More skill cards

[The Road Warrior]

I know there are already some good sets of custom cards like this in the forum. I just wanted to share the set I have been working on.



A few issues I'm looking for help with.

• What rules does anybody who has used skill cards like these have for using them?
• I was thinking I would allow players to buy them from the various different guilds in the town section of the roleplay book I was working on. What price would you sell them for?
• How many skill cards do you allow each player/Hero to possess. Would 1 per Mind point be too unfair on the Barbarian?
• I feel like I'm 1 card short of a full set here. Any suggestions would be gladly appreciated (added Haste)

[Count Mohawk]

I've never played a Quest with skill cards, but I have some ambition to add them to my system at some point. The way I've seen them used is primarily as a minor perk for combat-oriented Heroes, awarded on completion of X number of Quests.

How many each Hero can use should depend on what function you intend to use the cards to fill. Although basing the count on Mind Points would be thematically appropriate (mental Heroes have more tricks up their sleeves), it favors magical Heroes over physical Heroes. If that's an intended feature, than great. If not, maybe you should try basing Skill Card counts on "half the Hero's starting Body Points", rounded in whatever direction makes sense to you.

You've got a decent spread of effects in the above list. Depending on what Rage tokens do for Heroes, you might consider adding an effect that increases the power of a Hero's close-combat attacks for a turn or so. Beyond that, I recommend checking out Ron Shirtz's Combat Cards from the Inn, and Jacob Busby's rules for using them, as two useful references.

There is one potential pitfall to beware: Try to make sure the effects, or at least the theme, of your skill cards remain distinct from those of the Spell Groups your wizards get access to.

[Gold Bearer]

I know there are already some good sets of custom cards like this in the forum. I just wanted to share the set I have been working on.

Nice.

That endure card is hilarious but not very child friendly. I'd be much less worried about them looking at gratuitous pictures of scantily clad sexy women (and the barbarian) than looking at that. Maybe I'm being too cautious.

The extra spell set one is a bit overpowered. If you're using the WoM spell sets I think they're a lot less powerful than the element ones (remember Sotiris uses the enhanced versions) so that would help. Maybe also make it a random spell set each quest, or even one random spell from each set, or let them decide between the two.

What rules does anybody who has used skill cards like these have for using them?

I've never played a Quest with skill cards, but I have some ambition to add them to my system at some point.

Ditto.

I was thinking I would allow players to buy them from the various different guilds in the town section of the roleplay book I was working on. What price would you sell them for?

You could allow them to train in towns and choose a skill that they can then use once per quest. It would allow the heroes to be somewhat personalised which would be quite nice.

How many skill cards do you allow each player/Hero to possess. Would 1 per Mind point be too unfair on the Barbarian?

Yes! Maybe different skills should have different requirements. The combat orientated ones like rage and determination could have a BP requirement instead of MP. If you include the artifacts from the elf and barbarian US expansions plus the custom wizard and dwarf one it would allow them to have access to extra skills as they progress, so would the talisman of lore.

I feel like I'm 1 card short of a full set here. Any suggestions would be gladly appreciated

A skill that allows a hero to fully heal themselves (MP as well) by drinking holy water.

[Goblin-King]

Where did you get the image to enrage from?
It looks like it's actually HeroQuest, yet I just can't recall seeing it anywhere...

[torilen]

Gold bearer said:
I'd be much less worried about them looking at gratuitous pictures of scantily clad sexy women (and the barbarian) than looking at that. Maybe I'm being too cautious.


Maybe I'm just a sexist pig...but I'm the same way. On the few occasions I've shown any old 70's and 80's fantasy art to my 5-now-6-year-old-son,
I've steered more away from the gore pictures than I have the naked female pictures.


Back on subject - I like the pictures for these cards. I think I've used similar skills for some of my own skill cards. I like the idea of allowing
some of the skills being accessed only through guilds in different towns.

[The Road Warrior]

... The way I've seen them used is primarily as a minor perk for combat-oriented Heroes, awarded on completion of X number of Quests...

How many each Hero can use should depend on what function you intend to use the cards to fill. Although basing the count on Mind Points would be thematically appropriate (mental Heroes have more tricks up their sleeves), it favors magical Heroes over physical Heroes. If that's an intended feature, than great...

You've got a decent spread of effects in the above list. Depending on what Rage tokens do for Heroes..

...Try to make sure the effects, or at least the theme, of your skill cards remain distinct from those of the Spell Groups...

I'm looking for something a bit more than just combat-oriented skills. I wanted to produce skills that would allow a player to customise their Hero in a way that suited them with plenty to offer to all different types of Heroes. Maybe they shouldn't be one use cards but it is easier to produce one shot skills and not worry about overpowering the Hero.

I think there is more of use here to the magical Heroes and that is intended. no one ever really complains about the Barbarian or Dwarf

A 'decent spread' was what I was going for, so thanks . Rage Tokens are +1 attack die/-1 defence die while you are holding them. You can read the full rules in my QP Solace and Redemption.

That endure card is hilarious but not very child friendly..

...The extra spell set one is a bit overpowered... If you're using the WoM spell sets I think they're a lot less powerful than the element ones (remember Sotiris uses the enhanced versions) so that would help.

...You could allow them to train in towns and choose a skill that they can then use once per quest. It would allow the heroes to be somewhat personalised which would be quite nice...

Yeah the endure artwork is one of my favourites. As for child friendly, I think it would depend on the child. All three of my boys (age 4,7,8) have seen this card and think it is funny.

I don't think allowing a Wizard or Elf to take extra spell sets overpowers them unless they are suddenly carrying extra healing spells. It just gives them more options. I was intending to allow the Wizard to purchase the WoM spells from the Wizards Guild and let the player take as many of these spell sets into a quest as he wanted but now he will be limited to 4 sets from those he has purchased.

Do you mean they would have to train between each quest to learn skill and once they have used it it is gone forever? Or once per quest like spells?

Where did you get the image to enrage from?

Well I borrowed it from Champion of the Empire. I would love to know where it originates from myself.

I think I've used similar skills for some of my own skill cards.

Probably. I have read through most of the similar card sets in the forum looking for inspiration.

Finally I'm edging towards this as a final card for the set...



A mild counter to the effects of plate armour intended to make that armour more practical or a skill to make your Hero super reliable when moving. It's not a one use card like the rest of the skills so it feels a little wrong but if the intent is to provide a counter to plate armour then making it one use only would be pointless. i'll have to think about it more.

[The Road Warrior]

I already changed my mind about haste
I think the original text will suit an equipment card for some boots better so here is the updated version

[Showdown35]

I already changed my mind about haste
I think the original text will suit an equipment card for some boots better so here is the updated version

I like this one much better for a skill. I have this as a "trait" that can be earned for very experienced heroes. If you want to make it less wordy, you could go with, "You may perform two different actions during your turn. This skill is then discarded."
Just gets rid of the "but may not" clause which I find a bit clunky.

Nice work overall on these skills. I especially like Eagle Eye. I hope you don't mind if I steal that one for my set of traits!

[The Road Warrior]

Thanks. I like your wording as it flows better I just wanted to be clear that you couldn't count 2 attacks as 2 different actions. Also it will need renaming as haste doesn't quite describe it correctly now. I think that Endeavour, Strive or Exert may be more appropriate. So it it will definitely get updated again before I print these cards out.

Help yourself to Eagle Eye. I'm sure most of these cards are 'inspired' by various different topics and discussions we have had here at the Inn. Lightning Reflexes, for example, is a word for word copy of Sotiris' take on the MAM rule

[Gold Bearer]

Do you mean they would have to train between each quest to learn skill and once they have used it it is gone forever? Or once per quest like spells?

Like spells.

Nice work overall on these skills. I especially like Eagle Eye. I hope you don't mind if I steal that one for my set of traits!

That's my favourite too as a mechanic but it's super unrealistic.

I'm not sure about evade. It's very underpowered and it's better if you're more heavily armoured, it should be worse. You could borrow my dodge mechanic, roll one dice for each skull rolled and if you roll any black shields you dodge the attack, must be done before you make your standard defence roll.

Here's a few more combat orientated ideas if you want them:
Strong Throw: Allows you to roll an extra dice/reroll dice/count black shields as skulls when throwing.
Parry: Allows you to use your attack dice to make a defence roll. Must be done before you make your standard defence roll.
Counter Attack: Allows you to attack as a free action immediately after being attacked in melee.
Death Blow: If you roll all skulls in melee this skill can be used to allow no defence roll.