From: Subject: Warhammer Quest : Greywolf's house Rules byT.Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 20:37:00 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_004B_01C415CD.961F01F0"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_004B_01C415CD.961F01F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://wquest.free.fr/rules/greywolf_house_rules.htm Warhammer Quest : Greywolf's house Rules byT.Jordan = "Greywolf" Peacock

Warhammer Quest

Greywolf's House Rules

by T. Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock

8 AUG 95 -- Version 3.0

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The following are various house rules that I've been employing for = local=20 games of _Warhammer Quest_, with a particular interest in trying to use = this=20 game as a /role-playing/ game rather than just a board game. As "house = rules",=20 of course, there is nothing that could possibly make them "official" in = any=20 regard, or necessarily "better" than anything anyone else might come up = with.=20 However, I do put a great deal of work into trying to make enjoyable = gaming=20 sessions for those who show up to play, and I've done my best to hone = the rules=20 I've played by. Here are the latest results of that ongoing effort.

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1. EXPERIENCE POINTS

Rule: Players should keep track on their character sheets not = only of=20 Gold totals, but a new category for Experience Points as well. When = Warriors=20 defeat Monsters, instead of getting a number of "Gold Coins", they = receive an=20 equal number of Experience instead. If the rule is used whereby the = Wizard gains=20 5 Gold for each Warrior he heals, he now gains 5 Experience instead.

Experience may be spent in the same way as Gold on training. However, = it may=20 not be spent on the purchase of equipment or the like. The benefit is = that=20 Experience is not lost due to various Events or Hazards that would = result in the=20 loss of possessions, and that there is no limit to how much Experience a = Warrior=20 can "carry".

If the Warriors trigger some Event that would lead to them finding a = "bag of=20 gold", they sell a treasure card, or similarly obtain treasure, then = this is=20 still treated as "Gold". Gold may be spent on training (in combination = with or=20 instead of experience, as desired) or on new equipment, as before.

Rationale: Doesn't it seem odd when all these giant rats, = giant bats=20 and even giant spiders carry little gold pouches clutched in their = claws, or=20 that gold coins shower out of thin air every time the Wizard heals = somebody?=20 Gold is equated with experience in Warhammer Quest as an abstraction, = but an=20 unnecessary one, in my opinion. It is not all that difficult to make = this rule=20 change to make things a little less bizarre.

Furthermore, what if you want to have a character type who is not = obsessed=20 with gold? Consider the Troll-Slayer -- Even he shouldn't be overly = obsessed=20 with worldly goods, considering his death-wish, yet due to the = gold-driven=20 advancement system, special concessions have to be made to handle this = character=20 type. This new system doesn't punish ascetics quite so much.

Also, what if the Elf were, say, to shoot a Monster across the = Firechasm, and=20 have no way to collect the "gold" that Monster had? This way, there's no = need to=20 physically collect the gold -- He gets the Experience. (Now, however, he = might=20 have trouble getting any special Treasure Card that Monster might have=20 had...)

2. NO RESURRECTION

Rule: The Resurrection spell should be removed from the deck = of spell=20 cards available to beginning Wizards, and cannot be selected from the = expanded=20 spell list at subsequent levels.

Rationale: This is more a matter of personal taste, but the=20 Resurrection spell works better in a simplistic board game than a = /role-playing/=20 game in my opinion. Death is a serious matter, and it is all too = frequent in=20 Warhammer Quest. To make it possible to instantly bring Warriors back = with this=20 spell only cheapens the situation.

Furthermore, consider the primary limitation on Resurrection: All of = the=20 Warrior's gold and treasure is lost. This is evidently put in to serve = as a sort=20 of counterweight, lest death become a /complete/ triviality, but this = doesn't=20 make sense if the players should get the bright idea of simply = ransacking the=20 corpse before reviving it.

If you /do/ keep this spell, and if you're using the Experience rule, = I'd=20 recommend that the Warrior lose all his /Experience/ if revived.

3. WIZARD'S HEALING

Rule: No experience is gained from using Healing Hands.

Rationale: It simply bogged things down too much to have the = Wizard=20 player going around the table saying "Okay, how many wounds did I heal = you? And=20 you?" trying to tally up how many experience he got. For Heal Wounds, = the=20 exchange is a bit more straightforward, though. The Wizard tends to = advance in=20 Battle-Level quickly enough anyway.

4. SKILL SELECTION

Rule: Rather than randomly determining which spells to select = or which=20 special skills to gain at higher Battle-Levels, players may /choose/ = their=20 skills.

Rationale: I think the randomization factor is over-blown. By=20 /choosing/ skills, the players can have a better say in determining how = their=20 Warriors develop. If they can't make a choice, though, the dice are = always handy=20 for a quick decision-maker. For the Wizard -- Well, he already has some = degree=20 of freedom in choosing spells anyway.

5. INTELLIGENCE ATTRIBUTE

Rule: Each Warrior has an additional characteristic: = Intelligence. To=20 determine Intelligence, roll 1D6. Anyone may re-roll a result of 1, but = if it=20 ends up as 1 again, that result must be kept. "Scholarly" Warrior types = (Wizard,=20 Warrior-Priest) may add +1 to the roll. "Barbaric" Warrior types and = Dwarves=20 (Barbarian, Dwarf, Slayer, Chaos Warrior) must subtract 1 from the = roll.

When a situation would call for an "Intellectual Initiative Test", = test=20 against this statistic instead of Initiative. The suggested method is to = roll=20 1D6, add it to your Intelligence, and report this result to the GM. If = the=20 result is equal to or greater than the target value (a default of 7 = should be=20 assumed for most situations, with modifiers as appropriate), then the = Warrior=20 has succeeded.

Rationale: Why should the Wizard be just as smart as the = Barbarian?=20 Basing intellectual things off of the same statistic that determines = your chance=20 of dodging out of the way of a falling boulder doesn't seem quite ... = intuitive.=20 Being swift in mind is not equal to being swift in body.

Note that one could still end up with a particularly smart Barbarian, = or a=20 particularly "dim" Wizard, by this standard. It's possible to end up = with an=20 Intelligence score of 0 or 7, with modifiers. This doesn't mean that a=20 particular character is necessarily a complete imbecile or a genius on = account=20 of the die roll. It's just that in situations where quick wit is = required --=20 where problem-solving is beyond the scope of the /player/ to take a role = -- this=20 provides a way of resolving the outcome.

If you despise random determination of this attribute, perhaps some = flat=20 values would be more in line: Intelligence of 5 for "scholarly"-types = (Wizard,=20 Warrior-Priest), 3 for "barbarians" and Dwarves (Barbarian, Dwarf, = Slayer, Chaos=20 Warrior), and 4 for everybody else. This would help to make the = differences=20 suitably minimal and generic, while offering just /enough/ differences = between=20 the Warrior types to ... well ... make a difference. =3D)

As another thought, one idea might be that players could have the = option of=20 trading off Wounds for higher Intelligence (but not the other way = around), if=20 they have a more intellectual type of character in mind, or else = choosing which=20 die is applied to which statistic. (Roll two dice. One of them is your = die roll=20 for Intelligence. One is for Wounds. You choose which.)

6. LUCK POINTS

Rule: Luck Points, when spent, no longer allow a re-roll. = Rather, the=20 Warrior may simply choose whatever he wants the replacement roll result = to=20 be.

Alternatively, if a Warrior is targeted by an enemy spell (one which = uses a=20 random chart to determine the spell effects), a Luck point may be spent = so that=20 the spell has no effect whatsoever this turn. If the spell would have = affected=20 more than one character, his Luck point only protects himself from the=20 effects.

Luck may also be spent at the player's discretion to help out a = Warrior other=20 than the player's own. There is no requirement that the Warriors be in = the same=20 room or even be aware of each other's situation, as the use of Luck is = not a=20 conscious action.

Rationale: The death rate is high enough as it is, without = actually=20 having a Luck point ... but then finding that is completely wasted even = when you=20 use it, thanks to a freaky die roll.

7. POWER CHART

Rule: The Wizard may add his Battle-Level to his power roll, = even at=20 Battle- Level 1. To keep track of current his current power level, he = should=20 have a numbered table handy, on which he can place a counter to = represent his=20 current power rating. If there is more than one spell-caster, he should = report=20 the die roll to all other casters, and they should set their own charts = as=20 appropriate.

A sample "chart" layout (with marker) follows:

0	1	2	3	****	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17

Rationale: This isn't really so much a /rule/ as an = /innovation/.=20 First of all, once you start adding +1 (or more) to the power die roll, = there=20 are certain values (7 and more) that you can't represent on a d6. Sure, = you=20 could pull out a d20, but as the Wizard is rolling power each and every = turn, it=20 can be a minor delay while he tries to find the proper side to put up on = his=20 card.

Just printing off a piece of paper with 0 to 17 on it and gluing the = paper to=20 cardboard, and then giving the spellcaster a plastic piece to keep track = of his=20 current level worked wonders to expediate the process. If you're short = on Power=20 tokens (or just don't want to bother messing with the tiny things), a = second=20 chart for keeping track of reserve power could be handy, too, though at=20 sufficiently high Battle-Levels you'll need a wider range of = numbers.

As for my interpretation of adding one's Battle-Level to the current = power=20 level, this arose because of a perceived ambiguity in the rules. It = appears that=20 a beginning Wizard just rolls 1D6 for his Power, but later in the rules = it=20 indicates that at subsequent levels, he adds his current Battle-Level to = the=20 result. Does that apply for level 1 as well? I'm not sure, but why not? = My=20 Wizard characters were initially dying off so quickly, I figured it = couldn't=20 hurt.

8. EXPERIENCE DISTRIBUTION

Rule: Whomever kills a Monster gets the full experience point = value=20 (equivalent to the Gold value listed). He is under no obligation to = share this=20 Experience with other Warriors, but the player may decide of his own = accord to=20 do so, as long as he resolves the distribution quickly. (If it requires = a=20 calculator and an argument over what to do with the remainder, the GM = reserves=20 the right to revoke this privelege to expediate game play.) Others may = not=20 attempt to pressure the player into dividing Experience.

Rationale: For a while, the party's leader tried dividing up = Gold=20 because it seemed like the fair thing to do. However, this took a good = deal of=20 time, especially when players argued over their contributions to the = fight. Just=20 giving someone the points wholesale may not always be fair, but it's = /quick/. In=20 theory, things should even out somewhat ... though in practice, the = Wizard's=20 "Freeze" spell often serves to kill off monsters on their last legs, = much to the=20 chagrin of fellow Warriors.

"Experience" isn't a physical commodity, and therefore from a = role-playing=20 basis, the Warriors shouldn't have anything to argue about in character. = If a=20 player should decide on his own to give other Warriors their share, = that's fine.=20 However, if he has to spend time doing the calculations, and if = arguments break=20 out over how to do things, it just detracts from game play.

9. POTIONS

Rule: Potions may be quaffed at any time, even if a Warrior is = in=20 combat, so long as he has a hand free (i.e., not webbed). The Elf's = Potion may=20 be "thrown" at another Warrior to heal him, but other potions cannot be = so=20 casually used -- They must either be applied to an unconscious Warrior = by an=20 adjacent Warrior, or else used by the bearer on himself, while = conscious.

Rationale: The "insta-heal" potion of the Elf is a real = life-saver for=20 beginning Warriors, but it leads to rather strange situations if ALL = potions are=20 treated in the same way. This seems to be the best compromise: to treat = the=20 Elf's potion as a special case, while trying to treat other potions a = little=20 more "realistically". I used to require potions to be consumed outside = of=20 combat, based on my interpretation of an obscure passage in the rules, = but I've=20 changed my mind since then, to make potions slightly more useful.

10. ARMOR FITTING

Rule: One size doesn't fit all. If armor should be acquired as = a=20 treasure card, roll 1D6. On a roll of 1-4, it is human-sized. On a roll = of 5 or=20 6, it is Dwarf-sized. (This only applies for a full suit -- It does not = need to=20 be determined for gauntlets, gloves, boots, helms, shields, etc.) The = Dwarf=20 can't give his chainmail to another Warrior to wear, or vice-versa, = unless they=20 both happen to be Dwarves.

Rationale: I tried adding some new treasure cards with = non-magical=20 items, and included some armor. The Dwarf (acting as leader at the time) = planned=20 on taking the armor for himself, and passing his chainmail on to the = Barbarian=20 (who was taking a break from leadership for the time being). I decided = that this=20 seemed just a /wee/ bit implausible...

Now, the die roll for determining the size assumes an average random = dungeon=20 setting. If you're gaming specifically in a Dwarven stronghold, it might = very=20 well be assumed that most if not all armor encountered would be suited = for=20 Dwarves. If you have a GM, it might just be best left up to GM = discretion to=20 determine what makes sense.

11. GHOSTS

Rule: Ghosts are worth 200 gold (experience) if defeated.

Rationale: If giant rats, bats and spiders can carry little = gold=20 pouches, why shouldn't Ghosts have any gold value, of all Monsters?

12. MUMMIES

Rule: Mummies take double damage from fire-based attacks, and = do not=20 apply their Toughness against such attacks. A normal torch may be used = against a=20 Mummy (in lieu of a normal weapon) to inflict 1D6 Wounds (no modifiers), = but=20 without a Strength bonus for the bearer.

Rationale: This is just to be consistent with how = fire-vulnerable=20 Mummies were in AHQ and WFB.

13. GOBLIN FANATICS

Rule: Goblin Fanatics automatically strike first when they are = placed=20 on the board.

Rationale: If they /don't/ get to strike first, they're = generally just=20 squashed, resulting in phenomenal gold rewards for whomever happens to = have the=20 highest Initiative.

14. RAISED AND LOWERED AREAS

Rule: On board sections (such as the Idol Room) where there = are=20 raised/lowered sections, combatants at different "levels" are not pinned = by each=20 other, though they may attack each other normally. Combatants on a = "staircase"=20 section are considered to be at the "higher" level.

Rationale: This is just to give some meaning to multi-level = layouts=20 other than just pretty looks.

15. CRITICAL HITS

Rule: When determining damage taken from a blow, if a = defender's=20 Toughness, armor, etc. fully absorb the damage, then for each natural = roll of 6=20 on the damage dice, 1 Wound still gets through with no modifiers.

Rationale: I've been rather frustrated with the "SuperDwarf"=20 phenomenon, as I think of it. A Dwarf in the party acquired the Armor of = Taakan,=20 and has, since then, been invincible against anything that rolls less = than 2=20 damage dice; even in the latter case, he's often able to get through = without a=20 scratch! Armor should be very useful, but shouldn't render the wearer=20 invincible. This was devised as a compromise, so that even = heavily-armored=20 Warriors still have /some/ chance of being hit, even if the damage is = miniscule,=20 so you don't have the situation where you can throw an entire ARMY of = Skaven at=20 a Warrior, and even if each and every one of them rolled a natural 6 to = hit, and=20 natural 6 for damage, they couldn't even bruise the Warrior!

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_Games Workshop_, the _Old World_, _Skaven_, = _Warhammer Fantasy=20 Battle_, _Warhammer Quest_, _Advanced HeroQuest_ and _Talisman_ are = trademarks=20 of Games Workshop, Ltd., and their use here does not constitute a legal=20 challenge to that status.=1A

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