Confred's RPG Customs - Chapter 4 - Old Crow!

[Confred]

*New*
Filch (Image and Scramble update)

Filch
Old Crow

Old Crow

Archive
Dungeons & Dragons:::::

Spoiler Alert!

Dragonblood Kobold (Dragonwrought Kobold) Commentary
Dread Warrior Commentary
Kobold Zombie Commentary
Spellscale Sorcerer Commentary
War Ape Commentary
Warden of the Woods Commentary

Mice & Mystics:::::

Spoiler Alert!

Heroes
Collin
Tilda
Filch
Maginos
Lily
Nez

Minions
Rat Jailers (1st Test)

Other
Old Crow

Customs without assigned figures:::::

Spoiler Alert!

Ekin Soultrader (Machineking edit)
EverQuest:
Brohg, Ogre Shaman
Methis, Half-Elf Druid
Nepin, Halfling Cleric (Now Vydar)
Rastaf, High Elf Wizard
Rammu, Human Ranger
Sacel, Human Warrior (Now Einar)
Taxl, Iksar Necromancer

Standard Glyphs:
Glyph of Power Node

Treasure Glyphs:
Glyph Of Accurate Bow <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Acorn Helmet <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Bone Knife <Mice & Mystics><Heart Of Glorm>
Glyph Of Boots
Glyph Of Boots of Acceleration
Glyph Of Boots of Retreat
Glyph Of Breastplate
Glyph Of Breastplate of Bravery
Glyph Of Breastplate of Clutch
Glyph Of Breastplate of Daring
Glyph Of Breastplate of Endurance
Glyph Of Button Shield <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Clawbiter <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Clockwork Grenade <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Collin's Sword <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Dagger <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Enchanted Bow <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Fickle Amulet <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Filch's Dagger <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Ginger Root Wand <Mice & Mystics><Heart Of Glorm>
Glyph Of Gloves
Glyph Of Greaves
Glyph Of Helmet
Glyph Of Leather Breastplate <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Levitate Scroll <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Lily's Bow <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Longbow
Glyph Of Longsword
Glyph Of Lucky Skullcap <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Maginos' Staff <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Mystic Blade <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Needle Rapier <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Nez's Hammer <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Reinforced Shield
Glyph Of Scorching Wand <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Shield
Glyph Of Shifting Cloak
Glyph Of Short Bow
Glyph Of Short Sword
Glyph Of Slicing Dagger <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Smacky Hammer
Glyph Of Spear <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Sturdy Shield
Glyph Of Swinging Rope <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Sword
Glyph Of Tattered Threads of Reason <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Thimble Helm <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Throwing Daggers <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Tilda's Mace <Mice & Mystics>
Glyph Of Warding Staff <Mice & Mystics>

Power Glyphs:
[url="http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/4/5/7/1/power_glyph_of_protect_49851_original.jpg]Power Glyph Of Protect[/url]

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs

Spoiler Alert!

EverQuest player characters from my adventures back in the day. (Innoruuk Server)
=
Rastaf Skycaster - Einar (Aquilla?)
High Elf
Wizard
Confident
Medium 5
-
Life 4
Move 6
Range 7
Attack 5
Defense 2
Points 70 (?)
-
QUAD PULL
After moving Rastaf, move up to 4 opponent's unengaged figures up to 4 spaces each. Each figure moved this way must have had clear sight with Rastaf at any point during the move and must move towards Rastaf, ending their movement next to him if possible. Figures moved this way are never attacked for leaving an engagement.

Spoiler Alert!

--
Quick Bio: Rastaf was an elite player that held a shroud of awe around him. In a time when spellcasters got absolutely slaughtered he would be in the areas people dreaded running without fear with a horde of enemies behind him.
He was the mentor of Rammu
=
Rammu - Ullar (Aquilla)
Human
Ranger
Precise (Disciplined)
Medium 5
-
Life 4
Move 6
Range 6
Attack 2
Defense 4
Points 85 (95) (?)
-
DUAL WIELDING
Rammu may attack adjacent figures an additional time.
TAG PULL
After Rammu attacks a nonadjacent figure or immediately when an opponent's figure moves within 5 clear spaces of Rammu, end that figure's movement and then you may move it an additional 4 spaces towards Rammu, ending its movement adjacent to Rammu if possible. Figures moved this way are never attacked for leaving an engagement.

Spoiler Alert!

--
Quick Bio: Rammu was a quiet and controlled individual that introduced to me the concept of chain pulling, a tactic invented by him and Rastaf - mainly Rastaf, that Sacel later utilized to gain his fame and make as a staple technique for any adventuring party.
=
Sacel Baeggor - Jandar (Einar) (Vydar)
Half-Troll
Warrior
Tricky (Determined)
Medium 5
-
Life 5
Move 5
Range 1
Attack 3
Defense 4
Points 90 (80) (?)
-
ADVANCED TACTICAL SWITCH
When Sacel attacks an opponent's small, medium, or large figure, before rolling the attack dice, you may switch spaces with Sacel and that figure. After switching spaces, Sacel must continue that attack, if possible.
DEFENSIVE DISCIPLINE
If Sacel would receive any wounds from a normal attack, he receives half that amount rounded up instead.

Spoiler Alert!

--
Quick Bio: My character. I was the best on the server for positioning the enemy, an incredibly important role that most overlooked and thus those in party did much more than most thought possible.

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Warden of the Wood / Kobolds

Spoiler Alert!

I am still getting used to the Gallery and I still don't know how to embed pictures, so for now the links will go to the Gallery.

Warden of the Wood
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/showimage.php?i=6731&c=10
"She protects her and her own
An army of these can be beastly... against melee normal attackers
Life 2 for an interesting tension/balance. Range 6 to match the aura range, which is essentially an attack.
Experimented with referencing another ability, and to a lesser extent the assumption that multiple instances of an ability doesn't stack. Counter Strike is Counter Strike and never Counter Strike Strike.
Updated card with hitzone and placeholder units window"

BRIAR AURA
All figures who follow Ullar that control within 6 clear sight spaces of this Warden of the Wood have Counter Strike. If a figure already has Counter Strike, add 2 to its defense dice. This Warden of the Wood's Briar Aura does not affect this Warden of the Wood.

COUNTER STRIKE
When rolling defense dice against a normal attack from an adjacent attacking figure, all excess shields count as unblockable hits on the attacking figure.

=
Dragonblood Kobold (Dragonwrought Kobold)
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/showimage.php?i=6753&catid=favorites
"Kobolds are individually weak but gang up to become a pesky foe.
Kobold Ambush experiments with the precedent set by Double Attack. The initial attack is a 'real' attack that triggers all abilities off of attacks, any attacks that ensue do not trigger and loops do not form.
Updated card with hitzone and placeholder units window"

KOBOLD AMBUSH
After this Dragonblood Kobold attacks any figure, each Kobold you control able to attack that figure may immediately do so.

FIRE SPOUT SPECIAL ATTACK
Range Special. Attack 2.
Choose 2 spaces in a straight line from this Dragonblood Kobold. All figures on those spaces are affected by this attack. Roll 2 attack dice once. Affected figures roll defense dice separately.

FLYING
When counting spaces for a Dragonblood Kobold's movement, ignore elevations. A Dragonblood Kobold may fly over water without stopping, pass over figures without becoming engaged, and fly over obstacles such as ruins. When a Dragonblood Kobold starts to fly, if he is engaged he will take any leaving engagement attacks.

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Warden of the Wood / Kobolds

Spoiler Alert!

Spellscale Sorcerer
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/showimage.php?i=6738&catid=newimages
"The original dealt mostly with defensive abilities, such as counter spells. This interpretation thus protects against Special Attacks.
Powerlevel adjusted for being Common and having an Aura."

ANTIMAGIC AURA
All friendly figures within 2 clear sight spaces of this Spellscale Sorcerer roll 1 additional defense die against special attacks. This Spellscale Sorcerer is not affected by his own Antimagic Aura.
=
Kobold Zombie
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/showimage.php?i=6737&c=newimages
"Kobolds are tricky, even in death. These move in mass, never knowing which will attack.
Alternative to Deathreavers
Playing with Special Power rewording precedent set by Izumi to take the core of a power and tweak a variable or two without changing the name."

HORDE MOVEMENT
You may move up to 12 Kobold Zombies you control each turn. However, you may only attack with 1 Kobold Zombie. You may attack with any Kobold Zombie you control, even if it did not move this turn.

ZOMBIES RISE AGAIN
If a Kobold Zombie that you control destroys an opponent's small Kobold, replace that figure immediately, if possible, with one of your own previously destroyed Kobold Zombies. Undead are not affected by Zombies Rise Again.
=
Dread Warrior
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/showimage.php?i=6736&c=newimages
"The original was a mindless, undead warrior that kept fighting as long as it was commanded.
Experimenting with a powerful reincarnation ability on a common figure.
Low Life / High Defense fairs well with Utgar"

REVENANT
If this Dread Warrior is engaged, you cannot move this Dread Warrior.

REJECTED BY DEATH
At the start of each of your turns after this Dread Warrior has been destroyed, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 19 or higher, immediately place this Dread Warrior on a space adjacent to any figure you control and remove all Wound Markers on this card.

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - War Ape / Tavern Brawler

Spoiler Alert!

Almost out of figures to make cards for and I still don't know how to post pictures. But without further ado

War Ape
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/showimage.php?i=6745&c=favorites

FEROCIOUS CHARGE
If a War Ape attacks a figure it did not start the turn adjacent to, add 3 dice to its attack.

This figure looks so cool; I wanted to do it justice. His pose is running, so the ability encourages barreling into nonadjacent foes.
He's a cruise missile of sorts and should do a lot of damage.

Tavern Brawler RIP

DISORDERLY CONDUCT
If you place an Order Marker on this card, you must place at least two on this card. Before revealing an Order Marker to take a turn with this Tavern Brawler, an opponent reveals an Order Marker from this Army Card. If he reveals the correct Order Marker for this turn, take the turn normally. If he reveals any other Order Marker. Do not take a turn as normal. Remove a wound marker from this Army Card. That opponent moves this Tavern Brawler 5 different spaces if possible. This Tavern Brawler attacks if possible. Friendly figures can be attacked, but not figures you control. Remove the revealed Order Marker from this Army Card and skip that next turn.

The ability is lengthy and his drawback is high, and complex. I thought for a long while on this figure and this ability is what came after a rest-on-it session. What I fear is the opponent running him off and having him never be able to effectively cross the battlefield. The move might then reduce to 3 during that drawback turn.
Playtesting should reveal his powerlevel and what tweaks to make.
I considered Defense 3 during Design. But for Flavor reasons I set it at 2.

 

[Fen_Hydra]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - War Ape / Tavern Brawler

Nice customs! What figures did you use for these?

For posting pictures, try right-clicking on the picture and go to properties. It should list the web address there and you can either then use the 'insert image' button or use the

tags. That should allow you to post the pictures.

Using the WAR APE custom (in gallery),

1: Using 'insert image':

2: Using IMG tags:

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - War Ape / Tavern Brawler

Spoiler Alert!

All my customs are named after their original D&D Minis names - Except Dragonblood Kobold, which is originally Dragonwrought Kobold.

I have tried both methods to post the pictures and all I get is the little box
Using the 'Insert Image' icon

Copying the "<img> Tag Code address":
<img src="http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/4/5/7/1/war_ape_295843.jpg" alt="D&d - War Ape" />
-
Using the right click + insert image technique:

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Final Product:

Spoiler Alert!

War Ape - Utgar
Ape
Common Hero
Beast
Ferocious
Medium 6
-
Life 1
Move 6
Range 1
Attack 3
Defense 3
Points 50
-
FEROCIOUS CHARGE
If a War Ape attacks a figure it did not start the turn adjacent to, add 3 dice to its attack.

 

[Winin]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

I like the spellscale sorcerer! Great looking/fitting figure, and interesting stats/special.

 

[wolfeman1968]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Warden of the Woods is too powerful....in a 500 point army you could have 5 wardens for a possible 11 dice counterstrike for each figure. Use this ability only on a Unique Hero.

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Yet for 90pts you are investing in a 2 life figure and Counter Strike only works against normal attacks.
The power stacking was an intended design challenge.
90pts is the estimated floor.
110 is the estimated ceiling.

 

[wolfeman1968]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

With 5 wardens you would still have 11 defence dice for special or range attack. Another possiblity if you have 2 wardens, 1st warden gives you counterstrike and second would give you extra defense...consider
Wardens X3 -270
Charos -210
Kyntela Gwyn. -20 = 500 pts
If setup correctly Charos defense 11 dice, wardens 8 defense dice each and Kyntela 6 defense counterstrike.

Tavern Brawler is a little confusing in the wording...If I understand you must have at least 2 OM on him, you have a minimum 50% chance to use him (33% with 3 OM and 25% for 4 markers). If your opponent gets a turn with him, he heals, move him 5 spaces and attacks....this is the confusing part... all the you and opponent not sure who he can attack..Can he attack the original owners figures, only freindly army figures, or the opponents army figures???
I did a Viking brawler and allowed him to attack multiple times but never the same figure (imagine a guy swinging wildly at everyone around him)

I like Spellscale but might up him to 60pts

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Tavern Brawler definitely needs work. Especially with Drow Chainfighter upping the power level on 25 pt figures. Currently he just isn't worth the trouble.

Spellscale upped from 50pts to 60pts

And I will muse over the Warden
I really liked the Warden, it was my first favorite. But as with any good custom, the designer must bend to changes.

I like the +2 Bonus / Attack 2, Range 6 / Range 6 relation
For now I will power it down significantly and give one static +2.

Now to figure out the wording,
What I want:
Figures within range get Counter Strike
If the figure already has Counter Strike, it gets +2 Defense once, regardless of how many Wardens are within range.

 

[wolfeman1968]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Briar Aura
All figures who follow Ullar that you control that are within 6 clear site spaces of a Warden of the Wood receive the Counter Strike ability. If a figure already has counter strike they roll 2 additional defense dice. Figures can only be affected by no more then 2 Briar Auras and only get one defense bonus. Warden of the Wood can not be affected by thier own Aura.

EDIT to include being able to benefit from 2 auras

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Close; I want one Warden to grant CS and the second+ to grant Defense.

Playing around with it, I might allow them all to stack but have the bonus only be +1.
270pts for +3 Defense or +2+CS isn't OP
even 5x for a 500pt army creates little more than a Deathwalker.
Question then is: At +1, is the card good enough to draft?
Is +2 once more fun? If there were 3 or more, it would be easier positioning them. Yes, this is the way I like it - Like herdsmen. The unlimited stacking is a Jandar thing.

Does this work?
BRIAR AURA
All figures who follow Ullar that you control within 6 clear sight spaces of this Warden of the Wood have the Counter Strike special power. If a figure already has Counter Strike, add 2 to its defense dice.This Warden of the Wood's Briar Aura never adds more than 2 additional defense dice and does not affect this Warden of the Wood.

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Spoiler Alert!

Warden of the Wood - Ullar
Elf
Uncommon Hero
Druid
Loyal
Medium 5
-
Life 2
Move 5
Range 6
Attack 2
Defense 3
Points 90
-
BRIAR AURA
All figures who follow Ullar that you control within 6 clear sight spaces of this Warden of the Wood have the Counter Strike special power. If a figure already has Counter Strike, add 2 to its defense dice. This Warden of the Wood's Briar Aura does not affect this Warden of the Wood and never adds more than 2 additional defense dice if you control more than one Warden of the Wood.

COUNTER STRIKE
When rolling defense dice against a normal attack from an adjacent attacking figure, all excess shields count as unblockable hits on the attacking figure.
--
Battle Report:
Replaying the last mission in the Campaign, I replace the 280 points worth of Heroes for Warden of the Woods x2 + Warriors of Ashra + Arkmer (280)

Range 6 for the Aura and Attack is impressive
Life 2 balances it out
Decreasing Range increases Life
I like the Deathwalker vibe she brings to the party
I like the two+ Warden Synergy
Counter Strike + Defensive Agility is borderline broken.
> One shield blocks all damage and thus all other shields are excess shields. o.0
Special Attacks still eat through the army

But still, something seems off. She will probably bump up to 4 in life and down to 4 in range.

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Spoiler Alert!

Dread Warrior - Utgar
Undead
Uncommon Hero
Warrior
Terrifying
Medium 4
-
Life 3
Move 6
Range 1
Attack 3
Defense 5
Points 100
-
REVENANT
If this Dread Warrior is engaged, you cannot move this Dread Warrior.

REJECTED BY DEATH
At the start of each of your turns after this Dread Warrior has been destroyed, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 19 or higher, immediately place this Dread Warrior on a space adjacent to any figure you control and remove all Wound Markers on this card.
--
The Dread Warrior is another cool sculpt, so I expanded upon its D&D design further. the original undead warrior was left idle and without allegiance, ready to be commanded, this version returns to rid the battlefield of its given enemy. It will not stop until it is dead.

High Defense / Low Life to match the Utgar theme.
--
Battle Report:
Substituting the Heroes in the last room of the Campaign, 2 Dread Warriors and 1 Spellscale Sorcerer get owned by Othkurik in short order.

The Rejected By Death seemed awesome on an undead, even though it never went off. I feel That these guys work best in masses and muck up the ground, buying time for more to respawn.
Points drop from 100 to 80

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Spoiler Alert!

Spellscale Sorcerer - Jandar
Dragonborn
Uncommon Hero
Sorcerer
Resolute
Medium 5
-
Life 3
Move 5
Range 3
Attack 3
Defense 2
Points 60
-
ANTIMAGIC AURA
All friendly figures within 2 clear sight spaces of this Spellscale Sorcerer roll 1 additional defense die against special attacks. This Spellscale Sorcerer is not affected by his own Antimagic Aura.
--
Auras are powerful effects that must be kept in check, yet two of my uncommon figures have such abilities. This was the challenge. For Ullar, I created a herdsman type character with fragile body and longer range. With Jandar, the range is reduced significantly to encourage clumping and squad formation. Likewise, the effect is smaller to encourage more to be included, with an additional +10 points (50+10) to create drafting tension vs. auto include.
And like Jandar, the bonuses stack and are not artificially capped.
-
I like how he can zap things out of his protection range.
--
Battle Report
Substituting the Heroes for 2 Dread Warriors and 1 Spellscale Sorcerer in the last room of the Campaign, the sorcerer gets owned on turn 2 of the 1st round. Defense 2, Life 3, and short range forcing him to be close are critically fragile combination.
He stays at 60 points, but might drop back down to the original 50 if the frailty is just too much.

 

[Confred]

Re: Conefed's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

Kobold Zombie: I am not a fan of this one. Spoilered is the card and its discussion.

Spoiler Alert!

Kobold Zombie - Utgar
Undead
Common Hero
Savage
Terrifying
Small 2
-
Life 1
Move 3
Range 1
Attack 1
Defense 3
Points 10
-
HORDE MOVEMENT
You may move up to 12 Kobold Zombies you control each turn. However, you may only attack with 1 Kobold Zombie. You may attack with any Kobold Zombie you control, even if it did not move this turn.

ZOMBIES RISE AGAIN
If a Kobold Zombie that you control destroys an opponent's small Kobold, replace that figure immediately, if possible, with one of your own previously destroyed Kobold Zombies. Undead are not affected by Zombies Rise Again.
--
Zombies converting others into more zombies is too iconic to overlook. Using Izumi Counter Strike as precedent for niche changes to an ability I made the adjustment to Zombies Rise Again to allow only Small Kobolds to be converted. And just in case the tech comes down the road later to all for both Undead and Zombie to exist on a single card, I kept the clause that it doesn't work on Undead.
For the other ability I started with the thought of why would anybody ever draft a tiny Kobold Zombie? I have only one figure of it, so it must be a Hero. Kobolds are tricky tunnel scurriers, perhaps I could have a mass undead movement bonus. But then That didn't make sense affecting all zombies, So I reworked the ability to include only undead Kobolds. From here the ability tweaked and tuned and reworded to basically the same as the Classic Zombies of Moridan. If it's available use it. Venom and Spiderman show that different bodies play differently. Using the same Izumi precedent, I pushed the limits to ability niching for this version of Horde Movement.
I intend for this Kobold Zombie to be a Deathreaver variant.

 

[Confred]

Mice & Mystics!

Mice & Mystics!: I've been daydreaming on and off on this conversion since I discovered the product. After a night and day, here are the results:
Heroscape's smallest heroes: Mice!
Challenge: 5pt, Life 1 heroes
1st draft
SIZE ERROR: The uploaded figures all actually have +1 height to what is shown on their cards. Mice 3; Rats 4; Centipede 4
ART: I have pictures but haven't yet converted them to hit zones.

Nez

Buff; Nez is the tinkerer that fashions the misc into usable weaponry and hones the already usable. Attack 3 Defense 0 called to me.
Lily

Glyph and item grabber, her offensive power was toned downward to make room for Maginos
Maginos

Ranged Attacker; enhanced by height, items, and Nez, Maginos is a key player.
Filch

Best Attacker; give him weapons and let him go. Keep him adjacent to Nez for greater punishment.
Tilda

Support; Interesting designing a healer for a 1Life hero squad. Once I had Draw Power in place with Maginos, a defensive version fell suit. I dislike that it doesn't assist against things like web, cyber claw, poisons, and curses - but what can you do? Considering allowing her to reroll blanks because she feels sorry or empathetic for their failings. Rerolling blanks is better, so the worse option is typically better to keep points down.
Collin

The Leader that keeps the team going.

Scramble and Scatter were too tempting to pass up. I love paying homage.
Scramble evolved from Scatter moving 2 figures when obviously a hero is only 1. Now any 2 things with the ability can be moved, not just any 2 with the same name. Disengage comes from all the heroes having only 1 Life. I toyed with "Stealth Scatter", but scatter doesn't allow anything with scatter - just things of the same name.

"Noble" is a placeholder personality because I haven't actually played the game and don't know the figure's personalities.

Spoiler Alert!

 

[Taeblewalker]

Re: Confred's D&D Customs - Now with Pictures

I really like your spellscale sorcerer. I haven't played Mice and Mystics so I really can't comment on your latest creations.

 

[Confred]

Re: Confred's RPG Customs - Mice & Mystics

Mice don't scurry because they're cowards; they do so because they're squishy!

After half a dozen games in round 1 of testing, I can say the games are tense. It's like Russian Roulette - you can die at any time.

Lily was the main figure being tested
Explorer felt good with her moving all those spaces. A strike range of 13 didn't feel intended however. Added a clause, ala {Tracking}, that stops her from being able to attack if she explores:
EXPLORER
After Lily moves, if she is not engaged, she may move again. If she does, she cannot attack this turn.

Collin
Just as I preferred {Lessons Learned} over the existing {Disarm Traps}, {Mouse Hero Bonding} felt off. I don't like the idea of Collin hiding away to minimize OM loss, or of guaranteeing him to be the one that carries the markers. I wanted to utilize the phrase {Born To Lead} as a power, comparable but different - hopefully more flavorful:
BORN TO LEAD
After revealing a numbered order marker from Collin and before taking that turn, you may take a turn with any hero you control that is adjacent to Collin.
I got the tingles thinking of Collin using his natural talents leading nonmice throughout Valhalla.

So far, the strategy is to explore Lily out to fetch glyphs, treasures even better. She's fast and she disarms pesky traps.
Will add Nez or Filch soon to the mix to see how it goes.

 

[Confred]

Re: Confred's RPG Customs - Mice & Mystics

After PLAY TEST Round 2 (Collin, Lily, Nez vs Isamu):

{Born To Lead} change was just the touch Collin needed. Lily explored to her glyph but was left stranded without Collin's leadership - which opened up positioning decisions with Nez and Collin.
Collin Approved (version 1.2)
PERSONALITY still pending

The change to {Explorer} also felt correct. She had the opportunity to range attack Isamu after her second move, but after the change she instead was unable to and continued her route to the glyph - to which she easily disarmed with her {Lessons Learned}.
Lily Approved (Version 1.2)
PERSONALITY still pending

Nez didn't get to Tinker, but he did get in some hammertime. After rolling 1's and 2's, the 3 dice felt burly. 0 Defense also felt right. He didn't feel weak, he felt like an aging tough hitting blacksmith armored only with an apron.
ATTACK 3 approved
DEFENSE 0 approved
------
PLAY TEST round 3: Collin + Lily + Nez + Filch (20pts) vs Marcu (20pts)
Collin: Multiple times I wanted to do Collin's actions first and then lead. His 1 Defense keeps his impressive 2 Attack in check.
Lily: Key player in grabbing glyphs. 1st om on Collin and then 2nd on her for the return.
Nez: Once Collin put on his Treasure Glyph Of +1 Defense, he became Attack 3 and Defense 3 - an impressive figure by mice standards. I was beginning to think it too much when Marcu flies in and easily rends Nez. 0 Defense + relevant close quarters power = balancing sauce.
Filch: I like how Filch is essentially unimpressive until he gets a weapon in his paw. In a lulworthy turn, Marcu's Hatred forces him to drop his own Treasure Glyph and run away. Filch, with his impressive Move 6 was able to scurry in and pick up the treasure with his Prehensile Tail and scurry back to where Marcu landed to attack him and again.
Winners: Mice with 1 dead Nez; vs Marcu with 6 wounds.
----
PLAY TEST round 4; Collin-Tilda-Filch-Lily-Maginos{25pts} vs Drow Chainfighter{25pts}
Chainfighter is a beast for his Points and on the Sorocco map is particularly nasty.
Maginos: His attack potential was apparent. Chainfighter Hid however and then Maginos was answered in full. Maginos is slow and squishy, attack potential considered balanced for now.
Draw Power: Do I need to clarify that the defending figure rolls defense only once?
Tilda: Like Maginos, I suspect her boost to be considerable. She however is not affected by her own boost and was taken down easily before contributing in anyway.
Collin: I'm fine with the Lead figure to take its turn before Collin - This order helps somewhat with glyph dropoffs. However, the reverse should be tested.
Filch Had a Treasure, so could attack twice, but the attacks were still just for 1 each.
Lily: In all these battles, I forgot to Scramble - until this one at the end. Scrambling revealed itself to not just be for keeping the group together, but for additional moves towards the next glyph.
Scramble isn't intended to trigger Explorer and I'm not convinced it does, but if it causes confusion I'll figure a way to denote it.
Nez: I assume he doesn't trigger Scramble since he doesn't roll dice for defense. EDIT: He does trigger Scramble - and I'm ok with it.

 

[Confred]

Re: Confred's RPG Customs - Mice & Mystics

Teaser Submission:

I've been working on 50 and counting Treasure Glyphs, 25 and counting Power Glyphs, and a dozen or so figures related to Mice & Mystics.

 

[Confred]

Re: Confred's RPG Customs - Mice & Mystics

MINIONS

Design Notes:
Originally, I had one card for Rat Warriors. Then as I read the free sample chapter, I figured it would be cool and more thematic to have a card for each different type of rat, slowly revealing tougher foes as the party ventures on.
The Jailers are the party's first encounter and I wanted them to make them the weakest version of Rat.
Defense: The source material has Rats at Attack 2 Defense 2. These are weaker at 2/1, but in their home environment - jails outside of dungeons? nahh - they are equivalent to their more expensive cousins.
Surge: Surge is a mechanic in the source game. There's a surge timer that will eventually repopulate the encounter. So all* the enemies have it. At 20, it's not likely, but it's still a possibility.
now to try them out
CHAPTER 1 - Three brave mice search for their prince.
Rat Jailers {15} vs Tilda, Nez, and Maginos {15}
I purposely chose mice that haven't had much shine.
Map: Sorocco
Glyphs: Yes: unknown treasure: trap = 1-4: wound
Tilda gets squashed before she can do anything.
Test her power working on herself; drop Defense to 1.
10%
Maginos felt good this game. I like his slower, older, pondering Move pace. I like that his Range keeps him relevant.
Draw Power: You get to see what the defender rolls before you choose whether or not to reroll. Some interesting tactics unlock, but is it intentional? Is it right? Should it be?
70%
Nez: Scramble I keep forgetting to use Scramble until after I lose a figure or two. Nez, and perhaps Tilda too, could have survived and perhaps even captured a Glyph.
25%
Rat Jailers are meaner than I expected. Either their Attack needs to drop to 1 or their Points increase to 20.
Testing at 20 points
15%
Rats win easily; Our heroes are captured and brought to a cell where they find whom they've been looking for.
----------------
CHAPTER 2 - Collin leads his loyal companions to escape, but the party is spotted once again.
Rat Jailers {20} vs Collin, Tilda, Nez, and Maginos {20}
Adding Collin tips the scales
Map: Sorocco
Glyphs: Yes: unknown treasure: trap = 1-4: wound

Scramble: I actually remembered to use Scramble! Maginos ventured out too far and was attacked. He successfully defended and then scrambled to height, in that Scramble, Nez moved within 5 spaces of Collin - The next om was on Collin, whom lead Tilda to the Treasure as he regrouped with the now in place Nez.
The next Scramble was with the Arrangement of Tilda-Maginos-Collin with an unrevealed om on Collin vs last Jailer. Tilda had dropped her treasure a turn earlier. The jailer attacked and was defended. Maginos scrambled to range. Nez scrambled forward to replace Maginos and get defended by Tilda, picking up the treasure along the way. Nez ended his move adjacent to Collin to be lead on the next order marker with an impressive 3+1 from Armory Tinker attack. He only rolled 1 skull, but the rat rolled 0 shields.
Scramble should possibly only move figures 2 spaces.
Mice win with little effort.
60%
Tilda: Tested at Defense 1: Her lowered defense increased tension when she got into conflict, which was good - generated empathy. But her Draw Empathetic Power wasn't needed, because like Maginos' Draw Power, the player sees his opponent's attack results before deciding whether to reroll her defense. For simplicity's sake, this might still be fine. Another proposal is to get her power to trigger off of Blanks instead of Shields, but that is a power boost I'm not ready to explore.
15%
Collin: The apparent reason why this went so much better was the additional moves and attacks given by Collin. Is Collin too good for 5 pts?
80%
Maginos: The rats attacked Maginos twice and he successfully defended, but he also failed to connect his attacks. His Draw Power special power feels good despite the concerns. He seems both appropriately strong and appropriately weak.
80%
Nez: For the most part, Nez feels like the odd man out - That is until he can either Attack or Tinker. After rolling 1 and 2 dice, Nez felt glorifyingly burly.
35%
Rat Jailers: Dungeon Defense feels good. Attack feels right (though they kept whiffing or 1-skull-vs-1-shielding). 20 Points is correct.
40%
Surge: Triggering after the move felt awkward; stopping to roll the 20-sided die and look at Army Cards was a gearshifter that affected momentum. Perhaps either Surge triggers after attacking or before moving. Figures returned with Surge - especially those on the same Army Card - feel like they should be able to join the assault immediately. With that said, having a difficult roll on a cheap figure felt correct and didn't stop me from cheering the dice on.
30%
The mice search for more treasure.

TREASURE GLYPH: Get on with it Cone! What Treasure did they find? What are they bringing with them to their next journey?

Spoiler Alert!

In building adventure, it became quickly clear that I needed Treasure for our heroes to find.
The first round was generic and simple and suited its purpose:
Glyph Of Helmet
Glyph Of Breastplate
Glyph Of Greaves
Glyph Of Boots
Glyph Of Gloves
Glyph Of Sword
Glyph Of Short Bow

These are the Gloves, the most exotic of the set. Simply adding Attack didn't seem right, so I thought, "What do gloves Do? What are they good for?"
The result is underwhelming, but history all the same.

What I Do like is that I wanted a Glyph Of Brandar like effect that is essentially nothing but gets boosted by Nez to show his potential.
This weaker glyph also shines in on a treasure design philosophy: specialized is good. It keeps power down and the want to find more up.

Most other treasures are from Mice & Mystics; what will our heroes find next?

Spoiler Alert!

Respond to post with comments and a Power Glyph will be unlocked for a Mouse Hero of your choice for the next and oncoming missions!

The treasure and its story were chosen at random