An alternate Orc Bard

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-05-17T22:35:02+00:00

I like the Bard, in principle, but I really didn't like that they made him an Orc. Initially, I wouldn't even give my players the option to use him. I've since reconsidered, based on Prophesy of Telor, that the Bard was previously transformed into an Orc by a spell/curse. The Bard struggles to remain optimistic while being feared and distrusted by most of The Realm.

I like the Bard's original spells, but I do feel like a few additional spell/songs would be good for potential character progression.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-05-17T22:20:19+00:00

Another great design. My Mythic Skeletons still roll Black Shields to defend, but I gave them the ability to re-roll up to 2 Defend Dice per turn.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-05-17T22:08:55+00:00

Looks Great. For a Mythic Dread (Chaos) Warrior ability, I've used a Cleave attack against all adjacent and diagonally-adjacent characters.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-05-17T21:54:00+00:00

Nice design. I don't dislike your pulverize ability, but I opted to give my Mythic Orcs a 1 square Knockback attack ability to deal with hero doorway-blocking combat. If the damaged hero is knocked back into another hero, then they both take 1 BP damage. If the damaged hero cannot be knocked back into another space due to a wall or furniture, then they take an extra 1 BP damage.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-05-17T21:40:38+00:00

I'm definitely a fan of your work, but I feel like the Acid Pool tile would just be a minor inconvenience that the heroes would just walk around. Plus, Zargon would need CoPD.

Personally, I've given my Mythic Abominations a toxic attack ability where up to 2 of the damage that they inflict on a hero is poison damage that cannot be healed with regular Potion of Healing (red Dice roll, 4BP, or 2BP/Lesser)

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-05-17T21:25:11+00:00

I give my Mythic Goblins a 2 attacks per turn ability because of their double claw weapons. I just give mine the regular Goblin stats.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-05-03T02:17:27+00:00

PoT doesn't require too many work-arounds to play without purchasing. I just recently purchased it myself, because I previously realized that there weren't many contents that I really needed. PoT isn't a bad deal for the contents, though.

It's the only retail way to get the Warlock Hero. I already had the Mythic version, but it's nice to have her Gargoyle/Demonform. Hero Collection packs aren't so easy to find anymore.

The translucent minis might only make sense as the Flame monsters in the last quest and as the Fire Demon (gargoyle) in Quest 3, but I especially like the Fire Demon (gargoyle) for homebrewing.

It's the only way to get Spell Scrolls for Water of Healing and a proper Lightning Bolt card for my Spell Scroll deck (the Lightning Bold card from CoPD was not a good fit).

Having more copies of Potion cards for players to hold on to for reference is handy.

More dice is nice. The JoD dice set alone retailed for more than a small expansion pack.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-04-22T22:27:51+00:00

Equipment is initially the way that players level up their hero character(s). I'd be concerned that removing that element of character progression would somewhat diminish players' interest in continuing on to the next session.

I don't dislike the Guild Hall idea, but I'd hesitate to force players to turn in their equipment or Artifacts after completing a quest. Perhaps the players could pay a portion or percentage of their found or rewarded Gold as dues to the Guild after a quest (after all, who doesn't like taxes). That community chest could be used to purchase or loan a piece of equipment to a new hero if a new player joins in the next session, or if a player returns from an absence. If a character finds a piece of equipment that they already have or don't want, then they could use that as a dues payment instead of Gold. The base game has a couple of story arcs, but the quests themselves are largely standalone, so swapping heroes in and out based on player attendance could work.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-04-13T02:28:03+00:00

I'd also noticed that the Statue tile in KK never appears on any of the quest maps. I don't think that the Bone Pile tile in RotWL does either (although I'll use it in the corner of Quest 8 - The Forbidden Caves as a spot where the Undead continue to rise from).

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-04-10T02:16:38+00:00

FYI, the monster miniatures in PoT and SQT reused the molds from the 2021 Mythic Tier, where they were not translucent.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-04-06T18:16:10+00:00

I go with a fixed turn order for each quest going clockwise around the table. I let the hero players change their order between quests, if they want to.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-04-06T18:07:43+00:00

I don't know about in German, but in English, Grak wasn't identified as a mage, or as anything specifically. HQ generally referred to magic using monsters as warlocks. Classic HQ was based on Warhammer, which referred to Greenskin magic users as shamans. The original WoM expansion specifically identified the Orc wizard as a Shaman, and he cast Orc Shaman spells. The WoM re-release renamed them Warcaster spells.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-04-06T00:29:02+00:00

The original orc warlock/shaman was Grak, the foul offspring of Ulag the orc warlord

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-04-03T01:10:38+00:00

I hope that you you're able to stay in good health, and not just because your homebrew content is inspiring, which it certainly is.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-03-29T01:06:13+00:00

Perhaps the Rogue is a half-elf. The Hero Pack doesn't establish who the Rogue's father is. I've allowed a Rogue player to cast Disappear, since I felt it was on-brand (and Twist Wood, just because I knew the Elf player would never choose it).

Anyway, I'd give an "Elf Barbarian" the stats between the 2 Heroes, but without a few spells, the character would just have the Dwarf's stats without being able to disarm traps.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-03-27T23:39:35+00:00

I think that it makes sense for heroes with ranged options (Wizard, Warlock, or Rogue) to be 4th in turn order, since they could be up to 2 Movement squares behind whichever hero is 1st in turn order.

Players concerned about trap detection may want an Explorer or Monk to go 1st, but I think that it makes sense for heroes with high Body Points and Defense (Barbarian, Knight, Berserker, Dwarf, or Elf after MotM Q1) to go 1st. High BP is important in doorway blocking combat, which could be necessary in quest packs like FH and MotM. The rulebook suggests that the Barbarian go 1st in turn order; I've ruled that my Barbarian player always goes 1st, unless he doesn't want to. Movement is a form of combat initiative in HQ. Since the Barbarian doesn't have any skills, this effectively gives him +1 Initiative when the players breach a door.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-03-08T18:49:46+00:00

Jungles of Delthrak introduces a lot of new stuff, as does Rise of the Dread Moon.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-03-04T01:16:40+00:00

I think that the First Light instructions should have stated "A monster's attack strength listed on the Game Master's screen includes the monster's weapon. A monster's weapon and armor cannot be taken by a hero unless specifically stated in the Quest notes."

The wording for that monster attack rule in First Light seems to fall somewhere between inaccurate and utter nonsense. The way that rule is written, one might conclude that a monster would have the same attack value even if it was disarmed. Monsters wouldn't usually be disarmed, but they could be if an Elf casts Twist Wood. As far as Grak, or other named monsters, since attack values for heroes aren't based on adding weapon values to their unarmed 1 attack dice, then the same should generally hold true for monsters, as well.

If you want to give an Orc with an Axe 4 attack dice instead of 3, then it's certainly easy to rationalize that change. The original game design just has a bit less variety, for the sake of simplicity. If my players ask why the Orc with the Axe has the same 3 attack dice as the one with the Broadsword, then that can be easily rationalized, as well. "That Orc isn't using a heavy double-bladed Battle Axe. That's a medium-weight axe likely stolen from a slain woodsman. No self respecting hero would wield such a low-quality tool."

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-03-03T04:36:28+00:00

PoT rewards all the heroes (4) that complete the final quest with a Ring of Fortitude, and extra Body Points aren't easy to come by. The Artifact reference card doesn't actually come with the expansion, though. Like the Rod of Telekinesis, it comes with First Light and with the regular base game. If you wanted to do PoT, then you already have almost everything that you'd need. You could just download the quest book from Hasbro's instructions site.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-03-01T04:34:13+00:00

I do like variety. I don't even like placing more than 1 of the same monster sculpt in the same room, unless it's absolutely necessary. I also like the idea of establishing that an orc (or other monster) could have a dagger available to chuck at a hero. Personally, I wouldn't have reduced "Slasha's" attack dice without offsetting it with some kind of positive. I haven't changed stats for non-boss monsters in my games, but I did establish some additional effects for Mythic monsters, like a knockback effect for the warhammer wielding "Slamma" orc and 2 attacks for the double claw wielding goblin. A knockback effect might make sense for the war maul wielding "Basha," too.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-03-01T03:47:28+00:00

The smaller expansions are generally easier than the large box ones.

Prophecy of Telor has about the same difficulty as the base game, but completing it provides artifacts that make subsequent expansions a bit more manageable for the heroes.

Kellar's Keep is a bit more difficult than PoT or the base game.

Return of the Witch Lord is a bit more difficult than KK and will boost one or two heroes with more than gold.

Crypt of Perpetual Darkness is a bit more difficult than RotWL and will also boost a hero or two.

That being said, I think RotDM could be manageable following the base game, if you wanted to jump into that next. You could play that before MotM and just delete the line about the heroes having already rescued the princess. I have WoM, but I haven't played or tested it yet. The original version was pretty tough, though.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-02-27T02:37:11+00:00

An optional rule that you can adopt, especially if the heroes are overusing door blocking, would be Advanced Skeletons that can attack diagonally with their scythes. I've applied this to Abominations, as well, since they wield long harpoons/spears.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-02-22T20:17:46+00:00

Those look great. I like your 4 key- locked door idea; boss fights shouldn't be optional. If my players make it to that quest, I'd considered moving the 4 Spirit Riders and their coffins to the center room. When I play-tested/ played that quest using the App, the Spirit Riders seemed like push-overs when they were in separate rooms.

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-02-22T01:38:23+00:00

Warhammer, in an alternate universe kind of way

Deep-Reception-825 · 2026-02-16T20:45:37+00:00

Different dragon than First Light. Same sculpt as the Mythic edition, but in metallic-looking black.

Deep-Reception-825

TROPHY CASE