Hero Variants

Over the last years I've created several complete reworks of existing hero classes. I was not satisfied with some of the original heroes so my main motivation was to improve these heroes for my gaming group. Should you personally be happy with the original heroes there's no need to use my variants. Otherwise feel free to try them out!

Spriggan

Overview

While the original Spriggan did not play bad there was always some things that bugged me: the whole item mechanic was a neat idea but was not going far enough. You only had a hand full of items and could not gain more. To make things worse, you also had your hero deck cluttered with those cards that allowed you to conjure these items...

I've therefore decided to do a full rework of the Spriggan with the goal to make him a truly unique hero and put a strong emphasize on the item mechanic. The Spriggan now comes with a completely new Grow mechanic for his items: you start with special Sprout Items in your item slots and using a small number of dedicated Hero Cards you can grow these sprouts into various items. These items are still the main Vitality buffer for the Spriggan as he has a very low base Vitality. The new item concepts allows to easily introduce more items for the Spriggan without needing dedicated Hero Cards. It also allows the Spriggan to constantly adapt and optimize his items to the current battle situation.

If you are interested in the design process or want to give feedback there's a thread on BGG here.

Grow Mechanic

As you can see on the picture, there are 3 different card types that allow the Spriggan to Grow his Sprout items. When starting the Spriggan only has his brown starting sprout items available and some of his white items. This allows the Spriggan to gain new, optional items by finding them like other heroes. There are also improved sprout items the Spriggan gains when reaching Journeyman level. These allow him to directly grow stronger items from the initial sprout. As you can also see there are often alternative items available that are usually optimized for dedicated situations - for example to improve the Spriggans defense or his attack capability.

I've also improved/changed many of the Spriggans cards and added various new cards - the removal of the old "item" hero cards opened up additional design space for new hero cards.

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Trickster

Overview

I've also overhauled the Trickster as I did not like that he had real issues with his Traps - more often than not you could not do anything meaningful during the Hero Cycle. He also had way to many part cards in his deck - I've reduced them to a sensible amount and made room for some additional cards: I've added Move cards as he did not have a single one. I've also created special Clockwork Allies that he can construct and that give the Trickster something to do when no trap is ready.

If you are interested in the design process or want to give feedback there's a thread on BGG here.

New Hero Cards

On the picture you can see one of the new Part cards. The card counts as both listed Parts simultaneously so you can use both Parts to build one of your Traps. The shown Metal Casing and Bang Powder card can be used to build the shown Hurty Bangs card without needing any additional Part cards. Most Traps now only need 2 different Part cards and it is much easier to come up with the needed Parts to build your Traps.

You can also see one of the new Clockwork Ally cards on the left. As you can see it has to be built first but is then an Ongoing card. The Clockwork Ally will gain charges over time and can perform special abilities with them.

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Skald

Overview

I've completely reworked the Skald - while one could say that he was unique in the sense that you had to play all cards at the start of the Hero Cycle it just was not fun - at least for me. It resulted in two things: the Skald player had to think quickly as everybody had to wait for him. More importantly, the Skald player than had to watch what all other player did and had nothing to do until the start of the next Hero Cycle.

There are many other small and big things that I did not like: while described as a very mobile hero the Skald had no movement cards and would often even had to stand still to get the most out of his Verses. The Skald also did not have to roll to hit, taking out another base game mechanic. Many hero cards also had very limited ranges (often 1) and I've changed that so that the equipped Instrument now often defines the range. In addition the Skald now has the ability to equip a weapon in his secondary slot and some special hero cards that allow him to attack.

There are so many changes, I cannot list them all. Please have a look at the new hero cards and see if you like this variant...

If you are interested in the design process or want to give feedback there's a thread on BGG here.

Tempo and Song Mechanic

This Skald variant has a completely new mechanic how songs are played. The Skald player has special Tempo cards that are not drawn from the hero deck but are always available. The Skald can increase or decrease the tempo he would like to play at the beginning of the Hero Cycle. Based on the chosen tempo, he can play a certain number of Verses at a certain base difficulty. Each Verse also comes with a difficulty and combined they set the target number the Skald player has to roll to successfully play the Verse.

The picture shows the 3 basic Tempo cards: Lento (Slow), Moderato (Medium) and Allegro (Fast). The song target number (TN) increases with higher speed and also when the Skald moves aggressively. So while you can play more Verses while having Allegro (Fast) ongoing, you have a higher risk of failing at playing the Verse. There are also 2 example Verses shown - as you can see these also have a target number that is added to the base TN from the Tempo card and gives the number you have to roll. There's also an example hero card shown that allows you to attack with your secondary weapon, however these attacks also integrate with the played Verses.

You can also see 2 example items - note that the Instruments now come with a range that is used when playing your Verses.

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Alchemist

Overview

The Alchemist suffered from similar issues as the Trickster: a lot of Ingredient cards that did nothing but clutter the Hero Deck as well as a huge potential to not contribute anything meaningful for several hero cycles. The base deck only had 3 (!) Attack cards. The whole potion storing mechanic was never thought through, especially storing attack potions created a huge exploit potential (don’t do anything meaningful until you reach a mini-boss, agent or boss and use all your attack potions to kill the enemy instantly).

I’ve therefore completely reworked the Alchemist. He now features a reduced number of ingredient cards and while you can use any ingredient to build a potion, some Ingredients will influence the process. Moreover you now have the chance of some spectacular failures or successes when brewing potions. There are more Attack cards in his deck and you will gain the ability to brew Elixirs – special Ongoing potions that enhance the Alchemist’s abilities.

If you are interested in the design process or want to give feedback there's a thread on BGG here.

New / Changed Cards

One of the new special cards the Alchemist has are Unstable Reaction and Fortunate Discovery. These cards are not part of the hero deck but are kept aside. When using certain Ingredients like the shown Fireborn Sulphur, you may have to roll for an unstable reaction or fortunate discovery. Brewing Potions during combat is not the easiest thing to do...

You can also see one of the new Elixir cards: Elixir of Agility. These Journeyman level cards allow you to permanently enhance your abilities. However, when the effect wears off, you have to pay a price...

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Pupil

Overview

The Pupil had a lot of little things that bugged me, leading to another complete hero rework. The whole wording was very confusing (reset Kata, sheath sword ...) and the Kata bonus itself did not feel rewarding / needed at all: when you already roll many D10's you really don't need more. The biggest issue however was that the whole directional attack idea was not thought through - you could later on easily build a deck where you got rid of either Horizontal or Vertical cards so you could always play everything.

This variant completely gets rid of the different directional attacks, instead it focuses on playing Openers, Directional and Finisher attacks. While Kata will give you bonuses (mostly FD) it is now also granting enhanced bonuses to certain hero cards at certain levels.

If you are interested in the design process or want to give feedback there's a thread on BGG here.

New / Changed Cards

For easy tracking of the current Kata I've created a new Kata Tracker card. Almost all hero cards have been reworked and the Pupil will now have to start a new Kata by drawing his sword (playing an Opener card). Once the sword is drawn, the Kata is increased every time a Directional card is played. The Kata sequence comes to an end when playing a Finisher card - these are usually the most powerful cards in the deck, dealing massive amounts of damage or allowing the Pupil to strike down multiple enemies. Playing a Finisher also resets the Kata and sheathes the sword.

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Monk

Overview

I was not very happy with the original Monk as he had many issues. The whole Stance mechanic that only allowed you to play a card if in a certain stance was not really fun and resulted often in doing a whole lot of nothing during the Hero Cycle. To make things worse, later on you could just use a single Stance card: Six Harmonies and once played leave it there forever. This is the exact opposite of what I expect from a hero: the tactical options and challenges should not get less the further you progress with a class.

I’ve thus reworked the Monk completely. Stances are now no longer Ongoing cards. They provide a bonus to certain abilities until they are removed from play. Normal hero cards do no longer require a particular stance in play. Chi is now no longer like the Faith mechanic from the Acolyte, instead the Monk now has a Chi Pool and can store up to 5 Chi. Chi is regained slowly and can be used to empower most of the Monks cards: from increased movement to enhanced defensive and attack capabilities. Fist weapons are now new items that also no longer need to match the Stance in play. Instead, they work just like normal items but are of course special to the Monk. I also got rid of the Malice mechanic the Monk gained at Journeyman level – having the enhanced Chi mechanic was enough and Malice did not really add anything positive to the mix.

If you are interested in the design process or want to give feedback there's a thread on BGG here.

New / Changed Cards

On the picture you can see the new tokens I've created for the new Chi mechanic. Of course, you can also use any other means to track your Chi, from glass beads to a simple six sided dice. You can also see some of the new Fist Items that come with my hero variant. Choosing the appropriate fighting style is no longer dependent on any particula stance so there's more design space for new and interesting "items".

You can also see the three basic Stances the Monk comes with: Plum Blossom, Tiger Fist and Iron Skin. Each stance grants a unique bonus - from enhanced movement to increased chances to hit enemies to a greatly improved defense. The normal Monk cards do no longer require a Stance to be active. In addition most cards allow the Monk to spend Chi to further improve the cards effect. There are many great card synergies in the Monk's deck. To give an impressive example: the Plum Blossom Stance increases the Monks base movement by 1 and also grants +1 MP to any Move card played. Together with a single Hustle card and by spending 1 Chi the Monk has total movement of 7 squares (2 base movement at Novice rank +1 MP due to Plum Blossom + 2 from the Hustle card + 1 MP from Plum Blossom on the Hustle card and +1 MP for spending 1 Chi on the Hustle card).

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Hunter

Overview

The Hunter had several issues, one of them was is lack of cards that allowed him to attack multiple enemies. In addition, the Mark mechanic was very problematic as you would have needed up to 2 ongoing cards that would block your action spaces.

I've not done a full rework of the Hunter and only changed some of his cards and added some new ones. Most importantly new ways to attack multiple enemies and a new way how the Mark mechanic works. You can now collect up to 3 killed Minions on a Mark card and each Mark card grants a different bonus. In addition there are now several cards (like Death Quickening shown in the picture) that allows you to clear Marks (by removing Minions from the card) to gain additional bonuses.

If you are interested in the design process or want to give feedback there's a thread on BGG here.

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Apprentice

Overview

The Apprentice was one of the heroes I initially did never think to re-work. However, after playing him for a longer time in a Lands of Myth campaign, it was apparent that the Ongoing mechanic was causing a lot of issues, often leading to a rather bland experience. Most of the time you want to keep your Ongoing cards as the provided bonuses are better than discarding them for a mediocre attack. This leads to the situation that you don't have much free Action Spaces and can't play several Hero Cards.

I completely removed the Ongoing mechanic and instead focused on the elements: Arcane, Air, Earth, Fire, Ice. I basically took the already existing mechanic of counting elements (see Weaver cards) and started from there. In the end, almost all cards got a rework, including those cards that have been too situational.

If you are interested in the design process or want to give feedback there's a thread on BGG here.

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Archer

Overview

In general, the original Archer was a good character, however I still had the feeling that he could need some improvement. On the one hand, his Ammo cards could come with some more variaty. On the other hand, the Archer lacked Attack options. I've tackled both these issues in my rework: Ammo cards now come in different varieties while the Archer has several new Attack options. I also added some new mechanical twists that I think fit the Archer quite nicely (and already have been present on singular original cards). For example, several cards now can deal more damage if the Archer scores at least 3 successful hits.

Another thing I did not like was the Bleed mechanic: it was never integrated into the rest of the game (i.e. no monster has an Immunity to Bleed) and was a pain to track.

I've also reworked the Duelist and Ranger cards to make them more meaningful and easy to play. The Duelist now features the Combo keyword even more prominently and his Glyphs work completely different. The Command cards of the Ranger are much easier to keep track of (no more tokens) and have been improved upon. In general, all cards that are too situational have been completely reworked.

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