain types of armor (the most from Borin's Armor/Plate, less for chainmail, and a fixed amount for every other configuration). So that's one advantage to the Cloak of Protection/Wizard's Cloak.

Also, if you're using the NA GS Chaos Spells, Rust destroys Helmets (and Swords), but has no effect on the Wizard's armor.

Then again, the WOM equivalent of that spell (also called Rust; for Q1 & 5) affects ANY type of equipment (doesn't specifically say it has to be metal, though strongly implied). Meaning it still doesn't include "Quest Treasures" (Artifacts), like the GS version. Is the (EU) cloak made of metal? But the Wizard's Cloak artifact is immune.
That reminds me, the Elven Chainmail I would think would be a special case. Even though this EQP exclusive has no card, it would seem to be in the same category as Artifacts (it can't be bought or sold at the armory), meaning it also would be immune, but that's an open question. Artifacts in general seem to have a magical quality about them... ordinary metal vulnerable to magical rust, but magical metal not? Artifacts can be destroyed but it's very rare.

Of course Wizard's of Morcar & Against the Ogre Horde are EU Exclusives, but if you're mixing the assets, you're probably open to including, for example, Phoenix's conversions of those expansions to the EU rules anyway...

[santiagov94]

I just found out that the UK had the cards and not the armory! I think it's really cool and I'm going to use those cards, I think I will print them out and putting them into the game. Definitely make them all that stuff available to all the players for the harder quests. And if the heroes are going into the quests really jacked up on armor, you can just throw out a few more monsters and change out the quests a little bit to make it more challenging for the heroes.

[ajjohnsen]

I just found out that the UK had the cards and not the armory! I think it's really cool and I'm going to use those cards, I think I will print them out and putting them into the game. Definitely make them all that stuff available to all the players for the harder quests. And if the heroes are going into the quests really jacked up on armor, you can just throw out a few more monsters and change out the quests a little bit to make it more challenging for the heroes.

Yep, I reacted the same way when I git back into heroquest a few years ago. I much prefer the individual card assets to the Armory cardboard; however...be warned lol as I've now got 2 sets of UK cards, probably 100 I made from this website and now however many just came with the Hasbro Remake. That being said I dont regret it for 1 second

[steeltekki]

I had no idea there were such key differences between UK and NA. I've got so much catching up/learning to do.