Warhammer Quest: The Samurai
by T. Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock
31 AUG 95
-*-
The following is a home-made profession for _Warhammer Quest_ created by
myself out of an interest in the lands of Cathay, which seem to have faded into
oblivion with recent Games Workshop releases. Special thanks goes to Mike
Anderson (email: maxam@next.com.au) the _Warhammer Quest_ FAQ maintainer, for
his input on this Warrior type, and for his valiant but ill-fated efforts to
try to persuade the folks at Games Workshop Ltd. that there would actually be
a market for a "Cathay Warrior" type. =)
On the surface, one could describe the Samurai as an "Oriental Knight".
However, there are differences in approach between the Samurai and the western
Knight. For one thing, the armor of the Samurai is designed to be more light-
weight -- not necessarily as strong as rigid armor, but allowing more freedom
of movement. The Samurai relies more on skill than brute strength or sheer
toughness. Furthermore, the code of Bushido isn't precisely the same as the
code of chivalry.
(Unfortunately, on the point of Bushido, and on other matters of historical
realism, I must confess ignorance to a large part. I can only be consoled in
that this is a fantasy world, and Cathay is a mere shadow of two completely
different nations (Japan and China) in our own world. Therefore, if I make any
"errors", I can always point out that this isn't the /real/ world we're talking
about. ;) )
At this writing, this Warrior type has /not/ been playtested, so it should
only be used in ongoing campaigns with caution.
-*- THE SAMURAI -*-
Most Warriors of the Old World know precious little about the lands far to the
east of the World's Edge Mountains. Cathay, the most powerful "kingdom" of the
Orient, is known to the west mainly as a source of rare silks and items of
exquisite craftsmanship.
The Samurai is a feudal Warrior from this mysterious land, bringing with
him its particular code of honor and ways of battle. He is a ronin -- a
warrior without a master -- who has for whatever reason taken the road to
adventure on his own, though he has met up with other Warriors in order to seek
his fortunes fighting the various monsters that inhabit the dungeons of the
World's Edge Mountains.
Some might describe him as a knight, and indeed he has a code of honor much
like a western cavalier's code of chivalry. However, his methods are
different. While a knight may rely on solid armor to block blades, and on a
heavy sword to cleave through his foes, the Samurai is lightly armored, relying
on skill to dodge blows and to find weaknesses in his enemy's defenses.
While the other Warriors may not understand the Samurai's code of honor,
his skills are worthy of respect, and a welcome addition to any band of heroes.
-*- SAMURAI STATISTICS -*-
Wounds: 1D6+7
Move: 4
Weapon Skill: 4
Ballistic Skill: 4+
Strength: 3
Toughness: 3
Initiative: 6
Attacks: 1
Equipment: Katana, Wakizashi.
Weapon: Katana, causing 1D6+3 Wounds.
Armour: None.
Pinning: Breaks from pinning on a roll of 3+.
Special Rules
Whenever an opponent hits him, the Samurai can attempt to dodge the blow,
causing it to miss completely. Roll 1D6. On a score of 6 the Samurai dodges
the incoming blow.
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TO HIT FOE 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5
-*- KATANA -*-
This slightly curved blade is exquisitely crafted, and the Samurai's most
prized possession (in addition to its companion piece, the Wakizashi). It
inflicts Normal Damage in combat as a regular sword, but in the Samurai's hands
it may be used in a swinging arc of death in lieu of Death Blows. For each
Attack the Samurai has, he may start by attacking an adjacent opponent.
Whether or not he succeeds in killing this opponent, he may continue swinging
his sword in an arc in whichever direction he chooses to another square
adjacent to himself and adjacent to the previous square. If there is another
model in this space, he rolls to attack. He may continue as far as he wishes,
up to a complete arc -- potentially attacking up to 8 adjacent squares in a
circle about himself!
Note that the Samurai's blade may keep travelling through empty spaces, though
he may not skip a space (such as that occupied by an ally), and he cannot carry
through a space containing a solid obstacle (such as a wall). This ability may
be used for each and every Attack the Samurai has each turn.
-*- WAKIZASHI -*-
This shorter, slightly curved blade is carried in addition to the Samurai's
sword (Katana). For the starting Samurai, this serves little purpose more than
ornamentation and an indication of status, as it is simply an additional
weapon, capable of inflicting Normal Damage, though at -1 to hit due to its
reduced length.
However, as the Samurai increases in Battle-Levels, he may learn to use this
weapon in combination with the Katana with deadly efficiency.
-*- SAMURAI ADVANCED PROFILES -*-
Battle Level 2 Wounds: 2D6+7 Wpn./Bal. Skill: 5/4+
Strength/Dice: 3/1 Toughness: 3
Initiative: 6 Attacks: 2
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck: 1
TO HIT 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 Will: 3
SKILLS: 1 Pinning: 2+
Battle Level 3 Wounds: 2D6+7 Wpn./Bal. Skill: 5/4+
Strength/Dice: 4/1 Toughness: 3
Initiative: 7 Attacks: 2
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck: 2
TO HIT 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 Will: 4
SKILLS: 1 Pinning: 2+
Battle Level 4 Wounds: 3D6+7 Wpn./Bal. Skill: 5/3+
Strength/Dice: 4/1 Toughness: 4
Initiative: 7 Attacks: 2
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck: 2
TO HIT 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 Will: 4
SKILLS: 2 Pinning: A
Battle Level 5 Wounds: 3D6+7 Wpn./Bal. Skill: 5/3+
Strength/Dice: 4/2 Toughness: 4
Initiative: 8 Attacks: 3
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck: 2
TO HIT 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 Will: 4
SKILLS: 2 Pinning: A
Battle Level 6 Wounds: 4D6+7 Wpn./Bal. Skill: 6/3+
Strength/Dice: 4/2 Toughness: 4
Initiative: 8 Attacks: 3
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck: 3
TO HIT 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 Will: 4
SKILLS: 3 Pinning: A
Battle Level 7 Wounds: 4D6+7 Wpn./Bal. Skill: 6/2+
Strength/Dice: 4/2 Toughness: 4
Initiative: 9 Attacks: 3
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck: 3
TO HIT 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 Will: 4
SKILLS: 3 Pinning: A
Battle Level 8 Wounds: 5D6+7 Wpn./Bal. Skill: 6/2+
Strength/Dice: 4/2 Toughness: 4
Initiative: 9 Attacks: 4
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck: 3
TO HIT 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 Will: 4
SKILLS: 4 Pinning: A
Battle Level 9 Wounds: 5D6+7 Wpn./Bal. Skill: 7/2+
Strength/Dice: 4/3 Toughness: 4
Initiative: 9 Attacks: 4
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck: 3
TO HIT 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 Will: 5
SKILLS: 5 Pinning: A
Battle Level 10 Wounds: 6D6+7 Wpn./Bal. Skill: 7/1+
Strength/Dice: 4/3 Toughness: 4
Initiative: 9 Attacks: 4
ENEMY'S WS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luck: 4
TO HIT 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 Will: 4
SKILLS: 6 Pinning: A
-*- SAMURAI'S SKILLS -*-
The Samurai has the following skills available to him as he goes up his Battle-
Levels. To determine which specific skill he learns when given the opportunity
roll 2D6.
2 EVADE
You sidestep the incoming blow, which now cuts through empty air.
If the Samurai is hit by a blow, and if there is an adjacent empty space
which he can move into, roll 1D6. On a roll of 5+, he succeeds in evading the
attack by stepping into the empty square. Otherwise, he does not move, and
takes the blow normally. This roll is made in addition to the Samurai's Dodge
ability, thus giving him two chances (at least) to evade an attack. If there
are no adjacent spaces which the Samurai can move into, this ability cannot be
used. This ability can only be used once per turn.
3 PARRY
With a sweeping maneuver, you twist your opponent's blade to the side
harmlessly.
When the Samurai is struck by a hand-to-hand attack, roll 1D6. On a
natural roll of 6, he deflects the blow with his weapon, so that it misses
entirely.
4 YOROI
The oriental craftsman presents you with a treasure befitting a great hero -- a
full suit of enamelled armor, comprised of hundreds of small, brightly-colored
plates linked together with silken cords.
The armor of the Samurai is quite unlike that of the western Knight. This
includes a suit of armor which gives +2 to Toughness, plus a helm which gives
an additional +2, for a total of +4 Toughness, with no penalty to movement.
Also, when an attack hits the Samurai (after any rolls to Dodge or Parry have
been failed), roll 1D6 and consult the following chart:
Roll Result
1 For this blow, apply damage normally. Immediately after, though, the
armor is damaged, so that while the kabuto (helmet) still offers full
protection (+2 to Toughness), the protection offered by the rest of
the armor is now lost until it can be repaired in a Settlement at a
cost of 100 gold.
2-5 Apply damage normally.
6 The blow glances off harmlessly, deflected by the armor.
This armor is greatly prized by the Samurai, and may never be sold or given
away. Even if he chooses not to wear it (or if it has been damaged), he will
still keep it in a place of honor.
5 IAIJUTSU
Faster than you can even consciously think of it, you sense danger and react
instinctively, drawing your blade in a lightning-fast maneuver and swinging it
in an arc -- cutting down your foes before they have a chance to act.
When monsters are placed, the Samurai immediately gets a reaction strike
against any adjacent target. This is a single, normal Attack, resolved before
anyone else gets to act, and even before enemies may Ambush. It is also
capable of causing a Death Blow as with a normal attack.
6 STRIKE OF THE TIGER
Grasping your katana firmly in both hands, you let out a fierce cry and slash
out at your opponent with all your strength.
With this skill, your Warrior may give up one or more Attacks to increase
the damage he inflicts with a single blow. If your Warrior is making more than
one Attack this turn, you must declare which Attack you are using the extra
damage on before you roll to hit. For each Attack you sacrifice, you gain an
additional 1D6 to damage inflicted if that Attack hits.
Since this maneuver requires that your Warrior hold the weapon with both
hands (whether or not it was a one-handed or two-handed weapon already), your
Warrior cannot use his Wakizashi (or any other off-hand weapon) during the same
turn. However, this special Strike is especially powerful --On a natural roll
of 6 to hit, the damage it inflicts is applied without any modifiers for
anything (Toughness, armor, Ignore Pain, etc.).
This ability may be used only once per turn.
7 DAISHO
The two swords carried by the Samurai -- the Katana and Wakizashi -- are known
as the "Daisho": "The Long and the Short". They are not only the favored
weapons of the Samurai, but a symbol of status which only the Samurai may carry
in the lands of Cathay, under penalty of death.
With this skill, your Warrior may use the Wakizashi in his off hand to gain
additional attacks. While he is also using the Katana, he rolls normally to
hit with the Wakizashi -- He doesn't suffer the normal -1 penalty to hit he
would have if he were using it alone.
The number of additional attacks gained vary with Battle-Level/title, as
shown below.
Title Battle-Level Extra Attacks
Novice 1 +1
Champion 2-4 +1
Hero 5-8 +2
Lord 9-10 +3
This bonus only applies when using the Katana and Wakizashi paired. It
does not apply when using any other weapons.
8 SPIRIT BLADE
The force of your will is so strong that even the spirits of the ethereal world
can feel your wrath.
Any attack you make, whether with a hand-to-hand weapon, ranged, or even
unarmed, is treated as if magical for the purposes of harming Ethereal beings,
Daemons and the like.
9 DRAGON STRIKE
Mindless of your own defense, you concentrate on finding your opponent's
weaknesses and making your attack count.
Your Warrior may make an all-out hand-to-hand on a single opponent by
sacrificing his defenses for concentrated blows. This turn, any abilities of
dodging, evading or parrying blows are lost while you concentrate on your
enemy, and your Warrior is treated as having a WS of 1 against any enemy
attacks. Also, even if you are using the Katana, you may not use your normal
ability to sweep through all adjacent spaces with a single blow, and you may
not make any Death Blows this turn.
However, each attack you make causes an additional 1D6 Wounds per hit, and
ignores armor on a natural roll of 6 to hit. Furthermore, you gain a +2 on all
rolls to hit. (A natural roll of 1 to hit still counts as a miss.) All
Attacks this turn must be directed on a single opponent --If you manage to kill
that opponent and have any remaining Attacks this turn, they are simply wasted,
as you may not redirect them against another opponent instead.
10 COURAGE
Caring nothing about your own life or death, you face your enemies, confident
that regardless of the outcome, you will succeed or die with honor.
Your Warrior is immune to Fear and Terror.
11 STUNNING BLOW
With a precise move, you slice across the bridge of the nose of your opponent,
stunning and blinding him momentarily.
Your Warrior may sacrifice a single Attack per turn in an attempt to stun
an opponent. Make a Weapon Skill test (with a target roll of 7). If
successful, you stun your opponent, causing him to lose all Attacks (and
actions) for this turn. (In a moderated setting, at the GM's discretion, this
can also be used to "stun" an opponent so that he can be captured, depending on
the situation and how well the Samurai succeeded at his roll.)
If he fails by one point (i.e. -- He made a total score of 6), then if he
chooses this just ends up being a normal attack -- He may roll to hit normally,
inflicting normal damage if successful.
Otherwise, he only succeeds in wasting this Attack, though he may use any
remaining Attacks this turn normally.
This attack doesn't work against the undead, Ethereal beings, Daemons, and
Large Monsters (such as Dragons).
12 DEFLECT
With an amazingly quick flick of your wrist, you intercept the arrow in mid-air
with your blade, deflecting it cleanly!
On any attack, ranged or hand-to-hand, that hits your Warrior, roll 1D6.
On a natural roll of 6, the attack is deflected harmlessly. If your Warrior
already has the Parry ability, then against hand-to-hand attacks this simply
means that he may Parry such attacks on a roll of 5+.
-*- ADDITIONAL RULES -*-
ALEHOUSE
When or if your Warrior should visit the Alehouse, roll 2D6 to determine the
results of that visit.
EQUIPMENT
The weaponry that your Warrior starts with is specially fashioned, and not mere
equipment to be traded or sold away. The Samurai may never sell this equipment
-- It simply ends up stored away somewhere in a place of honor should he
acquire other equipment along the way.
MAGIC ITEMS
The Samurai may use any magical items available to Warriors in general (or
those available to humans, at least). However, his code of honor prevents him
from utilizing magical weaponry, as he is intent upon relying on his own skill
to defeat his opponents. Also, magical armor is of no use to him (unless in
the form of amulets or the like that happen to offer magical protection) due to
its bulk.
ARMS AND ARMOR
The Samurai may use any sort of hand-to-hand weapon, ranged weapon or gunpowder
weapon, with the exception of Throwing Stars and other exotic weapons favored
by Ninja and other assassins. However, the armor of the Old World is not
suitable for his fighting style, so therefore he cannot use any of the items
at the Armourer's shop.
CODE OF HONOR
The Samurai cares greatly about his code of honor as a Warrior. He may never
flee, fighting to the death if need be.
-*- REPRESENTING YOUR WARRIOR -*-
Unfortunately, Citadel no longer manufactures samurai models, although in
old editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the armies of Cathay were well
represented. A number of other miniatures companies manufacture samurai or
bushi models. (Ral Partha's "Bushido" line would be worth looking into,
although the scale is rather diminutive compared to Citadel.)
-*- ROLE-PLAYING TIPS -*-
The Samurai should provide rich role-playing opportunites for those who
bother to tap into them, as while the code of Bushido can be rather restrictive
and even self-destructive, this adds to the Samurai's character all the more.
The Samurai has a warrior's code of honor, and of all things honor is
paramount. He is forever driven by others' perceptions of his standing as a
great Warrior, and while he may not necessarily be chivalrous or blameless in
any regard, he still has his own brand of nobility, and is certainly true to
his obligations.
-*- DISCLAIMERS AND SUCH -*-
_Games Workshop_, _Knights Panther_, the _Old World_, _Skaven_, _Warhammer
Quest_, _Warhammer Fantasy Battle_, _Battle Magic_, _Talisman_ and _Advanced
HeroQuest_ are trademarks of Games Workshop, Ltd. Their use here does not
constitute a legal challenge to trademark status. This article is copyright
1995 by T. Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock, though it may be freely distributed in
unaltered form, so long as proper credit is given and no fees are charged for
its use.
If you'd like to contact me for whatever reason, you can write to me at:
Jordan Peacock
1610 Parker
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
-*- HAPPY QUESTING! -*-
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Warhammer Quest: The Druid
by T. Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock
31 AUG 1995
-*-
The following is a home-made profession for _Warhammer Quest_ created by
myself as the first in a line of wizardly types based upon the various Color
Colleges presented in _Advanced HeroQuest_ and hinted at in _Talisman_. This
profession is largely like the regular Wizard, though he has a slightly altered
spell selection, and some special skills (and restrictions). The same can be
said of the other spellcaster professions I intend to define in future
articles.
This profession has undergone several revisions through playtesting, and I
hope that the latest version is sufficiently playtested to ensure that it will
be, while significantly different, well-balanced in relation to other Warrior
types.
-*- THE DRUID -*-
Deep in the forests of the Old World, there are practitioners of an ancient
school of magic that concerns itself with the raw forces of life and death, and
with the cycles of nature. They are known as members of the Jade College, and
as the Druids.
While they are most at home in the woodlands, wearing no shoes so that
their feet may stay in contact with the life-bearing earth, there are some who
may respond to the ever-present threat of Chaos by taking up adventuring. The
Druid is one such Warrior, foregoing more extended training in his field of
magic in order to delve into the dangers of the dungeons and other places where
monsters may lurk.
Druids are most certainly out of their element in the rocky depths of the
dungeons, but their proficiency with herbs is welcomed by any party of
adventurers.
-*- DRUID STATISTICS -*-
The Druid has statistics identical to those of the Wizard, both initially and
at subsequent Battle-Levels. Instead of receiving the Hand of Death Scroll,
the Druid starts with a Healing Salve.
-*- HEALING SALVE -*-
This container holds a healing salve that can heal one Warrior adjacent to the
bearer (or the bearer himself) at any time once per turn. When used, it
restores 1D6 Wounds, up to maximum. Roll 1D6 after each use. On a roll of 1,
the salve has been used up, and is now useless.
-*- ADDITIONAL RULES -*-
FOREST-WALKER
The Druid is able to move quickly through forested areas, thanks to his
familiarity with the ways of nature, and also to his magical abilities. He may
reduce the journey time to any Settlement by one week. (This is not cumulative
if you also have an Elf in the party with Forest-Walker, another Druid, or so
forth.)
If you are using the house rules concerning outdoors games, the Druid does not
suffer the usual movement penalty for moving through wooded areas.
Furthermore, he gains a +1 to his Power roll per turn while he is in a forested
area.
HERBLORE
Once per turn, the Druid may attempt to make a salve out of herbs to use in an
attempt to heal wounds on himself or a wounded companion. When using this
skill, roll 1D6 on the following table.
Roll Result
1 The reacted Warrior reacts badly to the salve and takes another 1D6
Wounds (with no modifier for Toughness or Armor).
2-3 Nothing happens.
4-5 The salve works, and the wounded Warrior regains 1D6 Wounds.
6 The treatment is even better than expected and the wounded Warrior
regains 2D6 Wounds.
EQUIPMENT
The Druid may use any equipment or magical items usable by the Wizard, with a
few exceptions. Druids go barefoot or only wear sandals, so they may not use
boots (including magical items such as Boots of Swiftness). They also will not
utilize gunpowder, so they may not use anything from the Gunsmith's shop. If
any Treasure Cards are found which contain new spells (such as a Finger of Doom
scroll) listed as usable by the Wizard, the Druid cannot utilize them, as they
are outside of his area of expertise.
DRUIDS AND SETTLEMENTS
The Druid is largely treated as the Wizard when visiting a Settlement, except
that he may not visit the Wizards' Guild, as he does not consort with
generalized spellcasters, nor with the other spell colleges.
THE SACRED CIRCLE
A Special Location available to any Druid /outside/ a Settlement is the Sacred
Circle -- a place marked by a circle of stones where members of the Jade
College may congregate to perform their various rituals. If the Druid wishes
to participate in a ritual, he must spend 50 gold in special preparations and
materials, and may roll on the following chart.
Roll Result
1 While the Druid is able to commune with nature once more after
spending so long in the dreariness of the dungeon, he gains no
practical benefits that will aid him or his comrades in his next
quest.
2 The Druid may expect beautiful weather during his next journey to a
Settlement. All Hazards involving storms, lightning, tornados,
earthquakes, plagues, rock slides, or other hazards of nature may be
ignored and treated as an Uneventful Week.
3 The Druid may automatically dispel a single spell cast by an enemy
during the upcoming adventure.
4 During a single turn in the upcoming adventure when a 1 is rolled for
power (indicating an Event), the Druid may re-roll his power, and add
his Battle-Level to the result (even if another 1 is rolled). The
Event is still encountered normally.
5 A single blow of your choice during the upcoming adventure is
deflected, so that the damage caused by it may be ignored.
6 The Druid gains one of the preceding benefits of his choice.
INITIAL SPELL SELECTION
The Druid only selects two spell cards initially, which may be drawn from
either or both of the Healing and Defense decks. The Druid also has the option
of getting one of these spells as Life Force automatically, without having to
select it randomly from the deck. Note that with the initial selection, it is
possible that he might have a spell that is not listed on his expanded spell
list below (which is fine). If Life Force is picked, this spell is treated as
Casting Level 4 rather than 5.
ALTERNATE SPELL SELECTION
Optionally, if you have the set of files that contain the special Jade College
set of Wizard spells, the Druid player may draw his spells from that deck
instead. There are only two categories in this deck: Healing and Defense.
There are 6 Healing and 5 Defense provided, though only 5 of each category
should actually be used. The reason for this is that one of the Healing spells
is the Jade Casket -- the Jade College equivalent of "Resurrection". If you
are using Greywolf's House Rules, this card should be left out of the deck.
However, if you choose to leave it in, the GM might decide to pull one of the
other cards out of the deck -- If you don't, though, this will not have any
significant impact on play, as spells are randomly drawn anyway.
Note that the Casting Number for Life Force has already been altered on the
appropriate spell card. No further alterations are necessary, as these spells
are written up with the Druid specifically in mind.
(At the ftp.wais.com site, at this writing, the spell cards for the Druid are
available in the pub/games/miniatures/WQ/binaries directory or subdirectories,
as JadeCards01.*, JadeCards02.* and JadeCardBack.*. "*" should be replaced
with the appropriate extension, as these files are available in .eps, .gif and
.cdr formats. Note that these directories are periodically rearranged as new
submissions arrive, so this information is subject to change without notice.)
-*- DRUID SPELL LIST -*-
As the Druid advances in skill, he selects additional spells in the same way as
the Wizard, as described in the Wizards' Training section beginning on p. 50 of
the Roleplay Book, except that he selects from the following list of spells.
Some of the spells on this list are identical to those available to the Wizard,
though they might have different Casting Levels due to the Druid's differing
specialties. New spells added to this list are described immediately following
it.
* indicates a new spell
+ indicates a spell with altered Casting Level or special rules
CASTING 1
ATTACK Bloodblade
Sting
DEFENSE Coughing
Drop
HEALING Create Food
Cure Small Wounds
SPECIAL Open
CASTING 2
ATTACK Flesh Worm
Strength
DEFENSE Feign Death
Marsh Lights
Nausea
Slip
HEALING Healing Hands
SPECIAL Tongues
Zone of Silence
CASTING 3
ATTACK Ogre Strength
DEFENSE The Cloak of Dainne*
HEALING Finger of Life
SPECIAL Speed
CASTING 4
ATTACK Acid Blast
DEFENSE Levitate
HEALING Heal Wounds
Life Force+
SPECIAL Dispel Magic
Second Sight
CASTING 5
ATTACK The Green Eye*
HEALING Lifebringer
SPECIAL Sleep
CASTING 6
ATTACK The Emerald Fountain*
DEFENSE Invulnerability
Shield
HEAL The Jade Casket*
SPECIAL The Pool of Many Places*
CASTING 7
ATTACK Hand of Decay*
HEALING Bloodpulse
Earth Blood*
SPECIAL Glory!
CASTING 8
HEALING Lifestealer+
SPECIAL Chorus of Valour
CASTING 9
ATTACK The Emerald Waterfall*
CASTING 10
ATTACK The Thousand Cuts*
HEALING Heartbeat
CASTING 11
HEALING Tissue of Life
CASTING 12
SPECIAL Transport of the Damned
-*- SPELL NOTES -*-
CASTING 3
The Cloak of Dainne
/A thin, insubstantial cloak of pale green light forms in the air and draws
itself about the Druid./
This spell creates a cloak of magical energy around the Druid that can absorb
1D6 Wounds.
Target: The Druid
Duration: One Turn
CASTING 4
Life Force: changed from Casting Level 5.
CASTING 5
The Green Eye:
/The Druid's stare becomes glassy as a green fire seems to ignite within his
eyes. The two bright balls of emerald light grow brighter and larger until
they merge into one and, with a loud crack and a cascade of sparks, shoot out
a beam of destructive green energy./
All models in a straight line in any direction from the Druid, up to a
distance of 12 squares away, are automatically hit by this beam. All models
that are in (or partially within, in the case of large monsters) this area of
effect suffer 2D6 Wounds. Any solid obstacle (such as a wall) will stop
further progress of the beam, even if it has not reached its maximum length
of 12 squares.
Target: A 1 square wide corridor
Duration: Immediate
CASTING 6
The Emerald Fountain:
/The Druid raises his hands above his head, placing his palms together for a
few moments. His fingers begin to spark and a green mist begins to flow from
their tips. Upon easing his hands apart a stream of green energy flows from
between them, like water from a fountain, covering his opponents and burning
their flesh. It cascades down onto the surrounding area, spitting and
crackling with the discharge of vast energies./
Every model, friend or foe, within 3 squares of the Druid (not counting
diagonal moves) takes 2D6 Wounds.
Target: All within 3 squares of the Druid (not counting diagonals)
Duration: Immediate
The Pool of Many Places:
/A shimmering pool of emerald liquid appears before the Druid, reflecting
some place he has seen before, only to be replaced with the image of another
as ripples spread across its surface./
Place a two square by two square template on an open area of the floor to
represent the Pool of Many Places, which will remain for a full turn after
the Druid has cast this spell. Any ally who moves into the space occupied by
the Pool immediately disappears, only to reappear a turn later to another
part of the dungeon that the Druid has already explored (his choice). The
first four models using this spell should appear within a two-by-two
formation. If any additional models have entered the pool, place them within
the next ring of squares radiating outward, forming as compact a formation as
possible.
Target: A 2 square by 2 square area within the Druid's line of sight
Duration: One Turn
The Jade Casket: Identical to Resurrection, p. 57.
CASTING 7
Earth Blood:
/The Druid is absorbed into the life-giving earth, where he can recover his
strength./
This spell allows the Druid to retreat into the earth to heal from his
wounds. Remove his model from play, and roll 1D6. He may not reappear until
this many turns have passed. (If you roll a 1, it means he doesn't appear
this turn, but he will appear during the Hero Phase of the next one. If he
had cast this spell just before the end of the turn, it would mean he could
come back almost immediately.) During this period, he may do nothing. Once
this time has expired, he appears once more, anywhere on the same board
section, with all his Wounds restored. If the Druid should for whatever
reason wish to remain in stasis for longer than the rolled duration, he may
do so for as long as is desired, but must declare the period /before/ he
enters the earth, as he has no way of perceiving time (or events) once
therein.
Target: The Druid
Duration: 1D6 Turns or more
Hand of Decay:
/The Druid's hands take on a pale green hue, and the flesh seems to rot away
leaving just the pale white of his bones showing through the lumps of peeling
skin./
The Druid may not use any weapons while this spell is in effect, and only
attacks with his hands. Any successful attack against a model inflicts 1D6
Wounds per Battle-Level of the Druid, with no modifiers for anything
(Toughness, armour, Ignore Pain, etc.) However, this spell is only useful
against truly living creatures -- It has no effect against the Undead or
against Daemons.
Target: Any Monster hit by the Druid this Turn
Duration: Immediate
CASTING 8
Lifestealer: changed from Casting Level 9.
CASTING 9
The Emerald Waterfall:
/The Druid throws his arms into the air, clapping his hands together three
times. As he does so, a raging torrent of green fire arcs upwards from
between his palms. It drenches the surround area, sending out bright green
sparks into the air as it spits and crackles with unnatural vigour./
All models within 4 squares of the Druid (not counting diagonal moves) suffer
5D6 Wounds, whether friend or foe.
Target: All models within 4 spaces of the Druid (not counting diagonals)
Duration: Immediate
CASTING 10
The Thousand Cuts:
/A swirling maelstrom of tiny green shards forms around the Druid's hand as
he crushes the statuette. They spin around in ever-increasing circles,
gradually causing the mass of whirling blades to get bigger, until they
suddenly detach themselves and hurtle towards the Druid's enemy. They
cluster around him, stabbing and slashing his flesh as they constrict and
squeeze tighter and tighter./
A single target within the Druid's line of sight is nominated as the target,
which then suffers 1D6 Wounds for each of the Druid's Battle-Levels, with no
modifiers for anything (Toughness, armour, Ignore Pain, etc.).
Target: Any Monster on the board
Duration: Immediate
-*- REPRESENTING YOUR WARRIOR -*-
The Druid model from _Talisman_ would be perfect for representing this
character, or else the Jade Wizard model manufactured by Citadel Miniatures.
Otherwise, various miniatures companies manufacture models that would be
appropriate to represent a "druid". If nothing else, select some wizardly
model and paint him in a scheme dominated by green (perhaps accented with
either red or brown).
-*- ROLE-PLAYING TIPS -*-
The Warhammer World is a stern and serious one, for the most part. Druids
here are not flower children going around saying "peace, brother" and throwing
a fit any time someone lights a match, chops down a tree or catches a squirrel.
Druids are wizards whose area of magic happens to deal with the forces of
nature. In one aspect, they are simply spellcasters, but in another they are
nature priests of a sort -- The distinction between "neutral magic" and
religion is somewhat blurred on this point, and how Druids apply their
profession to their daily lives may vary greatly.
The Jade College is concerned with the forces of nature -- the forces of
life and death. They are by no means pacifists, and one can only speculate
about the rumors that some of their rituals involve human sacrifice, as their
number will neither confirm nor deny such accusations. Druids are often
believed to be "neutral" in regards to the conflict between Good and Evil. It
would probably be more appropriate to say that their priorities are typically
different from those of the average person in the civilized world; they
typically live far from the cities, and spend most (if not all) their time in
the woodlands, working powerful magicks inextricably bound to the forests and
the forces of life and death. Just because some of their number may not feel
any compassion for their fellow man (outside of their own circle of Druids)
does not mean that they are not just as willing to take up arms against the
corrupting (and ultimately deadly) forces of Chaos.
-*- DISCLAIMERS AND SUCH -*-
_Games Workshop_, _Warhammer Quest_, _Advanced HeroQuest_, _Talisman_,
_Warhammer Fantasy Battle_, _Battle Magic_ and the _Old World_ are trademarks
of Games Workshop, Ltd. Their use here does not constitute a legal challenge
to that status.
This article is copyright 1995 by T. Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock. It may be
freely distributed in unaltered form so long as proper credit is given and no
fees are charged for its use. The files "JadeCards01.*", "JadeCards02.*" and
"JadeCardBack.*" (where "*" is replaced with ".eps", ".gif" and/or ".cdr", as
appropriate) should be included with this article if possible, as these contain
the special spell deck referenced in this article.
If you'd like to contact me for whatever reason, you can write to me at:
Jordan Peacock
1610 Parker
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
-*- HAPPY QUESTING! -*-